Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 715 Blood-stained Mother River
Baima Ferry is famous for Baima Mountain, and the ferry is at the foot of the mountain.

Che Guangqian stationed his troops at Huatai, not far southwest of Baimadu. This place has been the only place for stationing troops to guard Baimadu since the Warring States Period.

Shi Siming's army on the other side of the river could only see that the Bianzhou army had set up a large camp in Huatai. They could not tell how many people were stationed there, whose troops they were, or who was in command.

Liyang Mountain is also called Dayi Mountain, which is more famous than Baima Mountain. Liyang is named after Liyang Mountain, which is similar to Baima Ferry.

The two mountains face each other across the Yellow River, like two armies facing each other.

Shi Siming deployed his troops at the foot of Liyang Mountain, separated from the Bianzhou army by the Yellow River. The atmosphere on both sides was extremely tense and depressing.

Unexpectedly, Shi Siming was not in a hurry to cross the river, and no one knew what he was thinking. For three consecutive days, there was no movement on the other side of the river. This made many people under Fang Chongyong feel uneasy.

On the surface, war is about using troops to defeat the enemy. But when it comes to actual operations, there are too many factors that determine victory or defeat. Only beginners will find it easy.

The heavy burden of the lives and deaths of millions of people on their shoulders often made the commanders in the army almost breathless.

Che Guangqian sent someone back to Kaifeng to ask for instructions on what to do next. Fang Zhongyong ordered him to keep his troops in place, and then ordered Liu Longxian to attack Gongcheng in Weizhou again!

Fang Chongyong knew very well that Shi Siming would absolutely not dare to divide his troops now.

Judging from Shi Siming's daily personality, if he divided his troops now, the divided troops would most likely rebel directly.

For example, Tian Qianzhen was suspected by Shi Siming, who asked him to lead troops to Gongcheng to stop Liu Longxian. If Tian Qianzhen did not run away, would he wait for Shi Siming to settle accounts with him in the future?
The answer is obvious.

As expected, Shi Siming did not divide his troops, and Gongcheng was successfully captured by Liu Longxian. On the west side of Shi Siming's army, there was only one barrier, Wei County, and the situation became unfavorable to Shi Siming.

For ten days in a row, Shi Siming remained very patient. Fang Zhongyong refused to send troops across the river, and Shi Siming also refused to cross the river, so the two sides remained in a stalemate.

The strange battle situation made it difficult to guess what the commanders of both sides were thinking. It was like the dullness before a rainstorm, making it difficult for everyone to breathe freely.

In fact, Shi Siming was not as calm as he looked to outsiders. He was furious, and if Geng Renzhi hadn't stopped him, he would have led his troops to hack Liu Longxian to death!
On this day, Shi Siming learned that Liu Longxian had conquered Ji County west of Liyang, and he was so angry that he killed three actors. Then he had a headache again, and rolled on the ground in pain, and it took a long time for him to recover.

"Your Majesty, don't fall into Fang Qing's evil scheme."

Seeing that Shi Siming was still angry, Geng Renzhi tried to persuade him.

"This beast Liu Longxian makes me so angry!"

Inside the commander's tent, Shi Siming sat on a cushion and lamented.

Liu Longxian was like a hunter teasing a wild beast. He would stretch out his stick to poke Shi Siming, and when Shi Siming was furious and wanted to fight back, he would take a step back.

“Your Majesty, Fang Qing saw this clearly, so he asked Liu Longxian to harass the western flank of our army.

If we lead troops to counterattack, it will fulfill Fang Qing's wish. The Liyang troops will be depleted, and then the Bianzhou army will have to cross the Yellow River."

Seeing Shi Siming's thoughtful look, Geng Renzhi breathed a sigh of relief and continued to analyze: "Now it depends on who loses patience. Your Majesty must not divide the troops."

It has to be said that Geng Renzhi fully understood Fang Chongyong's thoughts.

Now Fang Chongyong is taking advantage of Shi Siming's old and new hatreds towards Liu Longxian and letting the defense commander of the three cities of Heyang repeatedly provoke Shi Siming.

As long as Shi Siming led his troops to counterattack Liu Longxian, he would definitely lose the advantageous position of Liyangdu. At that time, the offensive and defensive positions would change, and how to fight the war would not be decided by Shi Siming!

"Then what do you think?"

Shi Siming asked impatiently.

In fact, he understands the truth, but he just can't help it!
"Your Majesty, when two meet in a narrow road, the brave prevail. Tonight we will force our way across the Yellow River and fight a decisive battle with the Bianzhou army at Bai Ma, using force to defeat cleverness!"

Geng Renzhi made a chopping gesture.

There was some truth in what he said. Shi Siming nodded slightly without commenting, but he no longer looked as angry as before.

Geng Renzhi suggested again: "Your Majesty, as long as we defeat the Bianzhou army at Baimadu, Liu Longxian will retreat without a fight. When he loses the protection of the Bianzhou army, it will be easy to deal with him. So what if we let Liu Longxian live a few more days?"

"I am worried about the silt near Baima Ferry, which makes it inconvenient to stop the ship."

