The Qi army is now facing a dilemma. There is a chance to force a breakthrough in the direction of Wuguan and Tongguan, but there are insufficient troops.

There are many soldiers and horses in Hezhong Prefecture, but they are blocked by the Yellow River and it is difficult to break through directly.

Zhao Tai stood in the big tent, staring at the sand table, thinking about how various forces in history broke into the land of Guanzhong.

Zhao Tai stroked his beard and asked: "The Mongolian army on the opposite side is guarding the ferry. It is difficult for our army to capture the pontoon bridge and force a breakthrough. Do you have any suggestions to help the army cross the river?"

Zhang Rou said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, if we only attack the pontoon bridge, it will be really difficult to break through. I thought we could also make more sheepskin rafts to threaten the west bank, so that Mongolia can disperse its troops to defend the river bank, and then break through again!"

"This is a good idea! However, the Yellow River is wide, and we have limited troops and horses to cross it at one time. However, the Mongolian army on the other side has many cavalry, so it is easy to intercept it in advance. Once we cross the river, the Mongolian army will be able to find it immediately, and rely on the cavalry to maneuver.

Wait on the other side. I am afraid that the soldiers and horses that have forcibly crossed will be caught in a fierce battle, or even be wiped out by the Mongolian cavalry without support." Zhao Tai said: "Think about it again, is there any other way?"

At this time Wang Bin said: "Your Majesty is right to worry, but the Mongolian army now has to defend Tongguan, Wuguan, and Pujin Ferry, and at the same time it has to deal with Wang Shixian. I believe that the Mongolian army's strength must be limited."

Although Wang Shixian mostly only dared to defend the city and did not dare to rush eastward to join the Qi army, their occupation of prefectures and counties was a huge threat to Mongolia, and the Mongolian army would definitely concentrate its forces to destroy them.

Now that the Mongolian military strength is insufficient, and with Wang Shixian and many princes returning to the Qing Dynasty, the strength of the Mongolian army in Guanzhong must be very tight.

Zhao Tai looked at Wang Bin and couldn't help asking: "Sir, do you have any countermeasures?"

Wang Bin pointed at the sand table, "If we force a crossing near Pujin Ferry, the Mongolian army stationed near Pujin Ferry can rely on cavalry for defense. But what if we send a force of troops to cross the river here? I don't believe it.

There is also a large army defending here!"

Zhao Tai was startled and followed the direction of his finger and saw that it was the northern Shaanxi area.

Now the Mongolian army must not only prevent the Qi army from attacking Guanzhong, but also deal with Wang Shixian, so its strength is definitely insufficient.

The Yellow River near northern Shaanxi has fast currents and is not suitable for large armies to cross the river, so it is impossible for the Mongolian army to defend heavily.

Now that Zhao Tai has gathered heavy troops in Hezhong Mansion, attracting the attention of the Mongolian army, he can send a partial division to cross the river from northern Shaanxi, where the Mongolian army's defense is weak.

If the Qi army crosses the river and appears in northern Shaanxi, the Mongolian army's defense line will be shaken across the board.

Zhao Tai thought for a while, and a piece of history that had not yet happened appeared in his mind.

Li Zicheng was defeated and retreated to defend Guanzhong. The Qing army divided its troops into two groups, attacking Tongguan and Northern Shaanxi, forcing Li Zicheng to abandon Guanzhong.

Zhao Tai stroked his beard and said with a smile: "If you add this plan, sir, it will be easy to break into Guanzhong."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead my troops north to cross the river!" Fan Yongji, the general who surrendered to the east of Hedong, stepped forward and clasped his fists.

In the past few years, the north has been exhausted by the war, and the population in Henan, Guanzhong and other areas has dropped sharply. However, the area east of Hedong is surrounded by mountains and rivers and has a closed terrain, so it has been relatively less affected by the war.

Although the Mongolian army massacred the people in Hedong in order to force Zhao Tai to fight decisively, the Mongolian army did not do much damage to Hedong because the princes of Hedong returned to Qi and Zhao Tai quickly went to war and defeated the Mongolian army.

