"This thing is really damn good. It's not much slower than riding a horse." Hei Niu rode a bicycle on the official road in Lanzhou. After the hard work of the Gansu military and civilians, this cement-paved road was finally completed.

"Captain, this car can also adjust the speed. As long as you turn this mechanism, the chain of the car will be hung on the small wheels, making it easier to pedal and more suitable for long-distance marches." The quartermaster under his command gave Heiniu guidance.

"Hey! You still have this ability, it's really a good thing." Hei Niu tried to pull a wrench, and immediately felt that it was much easier to pedal.

"The marshal personally suggested it, and the fisherman worked tirelessly to lead people to improve it. Even the tires of this car are reinforced wide tires. If the cement road cannot be driven, as long as the road is solid, it will be fine in the wilderness. The marshal said, this car is

It’s called mountain biking.”

"You're just a flatterer, but if you can get 2,000 of these vehicles for our regiment, it's your first contribution. His grandma's, I heard, is going to be awarded the title. I'm the commander of the regiment, and the most you can do is a captain.

"I have made a decision and I will get you a major card to carry." Hei Niu was very excited and patted his chest and made a wish to the quartermaster. The army is such a place. If merit is not rewarded, people will not have the motivation to work next time.

"Thank you for your support, head! The railway from Beijing to Yinchuan is fully connected. These supplies were shipped from Beijing to Yinchuan in just four days. I heard that in a few months, the railway from Yinchuan to Guanzhong will also be opened. These two sections of railway are under construction

Once it is completed, the next step is the railway from Xi'an to Lanzhou. In the future, military supplies will be transported more quickly. You don't need to spend a lot of money on other people's airships, you just need to take the train.

When I came from the capital this time, I also heard a news. It was said that the commander-in-chief proposed a brigade and regiment system for our third division. That is, there will be three brigades under the division headquarters, and each brigade will have three regiments.

.The division headquarters coordinates the command, and each brigade commander demarcates the combat zone and assumes his or her own responsibilities. I asked around, and I found out that you, the regiment commander, are a popular candidate for brigade commander.

I heard that you, the brigade commander, will be awarded the title of major general next year. From now on, when I see you, I will be called a general." The quartermaster is not only good at supplying military supplies, but he is also a good source of inquiries.

"Oh! This is a solution. The Mongols are now invisible. When we retreat to the city, they will plunder the countryside. When we support the countryside, they will gather to attack the county town. We are running around like headless chickens. Now each department has designated a defense zone, and each department

If something goes wrong in the defense area, take the responsibility to the commander. The commander-in-chief is still wise!" Hei Niu is no longer the Hei Niu who only knew how to fight and charge a few years ago.

In the past few years, he has led troops abroad, first as the battalion commander of the 1st Division, then transferred to the 3rd Division as the regiment commander, and now as an errand under Cao Wenzhao. Along the way, he has fought many battles, and has become more experienced.

In Yinchuan City, eighty miles away from Heiniu, Cao Wenzhao was staring at the map.

The railway was built, and future logistics were guaranteed. But Cao Wenzhao knew that this time there was no excuse. In the past, there was an excuse for poor logistics, but now even this excuse is gone. The city of Lanzhou was destroyed, and the Ming Dynasty suffered a loss of up to 100,000 soldiers and civilians.

More than 100,000 people. It can be called the greatest shame and humiliation of the Ming Dynasty after the Jin Tatars.

However, the imperial court did not have a document of reprimand. It only ordered Cao Wenzhao to continue to stabilize the Gansu defense line. It even transferred a main force group from Zu Dashou in Guanzhong to be responsible for the defense in the direction of Lanzhou.

Cao Wenzhao knew that the commander-in-chief was helping him with this. He needed to win a battle to win back the city, otherwise the commander-in-chief would be stabbed in the spine, and he, Cao Wenzhao, would also be scolded as his ancestor for eight generations. In front of his colleagues,

It's hard to look up anymore.

The recent Mongolian attacks have been very troublesome. A large number of cavalry dispersed into the territory of the Ming Dynasty. They burned, killed and looted in the vast countryside. When the troops went out of the city to rescue, they were either shot by the Mongolians who had been ambushing on the roadside, or they were chased away.

When we arrived at our destination, the place had been burned, killed, and robbed.

The Ming army could only look at the ruins and corpses on the ground.

