Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

The mighty fleet goes north along the river, all the way straight into Youzhou...

Chapter 508, Battle of Sanggan River ([-])

In the early morning, the mist on the Sanggan River had not cleared, and the two armies faced each other across the river. The Qin army got up early, buried pots and cooked food, and the whole army had breakfast.

Because the scouts from the southeast came back in the middle of the night yesterday, they had already contacted the navy. The navy was blocked on the road, but I assured them that they would arrive tomorrow morning.

In the distance, the deep twilight on the horizon has not dissipated, and the outlines of the mountains are covered with a layer of hazy dark red edges, and it is impossible to see what is hidden under those shadows.

However, Li Chuyun was sure that some people would be panicked and frightened.

"Will the navy arrive in time?" Guo Jin asked suspiciously as he stood beside Li Chuyun, looking at the only light in the distance.

"The general said yes."

"It's not easy to dredge the river. I used to be the governor of Zizhou. When I dredged the river, let alone a few boats, even when the mountain torrent broke out in May and June, it would be difficult to clear a few trees into the river. It took half a month." Guo Jin said in disbelief,

"The scouts said that the Liao army scuttled many ships in the south"

What he said was full of worry.

"You mean that General Si lied about the military situation."

Guo Jin didn't answer, Si Chao was the oldest general in the group, "What the last general means is that we shouldn't put all our expectations on the navy, we should be prepared here.

If the navy doesn't arrive in time, I also need to be able to attack independently. "

Li Chuyun glanced at Guo Jin, and said, "General Guo's words are also reasonable."

He believed in Si Chao very much in his heart, because compared to Guo Jin, who joined Qin's core generals group later, Si Chao and him joined the government together. They both joined during the Huainan War, and they both fought Huainan together. battle.

When it comes to feelings, Guo Jin is completely incomparable to Si Chao, so at the beginning when Guo Jin questioned Si Chao, Li Chuyun felt a little sullen, but he calmed down quickly, looking at the densely packed fortress with the Liao army on the other side, he felt that he The words are not entirely unreasonable.

After being with the officials for a long time, he has learned one thing, that is, it is okay to vent, but the mind must be calm.

When outsiders look at the official's work, they always feel that he is scolding, lustful and greedy for money, which seems to have nothing to do with what scholars call a benevolent emperor.

But gradually he also understood the official's behavior style. Officials like to yell and yell when they encounter things, or they are greedy for money and lust without hiding it, but that is just a kind of catharsis. make a judgment.

Not everyone has this ability.

Thinking of this, Li Chuyun also suppressed his inner dissatisfaction, calmly considered Guo Jin's suggestion, thought twice, and saw that after the brighter sky, some light had already dyed the top of the mountain far behind into gold, he said: "If the sky is bright, Afterwards, there was no news from the south, so we started building rafts."

Guo Jin nodded, and both of them looked at the opposite bank. The river was pitch black, and the sound of running water could still be heard. The Liao army on the opposite bank had already risen one after another, and many fortresses by the river were lit up, making the river surface become sparkling in a short while. Lin.

The shore was like a long bright dragon. Many people were looking at the river, and some people ran to the river to drink water and wash their faces. From time to time, some people would shout a few curse words at them in broken Chinese. …

The tranquility of the early morning has not been broken, the air is fresh and cold, and the tension of the confrontation between the two armies is still pervasive. It is not an easy task to face off on the river bank for several miles. If it takes a long time, both armies will be exhausted.

After a while, the east side became brighter and brighter, and the long shadow cast by the woods behind the self-camp covered all the Liao troops. In a more distant place, the outline of Youzhou City was looming.

Most of the soldiers of the Qin army had assembled, looking across from the shore.

In the shadow of dawn, the Liao army did not notice their assembly, and the Qin army, which already had more than 1 people, was on the front line for several miles.

Most of the eyes of the people were on the lower reaches of the Sanggan River. Time passed bit by bit, but the agreed fleet still hadn't arrived.