When the Ming Dynasty was established, the population in the north dropped sharply due to war. Finally, a large number of people moved out of Shanxi, which was less affected by the war, leaving behind the story of the big locust tree.

Now that a large number of princes in Hedong have surrendered to Qi, Zhao Tai also intends to move some princes and people out of Hedong in order to restore the population in the north and control the princes in Hedong more easily.

After Fan Yongji surrendered to Zhao Tai, he knew Qi's policy towards the princes of Hedong. In order to move to a better place after the war, Fan Yongji hoped to make a contribution in the war to regain Guanzhong.

Fan Yongji was a prince in Hedong. He knew the terrain of Hedong and sent him to cross the river from the north. It was a good choice.

However, the soldiers and horses under the command of the Hedong Shihou were not strong, and even if Fan Yongji crossed the river, they would not pose a great threat to the Mongolian army.

Zhao Tai nodded and said: "Okay, I will give you another three thousand elite soldiers, and you can take them across the river together!"

Fan Yongji clasped his fists in joy, "I accept my order!"

Zhao Tai was unable to break through the Mongolian defense in Hezhong Mansion, so he sent Fan Yongji to lead 10,000 troops to quietly go north under the cover of night and find a new way to cross the river.

In the upper reaches of the Yellow River, the current was turbulent, making it inconvenient for large armies to cross the river. In addition, due to the presence of the Luliang Mountains, supply was also inconvenient.

Therefore, we cannot send too many soldiers and horses to the upper reaches, otherwise it will be difficult to resupply and it will be difficult for them all to cross the river.

When the division headed north, Zhao Taize ordered the army to collect ferries, cut down trees, buy sheepskins, and make sheepskin rafts, preparing to force a crossing.

The two armies faced each other across the river. The Mongolian army discovered that the Qi army was manufacturing equipment for crossing the river. It also discovered that the Qi army was practicing swimming and operating boats and rafts on the east bank, so they immediately stepped up their guard.

Fifteen days later, when the time agreed upon by Zhao Tai and Fan Yongji for crossing the river came, Zhao Tai estimated that Fan Yongji was preparing to cross the river from upstream, and immediately ordered the army to launch a strong attack.

In the middle of the night, the Qi army put down hundreds of rafts on the east bank. The rafts were filled with torches and dummies.

At night, this scene appeared on the dark river, and the Mongolian troops on the west bank instantly became nervous.

The Mongolian troops who were looking for sentries on the other side found a raft with torches on the river and quickly sent out a warning signal.

Xiban, the Meng general, hurried out of his tent. When he came to the river, he saw the torches on the river flowing down the river. He thought that the Qi army was going to cross the river downstream, so he quickly mobilized his troops and horses to chase the rafts going down the river.

Go south and defend the Qi army from forcing them to cross the river.

After the rafts attracted part of the Mongolian army, the Qi army immediately launched a forceful attack on the pontoon bridge. At the same time, the Qi army took sheepskin rafts to forcefully cross the Yellow River.

The battle lasted from midnight to dawn. The Qi army lost thousands of people, but failed to capture the pontoon bridge. The soldiers who forced the crossing were also driven down the Yellow River by the Mongolian cavalry.

In the early morning, when the battle was over, Xiban led many generals to the bank of the Yellow River. Looking at the burning pontoon bridge and the corpses of the Mongolian and Qi armies on the bank, he sneered: "It seems that Zhao Tai is nothing more than this!"

"Yes! Guanzhong is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Maybe we don't need to give up Guanzhong at all." said the general beside him.

At this time, several people were talking, and a group of cavalry came galloping over. The leader reined in his horse quickly, dismounted, and reported in a panic, "Marshal, the Qi army has crossed the river from Yan'an Prefecture."

Xiban was stunned when he heard this, and then his eyes suddenly bulged, and he said with surprise: "What? The Qi army crossed the river from Yan'an Prefecture?"
Chapter completed!