Chapter 1004 Crossing the River

  About thirty miles to the west of Wuzhangyuan, there is a stream that flows from the Qinling Mountains into the Wei River, named Fenxi.

  Compared to Weishui, Fenxi is not too big, but it is very famous.

  Because there is a stone platform in this stream, it is called Diaoyutai.

   It is said that this platform is the place where Jiang Taigong, who helped Zhou destroy Shang and established Zhou for eight hundred years, fished.

  The Wei River flowed here and turned a bend to the south, but the Qinling Mountains extended to the north for a while.

  The flat land between the remaining veins of the Qinling Mountains and the Wei River is less than five miles away, and it is the narrowest place in this area.

  Not far to the east of Diaoyutai, there is a place where the Han army stored grain.

  So after Wu Ban led the army to Diaoyutai, he stationed here, one is to protect the place where the grain is stored, and the other is to rely on the terrain to block Qin Lang.

  On the second day after Wu Ban set up camp, the scouts sent to the front to investigate the situation had already handed over the scouts of the Wei army.

  Before the battle of Xiaoguan, the scouts of the State of Wei had a strong psychological advantage against the scouts of the State of Shu and the scouts of the State of Wu.

  Because the great Wei cavalry is the best in the world, this is Wei Qi's self-confidence.

  After the battle of Xiaoguan, the Kingdom of Shu seemed to have a powerful cavalry army overnight.

   Moreover, it is also a kind of power that the world has never seen before.

   This battle completely reversed the psychology of the soldiers of the Shu and Wei countries.

  Especially soldiers like Qin Lang who had faced the charge of the iron cavalry before they really understood how terrifying the ghost cavalry that seemed to be summoned from the underworld was.

  So this time, he led the army to advance to Wuzhangyuan, and he was careful all the way.

  When he learned that there was a Shu army ahead, he immediately ordered the whole army to stop, and at the same time sent a large number of scouts to investigate.

   "Peng!"

  An arrow feather flew past the Wei Jun scout not far away with a sharp sound of piercing the air, causing the Wei Jun scout on horseback to shake subconsciously and curse in a low voice.

  Looking up, the scouts of the Han army in front were hanging the crossbow on the horse's back, and at the same time took out the soft bow specially designed for horses, with easy and smooth movements.

  Before the change, the scouts of the state of Wei could make a judgment at once. The other party rarely said that there were elite scouts with ten years of riding skills.

   But not now.

  The cavalry of the Shu captives used something called a stirrup.

  It allows cavalrymen who have only learned riding skills for a year or two to make actions that only ten-year-old cavalrymen could do before.

   "Not by the Son of Man!"

  The scout of the State of Wei cursed in a low voice.

  Shu captives like to engage in these things that are hard to guard against—whether it is a crossbow or a stirrup.

   It is simply impossible to win.

   Riding his horse and running away a few steps, he can be sure that there must be people ambushing around the opponent.

   Just as there are companions behind you.

   Acting alone may seem heroic, but it is an act of stupidity.

  The Wei Guo scouts circled around twice, and made a provocative gesture towards the opposite side.

  The scouts of the Han army seemed to be unable to hold back, and rushed forward a few steps.

  Just when the Wei State scouts thought they were about to be fooled, the Han Army scouts laughed strangely.

  But he pinned the soft bow to his waist, and then picked up the crossbow again, but with the help of his feet, he wanted to reload the crossbow immediately.

  The scout from the state of Wei couldn't help but cursed loudly, then beat his horse and ran away.

  Every time I meet the Han army, I have to receive one more round of crossbow arrows than the opponent, which is already very uncomfortable.

   Now that the opponent is making such a difficult move, it's okay to say that it won't work, but if it really does, it will only make yourself more uncomfortable.

   Anyway, I can't take advantage of it, so I might as well leave.

   Behind him came the insolent laughter of the scouts of the Han Army.

   This is just a microcosm of the scouts from both sides investigating the news.

   But zooming in on the confrontation between the two armies, Qin Lang became a little worried:

   "Didn't find out how many people there are in the Shu captives on the opposite side?"

