The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

As for the reed marshes on the opposite side, the area near the sea is very muddy even after the tide recedes. It's fine for people to walk on, but it's more difficult for warhorses to walk on it. They can easily get stuck and unable to get out.

Yang Zhen's idea for this problem was to use the deck of Yuan Jin's large ship in the naval camp to build a "walkway" on the muddiest and most difficult section.

In areas with more water accumulation, they continued to use small boats and the decks of large ships to build a "floating bridge" in the reeds.

This not only made it easier for the warhorses to pass, but also made it easier for Zhang Degui's artillery to advance.

For these plans to be implemented, Yuan Jin's selfless cooperation is required.

Yang Zhen already had a bargaining chip in mind to get Yuan Jin to cooperate with him. He was just waiting for Zhang Degui to talk to him first. If the negotiation failed, he would offer it up.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Degui actually made the deal, and Yuan Jin agreed as well.

Thinking of this, Yang Zhen looked at Zhang Degui and said to him, "Old Zhang, you said you wanted to dismantle his big ship, and Yuan Jin agreed so readily?!"

At this moment, Zhang Degui hesitated for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "Those large ships are to Yuan Jin, the garrison commander, what those warhorses are to Xu Changyong—their lifeblood. How could they be so easily won over? It's like this, sir! I promised to come back and speak to you on his behalf!"

At this point, Zhang Degui paused, looked at Yang Zhen's expression, and carefully said, "Yuan Jin, the garrison commander, originally did not have many soldiers. Last night, following the advice of the adults, he formed a 200-man marine suicide squad. It sounded quite inspiring, but as soon as they landed and entered the enemy camp, chaos ensued, and the casualties were heavy!"

"This time, when he heard that we were going to go ashore to fight again, and that we were going to fight real Tartars, many people in his camp were unwilling. He was a newly appointed garrison commander and didn't dare to go against the wishes of the majority of the camp! So he asked me to come and talk to the magistrate. They dismantled the deck, built a pontoon bridge, constructed a walkway, and arranged for transportation. They did all that, but is it enough for them to just do that?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen quickly understood what Yuan Jin meant by asking Zhang Degui to intercede on his behalf: "You mean, Yuan Jin's naval force won't go ashore this time and won't participate in the ambush of the Tartars? Is that what you mean?"

"Has this Commander Yuan lost his mind?! What does his naval camp mean by this?! Does he dare disobey the commander's orders?!"

Yuan Jin asked Zhang Degui to convey his message. After Zhang Degui explained it, not only Yang Zhen understood, but also the people around Yang Zhen understood. Before anyone else could say anything, Yang Zhan'ao was already furious: "At this critical juncture, does he dare to back down in the face of battle?!"

After Yang Zhanao said this, everyone looked at Yang Zhen, waiting for his response.

Yang Zhen didn't hesitate for long before saying to Zhang Degui, "Okay! I agree!"

As soon as Yang Zhen finished speaking, Zhang Degui felt a weight lifted from his heart, while the others stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they had just heard.

Yang Zhan'ao was about to say something more when Yang Zhen stopped him, saying, "Old Zhang! Go to Yuan Jin's camp again later and tell him I agree! In this battle, their naval force won't need to go ashore! As long as the pontoon bridge and plank road are built, if there are any victories in this battle, he will get credit for it when the victory is reported!"

At this point, Yang Zhen looked at Zhang Degui and solemnly said to him, "Tonight, I will lead the musketeer team and grenadier team ashore first to dig trenches, lay mines, and set up the battlefield! You don't need to come with us tonight! Tomorrow morning, you will work with Zu Keyong and Xu Changyong! At the same time, you must urge Yuan Jin's naval battalion to dismantle decks, build pontoon bridges, construct walkways, and facilitate transportation!"

After saying all that, Yang Zhen thought for a moment and finally said, "Old Zhang! When you go to Yuan Jin to talk about these things, don't forget to tell him that if he gets them done, I'll give him credit! If he messes them up and delays my important business, don't blame me, Yang Zhen, for turning against him without mercy!"

