Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 82: Road along the Shushui River
When he saw Wangjiazhuang with his own eyes, Liu Huai instantly understood what the winding road of Zhujiazhuang in "Water Margin" was all about.

Although all larger settlements in ancient times had the need for city defense, the development of city defense was also diverse due to the differences in culture, military and political systems in different places.

Western castle defenses are centered around towers. The prototype of the European castle is the earthen embankment-fortress design. Simply put, a hill of earth is built, upon which a main tower serves as the core of the fortress system, providing suppressive firepower. A surrounding wall is then built, and a moat is dug outside, creating an enclosed courtyard. Later, as technology advanced, the earthen hill, serving as the foundation, was clad with stone, thus forming the so-called castle.

Ancient Chinese city defenses were centered around walls, a complete system comprised of city walls, gates, sheep and horse ramparts, and moats. Using the walls as a vehicle, designs included battlements, gun ports, watchtowers, towers, war tents, and urn walls.

The two routes of Shandong were said to have been in chaos for several decades, but it was not as chaotic as the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The government still had a certain degree of control.

This was especially true in the Song Dynasty, which had particularly strict control over civilian armed forces.

Therefore, when powerful people set up strongholds to protect themselves, they cannot build fortresses with tall walls. Otherwise, the officials who are knowledgeable about the affairs will see that you are the biggest threat to the county and report to the court to prepare to quell the rebellion.

However, the banditry and military disasters in the two directions of Shandong were real. In this twisted situation, the Zhuangzi in Shandong developed another defense system.

With 'road' as the core.

To put it simply, it is to find a hill to build a manor. The wall of the manor is roughly the same as that of an ordinary courtyard, at most one person high, with holes opened in the wall to facilitate shooting arrows outward, and there are supports behind the wall for people to stand.

From here, it seems to be just an ordinary landlord's compound.

Then, the key point: the roads leading into the village must be built in a crooked, twisting, and crisscross pattern, with many dead ends. Ditches must be dug between the roads, and ideally, the ditches should be lined with traps and spikes. The winding roads, forks, and dead ends must be shielded by houses, trees, or fences.

When enemies who are unfamiliar with the road enter this winding road, they will first encounter various traps, and then need to use bows and crossbows to sneak attack or even surround to find the correct path.

Ordinary small villages can only defend against thieves. But if they are like Dulonggang in Water Margin, where Hujia Village, Zhujia Village and Lijia Village are located together, with complex connections and mutual support, they can resist not only thieves but also regular armies.

Wangjiazhuang is a typical Shandong manor.

"Sir Commander, please take a look. This is the layout of Wangjiazhuang."

Several key generals gathered on a small mound less than half a mile from Wangjiazhuang, watching from afar. The two hundred cavalrymen behind them all removed their armor from their saddle horses and began donning it.

Wang Shilong wanted to take advantage of this half to a quarter of a minute of leisure to point to Wangjiazhuang and give Liu Huai some instructions.

"Under the memorial archway of Wangjiazhuang is the main entrance to the village. However, after running a hundred steps forward, there will be a sentry post on the right. The main road forks there. Going forward will lead to a dead end. The main road on the right, obscured by the sentry post, is the only way out. You can't go north next. It looks spacious, but it actually narrows like a large funnel. There are deer horns on the side, making it a perfect place for a pincer attack. You should turn west..."

Although Liu Huai had seen Wang Shilong's map before, he couldn't help but sigh when he saw the manor firsthand. "Don't you find it tiring to live in this manor? The prerequisite for disgusting the enemy is to disgust yourself first, right?"

Wang Shilong's voice faltered, and he felt somewhat helpless. "That's true. It's a helpless move. There are too many bandits in Shandong. Living in a manor isn't exactly comfortable, but there are academies for learning to read and write, and training grounds for training in martial arts. For a manor head like me, besides leading the farmhands to patrol the surrounding area, I also study literature and martial arts. It's not boring at all."

As he spoke, Wang Wulang suddenly realized that Liu Huai's gaze was no longer on Wangjiazhuang, nor was he frequently looking back at his subordinates who were putting on armor. Instead, he was looking toward the fields. The crops harvested in Shandong in autumn were generally millet and beans, meaning millet and soybeans. By this time, the crops were plentiful and the harvest was near.

Because Wangjiazhuang made great efforts in the renovation of the Shuhe River, several ditches were diverted from the Shuhe River for irrigation. The fields around Wangjiazhuang were turned into excellent paddy fields. Although the Jurchens caused all kinds of trouble, the harvest was still quite good.

The fields on all sides are filled with golden colors, heralding an impending harvest.

However, the noise caused by the two hundred riders galloping recklessly had attracted attention from several miles around, and the farmers who were working in the fields fled in all directions.

These farmers did not know that their former young master was among this group of cavalry. Of course, even if they knew, they would probably flee quickly.

It should be noted that war was one of the most terrifying natural disasters in the Middle Ages.

Wang Shilong followed Liu Huai's gaze, but before he could see anything, he heard Liu Huai ask again, "Wu Lang, you built this manor not only for the sake of the Wang family's survival, but also to protect the villagers, right?"

Wang Wulang nodded immediately: "That's right."

"Then if soldiers or bandits come, shouldn't farmers take their elderly and children and hide in the village?"

Wang Wulang seemed to understand what Liu Huai was trying to say. His breathing became heavier, and he nodded again: "That's right."

"That's it." Seeing some of the guards and generals around him who were slow to react and were confused, Liu Huai simply explained: "Look at the farmers around here. They saw the army coming and wanted to escape, but not a single one of them entered the farm. This shows that the so-called Meng'an Mouke households have done things so badly that they can't even tolerate the tenants who farm for their own families. It's obvious that they have cut themselves off from the Han people. Cutting off from the Han people is cutting themselves off from Shandong! Without the Han people, one Mouke household of 300 is like a tree without roots, water without a source. What can they do?!"

Liu Huai's voice had become stern after the last few words, and then he immediately issued a military order: "No need to wait for the infantry. Shi Qilang, you lead fifty cavalry to clear the perimeter. The rest of the armored cavalry, follow me! Wang Wulang, you lead the way and take the center. I will recapture the manor for you today!"

"Here!" Wang Shilong put on his helmet, picked up his spear, grinned, and called out to those behind him: "Heroes of Wangjiazhuang, lead the way with me!"

After saying this, a dozen riders gave a shout and drove their horses away at full speed.

Until this moment, Liu Huai, who had habitually used speeches to boost his morale, suddenly found that he seemed to have made a mistake.

Wang Shilong's farmers should be separated and each lead a few riders to attack and occupy key places, instead of rushing into the farm all at once.

Liu Huai just reflected on it as usual and quickly reconciled with himself.

After all, the Loyal Army was the one that took the initiative to attack. Even if they made many mistakes or were in a panic, they were definitely much safer than the Jin army that was attacked by surprise.

(End of this chapter)