After listening to Wang Bin's introduction, everyone started talking. After a while, Zhao Tai said, "If you have any methods that can be used, please give them a try."
A person's wisdom is limited and he will not think too comprehensively.
The Qi army was more capable of fighting and could compete with the Mongolian army. The main reason was that from the beginning, Zhao Tai encouraged the soldiers to display their subjective initiative, was willing to listen to the opinions of the soldiers, and also encouraged them to use their own brains.
However, the Qi army was mainly infantry and cavalry, and had not fought water battles before, so it did lack experience in this area.
The generals deliberated for a while before Li Chunzhu clasped his fists and tried to speak: "Your Majesty, the Tatars responded quickly, mainly because our boat was small and rowed slowly. After they discovered us, they were able to calmly mobilize their horse troops to stop us. I thought we still had to find a way. , let the Tatars discover our ferry later."
Zhao Tai nodded slightly, "Then we can only wait for the foggy days, or operate at night. However, I don't know when the foggy days will come. Operating after dark can delay the discovery of the Tatars, but it will also affect the The army crossed the river and could not see clearly the reliable shoals on the south bank.”
When a ship crosses a river and docks at the shore, a pier is required for the ship to dock.
Because the ship will draft, especially a large ship, the draft is very deep, and it is easy to run aground if it cannot find a suitable location.
If it is very close to the shore, the soldiers can still wade ashore after being stranded. If it is a few hundred meters away, the soldiers jump out of the boat and wade into the water. Their cotton-padded clothes will be completely wet, and with their heavy armor, they will have no strength before they get ashore.
Wang Bin said: "When crossing the river, you can choose the fourth watch. When the fleet approaches the south bank, it will be dawn. This will not only delay the time for the Tatars to discover us, but also will not affect the fleet's landing."
Zhao Tai nodded, "Okay, the time to cross the river will be on the fourth watch."
After determining the time to cross the river, it was necessary to determine the location and time, and everyone discussed again.
For a while, some people suggested forcibly crossing near Chuzhou, while others suggested going downstream, each with their own reasons.
At this time, Zhao Tai looked at Lu Wende, who was standing at the bottom, and couldn't help asking: "Jing Xiu, you served in the Huaixi Army. Do you have any suggestions for forcibly crossing the Huaihe River?"
The Qi army has no navy, but the Song army has a very powerful navy and can dominate East Asia. It will definitely have some experience in this kind of forced crossing.
Lu Wende hurriedly came out. He was not quite used to this kind of pre-war meeting between the Qi army.
After all, in the Song Dynasty, the superiors had the final say on how to fight. In the Northern Song Dynasty, it was even so outrageous that the imperial court could even arrange for you how the generals would march and form formations.
When it comes to the Song Army's battles, the decisions are almost always made by the people above and implemented by the people below. They rarely ask for the opinions of lower-level officers.
Lu Wende originally thought he was just here to listen. He clasped his fists and saluted. He hesitated for a moment and then said: "Reporting to the king, I am crossing the river at the river. It is difficult for me to say. However, I am brave enough to tell you about the details of crossing the river!"
Zhao Tai smiled and said: "Just say it, as long as it helps to cross the river and reduce losses, I will count you as a credit!"
After listening to Zhao Tai's words, Lu Wende found that he recognized Qi Jun more and more.
Because during the Song Army, Shangguan would never cherish the lives of lower-level soldiers so much.
Lu Wende cheered up and said: "The river is deep in the middle and shallow on both sides. Large ships can travel in the middle, but only small boats can travel on the shore. I thought that the fleet was close to the south bank, so I should use small boats and rafts with shallow drafts to rush directly to the river beach and send the vanguard to the south bank. The large ship is too deep to dock, so the deck is equipped with giant crossbows to cover the vanguard. After the vanguard lands, one is to occupy the beach, and the other is to quickly organize people to use small boats and rafts to build a dock, so that the soldiers on the big ship can go directly from the dock. Come ashore.”
It is March now, and the weather in Huaibei is getting warmer, but the soldiers are still wearing cotton-padded clothes.
If the cotton-padded clothes and the armor on the body fall into the water, even if they wade ashore, they will not have the strength to continue fighting. Those with weak physical strength will not even be able to walk ashore.
The large ship cannot approach the shore because of its deep draft. The bows and arrows on the ship have a limited range. However, if they are equipped with giant crossbows and crossbow beds, they can cover the landing troops from a distance and shoot the approaching Mongolian troops, but the Mongolian troops are unable to attack the big ship.
Zhao Tai nodded frequently and said to Wang Bin with great joy: "Military advisor, please write it down."
Wang Bin saluted, "Here! These details are indeed very valuable for forcibly crossing and seizing the beach."
Zhao Tai looked at Lu Wende again, "Jing Xiu, keep talking!"
Lu Wende was encouraged and thought for a while, "Report to the king! If they land from one place, it will be easier for the Tatars to gather troops for defense. It is easy for them to gather troops on the shore, but it will be difficult for us to transport troops from the north bank. In my estimation, we can transport the soldiers across the river at one time , certainly not as many as the Tatars on the south coast. Therefore, I thought we still had to find ways to disperse the Tatar forces."
Now Zhao Tai has 300 small ships and 20 large ships coming from Haizhou.
According to Wang Bin's statistics, the Qi army forcibly crossed the Haihe River and used all the ships. They could only send 7,000 soldiers and the necessary equipment to the south bank at a time, while the Mongolian army on the other side had nearly 10,000 cavalry.
If they only land at one point, the Mongolian army can concentrate its forces on defense, and then use its superior force to drive the landing Qi army down the Huaihe River.
Zhao Tai nodded and said solemnly: "That makes sense! The first wave can only transport less than ten thousand people, and the second wave of reinforcements will take at least half a day to cross the river. If the forward cannot stand its ground, then crossing the river will inevitably fail."
Wang Bin stroked his beard and suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I have a plan!"
"Oh?" Zhao Tai looked at him, "Commenter, please tell me!"
Wang Bin said: "Since the Tatars have arranged patrols along the Huaihe River, we will take advantage of the unclear vision at night to arrange rafts downstream with torches on them, and use bluff to make the Mongolian army mistakenly think that we are crossing the river from the lower reaches. If we can bring some of the Tatars If we lead the river downstream, our chances of winning by force will greatly increase."
Zhao Taixi said: "This is a good plan! When the Tatars find out that it is a bluff and turn back, our vanguard will already occupy the beach. By then, as long as our infantry successfully forms a formation and the Tatar cavalry turns back, they will not be able to stop us from crossing the river!"
Having said this, the location of crossing the river can also be determined.
Wang Bin then said: "Since we have arranged suspicious soldiers downstream, the place to cross the river can only be in Chuzhou."
Zhao Tai nodded and said: "Yes! Although the Tatars will definitely focus on defending the Chuzhou section, if they land in Chuzhou, the defenders in the city will definitely send reinforcements when they see it!"
At that moment, Zhao Tai ordered his generals to continue the discussion. Many officers brainstormed and offered suggestions and supplements. From grand strategies to small details, as long as they could reduce losses, Zhao Tai would write them down one by one.
After no one added anything, Zhao Taisui waved his hand domineeringly, "Okay! It's settled! The army will practice for three days according to the plan, and after three days, the fourth watch will forcefully cross the Huaihe River!"
When many officers saw Zhao Tai's order, they immediately clasped their fists together, their armor and stomach rumbling, "Here!"
