The dry season, as the name implies, is a period when the surface water flow in the basin is exhausted and the water source mainly relies on groundwater to replenish the water source.
It usually starts in autumn and lasts until spring of the following year. It is shorter in the south and longer in the north.
Does Yancheng belong to the south or the north? Generally speaking, except for friends outside the customs, everyone thinks this is the north, so the dry season of Baigou River is still very long.
But after Zhao Tianlin and Zhao Wu heard the joy of Dry Water River, they immediately entered into speculation and suspicion.
The dry season means opportunities, but it also means risks.
Half of the defeat of Long Ju, the general under the Overlord of Chu, was due to the dry water.
The key battle in the Chu-Han conflict in the past was the Battle of Weishui.
When the Marquis of Huaiyin attacked Linzi, the Overlord heard the news and sent his general Long Qie to lead his troops and horses together with the King of Qi Tian Guang to resist the Marquis of Huaiyin, with a total of 200,000 people. At that time, the elite soldiers and horses of the Marquis of Huaiyin were captured by the King of Han, and his combat power was seriously reduced.
Therefore, Long Qi despised the Marquis of Huaiyin and was eager for military success. He did not use this strategy and led his troops to form a battle array with the Han army across the Wei River from east to west.
As a representative figure of the military strategist faction, Marquis Huaiyin had an extremely accurate estimate of the strength of both sides. He knew that a head-on confrontation would not be an easy one, so he took the risk and sent people overnight to make more than 10,000 bags, filled with sand and soil, and blocked them.
The upper reaches of the Wei River.
After completing this preparation, the Marquis of Huaiyin led half of his army across the Wei River and attacked Long Qie's camp. Long Qie sent out troops to meet the attack, but the Han army pretended to be defeated. Long Qie thought that the Han army was weak and led his army across the river to attack.
After Long Qie led his army to attack, the Marquis of Huaiyin ordered his men to break open the gizzards blocking the Wei River. The river rushed forward, but most of Long Qie's army failed to cross. When the 200,000 Chu troops were in chaos, the Marquis of Huaiyin seized the opportunity and
He commanded the army to attack fiercely and successfully killed Long Qie.
The outcome of the Battle of Weishui was determined at this moment, and the Overlord's path to destruction began from this moment.
…
"Soldiers have no constant momentum, and water has no constant shape." This surprisingly successful battle was regarded as a classic by later generations and was written into the art of war of later generations.
Attack halfway across and flood the enemy with water.
Any general who is familiar with the art of war will be extremely vigilant about this.
Therefore, when Zhao Tianlin and Zhao Wu heard that during the dry season, the river water only covered their thighs, they immediately thought of this battle.
If King Zhao followed the example of the Marquis of Huaiyin and blocked the river with sandbags at the upper reaches of the Baigou River, and Pingjing's army crossed the Baigou River without noticing, they would have fallen into the same predicament as Longju.
Zhong Yaqi didn't know what happened yet, but he just felt that the demeanor of the two generals changed a bit quickly. One second they were still cheerful and joyful, but now they looked confused and solemn.
"Xiao Zhong, where did you get this news?!"
Zhao Tianlin began to suspect that this was a trap set by King Zhao.
Their army marched straight into the hinterland of Jizhou. King Zhao's rebels seemed to be retreating steadily. However, King Zhao had been operating here for many years. If he wanted to set up a trap here to mislead the two of them, it would not be difficult.
This section of the shoal is certainly their opportunity, but it is also possible that it is the "opportunity" given to them by King Zhao.
Zhong Yaqi seemed to have realized something, and said seriously, "The last general was patrolling around with more than two hundred cavalry. When he came across a village in the northwest, he wanted to go in and find out the news. After talking to an old man, When talking about the method of crossing the river, I heard him mention the dry season of Baigou River.
The old man was originally a ferryman on the Baigou River. He said that every year in the late autumn and early winter of the Baigou River, the water flow in some sections of the Baigou River would become very shallow, which was unfavorable for the ferry and would often run aground. This would eventually lead to I thought of using a ford to cross the river, and then led my light cavalry up the river, and found a ford about five miles away from our army camp. The river water here only touched most of the legs of the war horse. For an ordinary man, You can easily wade across the river.”
This process sounded very reasonable to Zhao Tianlin.
Since ancient times, villages have been built along the water. There are probably dozens of large and small villages along the Baigou River.
It was impossible for King Zhao to know in advance where the Pingjing Army would patrol, let alone where the Pingjing Army would go to ask?
This old man should not be from King Zhao.
…
On the other side of the Baigou River, in Li Yuan's camp.
