On the tenth day of March, the banks of the Yellow River were covered with clouds of war.
It's early spring, and the ice-free period of the Yellow River has passed. The river is flowing slowly, and no ice can be seen anymore, but the river water is still chilly.
In the Puyang area, on the south bank of the Yellow River, the Tang army was spread out densely on the beachhead of the Yellow River, with swords and guns standing in great numbers, and flags of various colors dancing fiercely over the army.
The Tang army still carried the flag of the sun, moon and stars. Regardless of the style of armor, the ring-shou sword in their hands, the organization of the army, etc., they all had indelible traces of the former Sui Dynasty on their bodies.
Of course, this is not surprising. They were originally born out of the former Sui army, but now they are fighting for the Tang Dynasty.
On the north bank of the Yellow River, the Xia army has also formed a formation.
The Xia army had no choice but to reject the Tang army here, because Dou Jiande chose Weicheng as the capital of the Xia state. This is the junction of Shandong, Hebei, and Henan. There were many reasons why Dou Jiande used this as his capital.
This was the place where Dou Jiande made his fortune. Dou Jiande gained a lot from encircling and annihilating Yu Wenjie, so he regarded it as a blessed place.
Secondly, the location here is close to Shandong and Henan, which is conducive to controlling the counties in Shandong and keeping an eye on Henan.
The third is that there was Luo Yi in the north at that time. After Luo Yi was killed by Li Po, Li Po ransacked Dacang in Zhuo County and moved the people of Youzhou to the west, which greatly damaged the vitality of Youzhou.
In fact, when Wang Cong, the governor of Hejian County, and others surrendered, Dou Jiande made Leshou his capital.
But Guo Xuan, Xue Shixiong, Yang Yichen, etc. all suppressed banditry here, Gao Shida attacked Youzhou through here, Wei Daoer also lived here for several years, and Dou Jiande himself also struggled here, making the relatively wealthy people
The city of Hejian County is in dilapidated condition and the population is extinct.
So after Dou Jiande proclaimed himself emperor, he attacked Yu Wenhuaji in the south, and took advantage of the situation and made Weicheng his capital.
In fact, both Hebei and Shandong were pretty much devastated at that time. Which city to choose was just based on geographical advantages, people and people, and you also had to have people.
After years of governance, Hebei did recover somewhat under Dou Jiande's rule, but it was still incomparable to other places.
Dou Jiande implemented a strict military settlement system because the number of civilians was too small. He and Wang Shichong were actually similar. There were frequent jokes about the army being more numerous than the local people. Without the implementation of military settlements, there would be no way to have enough to eat.
What makes him stronger than Wang Shichong is that Wang Shichong is completely crazy and he still has some sense.
But now it seems that the advantages he had in choosing the location of the capital have now turned into disadvantages. It was too close to the bank of the Yellow River, leaving him no room for strategic maneuvering.
Therefore, the Xia army had to gather on the north bank of the Yellow River, and the vicinity of the Yellow River became their first and perhaps last line of defense. However, since ancient times, the Yellow River defense line has been riddled with holes, and there are few cases of falling here.
In fact, Hulao is the throat of Hebei...
After Cao Dan was captured and lost Hulao, Xuchang and other important military towns, the advantage of the Tang army was obvious, otherwise Dou Jiande would not have sent the imperial seal to the Tang Dynasty.
……………………
At the beginning of March, the south wind gradually picked up, but here, the army gathered, and the murderous aura was steaming, almost driving away the warm spring breeze.
On the high ground behind the Tang army, Bu Qun and Qiu He Cima stood side by side.
"The army is so powerful that crossing the river is not difficult."
Qiu He looked at the Tang army's array in the distance and said that he was slightly relieved that the Tang army had not tried to cross the river with surrender troops, because if the crossing of the river was frustrated and the army's morale was dampened, the leading generals would be killed to revive the army's morale.
This is the most common behavior of large armies in contemporary times. Therefore, regardless of field battles or sieges, the surrendered troops will generally be at the forefront of the army to test the enemy's weaknesses and consume the enemy's strength. At the same time, the surrendered troops will be consumed in front of the formation, eliminating the need for placement.
The trouble of surrendering the army.
The Tang army was bound to win every battle, and had been out of this stage a long time ago due to consecutive battles and victories, but it was actually not that kind to the surrendered troops.
Bu Qun left Qiu and the army behind in the middle army, not wanting them to cross the river in a mess. If they clashed several times but could not open up the situation for the army, the scene would be ugly. Bu Qun had no doubt about this.
Liang Jun's combat effectiveness is really worrying, otherwise Xiao Mian would not have been defeated so simply. They are not suitable for this kind of offensive battle, but after crossing the river, they can be used in field battles or sieges.
Those who were about to cross the river in front of the Tang army's formation were 20,000 people under the command of General Wei Chikai of the Right Imperial Guard. They rested in Nanyang for the winter, returned to Luoyang at the end of winter, and arrived in front of the formation at the end of February.
This is the elite infantry division of the Tang Army. It was the first to cross the river and fought with Li Shimin at Feng Yi, forcing Li Shimin to flee west. Last year, he followed Yuchi Gong south to Nanyang and experienced another hard battle. Now he moved to Henan and became the leader of the attack on Dou Jiande.
the main force.
This is a strong army that has experienced hundreds of battles, the best among the best. When Wei Chikai, the general of the left imperial guard, was rewarded last year, he was the general of Jin and led the military power of the imperial guard on the right. The Duke of Shouyang County, Yin Qingguanglu
The doctor, who actually led three hundred households, received more kindness than anyone else, and even Bu Qun was inferior to him.
This is one of the fastest-rising generals of the Tang Army after Zhang Lun, and he already has the attitude of a famous general who can win with me in the first battle.
He, Li Jing, Xu Shiji, Zhang Shigui and others were all rising stars in the Tang army, but their qualifications were much higher than those of them.
However, Zhang Lun and Chen Yuan failed to catch up. The vanguard of the army they led had just arrived in Luoyang, and they were more than one step behind. It would be at least half a month before they could rest and join the battle in Hebei.
At this time, the cavalry led by Li Nian formed an array behind Yuchi Kai. More than 20,000 cavalry were spread out over the mountains and plains. The momentum was so majestic that it is almost impossible to describe it in words.
And they don't need a pontoon. The river is still shallow now and the current is not fast. The cavalry army only needs to swim across the middle of the river and immediately ride ashore.
Therefore, the battle to cross the river is no longer about seizing the beachhead, but about when the Tang army can fully cross the river and how many troops will be damaged.
Bu Qun had a cold face at this time. The battle was about to begin. He had no interest in joking. He only replied to Qiu He, "Xia Jun wants to stop me from crossing the river here. It's just a joke."
At the same time, the Tang Army's pontoon bridge had been built.
Hello everyone, our official account will find gold and red envelopes every day. You can get it by paying attention. This is the last benefit at the end of the year. Please seize the opportunity. Official account [Book Friends Base Camp]
After the battle of crossing the river to attack Li Yuan, it was easy for the Tang army to build pontoon bridges on the Yellow River. More than ten pontoon bridges were completed under the eyes of the Xia army, but they could only watch but were helpless.
……………………
Among the troops on the other side, Liu Heitai and his men were also waiting and watching. The dense formation of the Tang army on the other side seemed to stretch to the horizon. Both Liu Heitai and the generals around him were frightened.
At this time, Liu Heitai, who was known for his bravery, courage, and cruelty, was known throughout Hebei. His courage was melting like ice and snow, and there was not much left.