   "Yes, not only did the Shu captives send out a large number of scouts, but those scouts looked different from previous Shu captive scouts."

   "What's different?"

   "Horses, weapons, etc. are all top choices, and they are beyond the reach of ordinary scouts."

  When Qin Lang heard it, he subconsciously became excited:

   "The best choice? How good is it?"

  The most elite group of people in the army, the scouts must be among them.

  Scouts may not represent the overall level of an army, but they can get a glimpse of what the elite level of the army is.

   Before the scouts found out more information, Qin Lang decisively ordered to set up camp.

   "General, Da Sima asked us to come and attack the Shu captives. If we don't see the enemy camp, it's just like this... Uh, be careful, wouldn't it be too good?"

   "It's nothing bad." Qin Lang looked calm, "There are more cavaliers than thieves, and it is still important to be cautious. How many of us are there?"

   "If you act recklessly and give the thief a chance to break through the situation once the situation is over, then you will die without redemption."

  Qin Lang's biggest advantage is that he has always been very clear about his position, keeps his duty, and will not steal any limelight.

   This is also an important reason why Qin Lang, who is also the adopted son of Cao Cao, is reused by Cao Rui, but He Yan is rejected.

   Da Sima's army of more than 100,000 troops can't help Zhuge Liang. Qin Lang doesn't think he can change the situation in Guanzhong with less than 40,000 soldiers.

   After all, since Sima Yi was able to block Zhuge Liang for so long with his martial arts and Weishui.

  Then Zhuge Liang can also do the opposite, relying on Weishui and martial arts water to block Sima Yi, and then secretly mobilize the army to turn around and deal with him.

  In his view, sending Deng Ai to force back the army of Shu captives along the way is already the only record that the Great Wei has achieved since the start of the war in Guanzhong.

  So even if the battle situation has deteriorated to this point, it is impossible to blame anyone and blame yourself.

   As one of Cao Rui's most trusted people, Qin Lang is very clear about one thing:

  If the Battle of Guanzhong is like this, someone will definitely be unlucky in the future.

  If you don’t want to be that unlucky person, you have to be more careful, and you can’t make any mistakes, so as not to fail.

  With such thoughts in mind, after Qin Lang ordered the entire army to set up camp, he immediately asked people to dig trenches, erect barriers, cloth antlers, and erect archery towers...

  Wei Jun's abnormal actions not only made Wu Ban a little confused about the other side's mind, but also Guan Xing and Zhang Bao couldn't hold back.

   It's just that the strength of my side is no more than half of the thieves, and before the war, the prime minister has repeatedly warned not to advance rashly.

  So after the three of them discussed, they stepped up to send scouts to investigate the enemy's situation, and at the same time sent the situation to Wuzhangyuan.

   After Zhuge Liang received the military report, he smiled and said:

   "Qin Lang seems to be attacking but actually defending. This is timid, and there is no worry in the east!"

  At the moment, Wu Ban and the three were asked to stick to Weinan and not to advance lightly, and then sent someone to deliver a letter to Sima Yi, only asking when the decisive battle would be.

  Sima Yi wrote back, saying that he hadn't finished preparations yet, and had to wait another two days.

  Zhuge Liang was very suspicious, so he sent troops to try to cross the martial arts water.

  Sima Yi reacted very quickly, repeated the old trick, and tried his best to block the place where the Han army was crossing east.

   This made Zhuge Liang even more suspicious.

   It's just that the opponent's strength is at least twice that of his own, and it also occupies a defensive position.

  No matter how much the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty suspected that Sima Yi was delaying time, he was a little helpless.

  Before Sima Yi confirmed the date of the decisive battle, an autumn rain began to fall again.

  If it is said that summer rains often come in torrents, and the clouds will gather and rain in at most two or three days.

  Then the autumn rain is continuous, not to mention two or three days in a row, even five or ten days, which is not common.

   This is still at the foot of the Qinling Mountains.

  If you are in the Qinling Mountains, then even the next month's autumn rain is not impossible.

