Floating clouds reach the sea and the mountains, and the plains become green and soft.
From a topographic point of view, the existence of the Taishan Mountains running east-west divides Qingzhou into two parts, the north and the south.
The area between the northern foot of Mount Tai and the Bohai Sea has been called "Haidai" since ancient times - "Dai" refers to Mount Tai.
This is a relatively flat area, distributed in many counties and townships such as Jibei, Jinan, Le'an, Beihai and other counties. It is very important and can even be said to be the most important essence of Qi.
As for this elite area, facing the direction of Hebei, it can be said that it is a smooth river. The only obstacle is the Yellow River, but not all of the Yellow River is in the hands of Qingzhou. The opponent can cross the river directly with a slight detour.
Starting from mid-March, Shao Xu, the prefect of Leling, began to build a pontoon bridge on the Yellow River.
As if facing a formidable enemy, Cao's soldiers stared at the progress of the pontoon bridge and tried their best to destroy it. However, despite their desperate efforts, Shao Xuzhen was unable to successfully build the bridge.
But on March 20, a large-scale cavalry group received an order to march from Jibei to the east - there was no need to cross the river at all.
Before setting off, Duan Pixi climbed the high slope and took one last look at the station.
This place is called the "Pingyin Ancient City". It borders the western section of the Taishan Mountains to the east, Jishui River to the west, and the intersection of the Yellow River (Sidukou). It is actually a water and land transportation hub.
As a grassland herder, it is actually a bit hard to imagine large-scale shipping.
It can transport troops, food, equipment, everything, and it is very fast, faster than infantry and cavalry, because even at night, ships can still move. When going down the river, the speed cannot be matched by cavalry.
.
The most important thing is that it saves money.
"Let's go." Duan Wenyang shouted from the bottom of the hillside.
Duan Pixi came down from the mountain, led his troops, and marched eastward.
There was someone vaguely watching them in the mountains and constantly sending messages to the outside world. There was no doubt that they were Cao Yi's scouts.
From a scout's perspective, the Xianbei cavalry's marching conditions were actually not very good.
They were crowded in the narrow foothills and riverside plains.
To the south is the Taishan Mountains, to the north are the ruins of the Great Wall of Qi and Jishui, and to the north is the Yellow River.
The post road is sandwiched between the Great Wall of Qi (north) and Mount Tai (south), and the Great Wall of Qi is located on the south bank of Jishui River, cutting into pieces the small northern plain.
At this time, if we prepare an attack camp in the mountains in advance, select elite soldiers and strong generals, and rush out from the mountains, we can completely cut the Xianbei people who have a long team in front and back into several sections, without looking at each other from the beginning to the end.
Unfortunately not!
No one has the guts to go deep into enemy territory to set up an ambush.
No one wants to take risks.
After walking for a while, the Xianbei cavalry at the foot of the mountain separated some of their troops to search for mountain trails and gentle slopes, trying to drive away Cao Jun's scouts.
The scout hesitated for a moment and finally disappeared into the mountains and forests.
Duan Pixi looked back.
There were yellow clouds floating in the sky, and no one had cleaned up the old dead grass. After a few rains, it rotted on the roadside.
Most of the Great Wall of Qi has collapsed, but only a few sections are still intact. The gates have even been rebuilt for pedestrians, troops, and merchants to enter and exit.
It is a pity that most of the people walking on this road now are the military.
Duan Pixi estimated that he had walked dozens of miles, but he didn't see anyone, not even the Wubao. There were only white bones and the ruins of the village and Wubao.
Yes, attack from Jinan to Jibei, or attack from Jibei to Jinan, that's the way.
The two sides fought back and forth and looted each other. It's hard to say what happened in other places, but the Wubao, manor, and villages at the junction of the two sides must have been the worst.
Not to mention dozens of miles, if you can see a human figure after marching for more than a hundred miles, you are considered powerful.
On the 21st, more than 4,000 light and heavy cavalry led by Duan Wenyang and Duan Pixi entered Jinan.
They passed through the swamp that was slightly flooded after the spring floods, and the terrain in front suddenly opened up - the northeastern part of Jishui merged with the Megou, forming a flooded area, with the water flowing back hundreds of miles, called "Meihu" (located in Changchun, Jinan today)
Southwest Qing Dynasty).
On the evening of the 23rd, they roared and appeared in the southwest of Zhua County.
When the people working in the fields heard the warning bell, they withdrew to the fort one after another.
Xianbei cavalry passed through the fields, chasing any farmer who did not escape in time.
These farmers will become their slaves and their property.
If you really can't catch up, just shoot him to death with one arrow.
Of course, not everyone wants them.
For example, an old farmer's head was chopped off by Xianbei cavalry - their own old people were not respected, let alone the old people in the Central Plains.
When the military officials saw him, they coughed.
Duan Pizhen pretended not to know, and delayed for a while. After the men under the tent had snatched away almost all the women scattered outside, he ordered the military discipline to be restrained.
