In the territory of Junzhou on the north bank of the Yellow River, there is a famous mountain that is not high, let alone big, leaning against the Yellow River. It is called Dagong Mountain, also known as Lishan Mountain. Liyang, the first county of Junzhou, a battleground for the famous military strategists, was named after this mountain.
At the foot of Dagong Mountain, there is a large-scale permanent pontoon bridge named Tiancheng Bridge that was built less than ten years ago. This Tiancheng Bridge does not directly cross the Yellow River to the southeast bank of the Yellow River, but leads to a small hill called Jushan in the middle of the Yellow River. There is also a permanent pontoon bridge called Shenggong Bridge to the south of Jushan, which leads to Wenzi Mountain on the southeast bank of the Yellow River in Huazhou. The Tiancheng Bridge and Shenggong Bridge together are also known as the Sanshan Floating Bridge.
Sanshan Floating Bridge and Dagong Mountain on the northwest bank of the Yellow River, Liyang City a little further away from the Yellow River bank, Huazhou Baima City on the southeast bank of the Yellow River, and the Yellow River channel between Guangwu Mountain in Mengzhou and Sanshan Floating Bridge together form the Kaifeng Prefecture. ’s north gate.
If this line, especially the Sanshan Floating Bridge, is not defended, then Kaifeng Mansion will soon face an army of gold thieves!
At the end of December in the sixth year of Xuanhe, a new Song Army camp was set up at the foot of Dagong Mountain, guarding the entrance of Tiancheng Bridge.
This camp is very different from the common Song army camps.
Most of the Song Army's camps were built very rigorously and were solid strongholds. The trench is both wide and deep. Behind the trench is a stockade to prevent horses. Behind the stockade, a wall with women's heads is built using rammed earth, and forks and rows of wood are inserted into the wall. There are many gaps and passages left in these trenches, stockades, and nvtou walls, allowing the defenders to enter and exit at any time to launch counterattacks against the enemies who come to besiege them. When fighting a defensive war, these gap passages will be blocked with door jambs and carts.
If the Song army guarding the northwest entrance of Tiancheng Bridge built such a stronghold with its back to the Yellow River, it would assume a defensive posture.
Then the gold thief going south really won't be able to capture it for a while. Relying on human lives to fill this kind of hard fortress is not an option. Siege equipment must be built. These instruments alone cannot be made in less than ten days and a half months...
But this place is located in the Song Dynasty military camp, but it is very unorganized. The trenches were narrow and shallow, the fences were hasty, and the camps were not densely built, leaving a lot of open space in the camps, giving people an empty feeling.
Of course, it's not against the rules to camp here. Because this camp is not a foot camp or a mixed foot camp with cavalry, but a cavalry camp.
Cavalry combat requires flexibility, freedom of advance and retreat, and generally does not ask for trouble by setting up a stronghold. Moreover, cavalry generally do not carry a large amount of equipment and materials for camping, and it is also difficult to build an unbreakable stronghold. Moreover, this cavalry stationed north of the Sanshan Floating Bridge was still in the late twelfth lunar month, and when the New Year was about to be celebrated, the Song Dynasty court was transferred from the good city of Damingfu to Junzhou to stop the gold thieves...
This is really a bit of a bully, not letting the family get together on the New Year's Day, forcing them to send troops, and not giving out many rewards.
These 7,000 cavalrymen from the northwest were willing to follow Liang Fangping and Senior Officer Liang to drive out of Damingfu City and march all the way to the foot of Dagong Mountain in Junzhou to set up defenses. It was already a great honor.
Who can force them to build a strong fort regardless of the hardship of traveling and the cold weather?
And what about after building a stronghold? The gold thieves are coming, do you guys really want to defend the stronghold?
Isn't this meant to trick people into death?
The mighty army Jiedu envoy who was ordered to lead 7,000 cavalry from Daming Prefecture, the arrest and kill envoy Liang Fangping, the capital commander of Daming Prefecture, and the Ningzhou observation envoy Wang Yuan were all eunuchs and generals who had led troops for many years. Maybe not He knows how to win a battle, but he still has some skills in Fujun. He knows how to coax the soldiers below... and he also knows how to deal with errands. The higher-ups didn't say that they should defend Liyang to the death, nor did they say that they should defend Liyang to the end. The floating bridge, not to mention having to fight with the golden thieves.
If that's the case, why risk your life?
In addition, today is already the New Year's Eve, and the army has to celebrate the New Year outside!
Everyone has been working hard for a year (catching thieves in Jingdong and Hebei). During the Chinese New Year, they came to guard the Sanshan Floating Bridge for the officials. I don’t know when the gold thieves will chop them up. Why don’t you take advantage of the opportunity to eat and drink? point?
So starting from the New Year's Eve last night, Liang Fangping and Commander Liang Jie issued an order... Starting from the New Year's Eve until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, everyone just needs to stick to the camp. There is no need to send out cavalry detectives to search both sides of the Yellow River. . The whole army is having a good time in the wild camp.
In order to allow everyone to live a good New Year, when Liang Fangping and Wang Yuan sent out troops, they did not even bring with them any equipment for camping and defense such as door knives, crossbows, and horse guns. The vehicles accompanying the army were filled with good wine and meat. .
