Chen Biao was lying on the bed, pondering the causes and consequences of the Poyang Lake naval battle.
He thought for a long time, but the only thing in his mind was this nonsense: "The Battle of Poyang Lake is the prototype of the Battle of Red Cliffs in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and the two warring parties are Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang."
When did the Battle of Poyang Lake begin? Who attacked whom first? Why was Poyang Lake chosen? Who were the generals on both sides?
I have no idea!
Chen Biao was so angry that he hit the ground (bed) with his head, and crawled around in a 360-degree rotation with his head as the center.
Chen Biao: Brain! Didn’t you use a memory hack? How come you don’t even know the details of the Battle of Poyang Lake?
Brain: The real body! What's the point of using memory cheats for something that doesn't even exist in my memory?
After Chen Biao finished spinning, his belly turned over and he lay down like a salted fish with a big letter "L".
give up.
"In my previous life, I definitely knew a little about the generals on both sides of the conflict. For example, there must have been Uncle Xu Da." Chen Biao opened his eyes, full of wisdom (obscured), and tried to save his dignity. "In this life, I can also name more generals, such as Tang He, Zhou Dexing, Chang Yuchun, and a series of other good uncles of mine. Yes, I am not completely ignorant of this!"
After saving face, Chen Biao became even more depressed.
Science students, what a waste! As a time traveler, you can't even see the future of an important battle!
If he were the head of state, he would definitely order a reform of the education system. Regardless of the subject, all students must memorize the Twenty-Four Histories before taking the college entrance exam! This is the only way to prepare for the possibility of time travel!
Chen Biao was furious and babbling in his heart for a while, then he got up from the bed weakly, walked slowly into the study, grabbed a pen to write down the information he had now, and inferred the conditions under which the Battle of Poyang Lake might occur.
The three silly brothers hid outside the window and watched the whole process. After Chen Biao got up from the bed, they immediately climbed onto the roof and hid there, waiting for Chen Biao to leave before coming out.
Li Wenzhong regretted: "It's a pity that I can't draw."
Zhu Wenzheng rubbed his palms together and said, "I need to quickly record this scene and write a letter to my fourth uncle."
Chen Ying nodded and sighed.
Biaoer rolling around on the bed was so adorable that the brothers were very sad that they couldn't record this scene and savor it from time to time.
If the three silly brothers had mobile phones with cameras, Chen Biao would probably have taken them to court for "invasion of privacy" long ago.
Chen Ying said, "Biao'er may know something about the future, but don't ask."
Zhu Wenzheng rolled his eyes at Chen Ying and said, "Do I need you to tell me?"
Li Wenzhong said, "We also need to prevent Biaoer from accidentally saying anything. Although what Biaoer can say may not cause him any harm, we still have to be prepared."
The three of them nodded continuously.
Zhu Wenzheng asked, "During this time, should we go around the mark?"
Chen Ying thought for a moment and said, "That's not necessary. When Biao'er starts to speak, we can just interrupt him. I think Biao'er needs our help gathering information right now."
Li Wenzhong sighed: "Biao'er is really too smart. He is so smart that I am a little scared."
Not to mention that Chen Ying felt uncomfortable when he heard this, Zhu Wenzhen's face was wrinkled.
They'd heard folklore that precocious children often suffered disasters. This was especially true of the gods who descended to the mortal world, who generally came to overcome disasters. Could the possibility of an attack on Hongdu this time be one of Biao'er's calamities?
Chen Ying calmed down and said with a straight face, "No matter what, we will protect Biao'er."
Zhu Wenzheng said with a carefree smile, "If Chen Youliang were to come, he would probably be targeting me, the only adopted son given a surname by my adoptive father. When the time comes, I will surrender with my banner, and no one is allowed to stop me."
Chen Ying lowered his eyes and said, "I can lend you my head when the time comes."
Zhu Wenzheng immediately said, "Don't do that. Do you want to piss Biao off to death?"
