On the north bank of the Huaihe River, a large number of Mongolian cavalry galloped eastward towards Lianshui.
From the water stronghold of the Song Army in Chuzhou, warships came out one after another, gathered briefly on the river, and then went eastward along the river.
At dawn, all the Song troops on the pier on the opposite bank had been killed by the Mongolian troops, and three pontoon bridges appeared on the river.
In order to allow the Mongolian army to cross the river quickly, Li Fen prepared for more than a month in advance and found enough materials.
On the river, dozens of wooden boats were connected end to end, with planks on them, and long ropes were pulled up. The Mongolian soldiers on the north bank stepped on the pontoon and led their horses to the south bank quickly.
Li Fen and others stood at the end of the bridge, looking at the pontoon. When they saw someone approaching, they quickly stepped forward and saluted, "Your Majesty!"
Kuoduan stepped onto the land on the south bank, his face full of contentment, "How many people and horses are crossing the river?"
Li Fen said: "Reporting to the prince, there should be 50,000 people coming over. In another hour, all the people on the north bank will be able to cross the river."
Kuo Duan nodded slightly, "What the southerners hold is the natural danger of the Huaihe River. Now that I am crossing the river, what can the southerners do to me?"
As he spoke, he looked around at the troops gathered on the bank and asked, "When the army crossed the river, how did the Southern Song army react?"
"Report to the prince! After the Song army warned, a Song army came to intercept, but was directly dispersed by the Mongolian cavalry." Li Fen said: "But now that the Southern Song Dynasty has learned that we have crossed the river, there will definitely be more troops coming here to kill."
Kuo Duan nodded, "The army cannot stay here any longer and must move quickly. Now I order you~"
"Your Majesty! Song Army warships!" Before Kuo Duan finished speaking, someone pointed at the river and exclaimed.
Kuo Duan turned around and saw a large number of Song Army warships on the upstream river flowing down the river.
Kuo Duan and Li Fen's expressions changed instantly. They didn't expect the Southern Song Navy to arrive so quickly.
"Quick! Let the people on the north bank speed up to cross the river!" Kuo Duan shouted immediately.
The military order was conveyed, and the Mongolian troops passed by running for a while. The pontoon bridge shook as if it was about to collapse.
At this time, the warships of the Southern Song Dynasty went down the river, as fast as galloping horses, and arrived near the pontoon bridge in the blink of an eye. The Song soldiers on the ship operated stone cannons, aimed at the pontoon bridge, and smashed them hard. The stones splashed in the water and splashed water columns.
The soldiers on the bow of the ship operated the crossbow bed and shot down the Mongolian troops on the bridge one after another. The Mongolian troops could not escape. They were either hit by arrows and fell into the water, or they jumped into the Huaihe River themselves.
The Southern Song Dynasty warship did not slow down and directly hit the pontoon bridge. The huge impact force directly knocked the pontoon bridge away.
In the blink of an eye, the three pontoon bridges were destroyed by the Song army. The Song army's warships swam on the river and shot the Mongolian soldiers who fell into the water with bows and arrows.
Kuo Duan saw such a scene, but remained calm. It was expected that the Song Army's navy would cut off his retreat. "Don't panic! Li Fen, you first have people put the ship away, and then lead troops to directly outflank Chuzhou."
There are at least 20,000 people on the north bank who have not come over, which makes Li Fen feel a little unsure, "Your Majesty, the enemy troops in Chuzhou are heavily gathered. I'm afraid I won't be able to capture Chuzhou."
Kuo Duan said in a deep voice: "You don't need to take Chuzhou, you just need to contain and help the Song army in Chuzhou. I will lead the army to go south immediately. In less than a month, the Southern Song Dynasty will sue for peace."
Kuo Duan's plan was to tear a hole in the Huai River, and then use the advantage of the cavalry to quickly pass through the Huai River defense line where the Southern Song army had assembled, and directly insert into Yangzhou.
With the emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, seeing the Mongolian army so fast and fierce, he must have been frightened out of fear, and it was possible to directly go to sea by boat.
By then, as soon as Shi Miyuan acted in Lin'an, Zheng Qingzhi and Zhao Fan would have to step down, and he could sign a peace agreement with Shi Miyuan and return home with a full load.
It was decided at the moment that Kuo Duan would leave five thousand men and horses to guard the ferry being dragged ashore. Then the troops would be divided into two groups. Li Fen would lead an army of 35,000 and attack Chuzhou directly. Kuo Duan would lead 10,000 Mongolian cavalry and rush towards Chuzhou. South interspersed.