I have to say that the two high-ranking officials, Liang Fangping and Wang Yuan, are still very good people and know how to care for their subordinates.
The New Year's Eve dinner for officers in Liang Fangping's army started at noon. The military preparation general (deputy of the battalion general) and other officials above are now gathered in Liang Fangping's large tent of the Chinese army, drinking and eating meat together, accompanied by officials brought from Daming Mansion during the banquet... ...Although I'm in the military, I'm still having a good year.
When everyone was having fun, a long "report" sound suddenly sounded outside the big tent, and then they saw a primary school student opening the curtain and crawling from the outside.
Liang Fangping was holding an official girl in his arms and drinking wine when he saw someone shouting and barging in from the outside, and he was a little unhappy.
Who is this?
So disappointing?
Could it be that the gold thief is calling?
Liang Fangping was aroused when he thought of the gold thief. He woke up from the wine and didn't bother to scold him. He asked in a trembling voice: "What...what? Did the gold thief come to kill him?"
Before he asked the question, the big tent was still very noisy. People were drinking, punching, bragging, and chatting with the official lady. They were all very happy.
As a result, as soon as these five words "The golden thief comes to kill" came out, all the voices were stopped abruptly!
Everyone turned their attention to Liang Fangping and saw that Liang Fangping's face was trembling and his face was still twitching slightly...
A burst of "crash" sound broke the short silence, and a man with a beard and a body as strong as an ox was seen standing up. He also turned over the low table with wine and food in front of him, plates, cups and saucers. It hit the ground.
I saw this man yelling at Liang Fangping: "Commander Jie, don't panic, let's kill him for a while, so that Commander Jie can cross the river safely!"
After being yelled at by him, Liang Fangping felt a little relieved. Then he looked down at the primary school who reported the news, only to find that the man's face was pale and he looked like he was in imminent disaster.
Could it be that...the army of gold thieves is coming?
"You, you, you... tell me!" Liang Fangping asked in a trembling voice, "How many gold thieves are here?"
"No, no, no...it's not a gold thief." The principal shook his head repeatedly.
"You're not a gold thief..." Liang Fangping immediately became angry, "Get out of here!"
Yes, it’s not a gold thief. Why are you so scary?
The principal just shook his head, "No, you can't get out, because the people here are officials!"
Liang Fangping became even more angry when he heard this, "What is the official family? Are you drunk? Do you know what the official family is?"
"Drunk, just drunk!"
"Hahaha, how could the officials come here?"
"Turns out he's a drunkard!"
"Hahaha......"
The group of officers in the tent were all half drunk, and they all found it amusing to be mentioned by Liang Fangping.
Liang Fangping only felt disappointed and said to the bearded man: "Po Han Wu, take this drunkard out and give him ten lashes to sober him up!"
"Yes!" The bearded man raised his hand to Liang Fangping, and then swaggered up. Without any explanation, he picked up the elementary school boy like a chicken and started to go out. When he reached the door of the big tent, the door curtain had already been opened. , a gust of cold wind blew in from outside, and at the same time, a few long-term warriors wearing heart armor and bronze helmets walked in, holding their hands on the hilts of their swords.
"You, who are you?" the bearded man asked after being stunned.
Then I heard a voice reply: "They are my personal soldiers!"
"Me?" The bearded man was stunned, "Who are you?"
At this time, more than ten tall soldiers walked in, one of whom was an old man. Many people in the big tent recognized that this old man was He Guan, one of the three yamen guards!
After He Guan entered the tent, he stood beside him, holding his sword in his hand, looking like he was loyally protecting his master.
Seeing this scene, the generals and Liang Fangping in the tent did not dare to sit still... they all stood up and stared blankly at the door curtain that had been lifted up.
Under everyone's gaze, a strong man wearing green Tang armor and an angry face walked in from outside the tent.
Liang Fangping had already recognized this person and said in a trembling voice: "Yun Yun Yun Yun... No, no, it's your Majesty! It's your Majesty!"
Of course the person who came was Zhao Kai, an official from the Song Dynasty!
And it was Zhao Kai who was very angry and about to explode!
How could Zhao Kai not be angry? Although he has never actually fought in a war, he also knows that the large camp at the foot of Dagong Mountain is not what it looks like!
The Sanshan Floating Bridge is a natural hazard!
Just set up defenses like this?
You can’t even set up a camp?
Okay, then you go to Jushan to set up defenses! Why put 7,000 cavalrymen loosely on the north bank of the Yellow River?
Are you going to run away when the gold thief comes?
And... the enemy is currently facing you, you people are actually having a drinking party, and no one goes out to search and warn. The 3,000 cavalry led by Zhao Kai crossed the pontoon bridge and arrived outside the gate of the camp before they were stopped and questioned. talk.
If the Jin soldiers came, what would they do? Just escape across the pontoon!
And what about this rough guy carrying someone? He doesn't look like a good person at first glance!
Zhao Kai glared and asked: "You are carrying someone, who is your name? You are not polite when you see me, and you are carrying someone in your hand. What do you want to do?"
The bearded man hurriedly threw away the person in his hand, regardless of whether it was broken or not, and quickly saluted: "I am the commander of Daming Mansion, Wu Jie Lang, Han Shizhong, pays homage to your majesty..."
"What? Are you Han Shizhong?"
