The book continues from the previous chapter, the previous chapter——
But it is said that when Lao Cao went to Lanzhou, he saw the barbarians slaughtering the Han people wantonly, which aroused the wrath of Thunder. He killed all the barbarians inside and outside Lanzhou who had the slightest involvement. He piled up more than 20,000 corpses and built a capital in the city. East.
Even though Beijing and Guan are established, it’s still hard to vent your anger!
After thinking for several days, he resolutely divided his troops, led them all the way personally, and went to capture Xingqing Mansion according to the original plan;
Along the way, Li Zhu was ordered to be the main general, and he was ordered to recover the old place of the Longyou Protectorate, and then kill Xixia, take Suzhou, Guazhou, Shazhou, and Yumen Pass, and restore the homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
Lao Cao divided his troops this time. In the eyes of others, they could not help but think that he acted willfully in anger.
In fact, Lao Cao has so much experience in fighting throughout his life? He had this idea vaguely since he ordered the construction of the Beijing Temple, and after thinking about it carefully for several days, he finally decided on the plan and made it known to everyone.
In Lao Cao's view, although the Dangxiang people in the northwest were extremely powerful for a while, they had many inherent shortcomings.
The land one occupies is mostly barren;
The two tribes stand in a forest, and they compete with each other endlessly;
The three are prone to internal strife and their vitality is constantly depleted;
The four strong neighbors are on the side, and the weather has been lost.
Among the four shortcomings, the fourth is the most important.
When Li Yuanhao founded the country, the foundations of the Liao and Song Dynasties were already solid. Although he used both soft and hard skills to create Xixia, he was forced to create Xixia among the Song, Liao and Hu groups, but after all, he lost his time.
This is equivalent to opening a new server for the game, and logging in is two days late, so that every step is slow and every step is slow!
Besides, although the people of Xixia are willing to be generous, the Song Dynasty took the RMB player route. What can you do?
Coupled with the barren land, it is difficult to be self-sufficient; the large number of barbarians gives the big countries space to attract and divide them and involve each other; civil strife is frequent, and it is always difficult to form a joint force——
These inherent deficiencies were never made up for by the existence of Song and Liao: once they saw that they had the potential to break the situation, they immediately suppressed them head-on, eventually forming a vicious cycle.
After nearly a hundred years of consumption, Xixia has actually become extremely weak. Fortunately, the Jurchens changed into leopards, dragons leaped to the northeast, and the world structure was overturned, so they got a chance to breathe.
Because of this, when Wanyan Wushu came to propose marriage, Li Qian decisively resorted to the trick of beating the snake and followed the stick. He fully accepted the Jin Kingdom's assignment and mobilized the whole family, young and old, vowing to swallow up all those fertile lands that have been dreamed of for hundreds of years. Next, the first battle established the foundation of Xixia's great power.
Lao Cao saw this very clearly, and he also saw that the Song Dynasty's century-old management of the northwest consumed not only Xixia, but also the surrounding barbarians.
Take Tubo, for example. The Tubo dynasty that once dominated the plateau has been wiped out for a long time. The four kings and more than 20 political branches are in disarray.
Among the Tubo tribes, the "Buddha King" Xsisiluo was the most majestic. However, after his death, the disciples attacked each other, and the Qingtang foundation that had been built so easily during his lifetime was once again in pieces.
For example, Uighurs are more scattered than Tubo, which is a plate of scattered sand, and more scattered than the scattered Qingtang.
What about the Gaochang Uighur, the Yellow-headed Uighur... The foundation of our life is always consistent: whoever has breasts is the mother, and whoever forcefully calls him father.
As for the miscellaneous tribes, their strength is lower than that of Tubo and Uighurs.
As the saying goes: Times make heroes!
In the past, how could Ban Chao conquer the Western Regions with thirty-six men and destroy countless countries?
One's own ability is the basis, and the background of a big country is the confidence, but the chess game in the Western Regions where small countries are attacking each other is the most important "current situation".
Now in the northwest, the entire Xixia army has entered the Song Dynasty. The chaos of this chess game is a bit like Ban Chao's time.
Therefore, the general chosen by Lao Cao was not the fierce general Shi Wengong, nor the loyal Li Guang, nor the heroes of the Western Army who had experienced many battles.
It was Li Zhu, a half-immortal swordsman who came from the world of martial arts, spoke against Wang Qing, and spread chaos in Huainan.
