mtl008 Chapter 560 Strong walls and clear fields
Chapter 560 Strong walls and clear fields
On the fourth day of the siege, Abatai became impatient and sent his troops to patrol around the castle. They were met with rifles and lead bullets, but the defenders showed no signs of panic due to the depletion of their food supplies.
Abatai was starting to get restless. He didn't have much time to waste on this small castle; every day he delayed only increased his guilt for disobeying orders. But if he just slunk away like this, not only would all the men who had died before him have died in vain, but he would also have no achievements to redeem himself from, and all his efforts over the past few days would be for naught.
Withdrawing the troops was not an option, nor was staying; Abatai was caught in a dilemma.
On the sixth day of the siege, Liu Ye, along with Lin San and some of the guards, arrived in Dengzhou first by taking two fast boats and landed at the water town.
Upon hearing the news, Lin Tianming personally came to greet him, lamenting, "My dear son-in-law, you've finally arrived! Tens of thousands of Tartar troops are entrenched in Dengzhou, causing widespread panic!"
Liu Ye reassured him, "Father-in-law, please don't worry. I've brought a large army with me, and they'll all arrive soon. What about General Liang? Is he alright?"
"He is trapped in the military camp, but according to the scouts, the Tartars should not have broken through yet, so he is safe for the time being."
Liu Ye breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that everyone was alright. Then, remembering something, he frowned and asked, "We've been besieged for several days, is there enough food?"
"Please rest assured, my dear son-in-law. It seems that General Liang had a premonition. He knew that the Tartars were coming and prepared a month's worth of rations in advance and transported them into the camp. I'm afraid the Tartars will have eaten up the food before the Tartars even have a chance to go hungry."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ye was completely relieved. With soldiers and provisions, and relying on the bastions for defense, repelling the Tartar attack shouldn't be a problem. After the Battle of Bofu, he had great confidence in the bastions designed by Liang Xiaoming.
He waved to Wang Qinian behind him, signaling him to come over.
"The Tartars have besieged the military camp, so Dengzhou is safe for the time being. You take some men out of the city and try to find out the Tartars' intentions and movements so that we can make the next arrangements."
Wang Qinian nodded: "Understood, I will lead my men out of the city immediately."
Liu Ye then turned to Lin Tianming: "Father-in-law, please give the order that all civil and military officials in Dengzhou come to the governor's office tomorrow to discuss how to repel the enemy. The main force of the Qionghai Army has not yet arrived, so the officials in Dengzhou must do something. Even if they cannot drive out the Tartars immediately, they must make sure that the Tartars are not at peace, so as not to be impeached for the crime of being passive and avoiding war."
Lin Tianming knew that his son-in-law was very skilled in training troops and fighting battles, and that it would be best for him to take charge of the situation, so he agreed. Moreover, with the Qionghai Army arriving one after another and their safety guaranteed, avoiding political risks became a must. After all, as the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, it would be easy for him to be impeached if he just stood by and watched the Tartars run rampant in his territory.
Wang Qinian was very efficient; he came to report that very evening.
"General, I sent men to infiltrate the local villages, and they happened to encounter Han soldiers sent by the Tartars to requisition grain. From their conversation, we learned that this Tartar army didn't come specifically to attack Shandong; they were just taking Cangzhou and looting Jinan Prefecture on the way. They clashed with the Independent Regiment's cavalry battalion sent to suppress bandits, resulting in the deaths of over a hundred genuine Tartars. Enraged, they pursued them all the way to Dengzhou. It's said that their commander, the Prince, is in a dilemma—he can't win the battle, but he's unwilling to retreat. They've already looted most of the nearby grain, and according to orders, they should have met up with Ajige in Shunyi ten days ago..."
"I see." Liu Ye nodded. He vaguely remembered that in his original timeline, there were no records of the Later Jin entering Shandong at this point in time. The Later Jin army officially invaded Shandong after Huang Taiji proclaimed himself emperor and established the Qing dynasty. This attack by Abatai was just an accidental event, and it seemed that his butterfly effect had little impact on the Later Jin.
Now that he knew the army's motives for besieging the Dengzhou camp and their current mindset, Liu Ye knew what to do.
The governor personally ordered a discussion on how to repel the enemy, and no one dared to disobey. The next day, officials of all ranks gathered at the governor's office.
Lin Tianming briefly introduced: "This is Liu Ye, the General of Qionghai Town and the Earl of Pingnan. He participated in the suppression of the rebellion in Shandong. Now, having heard that the Tartars have invaded Dengzhou and Laizhou, he has brought troops to their aid. The Tartars are currently entrenched outside the city and have not left. The General of Dengzhou and his troops are besieged in the military camp outside the city. There are no generals or soldiers available in the city. Therefore, I request the Earl of Pingnan to take charge of the defense of Dengzhou and Laizhou. He will be in charge of assigning tasks."
The idea of appointing an outsider military commander to oversee the defense of Dengzhou and Laizhou was unheard of, and the officials were somewhat surprised, inevitably whispering among themselves. A well-informed person quietly told his colleagues, "This Earl of Pingnan is the governor's son-in-law, and he has distinguished himself in numerous battles, earning his title through military exploits. He's overshadowed the Guan Ning Army in Liaodong. Besides, our Dengzhou currently lacks any capable troops; we can only rely on an outsider to manage things..."
The other officials suddenly realized that he was the governor's son-in-law, and since they were all family, and he was also a general with distinguished military achievements and a count, it made sense.
Liu Ye didn't mince words, saying loudly, "I've already gathered some information about this Tartar army. They came to Dengzhou only to retaliate against the troops under the Dengzhou General, not to attack or plunder. Therefore, the cities of Laizhou along the way and Dengzhou, where we are, are safe and sound. Currently, this Tartar army faces two problems: First, their mission was to plunder people, livestock, and money in the Beizhili region. They originally intended to meet up with the army commander Ajige in the Shunyi area and besiege the camp, but this has far exceeded their expectations, leaving them in a dilemma. Second, with nearly 20,000 men, the daily food consumption is enormous. Their rations are long gone, and they've even looted the villages within a few miles. To plunder any more food, they have to travel ten or twenty miles round trip, putting them under immense pressure. Therefore, I have an idea: a scorched-earth policy to force the Tartars to retreat without a fight."
Scorched earth? The officials exchanged bewildered glances, a sense of foreboding creeping into their hearts.
As expected, Liu Ye proposed specific operational methods, which greatly alarmed the officials.
"As long as we harvest all the wheat within twenty li of the Tartars and transport it to nearby prefectures and counties for storage, the Tartars can't possibly travel forty li every day to attack county towns to obtain food, and besieging the military camp will become meaningless. Coupled with the pressure of the military order to advance north, the Tartars will only have one choice—to withdraw their troops!" Liu Ye explained, "However, the common people themselves will not harvest wheat, and the prefectures and counties will not provide warehouses for the people to store grain. Therefore, qualified officials need to go to various places with the governor's order to urge the people to harvest grain and coordinate the storage of grain in various prefectures and counties—I believe you all understand what I mean, this task will fall on your shoulders!"