Li Chuyun, Li Hanchao and others all boarded the sentry tower by the river early and looked south.

Li Jilong, Meng Xuanzhe, and Guo Jin had already gone to the front to lead the troops and wait.

Under the calm, everyone was anxiously waiting for the fleet coming from downstream. This time, there was no conflict between the navy and the army, but eagerness and anxiety like lovers.

Soon, in the mountains to the east, half of the sun has been exposed, and the fiery red sun is shining, sprinkled into the sky, and the Sanggan River is blood-red, as if it is full of blood, reflecting on both sides of the river, making people feel like a dream, and there is a strange feeling in their hearts. full of unease.

Looking at the scenery here, the river was red with blood, the young scholar Zhang Qixian said: "This may be a sign, here today, it is destined to flow into a river of blood."

More veterans on the battlefield did not say a word. They had a wide range of knowledge, had seen far more tragic and terrifying scenes than this, experienced more cruel and terrifying scenes, and did not have so much poetic charm.

Li Hanchao stroked his beard with a smile and said: "Back then, the officials killed tens of thousands of Khitan people in Guanbei, and the corpses piled up into mountains, and the piles were even with the city wall. That's called blood flowing into rivers."

After speaking, his gaze was still downstream.

Chaoyang gradually dissipated the sporadic morning mist, and everyone was looking forward to it, feeling uneasy.

Just when Li Chuyun was a little shaken, the sharp-eyed scout shouted: "White! There are white things."

Li Chuyun immediately looked at the downstream river bend, a piece of white higher than the woods on both sides, shining in the morning light, like a layer of gold edging, especially dazzling, it is cutting through the shelter of the woods, moving towards the upstream direction.

"It's a sail! It must be a sail!" Someone shouted.

"Such a big sail must be a navy ship!"

"There's no wind, what are they Yang Fan doing?"

"Nonsense, it must be for us to see, it's five or six miles away, you can see it if you don't have a sail"

The people next to him were talking about it, and Li Chuyun was also excited, but he tried his best to restrain his emotions, and only said: "Let the scouts look at it."

But before he finished speaking, a few fast horses in the distance passed over the tents of the barracks, followed the avenue in the barracks to the sentry tower, and came up with the correct command, and said excitedly: "Commander, the navy has arrived at the river bend downstream. Now, about four miles away, thirty gunboats are leading the way, and they are all here! They said they were waiting for the command of the commander-in-chief.

General Si also asked me to tell the commander-in-chief that two-thirds of the navy's artillery had been concentrated on the starboard side overnight. "

Li Chuyun immediately became excited. Thirty gunboats didn't sound like much, but they already accounted for [-]% of the country's gunboats. Those ships were all black, big and heavy gunboats.

Thirty ships, equipped with about [-] Type [-] naval guns, even considering the balance of the hull, can only use two-thirds of the starboard side, which is almost four to five hundred naval guns. The fortress group was sent to the west.

Among the temporary forts, camps, and sentry towers of the Liao army on the opposite bank of the river, the rammed-earth fortress was probably specially set up to deal with their field artillery.

It is true that the fortress field gun with rammed earth and masonry structure does not hurt or itch, but the naval gun is different. He has observed it for a long time, and the artillery team has far overestimated the thickness. They all feel that the power of the naval gun can easily It collapsed.

Li Chuyun immediately ordered: "Let the water army come up, enter the confrontation river section, line up, and destroy the fortress on the other side with firepower. Follow-up transport ships came up with [-] ships to erect the pontoon bridge. The Liao people destroyed the ship and the bridge."

After thinking for a while, he added: "Let Guo go in and guide the naval bombardment."

The orderly immediately went to carry out the order.

Then Li Chuyun hurriedly got off the sentry tower and summoned all the messengers: "Quickly send an order to all the troops and say that the navy has arrived. Everyone is ready to cross the river. Gather the six artillery battalions to the forced crossing point and prepare to cover the troops to cross the river." .”

Chapter 509, Battle of Sanggan River ([-])

March 22, the second year of Kangding, is destined to be recorded in history.

