Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 40: Unloading the Armor and Crossing the River

After several people got on their horses, they quickly arrived at a high ground on the south bank of the Shu River.

This high ground is about one mile square, with relatively hard ground and a wide view. The Shu River is a hundred steps away to the north, making it convenient to get water. It is a good place to camp.

Liu Huai drove his horse around a few times and was about to speak when he saw Zhang Xiaoyi standing on the horse's back, with his hands on his back, looking towards the north, as if thinking about something.

"Xiao Yi, isn't this place nice?"

Zhang Xiaoyi sat back on his horse, swatted a mosquito that was sucking blood from his shoulder, and shook his head, saying, "It's not bad... Dalang... No, Commander, please take a look."

Zhang Xiaoyi pointed across the Shu River and said, "That's Dayi Mountain, less than twenty miles away."

Liu Huai squinted his eyes and saw a mountain rising a hundred meters suddenly on the distant horizon. This height was not enough to be seen in the hilly area, but it looked extremely steep against the backdrop of the vast plains around it.

"Dayi Mountain isn't particularly prominent, but it's two peaks rising from the flat ground. The area between them, north and south, is a perfect place to station troops, easy to defend but difficult to attack. Before the Song Dynasty's southern migration, there was a town called Dayi on the southern foot of the mountain. After the Jin invaders occupied the north, it was flooded and left in ruins. But it's still a town, inhabited by people, with walls and houses. It's very likely the Jin invaders were stationed there..."

Zhang Baiyu waved his whip to shoo away the buzzing mosquitoes in front of him and said impatiently, "Zhang Xiaoyi, what exactly do you want to say? Didn't we already discuss this in the military meeting?"

Zhang Xiaoyi didn't get angry, and pointed to a large reed marsh across the river: "It's this reed marsh I want to talk about."

It is quite common to have reeds growing by the river, but the grassland by the Shu River is unusually wide. It not only stretches along the river, but also expands to the north, stretching as far as the eye can see.

"I originally thought this patch of grass had disappeared, but I didn't expect it to grow so wide." Zhang Xiaoyi bowed to Liu Huai and said, "Commander, you can station troops there."

Liu Huai smiled. "Brother Xiaoyi, I've also been around Lianghuai. How could I not know that this kind of reed marsh is filled with mud and mud? Even an ordinary child digging for clams would get stuck. How could we station troops there?"

The others thought Zhang Xiaoyi was eager for revenge and frowned.

Zhang Xiaoyi continued to explain, "This is what I'm trying to say. In this patch of grass, there's a patch of sandy, rocky ground a few hundred steps in radius. The ground is firm, large enough to accommodate five hundred people. Furthermore, very few people know about it."

Liu Huai put away his smile and asked, "Is this true?"

"I grew up in Haizhou and have run hundreds of miles around it countless times. Even so, I only discovered this place last year when I was running south. The friend who led us there said that the area around here is vast and sparsely populated, and very few people know about this wonderful place in Caodangzi."

As soon as Zhang Xiaoyi finished explaining, Zhang Baiyu, like someone who always plays the devil's advocate, immediately retorted, "What if the Jin thieves set the fire?"

"The reeds are very humid in the summer, so they don't catch fire easily," Zhang Xiaoyi said sincerely. "It takes a lot of firewood and fuel to dry the reeds, and it takes longer for the fire to spread. If the Jin thieves can't be sure we're among them, they won't waste their time. If anything goes wrong, we can just run away."

Zhang Baiyu still shook his head. "It's too dangerous, too dangerous. Commander Wei is only half a day's journey away from us. Why can't we wait? If we cross the river now, we'll be alone deep in the enemy's territory. And these hundred or so armored cavalry are the only cavalry in the Northern Expedition. If we lose them accidentally, what will we do against the Jin cavalry in the future?"

Zhang Xiaoyi suppressed his temper and was about to speak, but Liu Huai spoke first to Zhang Baiyu, "Zhang Silang, we are racing against time. What if the Jin bandits arrive tomorrow morning? What if the Jin commander is cautious and simply defends the Shu River, preventing us from crossing? Don't forget, our baggage is not very large."

