Fenghou

The general Dong Xian stood on the top of the city and looked at the river angrily. It has been three days since ten thousand cavalry arrived on the other side of the Han River, but they could not cross the Han River.

At this time, Kong Yanzhou stepped forward and said, "Marshal, let the cavalry divert to Fangzhou! This is the only way to cross the Han River from the upper reaches."

Dong Xian shook his head, "It's not that simple. Li Chengcheng didn't want to send cavalry to us, and he had to send this cavalry under the pressure of the emperor. If we divert the cavalry to Fangzhou, Li Chengcheng found a reason, and he would oppose the emperor. Read our book, even Hanshui can't control it."

"But it is a fact that the Han River cannot be controlled. We can't let the cavalry wait on the north bank. After another two days, they will return to Chang'an. It's better to let them go to Fangzhou to cross the river."

"They will definitely not leave Fangzhou!"

At this time, Jiang Yanxian said from the side: "Can you ask the Wanyan Du Supervisor to come forward? Ask him to order the cavalry to come over from Fangzhou, they should dare not refuse."

Dong Xian smiled wryly and said, "I have already told the Supervisory Army, and he said he would not participate in this matter."

Jiang Yanxian and Kong Yanzhou were stunned at the same time, "Why?"

"If the cavalry came from Bianjing, he might help, but the cavalry came from Guanzhong, which involves the relationship between him and Wanyan Wushu, so he doesn't want to be troublesome, I guess, but I It is probably the normal answer."

Speaking of this, Dong Xian turned back to the generals and said: "If the cavalry really can't get through, it doesn't matter. We can defeat the opponent without cavalry, but the key is that the Han River blocked by the Song army is not a solution!

What about our logistics supplies and reinforcements?Even the morale of the army is still there. Now the soldiers know that our retreat is cut off. We have to find a way to reverse this unfavorable situation, instead of thinking about going to Fangzhou to cross the river. If the news spreads, we will lose face! "

Everyone was silent, and the opponent's navy was strong, what should they do?

Seeing that Jiang Yanxian was about to speak, Dong Xian said, "Jiang Dutong, say something!"

Dong Xian still valued Jiang Yanxian very much. Jiang Yanxian was quite strategic, and he was able to lead [-] troops back from under Chen Qing's nose. Even Wan Yanchang praised him unceasingly.

Jiang Yanxian sighed and said: "A spy who escaped from Hanyang told me that the Song army's water warfare strategy is very simple, that is, to use fire oil balls. Our soldiers can't save the fire at all. Two or three fire oil balls can burn down a ship. ferry.

In addition, I observed the river surface for a long time yesterday, and I always felt that the wooden wheels of vehicles and boats are easily damaged. For example, if you insert a wooden stick into it, the wooden blades inside will break, or if you throw straw on the river surface, the wooden wheels will get entangled. "

Dong Xian nodded approvingly, "It can be said that the heroes see the same thing. Jiang Dutong and I thought of going together. I still have fifty scout ships in my hand. We also use kerosene to burn the ships, and we don't need any kerosene." When the ball hits, just use a thin-skinned pottery pot to fill it with kerosene and throw it onto the boat, and throw torches at the same time, fifty small boats with 250 gunpowder pots are enough to burn all the vehicles and boats on the river."

This plan is very practical and feasible, and everyone's enthusiasm was mobilized. Kong Yanzhou scratched his head and said, "We can dismantle some of the large catapults on the top of the city, transport them to the riverside, and throw fire oil balls on the boat from the riverside."

"This method is too troublesome!"

Qin Sinian, the governor of the capital, said with a smile: "It is not only troublesome to dismantle and carry the trebuchet, but it is also very difficult to hit. Others will not stand still and let you throw it. It is better to send dozens of water ghosts to dive with fire oil tanks in wooden boxes." Go over and light the fire after getting close to the enemy ship."

Kong Yanzhou couldn't hold back his face, and he became angry from embarrassment: "How do you light a fire in the water?"

"Wrap it in pig urine foam. It's not like we haven't done this kind of waterproof thing before!"

At this moment, a soldier rushed over and said, "Report to Marshal, the eagle letter has just been sent from the other side of the river!"

Dong Xian took the eagle letter and looked it over, with a bitter expression on his face, and said to everyone: "Sure enough, I was right. The [-] cavalry have already retreated north to Guanzhong. The reason is that they can't cross the river and there is not enough food and grass."

Everyone was silent, and this result made everyone deeply disappointed.

Dong Xian cheered up and said: "I don't care about the cavalry, let's follow the method discussed just now, I'll go to ask Wanyandu Supervising Army for instructions, and see what he thinks!"

After all, Dong Xian was a civil servant, he had been in the officialdom for a long time, and he was quite slippery. He knew very well that Wan Yanchang was sitting in Xiangyang, and the coach was actually Wan Yanchang. His plan must be supported by Wan Yanchang, otherwise, no matter the victory Negative, Wan Yanchang will not be happy.

