Juma River, also called Baigou River, is the boundary river between Song and Liao Dynasties. It is three to four feet wide and not very deep.
On the south side of the river, there are rows and rows of trees, all of which were planted in the past two years.
"Your Majesty, starting from the year of Taizong, all the trees for more than a hundred miles south of the border river were cut down, saying that it was to prevent Liao spies from sneaking in. Then they dug trenches and buried wooden stakes, saying that they were to prevent the Liao cavalry from going south. Then it started It is abandoned, but it has become a rule that no tree planting is allowed for dozens of miles south of the boundary river."
Wei Baoqing, the commander-in-chief of the Hebei Ning Army, explained at the side.
Zhao Si clasped his hands behind his back and looked ahead. He saw a deserted area with many potholes and pits, as if they had been gnawed by dogs. He couldn't help but frown.
"Are all Ji-Ning military defense zones like this?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, the Jining Army's defense area is like this. It is bounded by the river, and the terrain to the south is flat, making it difficult to resist a large-scale cavalry attack. The Baoning Army is different. There are mountains over there, and there are terrain and natural obstacles to block the cavalry. So. The defensive measures taken by the two sides are quite different."
"Once the campaign to recapture Yanjing is launched, how can our army quickly expand northward?"
"Your Majesty, in fact, our straight road has been built to Rongcheng. It is only sixty miles away from the boundary river. In order not to disturb the north, we have not built it further north."
Zhao Si looked at it for a while and said to Wei Baoqing without looking back: "After the meeting, we can repair it. All these potholes should be filled in and compacted. A straight road will be built directly to the edge of the boundary river and connected to the pontoon bridge. In the past, There is no cavalry, but now I have many cavalry!"
"Here!"
Remembering Zhao Si's instructions, Wei Baoqing couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, do you really want to go north to join the Liao Lord for hunting?"
Next to Guo Cheng, among the planting masters, Yang Weizhong also looked worried.
"I'm not stupid, how could I cross the river to go north?"
"Your Majesty, will the Liao Lord cross the river?"
"Brother Tianzuo is not stupid, so why are you willing to come here?"
"Your Majesty, how will this hunt be conducted?"
"Let's play each other across the river. I proposed this hunting meeting. The key is not to meet Brother Tianzuo to discuss things. He is not a beauty, so I am not so anxious to see him. To discuss things, there are more troubles in Liao Kingdom than us now, I We don’t have anything to discuss with them. Anyway, we can’t expect us to spit out what we put into our mouths.”
"Actually, I just want to get to know the bottom of the Liao Kingdom and see if the monarchs and ministers of the Liao Kingdom are willing to be cut off and dare to fight to the death with me, the Song Dynasty. Now it seems that they no longer have the courage. My The purpose has been achieved.”
"What we have to do now is to control the heat of Tokyo Road and Shangjing Road, and stew it slowly over a slow fire. When the heat reaches that day, I will be able to enjoy the feast of Liao Kingdom."
Two days later, Emperor Tianzuo, escorted by tens of thousands of palaces and Pishi troops, entered Yongqing County, fifty miles north of Bazhou.
"Your Majesty, the officials of the Song Dynasty have been waiting in Henan for several days." A minister reported.
Emperor Tianzuo sat in the Yongqing County government office and twisted uncomfortably. He felt that the chair the county magistrate was sitting on was not worthy of his noble buttocks. It was as if there were thorns growing on his buttocks. Dull pain.
Uncomfortable, just uncomfortable.
"How many soldiers and horses did the officials of the Song Dynasty bring?" Emperor Tianzuo asked first.
"Song Guo Baoning, Ji Ning's army did not mobilize abnormally. He only brought 3,000 guards and 3,000 cavalry troops with him."
"Only 6,000 people?" Emperor Tian Zuo couldn't believe it. He had brought 30,000 to 40,000 elite soldiers, but he still felt unsafe. The Zhao family only brought 6,000 soldiers. Who are you looking down on?
"Real or false?" Emperor Tianzuo asked.