Kuoduan had a map provided by Shi Miyuan and knew where the Southern Song garrison was. The Mongolian cavalry avoided it and galloped towards Yangzhou.
At this time, a large number of Song troops in Chuzhou City gathered out of the city, preparing to launch a counterattack and drive the Mongols down the Huaihe River.
Zhao Fan got on his horse and was about to lead his troops on the expedition when a horse came galloping towards him, "Report!"
Seeing this, Zhao Fan pulled his horse aside and stationed his horse in front of the city gate. He waited for the cavalry to gallop up to him and reported: "Ms. sir, after the Mongols crossed the river, they divided their troops into two groups, heading towards Chuzhou all the way. South!"
Zhao Fan couldn't help frowning when he heard this and asked: "How many people are coming to Chuzhou, and how many people are going south?"
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, I saw the enemy's flag. The troops coming to Chuzhou are Li Fen's troops, with nearly 40,000 horses. The troops heading south are Mongolian troops, with nearly 10,000 horses!" the scout reported.
Zhao Fan was silent for a moment. He thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out, so he got off his horse and said, "Bring the map!"
At this time, the soldiers took out the map, and the generals got off their horses and surrounded them. They squatted on the ground and spread out the map.
"The scouts found out that Li Fen had 40,000 people rushing towards Chuzhou, and 10,000 Mongolian soldiers marched south. What do the Mongols want to do?" Zhao Fan asked doubtfully.
"Yes, Li Fen only has 40,000 men, so he definitely can't conquer Chuzhou. And why are the Mongols so anxious to run south?" The generals were also puzzled.
"The Mongols invaded in large numbers and must capture Chuzhou. Otherwise, the subsequent troops will not be able to cross the river. Without support, they will be trapped and die in Huainan." Another general said: "Now Li Fen's 40,000 people, at most It can only contain us, but it cannot pose a threat to Chuzhou, and it may even be eaten by us."
Zhao Fan stared at the map, frowning and thinking, but at this moment, another horse galloped over and dismounted, "Inform your husband, the Mongolian cavalry going south is going south along Maluo Port, intending to pass through Sheyangze! "
When Zhao Fan heard this, thunder exploded in his mind, and he instantly understood the Mongolian army's intentions.
He had been using military ideas to analyze the Mongolian army's actions before, but now he understood that the Mongolian army was not invading the land of the Southern Song Dynasty, nor was it trying to capture Chuzhou.
Their purpose was just to get the main war faction of the Southern Song Dynasty to step down.
Therefore, the Mongolian army sent Li Fen to contain him, and then the Qingqi advanced rapidly and drank the Yangtze River. The resulting political influence was enough to make the emperor angry and severely punish them, the main war faction.
Thinking of this, Zhao Fan became a little uneasy, "No, if the Mongolian army passes through Sheyangze, they can directly enter the Gaoyou Army and then march to Yangzhou."
"Ms. sir, if they go deep alone, aren't they looking for death? Moreover, the situation in Sheyangze is complicated. Without a guide, the Mongolian army cannot penetrate at all." A general said.
In order to defend against powerful enemies in the north, the Southern Song Dynasty used water networks in Hebei to resist the Liao Kingdom. In Huainan, a system was also artificially established to use rivers, lakes, and swamps to resist the invasion from the north.
This system is a supplement to the Huaihe River defense line. Even if the enemy crosses the Huaihe River, it will be difficult to advance quickly because of the water network, swamps and lakes in Huainan.
However, Zhao Fan is no longer sure whether this system is still working. He is keenly aware that someone has provided Mongolia with information about the Song Dynasty's defense in Huainan.
Zhao Fan said with a stern face, "If the Mongols dare to cross Sheyangze, they must have obtained a map that passes through Sheyangze. If they pass through Sheyangze and appear under Yangzhou City, they don't need to capture Yangzhou. I and Prime Minister Zheng will You have to go out into the field, do you understand?”
Several generals didn't know much about politics, and their faces were full of astonishment, but Zhao Fan said anxiously: "Quickly prepare pen and paper for me. I want to write a letter to Prime Minister Zheng and Zhao Kui immediately."
In Lin'an, just as the Mongolian army crossed the Huaihe River and marched south, Shi Miyuan got on the carriage and went to the palace, preparing to launch his counterattack.
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