Li Wenzhong patted Zhu Wenzheng on the shoulder and said, "If anything happens to any of us, Biao'er will be furious. But let's make it this way. When the time comes, one head might not be enough, so I'll lend you mine and Aying's. Take them and ask Chen Youliang for a reward, and ask for the lives of the entire Chen family."
Zhu Wenzheng slapped Li Wenzhong's hand away and cursed, "Then you might as well use my head! He's coming for me anyway, and my head alone can save the three of you! Shut up! Don't say that again! When the time comes, I will fight to the death, so you surrender! That's it! I'm the boss! Alright, let's go and see what Biaoer needs us to do!"
Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying looked at each other and saw helplessness and ruthlessness in each other's eyes.
Zhu Wenzhen, who was walking in front, clenched his fists, having guessed that the two people behind him definitely wanted to join forces.
Damn it! It all depends on your own abilities!
The three of them each had their own thoughts, and the atmosphere was very awkward and tense.
When they reached the door of the study, Zhu Wenzheng stopped and looked at it and said, "Given Chen Youliang's arrogance, perhaps all three of us will die. Then we will die together and give our heads to Yan Qian. With his cousin's experience before him, his surrender will be more trustworthy. Then we will set a fire and pretend that Biao'er died with us."
Chen Ying and Li Wenzhong patted Zhu Wenzheng's shoulders simultaneously, stepped forward, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. "That Biao'er will definitely be pissed off by us. Let's not talk about this for now. We will definitely win."
Zhu Wenzheng glanced at the two of them and complained, "You were the first to say this, and now you're the ones asking me not to say this. You've let me say everything."
After complaining, Zhu Wenzheng adjusted his expression, pushed open the study door with both hands, and said with a carefree smile: "Biao'er, how can I help you?"
Chen Biao threw three paper balls, hitting his three brothers on the forehead accurately, and said angrily: "Shut up! Get out of here! Let me figure it out!"
The three of them immediately turned around and left, quickly closing the door.
Zhu Wenzheng touched his forehead and said, "When Biao gets angry, he's a little scary."
Li Wenzhong said, "It's rare for Biao'er to be in this state. I think we can win!"
Chen Ying: “…Yeah.”
Although I don't know the basis for Wen Zhong's statement, I will just go along with him before the battle and stop getting discouraged.
In fact, Zhu Wenzhen, Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying were quite confident in defending Hongdu and waiting for rescue.
They just had to be prepared for the worst. Even if there was a one in ten thousand chance that something might happen to Biaoer, they had to make a plan.
Anyway, the worst case scenario is that the three of them lend their heads to Yan Qian and let Yan Qian take Biao'er away.
After they told Yan Qian about this, Yan Qian almost went berserk.
In the end, Yan Qian agreed to the deal and suffered from sleeplessness for several nights until Chen Biao excitedly invited them to see the newly built city wall.
Zhu Wenzheng asked cautiously, "Are you feeling better now? You won't hit us anymore?"
Chen Biao put away his smile and cursed, "Isn't it just a piece of paper that hit you once? Why do you still remember it? You are so petty!"
Zhu Wenzheng breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled as he picked up Chen Biao and rocked him. "Don't you share the Chen family's inherited pettiness? Hey, Biao'er, what did you figure out?"
Chen Biao twisted in Zhu Wenzheng's arms, changed into a comfortable position, and leaned against Zhu Wenzheng's arms like a master, saying, "What do you mean by 'it counts'? You talk like I'm a charlatan. I just analyzed the situation."
In wars from ancient times to the present, food and supplies have never come first, but information has.
"Information warfare" isn't a modern phenomenon. Those ancient, meticulously strategists' supposedly strategic plans were actually information warfare.
In ancient times, there were very few ways to transmit information. The carrier pigeons and eagles used in novels to deliver messages were exaggerated, and their effects were extremely limited in actual applications. Information basically had to be transmitted by manpower.
Therefore, this situation often occurred in ancient times: when local people rebelled, the imperial court would not learn of the news until several months later and order the rebellion to be suppressed.