"In response to your majesty, the Song Dynasty has loosened its power outside the country and tightened its power inside. The three armies of Jinning, Baoning and Jining have entered a level A alert state. Hebei County Governor Zhang Shuye led the county troops into Hejian City. The troops and horses of the majestic guards on the left and right,
They also entered Zhending, Hejian and other cities."
Xiao Wuna, who was escorting him, quickly explained: "Your Majesty, the official family of the Song Dynasty is very confident. If our army makes any move, he will immediately retreat to Hejian City. This city is extremely powerful, and there are more than a dozen branch fortresses around it.
, easy to defend but difficult to attack. When the time comes, the Song Dynasty can take advantage of the situation and issue a nationwide mobilization order..."
"National mobilization order?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Song Dynasty destroyed Xia last year, and the Song Dynasty only issued a northwest mobilization order..."
Emperor Tianzuo understood the meaning of Xiao Wuna's words. He snorted and said forcefully: "I'm afraid of him! What kind of national mobilization order is like window paper to me in Daliao."
Xiao Fengxian quickly answered: "Your Majesty is right. The Song people are not scary, but they are worried that if they entangle with the Song people here, those endless Wanyan rebels in Tokyo Road will take advantage of it. I, Daliao Long,
The places of prosperity are in Shangjing and Zhongjing. If there is a loss there, even if we occupy Bianliang, it will not be beautiful."
Your words are exactly what I meant, and you are worthy of being my loyal minister!
Putting aside this unpleasant topic, Emperor Tian Zuo asked: "The officials of the Song Dynasty invited me to come and hunt. How should I hunt? Are there any regulations?"
"If you reply to Your Majesty, the Song Kingdom will reply that you will go to the river tomorrow and there will be a plan."
"Okay, let's drive across the boundary river early tomorrow morning."
"yes!"
Early the next morning, tens of thousands of Liao's elite cavalry escorted Emperor Tianzuo out of Yongqing County, all the way south, and soon arrived at the north of Jiehe River.
Local officials built a wooden pavilion here early for Emperor Tianzuo to rest inside.
Look at the other side. The Song army has long been lined up there. There is a dense infantry square formation with three thousand cavalry on both sides. The armor is bright and the flags are like a forest.
"What about the rules? Didn't you say that there are rules when you reach the river?" Emperor Tianzuo asked, spreading his hands.
The ministers didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in Song Dynasty's gourd, so they didn't say anything.
"Go and ask!" Emperor Tianzuo said impatiently.
After shouting twice across the river, the minister came back and reported: "The people of Song Dynasty said that it will start immediately. Please be patient and calm, Your Majesty."
After a while, I saw dozens of horse-drawn carriages speeding towards them and stopped when they reached the river.
The carriage was loaded with nothing but wooden boats.
Groups of soldiers got off the carriages, and some began to load and unload the wooden boats and push them into the river. Some were busy on the riverside, wielding sledgehammers, driving piles on the ground, and then two sturdy wooden frames were erected.
Several boats were manned and they quickly crossed to the north of the river. A group of Song Army soldiers got off the boats and began to get busy on the shore, driving piles and setting up wooden frames.
Along came two rolls of steel wire strands, which were straightened in parallel, wound around the wooden stakes, and finally wrapped around the wooden frame.
There was a large iron ring at one end of more than a dozen wooden boats, which was fastened to a steel wire rope. Then the soldiers carefully controlled the wooden boats and slowly rowed along the wire rope to the river surface. Then they came across and pulled the other end.
The iron ring is fastened to another wire rope.
There are more than a dozen wooden boats, all lying across the river.
The soldiers carried the long logs unloaded from the carriage and placed them between the two wooden boats, three parallel and neatly arranged. Then they began to lay planks across the long logs, one after another, toward the north.
In less than half an hour, a strong pontoon bridge was built, on which two horses or a carriage could walk side by side.
Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians of the Liao Kingdom were dumbfounded. How could this be done?
Xiao Wuna felt even more uneasy. Once the war started, any river would not be a problem for the Song people. But it would be a problem for the Liao people.
As soon as you enter and exit, the advantages and disadvantages are obvious! This chapter has been completed!