Hu Yang returned to his camp and felt the burning pain from his wound, which seemed to be worse than yesterday. He thought it was probably due to being stained with mud or soaked in cold water, so he didn't care and hurriedly organized his army.
Hu Yang's troops were mostly wounded and baggage, and moved slowly. Hu Yang ordered the baggage to be loaded and go ahead. Because the bridge deck is not large, passage is relatively slow. It took the two to three thousand people about an hour to completely cross the bridge.
Wang Lu had to undertake the task of guarding the Chinese army, and only arranged to cross the river after the Chinese army had crossed the river. After crossing the river, each organization formed its own team, led by Gongzi Zhen, Bingcao and others, and headed straight for Ji.
According to the plan, Sima Jin found a boatman from a nearby city who had helped people transport goods to Handan. According to him, it takes about half a day to reach the Yellow River by going downstream from the Huan River. Then go down the Yellow River, take half a day to Zhangshui, and another day to the outskirts of Handan; if you take the Fushui directly to the foot of Handan City, you will have to walk for another day. But it’s been a smooth journey and it’s been an easy journey. Hu Yang asked Chen Si to lead five Qin soldiers to take a boat along this road. Chen Si took the people and set off.
Sima Jin asked people to look around for merchants who had been to Qin, but they could not be found. Hu Yang asked them to try another way and ask where the salt was purchased from? These merchants had never been to Yanchi and didn't know how to get to Anyi: they always bought salt from Chaoge. The path south from here, as everyone knows, is Ningxinzhong-Dangyin-Chaoge, and then enters Nanyang, which is generally the territory of the Wei State. There is a bypass road next to it: Fangling-Zhongmu, which is the sphere of influence of Zhao State. Ask about the nearest Yellow River ferry around here, and everyone agrees: How many cities are there? However, people in Ningxinzhong rarely walk along the Yellow River. For them, Qishui is more important. It is more convenient for goods coming from the Yellow River to go north along Qishui. Asking them about the road to Qishui, it turned out that it was the road to Chaoge or Zhongmou.
Fragmented feedback almost points to the only way: Jiyi. There is a crossing of the Yellow River, and only by passing through it can there be any hope of crossing to the other side of the Yellow River. If you want to take the main road south, even if you pass Anyang, Dangyin, Chaoge, Fangling, and Zhongmu are all difficult to crack. The people here, except for Gongzi Zhen and his party, no one else knows what Jiyi is like.
In the afternoon, Hu Yang received a report from Wang Lu: Wang Lu's vanguard had arrived near Jiyi. Several towns saw Zhao Yi, and the situation was unstable, so the rear army quickly followed up. Hu Yang and Sima Jin did not dare to delay, so they immediately broke out of camp, led by military envoys, and quickly moved to several cities.
From the middle east of Ningxin to the Yellow River, the terrain is low-lying, and the rivers are crisscrossing and overflowing. This land is mostly wetland and has few people. But between Qishui and the Yellow River, there are several mountainous areas, which are the remnants of the Taihang Mountains. The terrain around these mountainous areas is relatively high, relatively dry, and close to water sources. It is a good place to live, so there are people living there. The mountainous area in the northwest is the highest and largest, which is several cities. The north and south mountains here are less than ten miles apart, and the south mountain is the highest. Legend has it that Shang Bianqian was forced by King Zhou and fled here. This mountain is called Xiangshan.
Jiyi was originally Wei Yi, but it was captured by Zhao a few years ago. Zhao's defense here has not yet been fully established. Wang Lu ordered the entire army's elite as the vanguard, led by Bing Cao, and quickly advanced, covering more than fifty miles in only half a day. , cross the Dangshui and enter the hilly and mountainous areas. The terrain here is higher and there is a large forest where you can hide. Therefore, Cao Rang first stationed troops here and led people to conduct reconnaissance. At this time, Wang Lu's rear had already reached the east of Dangyin City and the bank of Danshui, more than ten miles away from the forward.