When the heroes were fighting for supremacy, there was a fierce confrontation between the two sides of the siege. The people in the city wanted to send letters to the outside for help, and the people besieging the city would block all those who came to ask for help, and delay the time for the other side's reinforcements to know about it as much as possible.
Most of the powerful strategists in ancient times had access to their lord's unofficial sources of intelligence, and were able to judge the enemy's movements and behaviors in advance, and carry out their own military operations at the same time as the enemy was carrying out military operations.
You predict, I predict, you predict my prediction, I predict that you predict my prediction... It depends on who has the highest level of prediction, who has the better skill.
The top strategists' information integration ability, logical ability, spatial thinking, and most importantly, mathematical ability, etc., are definitely first-class.
In modern times, most of the basic skills of top strategists have been replaced by computers. Modern generals only need to use the computer's calculation of the opponent's action probability and combine it with their own intuition to make judgments.
In other words, the brains of ancient powerful strategists were almost like human computers.
Liu Ji was one of these top human computers. But there was someone even more talented than Liu Ji, and that person was the "idiot dad" that Chen Biao always talked about .
Unbeknownst to Chen Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang only learned of the siege of Hongdu over a month later and led his troops to relieve it. Not only did he foresee a decisive battle with Chen Youliang at Poyang Lake, but he also, despite the uncertain outcome, his own forces being one-third smaller than Chen Youliang's, and the long journey, which left Chen Youliang well-rested, he divided his forces into several groups to preemptively cut off Chen Youliang's escape routes.
Yes, before the battle started and when Zhu Yuanzhang was at an absolute disadvantage, he very arrogantly divided his troops to cut off Chen Youliang's retreat!
This kind of magical operation is rarely seen in the past and present, both in China and abroad.
It was precisely because of Zhu Yuanzhang's magical operation that he was able to defeat Chen Han once and for all before his fate was over. This battle decided the outcome of the war. Not only did he completely eliminate the threat of Chen Han, but he also jumped from a small force looked down upon by various separatist forces to a powerful leader that could not be ignored in the competition for the Central Plains.
Chen Biao inherited this talent.
He also has a brain with a memory hack that's comparable to a super-small, old, and occasionally jammed computer.
Adding the two together, although this was Chen Biao's first time being involved in a military struggle, all kinds of information easily converged in his little head and turned into a dynamic military map.
It was like he was playing a strategy game, inputting data into his mind, starting to model, gradually refining it, and then the various forces began to move in the mountains, rivers, and began continuous simulation.
When the "game" in his mind begins to simulate, Chen Biao no longer needs to stay in his study to think quietly. Whether eating, sleeping, or walking, he can simulate the calculations in his mind and wait for the results to appear, just like he has a real computer software installed in his mind.
This is the case with top strategists. Once their brains start working, they don’t need to think about the next step specifically; they will come to the conclusion on their own.
When asked by several people, Chen Biao told them the "simulation" in his mind to reassure them.
Of course, he didn't use words like computers, modeling, simulation calculations, etc. that only he could understand. He spoke in a relatively easy-to-understand way.
He told them that he was still thinking, but he would not worry too much. He was physically and mentally well, so he could do nothing and there was no need to worry.
Several people were dumbfounded.
Yan Qian, feeling a great deal of pressure, murmured, "Is this okay?"
Chen Biao said, "Mr. Liu Bowen should be able to do it as well. Mr. Liu Bowen also said that Marshal Zhu is more powerful than him."
Zhu Wenzheng was puzzled: "I see Mr. Liu frowning at my adoptive father every day, but I didn't expect him to praise the lord in private?"
Chen Biao said, "Just listen to it, but don't tell Marshal Zhu. Mr. Liu will be embarrassed."
A few people nodded, but it was unknown whether they could keep this secret.
However, they are not familiar with Liu Ji, so they are unlikely to cause dislike.
Chen Biao said: "When I told my father about Mr. Liu's praise, he said that Uncle Xu could do it too. This kind of talent is the difference between a general and a general."