……

Wan Yanchang is really not in a good mood recently. It was also because the Song army blocked the Han River that he realized that the Qi army was not well prepared for the battle against Jingxiang. They did not have a navy, which meant that the army could not pass the Han If the water cannot cross the Yangtze River, the strategic plan drawn up before will be greatly reduced.

What annoyed Wan Yanchang even more was that he came to Xiangyang to hunt and kill Chen Qing. Judging from the current situation, the idea of ​​killing Chen Qing by taking advantage of the Jingxiang battle might come to nothing again.

In this battle of Huguang, Wan Yanchang personally drafted a three-step plan. The first step is to occupy Deng, Sui, Fang Sanzhou and Xiangyang Prefecture within one month of dispatching troops, and open the door of Jingxiang. The first step plan has been completed. Done successfully.

The second step of the plan is to occupy a large area of ​​land south of Xiangyang Prefecture, north of the Yangtze River, east of the Three Gorges, and west of the Hanshui River within the next two months, including Yingzhou, Fuzhou, Hanyang Army, Jiangling Prefecture, Xiazhou, and Guizhou. Zhouzhou, Jingmen Army and other places.

Originally, the second step of the plan was also very smooth. It successfully lured Wang Yan's Jiangling army to go north and wiped it out in one fell swoop. Li Gang's [-] main force was also trapped in Changlin County.

But at this time, Chen Qing led his army northward, which destroyed their plan and severely damaged the morale of the Qi army, forcing Wan Yanchang to give up the second step he had already captured, and retreated to the original point.

They had an absolute advantage in military strength before, but they failed to defeat Li Gang's main force in one fell swoop and completed the second step of the plan. Now the Song Army is recruiting a large number of troops. Seeing that their military strength is gradually being equalized, the major defect of the navy appeared again. Whether the second step of the plan can be realized, Wan Yanchang was full of anxiety.

At this time, a soldier reported from the hall, "Marshal Dong, please see me!"

Wan Yanchang sighed, "Let him in!"

Soon, Dong Xian walked into the lobby quickly, bowed and saluted, "See the Imperial Guard for humble posts!"

"Marshal Dong, what's the matter?"

"Just now I received the Eagle's letter that the [-] cavalry on the other side have insufficient food and grass, and cannot cross the river. They have already returned to Guanzhong."

Wan Yanchang was taken aback, "Why not let them cross the river from Fangzhou?"

"The humble official said it, but they didn't adopt it."

"why?"

Dong Xian shook his head, "I don't quite understand the humble staff, maybe they think they are Marshal Li's subordinates, so they don't need to listen to my command!"

Dong Xian hinted to Wan Yanchang, "You refused to intervene and order, that's the result." '

Wan Yanchang glanced at Dong Xian and said: "Forget it, the cavalry you can't command came to add horses to Chen Qing, it's better not to come."

"The capital inspector army has an excellent opinion, and I have another matter to report to the humble officer."

"what's up?"

Dong first presented a booklet to Wan Yanchang, "This is a plan for the humble official to take back the control of the Han River, please take a look at it."

Wan Yanchang was refreshed, this was exactly what he needed, he quickly took the plan booklet and opened it for a closer look, gradually, a hint of disappointment appeared in his eyes, this was far from the plan he had been considering these days, Mr. The situation is still low, and in Wan Yanchang's view, the plan under consideration cannot be put on the table at all.

Dong Xian saw the disappointment in Wan Yanchang's eyes, and quickly said: "We have considered several plans, and even wanted to dismantle the trebuchet and transport it to the river, but none of them felt practically meaningful. In comparison, only the present plan is the most feasible. .”

Wan Yanchang smiled and said: "Actually, I have been thinking about making up for the shortcomings of the navy these days, but I am not only considering the Han River, but also the Yangtze River. Your plan is also good. You can implement it first, and I approve it! "

"Thank you Dujianjun, I will arrange the implementation as soon as possible!"

"It's best to have a proper drill in East Lake to let the soldiers know what they are going to do and how to do it, otherwise they will be in a hurry when they arrive on the battlefield, but pay attention to clearing the field and keeping it secret."

"Humble job understands!"

Dong saluted first and hurried away.

Chapter 3 Leaked Secrets

There is a three-story restaurant in the middle of Jingzhoumen Street in Xiangyang, which is called Jingzhou Restaurant. It ranks among the top five in Xiangyang City. Because of the unrest in the war, the original owner has always wanted to transfer it, and some people want to take it over, but The price cannot be negotiated.

This time the puppet Qi aggressively attacked Jingxiang, and the cloud of war shrouded the land of Jingxiang. The original owner had to sell it at half price, and finally sold it at a price of [-] guan not long ago.

