A large number of arrows covered it, and the dense formation of river crossing boats and equipment shrouded it, bathed in the violent storm of powerful arrows.
Although the sound of the sheepskin rafts squeaking and leaking air was slight, it was as terrifying as thunder in the ears of the officers and soldiers crossing the river. A large number of sheepskin rafts began to sink, and the soldiers on the boats screamed in horror and fell into the water in a panic. More than a hundred steps away from the river bank,
Floating and sinking in the turbid water, it became a living target.
Three hundred steps behind, Cao Xiong on the boat was watching all this with a dull expression. Only then did he realize that his intelligence was wrong. There were only a thousand people on the other side guarding the ferry. The size of the arrows, the bed
With the configuration of crossbows and artillery, it is obvious that the main force of the rebel army is guarding the ferry here, waiting to be delivered to the door.
The wooden ferries that were still standing on the river were still strong. As long as they were not hit by cannonballs and crossbow arrows, the dense rain of arrows could not damage the wooden boats. However, there were not many sheepskin rafts left, and most of them had begun to sink. Cao Xiong regretted
I didn't follow Shi Yong's advice, but it was too late to regret it now.
"Commander...are you still...continuing to...cross the river? I'm afraid we have to withdraw quickly. Otherwise...otherwise..." Huang Zheng, the commander of the Guyuan Army, stammered and reminded.
Cao Xiong came to his senses, how could he not retreat under such circumstances? Even if he succeeded in landing, he would be facing death. I am afraid that only half of the 5,000 troops could make it ashore. The main force of the rebels was here, and landing ashore would be a recipe for death.
He jumped up and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Retreat, retreat, retreat quickly."
After the order was issued, all the ferries began to turn around amid the rain of arrows. The rebel archers on the shore poured arrows mercilessly onto the water. The water on the shore had been dyed red, and there were a large number of corpses.
Floating on the water, the lives of a large number of soldiers were quickly harvested.
This was a one-sided massacre, and the scene at this moment was like hell.
When the officers and soldiers crossing the river turned around and fled in a hurry, high on the river bank, He Jinyi, the former commander of Ningxia Town and now the general of the rebel army, stood on a huge rock with a cold expression and a cruel smile on his lips.
After raising the army, He Jinyi discussed with Zhu Zhixiu to lead his troops south across the river to attack Lingzhou. However, Zhu Zhixiu rejected his proposal. Zhu Zhixiu told He Jinyi that with the current strength, it was not suitable to march, and
We should stick to Ningxia Town and use the natural dangers of the Yellow River to resist the enemy. When the people's hearts are stabilized and the internal troops are purged, we can then recruit more troops and recruit heroes from all over the world to flourish in all parts of the Ming Dynasty. Only then can we launch a large-scale attack.
Zhu Zhixiu also said that if necessary, he would contact the Tatars to launch an attack together and borrow the power of the Tatars for his own use. But that was a last resort. What needed to be done at the moment was to stabilize the situation in Ningxia Town.
He Jinyi was a little dissatisfied with Zhu Zhixiu's words. In his opinion, rebellion looked like rebellion. He immediately forcibly recruited the young and strong people of Ningxia Town to join the army. In an instant, there would be a large number of troops. After capturing Lingzhou, he opened the passage and attacked all the way.
.The bigger the territory you occupy, the stronger your strength will be, and you will be qualified to compete for the throne. What achievements can you make if you are so small here?
Moreover, Zhu Zhixiu said that he would join forces with the Tatars if necessary, which made He Jinyi really despise Zhu Zhixiu in his heart. This royal family of the Ming Dynasty actually wanted to lure foreign enemies to attack the Ming Dynasty. This shows that he has no bottom line and is extremely despicable.
Although his ideas are different, He Jinyi also understands that Zhu Zhixiu's idea is actually the safest way. According to his idea, it can at least ensure the stability of Ningxia Town and leave a way out.
Although Ningxia Town is not a big place, it is blessed with natural dangers, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is also rich in products and is more than enough to be self-sufficient. If this is not possible, separatist rule here, and becoming a local emperor is also a good option.