After saying these words, Yang Zhen left the artillery camp alone with Yan San.

Yang Zhanao and Guo Xiaowu packed their things and went to the pre-prepared boarding point to set off first, acting as lookouts for the following advance team.

Zhang Degui, without stopping, took several attendants and went to Yuan Jin's camp to relay what Yang Zhen had just said.

In fact, Yang Zhen could understand Yuan Jin's thoughts. The boatmen and oarsmen in Yuan Jin's naval camp were indeed not qualified soldiers. This time, they went ashore only because there were more of them and they could fight a few more, just to embolden the others.

If we really want them to play their role, it's better for everyone to stay in the back and take on the responsibility of picking up and transporting passengers.

Since Yuan Jin had gone to great lengths to make this request, Yang Zhen wouldn't suffer any great loss by agreeing. If it could earn them even more dedication in the rear, that would be even better.

After dealing with these troublesome matters, Yang Zhen led Yan San to the grenadier team's camp.

The grenadier unit had fewer men than the artillery unit. There were a total of six large shacks on the left and right flanks, each with a shack leader, who was usually a former battalion commander or squad leader.

This shed manager, just like the various team commanders and adjutants appointed by Yang Zhen at will, is not a military officer position in the imperial court's military system, so it sounds informal.

However, it is very useful in Yang Zhen's advance camp, especially in the current camp.

The grenadier squad consisted of sixty men, divided into left and right wings, each of which was further divided into three squads.

A squad was led by a platoon leader or other low-ranking officer who served as a platoon leader, and lived in a large shack with a small group of men.

The highest-ranking officer in a shack has his own position in the imperial court's military hierarchy. This position may be a battalion commander in the battalion officer system or a garrison commander in the guard system.

Of course, some of them were just ordinary officers or flag bearers before, but by chance, they also became the newly created "shed leaders" in Yang Zhen's vanguard battalion.

The previous military ranks were very complicated. These people had fought alongside Yang Zhen and his son for so many years, and in reality, there were very few ordinary soldiers left.

However, because they were charged with "desertion in the face of battle" after their defeat and breakout last year, many of them were stripped of their previous military ranks and "became" the lowest-ranking soldiers.

At present, calling the highest-ranking official in each shack "shack chief" is actually more to everyone's liking.

Yang Zhen had no intention of immediately changing the battalion system, but during this northward march, a temporary advance battalion was formed first, and by chance, a three-tiered battalion system of "battalion", "team", and "shed" was unintentionally formed.

Upon arriving at the shack area where the grenadiers were encamped, Yang Zhen had Li Lu and Pan happy summon all the "shack leaders" from the left and right flanks and explain his arrangements.

He also ordered them to prepare all the weapons they could carry, such as the "Ten Thousand Enemy" weapon, the "Dragon King Cannon," and grenades, before 9 PM. Any large items that couldn't be carried, such as the "Ten Thousand Enemy" weapon and the "Dragon King Cannon," had to be transported to the reed marshes by Zhang Degui in advance using several centipede boats.

Because this time when they came ashore, their purpose was to bury these things in the designated locations in advance, and they couldn't afford to delay at all.

Li Lu and the others received their orders. Pan happy and the others returned to their respective sheds to relay Yang Zhen's latest instructions, but Li Lu stayed behind. He took something from his side and handed it to Yang Zhen, saying:

"Sir! This is the iron-plated, wooden-handled grenade you mentioned before! I told Wang Shoutang, that blacksmith father and son, about it, and I didn't expect that they would know about cast iron grenades! They even fired cast iron grenades for the troops stationed in Ningyuan!"

"When I said I wanted to make a wooden handle so it would be easier for us to throw, they actually understood! These past two days, they haven't done anything else but build a furnace and heat up our unused breech-loading iron bullets until they're red-hot, and finally forge them into this shape and attach a wooden handle! Take a look, isn't this the kind of iron grenade you were talking about!"