The person who bought this restaurant was naturally Hu Yanlei. Before that, he sneaked into Xiangyang with a dozen of his men, and later sent Feng Shaoyou and his apprentice to Changshou County.Explore the news of Yingzhou.

Hu Yanlei not only bought this restaurant with gold, but also bought the Hanshui Inn Hu and the Wolong Chariot and Horses in the south of the city, which are about three miles away. It became Huyanlei's intelligence center.

But traveling by car and horse is relatively hidden, which is their way of retreat.

The small courtyard that Huyanlei rented was in the alley diagonally opposite to the restaurant, very close.

Of course, after the war, restaurants, taverns, and carriage and horse shops will not fail to sell, and will become the military property of Chen Qing's army.

At noon that day, Hu Yanlei came to the restaurant for dinner as usual. The shopkeeper of the restaurant, Xie Xie, gave him a wink. This old Xie was called Xie Ming, and he was about 50 years old. He opened a tavern at home, and was spotted by Hu Yanlei, so he became a member of the second scout battalion.

Hu Yanlei understood, and went directly to the shopkeeper's room in the backyard. After a while, Lao Xie walked in quickly. He looked out and immediately closed the door.

Hu Yanlei smiled and said, "Old Xie, do you have any news?"

"Just now three puppet Qi army generals came over for a drink. They mentioned that they seemed to be doing a boat test in East Lake tonight. Then I asked Xiao Si to deliver food to East Lake. Let's see what's going on?"

East Lake is located in the east of the city, close to the city wall. It is a narrow and long lake with a small area of ​​only a few tens of acres. It is surrounded by farmers’ vegetable fields. Generally, few people go there. Now that it’s cold, they don’t even go there.

'Ship' is definitely a sensitive word, so the shopkeeper Lao Xie immediately noticed it.

Hu Yanlei is also interested, and actually wants to test the ship. Does Xiangyang still have ships?

"Shopkeeper!" Someone shouted outside, it was the bartender Xiao Si who came back.

Lao Xie quickly opened the door and let Xiao Si in. Xiao Si accidentally saw Hu Yanlei, scratched his head and said, "The Commander is here too!"

Hu Yanlei glared at him viciously, and Xiaosi was so frightened that he quickly changed his words, "So the owner is here!"

"If you dare to make a slip of the tongue, you will definitely be transferred."

"Don't dare!"

"Tell me! What's going on at East Lake?"

"Thousands of troops came from the East Lake. They set up big tents and surrounded the East Lake. The vegetable farmers around said that they were no longer allowed to grow vegetables. It was designated as a military area, and anyone who dared to go would be killed."

"What's going on in East Lake, have you seen it?"

Xiao Si shook his head, "Soldiers stand guard densely, no one is allowed to approach, and I don't know what is going on in the lake?"

Hu Yanlei thought for a moment and smiled, "I'm going to donate some incense money to Hongfu Temple, and I'll live in the temple tonight."

"Good plan!"

Lao Xie gave a thumbs up. Hongfu Temple is about two miles away from the East Lake. There is a prayer tower in the temple, which is the second tallest building in Xiangyang City, second only to the Beicheng Tower. Although there is a Zhuge Mountain near Beicheng, there is a Jia The Lenta Tower can overlook the whole city, but unfortunately it is too far away to see the situation of the East Lake clearly.

……

That night, Hu Yanlei donated fifty sticks of incense money to Hongfu Temple, saying that today was the anniversary of his grandfather's death, and he would stay upstairs for one night to pray for his grandfather.

For the sake of fifty sticks of incense, let alone one night, ten nights are fine.

Hu Yanlei entered the pagoda with a quilt and two followers that night.

The two attendants stood guard below, and Hu Yanlei came to the top of the tower alone, where he could really see what happened in the East Lake.

The lake was brightly lit, dozens of small boats were loaded with soldiers, and there was a big boat in the middle of the lake. Huyanlei recognized the big boat as a painted boat teahouse, and it was moored on the Qinghe River. A very distinctive boat-shaped teahouse was forced by the army. levy.

The painting boat moved slowly, and the boats in all directions were besieging the painting boat. They threw black objects onto the boat, and then threw a few torches, and the painting boat burst into flames.

Hu Yanlei suddenly realized that what they threw up must be clay pots of kerosene, and these guys were practicing siege of warships.

You don't need to ask Hu Yanlei to know that the target of the puppet Qi must be the Song Army warship in the Han River.

He widened his eyes and carefully observed every detail of the boat in the lake.

……

Since the two armies contracted and ceased fighting, many places occupied by the puppet Qi army have temporarily relaxed their control, but Xiangyang still maintains a high degree of tension. Dong Xian has set up a strict system, and only opens the city gate for an hour every morning. , and only limited to the west city gate, farmers outside the city were allowed to come in to sell vegetables, they had to get a sign when they entered the city, and they had to return the sign when they left the city. Anyone who violated the rules and did not hand in the sign, or did not leave the city in time, would be severely punished.