"My lord, are you sure that Zhao Tianlin will cross the river from this section of the ford?!" Li Yuan felt unbelievable at King Zhao's judgment.
There are many ways to cross the Baigou River, such as pontoon bridges and boat building. Although the section of the river that King Zhao refers to is a shoal, it has already entered winter. Although the river surface is not frozen, the water is bitingly cold. ,How could Zhao Tianlin let the soldiers cross the river?!
"Because this method is the fastest!"
"Hurry?!" Li Yuan was a little confused. Zhao Tianlin's troops were well-prepared and his logistical support was solid. According to the news of the scout confrontation, the scouts in the Pingjing Army had even begun to wear cotton-padded clothes. Under this situation, Zhao Tianlin was not in a hurry at all. Is it necessary!?
Looking at Zhao Tianlin's advance and deployment of troops, they are all stable and step by step. How could he suddenly become anxious?
"Is it because of the pressure from the cabinet center?!"
As for Li Yuan's ability to consider both military and political aspects, King Zhao recognized his talent. Li Yuan was not only good at advancing with light cavalry, but he was also more cautious than Qiu Fu when it was time to be cautious, and he considered things more carefully. His overall ability was superior to Qiu Fu's. .
But King Zhao doesn't like Li Yuan very much. There is no equal sign between high talent and being loved by the Lord. Except for a small number of extremely confident Lord Mingjun, most people will like less smart subordinates.
If you are too smart and have political talent, you will consider everything comprehensively; considering everything comprehensively means weighing things up, which will make loyalty impure.
Just like Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty favored Fan Kuai, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty favored the champion, Wei Wu only favored Hu Chi, and Emperor Gaozu longed for Kai Ping.
Such people all have similar characteristics - unrivaled bravery and political immaturity.
Such people are more loyal to their master.
The original Qiu Fu was such a person, but unfortunately he failed to live up to King Zhao's expectations and could only be a fierce general, unable to lead an army alone.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Although he does not like Li Yuan that much, King Zhao still explained, "Li Yuan, you still don't understand the power structure of the imperial center. Although the cabinet center is in charge of political power, However, they cannot directly interfere with the soldiers outside. They must go through the Sixth Army Governor's Office to guide the use of troops. Although some civil servants in the cabinet wanted to urge Zhao Tianlin to use troops as soon as possible, their opinions were blocked by Wu Keming of the Sixth Army Governor's Office. !”
Zhao Tianlin's anxiety is not political.
Just listen to King Zhao continue to say, "In normal times, Zhao Tianlin will certainly not be impatient. He will only consider crossing the river after making complete preparations. But now there is something more important than safety in front of them."
"What is it?!"
"Of course it's me!" A look of pride flashed across King Zhao's face. As long as he was killed, the Battle of Jingnan would end early.
Although I don’t know what King Zhao is proud of, he is very proud!
"But my lord, you came to the army secretly, how could Zhao Tianlin know about it?!"
During the period when Zhu Kai came to the camp, he had been living in seclusion and rarely saw other people. How was the information leaked?
"You can't hide it! You have so many spies in the army, how could you possibly hide the Jin Yiwei's information!"
When Li Yuan heard this, he immediately bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, your general's lax management of the army has allowed Jin Yiwei's spies to break into the army and steal our army's intelligence. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Kai supported Li Yuan who wanted to bow down, and then said, "It doesn't have to be like this, I can't blame you at this time. Not to mention you, even I, the king, can't do anything against the Jin Yiwei."
The Jinyiwei were originally Taizu's personal soldiers. After absorbing the combat power of the former Dali Temple Prison Suppressor, they became like a cloud of masters and began to monitor the world.
Mao Xiang, the first commander of the Jinyi Guards, was also a wizard in intelligence, spreading the Jinyiwei's intelligence network all over the world.
Although Zhu Kai has established his own intelligence organization, he is still no match for Jin Yiwei. He has always been at a disadvantage in intelligence confrontations.
This is true even around King Zhao, let alone these large armies outside. It is not easy for the Jin Yiwei to lurk.
"So, why do you think I let Zhang Wenbi frequently move around in your army?! Just to tell these spies in the army that I am in your army."
King Zhao had no way to completely eliminate these spies and traitors, but he could find a way to use them for his own purposes.
Several Jinyiwei elites who had taken refuge with King Zhao informed King Zhao of the news that Beizhen Fusi had requested an investigation to confirm King Zhao's whereabouts.
From this, King Zhao confirmed that his whereabouts had most likely been exposed, but the Jin Yiwei was not sure yet, so he issued such an order.
After King Zhao learned about it, he simply took advantage of this and took the initiative to spread the news.