Several people nodded frequently.
Yan Qian nodded, his eyes dimming a little. He thought that his cousin Shao Rong could definitely do it, and maybe even be better than Xu Da.
Chen Biao continued, "I went to ask Uncle Xu, and he said that his ability was nothing, not even as good as my father's. Well, I believe him when he says he's not as good as the Marshal, but my father is really a Marshal? He's never even led an army. I think Uncle Xu stole my father's wine, and he's afraid of being beaten by my father, so he's deliberately trying to please my father."
Everyone except Deng Yu was nodding frantically.
Deng Yu didn't know why the people around him nodded so vigorously and so frequently.
Do these people really dislike Biao'er's father?
Yan Qian didn't want to hear about Xu Da stealing wine, so he changed the subject and said, "Speaking of such talented men, Bai Qi? Han Xin? Wei Qing? Are their brains so good?"
Chen Biao shook his head. "Judging solely from the battles recorded in history books, Li Jing is the best judge of the outcome. Li Jing, while separated by thousands of kilometers, divided his forces into thousands of routes and simultaneously engaged in battle, while also controlling the situation from afar, without a single mistake. He's practically a god."
Although Chen Biao was a wealthy businessman in this life, his uncles were all generals, and his father could barely be considered a general, so he was also a descendant of a military family, so he learned a lot about the deeds of ancient generals.
He never expected that the incredible operation that made him exclaim was not done by the very famous God of War Bai Qi, the Military Genius Han Xin and others, but the deeds of Li Jing, who was relatively less famous.
Fighting remotely from thousands of kilometers away, with thousands of troops divided into different routes? Such a feat, let alone in ancient times without satellite communications, even in later times with advanced communication technology, not many countries are capable of doing it!
Is this still a human being?
The Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West mixed up the names of the two characters and ruined the name of "Li Jing". Later generations only knew "Li Jing" as the scumbag father who forced Nezha to death.
It was only when Chen Biao was studying military books that he learned about this extremely terrifying boss.
Plop.
Boss, do you think I’m kneeling properly?
Chen Biao was held in Zhu Wenzhen's arms, and he kept bragging about Li Jing's amazing operations. The people who heard it were envious and wanted to go back and read the book immediately.
Zhu Wenzheng sighed, "Now you understand why my brother is such a good teacher, right? My brother's ability lies in his ability to inspire others to read books. I want to go back now and read Li Jing's records thoroughly!"
Everyone nodded.
Tonight they will go back and read the history books and memorize Li Jing's story by heart!
Chen Biao raised the corner of his mouth proudly.
He deliberately used Li Jing's story to inspire these people, allowing them to cram at the last minute to face the great test of the "Siege of Hongdu".
After Chen Biao speculated that Chen Youliang might attack Hongdu, he saw the worries of his three brothers.
It wasn't just his three brothers who were worried.
This kind of thing cannot be hidden from other generals, especially Yan Qian and Deng Yu.
When Deng Yu learned of this possibility, he almost committed suicide by slashing his throat to apologize. However, Chen Biao hit him hard on the kidney with a headbutt, almost causing a herniated disc in the waist.
Deng Yu dropped his knife, squatted on the ground, clutching his waist and crying loudly. Chen Biao comforted him for a long time before he finally calmed down. After that, Deng Yu was in a trance.
Yan Qian, a veteran indeed, was the calmest of the group. But lately, Yan Qian's spirits had been deteriorating. Chen Biao suspected that Uncle Yan was the type who grew increasingly nervous as the final exams approached.
Chen Biao used the story of Li Jing not only to divert their attention and let them relax, but also to tell them that in ancient times there were people like Li Jing who could do impossible things. His side had the advantage of time, place and opportunity, and defending Hongdu and waiting for rescue was a piece of cake compared to Li Jing's magical operation.
Chen Biao is not blindly confident.
Through mental deduction, he guessed that the Battle of Poyang Lake in history was probably Zhu Yuanzhang coming to relieve the siege of Hongdu and directly engaging in a battle with Chen Youliang in Poyang Lake.