Shi Siming sighed.

The silt near Baimadu was so heavy that people and horses could not step on it in summer and autumn. Once they stepped on it, they would be immediately swallowed up by the soft silt. Boats would run aground if they came here, which was very inconvenient.

This place will freeze over in winter. The silt is so hard that horses can run on it, and the entire surface of the Yellow River will be as flat as the ground.

"Your Majesty, we can cut down the bamboo forest near Liyang, use bamboo rafts to make a floating bridge, and then move forward while laying it."

Geng Renzhi suggested.

This was tantamount to playing an open card, and it was unrealistic to expect the Bianzhou army on the other side to not notice it. Torches must be lit to cross the river at night, especially when a pontoon bridge is to be laid.

At that time, it will be a chaotic battle, and it will just depend on which side's troops will fight.

What Geng Renzhi said about using force to defeat cleverness is really not an exaggeration at all.

"Then let's do it tonight. You will be the vanguard in this battle."

Shi Siming sighed, feeling indescribably tired.

"Understood, I will go and prepare now."

Geng Renzhi glanced at Shi Siming quietly, then took the order and left.

On the other side of the Yellow River, there was also frequent activity in the Bianzhou military camp.

At this moment, Fang Chongyong had already arrived at the camp in Huatai from Kaifeng. In fact, it was not just Shi Siming who felt anxious. The battle did not come as expected. The Bianzhou army was holding its breath. The people were also restless.

Most of the soldiers in the camp want to achieve great things, but are also worried about gains and losses.

"It shouldn't be possible. Facing Liu Longxian's provocation, Shi Siming actually remained calm?"

Inside the commander's tent of the Bianzhou Army camp, Fang Chongyong sat in front of a table, folded his arms in thought, muttered to himself, with a puzzled look on his face.

"General, according to the scouts, Shi Siming definitely did not split his troops. His main camp is estimated to have 30,000 to 50,000 people."

Che Guangqian cupped her fists and saluted.

It made sense for Shi Siming to station his troops in Liyang, because he could deliver grain and fodder from Hebei directly to the military camp through the canal.

Precisely because there are no fools on either side of the war, common strategies such as robbing food roads are of little use.

The Bianzhou army also transported grain to Bai Ma by water, so there was no loophole in this regard.

"Shi Siming now has only three choices to make. He can either be led by Liu Longxian and kill him first; or he can keep his troops in place and wait for the Yellow River flood peak to arrive, and then take advantage of the chaos to attack; or he can quickly confront our army and defeat them with force.

If you were Shi Siming, which one would you choose? "

Fang Zhongyong looked at Che Guangqian and asked.

"If it were me, I would choose the third one and fight as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble. But Shi Siming might not be able to control his temper and he might be lured away by Liu Longxian."

Che Guangqian smiled bitterly.

From the perspective of common sense, it makes sense to choose any two or three. However, looking at the past feud between Liu Longxian and Shi Siming, Fang Zhongyong was not sure which choice Shi Siming would make.

If Shi Siming planned to counterattack Liu Longxian, then the Bianzhou army would have to prepare to cross the river and fight to cut off Shi Siming's retreat.

If Shi Siming wanted to cross the river directly, then the Bianzhou army would have to prepare to defend Baima Ferry.

The opponent’s choices will be different, and the Bianzhou Army will respond differently and make different preparations.

Therefore, it is important to predict in advance. At this moment, Han Yougui hurriedly walked into the general's tent, and the other side Chongyong saluted and reported: "General, the Yan army on the other side of the river has sent many people to cut down the bamboo forest. Shi Siming should be unable to resist crossing the river!"

He had a look of joy on his face and could hardly contain his excitement.

These days, everyone in the military has had a hard time, and Han Yougui is no exception.

The purpose of sending people to cut bamboo is self-evident. Bamboo is hollow and has great buoyancy, making it a good raw material for making temporary floating bridges, better than ordinary trees.

Fang Zhongyong stood up and walked to the hanging map to check it out. He also breathed a sigh of relief, and the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

"General, I'm afraid Shi Siming will lead his troops across the river tonight."

Che Guangqian reminded him. The action of cutting bamboo could not be hidden from the scouts, and Shi Siming certainly would not be stupid enough to delay time.

They cut bamboos and made rafts that day, and crossed the river that night. Even if the Bianzhou army noticed it, they would not have much time to prepare.

Fang Zhongyong nodded slightly and suppressed the joy on his face.

It is not enough to know what Shi Siming is going to do. If we cannot win, everything will be in vain.

Crossing the river at night, attacking halfway across the river, is all wishful thinking, the darkness is fair to both sides. The Bianzhou army will also have limited vision, and if they attack halfway across the river at Baima Ferry, it is very likely that they will be in chaos before they can inflict heavy damage on the enemy.

In other words, we can only guard the ferry honestly.

"Go and inform Wang Nandai to follow the plan tonight and obey my orders."

Fang Chongyong instructed Han Yougui.

"I have received your order. I will go to Lingchang to pass on the order now!"

Han Yougui took the order and left.