Zhang Wenbi had been accompanying King Zhao, and when he suddenly appeared in Li Yuan's army, King Zhao's whereabouts could be corroborated by Zhang Wenbi.
"So this king is the bait, the bait that induces Zhao Tianlin to speed up the use of troops."
King Zhao was not only an important military figure, but also the leader of the Jingnan Army. Capturing King Zhao was almost equivalent to quelling the rebellion.
Such benefits are enough for Zhao Tianlin to take risks.
"But what if he doesn't want to take risks?!" Li Yuan felt that King Zhao's ideas were too idealistic. The human heart is the most complex thing in the world.
One second, Zhao Tianlin might be filled with enthusiasm because of the presence of King Zhao, and the next moment, a lieutenant's advice might be able to calm him down. There are too many variables in this.
Zhu Kai also understood what Li Yuan meant. This man's military talent was indeed not low. If it were Qiu Fu here, he would probably have to call the prince for his clever plan.
But sometimes, leaders don’t need your effective questioning, they just need simple subordinates who can shout “666”.
"The reason why I am certain that Zhao Tianlin will definitely cross the river from now on is not based on these inducements. These are just additional conditions, not real weights."
…
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Across the Baigou River.
Zhao Tianlin and Zhao Wu, led by Zhong Yaqi, had arrived at the shoal he mentioned.
This place is indeed just like what Zhong Yaqi described. An ordinary man can wade through the water.
Zhao Tianlin dismounted his horse in person, came to the riverside, and went down into the river.
"Hiss!" A biting chill suddenly came from the lower body. Although the river water in early winter was not yet frozen, it was already bone-chilling.
However, although Zhao Tianlin is old and his energy and blood are not strong, his internal strength cannot be faked.
What he cultivated was masculine inner strength. He returned to the shore and circulated his true energy. In just a moment, his soaked trouser legs were dried by the inner strength.
"This water is definitely a problem!"
Even a man with such internal strength as him felt cold, and ordinary soldiers must have found it even more unbearable.
"However, although it is cold, it is indeed a good place!" As he spoke, a glimmer of light flashed in Zhao Tianlin's eyes.
The enemy's geographical advantage was no longer advantageous, and he was more certain of defeating Li Yuan.
Zhao Tianlin's words made Zhong Yaqi a little confused.
The water in this place is freezing cold, and it may be a trap set by King Zhao. Why did General Zhao praise this place as a good place?!
Seemingly sensing Zhong Yaqi's doubts, Zhao Wu on the side explained, "Xiao Zhong, are you surprised that there are so many problems here, why are the Governor and I so happy?!"
Zhong Yaqi nodded repeatedly, he didn't understand! Isn't this just throwing himself into a trap?!
Zhao Wu smiled. He liked Zhong Yaqi very much because he was brave and resourceful. He was now training him as a future general of the Pingjing Army.
"Although this place has all kinds of disadvantages and disadvantages, these cannot cover up its advantages."
"Advantages?!" Zhong Yaqi didn't understand what advantages could have such a big effect, enough to cover up all the shortcomings.
"This place can allow our army to pass quickly without being hindered by the Baigou River."
Since ancient times, rivers have been one of the greatest military advantages.
The land south of the Yangtze River is the easiest to separate, and this is true from Soochow to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. What they rely on is the natural danger of the Yangtze River.
Although Baigou River cannot be compared with Dajiang, it also caused a huge obstacle to the Pingjing Army.
Zhao Wu has been busy these days, but he has only built a raft to transport 3,000 people.
The Pingjing Army had more than 250,000 troops and horses, plus the food and baggage, it would be difficult to transport them even a hundred times back and forth.
Can Li Yuan's rebels on the other side of the river watch you transport a hundred rounds back and forth?!
Crossing the river by boat and raft is just a desperate move, not a solution.
Zhao Tianlin originally even planned to delay it for a while. The northern part of Jizhou was originally freezing cold. By late winter, the Baigou River was frozen solid, and people could walk and run horses on the ice. Naturally, they could cross here.
.
Zhong Yaqi understood the meaning of the two men, but then asked, "What if this is a trap designed by King Zhao? If King Zhao built a dam on the upper reaches of the river, when our army crosses the river, the embankment will be broken and the water will be released."
, then our army was cut into two by King Zhao."
It is a taboo of military strategists not to look at each other from head to tail.
Zhao Tianlin nodded with a smile and said, "The fact that you can consider this issue shows that you are already familiar with the art of war. However, blocking rivers and building dams has an obvious shortcoming. It can only work on unprepared people. Since we have understood the nature
I won’t be fooled.”
Just send a Qingqi up the river. If King Zhao really tried to block the river with a dam, there would be no way to escape the Qingqi's eyes.