Chapter 652 Breakthrough and Momentum
The floating clouds reach the sea, and the plains become green.
Topographically speaking, the existence of the Taishan Mountains running east-west divides Qingzhou into two parts, the north and the south.
The area between the northern foot of Mount Tai and the Bohai Sea has been called "Haidai" since ancient times - "Dai" means Mount Tai.
This is a relatively flat area, distributed in many counties and townships such as Jibei, Jinan, Le'an, Beihai and other counties. It is very important and can even be said to be the most important essence of Qidi.
As for this essence area, facing the direction of Hebei, it can be said that there is a vast plain. The only obstacle is the Yellow River, but not all of the Yellow River is in the hands of Qingzhou. The opponent can cross the river directly with a slight detour.
Starting in mid-March, Shao Xu, the prefect of Leling, began to build a pontoon bridge on the Yellow River.
Cao's soldiers looked at the progress of the pontoon bridge as if facing a formidable enemy, and tried their best to destroy it. Despite their desperate efforts, Shao Xuzhen was unable to successfully build the bridge.
But on March 20th, a large-scale cavalry group received an order to march from Jibei to the east - there was no need to cross the river at all.
Before setting off, Duan Pixi climbed the high slope and took one last look at the station.
This place is called "Pingyin Ancient City". It is located in the western section of the Taishan Mountains in the east and the intersection of Jishui River and the Yellow River (Sidukou) in the west. It is actually a water and land transportation hub.
As a grassland herder, it is actually a bit difficult to imagine large-scale shipping.
It can transport troops, food, equipment, anything, and it is very fast, faster than infantry and cavalry marching, because even at night, ships can still move. When going down the river, the speed cannot be matched by the cavalry.
The most important thing is that it saves money.
“Let’s go.” Duan Wenyang shouted at the foot of the hillside.
Duan Pixi came down from the mountain, led his troops, and marched eastward.
There was someone vaguely watching them in the mountains and constantly sending messages to the outside world. There is no doubt that they are Cao Yi's scouts.
From the perspective of scouts, the marching conditions of the Xianbei cavalry are actually not very good.
They are crowded in the narrow foothills and riverside plains.
To the south is the Taishan Mountains, to the north are the ruins of the Great Wall of Qi and Jishui, and to the north is the Yellow River.
The post road is sandwiched between the Great Wall of Qi (north) and Mount Tai (south), and the Great Wall of Qi is located on the south bank of Jishui, cutting into pieces the small northern plain.
At this time, if we prepare an attack camp in the mountains in advance, select elite soldiers and strong generals, and rush out from the mountains, we can completely cut the Xianbei people who have a long team in front and back into several sections, without looking at each other from the beginning to the end.
Unfortunately not!
No one has the courage to go deep into enemy territory to set up an ambush.
No one wants to take risks.
After following for a while, the Xianbei cavalry at the foot of the mountain separated some of their troops to search for mountain trails and gentle slopes, trying to drive away Cao Jun's scouts.
The scout hesitated for a moment and finally disappeared into the mountains and forests.
Duan Pixi withdrew his gaze.
There are yellow clouds in the sky, and no one has cleaned up the dead grass of last year. After several rains, it rotted on the roadside.
Most of the Great Wall of Qi has collapsed, and only a few sections are still intact. The gates have even been rebuilt for pedestrians, troops, and merchants to enter and exit.
Unfortunately, most of the people walking on this road now are the military.
Duan Pixi estimated that he had walked dozens of miles, but he didn't see anyone, not even the Wubao. There were only white bones and the remains of villages and Wubao.
Yes, attack from Jinan to Jinan, or from Jinan to Jinan, this is the way.
The two sides were killing each other and looting each other. It’s hard to say what happened in other places, but the Wubao, manor, and villages at the junction of the two sides must be the worst.
Let alone dozens of miles, if you can see a human figure after marching for more than a hundred miles, you are considered powerful.
On the 21st, more than 4,000 light and heavy cavalry led by Duan Wenyang and Duan Pixi entered Jinan.
They passed through the swamp that was slightly flooded after the spring flood, and the terrain in front suddenly opened up - the northeastern part of Jishui merged with the Megou, forming a flooded area, with the water flowing back hundreds of miles, called "Mehu Lake" "(Located in the southwest of Changqing, Jinan today).
On the evening of the 23rd, they roared and appeared in the southwest of Zhua County.
When the people working in the fields heard the warning bell, they retreated back to the fort.
The Xianbei cavalry passed through the fields, chasing any farmer who did not escape in time.
These farmers will become their slaves and their property.
If you really can’t catch up, shoot him to death with one arrow.
Of course, not everyone wants them.
For example, an old farmer's head was chopped off by the Xianbei cavalry - their own old people were not respected, let alone the old people in the Central Plains.
The military official saw him and coughed.
Duan Pizhen pretended not to know, and delayed for a while. After the men under the tent had snatched away almost all the women and Dingkou who were scattered outside, he gave the order to restrain military discipline.
