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Volume 1: Dragon Trapped in the Shoals Chapter 152: Hope

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    Chapter 152 Hope

    Liao Zhongai did not express his position immediately, but after thinking for a moment, he replied, "Your Highness, if we rely on 1,000 Liaodong cavalry and 6,000 Korean cavalry who have begun to fight, plus the defenders of Nanyuan City, we will eventually have  If he could hold off the 60,000 Japanese troops attacking the city for at least a month, he could even suffer heavy losses."

    Yang Yuannai was a famous tiger general in Liaodong. Liao Zhongai had known him for a long time. Liao Zhongai also knew that Yang Yuan's three thousand soldiers and horses in Nanyuan City were elite cavalry from Liaodong who had followed him in battles for many years. However, because of the Nanyuan City soldiers,  There were too few horses. Even if three thousand Koreans were added, it would only be enough to defend the city. There was no way to use the mobility and lethality of the cavalry. The three thousand elite cavalry had no choice but to dismount and defend the city.  In fact, Liao Zhongai's answer to Zhu Changluo was already quite conservative. According to his opinion, if Yang Yuan's three thousand cavalry suffered little losses in the city defense battle, even after he entered Nanyuan City and met Yang Yuan,  If only 2,000 of the 3,000 men could be left, Liao Zhongai would be confident that the 60,000 Japanese troops would be defeated in Nanyuan Castle.

    This is not because he is arrogant. Japan is a country with a serious iron shortage. Even ordinary generals are not guaranteed to have iron armor, let alone ordinary soldiers. Therefore, the cavalry is basically the natural enemy of the Japanese. The Japanese's bamboo or  Cotton armor can't stop the charging cavalry at all. As long as the cavalry is close, it is as easy as chopping melons and vegetables.

    For the 6,000 Korean cavalry, Liao Zhongai did not dare to have any hope. It was okay to let them dismount and defend the city.  But if there are still two thousand Liaodong cavalry left in Nanyuan City, plus the one thousand Liaodong cavalry given to him by Zhu Changluo, this will form a 3,000 cavalry force that has begun to take shape. If they rush out to kill every time the Japanese attack the city,  For a while, it will not only cause a large number of casualties to the Japanese, but also prevent them from attacking the city and use it to prevent them from using it, reducing the pressure on defending the city.

    Even if we take a step back, we cannot form 3,000 Liaodong cavalry, but in Liao Zhongai's view, if he leads 7,000 troops to rescue Nanyuan, plus the defenders of Nanyuan City, there are still 10,000 people, and they can face the Japanese.  If the 50,000 to 60,000 people attacking the city cannot hold out for a month, it would be better to wipe their necks as soon as possible.

    "Haha" Zhu Changluo laughed. Although he has never really fought a war, he doesn't know whether Liao Zhongai's promise of being able to hold on for at least a month is high or low. But if he can hold on for a month, these time will be of great significance to Zhu Changluo.  It is enough to say, "If a good general can have this confidence, I, the prince, will feel relieved."

    After a pause, Zhu Changluo changed the topic and said with a smile, "One month is enough for this prince, but General Liao, I'm afraid it won't be so easy. Well, what I mean is that maybe when you guard  During the castle period, we did not have to face 60,000 Japanese troops. This number might be 60,000, or it might be 100,000, or hundreds of thousands."

    "Huh?" Liao Zhongai was stunned and said tentatively, "Your Highness, what do you mean"

    "General, do you think that if the Japanese want to attack Seoul, Nanyuan City must be captured, or can they give up attacking Nanyuan City and attack north?" Zhu Changluo asked with a smile.

    "Namwon has a special geographical location. If the Japanese want to make a difference in Korea, Namwon must be captured. Not to mention that it is the gate leading to Seoul, and even if it is not, the Japanese will not let them have one behind them.  It is not fun to advance with confidence in a city where tens of thousands of troops are garrisoned. It is not fun to be attacked from both sides. What's more, without capturing Nanyuan, the Japanese will not be able to make full use of their navy to supply the army, nor will they be able to threaten our coastal areas of Ming Dynasty and attack us.  Ming Dynasty will contain it." Liao Zhongai replied without hesitation.