There is no way, they are cavalry, and their subordinates are all infantry. No matter what, two legs can't run with four legs. The lack of mobility caused the Liao army to lose the initiative on the battlefield. There were even several times when most of the troops in the county town

Reinforcements were sent out, but the Mongols actually dared to gather together and attack the county seat.

When the reinforcements came back, the city wall of the county town had been blown down and the entire county town was in danger.

The Mongols changed their tactics, which made the Liao army extremely uncomfortable. The bloated command structure made the Liao army always slow to respond. In addition, the Mongols came and went like the wind, and the Liao army did not have the strength to fight back at all.

In the exhaustion of the battle, more than 2,000 people were lost in battle in one month.

Not only the army suffered huge losses, but the local people suffered even more losses. Farmers in many places had begun to migrate to the interior on a large scale. As a last resort, Cao Wenzhao ordered a regiment to abandon Zhangye and retreat to Zhangye with their baggage and Zhangye people.

After Wuwei.

This was the first time that the Ming army abandoned such a strategically important city after the war with the Mongols began.

Perhaps the widespread use of bicycles can offset the Mongols' cavalry advantage. Cao Wenzhao tried riding a bicycle and found that it ran very quickly on cement roads. However, it was a bit difficult on dirt roads, especially sand.

What should we do? We have to hurt the Mongols, and we must not let them be so rampant. But no matter how hard we hurt the Mongols, they are all cavalry, and they can't catch up with them if they come and go like the wind.

The eyes fell on Wuwei City. Now all the villagers around Wuwei City have fled. Wuwei can be said to have become an isolated city. Normally, a camp-sized team must be dispatched to escort supplies. Otherwise, there is a risk of being hijacked by the Mongols on the road.

.

"Uncle, are you also thinking about martial arts?" Cao Bianjiao looked at Cao Wenzhao and immediately guessed what Cao Wenzhao was thinking.

"Well! Wuwei has become an isolated city. The reason why the Mongols did not attack is that a whole regiment of troops is stationed here, and Wuwei is not attractive enough to them."

"If we have too many troops, we can withdraw slowly. If there is not enough temptation, we will transport a lot of supplies and ammunition to Wuwei City. Food is the blood of the Mongols, and ammunition is their lives. As long as there are enough ammunition and

Don’t worry if they don’t come to grab the food.”

"Haha! You kid has also been thinking about it and has been planning it for a long time?" Cao Wenzhao looked at this nephew. After graduating from the Army Officer School, he led the army for several years. Cao Bianjiao's growth rate can only be described as amazing! He is no longer

That brave and heartless Cao Bianjiao who only knew how to fight and kill.

"Well! I have been thinking about this since Zhangye retreated. This is not the way to go. We need to beat the Mongols hard. This place is the best in Wuwei.

This was my hometown in China during the Han Dynasty. For thousands of years, Wuwei City was constantly attacked and repaired. By the Ming Dynasty, it had gone through more than two hundred years of repairs. The city defense can be said to be very strong and used to defend it.

Couldn't be more appropriate.

There has been only one snowfall this winter, so it will be very difficult for the Mongols to supply supplies. Now they can survive only by plundering in our Ming Dynasty. As the people of the Ming Dynasty move inward, they can't rob even if they want.

Their fragile supply lines would be great if they could replenish their ammunition and food! Hehe!

As long as we pile enough food in Wuwei, we won't be afraid that the Mongols in the ice and snow won't come to grab it.

But doing so is also very dangerous. The first and most important thing is..."

"The most important thing is that the troops defending Wuwei must be able to hold it. There can only be one battalion at most, otherwise the Mongols will not dare to attack. It is not easy to defend a city with one battalion."

"Yes! If Wuwei falls before the reinforcements encircle us, all our previous efforts will be in vain."

"Uncle! I am willing to lead people to defend Wuwei."

"Child, you have to think about it. This is a narrow escape. Although the Wuwei city defense is strong, it is not a reinforced concrete building after all. As long as the opponent uses explosives...!"

"Uncle! I have a way to stall him even in a street fight."

"oh!"

"Uncle, we just want this, this, this...!" Cao Bianjiao leaned over to Cao Wenzhao's editor and muttered in a low voice.

Cao Wenzhao's face changed several times, he nodded and smiled. This child finally grew into a generation of generals, and there were successors to the Cao family.

"Come here, tell the quartermaster that Wu Wei has allocated 100,000 catties of grain. Hei Niu is ordered to take his regiment and protect him along the way."

"promise!"