The civil servant said helplessly: "General Duan, don't delay, it's important to take advantage of the chaos to intercept the enemy's retreat."
"The army has marched for more than a hundred miles, and food and water are running out day by day. , how to pursue?" Duan Pizhen asked.
"Follow me." The civil servant clamped the horse's belly and led the way. Whether there are local snakes to provide you with supplies is sometimes completely decisive.
When they broke into Jinan, there was nothing to loot. If they couldn't grab enough food at this time, it was almost time to retreat and join the main force. But if they can get support from local powerful tribes and provide supplies, they can persevere.
Completely two results, the difference is huge.
******
On the wide river, a pontoon gradually extends to the south bank.
Several high platforms were erected in Cao's camp on the other side, and a wave of arrows was shot from time to time, interfering with the construction of the pontoon bridge.
There are also two to three thousand relatively elite soldiers who are recharging their strength and ready to attack halfway.
The battle of attacking and defending the river is actually just crossing the river and counter-crossing the river. There is nothing strange about it.
The pontoon bridge in front of us is really not far from the other shore, just a few dozen steps.
The arrows from the high platform fell on the pontoon, densely packed.
Shao Bing, who was holding a large shield, could not protect him at all. The craftsmen and servants screamed and fell into the water from time to time. After floating a few times, they disappeared into the vast river.
"Crash!" The last piece of the raft was pushed into the water.
The craftsmen rushed forward risking their lives to fix the bamboo buttons and ropes.
The sergeants were eager to try, holding large shields, swords and guns, and charged straight to the shore.
Cao Bing, who had been recharging his strength for a long time, came forward.
The two sides collided head-on, their eyes were about to burst, and they fought with their lives.
"Death to Shao Gou!"
"Death to the demon thief!"
People fell in pieces, and their lives disappeared in groups.
The good man that his parents had worked hard to raise for eighteen years fell down as soon as he saw the enemy.
Xuan Feng, who had practiced martial arts for many years, was ruthless and used his skillful killing skills to continuously harvest the lives of his enemies, but he soon died under a hail of arrows.
There is also the ignorant person who rushes numbly, gets injured numbly, and walks towards death numbly - he doesn't even know how he died.
......
Compared with the past, the overall result of the battle was actually not much different.
The soldiers and horses brought out by Shao Xu failed repeatedly and were unable to form a stable beachhead on the south bank of the river, and could not successfully cross the river. However, after failing too many times and over a long period of time, the morale of the men became somewhat low, and I am afraid it will be even more difficult in the future.
To be fair, today's fight was the closest to success in many days.
Shao Xu and the Gao brothers from Bohai joined forces and invested more than 20,000 men in an attempt to cross the Yellow River and penetrate Le'an.
But the fierce battle on the beach taught them that everything is not that simple.
As long as Cao's soldiers still want to fight, don't collapse at the first touch, and have the Emperor and Master in their minds, then they will have fighting power.
Thinking of this, Shao Xu set up an awning and looked across anxiously.
He even escorted his son-in-law to serve as the vanguard of the formation, but he couldn't break through.
Behind Shao Xu, generals and sergeants were densely packed, standing in awe with weapons.
The number of people who can pass through the pontoon bridge is extremely limited. Most people do not have the opportunity to participate in the war and can only stand on the shore to observe the development of the war.
Our own soldiers charged repeatedly, and in the end they were often besieged by enemies several times their size and died miserably.
If we continue to fight like this, we will just keep sending people to die, with no results.
On this point, the soldiers watching the battle knew it very well. Unless a miracle happens today, we can prepare for the next floating bridge.
Uh, wait—a miracle really happened.
Just when the Leling soldiers and the Bohai soldiers were defeated and unable to support themselves, the Cao soldiers who besieged them suddenly fell into chaos.
The noise was not loud at first, and the sound of horse hooves was not intensive.
But soon, as more and more Xianbei cavalry rushed to the back of Cao Jun, arrows were fired one after another and they were killed wildly. The entire Cao Jun formation was like paper, falling apart as soon as they rushed.
The Leling soldiers and Bohai soldiers crowded on the pontoon bridge were overjoyed. Under the leadership of their officers, they charged and fought hard, cooperating with the Xianbei cavalry to attack front and back.
Some soldiers couldn't even wait, so they jumped directly into the shallows of the river and waded ashore themselves. He cursed loudly, as if he had a mortal enemy with Cao Bing - in fact, he did.
The situation suddenly turned!
Cao's soldiers were defeated. Bohai soldiers and Leling soldiers were on the river, and Xianbei cavalry charged repeatedly behind them. They really couldn't stand any ground.
They abandoned their camps and cities, and retreated dozens of miles away.
More and more Xianbei cavalry crossed Jinan, penetrated Le'an, and even advanced towards Qi.
They did not hide their tracks at all, and even showed off a little bit. The purpose was to let more people know, create momentum, and intimidate the enemy.
The entire Qingzhou is already undergoing profound changes.
(End of this chapter)