He didn't know when Zhu Yuanzhang learned of the siege of Hongdu, how long it took him to arrive, or whether Hongdu had been captured by the time he arrived. But since the Battle of Poyang Lake was the prototype of the Battle of Red Cliffs, he could infer that Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely use fire attack to achieve a great victory.
He further inferred that Zhu Yuanzhang would establish the Ming Dynasty and become the Hongwu Emperor in the future, and he was afraid that the Battle of Poyang Lake was the decisive battle in which Zhu Yuanzhang completely defeated Chen Han.
Zhu Yuanzhang seems to have been emperor for thirty or forty years. Based on his current age, he should have established the Ming Dynasty within less than ten years.
But Zhu Yuanzhang is still one of many small forces and has not formed the climate to compete for the Central Plains.
The Battle of Poyang Lake was perhaps the key battle in which Zhu Yuanzhang tore off his disguise of "delaying the claim to the throne" and officially stepped onto the stage to compete with other heroes and the Yuan Dynasty for the Central Plains.
Knowing that Chen Youliang was well-rested and likely laying an ambush, Zhu Yuanzhang still achieved a great victory. Besides Zhu Yuanzhang's superior skills, the siege of Hongdu probably dealt a heavy blow to Chen Youliang's army.
Even if Hongdu had been captured by Chen Youliang at that time, Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang were able to have a decisive battle in Poyang Lake, and Chen Youliang did not return to rest or continue down the river, which means that Hongdu at least held out until Zhu Yuanzhang learned that Hongdu was surrounded and led his troops to come.
Chen Biao picked up his pen and did the calculation.
Suppose my cousin got the news when Chen Youliang sent troops, and then sent people to ask for help.
If they could circumvent Chen Youliang's obstruction, they would probably waste at least half a month on the journey. After Zhu Yuanzhang received the news, he led his army upstream, which would also take another half a month. If, as in history, Zhu Yuanzhang was fighting Zhang Shicheng, cleaning up the mess, organizing the troops, and setting up the defense line, these things would take at least a month...
His cousin probably held on for at least two months!
Taking into account various extreme situations, Chen Biao believed that as long as they could hold out for three or four months at most, Zhu Yuanzhang's reinforcements would arrive.
Chen Biao once again simulated in his mind the food and grass situation, weapons and ammunition situation, city wall situation, possible daily casualties... and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the morale in the city does not collapse and the gates do not open to surrender, he can guarantee to hold out for more than four months!
The only problem is that swords and guns are merciless. His brothers, as the generals defending the city, will definitely lead the troops to guard the city walls. Will they die in battle?
But no matter how smart Chen Biao was, he couldn't simulate this kind of thing and could only leave it to fate.
Do your best and leave the rest to fate. This is the limit of a strategist.
Chen Biao had already simulated the most tragic conclusion in his mind. But the actual situation would definitely be much more optimistic.
"It's not appropriate to tell the Marshal about this groundless speculation, but I've already written to my father. Once he learns of this, he'll definitely monitor the situation here and report any movement to the Marshal immediately. The Marshal might be able to take action at the same time Chen Youliang dispatches his troops, so the one to two weeks' delay in receiving the news will be shortened."
"At the same time, Chen Youliang might not be that powerful, and I have a lot of new weapons. If he suffers heavy losses and decides to just lay siege without attacking, he'll try to trap us. As long as we have a steady supply of food, we won't be under too much pressure."
"Also, maybe my brothers are all super powerful generals who can guard the city gate and beat the crap out of them?"
After Chen Biao jumped to the ground, he spread his hands to the others and said, "When strategists make plans, they always think of the worst possible scenario, but the reality is not all bad things."
After Chen Biao finished speaking, Zhu Wenzhen picked up Chen Biao who had just landed and spun him around.
Chen Biao cursed, "Put me down!"
