Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"The food reserves on Blackwood Cliff are enough to feed the people at the main altar for three years."

After the people from Taiyuan Zuowei arrived, although there were more people, they could still make a living for two years if they were frugal.

According to Da Li's plan, we will no longer seek to rapidly increase our troop strength. Instead, after defeating the Three Guards' guest army, we will take advantage of the gap before the imperial army arrives to plunder grain and supplies in the surrounding prefectures and counties.

Besides food, salt is also very important.

"We should be able to increase the food reserves on Blackwood Cliff to enough to feed 20,000 people for more than three years."

Zhang Yin nodded.

But that's not enough!

During this time, we also need to conscript people from Pingding Prefecture to transport large quantities of coal up Blackwood Cliff.

In a long siege, food and water alone are not enough; fuel is also very important, as it is needed for cooking and heating in winter.

Fortunately, Shanxi is rich in coal, which burns much longer than wood, but we must still stockpile as much as possible.

In addition, we must also seize all the pharmacies in Pingding Prefecture and several surrounding prefectures and counties, and send the medicinal materials and doctors to Blackwood Cliff.

Living on a mountaintop the size of a small county town with 20,000 people is no small matter if an epidemic breaks out.

Doctors and medicinal herbs are absolutely essential!

There are only four or five thousand garrison soldiers at the foot of the mountain, which is certainly not enough to completely surround the entire Blackwood Cliff.

We can also sneak up and down at night through that hidden path on the back mountain.

However, with the imperial army pressing in and surrounding Blackwood Cliff, it became difficult to sneak in and out of the mountain stronghold.

They had the ability to build several fences to completely surround the entire Blackwood Cliff.

That hidden path probably can't stay a secret for long; it will be discovered sooner or later.

Once internal and external transportation is completely cut off, it will be impossible to replenish anything from the outside world.

"We have nearly 10,000 troops on the cliff top; we simply can't surround it with fewer men."

Li Dali continued.

"If the imperial court wants to maintain a long-term siege, it would have to station at least 30,000 to 50,000 troops at the foot of the mountain."

These troops have come from afar, and their military expenditures are considerable!

Over the years, this has become a heavy burden for the imperial court.

If we were in the southern inland areas, isolated and without support, the imperial court could grit its teeth and spend a large sum of money on military expenses to support us for several years, eventually exhausting our food supplies.

But this is Shanxi, which borders the Right Wing Mongolia!

It was already commonplace for Jinang and Anda to invade Shanxi and reach Pingding Prefecture.

We are not truly alone and helpless!

Thanks to Zhao Xixian's foresight, we have already sent 30,000 followers to Anda to settle in Fengzhou Beach in Tumed and have formed an alliance with Anda.

Even if Blackwood Cliff is impregnable and has ample food supplies, it cannot afford to remain trapped in this isolated city.

If people are surrounded for too long, their hearts will become restless.

The Ming army besieging the mountain will also try many methods to spread various rumors and destabilize our internal situation.

If you really want to maintain your position in the long term, you need to give people hope!

The Tumed cavalry of Anda are this hope!

"Father, after we defeat the Three Guards' invading army and take control of Pingding Prefecture, I plan to go to Tumed to see Anda and discuss our grand plan with him."

"Great gift, how do you intend to make a treaty with Anda?"

Zhang Yin looked at his son.

"I will ask him to send troops next year to break through the pass and invade the heart of Shanxi again."

Li Dali laughed.

"It would be best to do what we did this time and encourage his brother, Jinang, the chief of the three thousand households of the Right Wing Mongols, to send troops together. In this way, we can gather another 100,000 Mongol troops."

Before that, I will select and train an army of several thousand men from among the 30,000 followers who have settled in Fengzhou Beach, and they will follow Altan Khan into the pass next year.

After entering the pass, I will lead the Mongol army into Pingding Prefecture to attack the Ming army besieging Heimu Cliff.

At this moment, the father led the army from the village down the mountain to attack from both sides.

