Such a ferocious weapon made even Halsa's heavy armor look like a piece of paper. It was really a tragedy that such a warrior who had experienced many battles died so miserably without even having the chance to fight.

Daishan waved his hands weakly and looked away. He really didn't want to look at her any longer.

The sound of horse hooves echoed behind him. Daishan didn't even want to turn his head. He ordered in a deep voice: "Stop attacking, retreat and set up camp."

After a short silence, Yue Tuo's voice rang out, "Yes, I will follow your orders."

After repelling the Jiannu's attack once again, generals such as Zhang Pan, Kong Youde, and Zhu Changguo quickly adjusted their deployment, withdrew some troops for rest, and replaced them with new reinforcements.

Behind this simple line of defense, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians are working hard to build a stronger defense line with wide trenches and dense wooden stakes.

Every thirty meters or so, there is a huge mound of earth, five or six meters high. After it is compacted, artillery will be set up to bombard the enemy from a high position.

Zhang Zhuzi was limping, but he walked quite fast. After inspecting everything, he saw a familiar figure.

After hesitating for a moment, he jumped down the trench, snatched the shovel from Yingzi's hand, and said, "Go and have a bowl of hot porridge before coming back."

Yingzi wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, smiled, turned around and climbed up without any hesitation, walking towards the steaming pot not far away.

The white rice in the big pot was rolling, mixed with fish, meat and dried vegetables, emitting waves of tempting aroma.

"Come, girl." An old man smiled and picked up a big spoon and served Yingzi a bowl of thick soup.

Yingzi thanked him, holding the bowl in both hands, and walked to the ditch beside to sit down. She felt the burning heat in her hands and the mixed fragrance in her nose, and she couldn't help but look up again.

As long as we defeat the Jiannu, this place will become our new home, and we can even get some land to farm!

The people on the island all knew the news, and their desire for land made many Liao people who were already digging for food in the soil very excited.

Compared with future hopes, the present food and those few liters of rice don’t seem to be that important.

Yingzi didn't know whether the island was better or the land was better.

For a girl, safety is her biggest concern. As she slowly ate her porridge, her mind began to wander.

A strong girl came over with a smile, said hello, and sat down next to Yingzi. Her name was A Tao, and she was Yingzi's best playmate.

"It's been like thunder for half a day. It's a bit scary to listen to it!" Although she said this, there was not much fear on Ah Tao's face. She drank the porridge happily.

Now I am not really afraid, because the Ming army is very powerful.

In addition to the original two Dongjiang groups and one Dengzhen group, the Liaozhen officers and soldiers led by He Kegang who landed and harassed did not engage in a head-on confrontation with the counterattacking Jiannu, but also came to the rescue by sailing across the sea.

More than 20,000 officers and soldiers, with a similar number of Jiannu troops, but with positions to rely on and sharp firearms in hand, they took turns defending on a ten-mile-long line of defense, dealing a heavy blow to the attacking Jiannu.

At the same time, the military and civilians stepped up the construction of the second and third lines of defense to form a defense in depth.

Yingzi chuckled and joked, "Are you so timid? Your appetite doesn't look like it!"

Ah Tao held up the bowl and said seriously, "You see, I have to eat two more bowls to calm down!" After saying that, she couldn't help laughing.

Yingzi laughed for a while and then asked, "Have you decided on a home yet? Do you want to move here?"

Ah Tao nodded and said, "Didn't the officials say they would give out ten mu of land? My father said that having land to farm would make him feel at ease."

Yingzi thought for a moment and said, "But it should be safer on the island, right? The Jiannu can keep people quiet. They attack from time to time, and even sleep is disturbed."

Ah Tao lowered her eyes and said slowly, "It's not as serious as you think. With so many soldiers, they should be able to hold it off."

Seeing that A Tao was also unsure, Yingzi stopped her discouraging words and said with a smile, "I heard that the officials are going to give guns to the people too, the powerful kind. When the Jiannu come, we'll use the guns to fight them."

Ah Tao smiled and said, "Did Brother Zhang tell you? We don't know about this."

Yingzi pretended not to understand, stood up, shook the empty bowl, and said, "The porridge is too thick. Have another bowl of thinner porridge to quench your thirst."

"Wait a moment!" A Tao quickly put the remaining porridge into her mouth, called vaguely, and quickly caught up with her good sister.

………………

The waves surged gently, one after another flooded onto the beach, and then quietly receded.

The boat sailed slowly into the distance, becoming smaller and smaller until it disappeared from the sight of Huang Taiji and Manggurtai.

"You cowardly rat." Manggurtai cursed unwillingly and contemptuously, spewing white mist from his mouth.

Mao Wenlong led the Zhongxie to carry out a harassment attack and then sailed away with thousands of Liao people, leaving the Jiannu who came to fight empty-handed.

Not to mention that the Central Association was newly established, even though it was an old regiment, Captain Mao had no intention of confronting the Qing army head-on.

The main battlefield was Lushun and Jinzhou; the secondary battlefield was the rear of the Later Jin Dynasty, where Mao Chenglu's task force was stationed. He and Chen Jisheng were only there to provide support and contain the enemy, and to bring the Central Association out for a stroll and gain experience.

However, the Jiannu army was unaware of the situation and still sent two flags of troops towards Mao Wenlong's flag.

Huang Taiji was not as angry as Manggurtai. He frowned slightly, wondering about the real intention of the Ming army's attacks.

Could it be that they anticipated a winter attack from the Jin, and were preempting it? This was intended to disrupt our military deployment, deplete our supplies, and weaken or prevent our winter offensive?

Or is it just a simple harassment without any major strategic purpose?

Huang Taiji was unsure, even though his losses were not great at the moment. However, they had indeed been mobilized, and food and supplies had been consumed, which would also have an impact on the winter offensive.

"Old Eight, what are you thinking about?" Manggurtai glanced at Huang Taiji and asked, "Are you feeling unhappy because you didn't catch Mao Wenlong?"

Huang Taiji smiled and shook his head, saying, "Mao Wenlong is incredibly cunning, so it's only natural that he can't be apprehended. I'm wondering what the Ming army is trying to accomplish by launching such an attack."

Manggurtai blinked his big eyes and said, "Just make a quick buck and run away. It's just a waste of money. What other purpose could there be?"

Huang Taiji pondered for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "It's this kind of troublesomeness that makes it difficult to deal with. If this continues, it will be enough to give me a headache."

Manggurtai scratched his face and nodded in agreement, "I'm not afraid of fighting, I'm just afraid of not being able to win. Mao Wenlong is just like a fly or a mosquito, buzzing around and annoying people."

Huang Taiji laughed and said, "Third brother, send someone to report to our father Khan immediately. Let's wait for the order!"

The two men reined in their horses and turned back. Huang Taiji did not show it on his face, but he was still thinking in his heart, guessing the true purpose of the Ming army.

……………………