As for the attack on Xingqing Prefecture, Lao Cao considered it over and over again and believed that since Lanzhou has already been attacked and the Xixia army has been exhausted, in this situation, there is no essential difference between 32,000 or 17,000 troops.
The key is still the four words "soldiers are more valuable and speed is more important".
Once an order is issued, thousands of people will follow.
May 22nd.
Five generals, Li Zhu, Ma Tie, Wang Yan, Wu Jie, and Wu Lin, led the army along the south bank of the Yellow River in a mighty westward expedition.
On the same day, three generals, Li Huai, Shi Wengong and Ma Jin, led 5,000 Jishan cavalry and headed north to Lingzhou along the Yellow River.
Four days later, May 26th.
The waves of the Yellow River are rolling, and more than ten thousand soldiers stand by the river.
Standing in front of them were three to four thousand civilians, all of them strong and muscular, with weathered faces.
Next to every civilian husband, there is a soldier standing with a sword.
The swords were as bright as snow, and the civilians looked frightened, but mixed with a little expectation.
The judge couldn't help but ask - wasn't Lanzhou completely destroyed by the barbarians? Where do these many civilians come from?
It turned out that in the past few days, Lao Cao's troops had been out in all directions, and they had "invited" all the boatmen, fishermen, and ferrymen from a radius of more than one to two hundred miles to Lanzhou.
Naturally, the process may not be pleasant.
Fortunately, after these civilians arrived, they were given very generous food and accommodation treatment, which made them barely feel less frightened.
Soon, another general came, and each of them was given three guan of money, so his fear was reduced a bit.
When the number of people was almost there, someone came to tell them that the imperial court would recruit them as boatmen to transport the army. After the task was completed, they would be rewarded generously.
The people may not necessarily believe the so-called generous reward, but with the knife in their hands, they have no choice but to believe it as much as possible.
But when they learned that as a boatman, they actually had to go down the Yellow River to Xingqing Mansion in Xixia, they still exploded!
In fact, Lao Cao's strategy of "surprise attack on Lanzhou, sail down the river, and capture Xingqing Mansion" was not his own initiative.
As early as the fourth year of Yuanfeng, when Lanzhou was still in the hands of Xixia, Song Shenzong had a plan to build ships from Xihe Road, go down the Yellow River, and raid Xingqing Mansion. He ordered Li Xian to "set up ships and rafts in the upper reaches of the Tao River." , camera and lead troops eastward..."
Li Xian immediately ordered people to survey the river from Qinfeng Road to Xingqingfu. They reported that there was a section of dangerous shoal, more than 60 miles long, with rapids and waves and scale-like rocks. "More than half of the boats passing here will be damaged." The risk is extremely huge. , Li Xian thought about it for a long time and finally gave up.
Although the predecessors abandoned it, Cao Cao took it.
You must know that Lao Cao always takes risks when using troops.
For example, during the expedition to Wuhuan in the past, the route was unpredictable. No one except Guo Jia was willing to agree with it. Even Lao Cao himself, after returning from victory, rewarded those who advised him greatly, thinking that his advice was a mature one.
Looking at the famous generals throughout the ages, there are not many who are like Lao Cao, who have been in danger many times in their lives.
This is not because Cao Cao is incompetent in using troops, but because he likes to make dangerous moves.
Because dangerous moves are often also great moves.
What you dare not think is exactly what your enemy refuses to believe.
Just like the Xixia people, how can they believe that someone would come down the river from the upper reaches?
At this moment, on the bank of the Yellow River, there are big rocks like turtles, looking up at the sky.
Lao Cao stood high on his head and looked down at a group of fishermen and boatmen.
Below, Jiao Ting, with an expressionless face, led thousands of people, swords unsheathed, standing next to the boatmen one by one, looking at each other.
Cao Cao shouted: "As the Yellow River goes north, the dangerous shoals are difficult to navigate. You all know it, and I know it too! However, when has life not been difficult? You are alive today and can hear my words. How can you know tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the year after next? Is there still life?"
His voice was like thunder, echoing along the river bank: "I am the governor of Jiedushi, and I don't hesitate to sacrifice myself. You are all trying to make a living in the wind and waves, why are you afraid of it? Today it is convenient for you to make it clear, who dares not to follow me? , one knife at a time, and send them all down the Yellow River to feed the fish! If you are willing to help me, I will destroy the Xingqing Mansion, and the gold and silver treasures are up to you to move!"
