In any case, Meng Jiucheng also knew that cavalry was crucial to future wars, and had been cultivating cavalry and accumulating war horses. Even feed like alfalfa began to be planted and hoarded.

Liaodong, Liaodong! Although Meng Jiucheng is in Shandong, he has been paying attention to the changes in the situation in Liaodong and has been vigorously developing his navy, which is to solve the problem of war horses through Liaodong, either trade or plunder.

Although the strength of the army was not enough to fight against Liaodong, Meng Jiucheng had sent Shang envoys to Liaodong to test the market.

Of course, if the navy develops rapidly, the combat capability of the army can grow rapidly, and Meng Jiucheng is not afraid to take advantage of the chaos in Liaodong and make a move.

Meng Jiucheng stayed in Laiwu for three days. On the one hand, he contacted Huo Yi and on the other hand, he paid attention to the movements of the Jin army in Zibo.

With the easy attack of Laiwu, there was almost no need to worry about the reinforcements of the Jin army in Zizhou. However, the Jin army in Zizhou did not know that Laiwu was in a fall, so they carried out reinforcements and dispatched the two thousand flower hat troops.

Two thousand elite cavalrymen were enough to defeat the rebels several times their own. The Bohua Hat Army faced the deep trench and strong camp of the Red Turban Army and the fierce artillery fire.

Although the cavalry is powerful, the Red Turban Army will not form a formation with you in field battles. It only sets up villages and defends in places such as roads, mountain passes, woods, etc. that are not suitable for horses to gallop.

When the cavalry turned into infantry and attacked, the Red Turban Army used its level of firepower to kill and injure the Jin army.

Meteor cannon - seven or eight hundred meters; flying thunder cannon - more than two hundred meters; tiger squatting cannon - within a hundred meters; coupled with the obstacles and attacks of crossbows, Wuhan Iron and Steel Cart, resisting horses, trapped horse pits, caltrops, etc., the Flower Hat Army experienced a nightmare battle.

In Jingshanwa and Cuijiazhuang, north of Anqiu, a part of the Flower Hat Army once fought with the Red Turban Army. At that time, the Red Turban Army also adopted the tactic of building a village to defend and gradually consumed it.

But when the battle again, the Flower Hat Army found that the weapons and equipment of the Red Turban Army had been improved, the firepower was more intense, and the damage was greater.

When the battle lasted for three days and the casualties of his army exceeded 400, Guo Zhongyuan had no choice but to withdraw his troops.

As a famous general, Guo Zhongyuan did not fail to perform his strategies, pretended to be defeated and retreated, and detoured from the side. However, the Red Turban Army firmly guarded the important roads and passes, and did not fight or pursue them.

If he made up his mind and ignored the cost of casualties, Guo Zhongyuan felt that he could break through and occupy one or two enemy camps. But when he thought of the casualties he had to pay, he gave up this idea again.

After all, all the troops are consumed in this continuous attack. Even when we advance, even if we reach Laiwu, how many 2,000 cavalry are left? What is the effect of the end of the powerful crossbow to rescue Laiwu?

"This kind of turtle-like fighting style is really a headache. The Red Turban Army is a group of timid rats." Zhang Hui gently whipped her leather boots with a horse whip, and was still resentful about the withdrawal of troops and returning.

Guo Zhongyuan looked at Li Ting unhappily and scolded: "The enemy is very smart. It is the best tactic to fight against cavalry by stepping on foot."

After pausing, Guo Zhongyuan sighed and said in a deep voice: "The Red Turban Army is more powerful than before. If you rely on your firm defense, I can't think of a way to win. Unless you don't care about casualties, you can fight with your lives."

"If this is the case, even if our army breaks through the blockade and enters the city of Laiwu, the tired army will be attacked by more enemies." Guo Zhongyuan shook his head and expressed his difficulties in withdrawing his troops.

Only then did Zhang Hui understand why the main general gave up halfway. After thinking about it seriously, it was indeed the case.

Cavalry turned into infantry, and they were originally just a short one. They fought against artillery fire to attack the enemy, causing losses in vain, and were suspected of being trapped by the enemy.

"If you fight in the field, the Red Turban Army is not afraid." Zhang Hui said with a strong voice: "Sooner or later, they will know how powerful our Flower Hat Army is."

Guo Zhongyuan smiled bitterly, not optimistic about this.

Although cavalry dominates the field, the artillery of the Red Turban Army is still a big threat. From the battle with the Red Turban Army, the opponent is very cautious in using troops, and it may not be so easy to play the strengths of the cavalry.

"General, let's retreat like this, waiting for the Red Turban Army to attack?" Zhang Hui was still a little unwilling.

Guo Zhongyuan shook his head and said, "Return to Zibo, dispatch most of his troops to attack Li Quan."

Attacking Li Quan? Ignoring the Red Turban Army? Zhang Hui was a little puzzled and looked at Guo Zhongyuan in confusion.