************************************************************************ ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

In Zhangye City, Ge Erdan was leaning against the stove. There was a charcoal basin in front of him and a leg of lamb in his hand. He used a sharp knife to slice and eat each layer, and from time to time he took a sip of Wuliangye brought back by Dorgon.

, very enjoyable.

"So, you almost killed Li Xiao this time?" Galdan said with some regret in his tone.

"Just a little bit close! In fact, this thing is simply impossible. Although Li Xiao is seriously ill, he is not dead yet. His security must be extremely tight. It is not easy to break through the layers of protection with just a few people. This time it is just a matter of sending a few people.

If you are a dead man, try it. It is good to succeed. If you fail, the loss will not be big.

The most important gain this time is to get information about the Ming court. We also met with a secret informant and got the Ming steel formula. After we go back, we will work hard to test it, and we should be able to make steel as good as the Ming Dynasty.

As long as the steel is good, the gun barrel will be good. From now on, we have to rely on ourselves for our arms. The British may one day become unreliable. After careful inquiry, I learned that the Marine Corps is recruiting troops on a large scale. In the future, Ming Dynasty will use troops overseas.

, the first to bear the brunt is India. By then, the British will have too much to take care of themselves, and will have no spare power to support us."

"We can't control the affairs of the British, but our soldiers are about to starve to death. The heavy snow has blocked the world, and it is very difficult to transport supplies to us from the Ili Valley. Now the soldiers eat everything they eat from the Han people.

Come here to eat. In any case, these things will not last until the beginning of spring. Besides, the Han people have begun to shrink, and even this Yecheng has given up.

There are fewer and fewer farmers, and it is not easy to rob. You see, let's continue to grab some farther away. It is impossible to go to Khalkha, where there is a full cavalry division.

We are no match for Man Gui!" Galdan was still frightened by the thought of being defeated by Man Gui.

"Absolutely not. A small group of troops went deep into the Ming Dynasty to rob. It is very likely that they will never come back. This is going to die. As for Khalkha, we can't go. At least Mangui is there, so we can't go."

"What should we do? Starve to death here? Or go back to the Ili Valley crying like Alabutan?" Galdan valued Dorgon as a think tank, but now the think tank had no choice.

"Information came out from my detailed work that the Ming army is hoarding food and ammunition in Wuwei. It seems that they want to use Wuwei as a stronghold against us!"

"Wuwei is the place that blocks the exit of the Qilian Mountains. It guards the Ming Dynasty's main road to the Western Regions. If you want to enter the Ming Dynasty without going through the desert, you can only go through Wuwei. It is more important than Zhangye. The Ming Dynasty is unwilling to give up Wuwei, so it can only nail it.

Just stay there. What a pity! There is a full regiment stationed in Wuwei, otherwise I would definitely lead a raid on Wuwei. By the time the Ming army reacts, we may have already started to rush to transport food from Wuwei City."

Regarding the Ming Dynasty's army, Galdan also knew that the garrison troops could be bullied as much as they wanted. When encountering real field troops, it was best to be more honest. Those guys were all elites with rich combat experience.

Not only are they well-equipped, but they also have fierce firepower. Provoking them is not much different from provoking the King of Hell.

"Three days ago, a new batch of grain arrived in Wuwei. Guess how much it is?" Dorgon said calmly.

"Ten thousand pounds?"

"Xiaojiaziqi, it weighs a hundred thousand kilograms. There is also a batch of ammunition, which is transported into the city. I heard that the treasury in Wuwei City is full."

"Grandma's! There is a whole regiment of the Ming army there." Galdan rubbed his hands anxiously. It was very uncomfortable to see that he couldn't eat. It would have been better not to know at all. Now he feels itchy. Today

I definitely won't be able to sleep at night.

"There is a regiment, but if we find a way, these people will move away from the mountain... By then there will be only one battalion in Wuwei City, or even less troops. What do you think the chances of winning are?"

"Ten percent! A battalion of the Ming army only has a few hundred people, and it is definitely no match for our 30,000-strong army. But how to get the Ming army out of Wuwei City? It is heavily defended there, and it is impossible for them to go far out of the city to rescue. Ordinary

The strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain won't work at all." Galdan shook his head helplessly.

"There is Gulang County behind Wuwei. As far as I know, there are more than 20,000 people waiting to migrate there. As long as we send an army to bypass Wuwei and attack Gulang. In order to save those people, the Ming army will definitely attack.

people.
Chapter completed!