There was a commotion among the people. It was obvious that the last eight words were quite powerful.
Old Cao observed his words and continued to roar: "You don't have to worry that my words are not counted. I am here, in front of you and everyone else, in front of the emperor, the empress, and the mighty Yellow River. If you break your promise and get fat, God will punish you." If the earth abandons it, it will die without a burial place!”
After he finished speaking, Shi Qian suddenly raised his voice and shouted in the local dialect: "It's done! Since the general said so, we all believe you! If you finish this job, you can get a lifetime of wealth, so it's worth all your efforts." Got it!"
These people have always struggled with their lives in turmoil, and they are inherently more courageous than ordinary people. Thinking that although the dangerous shoal is dangerous, death is not inevitable. If you try hard, you can immediately become rich, eight out of ten poor people will be tempted.
As for the remaining two, Lao Cao didn't talk about benevolence and righteousness, and just took out the knife: Since you don't want to get rich, choose one of the certain death and the possible death.
So no one disobeyed.
At this time, a young man suddenly opened his mouth and shouted, speaking in Chinese, which was full of nonsense.
What he said was: "General, I don't want gold or silver. If I send it to you, please accept me as a soldier."
Lao Cao looked sideways and saw that this guy was tanned all over. He had deep eyes and a high nose. He was quite handsome, no less than eight feet tall. He was naked and barefooted, with only a few layers of fish skin hanging around his waist. He had fixed eyes. Looking at Lao Cao, he saw his eyes sweeping over him and had no intention of retreating.
Lao Cao nodded secretly, stretched out his hand and pointed: "What's your name? Which tribe do you belong to?"
The man shook his head: "My mother is from the Qiang people, but they all say that I am a wild species, so I am not a Qiang person. As for my name, I don't have a name. Because I eat too much and waste food, people tell me to increase my food supply."
When Cao Cao heard that he did not recognize that he was a Qiang, he nodded secretly and immediately smiled and said: "Seeing that you are a good man, so what if I agree to you? Okay! When we get to Xingqing Mansion, you will be my bodyguard. Follow me and carry the sword." Do you dare to kill the enemy?"
The man was overjoyed and shouted quickly: "I dare! When someone insulted my mother, I killed seven of them with a short knife! Unfortunately, my mother was also killed by them."
Cao Cao was even more overjoyed when he heard that it was someone who had no worries, but he had a look of sympathy on his face and nodded: "If the world is not peaceful, people kill people! But since you dare to kill people, just follow me and create peace. I'm not afraid of you. If you eat more, there will be plenty of food for you. Don't mention the word "increased food" again. I will give you a name. Just follow the original pronunciation and call it Zhang Liang! You must remember that this name has been given to someone before. This incredible hero is now available to you, but you must not disgrace his name."
"Zhang Liang!" the man shouted happily: "Master, don't worry, I will never insult the name of this hero!"
"General!" Cao Cao laughed: "Hahaha, your personal life belongs to you alone. Now that you have taken refuge in me, I will be your general."
Zhang Liang nodded repeatedly: "General! Obey the order!"
He rushed forward excitedly and came to the foot of Turtle Stone - seeing Lao Cao accepting him, the guarding soldiers did not stop him.
"Connect them together!" Zhang Liang worked hard to tie them up: "General! If you connect the rafts together, you can rush through the rapid river."
Cao Cao's eyes lit up: Yes! Connecting boats is something I'm good at, isn't it?
It turns out that the upper reaches of the Yellow River are very fast and there are many reefs. Unless great efforts are made to repair it, it will be difficult for boats to sail. Therefore, the tools Lao Cao used to cross the river this time were all rafts.
This thing is made of cow and sheep skin. Each one is blown loudly. Seven, eight, or more than ten pieces are connected together. They are covered with hardwood or large bamboo. They can carry several to ten people.
This kind of raft has excellent buoyancy and is flat and difficult to capsize. Even if it hits a rock, it is difficult to destroy. It is the most common river crossing device in the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
After listening to the suggestion of the Hu man Zhang Liang, Lao Cao suddenly remembered the chain boat in his previous life. He thought to himself that if I connected this thing together, its buoyancy and stability would be doubled. Am I still afraid of being burned this time?