Guo Zhongyuan sneered and said, "The Red Turban Army may also attack Tai'an; then, they will attack Zizhou with Li Quan from north to south. Let's take advantage of the future of the Red Turban Army to attack Li Quan first and break the strategy of attacking him."

Zhang Hui suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly.

It is a headache to face the Red Turban Army. If you attack other rebels, Zhang Hui thinks it is easier.

Since entering Shandong, the Flower Hat Army first defeated Yang An'er, then defeated Li Quan, and then defeated Liu Erzu. Its achievements have been great and overwhelming Huang Hexiu's army.

Guo Zhongyuan was also called "Grand Guardian Guo" because of this, while Guo Alin could only be "Grand Guardian Guo".

Now, Guo Alin's Huang He army is about to participate in the battle against Hao Ding, and it is certain that he has made great contributions; if Guo Zhongyuan does not make any achievements, he will be defeated by the Red Turban Army and Li Quan, and the status and reputation of the two armies or both will probably be changed and praised.

Guo Zhongyuan made such a choice, probably even Meng Jiuzheng did not expect that he hoped that Li Quan could restrain the Flower Hat Army!

After receiving news from Huo Yi's troops, he also knew that the Jin army in Zibo was retreating, and Meng Jiucheng left a group of troops to guard Laiwu, and asked Yan Tong to go and assist Wang Min to ensure that he had no worries.

Afterwards, Meng Jiucheng led a mixed army of infantry, cavalry and cannons to advance westward with 6,000, and jointly attacked Tai'an with Huo Yi.

The two armies met at the city of Tai'an two days later, with a total force of more than 30,000.

Although Huo Yi has strong organizational skills, his leadership style with Liu Erzu and the formation of the rebel army in his subordinates has not changed much.

The rebel leaders who were disliked by Shi Si, Shi Qing, Xia Quan and other Meng Jiucheng were attached to Huo Yi, and Peng Yibin became the second largest figure under Huo Yi.

Although Huo Yi inherited the Tai'an Red Coat Army and his troops grew stronger, Meng Jiucheng still had his current attitude and did not appreciate this organizational model.

I would rather meet a god's opponent than a pig teammate.

When Liu Erzu was defeated by the Jin army, the disadvantages of this model had been shown.

When you win, you rush forward, when you lose, you run around in all directions, and even if you suffer a little bit of casualties, you may avoid the battle and get a knife behind you.

If it is a group like the Red Turban Army, there is no problem of preserving strength at all. Because the generals are concerned about how to better complete tasks so as to get rewards for military merits or not being punished for defeat.

But in that era, or for a long period of history, the large number of people was the standard for many people to measure their strength.

Although Meng Jiucheng has always fought with superior forces, he also paid attention to training, the army's weapons and equipment, logistics support, and the treatment of military families, etc.

The other rebels were far apart, they were strong and had weapons in their hands, so they were soldiers. This kind of army was called a mob, and it was not a matter of division.

What is even more fatal is the quality of the rebel leader. He does not think that his troops are a mob. With thousands or tens of thousands of people, he will become arrogant and attack states and counties at every turn, fight with the Jin army, and even have the addiction to becoming an emperor.

According to Meng Jiucheng's words, he was not self-aware, he didn't know how many bowls of dry rice he had eaten, and he didn't know what his surname was.

With the combat power of the Jin army, how can the farmers who put down their hoes and picked up swords and guns fight head-on?

If you can't defeat the front, just hike into the mountains and forests and avoid them flexibly! The Jin army lacks enough troops, so you can let them occupy the state and counties. When their troops are dispersed, you can take the opportunity to gather and defeat them one by one!

Even if you don’t have the weapons and equipment of the Red Turban Army to break the city, if you use this style of fighting, it will be enough for the Jin army to run away.

Despite all kinds of complaints and dissatisfaction, Meng Jiucheng personally led his troops to Tai'an City on schedule to meet with Huo Yi, Peng Yibin and other rebel leaders.

Before we knew it, the Red Turban Army had become the most powerful rebel army in Shandong. It had a large area of ​​Shandong East Road, with sufficient soldiers and sufficient food, and won many battles.

Therefore, although Meng Jiucheng was too young and had always been low-key and had no domineering behavior, Huo Yi and others dared not look down on him.

It is necessary to determine value, which is an unchanging truth.

This time, the Red Turban Army was invited to participate in the war, Huo Yi and others wanted to rely on the Red Turban Army's ability to regain the prefectures and counties in the old base area of ​​Tai'an.

Therefore, as soon as Meng Jiucheng arrived at the city of Tai'an, Huo Yi put on a drink to entertain him, and other rebel leaders also called to accompany him.

Although the Red Turban Army was late and Meng Jiucheng arrived at the last time, he captured Laiwu and rejected the Jin army in Zibo. In short, the speed was beyond the expectations of Huo Yi and others.

