Soon after, Heian-kyo received a report from Iwami-kun that Xu's army had been plundering everywhere, breaking through two county governors and looting the treasury.
Fujiwara no Mitsuyori felt that the situation was getting worse and he couldn't sleep at night.
In the dim light, a man in the shadows by the wall said in a deep voice: As long as the Left Minister gives the order, someone will make Ono leave the world.
No. Fujiwara no Mitsuyori stopped him without hesitation. He turned around and whispered: Ono-kun's political views are indeed different from mine, but he is still a nobleman after all.
That person didn't seem to understand what Fujiwara no Mitsuyori meant.
Fujiwara no Mitsuyori then said: There is a big difference between the nobles and the samurai clans.
The man bowed suddenly and said: "Left Minister is wise."
Fujiwara no Mitsuyori sighed and closed his eyes to rest, but he was worried. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he was unwilling to rely too much on the lower-ranking samurai groups. These people were completely different from the nobles. They were seeking status and power.
If it is allowed to develop, it will inevitably lead to the collapse of Japan's current situation, it's just a matter of time; if it is continuously entrusted with important tasks, this process will be greatly shortened.
Fujiwara no Sanedari already felt that it was difficult to contain the situation, because once there was chaos in Japan, it was difficult to avoid the involvement of the samurai. Even domestic rebellions could not be quelled by the imperial court without relying on the samurai group.
"It is a blessing for the world that there is no war and peace and tranquility," he pondered.
The people who were in the same room with him did not respond to the current situation. It was obviously not working, so Fujiwara no Mitsuyori said something nonsense.
Fujiwara no Michiyasu frowned and said: Instead of letting the samurai family become too powerful, it is better to let Ono-kun take charge. At least it can avoid the formation of too large a samurai clan, and Ono will then bear greater responsibilities.
Having said this, he had decided what to do.
There were not many choices. Fujiwara no Tadahiro could not choose to seek peace, which was unacceptable to everyone. There might be military families who would rebel again in the name of protecting the emperor and clearing the court.
The next day, Fujiwara no Mitsuyori asked Ono Yoshifuru to meet him again to ask about the battle strategy against Daixu.
Ono Yoshifuru seemed to be well prepared and spoke eloquently: In my opinion, in order to resist the war against the State of Xu, we should focus on both land and sea.
Fujiwara no Mitsuyori calmly asked: "Why don't you elaborate on the strategy of Ono-kun that emphasizes both land and sea?"
Ono Yoshifuru bowed and said: If the Central Plains wants to attack Japan, they can only come from the sea. If we destroy Xu's army in Omori-sho of Iwami Province, we can make Xu's navy float on the sea with nowhere to stand.
As for the battle on land, the key was to harass and cut off the sea route, so that Xu's army could not be reinforced with food, military supplies and manpower.
Ono Yoshiko: According to what I have heard, Xu's infantrymen mostly use gunpowder weapons, and the infantry formation defending the fortress is particularly powerful. However, they lack sea vessels and the sea route is far away, so they cannot match our Japanese navy. The imperial army should first send people to control the sea route, and then launch an attack on Xu's stronghold in Omori Village.
Fujiwara no Mitsuyori heard this and said: I heard from the Khitans that
Ono Yoshifuru bowed and said: The Liao State and the Xu State have been fighting for many years, so they must understand the Xu army.
Fujiwara no Mitsuyori nodded slightly, and he had more confidence in Ono Yoshifuru's leadership. However, he looked a little sad, and after a moment's silence, he sang in a sad tone: The gentle night wind brings me worries, and the strong wind hides behind the dark clouds.
Ono was also a person who liked Japanese poetry, and the two of them felt a sense of mutual admiration for each other for a moment. Ono also agreed: The war is getting closer.
On the shore of the Omori coast in Iwami Province, there was an earthen fortress that looked like a stockade. However, Zhang Jiankui and his companions inspected it very carefully, not even sparing the toilet.
They stopped on the earth wall to rest, and Zhang Jiankui said casually: In this situation, we can't stay here safely. Minister Zan is an important official of the court, and there is no need to stay in this dangerous foreign country. But now it seems that it is also risky for you to return by sea.
Minister Zan said: "Life and death are determined by fate. If Commander Zhang's wine and food had not been unclean that day, how could I stand here and talk with Commander Zhang?"