The same is true for going out of the city. To leave the city temporarily, you need to apply to the government. If you have a good reason to leave the city, you must pay a sum of money as a deposit. At the same time, you need a famous person in the city as a guarantee. Bring one piece with you, and you must come back before the city gate is closed, otherwise you will be regarded as an escape, and the deposit will be confiscated, and the guarantor will be implicated.

Early the next morning, the shopkeeper, Lao Xie, submitted an application to the county government to go out of the city to purchase food materials. The reason was very good, and with the guarantee of the famous gentry, the county government quickly issued a city card for the restaurant after collecting a deposit of [-] yuan. , It can be used for two months, but the premise must be that every time you leave the city, you must return to the city in time, otherwise you will be caught by the military and you will bear the consequences.

The shopkeeper Lao Xie took the bartender Xiaosi to drive a donkey cart out of the city. They were going to buy fish. There were no fishing boats and fishermen in Hanshui, but there were people fishing in Tanxi Lake, and there was a small village there.

More than half an hour later, Lao Xie and his two bought hundreds of catties of fresh fish and came back with a smile. They handed in the check at the city gate and got back the city exit card. Next time, they can go out of the city to buy vegetables and sake with the two city exit cards. such as.

……

At night, two vehicles and boats rumbled across the Han River. There were not many vehicles and boats at night, and only a dozen of them patrolled the river to prevent the puppet Qi army from building a pontoon overnight. Most of the ships were moored around Yuliangzhou, an island in the middle of the Han River. A large military camp was also set up on the island, and [-] soldiers were stationed in the military camp.

5000 of the 50 soldiers were originally prisoners of war from Yang Yao's army. Chen Qing used them to step on and steer vehicles. A vehicle and vessel used 5000 people, and a hundred vehicles and vessels had exactly [-] people. But now these [-] prisoners of war have been reorganized into For the Song army, they took turns patrolling on the Han River, and Niu Gao trained them in the rest of the time to become qualified soldiers of the Chen family army.

But tonight all the training was stopped, all the soldiers were in their positions, and the official Song army of the [-] army was all on board, waiting to face the sneak attack at night.

Hu Yanlei set up a point by the Tanxi Lake, where two of his subordinates were stationed there, using fishing as a cover. Lao Xie just told him the information inside the city, and then the two subordinates outside the city reported the information to him. Forward it through Eagle Letter.

The original intention of setting up an intelligence point outside the city was to prevent Xinying from being discovered by the soldiers in the city. I didn't expect that it would be very suitable to limit the request to leave the city. As long as the shopkeeper Lao Xie pretended to come outside the city to buy vegetables, he would send out the information.

It was from them that Niu Gao got the news that the puppet Qi army will use small boats to attack patrol cars and boats at night in these two days.

Time gradually arrived at one o'clock. When a group of vehicles and boats patrolled westward, dozens of small boats sailed silently into Hanshui from the Cao River connecting Xiangyangcheng and Hanshui.

They quickly drove towards Yuliangzhou along the south bank of the Han River, but they didn't know that just as they left the Caohe River, the mouth of the Caohe River was blocked by several large fishing boats coming from the opposite bank, and the retreat of dozens of small boats was blocked. cut off.

Chapter 3 Zero Nine Tracing

Dozens of small boats were less than a mile away from Yuliang Island. When the soldiers saw more than a dozen vehicles and boats parked quietly on the shore of the island, the leader general was very excited and shouted: "Get ready to move!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a warship of three thousand stone suddenly appeared in the darkness. It was so fierce that it rammed into dozens of small boats.

The small boat was unable to dodge in time, and seven or eight of them were overturned with a bang. The soldiers fell into the water one after another, and the big boat did not turn around, and sailed straight to the west...

"Help me!" the general shouted, waving his arms desperately as he floated in the water.

The terrified soldiers suddenly discovered that the dozens of vehicles and boats they had previously regarded as targets had disappeared.

Immediately after the sound of rumbling paddle wheels, crossbow arrows shot from all directions in the darkness, and the soldiers on board had no way to resist, so they had to jump into the river one after another, but they couldn’t escape the shooting of the crossbow arrows, hundreds of soldiers were crying in despair He shouted and died in the waves of the Han River.

In the northeast corner of the city, dozens of generals gathered around Dong Xian and watched the movement on the river. They were looking forward to the raging fire, but unfortunately they never saw the fire, but heard the roar that made them tremble with fear.

"It's over!"

Dong Xian closed his eyes, he could hear that this was not the roar of a vehicle or boat, it was at least dozens of vehicles and boats sailing at high speed in the river, but there was no sign of their sneak attack at all, which could only mean one thing, they fell behind Into the trap of Song Jun.