   Just when the prime minister looked at the misty autumn rain and felt a little depressed, a small boat came from the east bank, and Sima Yi sent another messenger with a message: Fight immediately after the rain.

  Getting the news, Zhuge Liang didn't show his face.

   After several months in Meicheng, all the grain in the field has been harvested, and the prime minister of the Han Dynasty is also familiar with the weather here.

  According to the description of the local natives, coupled with my own experience, this kind of autumn rain may not slow down in five or six days.

  In this case, the martial arts water must be skyrocketing again. If you fight immediately after the rain, you have to go through the martial arts water to fight.

  Even if Sima Yi was kind enough to let him cross the water safely, would he dare to let the big man soldiers cross the water when the martial arts water is soaring?

   It will take at least ten days to delay.

  Thinking of this, Prime Minister Dahan couldn't help but "tsk".

  Compared to the continual autumn rain in Wuzhang Plain, the autumn rain in the east and west of the river is much simpler, but it only fell for two days in a row, and the clouds collected and the rain rested.

  Even so, the Xianyufu University stationed in Hexi was relieved.

   This time, I finally made the right bet.

   Bandit Feng seems to be leading the army to the south, intending to cross the river from Fenglingdu and attack Tongguan, but in fact he wants to mobilize the defenders in Hexi to expose the defensive flaws.

  These days, the thieves on the other side wanted to cross over several times. Fortunately, I personally led the army to defend Pubanjin and repelled the attack of the thieves.

   According to the news from Tongguan, Feng Zei made a lot of fanfare from the beginning, saying that he was going to make a raft to cross the river, but in fact he has not actually crossed the river until now.

   This made Xian Yufu further affirm his thoughts.

  After the autumn rain this time, the river has risen a lot, and the defense will be easier.

   At the same time, he was a little fortunate:

  Fortunately, on the other side were Shu captives and not Wu Kou. Most of Feng Thief’s subordinates were from Xiliang. The land battle may be unparalleled in the world, but the water battle is weak.

  Seeing that there are many people on the other side, but every time the river is crossed, it is always chaotic. Often, halfway through the crossing, they are forced to retreat, so there is nothing to fear.

  The autumn rain had just stopped, and the Shu captives on the other side didn't seem to have any plans to cross the river. Xian Yufu had finished his inspections and felt that he could sleep peacefully tonight.

   On the second day, when the sky was just getting brighter, a loud noise suddenly sounded from the east bank of the river, Wow!

   A giant raft is lowered into the water, followed by a second, a third...

  Yang Wanwan personally tied sheepskin airbags on both sides of his horse. There was no bow or crossbow on the horse's back, not even the most basic leather armor.

  As for Yang Wanwan himself, he is only wearing a leather armor, but this leather armor is made of leather.

   It is refined by the best cobbler in Xiliang.

  Although it is a bit worse than the real iron armor, it is light.

  The most important thing is that it does not sink in water and helps to float on the water.

  Zhao Guang came over and helped Yang Qian tie up the hemp rope with his own hands, and said enviously:

   "Wei Ran, if you succeed in crossing the river this time, it will be your first achievement."

  Yang Wanwan took the spear handed by Zhao Guang, with a look of joy and worry on his face, he glanced at the foggy water.

  Compared to the past when you can see the clearness of the opposite bank at a glance, the sky is not clear at this time, and after the autumn rain, the fog is extremely thick.

   Not to mention being able to see the opposite side, even the center of the river is invisible.

  Yang Wanwan let out a breath, turned his head, and whispered to Zhao Guang:

   "Yiwen, if this wading is successful, then there is nothing to say, and I will be ashamed if I don't give us Xinghan."

   "If anything happens to me, I just hope you can tell my elder brother that the wives, concubines and children I have left in the clan can take care of me for a while."

  Before the battle, they had seen a lot of life and death, and the two of them had no taboos about whether they should die or not.

  Zhao Guang patted his chest:

   "Even if I don't need to say more, when did my brother treat my brother badly? Is the Xinghan Club just a display? Don't worry!"