Moreover, since the enthusiasm at the beginning of the army, panic and fear have also arisen in the army. After all, this is a rebellion. I don't care, but the mentality of the soldiers and the people must be stable. Don't do it internally at that time. If there is chaos, then there is no need to compete in the world.
In view of this, He Jinyi ordered his troops to go south and set up defenses along the Yellow River, ready to welcome the attack of officers and soldiers at any time. The total number of rebels was 35,000, and He Jinyi recruited another 10,000 young people to join the army, bringing the total strength to 40,000. Five thousand people.
In addition to leaving 5,000 soldiers and horses to garrison the north and east side of the pass to guard against the Tatars, 5,000 soldiers and horses were left to guard Ningxia Town. Almost all of the remaining 30,000 soldiers and horses were placed on the banks of the Yellow River in the south. Three ferries They were all on tight guard and built dozens of simple beacons along the river bank to prevent the enemy from sneaking across the river from the steep rapids in the canyon so that they could report in time.
At the North Ferry of Lingzhou, He Jinyi personally led 20,000 troops to garrison here. Because He Jinyi still refused to give up the idea of attacking Lingzhou, once he had the chance, he would still cross the river to attack Lingzhou.
He Jinyi was extremely concerned about the movements of officers and soldiers in Lingzhou City. He had already sent several groups of agents to sneak into Lingzhou City to investigate intelligence. He was well aware of the increase or decrease in troops and horses in Lingzhou City in the past ten days, as well as the arrival of reinforcements. .Not only that, the news that Cao Xiong's troops were preparing to cross the river to attack after arriving was also known to He Jinyi.
He Jinyi followed his plan. He knew that the other party would definitely send people to check the truth, so he deliberately stationed only a thousand soldiers and horses on the river bank, while the rest hid in the Song Castle behind. This trick really worked, and Cao Xiong was indeed fooled.
When Cao Xiong ordered to cross the river, He Jinyi's seven thousand archers were already ambushing among the trees at the ferry. He Jinyi even set up only a dozen general cannons at the top of the gentle slope.
At this moment, looking at the heavy casualties of Cao Xiong's soldiers and horses on the river, He Jinyi was in a very happy mood. The officers and soldiers came to seek death, and this battle would be a great victory. This would definitely boost morale and morale, and play a decisive role in the situation. .
"General, the ship with the commander's flag hanging on the back must be Cao Xiong's ship. This guy turned around and wanted to escape." Deputy General Ding Guang rushed over and reported loudly to He Jinyi.
He Jinyi heard this, took off the telescope from his waist and looked at the river. In the telescope, the big ship was turning hastily. On the bow deck, the fat man surrounded by seven or eight well-armored generals was not Cao Cao. Hero or who?
"We can't let him escape. Send the order, and the general's cannons will fire at the ship and sink it. Teach this fool to feed the bastards in the Yellow River." He Jinyi said loudly.
Upon hearing this, Ding Guang hurriedly went to convey the order. Soon after, the eight general cannons adjusted their muzzles and started bombarding the building boats that were escaping hastily on the river more than 300 steps away.
The accuracy of the Zhankou General Cannon was not high. Some of the shells fired fell far away, and some landed near the building, stirring up huge water columns and falling on the building. It was like a heavy rain falling.
.
Cao Xiong and others on the building boat also realized that the other party was focusing on them, and hurriedly ordered dozens of soldiers on the boat to paddle faster to escape. The building boat left quickly, getting further and further away from the river bank. The accuracy of the Zhankou general cannon was not high, and the range was not high.
In fact, it's not that far. It is said to have a range of two miles, but in fact it only has an effective range of 100 steps. The farther you escape, the safer it is. As long as it exceeds the distance of 500 steps, the Zhankou General Cannon will basically
There is no such thing as aiming, you can only try your luck with the angle and range.
Because they had to escape for their lives, the soldiers on the building boat risked their lives to row the boat. The further away from the river bank, the farther the falling shells were from the building boat. After the boat passed a distance of 500 steps, the other side seemed to feel that there was no hope.
, seems to have stopped bombarding.