    "That's right." Zhu Changluo nodded. "They must capture Nanyuan. You also know that after the North Korean navy was destroyed, Toyotomi Hideyoshi officially issued an order to march into North Korea at the end of July. The Japanese assembled a total of two troops in Busan.  Apart from the 20,000 Japanese troops who have been captured alive by this prince and the old and weak chores used to ensure the supply of logistics and food, the actual usable combat strength is about 150,000, including about 20,000 naval troops.  , the army was divided into the left route army and the right route army. After the landing, a pincer offensive was adopted. The left route army was led by Ukita Hideie and Konishi Yukinaga was the vanguard. He led nearly 60,000 troops along the Yining and Jinzhou lines.  , marching towards Jeolla Province, with the intention of capturing Nanyuan; the right army, led by M¨¢o Huigen, with Kato Kiyomasa as the vanguard, led an army of almost 70,000, and advanced towards Jeolla Province along the line of Miryang and Daegu.  Intent to capture the entire state.¡±

    Seeing Liao Zhongai nodded, Zhu Changluo rolled his lips. There was one more thing he didn't say. According to the news sent by Kobayakawa Takakage from Busan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi has not left Busan yet, but he will soon.  According to Kobayakawa Takakage, Toyotomi Hideyoshi has already made plans to return to Japan. It is estimated that the trip will be scheduled for mid-September. After all, Japan is not peaceful there. With Toyotomi Hideyoshi almost coming out to launch another invasion of Korea,  After the war, some famous names in Japan have lost their respect for Toyotomi Hideyoshi and have become greedy for Toyotomi.Ji Ji must return to the country to stabilize the overall situation.

    Of course, for Zhu Changluo, this is not the point. The point is that with the Japanese left army of nearly 60,000 people, the right army of nearly 70,000 people, and the naval attack launched, the defenders remaining in Busan are only more than 10,000.  Among the more than 10,000 defenders, there are also 3,000 personal soldiers of Kobayakawa Takakage. This is Zhu Changluo's ultimate goal.

    Zhu Changluo doesn¡¯t know if he can completely trust Kobayakawa Takakage. Maybe this is a trap for him.  However, Zhu Changluo wanted to take this risk, and it was necessary for him to take it now. Six thousand Liaodong cavalry plus nearly a thousand Jinyi guards, plus Kobayakawa Takakage's internal support, were more than enough to deal with the more than 10,000 Japanese troops in Busan, and they could also capture them alive.  Toyotomi Hideyoshi's best and last chance, this youhuo is so big that it is even difficult for Zhu Changluo to even think of rejecting it.

    If it is done, his prestige will definitely increase to a level that was beyond his reach before, especially in the military. When that time comes, no one can stop his strong rise, and no one can stop him.  On the road to becoming a prince, if even Zhu Yijun cannot defeat him, he may become a prisoner. The road to become a prince is far away, or he may even end up with his life.

    However, considering that Toyotomi Hideyoshi is devouring Kobayakawa Takakage's power, since Kobayakawa Takakage has indirectly killed Toyotomi Hideyoshi's former adopted son Kobayakawa Hideaki, he will not sit still and wait for death. This time, there is a great possibility of actually helping Zhu Changluo.  What's more, according to the information obtained by the secret guards from Busan, the number of soldiers capable of fighting in Busan is indeed only about 14,000. Even if there is an ambush, with the 6,000 elite Liaodong cavalry and nearly 1,000 Jinyi guards in hand, can it still be fought?  Can't escape?  He had no reason not to take this risk

    Of course, before that, there is one more thing that must be done, and that is to hold back Japan's left and right armies, lest they return to the rescue in time and make this operation fail.  To hold back the Japanese left and right armies, Zhu Changluo chose Nanyuan, a battleground for Japan.

    Looking at Liao Zhongai, Zhu Changluo continued, "General Liao, my prince's plan is that after you lead seven thousand cavalry to break through the Japanese army besieging Nanyuan and enter the city, you will definitely cause trouble to the Japanese army. At this time, my prince  You will lead six thousand cavalry and royal guards to attack the Japanese army who are still in shock from another direction. You have to break out of the city again at this time. It is expected that this battle will definitely cause heavy casualties to the Japanese army, leaving them unable to fight alone anymore.  Siege Nanyuan.¡±

    "Huh?" Liao Zhongai was stunned, and couldn't help but murmur in his heart. He knew that Zhu Changluo was right, and this strategy was also very reasonable. He first led 6,000 Korean cavalry and 1,000 Liaodong cavalry with low combat effectiveness into Nanyuan City.  , will inevitably cause confusion and surprise to the Japanese army.  At this time, the elite 6,000 Liaodong cavalry took advantage of the Japanese army's fright and attacked, causing the Japanese army on the side of the attack to suffer heavy losses. In addition, he led the 7,000 cavalry again.  After rushing out of the city, the Japanese army's defeat was a foregone conclusion.