At the same time that Hu Yang and the others were pulling out of camp, Bingcao and the others had completed their combat deployment: they were advancing covertly along the forest to the north and suddenly appeared in front of the enemy. The enemy army was dispersed by the Qin army before they even had time to gather their troops. According to the prior plan, the soldiers were divided into two groups, one to seize the city and the other to seize the ferry and seize the ships.
Originally there were less than a thousand soldiers here. Except for the officers who were appointed from Zhao, they were all locals. Once everyone hid in their homes, they were no longer Zhao soldiers. The Qin army was eager to seize strategic points and was happy to have no one to resist. As for beheading, there were not many heads to behead anyway, and occupying a city was a collective achievement.
The Qin army led by Bing Cao numbered about two to three thousand people, which was only enough to maintain public order in such a large city. The soldier Cao immediately reported to Wang Lu, who drove his army forward and safely arrived at the line of the Yellow River at sunset, and immediately issued a warning downstream toward Handan. Then military envoys were sent to urge Hu Yang and Sima Jin to arrive quickly and guard key points on the land.
Hu Yang hadn't arrived yet, but Chen Si arrived first. Wang Hao's patrol post on the river intercepted a boat coming up from the lower reaches, claiming to be a merchant from the state of Chen. As a result, after boarding the ship for a search, both parties found that the other party was actually from Qin, and they realized that there was a misunderstanding between the family. When asked, he was told that he was from Hu Yang's camp. The patrol sent them to Wang Lu's tent. Wang Hao naturally recognized Chen Si and couldn't help but be overjoyed. Reason for asking. It turned out that Chen Si and others were going down the Huan River. When they arrived at the mouth of the river, they found that the mouth of the river had been controlled by the Zhao army. Hidden stakes had been laid at the bottom of the river, leaving only a waterway, with soldiers on both sides checking. Chen Si felt that if he sailed back, his secret would be revealed, so he simply hid all the weapons in the cabin, and everyone took off their robes and dressed up in shorts. Chen Sicao spoke Chen's voice and claimed to be a merchant from the state of Chen, so he got out of the Huan River and entered the Yellow River.
After entering the Yellow River, Chen Si asked the boatman to go upstream: that is where Chen's country is, and it is also the road that Chen Si intends to observe. The boatman rowed the oar and sailed the boat up the Yellow River. Chen Si saw luxuriant grass on both sides of the bank, but not many people. When asked, the boatman said: "It's all wet here and it's difficult for people to live." Chen Sicai finally understood why there is a ferry on the Yellow River: this is not only related to the infrastructure construction of the ferry, but more importantly, the two sides of the river. They all have to be connected to the main road! In a swamp, there is no way to open a ferry. Chen Siwan did not expect that the first inhabited place he saw was Jiyi. It had just been captured by the Qin army.
Chen Si's words gave Wang Lu some peace of mind: Zhao Jun continued to go up the Yellow River, and the possibility of attacking a few towns was unlikely, because there was no place to go ashore for hundreds of miles along the way. It seems that as long as we guard the land route, we can be safe.
Chen Si asked the boatman to rest for a night in the army, gave him money, and asked him to go home the next day. Bing Cao was a good strategist. He carefully interrogated the captured Zhao Jun officers and visited merchants and elderly people in the city. Finally, he learned something that he had never known before: the Yellow River has two rivers here, and Licheng on the other side of the river is a relatively large trading port. From there, it can lead directly to the capital of Puyang!
Bing Cao took the overland route from Xianyang to Handan. After crossing the river from Luoyang, he went north along Taihang Avenue to Handan. All the places we passed along the way were big cities, and we had never walked through small roads before, and we didn’t know of any small roads that could lead to Luoyang. Thinking of 20,000 people, carrying baggage and wounded, it would be very difficult if they walked along the small road; but on the main road, the soldiers knew that it was impossible to open the road with only 20,000 people, especially with Zhao's pursuers behind them. May arrive at any time.