So the order was immediately given, and the boatmen started working together. A group of ten or twenty rafts were fastened to one place and gently lowered into the river. It was like an extra piece of ground appeared out of thin air.
Lao Cao went up in person, walked back and forth, and jumped a few times. He felt light and steady, and laughed loudly. He immediately asked people to take ten taels of gold and rewarded Zhang Liang. When the other boatmen saw it, they couldn't help but envy him.
Zhang Liang touched gold for the first time in his life. When he got it, he was surprised for a long time, and then his eyes turned red. He whispered to Lao Cao: "General, let me handle the raft you are on later, not to mention the dangerous shoals." , even if the river flows to the sky, I will hold the raft firmly for you."
Lao Cao laughed and shouted: "All troops on board!"
He also jumped off the high stone, and sure enough he sat on the raft where Zhang Liang was.
Hu Sanniang, Shi Qian, and Jiao Ting also led their horses onto the raft.
But thanks to the raft-tying strategy used in advance, more than a dozen of the largest and best rafts were tied together in one place, and dozens of elite soldiers were boarded before setting off.
For a moment, I saw countless skin rafts tied into large rafts on the surging river, floating down the water.
Soon, the vast river surface was almost completely occupied by rafts, and the scene was quite spectacular.
Those rafts were on the water, so they didn't need to be rowed hard. They naturally moved quickly along the current. The boatmen stood around, each holding a long pole. Whenever they saw a stone exposed on the water, they would push the raft open with a gentle tap.
The soldiers were all sitting in the middle of the raft. Some of them who were timid or afraid of water naturally did not dare to raise their heads. They just lowered their heads and trembled. Those who were brave could not help but look around, and even looked at their companions on the neighboring rafts. Shouting and even singing in response, the excitement was like going on an outing.
There are also some extraordinarily large rafts, specially designed to carry horses, with their reins tied together so that the riders who are skilled in riding and knowledgeable about horses can look after and comfort them.
This unprecedented drift on the Yellow River had already drifted nearly a hundred miles by sunset.
Cao Cao saw that it was getting late, so he asked people to find a place where the water flow was gentle and go to the shore. They went ashore to light a fire and rest, so as not to be unable to see the water conditions clearly at night and be in danger.
This continued for two or three days, flowing at sunrise and resting at sunset. Although there were some small waves, or people and horses fell into the water at the rapids, there was no major damage.
But someone on the shore saw someone on the way. After being surprised, Pegasus ran away. Lao Cao expected that they were probably Xixia people. Seeing such a powerful Song army on the river, he knew something bad and returned to the city to report the news. The land road was winding and rugged. As long as he didn't know how to do it. If you fly, it will be extremely difficult to get a warning ahead of you.
After another day or two of walking, the waterway was already halfway through. At noon, he saw that the speed of the raft was getting faster and faster. Zhang Liang looked at Lao Cao with a serious face and said: "General, the dangerous shoals in the canyon are coming, but you must sit tight!"
Cao Cao looked solemn, knowing that the biggest test of this trip was now.
This is exactly what it is: Lao Cao seeks a decisive victory in danger, and it is difficult to turn around when the ship is in the wave. Has anything ever been easy in the world? People are unpredictable and have strange plans.
I thought I sent it! I thought I sent it!
After peeing and taking a shower, I realized that I had not clicked OK. What a waste of a precious leave request!
but! Today I am going to ceremoniously promote a book!
"The Mage in the Late Qing Dynasty"!
Some of them were so refreshing that I couldn't help but want to get to know the author.
And I took action. I searched for the person in the writer's backend and left a message to make friends.
This is the first time since I started writing online articles that I have taken the initiative to make friends with colleagues!
While chatting, I found a stronger resonance——
As we all know, when my book was about 100,000 words long, it attracted attention because of the recommendation of the big brother Portland Street Fat Dragon, and finally got the opportunity to sign a contract.
And the author of "The Master in the Late Qing Dynasty" is even more powerful!
He went his own way with only one keyboard and one network cable. He wrote 380,000 words before he successfully signed the contract.
From a reader's perspective, I think this book deserves better!
As the saying goes:
At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, he was appointed Zongheng. The protagonist bombarded the Forbidden City. Although the earth was in great difficulty, the American emperor and the Japanese chieftains met with hatred.
(End of chapter)
