Shaanjin Ferry is located in the east of Shaanzhou City, and together with Fengling Ferry and Dayu Ferry, it is known as the three major ferry crossings on the Yellow River. The salt produced in Jiezhou is transported from the north and transported downstream through the Yellow River. The geographical location is very important and it is known as the "Iron Wharf."
After the Jin Army occupied Shaanzhou, the salt from Jiezhou was no longer transported southward, and it became much deserted in the past two years. Many of the ferries on the river are in disrepair and tied to the shore.
The Song Army's battle plan to attack Shaanzhou was for Zhang Chi to lead his troops to first seize the ferry and cross the river to the north. Occupy Pinglu County on the other side of the Yellow River and block the Jin army's northward path. For this reason, some people rowed boats across the river a few days ago, and boatmen were brought over from Maojin and other villages.
By the starlight, Zhang Chi looked at the ancient ferry in the night. He asked Mao Balang beside him: "During the day, I saw that the boat at the ferry was dilapidated. Can it really carry people?"
Mao Balang said with confidence: "Don't worry, Lieutenant, we can cross it. Those boats are our food and clothing, and people often come to see them on weekdays, so I know it well. When we cross the river, there are nearly twenty ferries in our village, all open Come here, the army will pass quickly."
Zhang Chi took a breath and let it out gently. Said: "My army of three thousand depends on Dad!"
Mao Balang said: "Peace of mind, peace of mind! You are members of the imperial court, how dare we be careless in the slightest! We will risk our lives to get you through!"
Zhang Chi nodded, looked at the ancient ferry in front, and said nothing for a long time.
In Shaanzhou City, Ba Lisu was sitting in the official hall, frowning. He looked down at the leisurely candlelight and said nothing for a long time.
Wo Side said: "Lang Jun, it's already late at night, so it's better to have a rest early. Zhe Keqiu only came to Longmen, Zheng Jianchong will definitely not come to Shaanzhou. I heard people say that Zheng Jianchong made it clear that if our three armies attack Luoyang, Zhe Keqiu will not come to Shaanxi Province." If you don’t get it, he won’t march into the army.”
Ba Lisu sighed: "I don't think it's strange now that Zheng Jiancheng can't come. Wang Xiao's army of 100,000 men is not comparable to other Song armies. How can we, 40,000 to 50,000 men, dare to attack Luoyang? Alas, those who were at Jingmen back then At that time, I once fought against Wang Xiaolie and lost several battles, so I had to take a detour. Now Wang Xiaolie's men are strong and powerful, and they are not as strong as that time. How could I ignore this matter and compare Wang Xiaolie to other Song Dynasty soldiers? Military competition? The matter has come to this, we can only station troops in Shaanzhou, and wait until Keqiu comes. Only when the three armies are united can we have the strength to fight. "
Wo Side said: "If you say so, we have less than 70,000 soldiers and horses, so we are not sure of victory in Luoyang."
Ba Lisu said: "I hope Liu Lin's troops can attract tens of thousands of Wang Xiaolie. In addition, Wang Xiaolie has many prefectures and counties to defend, and Luoyang will not have too many soldiers."
Wo Side said: "After all, we still have to sit and wait in Shaanzhou. Why do you worry, sir? Take a rest early."
Ba Lisu said: "What worries me is that in recent days, our cavalry cannot reach the east of Shaanzhou City. As soon as they arrive at the east of the city, no matter how many people there are, they will disappear without a trace. There are some people in the Song Army who have this ability. It’s only Wang Xiaolie’s army. What are they planning on using me as a ranger?”
Wo Side said: "As I say, just send two to three thousand people out. Can the Song army still hold it?"
Ba Lisu said: "Since ancient times, how can there be such a war? Reconnaissance has always relied on rangers, and two or three thousand people are enough to do it alone."