Zhang Jiankui burst into laughter after hearing this.
Zan Jurun smiled again and said: Perhaps Commander Zhang doesn't know that the helmets worn by the soldiers were made by me.
Oh, Zhang Jiankui was a little surprised and took off his helmet to observe it with interest.
Zan Jurun said: The originally forged helmets were not breathable. I heard soldiers complaining in the army. Now there are holes on both sides, but the holes are hidden and facing downwards, which makes it breathable without affecting defense.
Zhang Jiankui laughed and said: I really didn't expect that Minister Zan actually knew about military affairs.
Zan Jurun said: This official is now also in charge of the Military Equipment Supervisor and has the honor to observe the battle with his own eyes. If you can survive the war, this official will definitely gain a lot.
After hearing this, Zhang Jiankui clasped his fists and bowed, saying: It is a great honor for me to fight side by side with Minister Zan.
Zan Jurun also put away his smile and replied seriously: Today, the army is united from top to bottom, and it is a blessing for the country and the people.
After hearing this, Zhang Jiankui said in a deep voice: "Minister Zan, please rest assured. Although Zhang Yin, the military supervisor, has died for his country, we will definitely fulfill our responsibilities. The generals of Daxu have never bowed their knees to survive in front of foreign invaders. I will fight to the end to repay the emperor's grace."
Zan Jurun breathed a sigh of relief and said kindly: As long as our big ship is completed, the imperial reinforcements will arrive. We are not doomed.
The group had checked the warehouses. Gunpowder and ammunition were the military supplies that had been shipped by sea first in the previous few months, so the reserves were sufficient. They also looted several manors in two counties. Since Xu's army was small in number, the military rations were relatively sufficient.
The earthen fort was almost completed, but the project of deepening the riverbed of the Sanping River and connecting it to the sea was still not completed. After Takasaki was killed, the project was basically abandoned by the military officials and generals due to the lack of manpower.
The fortress was built on a low hill with a solid foundation. It was about three miles north of the coast and less than a mile west of the Sanping River. There was a large forest to the east. It was said that the silver-containing ore was dug out from the mountain behind the forest.
The overall appearance is that of Liuhuabao, which is almost a smaller version of Wudingbao. The walls are all rammed with mud, clay and lime, and are low, without the conditions for brick covering, so it looks like a strange and simple earthen village.
The wall was not built high, but the hexagonal and connected arc-shaped walls were all very thick solid earth walls, very strong. There were more than 40 bronze cannons deployed on the hexagonal walls; there were artillery fortifications dug in all of them, half buried in the earth, covered with wooden beams and felt cloth.
There were no fortifications below the city wall, and the city defense infantry was deployed halfway up the wall. A soldier hiding hole was dug there, and a parapet nearly as tall as a person was built, like a railing, with felt cloth extending from the entrance of the soldier hiding hole to cover it.
The area inside the city was not spacious, and was full of low, solid earthen houses, including the command office, the lobby, the barracks, the warehouse, and the stables, but there was no more space.
The houses were built in a rough and simple manner, but they were mainly for practicality. The roofs of the mud-walled houses were made of wooden beams and felt, and then a thick layer of mud was pasted on them to prevent fire. Water was poured every day to keep the mud moist.
The total number of people in Iwami Castle was over 500, including officers, soldiers, clerks and other people of high status.
Zhang Jiankui, Zan Jurun and others also inspected facilities such as wells and drainage channels.
It was the first time that Zhang Jiankui was solely responsible for such a military garrison, and sometimes he felt a headache because everything from the construction of fortifications to the defense of various troops was much more complicated than commanding a group of troops to march and deploy formations; there were also various files to deal with.
Fortunately, there were civil servants such as Zan Jurun, and these documents were indeed trivial matters for them.
When Zan Jurun first came here, he had nothing to say to Zhang Jiankui. It was really difficult for civil officials and military officers to get along with each other. But perhaps because Zan Jurun accidentally escaped with his life and spent more time together, he got along well with Zhang Jiankui.
Zan Jurun took a look around and said in a joking tone: Commander Zhang is capable of commanding an army only if he can command Iwami Castle.
Zhang Jiankui hurriedly shook his head and said: I dare not, I don’t deserve it.
Zan Jurun smiled and said: If Commander Zhang does a good job in Dongdao, it is not impossible for him to command an army.