This seems a bit too much.
In comparison, the internal barriers used to trap the city, prevent people from escaping, connect with the outside of the city, and build necessary siege positions were obviously lagging behind and delayed.
Moreover, the artillery firing position was a little too large and a little off-center.
Of course, at this time, it is still just guesswork and doubt. The Song army did not mention it. What really made Gao Jingshan in Yuancheng strongly aware of a certain possibility was the transportation of supplies.
Moreover, although Gao Jingshan's first thought of burning the scattered ships previously located in the Yellow River fork west of Yuancheng after Yue Fei moved the camp and built the fort, it was just like his idea of trying to attack the Song army's formation and welcome reinforcements as soon as possible... He had the right idea and acted very resolutely, but he just didn't succeed.
Yue Fei also immediately ordered Tang Huai to divide his troops to seize those ships. Moreover, facing the messengers in Yuan City, most of them were Han soldiers who were transferred to become officers and the navy composed of local fishermen recruited, they showed extreme resistance to the military order... At their level, it was impossible for them to know that the Fourth Prince's army was coming soon. They only knew that the Song army was coming, but there were a lot of hesitation and delaying actions, which greatly reduced the effectiveness of Gao Jingshan's order to burn the ships.
In this case, most of these ships were quickly captured by the Song army after they completed their second voyage, and further became an important part of the Song army's material storage for transporting materials from Xiaowusha to Tokyo.
As a result, a large number of ships shuttled back and forth non-stop day and night. The large ships generally sailed along the Yellow River and transferred directly on the shore, while the small ships generally sailed directly into the Yongji Canal, which was slightly cramped but still wide enough for passage, and transferred inside the Song army's position in order to achieve the greatest transfer efficiency.
This also allowed the Jin army in the Yuan city to be in a commanding position and get a glimpse of the situation.
Weapons, armor, large pieces of wood, cloth, grain, and jars and cans filled with wine, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, these were all things that should be taken for granted. However, on this day, when Gao Jingshan received the report and witnessed with his own eyes that the Song army suddenly started to transport coal, he finally became a little panicked.
Although he still dared not and did not want to think about it, an absurd idea kept hitting the brain of this Jurchen commander-in-chief who definitely had enough strategic vision and military experience once it appeared - he and Yuancheng, which was 40 miles in circumference, the former Beijing of the Song Dynasty and was definitely the first strategic point for the Song army to advance into Hebei, might just be a bait or a sore spot. Yue Fei's real purpose was to use this city and the garrison in the city, and of course himself as the commander-in-chief, to delay the main force of the Jin army for a long time, giving the Song army in the east of the river enough time to break through the more strategically valuable Taiyuan.
One day in late November, the sky was clear. To the north of Yuancheng, Yue Fei and a group of trusted officers were inspecting the siege positions.
Moreover, although the construction of fortifications and military deployment seemed a bit perfunctory compared to other places on all sides, the battles between the two sides still gradually became more frequent and regular as the siege positions were built.
The so-called siege position does not refer to how many artillery carts or siege towers must be built, but more to reducing obstacles and creating a favorable environment for these things that will make the final decision during the siege... For example, filling in the ditch on the siege tower route selected under the city, throwing some wooden fences around the siege tower route to facilitate the covering troops to obtain cover, and appropriately raiding and burning some sheep and horse walls with weak defenses.
Even building a rammed earth platform at a safe distance, arranging a reserve attack area, etc., are all considered part of constructing a position.
Correspondingly, the people in the city will not just stand there. In addition to the necessary demolition of buildings to build artillery carts and establish artillery positions, they also need to send out appropriate suicide squads to harass the enemy, and then build some makeshift giant crossbows on towers with considerable advantages to carry out targeted elimination.
"Is that it?"
Stopping on the other side of the Yongji Canal in the northwest of the city, with the cover of the river bank, Yue Fei pointed with his finger to a place on the opposite side that was obviously a temporary fortification on the city wall, where there were also human figures swaying.
"yes."
A battalion commander in charge of the front line responded immediately. "Let the Marshal know that this place is the most forward position in the northwest corner tower of Yuancheng, and it is also the first position to be fixed with a large crossbow. However, it has never been let go, and we just thought it was out of reach. But yesterday, a flat-bottomed boat loaded with military equipment passed by the Yongji Canal here, and it was a little slow in the middle. The crossbowmen on the city couldn't help but directly fired crossbows to hit a big hole in the boat. The boat could only sail out a few dozen steps before it could not move. It took us a lot of effort to salvage the supplies..."
"What do you mean?" Yue Fei listened carefully and asked calmly.
"We should set up an eight-bull crossbow here where they can't reach it, and use the range advantage to suppress the other side." The battalion commander responded on the spot. "Every time they set it up, we will destroy it."
"Sure." Yue Fei replied casually. "But you can't use the navy. I'll have the military councilor give you a document later. Go to the craftsmen's camp to get a newly delivered one..."
"I know." The battalion commander replied without hesitation.
Yue Fei nodded and was about to continue his inspection, but at this moment, a horseman galloped over and shouted hurriedly from a few dozen steps away: "Marshal! Councillor Huang asked me to ask you to go to the riverside as soon as possible, saying that an important official from Tokyo might have arrived, and he has already gone to the riverside!"
Yue Fei immediately became solemn, and even the surrounding officers were also in awe. Huang Zuo, the commander in charge of the affairs of the north of the city, bowed directly and took the initiative to express his position: "Marshal, don't worry about this. I will definitely do my best."
Yue Fei nodded again, said nothing more, and turned his horse around to go back.
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