Zhu Wenzheng kissed Chen Biao's forehead fiercely and laughed heartily: "Biao'er is right! We should always hope for the best! After hearing the news, our fourth uncle will immediately persuade father to end the war against Zhang Shicheng. As soon as Chen Youliang withdraws his camp, father will rush over. Chen Youliang's subordinates will definitely be afraid of death and will be chased and beaten by a few of our brave generals, hahahaha!"
Chen Biao clenched his fists and waved them around: "Put me down! I'm dizzy!"
Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying held down the madly dancing Zhu Wenzhen, while Li Wenzhong and Chen Ying snatched Chen Biao away, and then they glared at Zhu Wenzhen together.
I know you're happy, but don't go crazy! Biao'er is angry!
However, after Zhu Wenzhen made such a fuss, the generals felt a lot more relieved.
Although defending the city for four months was difficult, Chen Biao only needed to draw a definite line for them. As long as they focused on this line and worked hard, there would be hope.
If they defended the city hastily, not knowing when reinforcements would arrive, the psychological pressure would be enormous.
Now that the request for assistance had been sent, the four-month period might be shortened to three. They had also made sufficient preparations in advance, awaiting Chen Youliang's attack on the city. This gave them even greater hope.
Having a powerful strategist can effectively stabilize the morale of the army.
It was impossible to hide the fact that Chen Youliang might attack Hongdu from the soldiers and the people.
Chen Biao's city-building efforts and the reputation he'd built in Yingtian were already quite convincing. Was he too young? Precisely because of his youth, he accomplished things that even adults could hardly achieve. In this relatively ignorant ancient society, he commanded total conviction!
Chen Biao also asked people to write down his speculations and read them in detail to the generals, soldiers, and civilians, telling them what the worst possible scenario was, but also what advantages he had already gained and how optimistic the situation was.
Chen Biao announced that he had predicted Chen Youliang's military actions, and told Chen Youliang that he had predicted his military actions. It depends on whether Chen Youliang dares to come!
Marshal Zhu has counselors who are more powerful than this little brat. As long as Hongdu seizes the initiative, they will definitely be able to use their predictions to beat Chen Youliang to a pulp!
In order to make his story more convincing, Chen Biao wrote a story about how Chen Youliang, after proclaiming himself emperor, immediately went down the river to attack Yingtian, and was then beaten all the way to Wuchang by Zhu Yuanzhang, and even lost the newly established capital Jiujiang. He asked the clerks in the army to temporarily transform themselves into storytellers and describe to the people the process of Zhu Yuanzhang encroaching on Chen Youliang's territory.
The people of Hongdu had long heard the stories of Xu Da's arrow being possessed by a thunderbolt and blasting the city gate, and Zhu Yuanzhang's arrow being like a thunderbolt from the sky that blew up a tower ship.
Now the storyteller explains in detail that these are the power of the new cannons and muskets, and we also have these cannons and muskets in Hongdu.
The common people gathered around, their eyes piercing: "Then can we join the army and help defend the city?"
The storyteller: “?”
When defending a city, of course the people must be mobilized.
Zhu Wenzheng held a meeting with his generals and decided to disperse some of the elderly, weak, women, and children to the farmlands outside the city to reduce food consumption. He also decided to recruit some young and strong men to help defend the city, build the walls, transport weapons, and replenish the troops.
The conscripted people naturally received a lot of compensation for themselves and their families. Zhu Wenzheng was not only the only adopted son given a surname by Zhu Yuanzhang, but also the "Chen Wenzheng" of the wealthy merchant Chen family. He dared to pat promise that his compensation would be in full.
Unexpectedly, before Zhu's army started to collect labor service, the people jumped up and down to sign up.
Zhu Wenzhen was very confused and immediately sent someone to inquire.
It turned out that the people were reluctant to give up the land they had been allocated, knowing that once Chen Youliang came, even if he did not massacre the city, the land they had been cultivating for more than half a year would definitely be gone as the harvest season was approaching.
People die for money and birds die for food. In order to protect the land they have obtained, they do not want Zhu's army to leave.