Zhang Baiyu simply scoffed in response, "Commander, what you said is too coincidental. There's no such thing as too many ifs. In my opinion, the right thing to do is to gather the boats on the south bank and use them as a ferry bridge!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaoyi's grim expression, Zhang Baiyu said again: "If the worst situation really happens as Liu Dalang said, I will naturally lead my troops to climb up first and open a gap for the army." Zhang Xiaoyi immediately became furious.

"The Shu River has flooded no fewer than five times in recent years. The situation in Shuyang County upstream is relatively good, but the riverbank here has long been washed away, and the riverbed has turned into a quagmire. You said you wanted to be the first to reach the river. Hey, if you put on your armor and walk across the riverbed now, and come back safe and sound, I'll believe you!"

Zhang Baiyu's pretty face darkened, and she was about to lose her temper. Liu Huai waved his whip again and interrupted, "Throwing all the problems onto your father and letting him take the risk himself is the biggest mistake a son can make. Zhang Silang, am I right?"

Zhang Baiyu was about to retort, but suddenly came to his senses, nodded with a complicated expression, and immediately turned his horse back to prepare his fifty armored cavalry.

"What's wrong with him?" Zhang Xiaoyi was a little puzzled. It was obvious that Zhang Baiyu was unwilling to be controlled, so how could he be convinced by just one sentence?
"I was just talking about my father and Commander Zhang Rong." Liu Huai sighed and said, "If we can't cross the river, the last resort is to recruit Commander Zhang to come upstream from the Shu River and help our army cross the river.

Not only would it be time-consuming and laborious, but more importantly, once the navy showed up, they would inevitably become targets of the Jin navy. Commander Zhang would be in great danger."

Zhang Xiaoyi clutched the reins, remaining silent for a moment before sighing and saying, "I don't know what Commander Zhang was thinking. He actually assigned all his privately raised elite cavalry to Zhang Baiyu's command, and most importantly, he didn't even give him an official position. You and I, the two commanders, can't control him. Hey...do we even have to enforce military law? He's willing, but the fifty cavalrymen following him aren't!"

"how about you?"

"what?"

"We are both commanders, and Haizhou is your hometown. Our army relies on you wherever we fight. Why do you obey my orders? Why don't you show any rebelliousness?"

Zhang Xiaoyi grinned, but his eyes were filled with an indescribable complexity. "After experiencing the tragedy of the extermination of my family, I have grown up after going through life and death. I am no longer the child who was protected by my father and brothers. I still admire Commander Liu's ability. You will definitely achieve great things!"

Liu Huai had never imagined that his copied political platform would actually win such a fan. For a moment, he just nodded randomly and said, "Let's win this battle first."

As he was speaking, the sound of horse hooves could be heard behind him. The rear army, led by Zhang Baiyu, had already arrived at this high ground.

"Mr. Lu," Liu Huai went to meet him. After finding Lu You, he immediately bowed and whispered, "I'll leave you twenty cavalrymen and all the civilians and carts to camp here. I will lead a hundred cavalrymen across the river and ambush you among the reeds."

Lu You suddenly realized, swallowed his saliva and said, "I need to quickly find boats and build a pontoon bridge here, so that we can cross the river and fight once Commander Wei arrives tomorrow. If the Jin bandits try to stop us, you will act as a surprise attack and strike suddenly, using both the conventional and the surprising to achieve victory!"

Talking to smart people is easy. Liu Huai immediately agreed and turned around: "Achang, you take twenty riders and follow Mr. Lu's orders. Don't make any mistakes!"

Wei Chang hurriedly bowed and said, "I understand your order."

At this time, he didn't dare to say anything. He disobeyed military orders and being whipped was the least of his worries.

Liu Huai continued his orders: "The remaining regular troops, each man must bring a warhorse, three days' worth of rations, and one day's supply of bean cakes. Bring all your weapons and armor, and follow me across the river!"

A moment later, the vanguard of the Northern Expedition Army split into two. More than a hundred cavalrymen did not build a pontoon bridge or look for a ferry, but directly crossed the river on horseback.

(End of this chapter)