Bing Cao asked Wang Lu to send a group of soldiers across the river to check the terrain. Wang Hao felt that there was no one more suitable than Chen Si. So he asked a local guide to lead the way, and took ten or twenty people, armed only with sticks, to cross the river in two boats and go straight to Licheng. The rural guide told Chen Si and the others that this road was relatively short, only about twenty miles, but they had to go through a swamp and they had to follow closely, otherwise they might fall into the quagmire and no one could save them.
Chen Si asked him, if he wanted to take the high road, how should he go? The village guide replied, first take a boat to go upstream for twenty miles, and then walk a dozen or twenty miles ashore. Although it is a long detour, it is safer and smoother. Generally, merchants use the main road to transport goods, and they can only go to Licheng temporarily for purchasing or transportation. Only take the trails when visiting relatives and friends.
After walking five or six miles, Chen Si saw a crowd of people. A small town was filled with smoke and was peaceful, as if the battle on the other side of the river had no impact on the place a few miles away. The further you go, the denser the crowds become. After walking ten miles, you can see Li City in the distance, surrounded by a large number of towns.
Chen Si gave the township leader money and asked him to go back. He took everyone to the edge of the city. Arriving at a house near the city, Chen Si asked everyone to wait. He stepped forward in person, and through the fence, Chen Si asked, "May I ask my master, where are you traveling in your hometown?"
A middle-aged man came over and said: "Hakkas want to find a reverse journey, but they still need to travel three to five miles. In our small town, there is no reverse journey!"
Chen Sizuo bowed his head and thanked him, then asked again: "If you want to cross the river to Puyang, where should you look?"
The middle-aged man said: "Each place has its own trade route leading to Puyang, but the Hakkas should consult with them!"
Chen Si said goodbye. After leading everyone back for three to five miles, they found a small reverse journey. It's getting late here. Chen Si came to the door and said, "Twenty people live here. Do you have access to the master's house?"
The host of the counter-tourist came out to welcome him and said, "I only have a wing room with no courtyard. I only have ten cents per day. I can make my own dinner and use the stove."
Chen Sidao: "I want to go to Puyang the next day, what do you think, Master?"
The host of the counter-tourist said: "What's so difficult about this? Hakkas only live here, and the boats and carriages are all served by common people. I will report back to the honored guests in a short time. I respect the guests but only get the price. Don't use your heart at all!"
Chen Sidao: "How much is it worth?"
The host of the counter-tourist said: "How about using a thousand coins to hire two boats for the guest?"
Chen Sida said, "Let's discuss this with our friends!" and withdrew. Lead everyone back along the original path. The host of the counter-tourist called out: "There is no counter-tourist there. If you are looking for it, just go eastward!" Chen Si cupped his hands to him and left without answering.
On the way back, Chen Simo memorized what the township guide had done, and he did everything right. Suddenly came to the shore. It was already dark. The wind blows violently on the Yellow River, and the turbid waves are empty. The scene is very different from the daytime scene. When the boatman saw everyone returning, he complained: "The river is not crossed at night, so why do the Hakkas return so late?"
Chen Sidao: "I'm greedy for the view of the city, so I'm having a feast!"
The boatman said: "The wind is strong and the waves are high, who dares to cross it?"
Chen Si had already found out the exact information and was about to return to the camp to report when he saw that he was blocked by the river. He was extremely anxious and said, "What's the price? I'm willing to cross the river for one person!"
The boatman said: "Life is at stake, how dare you take any chances!"
Chen Sidao: "One gold! But one person is crossing!"
The boatman swallowed his saliva, and the two discussed it. The older boatman said: "The Hakkas are in a hurry, and we dare to risk our lives! I hope the guests will not return the price!" Chen Sijie gave him a talisman and said : "Go to the camp gate on the next day to get the value! One gold!"
