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Volume 1 Chapter 440 The First Battle of the Hot Air Balloon

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    The battle in Handan entered the final stage. Li Dingguo walked on the bluestone road full of blood and faced a group of beggars in tattered clothes. Each of them held a bamboo pole and inserted it together to form a strong frame with a full body tied to it.  Armor of Tatars.  "Common people, please pay homage to your lord!" This group of beggars knelt in front of Li Dingguo.  Li Dingguo hurriedly took a few steps, grabbed the old man in front, and said with a smile: "Old sir, please get up quickly!" The old beggar suddenly shook his body, and his eyes turned red.  "Sir, we beggars are just a group of people who have died long ago but are still living shamelessly. How can we be called sir!" Li Dingguo looked around at these beggars. As he passed by, they felt a little ashamed of themselves.  Lowered his head.  "Do you want to know what I did before I was ten years old? Like you, I also worked for beggars. One year I was hungry for three days in a row, and an old beggar asked for a bun. He was reluctant to eat it, so he gave it to me.  Then he ate a handful of Guanyin soil and died of bloating!¡± The beggars present were all dumbfounded. They could never have imagined that this handsome and dignified officer in front of them could have such a tragic past.  His ears pricked up.  Li Dingguo said very emotionally: "Later he was kidnapped by Zhang Xianzhong and became his son. He spent the whole day fighting in the north and south, fleeing everywhere. Later, thanks to His Highness the King of Liao, he thought highly of me and took me under his account to serve as a staff officer.  I have a feeling that life is unpredictable. As long as you are still alive and have confidence, you will be able to make a difference in ten years. " These beggars!  They looked at each other. No one had ever said this to them before, and there were tears in their eyes.  "Thank you, sir. With your words, we have the energy to live. If it weren't for the Tatars, we wouldn't have become beggars. If you have any use for us, just give us orders."  , Never frown!" The beggars said and pushed the Tatars in front of Li Dingguo.  The old beggar said: "Sir, we beg for food every day. We have no other skills, but we have developed a pair of sharp eyes. This guy came here when there was chaos in the city. He seems to be delivering a message to Ma Degong, please ask!"  Li Dingguo's eyes suddenly lit up. Of course he was polite to the beggars because he felt the same way. In addition, he also had his own plans.  Don't underestimate these beggars. They walk around the streets and alleys. There are many different religions in the city. Who is good?  Whoever is bad is rich.  Whoever has food has an account in their mind.  During the time when Li Dingguo became a staff officer, he turned over all Gu Zhenhua¡¯s pamphlets on war and studied them carefully.  Speaking of Gu Zhenhua's military training and fighting, it is not surprising, it is nothing more than Qi Jiguang's method.  But what Gu Zhenhua is most powerful about is extending the concept of war.  In the past, Li Dingguo¡¯s view was that war was nothing more than two armies fighting to capture cities and territories.  However, Gu Zhenhua's book mentioned the concept of total war, which means that any battle is not simply against the army, but includes everyone and every field.  To win the war, the entire nation must be determined to go to the battlefield. Everyone must spare no effort, dedicate all their body and mind, and crush the opponent materially and spiritually!  This concept is Ludendorff's total war. In fact, before the First World War in the West, the melee among various countries was mostly a struggle for power between nobles. The fights were only between the seven aunts and eight aunts, and the royal family.  There is still some distance from the lower class people.  With the development of industrialization, the feudal territories of the nobility were broken and a modern country was formed. Ludendorff took advantage of the trend to sum up the experience of World War I and proposed a total war.  Gu Zhenhua seems that this idea can actually be put forward earlier. Although China does not have the concept of a nation-state in later generations, China is a unified dynasty. Through the imperial examination system, social mobility is very high, unlike the West where it is monopolized by aristocratic lords.  Therefore, the concept of total war just strengthens the national identity of the people and unites various social forces.  Li Dingguo was immediately shocked when he saw the concept that was explained in a few words. He had actually been reflecting on why the rogue bandits were so powerful, but they failed to recover after their defeat.  Gu Zhenhua just gave him the answer, that is, the social organization is not in place and social forces cannot be mobilized.  Li Dingguo even consulted Gu Zhenhua specifically for this purpose. Gu Zhenhua also noticed Li Dingguo's acumen, so he boldly asked him to be Li Xu's assistant!  Facing the Tatar, Li Dingguo was not polite and waved his hand directly. Two soldiers rushed up and held him down. Their sharp daggers were aimed at his ears.  "Tell me what news you are sending. Count to three. If you don't tell me, I'll cut off your ears!" "1, 2" "I say!  "The Tatar was indeed frightened and said hurriedly: "It's Li, Mr. Li Litai sent the news. He will arrive in Handan in half a day!  " Li Dingguo was suddenly shocked. After half a day, deducting the time for fighting, I am afraid that the Qing army will come within two or three hours! Li Dingguo glanced at Tan Xingming beside him and said hurriedly: "Go and tell Ma Wan.  Year, let him go to the city immediately to strengthen the defense.  Then notify the commander-in-chief and ask him to speed up and drive the troops into the city.  " Tan Xingming nodded hurriedly, turned around and took the messenger to convey the order. Li Dingguo turned his attention to these beggars again: "The Tatars are coming. I want to ask you, do you want to fall into the hands of the Tatars again?  " "I only think about it, my grandson!"  The Tatars don't regard the Han people as human beings at all. We can see dead bodies being transported out of the city every day!  " "Well, well, from now on, you will be An**'s reserve team members and enjoy half-pay treatment!  " When the beggars heard this, they were immediately happy. They turned out to be officers and soldiers. It was really unexpected. "Sir, what do you want us to do? Go to the city to kill the Tatars?  " "No, you serve as guides for the brothers. Anyone in the city who is close to the Tatars will be caught and killed, and their property will be confiscated. Anyone who has a grudge against the Tatars will be asked to help defend the city. As long as Handan is defended,  You all have done a great job.  Joining the army in the future is guaranteed to lead a successful career!  " Li Dingguo said, his face darkened, and he said seriously: "You also remember.  If anyone dares to engage in malpractice for personal gain, we still have the manpower to keep an eye on them. We will unjustly accuse the good guys and let the bad guys go. I will enforce military law!  " This is not to scare them. There is another force in An**, which is Fang Dahong's Tiandihui. They just supervise each other and rely on these local snakes to quickly control Handan. " Li Dingguo's method is indeed effective. The beggars are all  If you have the strength to move around quickly, you will first find those who are prestigious and have enemies with the Tatars, and then they will mobilize their trusted personnel to form a team.  The militiamen were assigned to the neighborhoods, and those who had the most contact with the Tatars were the wealthy gentry and merchants. They were the first to be purged, and Li Dingguo collected 70% of the large amounts of food and property.  Get up, and the other three components are assigned to the militia. The militia is like a snowball, and the number is getting bigger and bigger. Those Tatar lackeys and the remaining traitors have been wiped out in less than half a day, and the city of Handan is completely intact.  Li Xu walked over the Taihang Mountains and arrived at Handan. When he saw him, he couldn't help but give Li Dingguo a thumbs up: "Commander Li, no wonder His Royal Highness the King of Liao personally ordered the general, he is such a good hand!  " Li Dingguo smiled bitterly: "Commander-in-Chief, this is just the first step. The Tatars will come at any time. As far as I know, there are tens of thousands of them. Can they resist" While speaking, Battalion Commander Lu Dong  Yong hurried over. "Report to the commander-in-chief, brothers have spotted traces of the Tatars. They are about thirty miles northeast of Handan. They can reach the gates of Handan City in as little as an hour!"  " "So fast!  " Li Xu was immediately startled. Gu Zhenhua gave him two brigades of elite soldiers, a total of more than 10,000 people. It was easy to deal with tens of thousands of Tatars. But it is not easy for a large group of people to cross the Taihang Mountains, especially in large numbers.  "Commander Li, I have calculated that the mountain road is difficult. It will take about noon for Kanglesheng's troops to arrive. As for Xiong Xin's troops, they will have to wait until evening."  " Li Dingguo suddenly knitted his brows together: "Commander-in-Chief, can't you hurry up?  " "Commander Li, you also know that in addition to food and ammunition, our supplies also include a lot of cement. This is the key to our defense of Handan.  When a man carries a horse, he can't do it just because he wants to be fast.  " Both of them felt a headache. If they go according to plan, the Tatars will fight to the bottom of the city. By then the Tatars will be clenched into a fist and the soldiers will be scattered everywhere. This battle will be impossible to fight! "Commander-in-chief, there is no need to worry.  , please order us to go out of the city to fight the Tatars and let them know how powerful An** is!  " It was Li Laiheng and Ma Wannian who came to ask for orders. These two men were full of momentum. Li Dingguo said with some suspicion: "The white-pole soldiers have been fighting for so long. Do they still have the energy? The old Guards are the prince's pet peeve.  , if there is some loss, who can afford it!  " Li Laiheng patted his chest and said, "Sir, don't worry, don't we have this!  "The finger just pointed at the hot air balloons in the city. Since the hot air balloons were developed, basically each brigade is equipped with at least two or three hot air balloons. Li Xu and the others are equipped with five, and this time they are also equipped with hot air balloons."The enemy was discovered first.  But Li Xu still has some doubts. There is no problem in using the hot air balloon for observation, but it is uncertain whether it can be used for fighting.  "Are you really confident?" "Commander, don't worry. Even if there is no hot air balloon, the miniguns equipped by our Guards have an overwhelming advantage. We are guaranteed to escape unscathed!" Li Xu and Li Dingguo looked at each other and could only  Nod in agreement.  Li Laiheng and Ma Wannian immediately called their subordinates. They led a total of 1,000 Old Guards and 1,500 white pole soldiers, quickly rushed out of the North City, and formed an array about five miles away from the city, carrying three soldiers.  The soldier's hot air balloon slowly rose into the sky, and the army suddenly had an eye in the sky, and the Tatars' actions in the distance could be seen clearly.  I saw the observer above pointing the flag to the northeast and waving it downward five times in a row, telling Li Laiheng and the others that the enemy was in the northeast, with a total of about 5,000 people.  Li Laiheng clenched his fists and said with a smile: "Tatars, grandpa is waiting for you to come and die!" (To be continued)
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