The Ming army would certainly be on guard, and it wouldn't be easy to truly defeat them.

But at least, it is still possible to establish a connection between Blackwood Cliff and the outside world.

As long as reinforcements arrive and bring some food and supplies—not even a large amount—it will give the people in the mountain stronghold hope and restore their morale, which has been low due to being trapped in the isolated city for a long time.

The father could then take the opportunity to declare to the followers that the Mongols would come to their aid every year, and that they were not alone.

If the situation becomes untenable, people can still settle outside the Great Wall with the Mongols; they are not all on the same dead end.

With Black Cliff as a thorn in the side of Shanxi, constantly tying down tens of thousands of Ming troops and causing the court enormous expenses, as well as requiring the transfer of soldiers from various regions, it was extremely advantageous for Anda.

Offering symbolic support is a costless and beneficial gesture.

With hope, Father could hold on longer on Blackwood Cliff.

Ideally, the best outcome would be if the situation could be stabilized until the imperial court in the capital was no longer able or willing to maintain tens of thousands of troops at Blackwood Cliff.

Then we can negotiate with the imperial court.

"Or, before we can't hold on any longer, let Anda come to Pingding Prefecture to meet us, and we'll abandon Black Cliff and head to the border."

"That's excellent."

Zhang Yin was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Choose six good horses now and hurry to Pingding Prefecture. You must climb Blackwood Cliff from the back mountain before tomorrow night to prepare for battle."

. . .

The next day.

The capital city, the Northern Garrison Command.

"Brother, something terrible has happened!"

Lu Wei handed an urgent report to Lu Bing.

"This is a spy from our Embroidered Uniform Guard, just sent from Shuozhou."

Another messenger, sent by Zhang Hao, who was in charge of the Jibei Circuit, also delivered the same urgent report to the Ministry of War.

"Fan Jizu, Minister of War and Governor-General of Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi, was assassinated at the Governor-General's residence in Shuozhou!"

Lu Bing was taken aback after just one glance.

The assassination of a high-ranking official, a second-rank official, was an event that would shake the imperial court to its core!

Lu Bing dared not delay and quickly continued reading.

The identity of the assassin who attempted to assassinate Fan Jizu has been confirmed: it was Zhang Yin, the commander of the Taiyuan Left Guard!

This man had been summoned from Taiyuan to Shuozhou by Fan Jizu a few days earlier, on the grounds of verifying the heads of the Mongols captured during the Jinang and Anda invasions.

But just two nights ago, a fire suddenly broke out in the rear office of the governor's office. At the same time, a force of more than a dozen elite soldiers raided the Wende Gate, seized the gate, and escaped out of the city under the cover of night.

During the cleanup of the fire scene, Fan Jizu's charred body was found, and the governor's seal was also missing.

The fire at the governor's residence caused chaos in the city all night, and it wasn't until the next morning that it was discovered that Zhang Yin and his men had all disappeared.

After Fan Jizu's death, Zhang Hao, who was in charge of the Jibei Circuit, temporarily took over Shuozhou City and sent people south to search for Zhang Yin and his group.

They discovered that at a post station more than 20 miles south of the city, they had tricked the post station into giving them two horses by using a document stamped with the governor's seal, and continued south.

It can now be confirmed that Zhang Yin and his men were responsible for assassinating Fan Jizu, stealing the governor's seal, setting fire to the governor's office, and launching a night raid on Wende Gate.

Zhang Hao judged that Zhang Yin would use the governor's seal to forge travel documents and escape back to Taiyuan without any hindrance, and immediately lead the Taiyuan Left Guard to start a rebellion.

"The commander of the garrison has rebelled and openly assassinated the Minister of War and Governor-General of the Three Garrisons. This is a very serious matter!"

After reading the urgent report, Lu Bing let out a long sigh.

"Second brother, although we've known for a long time that Zhang Yin has problems..."

But who would have thought this person would be so audacious?