Furthermore, the Zhu family army's rewards were very generous. The Zhu family army had a strong reputation, and the people believed that the Zhu family army would honor their rewards.
There will always be brave men when there is a big reward. It is not difficult to understand why the people took the initiative to ask to defend the city.
Third, Chen Biao had people publicize the deeds of Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang, which strengthened the confidence of the people.
Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang had fought each other for the most part, but they had almost never won a single battle. The people were convinced that if they waited for Zhu Yuanzhang to come, Chen Youliang would surely be defeated.
Knowing that victory is inevitable, why not take the risk and seek wealth and honor? In troubled times, people are afraid of death, but as long as the price is high, they can see the benefits and are not afraid of death.
In the end, Chen Biao himself was the last straw that made the people eagerly sign up for the corvée service to defend the city.
In order to stabilize the morale of the people and the army, Chen Biao, coupled with his years of correspondence with Zhu Yuanzhang, somewhat let go of his fear of Zhu Yuanzhang and took the initiative to show his excessive and premature intelligence.
Chen Biao first showed a side of himself that was different from ordinary people, and then he said with certainty that Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely become emperor.
The people regarded Chen Biao as a star from heaven who came down to earth to assist Zhu Yuanzhang, the true emperor.
Although Chen Biao hadn't meant to do so, his current role was probably similar to that of a religious leader. The people didn't know him, and hadn't received any favors from him, but they were willing to believe in him and even die for him.
After finding out these things, Zhu Wenzhen slapped his forehead and called the other two brothers and Yan Qian who knew Chen Biao's identity.
Zhu Wen was about to cry, "Biao'er is so high-profile, can we still save his head?"
Li Wenzhong said anxiously, "If Biao'er faked his death, should that be possible?"
Chen Ying said uncertainly, "With General Yan's help in disguise, it should be possible."
For the first time, Yan Qian rolled his eyes at these three overly pessimistic young men: "You should just complete Biao'er's plan and defend the city. The worst-case scenario is that you accidentally die in battle, but the city will definitely be defended, and Biao'er will definitely survive."
The three of them said with bitter faces: "Really?"
Yan Qian said helplessly, "Really? I've fought for so many years, and Biao'er has achieved this. Unless a meteorite falls from the sky and smashes Hongdu City like the battle between Wang Mang and Liu Xiu in the history books, I really can't imagine how our city will be destroyed."
When Yan Qian followed Chen Biao to inspect the city wall, he saw that the strange mud that had been made a few days ago had become as hard as stone.
He hammered at it for a long time, but only knocked off a few pieces. It was exactly like a stone wall!
With this thing, wouldn't the walls of Hongdu be completely turned into stone walls?
And even if there are cracks, we continue to paste this thing called cement from the inside to the outside to block the cracks. Will the cracks turn into stone again after a few days?
Chen Biao also said that he brought a few explosive packs that could blow up city gates. Although these explosive packs were less powerful for safety reasons, they could still easily blow up siege vehicles.
How could Chen Youliang continue to fight? He could only lay siege to Hongdu City and wait for it to run out of food!
But Chen Biao found a seller who was constantly shipping grain to Hongdu City every day. If the grain was eaten sparingly, it should be enough to last for half a year.
Chen Biao continued to transport food into the city. The people donated food spontaneously, and the elderly, the weak, women and children had already escaped from the city and would not consume food...so they could hold on longer.
Yan Qian also knew that Chen Biao was the lord's eldest son and had a truly miraculous origin.
Chen Biao's so-called letter to "Chen Guorui" would reach his master directly. The arrival of reinforcements was definitely earlier than expected.
Apart from a meteorite falling from the sky, he couldn't think of any other way to break Hongdu City.
The three pessimistic and stupid brothers looked at each other, and then breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Chen Ying: "I believe God is on Biao'er's side."
Li Wenzhong: "Meteorites falling from the sky? If there were any meteorites, it was caused by Biao'er."
Zhu Wenzheng: "Looks like I need to hurry up and kill a few more people. What if Biaoer really attracts a meteorite and takes all the credit for our work?"