The Qin army assembled an unprecedented artillery force in Sangganhe. This is the accumulation of the Qin State for more than ten years, and it is also the artillery force of more than [-]% of the entire Qin State's land and water armies.

The gunboats of the Qin Army came from the lower reaches of the Sanggan River in the morning sun, passed through the lush forests on both sides, split the early cold, and entered the confrontation river section against the west bank.

The flags of Yulang and Cangbo fluttered high on the top of the mast, which is the high morning wind that cannot be touched by the low river, just like these fleets, it is an existence that the Liao people cannot understand.

A large number of Liao troops began to gather on the east bank. They noticed the river fleet, but their short bows could not reach the fleet on the west bank. Even if their strong bows could barely cover it, it would not hurt.

They didn't fully understand the threat of the fleet. They only thought that the Qin army would rely on these large ships to forcefully cross the river, so they began to gather, gather, and station troops at several ferry crossings.

Until the morning sun shines on the land to the west, the fleet of the Qin Army lined up on the Sanggan River, all the gunboats entered the firing position, and the gunners calibrated and fired at the Yuan in the calm waves of the Sanggan River.

Everything was silent, the soldiers of the Liao army were vigilant, cursing, shouting, and cheering. They thought that their timely response and defense made the Qin army fleet give up the hasty and risky plan to cross the river.

Little did they know that after the calm, across the heavy deck, more than [-] naval guns were aiming at the densely gathered Liao army at the ferry on the opposite bank and their rammed earth fortresses on the shore.

The artillerymen of the Qin Army waited calmly, just to make the east facing sun of the direct firing holes higher, so as not to affect their observation of the riverside positions in the distance, like the tranquility before the storm.

......

The red sun rises in the east with majestic momentum, and the first rays of the sun dye the green mountain gown.The charm of the mountains and rivers on credit, the rain and dew lead the guests to show...

In the eyes of Zhang Qixian, a scholar with a full stomach, the rising sun is particularly poetic, "The radiance of ten thousand zhang, just like my Great Qin, is unstoppable!" He said excitedly, behind him were a lot of prepared soldiers of the imperial army, and the soldiers didn't like this The scholar is polite, but he is also very sure that he will lead the team across the river and take the lead.

When the morning sun left the embrace of the mountains and the earth gradually brightened, the shouting and cheering of the Liao army on the other side suddenly stopped...

It wasn't that the Liao army stopped, but in an instant, the roar of artillery that shattered the heavens and the earth drowned them. More than 400 naval guns burst into dazzling orange-red light balls on the three-mile front, and the cyan smoke instantly formed a straight line on the river.

In an instant, no matter the Qin army or the Liao army, everyone fell into the illusion of deafness, as if their brains fluctuated, their ears lost their function, the ground was shaking, the river was swaying, and the branches and leaves of the forest were slightly undulating like waves.

Even for a veteran like Li Chuyun, it was the first time he witnessed such an unimaginable scene, with more than 400 naval guns firing together on several miles of battle lines.

The hustle and bustle of the Liao army was vulnerable to giant cannons, just like itself and the bunker they had placed their high hopes on.

A large number of shells tore through the air, emitting terrifying screams, and instantly crossed the river at a speed invisible to the naked eye. A few deviated moments smashed into the shallows, splashing a large amount of mud and water, and more shells fell before the Liao army looked confused. During the attack, he plunged into the densely populated crowd at the ferry, splashing a lot of flesh and blood, flying limbs, and screaming again and again.

The rammed earth fortress along the coast is like a watermelon that has been hit hard. The red blood mist permeates the yellow dust, covering the east bank in an instant. The crackling sound of people, the wails, screams, and cries of people are mixed together, like hell...

The bombardment of more than 400 naval guns continued, and the loud noise resounding on both sides of the river continued. The river surface was covered by blue, and the orange-red flowers continued to flicker in the haze.

Finally, the world seemed to continue to move forward from a standstill. Many people came back to their senses and tried to shake their heads. The screams from the other side of the river and the roar of naval guns gradually became clear...