   "If you are worried about your wife and children, I will go and tell General Guan that I will cross the river for you."

  Yang Wanwan waved his hands quickly when he heard the words:

   "No, no, no!"

   "After following my brother for so long, I finally got this opportunity to be a pioneer. How could I give it to you?"

   "Besides, you still have to lead the cavalry battalion. After I cross the river, it's up to you to play later."

   As he spoke, he glanced not far away.

  But I saw General Guan riding a horse, standing on the shore, standing upright like a statue carved in stone.

  The battle flag behind him whistled against the strong wind blowing from the river.

   Judging from the news from Pubanjin, the main force of the Wei thieves is still guarding Pubanjin.

  The other bank seems to have seen through the king's plan to attack the west.

   But in fact, it is true that Junhou went to Fenglingdu to feint, but Pu Banjin's massive offensive was also a feint.

  General Guan sneaked back to Linfen long ago, and took over the reinforcements brought by Junhou.

   Then he saw the right time and led the rested army southward along the Fenshui River to the Longmen Ferry.

  The autumn rain seemed to increase the difficulty of crossing the river, but it also paralyzed the defenders on the other side.

   Coupled with this heavy fog, it created a rare opportunity for crossing the river.

  General Guan took advantage of this rare opportunity, made a decisive decision, and immediately forcibly crossed the river.

   Wei Guo only cared about the weakness of defense, and at this time finally exposed a fatal flaw.

  Even if Fenglingdu is not counted, and only the distance between Pubanjin and Longmendu is counted, it is about three hundred miles.

  Xian Yufu's division and cooperation against General Shangguan and Feng Junhou, coupled with the cooperation of Liu Hun, Zhao Guang and others, it would be a miracle if they could hold it, and it would be normal if they couldn't.

   "Water detection scout, enter the water first!"

  A dozen or so soldiers with excellent water quality hula-la crossed the mudflat and plunged into the vast yellow water.

  They spread across the river a mile wide, among the rolling mud,

   Gradually, their figures disappeared into the thick fog, and they couldn't see anything anymore.

   Just as the people on the bank tiptoed and stretched their necks, anxiously waiting for the news, a sharp whistle suddenly came from the river.

   "Two long and two short, the water is more turbulent than before, but it can be crossed."

   "Cross the river!"

  The Han soldiers who had been waiting on the bank for a long time, after receiving the military order, began to lead the horses into the river. The sheepskin airbags on the horses immediately floated up to help the horses swim to the opposite bank.

  The pawns stepped onto the raft one after another and began to row towards the opposite side.

  Before and after Yang Wanwan, each had a bodyguard, not only them, but also the others, and the three formed a swimming group.

  Thirty groups marched side by side, and the river surface became lively. There were continuous sounds of whistling horses and shouts, and people on the bank were frightened.

   Seeing that the first row had opened up a certain distance, General Guan immediately gave an order:

"The second column!"

   "Wow!"

  The second batch of horses began to enter the river.

  Using sheepskin to cross the river is originally the way of crossing the river in the Hexi area. In addition, Feng Junhou planned before moving, and the horses and soldiers who entered the water were carefully selected.

  As long as you follow the previous training, there will be basically no major problems.

   Wei Jun, who was guarding the west bank, heard a whistle suddenly sounded from the river, and couldn't help looking at the river with some vigilance.

   It's just that the river surface is still hazy, and it's impossible to see anything clearly.

  The companion yawned and asked vaguely:

"What's wrong?"

   "Did you hear something rattling in the river?"

  The companion laughed with a "chi" and said, "Are you confused on night duty? Doesn't the river make noise every day?"

   As he spoke, he muttered again: "Why hasn't the successor come? I'm going to be sleepy..."

   "Horse barking?"

"Um?"

   "It's the sound of a horse!"

  Among the thick fog on the river surface, a dark crowd suddenly appeared, and there were horse heads floating in the water waves...

  The sound of the horses is exactly what they make.

   "Enemy attack!"

   A shrill voice sounded.

  (end of this chapter)