"The Laiwu defenders abandoned the city and fled, and our army did not have much effort to occupy it." Meng Jiucheng expressed humility to Huo Yi's praise, "The Jin army in Zibo did not want to suffer too much casualties. When he heard that Laiwu was broken, he retreated with the opportunity and did not go through any hard battle."

Peng Yibin and Meng Jiucheng had the best relationship with each other. They also knew some of Meng Jiucheng's temper and said with a smile: "Meng Shuai is humble. If it were a rebel army, it would be very difficult to complete such a task. This time, we should rely more on the power of your army!"

Meng Jiucheng smiled and said, "Brother Peng said he was a little over the reliance. Since our army came, we naturally obeyed the orders and cooperated with all our strength to take down Tai'an as soon as possible."

Huo Yi nodded and said, "It is inevitable to take advantage of the Jin army's responsiveness. This is a good opportunity to take down Tai'an and divide the troops out of four, and all the generals will come. The surrounding areas of Jinan, and even Jinan, can also try to capture them."

Meng Jiucheng smiled and said nothing, but he didn't agree.

If he were to arrange it, the center of gravity would be placed on Mount Tai in the north, Mount Kolai in the central part, and the Lotus Mountain in the east based on the mountainous situation in Tai'an.

Tai'an City can be kept in place, but it cannot be kept in place. Most of the materials and supplies are transported into the mountainous areas and are not stored in the city. Even if you give up, there will be no big loss.

The weakness of the Jin army is actually quite obvious, and it can concentrate its forces to strike the group's rebel army. However, insufficient momentum, insufficient troops, and difficult to last military operations, so guarding the place is also a burden.

As long as we avoid the attack from the main force of the Jin army, we will not suffer heavy damage. When the Jin army is tired, we can recover or launch a counterattack.

This situation is a bit like the situation behind enemy lines during the War of Resistance Against Japan. The Japanese army lacked mobile forces and could only borrow troops everywhere, retained the smallest number of defenders in large and medium-sized towns, and then carried out a gust of wind-like sweep against the Japanese armed forces.

The anti-Japanese armed forces often adopt tactics of dragging, avoiding and consuming, avoiding head-on battles with the enemy, and using various harassing means to consume the enemy. When the Japanese have finished their food and fodder, they will naturally retreat to rest.

Of course, similarity does not mean the same. The method to deal with the Jin army cannot be copied, but the principle should remain unchanged. That is, try to save yourself and consume the enemy.

But after Huo Yi's arrangement, Meng Jiucheng could not be satisfied. But he could not say it clearly that it belonged to two families and did not point fingers. This is the bottom line.

"Who is the Jin army guard in Tai'an City? How many troops are there?" Meng Jiucheng asked carefully about the enemy situation during the meal.

Huo Yi said: "The guard general is Wanyan Wulie, the general of Pusan ​​Anzhen, and his troops are 5,000."

After pausing, Huo Yi continued, "It was this guy who finally broke through Damo's name and caused Liu Shuai to die bravely. Although there were many Tai'an defenders, most of them were newly recruited soldiers and their morale was not stable."

The newly recruited surrendered? Meng Jiucheng thought about it and knew that it was the Red Coat Army under Liu Erzu and was also a subordinate of Huo Yi.

From this point of view, the morale of the defenders is indeed unstable. The fact that they surrender and rebel again often occurred at that time, and it was not surprising at all.

If the situation is critical, rebellion may come faster.

"Meng Shuai--" Peng Yibin turned to Meng Jiucheng and said, "You need more attention in Yizhou. If the Jin army attacks in large quantities, our army will probably not be able to resist."

Meng Jiucheng nodded and said, "Don't worry, Brother Peng, I will help you with all my strength. In addition, I have something to say, I hope Brother Peng doesn't have to mind."

"So I see you?" Peng Yibin smiled and said, "Ship Meng, please speak."

Meng Jiucheng smiled and said, "Yizhou is centered on Yi and Shuhe River, surrounded by mountains on the west, north and east, and the mountains and hills account for 60% of the entire prefecture. In my opinion, the cavalry of the Jin army should be the most guarded. If infantry is against infantry, the number of rebels is still comparable to that of the number of people."

"So, I think the city of the state can be listed as a must-be defended place." Meng Jiucheng paused for a moment and continued: "It is best not to concentrate troops and engage in a dignified battle with the Jin army. As long as the troops are not severely damaged, although the city may be lost, it will be a quick resurgence."

Peng Yibin lowered his head and thoughtfully, and did not speak immediately.

Huo Yi blinked his eyes, as if he was thinking, and did not express his opinion.

In fact, Meng Jiucheng seemed to be talking to Peng Yibin, but he also wanted Huo Yi to be touched and not to follow the defeats in history. Or he could persevere for a longer time and consume more of the power of the Jin army.

If the land is left and the people are lost, the people and the land are lost; if the land is left and the people are left, the people and the land are left. This sentence was slightly changed by Meng Jiu and was not copied.
Chapter completed!