    After all, there are less than 60,000 Japanese troops besieging the city. The two-day siege will definitely cause a lot of casualties. Each city gate is only more than 10,000 people. How can it be possible for this small number of people?  It can withstand the impact of six or seven thousand cavalry, let alone two places at the same time.  Even if they spread out their formation, the Japanese army of about 50,000 would never be able to withstand the surprise attack of more than 13,000 cavalry.

    However, Liao Zhongai was a little confused. Didn't the eldest prince just say that he would lead seven thousand cavalry to Nanyuan to reinforce and defend the city?  He also said that he might face more Japanese troops in Nanyuan. Why did he go to Nanyuan to kill the enemy together instead?

    "Your Highness, the general is a little I don't understand." Liao Zhongai pursed his lips and still raised his question.

    "Haha" Zhu Changluo smiled slightly, and then said, "The Japanese left army besieging Nanyuan will definitely suffer heavy losses after this attack, and they will never dare to use the remaining troops to siege the city again. But Nanyuan City must be captured.  Yes, they have no other choice but to ask for help from the right-wing army not far from them. And I, the prince, will lead the escort to help you break the enemy's rear. He will not stay in Nanyuan City, but has other important matters. In this case, after  In this battle, including the defenders of Nanyuan, you can use up to 10,000 troops, but what you have to face is the 70,000 right army troops coming from Miryang and Daqiu to support them, and the remaining left army troops.  Army, that is to say, you are facing a Japanese army of about 100,000. The prince does not want you to hold on to Nanyuan for a month. As long as you can hold off the Japanese army in Nanyuan for half a month, your great achievements will still be considered.  , do you have confidence?"

    Only then did Liao Zhongai understand what Zhu Changluo meant. He didn't understand what the eldest prince's purpose was in letting him hold off the Japanese army in Nanyuan for half a month. Whether he would use the guards in his hands or the Japanese army in Nanyuan half a month later when the besieging Japanese army was tired.  There are other plans to mobilize more troops and horses from other places to defeat the Japanese army in one fell swoop. However, it is not impossible to use about 10,000 troops and horses to defend the city surrounded by more than 100,000 enemy troops for half a month.  things.

    Even ifAt that time, most of the soldiers guarding the city were probably Korean cavalry brought by Liao Zhongai. However, after these Koreans were given to Zhu Changluo, Liao Zhongai had always been their commander and responsible for training them. He dared not say anything about their combat skills.  It's very powerful, but if it's used to defend a city, there's still no problem.  What's more, after several reinforcements, Nanyuan City's city wall is still strong. As long as there are no major flaws, Liao Zhongai is confident that it can hold on for about ten days.

    Liao Zhongai knew that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to prove his worth, and an opportunity to become Zhu Changluo's confidant, so he gritted his teeth and said without hesitation, "Your Highness, although I am not completely sure, as long as I have a chance to  As long as the tone is maintained, Nanyuan City will never be lost. Within half a month, the city will be destroyed and people will be destroyed."

    "Good general Liao, live well. This prince still has many things for the general to do in the future."

    "I will definitely live up to His Highness's trust."

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    It has been three days since Yang Yuan sent someone to pretend to be a messenger and said that reinforcements would arrive in three days. It has also been two days since the Japanese began to attack Nanyuan City.  In the past two days, as the Japanese took full advantage of their military strength and attacked in turns, the defenders of Nanyuan were not only depleted of men and horses, but also suffered heavy casualties. The 3,000 Ming troops now suffered more than 1,000 casualties, and the 3,000 Koreans suffered nearly two casualties.  Thousands of people, resulting in Nanyuan's defenders being stretched thin and the pressure increasing. Even if there is a crisis on any of the city walls, there will be no extra troops to support them, and the city will be breached in sight.

    Today is the fourth day, which is the day when the "reinforcements" must arrive.