Fang Chongyong finally breathed a sigh of relief. He prepared a "big gift" for Shi Siming. Because he was worried about exposing his strategic intentions, he deployed his troops in Lingchang, southwest of Huatai, led by Wang Nandai.

Since Shi Siming wants to fight, let’s fight to our heart’s content tonight!

"Pass the order down. Prepare a hearty meal for the soldiers at noon today so that they can have a full meal."

Fang Zhongyong gave an order to Che Guangqian.

"I will do it now."

Che Guangqian clasped his fists in salute and left. After he left, Fang Zhongyong sat down and reviewed the preparations for this battle.

After thinking about it, I didn't find any major flaws, and I did everything I should do.

If we fail in this battle, it is nothing to regret as "Man proposes, God disposes".

Thinking of this, Fang Chongyong felt relieved.

Time passed very slowly, as if every second was torture.

In early summer, the days are long and the nights are late. When night finally arrives, the buzzing of mosquitoes is annoying.

Fang Chongyong was still able to keep his composure, but his scouts were already somewhat uneasy, and reported much more frequently than before.

In the blink of an eye, it was midnight.

Just when Fang Chongyong was feeling drowsy, Han Yougui came to report that a team on the other side of the Yellow River had lit torches and was "swimming" towards the other side of the river like a fire snake.

Han Yougui's description is very wonderful.

Fang Chongyong came to the high platform and looked out. He saw a team with lit torches in the center of the Yellow River. They seemed to be able to "kick their legs and float on the water" and were coming towards Baimadu from the north bank.

"General, this is a floating bridge made of bamboo rafts. If it were an ordinary river, this method would definitely cause the bamboo raft to capsize. But there is a lot of silt around Baima Ferry, and this method is equivalent to laying the bamboo raft on the silt, which is very stable.

There are also capable people in Shi Siming’s army.”

Che Guangqian explained to Fang Chongyong.

Because it was night, it was unclear how Shi Siming's army operated. But it was obvious that they used the shallow-draft boats to lay bamboo rafts while slowly moving forward to fix them. After this trip, a simple floating bridge was built.

This method is very crude and even a bit crude, but it is very effective in terrain like Baimadu.

"Send a signal to Wang Nanzhi in half an hour. It's still a little early now."

Fang Zhongyong calmly gave orders to Han Yougui.

"Order!"

Han Yougui's heart was in his throat, and he didn't understand why Fang Zhongyong wanted to wait any longer. But he was not the commander-in-chief of the army, Fang Zhongyong was the commander-in-chief, and whatever he said was the truth, and that was all he could do.

Time passed second by second, Fang Chongyong's face was as gloomy as water, and he did not give any orders. He just sat on the high platform on the shore, watching the "fire snake" slowly approach the shore.

"kill!"

After a long time, Fang Zhongyong looked at Che Guangqian beside him and gave an order.

Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom!
Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom!
Rapid drumbeats sounded.

Shi Siming's troops seemed to have sensed something as well. They were less than ten feet away from the shore, and some of them simply jumped high from the bamboo raft and landed on the shore.

It was a dark and windy night, so the bow and arrow had no accuracy at all.

The vanguard of the Silver Spear Xiejie Army fired three rounds of crossbow fire at Shi Siming's Yan Army, then threw the crossbow machine to the ground, drew out his sword and charged directly into the battle formation!
Life and death were at stake, and the Yan army soldiers did not dare to neglect it, and they also drew their swords and fought. In an instant, corpses were lined up on the river bank, and the river water was dyed red with blood.

Shouting and crying mixed together! It was like hell on earth!

At this moment, Fang Zhongyong no longer dared to give orders, and he only hoped that the brave warriors in the army could hold on. Any strategy lost its meaning at this moment. As Geng Renzhi said, when two sides meet on a narrow road, the brave one wins.

Of course, Fang Chongyong still has a backup plan, which is the advantage of playing at home.

The fight continued, and for a moment there was no clear winner.

In fact, Fang Zhongyong could have let the Yan army in to fight. But Shi Siming was not a fool. He could not hide any situation of outnumbering. Only by sacrificing human lives could he hold Shi Siming back.

If anything goes wrong, this cunning fox will run away immediately!
"General, I will lead the personal guards."

Che Guangqian took a step forward, and the other party Chongyong asked for a fight.

"Don't worry, the time has been calculated, now we have to trust Wang Nandi.

If we lose this battle, you will chop off his head afterwards, and I will not stop you."

Fang Zhongyong stretched out his hand and stopped Che Guangqian who could no longer hold back.

The latter sighed and returned to his original position.

Soon after, Shi Siming's elite troops had established a solid line on the beach, and the battle situation began to become tense.

Fang Chongyong's face was calm, but he was actually extremely anxious and angry, but he couldn't show it.

At this moment, a flame suddenly shot up into the sky in the center of the Yellow River in the distance!
"Look, I told you to trust Wang Nandai."

Fang Zhongyong grinned and told Che Guangqian, "Now we can move forward on all fronts and send Shi Siming to the Yellow River to feed the fish!"

He waved his fist in the air excitedly!
(End of this chapter)