The three of them looked at each other again.
"Not really. Biaoer has never used any supernatural means."
"True. Biao'er is just an ordinary child."
"Well, Biao'er is just an ordinary little brother who is too smart."
Yan Qian listened to the three people's nonsense and sighed.
Could it be that the most reliable and rational person in charge of the city is the youngest Biaoer?
…
When Chen Biao's letter reached Zhu Yuanzhang's hands, Zhu Yuanzhang screamed and almost fainted.
At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was fighting with Xu Da. Zhu Yuanzhang came to Xu Da to chat and express his longing for Biaoer whenever he had time, but the time he chose was always after Xu Da fell asleep.
Xu Da felt that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted him dead!
What a novel way for a lord to force a general who is more powerful than him to death! This bizarre thing must be recorded in the history books!
So Xu Da rose up in resistance and fought with Zhu Yuanzhang, while others watched.
Chang Yuchun, who was forced to watch by several people, said he was very panicked.
When the Chen family servant, Zhu Yuanzhang's trusted personal guard, arrived, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly called out, "Wait until I finish watching before I fight you!"
Xu Da crossed his arms and snorted coldly, "Hurry up!"
He must rebel today and beat the boss up!
Then he heard Zhu Yuanzhang scream and fall to the side.
Xu Da held onto Zhu Yuanzhang in fear: "Boss, what's wrong? Is Biao'er in trouble? Don't scare me!"
Zhu Yuanzhang's hands were shaking as if he had some old age disease, and he was gasping for breath and unable to speak.
The confidants rushed forward, patted Zhu Yuanzhang's back and pinched his Ren Zhong point to help him breathe. Only then did Zhu Yuanzhang recover his breath.
"Biao'er... Biao'er... Damn Chen Youliang! I, Zhu Yuanzhang, will never reconcile with you!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared, "Are you fucking sick? Why are you going to Hongdu when you don't want to attack Yingtian, which is underguarded?"
Everyone was shocked.
Liu Ji immediately bowed and said, "My Lord! What happened? Is Chen Youliang attacking Hongdu? Has he already sent troops?"
Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, stood up straight and calmed down.
"No. Biaoer deduced that the Cao family secretly defected to Chen Youliang and destroyed the city wall. Chen Youliang would probably take advantage of my entanglement with Zhang Shicheng to besiege Hongdu."
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and asked the others to disperse.
He opened the letter and read it carefully with a frown on his face. The others scattered around, waiting anxiously, not daring to speak.
After a while, Zhu Yuanzhang finished reading the letter, frowned and said, "Liu Ji, you read it first."
Liu Ji quickly read the letter.
After reading it, Liu Ji's face was filled with shame and indignation. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "It's Ji's fault. I misjudged people's hearts!"
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and said, "Stand up and speak. You misjudged the people's hearts, and I misjudged the people's hearts. Before you predicted Chen Youliang's possible movements, I decided to let Biaoer go to Hongdu. It's not your fault. You can also take a look."
Everyone gathered together and read the letter together, ignoring Liu Ji who was kneeling on the ground.
After reading it, Xu Da was the first to sigh: "Biao'er is really... really amazing! He really is a natural born talent! Congratulations, my lord!"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded. "Biao'er has long demonstrated his abilities. He was able to detect the clues of Chen Youliang's attack on Hongdu. It is truly unfortunate for Chen Youliang."
Chang Yuchun immediately said, "My Lord! I want to lead an army back to reinforce! If I set out now, perhaps I can just catch up with Chen Youliang's troops!"
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to agree, but in the end he shook his head and said, "No. From what I know about Chen Youliang, he will probably send out all his forces. You will just be throwing an egg against a rock."
Chang Yuchun said: "But I can buy time for Biao'er!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head again: "You don't need to buy time. Biao'er is very confident, so I believe him!"
Zhu Yuanzhang gritted his teeth and slammed the back of his chair: "Attack with all your strength! Drive Zhang Shicheng away first!"