    After discussing with Ukita Hideie, Governor Konishi decided to concentrate their superior forces today and only besiege them for the time being. They wanted to make the defenders lose their morale when seeing no reinforcements coming today, and then attack the defenders who had no fighting spirit in one fell swoop tomorrow.  Occupy Nanyuan City to reduce your own casualties.  Moreover, Ukita Hideie had already given an order to wait for the city to be broken tomorrow, and then let the soldiers massacre the city for one day. After all, with only 6,000 defenders, the Japanese troops attacking the city had suffered more than 6,000 casualties in just two days.  The casualties were really high, not to mention that among the 6,000 people guarding the city there were 3,000 North Korean troops who they looked down upon.

    "Dong dong" The Japanese war drums have been ringing for more than a long time. Although they only besieged Nanyuan City today, but in order to undermine the morale of the defenders, their war drums have not stopped.  Maybe this was not of much use a few days ago, but now and then, today, when the coalition reinforcements have not arrived, the morale of the defenders is decreasing little by little. Many of them have begun to doubt whether there is any  Reinforcements are coming. This trend is expanding rapidly. After all, the remaining defenders can hold on for another day. If there are no reinforcements, the city will be destroyed and people will die.

    Yang Yuan¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked tired and depressed. He just sat down on the ground casually like the other soldiers guarding the city.

    "General Yang, the Japanese outside the city strangely did not attack the city today. Instead, they kept beating drums and shouting, saying that our reinforcements were actually a lie. There were no reinforcements at all. Let us open the city and surrender as soon as possible Bah.  , these Japanese people will play with these dirty things, don't say that our reinforcements will arrive today, even if there are no reinforcements, we will never surrender to these Japanese dogs." North Korean soldier Li Funan also has no image.  Sitting next to Yang Yuan, he said in a rough voice.

    Looking around, Li Funan lightly touched Yang Yuan and asked in a low voice, "General Yang, do you think reinforcements will come again?"

    Yang Yuan looked up at the sky. It was going to be dark soon. He sighed in his heart. He knew that Nanyuan City would only be able to hold on for one day at most. Maybe the morale of the defenders would be greatly reduced if they could not see "reinforcements" today.  , whether it can defend a Japanese charge is a question.

    Chun pursed his chapped lips and glanced at Li Funan. This North Korean was very carefree and didn't have much scheming. After getting to know him in the past few days, he was quite to Yang Yuan's liking. "General Li, youwant me to comfort you," he said.  Or do you want to hear the truth?¡±

    Yang Yuan also lowered his voice and asked.

    Li Funan was stunned and opened his mouth. Although he seemed careless, he was not an idiot.  Swallowing, Yang Yuan lowered his voice and asked hesitantly, "General Yang, could it be"

    Yang Yuan nodded quietly, then patted Li Funan on the shoulder and walked towards the city wall, leaving Li Funan sitting there in shock.  It wasn't until Yang Yuan walked away that Li Funan sighed with a complicated expression. Although he had expected it, he had deliberately harbored fantasies in the past two days, but he didn't expect that fantasies would still be fantasies after all.

    Climbing the city wall, Yang Yuan began to patrol as usual. However, what he heard most along the way was the listless soldiers discussing whether reinforcements were coming and whether there were any reinforcements.

    "General, reinforcements will come, right?" A soldier who looked like he was only in his teens immediately gave a military salute when he saw Yang Yuan approaching.Looking at Yang Yuan hopefully, he asked, "They all said there are no reinforcements. I don't believe it. The general said three days ago that if there are reinforcements, there will be reinforcements. I believe the general."

    Looking at the person asking the question, Yang Yuan's heart seemed to be blocked by something. He knew this young man. He was the son of an old subordinate who died fighting to protect him a long time ago. He had promised that old subordinate that he would  He was taking care of his son. Unexpectedly

    Taking a deep breath and trying to suppress the sadness in his heart, Yang Yuan forced a smile and patted the young man on the shoulder. "Dongzi, reinforcementswill come." After saying that, he strode away from here as if running away, far away.  I heard Dongzi's loud laughter and his voice behind him, "Haha, I just said it, the general will not lie to me. The general said reinforcements will come, they will definitely come. You guys also heard what the general said personally.  Yes, haha"

    Yang Yuan¡¯s steps staggered, and his throat felt uncomfortable. Even though he knew it was impossible, he was praying to the gods and Buddhas in the sky for reinforcements for no reason at this time?  I hope there are reinforcements, even if it takes ten years off my life, or I use my life to exchange for
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