Linhe.
This is a large river about a few hundred meters wide. It is a branch of the northern basin and runs diagonally for hundreds of miles. It is the only waterway to enter Wuxia Pass from the southeast.
The problem Xuanjun is facing now is actually very serious.
Despite the large number of troops, this is not a battle in the waters of the Yangtze River. There are no naval warships. The only solution to crossing the river is to hurry up and build large ships. Forget about big ships.
It is simply impossible to carry an army of 200,000 in a small boat, not to mention that there are tens of thousands of ghost troops on the opposite side stationed along the river bank.
In the past month, after the Xuan army was stationed, they moved up and down to cut down wood and rush to make wood. In addition, the nearby people heard the news and came to help one after another, so they could only afford about 200 small boats. The rest were mostly rafts that could carry troops. , the total number of people is about five thousand.
In other words, Xuan's army could only cross the river with 5,000 troops in the first trip. If it succeeded, the follow-up troops could come up. If it failed, the war would have failed.
You can see how difficult it is.
Before completing the battle of crossing the river, Yanqi first carried out a series of pre-war deployments, which are summarized as follows:
First, make all adequate preparations for crossing the river, including mastering the terrain, wind direction, and current, as well as increasing the speed of the warship.
Second, personally take a small boat and lead a reconnaissance to explore the defensive position of the ghost army on the opposite river bank and its general troop deployment.
Third, make certain war deductions.
A lot of energy and time were spent on this, but it was just necessary for the war. It is not difficult to see from this Yan Qi's ability to command troops.
On this day, as usual, he took his generals to the vicinity of Crab Mountain.
Xizi Mountain, in the middle section of Linhe River, is on the opposite bank. It is a medium-sized hillside. The ghost army has some troops there, condescendingly, and has a stronghold to prevent crossing the river.
Although the river here is very wide, the flow is relatively gentle because the river curves, forming an arc that projects eastward.
Seeing that he always came here to inspect the terrain from time to time, the general beside him couldn't help but ask: "Is Commander Yan planning to cross the river from here?"
"There is this idea, but it cannot be implemented yet." Yan Qi said, because they lacked the tools to cross the river, and once the warship appeared on the river, it would definitely arouse the enemy's alert.
While he was talking, he shifted his gaze and suddenly found a peasant woman washing clothes by the river, so he couldn't help but walk over.
This seemed to be a place where people nearby often did laundry, with an obvious stone platform. The peasant woman had a lot of clothes to wash, but she didn't notice anyone coming behind her. There was also a huge wooden barrel beside her.
The barrel has a rope buckle, so it can be carried on your back.
"This sister-in-law." Yan Qi stepped forward and greeted with a smile.
"Ah?" The woman came back to her senses and saw that it was General Xuan Jun. She quickly stood up, wiped her hands on her clothes, and said at a loss: "General...General."
The Xuan army came to expel the foreigners, and the local people had not had time to cheer. Of course they were not afraid, but some tension was inevitable.
Seeing this, Yan Qi smiled again and said in a gentle voice: "Now that the war is approaching, the ghost tribe is on the other side, why are you still here doing laundry?"
"General, forgive me." The woman said truthfully: "People in our neighborhood depend on this forest river. They do laundry, fishing and other things here. There is really nothing we can do. If it hinders the military affairs of the generals, civilian women know crime."
"Sister-in-law, you are serious. You and I are all compatriots. This time we came here to drive away foreign enemies." Yan Qi said.
After hearing this, the woman suddenly became a little excited: "General, those damn ghost tribesmen are so heartless that they are simply demons. You must defeat them..."
"This is natural." Yan Qi said, glanced at the big wooden barrel, pointed at it and said: "What is the use of this barrel?"
"This." The woman took a look and said, "This is a specialty of our Linhe area. We ordinary people are also used to it. Every household has big ones and small ones. They can hold a lot of things and make water tanks. That's okay. Sometimes, if something is heavy, you can put it on the water and push it along the river..."
Hearing this, Yan Qi interrupted her: "The wooden barrel is a load-bearing object, placed on the water, and can be pushed away?"
"Yes, it's very convenient." The woman nodded.
Yan Qi's heart moved, "Can you lend me this barrel?"
"Of course, General, please excuse me." The woman did not hesitate. She had nothing to say to the national army.
Yan Qi thanked him, and then gestured to the general: "Come up."
"Ah?" General Pian didn't respond.
"Let you go up!" Yan Qi repeated.
"Ah, yes, yes." The general finally understood. He quickly put the barrel on the river and jumped in again.
But as soon as he entered the barrel, the barrel tilted instantly due to the unbalanced force.
With a pop, he fell into the water, and then he immediately came up and said: "Shuai Yan, this, this can't work..."
"Well..." Yan Qi also frowned and thought deeply.
The general hurriedly came ashore, covered in water, while the woman beside him looked stunned.
After a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up: "A wooden barrel can easily become unbalanced, but if four wooden barrels, two on each side, are tightly tied together..."
General Pian was stunned: "General, what you mean is..."
"God is really helping me!" Yan Qi's eyes flashed and he looked at the woman: "Sister-in-law, is there a bigger barrel than this in your village?"
The woman didn't know what she meant and stammered: "There are... some, some are big, and they can hold five or six people inside..."
"Okay!" Yan Qi was overjoyed and immediately ordered to the general: "Go quickly! Invite all the village chiefs from the nearby villages."
"No!" Pian Jiang accepted the order with his fists clasped.
What the Xuan army lacks now is not troops, not food and grass, but tools for crossing the river!
Under his order, the general began to hurriedly search for the village chief of the nearby village. He himself found a few more wooden barrels of similar size, tied two on each side, and tied them together tightly, and tried again. It is indeed more stable than a small boat.
In the afternoon of the same day, Xuanjun opened his tent.
Several nearby village chiefs had been invited over, and they all bowed their hands in the tent and saluted: "I have seen the general."
"Excuse me, everyone." Yan Qi stood above, stretched out his hand, and said with a smile: "I invite you here today. In fact, I want you to do a favor to our army."
As he spoke, he explained the need to borrow barrels from local farmers.
After several village chiefs listened, they didn't say anything. Someone immediately said: "It is our duty to expel foreign enemies. General, if you need anything, we and the villagers will do our best to help!"
"good!"
Yan Qi Dayue: "It won't be too late. I hope you all can return to the village as soon as possible."
"Yes, I'll take my leave..."
The matter was settled quickly, and after the village chiefs were sent away, Yan Qi also raised his eyes and glanced at the generals, and then said in a loud voice:
"I want to launch a battle across the river in three days!"
When the generals of the Xuan Army heard this, they cheered up!