After saying that, he shook his head again: "Today is different from the past, or do we really have to send thousands of people out? Let's see what's weird in the east. It's not normal for Wang Xiao to hunt tens of thousands of troops to guard Xin'an and Mianchi. Mianchi The terrain in this area is difficult. If you want to defend it, ten thousand people are too many. How can you send tens of thousands of people? If there are tens of thousands of people there, how can the Song army transport food and grass? This war is really different from previous wars. !”
Wo Side said: "Don't worry, Mr. Lang. I will lead two thousand people out of the city tomorrow and go all the way to Mianchi to see what the Song army is doing!"
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
Ba Lisu said: "With two thousand people, I'm afraid that if you go a hundred or two hundred miles, you will be surrounded by the Song army. Wang Xiaolie is different from other Song generals. If we have any flaws, he will definitely catch us. You The maximum distance beyond Shaanzhou is fifty miles, and any further away will be very dangerous."
After saying that, Ba Li quickly stood up and walked out of the door. Looking at the twinkling stars in the sky, he said: "In this battle, I was really too reckless. We should clarify Wang Xiaolie's arrangements in Luoyang and raise a large army. Now in Shaanzhou, it is difficult to ride a tiger."
Outside the city, Zhang Yin stood on the hillside, looking at the Shaanzhou City in the night. After a while, he said to his staff officer Xu Changxing: "There are 23,000 people in Balisu. Except for one or two thousand people who have occupied nearby counties, they are all crowded in Shaanzhou City. According to the latest news, the food in the city has been exhausted." They were almost eating them up, and some of the people were starving to death. I used to think that the Jin army was like heavenly soldiers and generals, and they tried their best, but they couldn't stop them. Looking at it now, I feel that they have flaws everywhere. I have an army of 40,000 people. He can be defeated easily.”
Xu Changxing said: "Our artillery has been pulled down to the city. It is not difficult to defeat Ba Lisu. However, Commander Ji has repeatedly ordered that it is best to annihilate the Jin army and not let them escape one by one. To annihilate them, we must not easy."
Zhang Yindao: "Yes, it is not difficult to win the battle, but annihilation is difficult. In this battle, first look at whether Zhang Chi can firmly occupy the north bank of the Yellow River. Secondly, look at Shao Ling, whether he can capture Lingbao and block the Jin army from escaping westward. The road. If it’s not to completely annihilate Lidai’s army, why should I bother!”
Xu Changxing nodded and said nothing.
Wang Xiaolie made it clear to these subordinates why he wanted to fight a war of annihilation. In the overall situation, although the Jin army is strong, its numbers are small. Once it is annihilated, it lacks vitality to replenish it. As long as they fight a few annihilation battles, the Jin Army will not be able to organize a major battle, and the Song Army will take the strategic initiative. Like the Jin military force, if they are not given time to digest the occupied areas, they can only spin up and down.
If Wang Xiaolie could annihilate 100,000 Jin troops, the Jurchens would no longer be able to hold up such a big position, and the vast areas they occupied would rebel everywhere. At that time, destruction is not far away.
It's just that the principles are clear, but it's not easy to do it. With 40,000 troops, it would be very difficult to annihilate more than 20,000 people. This can only be done by making full use of the terrain and completely blocking the enemy's path. The key to this battle is for Zhang Chi to cross the river as quickly as possible and firmly occupy Pinglu County.
Zhang Yin turned around and looked down the mountain. Tonight, the Song Army will pull artillery outside Shaanzhou City and seal several city gates so that the Jin Army will not be able to come out tomorrow. Wait until Zhang Chi captures the north bank of the Yellow River tomorrow before starting to attack the city.
With the help of artillery, it is not difficult to break through Shaanzhou City. The difficulty is to prevent the Jin army from leaving the city and quickly complete the deployment around Shaanzhou.
Shaanzhou is a big city, and there are horse faces outside the city gate. If the cannon fires directly, it will be difficult to reward the Jin army in the city. They can line up behind the horse and then rush out in formation. With more than a hundred cannons in Zhang Yin's hands, Zhang Yin was not sure whether he could seal Shaanzhou.