The civil servant said helplessly: "General Duan, don't delay. It's important to seize the enemy's retreat while taking advantage of the chaos."
"The army has marched for more than a hundred miles, and food and water are running low. How can we pursue it?" Duan Pixi asked.
"Follow me." The civil servant clamped the horse's belly and led the way.
Whether there are local snakes to provide you with supplies is sometimes completely decisive.
When they broke into Jinan, there was nothing to loot. If they couldn't grab enough food at this time, it was almost time to retreat and join the main force. But if they could get the support of the local powerful tribes and provide supplies, they could persevere.
There are two completely different results, the difference is huge.
****
On the wide river, a pontoon gradually extends to the south bank.
Several high platforms were erected in Cao's barracks on the other side, and a wave of arrows was fired from time to time, interfering with the construction of the pontoon bridge.
There are also two to three thousand relatively elite soldiers who are recharging their strength and ready to attack at any time.
The battle of attacking and defending the river was actually just crossing and counter-crossing the river, nothing unusual about it.
The pontoon bridge in front of us is really not far from the other shore, just a few dozen steps.
Arrows from the high platform landed on the pontoon in dense numbers.
Shao Bing, who was holding a large shield, could not protect him at all. The craftsmen and servants screamed and fell into the water from time to time. After floating and sinking for a few times, they disappeared into the vast river.
"Crash!" The last piece of the raft was pushed into the water.
The craftsmen rushed forward risking their lives and fixed the bamboo buttons and ropes.
The sergeants were eager to try, holding large shields, swords and guns, and charged straight to the shore.
Cao Bing, who had been recharging his strength for a long time, came forward.
The two sides collided head-on, their eyes were about to burst, and they fought with their lives.
"Shao Gou die!"
"Death to the demon thief!"
People fell in pieces, and their lives disappeared in clusters.
The good man whom his parents had worked so hard to raise for eighteen years fell down as soon as he saw the enemy.
Xuan Feng, who had practiced martial arts for many years, was ruthless and used his skillful killing skills to constantly kill his enemies, but he soon died under a hail of arrows.
There is also the ignorant person who rushes numbly, gets injured numbly, and walks towards death numbly - he doesn't even know how he died.
…
The overall results of the battle were actually not much different from those in the past.
The soldiers and horses brought out by Shao Xu failed repeatedly and were unable to form a stable beachhead on the south bank of the river, so they could not successfully cross the river. However, after many failures, the morale of the soldiers became somewhat low, and they were afraid that they would have to cross the river in the future.
Harder.
To be fair, today's fight was the closest to success in many days.
Shao Xu and the Gao brothers from Bohai joined forces and invested more than 20,000 men in an attempt to cross the Yellow River and penetrate Le'an.
But the fierce battle on the beach taught them that everything is not that simple.
As long as Cao's soldiers still want to fight, don't collapse at the first touch, and have the Emperor and Master in their minds, then they will have fighting ability.
Thinking of this, Shao Xu set up a pergola and looked across anxiously.
He even escorted his son-in-law to serve as the vanguard of the formation, but he couldn't break through.
Behind Shao Xu, generals and sergeants were densely packed, standing in awe with weapons.
The number of people who could pass through the pontoon bridge was extremely limited, and most people did not have the opportunity to participate in the battle. They could only stand on the shore and watch the battle develop.
Our own soldiers charged repeatedly, but in the end they were often surrounded by enemies several times their size and died violently.
If we continue to fight like this, we will just keep sending people to death, with no results.
Regarding this point, the soldiers watching the battle are very clear. Unless a miracle occurs today, otherwise, the next pontoon bridge can be prepared.
Uh, wait—a miracle really happened.
Just when the Leling soldiers and the Bohai soldiers were defeated and unable to support themselves, the Cao soldiers who besieged them suddenly fell into chaos.
The noise was not loud at first, and the sound of horse hooves was not intensive.
But soon, as more and more Xianbei cavalry rushed to the back of Cao Jun, arrows were fired one after another, and they were killed wildly. The entire Cao Jun formation was like paper, falling apart as soon as they rushed.
The Leling soldiers and Bohai soldiers who crowded on the pontoon were overjoyed. Under the leadership of their officers, they charged and fought hard, cooperating with the Xianbei cavalry to attack from both front and back.
Some soldiers couldn't even wait, so they jumped directly into the shallows by the river and waded ashore by themselves. They cursed loudly, as if they had a sworn enemy with Cao's soldiers - in fact, they did.
The situation suddenly turned around!
Cao Cao's troops were defeated. There were Bohai troops on the river, Leling troops coming to kill them, and Xianbei cavalry behind them charging repeatedly. They really couldn't stand any ground.
They abandoned their forts, abandoned their cities, and retreated dozens of miles away.
More and more Xianbei cavalry crossed Jinan, penetrated Le'an, and even advanced towards Qi.
They did not hide their tracks at all, and even showed off a little bit. Their purpose was to let more people know, create momentum, and intimidate the enemy.
The entire Qingzhou is already undergoing profound changes.
Chapter completed!