Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi knew a lot about weapons. The original grenade made by the imperial court was a round ball with an iron ring at the bottom. Pull the iron ring and throw it.
However, that kind of grenade was not installed at all. Later, a kind of hand grenade with a wooden handle was invented.
Below it was a wooden handle. After opening the lid, there was a string that could be pulled and thrown.
Now, the Daming Army was equipped with this kind of thing. It was not very powerful, but it was convenient to carry.
It was said that this thing had been researched for more than ten years and was only invented in the last two years.
Compared with cannons, the power of grenades was limited, but it also depended on how it was used. Xu Wenbi had seen grenades tied together and thrown. That power … Tsk tsk!
"Commander Li, we can't lose this battle!" Xu Wenbi looked at Li Chengliang and said.
"Don't worry, Duke Dingguo. We will definitely win this battle!"
Seeing that Xu Wenbi was still serious, Li Chengliang explained with a smile, "The grassland now is not the grassland of the past. Our Ming Army is also not the Ming Army of the past."
Hearing Li Chengliang's words, Xu Wenbi was slightly stunned. Then he said with a smile, "I'd like to hear the details!"
"Take our Liaodong Army as an example. After the military reform, we have enough pay and fodder, and the training is also good. Naturally, we can fight.
In addition, we have the military equipment provided by the imperial court. I'm not afraid that you will laugh at me. When I got these military equipment, I was so excited that I didn't sleep for a few days. "
Then Li Chengliang pulled out the long saber at his waist. "Duke Dingguo, you must be familiar with this saber, right?"
Of course, Xu Wenbi was familiar with it. This was the standard saber and sword of the Daming Army.
"This saber is really much better than the previous ones. It is not only sharp but also hard. Compared with the previous saber, this saber is fine, but the original saber has a big hole."
"Not to mention these firearms, just these sabers can improve our combat power a lot."
"And armor. Not everyone used to have armor, but now everyone does, and they are all high-quality chainmail.
If the barbarians' broken sabers don't hit them directly, they can't even be cut. "
"It's not that I'm bragging, but the Liaodong Army can definitely destroy the three tribes of Duo Yan."
Xu Wenbi looked at Li Chengliang. It didn't matter whether Li Chengliang was bragging or not. The imperial court would not let Li Chengliang do this.
Firstly, the credit was too great, and Li Chengliang couldn't take it all for himself.
Those bastards from the Capital Camp were all clamoring for merit, but Li Chengliang had already taken it, so what was going on?
Secondly, if Li Chengliang were to destroy Duo Yan's three tribes, who knows if he would dare to do so. The emperor also did not trust him.
Now, the Emperor trusted the soldiers in the capital the most. This was what the Emperor wanted the soldiers in the capital to do.
However, Xu Wenbi wouldn't say it. He didn't think that Li Chengliang wouldn't be able to figure it out. He was just playing dumb.
As the Duke of Dingguo, Xu Wenbi also understood that generals who did not know how to feign ignorance would not live long, especially border generals.
Xu Wenbi could understand Li Chengliang's actions and behavior.
"Let's talk about the barbarians. The barbarians now are no longer the barbarians of the past. To put it bluntly, they're living in comfort."
"All these years, our Daming hasn't left the fortress, and they've lost their bravery long ago.
Take the three tribes of Duo Yan for example, they all have their own pastures. If we attack them, they won't dare to run away. "
"Run west?"
At this point, Li Chengliang's tone was filled with ridicule. "Buyan Chechen, that old fellow, will definitely swallow them whole. Not even their bones will be left."
"Run north?
Horqin and the others don't have good intentions either. "
"In addition to the grasslands, every tribe has their own grasslands. There are so many tribes in the grasslands, and they can't support so many people.
When the time comes, they would rather surrender to us Daming than run west or north. "
This was the first time Xu Wenbi had heard of this, but it was common.
It had happened before. It was normal for tribes to kill and annex each other on the grasslands. In addition, Buyan Chechen was old, and all the tribes were eyeing him covetously. At this time, there was no doubt that he would annex others to strengthen himself.
Everyone wanted to unify the grasslands. It was just that the war hadn't officially started yet.
Xu Wenbi saw that Li Chengliang was so confident and let out a sigh of relief. For Xu Wenbi, he absolutely could not allow any mistakes in this battle.
Not only did he have to win, but he also had to win in an overwhelming manner. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to answer to the emperor.
He was the one who pushed for the whole thing, and he was also the one who recommended Li Chengliang. If he didn't fight to his heart's content, Xu Wenbi reckoned that the emperor would definitely punish him and lose his trust in him.
"Since Commander Li is so confident, I can rest assured!" Xu Wenbi said with a smile.
Li Chengliang patted his chest as a guarantee. Finally, Li Chengliang asked a question, "Dingguo Duke, this general has something to ask. His Majesty mobilized so many troops and stockpiled so many provisions. Is it not just for the three tribes?"
Li Chengliang had long suspected this!
Xu Wenbi glanced at Li Chengliang. He didn't know why Li Chengliang asked this question. In fact, Li Chengliang shouldn't have asked this question. Speculating about the emperor's intentions was a taboo.
Did he really not understand, or was he pretending not to understand?
Xu Wenbi narrowed his eyes and looked at Li Chengliang.
Li Chengliang's expression didn't change. Of course, he knew that this was a taboo question, but he still chose to ask. This was because this was Li Chengliang's way of probing Dingguo Duke.
In fact, Li Chengliang and Dingguo Duke had a cooperative relationship, but Li Chengliang wanted to see if Dingguo Duke really wanted to cooperate.
"His Majesty's thoughts are not something that we, as subjects, can understand!"
Xu Wenbi slowly said. Seeing Li Chengliang's dissatisfied expression, Xu Wenbi continued, "However, His Majesty is very dissatisfied with the Heirloom Seal that Buyan Chechen took out."
Hearing Xu Wenbi's words, Li Chengliang immediately smiled.
"This is the fault of us subjects. It is a disgrace for the Heirloom Seal to fall into the hands of the barbarians. This time, after defeating the three tribes, we must report to His Majesty to directly attack Chahar and take back the Heirloom Seal."
Xu Wenbi smiled and nodded, "That's right!
This is the duty of a subject. "
The two old men smiled, each with their own thoughts, and then changed the topic, as if the conversation just now was just a casual chat.
In just a few simple words, the relationship between the two sides had taken a step closer.
As time went by, the 100,000 troops of the capital camp had arrived at Shenyang, and so had Qi Jiguang. The whole of Liaodong was shrouded in the clouds of war.
Ji Liao's army was also stationed at the front line of Daning and Xifengkou. The war was on the verge of breaking out.
Daming's mobilization of troops naturally couldn't be hidden from others, especially the people in Liaodong.
Jianzhou.
Jianzhou was the name Daming gave to the city under his feet. In fact, it didn't have an exact name because it was a newly built city.
Daming called it Jianzhou because it was the garrison of the Jianzhou Guard Commander.
The city was built by Wanli fifteen years ago, and it had only been a few years since it was completed.