Tiger Owl

Chapter 242 Inspecting Queyue
Each large ship was equipped with a communication ship, usually a medium-sized warship. These ships were the fastest and would travel between the main large ships to relay messages.

Huang Zhong arrived at Gan Ning's ship aboard a large warship. He waited in the council cabin on the first floor, his back ramrod straight.

Before long, a soldier outside the door announced, "The Marquis of Chu has arrived!"

Huang Zhong quickly stood up and bowed to Gan Ning, who had entered the cabin, saying, "Greetings, Marquis of Chu!"

Gan Ning waved his hand and smiled, "Please sit down!"

Huang Zhong sat down, and Gan Ning followed suit, asking with a smile, "Have you been thinking about how to defend Queyue City these past two days?"

Huang Zhong nodded. "This subordinate has been considering this matter."

Tell me about it!

"To defend Queyue City, there are only three points. First, know yourself and know your enemy. This does not mean knowing how many troops Cao Cao's army has. For a city defense battle, this is not important. What is important is that we must know what siege tactics Cao Cao's army has and where their weaknesses are. Similarly, we must know what advantages we have. By leveraging our advantages and striking the enemy's weaknesses, we can achieve remarkable results."

"Tell me more about it," Gan Ning said with great interest.

Huang Zhong organized his thoughts and continued, "Cao Cao's biggest weakness is his weak naval power. Therefore, I plan to widen the moat of Queyue City by three times and deploy warships in it. If the enemy builds a pontoon bridge, the warships will attack and destroy the enemy's pontoon bridge in time."

Gan Ning nodded, agreeing with the idea. He pondered for a moment and said, "What if the other side doesn't build a pontoon bridge, but instead fills the moat with sandbags? At least that would create a road."

"This is where the catapults on the city walls come in handy. If the catapults are not very effective, then we should increase the number of warships and use our firepower advantage to thwart the enemy's operations."

"I understand, please continue!"

"Cao Cao's firearms are also formidable. I will build firebreaks on the city walls, and the soldiers will hide inside them. Even if the city walls are engulfed in flames, the soldiers will remain safe and sound and will still be able to fight back against the enemy."

Gan Ning laughed. Huang Zhong was very good at this trick. Back when he was the governor of Linxiang County in Changsha, Huang Zhong's firewall left him helpless.

"Let's talk about the second point!"

"The second point is to maintain high morale, which is extremely important for a protracted war. Lord Chu, not only do you need to have enough food, but you also need to maintain contact with the outside world so that the soldiers can communicate with their families and know that their perseverance will allow their families to live a good life. For example, if they hold out for a month, their families can get an acre of land. In addition, the soldiers need to see a large number of warships on the Han River so that they know that they are not isolated and helpless. Finally, there is also the need to provide military prostitutes. At least 1,000 military prostitutes should be provided for 20,000 soldiers. As long as the morale does not drop, it is not a problem to hold out for two or three years."

Gan Ning nodded silently. "And the third point?"

"The third point is the giant catapult. We need to strike the enemy from a distance. I am worried that Cao Cao's army also has giant catapults. They can strike us from a distance across the moat. We must have a means of retaliation. In addition, we need a group of craftsmen to repair the catapults at any time."

Gan Ning was very pleased, realizing that he had not misjudged Huang Zhong; Huang Zhong was indeed a seasoned and experienced general.

"Let's go to Queyue City for an on-site inspection; maybe we'll come up with a better idea."

At this point, Gan Ning placed the black box on the table and pushed it to Huang Zhong with a smile, saying, "This is a secret weapon for you to use."

"What is it?"

Huang Zhong curiously took the box and opened it. Inside was a wooden tube about a foot long, exquisitely crafted, but one he had never seen before. Gan Ning reached out and took it, smiling as he said, "This is called 'Thousand-Mile Eyes.' It allows you to see the enemy's situation several miles away. It's extremely useful in naval battles and city defenses. I'll teach you how to use it."

Gan Ning raised the telescope and looked out of the cabin. The telescope tube was actually two sections that could be adjusted in distance. Once the image was clear, he fastened the copper buckle.

Gan Ning adjusted the distance and handed the telescope to Huang Zhong. Huang Zhong was completely confused. He followed Gan Ning's example and held up the telescope to look out of the cabin. He was immediately horrified when the distant mast appeared right in front of him. He was so frightened that he almost dropped the telescope.

"Lord Chu, what is this?" Huang Zhong asked in alarm.

"As I just told you, this is called a telescope, a clever device that can bring objects several miles away closer to your eyes."

"A clever tool?"

Huang Zhong understood a little. He raised his telescope and looked out again. Although he was still surprised, he was no longer as afraid as before.

Huang Zhong stared at it for a long time before finally understanding. His fear turned into joy. "Lord Chu, this is simply a divine weapon for war! With it, defending the city will be like adding wings to a tiger."

Gan Ning pondered for a moment, then solemnly said to Huang Zhong, "General Huang, this kind of telescope is our greatest secret weapon. There are only three in total. I designed it myself, and my wife made it. No one knows about it except my family. Today I am entrusting it to you. I hope you will keep it with you at all times and not show it to anyone except you, not even your personal guards. This secret must not be revealed. Cao Cao must never know that we have telescopes. Do you understand what I mean, General Huang?"

Huang Zhong nodded solemnly, "Lord Chu, rest assured, I will keep this a secret. No one but me will touch it, and no one will know what it is."

Gan Ning then taught Huang Zhong how to use his clairvoyance and how to maintain it. What precautions should be taken?

Huang Zhong quickly learned it, then carefully put it away before taking his leave and returning to his own ship.

Five days later, the fleet arrived at Queyue City, a military city built by Huang Zu at great expense. It could accommodate 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers. The city was shaped like a crescent moon and located on a solitary island. It was surrounded by water, with a huge bay of tens of thousands of acres on the Han River to the west. A water gate had been built there, but it was no longer there. The ships sailed directly into the bay and slowly docked.

Xu Wei did not disembark. The large ship with a capacity of 20,000 shi was very comfortable to live on. There was nothing in the city, so it was not as good as the ship.

Gan Ning disembarked and entered the city with Huang Zhong and Xu Shu.

Queyue City currently has a garrison of three thousand troops, who are Wei Yan's subordinates. Wei Yan was also in the city at the moment, and he quickly stepped forward to salute, "Greetings, Marquis of Chu!"

"General Wei, you've worked hard!"

Gan Ning smiled and comforted Wei Yan for a few words before leading the group into the city. The city was very large, equivalent to a medium-sized county town, and had not changed since then. There were no wooden houses, only stone houses. Warehouses, barracks, drill grounds, military offices, and so on were all available. There were many spacious open spaces. Most of the houses were on the west side, so the enemy could only attack from the east. Even if a huge rock fell into the city, it would be too far away from the houses.

The city has only three gates, and Gan Ning is particularly pleased with the water gate, which is directly connected to the Han River. This means that the defending army not only has a way to retreat, but reinforcements can also enter the city through the water gate.

Gan Ning was very satisfied with everything. He made a decision: Queyue City would become his stronghold in Jiangbei. With it in place, Cao Cao could not hope to unify Jiangbei.

"Let's go take a look at the city wall!" Gan Ning led the group and strode towards the city wall.

(End of this chapter)