Cao Xiong and everyone on the boat breathed a sigh of relief and looked at each other with a look of joy on their faces. Just as Cao Xiong was about to say a few words to regain some dignity, he suddenly heard a roar from the shore. Then there was a crash on the deck in front of him.
sound.
The deck suddenly collapsed, sawdust flew, and a huge hole appeared on the deck.
After a few breaths of shock, someone shouted loudly: "The boat has been hit. The boat has been hit."
Cao Xiong panicked and shouted: "Pull quickly, row quickly!"
In the chaos, there was a cry of exclamation from the cabin: "The bottom of the boat is broken and water is pouring in."
Cao Xiong was so distraught that he shouted loudly: "Block it, block it."
"Escape for your life, we can't block it anymore. The ship's planks are all broken." Someone replied in panic.
Cao Xiong's whole body was cold. The moment he was hit on the deck, he knew something was wrong. The cannon fired from the Zhankou General Cannon was a large iron ball. When it hit the wooden ship, it should have penetrated the hull directly from the deck.
We have reached the cabin floor. If it is a warship
Or other big boats might be able to carry it. Unfortunately, this is just a small boat used by brothels to attract customers. It is usually just moored in the still water on the shore. The boat has a thin hull, hollow railings, and strives to be beautiful rather than strong.
.It can withstand the impact of an iron ball hitting it.
"Abandon the ship and run for your life, Commander-in-Chief, the ship is sinking. If you stay on the ship, you will be sucked into the water." The general beside him shouted loudly.
"Oh, okay, okay, okay, but how can you escape by jumping into the river?" Cao Xiong shouted in panic.
"There is a small raft at the stern of the boat. I humble myself to let it go. Commander-in-Chief, come with me." Huang Zheng said loudly.
Cao Xiong breathed a sigh of relief. Huang Zheng was still reliable. Fortunately, before boarding the ship, he ordered someone to get a sheepskin raft and hung it on the stern of the ship. At this moment, he could finally save his life.
Cao Xiong and Huang Zheng rushed to the stern of the boat, but they both cursed at the same time because they saw several soldiers working together to lower the sheepskin raft into the water, and they were jumping on the raft.
"Let Commander-in-Chief get on the raft." Huang Zheng shouted loudly.
"The life of the Commander-in-Chief is life, isn't the life of me waiting for you? The raft is too small and can't carry too many people." A soldier sneered and cut off the rope with a knife. The sheepskin raft drifted with the current and quickly moved away from the big ship.
"You bastards, come back! I'll kill you." Cao Xiong cursed.
Several soldiers were unmoved and rowed away with all their strength.
Cao Xiong was so furious that he stretched out his hand to tear off the bow and arrow from a soldier next to him, bent the bow and shot the arrow at the raft. The powerful arrow shot everywhere, breaking two sheepskin bags, and the raft immediately tilted.
"I told you to feed the bastards." Cao Xiong scolded with a ferocious smile, while shooting two more arrows. Seven or eight sheepskin bags were shot, and finally they could not bear the weight of several soldiers and capsized in the river. Several soldiers fell into the water,
Continuously struggling on the water.
"Kill you, kill you." Cao Xiong cursed angrily, and continued to shoot arrows at a soldier on the water. Suddenly, there was a roar, the ship tilted suddenly, the river water had filled the cabin, and the ship capsized instantly
.Dozens of people on the boat fell into the water instantly.
After Cao Xiong fell into the water, he struggled in panic and swam up the water. His swimming ability was actually pretty good. If he could hold on for a while, he might be able to hold on until the retreating boat arrived and rescued him.
However, he found that he had made a fatal mistake. All his armor and weapons were on his body, and it was too heavy. His armor was a full-body armor with excellent protection, and he needed someone to help fasten it when wearing it. At this moment, the heavy armor fell
Let him sink into the river and let him do whatever he wants
The struggle was in vain. He wanted to throw off the armor, but he could not undo the lock that was tightly held in an awkward position under his ribs. In the end, he could only watch in despair as the turbid river water above his head gradually turned dark, and the entire
The man fell into the dark bottom of the Yellow River.
Three days later, news of Cao Xiong's defeat reached the capital.