Zhang Qixian, a scholar who experienced this kind of scene for the first time, struggled to gasp for breath, and the smell of sulfur in the air made him burst into tears and cough heavily. For a while, he lost his demeanor and lost the decency of a scholar. The soldiers behind him couldn't help covering their mouths and laughing. stand up.

The fleet on the river continued to spit out flames and smoke. The roar of artillery and the terrifying shrill whistling of shells could be heard endlessly. There were still many fish on the river surface that were shaking their bellies. Looking around, dust, smoke, and blood mist rose from the opposite side. The flames gradually filled the east bank, covering the In the morning light, a large number of birds were startled in the forest, and it was already difficult to see people.

Zhang Qixian couldn't help swallowing, it was hard to believe what would happen to him if he was on the east bank...

He witnessed those thick rammed earth castles collapsed under the bombardment, and the giant tree with thick thighs behind was accidentally hit by the shells, and then rumbled down...

And the Liao army deployed at the ferry was another tragic ending that he had never seen before. The body was torn apart, the blood mist filled the air, and it was hard to tell who was who from the large fragments. When he entered the crowd, the result was so horrifying that he felt sick even looking across the river.

Many Liao soldiers with mutilated limbs and mental breakdown wailed by the river, and even forgot to escape and what to do, and the river was stained red with blood.

At this moment, bookish Zhang Qixian finally understood what war is and what is the magic weapon for the Qin army to win...

The bombardment continued, and most of the rammed-earth forts on the opposite bank had been reduced to mounds and ruins.

At this time, the less powerful field artillery of the Qin army also started shelling. Their target was the remnants of the Liao army near the ferry.

For a while, it was even difficult to see the situation of the Liao army.

However, the artillery bombardment continued, and the fleet gunners were all experienced veterans. At this time, they had begun to gradually adjust their angles, extend their shots, and hit the rear of the position.

Even if you can't see it, the experienced gunners can guess based on experience that the morale of the Liao army has collapsed at this time, and it is retreating backwards, and the firepower coverage area is gradually moving back.

People can't run away from shells. They worked hard for a long time, still in shock, and exhausted. For the artillerymen of the Qin Army, it was just a matter of raising the barrel a few degrees.

Soon, the army's field artillery continued to bombard the opposite bank, while a large number of shells from the naval guns poured into the woods and roads further back, and the woods flew sand and rocks, crackling.

The firepower preparation lasted for about three quarters of an hour. It was the first time that such a terrifying vitality was covered, and the other side was in a mess.

Soon, the front flag was waved and the order was issued. The large ship behind the navy slowly came up and stopped and anchored at several ferry crossings. At this time, there was no sign of counterattack on the other side.

The large transport ship leaned against the east bank, put down the boards, and then thousands of sailors disembarked, landed first, and began to clean up the battlefield.

The soldiers around were yelling, angrily blaming the navy for not practicing martial arts and taking credit for their achievements, but they had nothing to do.

After waiting anxiously for nearly half an hour, the first one was built by four large navy ships, connected by iron locks in the middle, and the wooden pontoon bridge was finally laid.

The elite cavalry led by forward Li Jilong couldn't wait long ago, and rumbled across the river along the pontoon bridge to attack the Liao army. At this time, the shelling had completely stopped.

Zhang Qixian saw an unlucky man stepping on his horse's forefoot and falling into the river when he was crossing the pontoon bridge. Fortunately, he was disarmed very quickly, and he was caught by someone who was catching him desperately. With such a lesson, the people behind did not slow down in the slightest Meaning, one after another rushed across the bridge.

Soon, the second and third pontoon bridges were unblocked without interference from the Liao army. Zhang Qixian couldn't help it, and immediately led his troops across.

When he crossed the wobbly pontoon bridge and finally reached the ferry on the other side, there was no Liao soldier in sight. The water in the shoal of the ferry was deep and dark red, stumped limbs and pale corpses were floating with the waves, and the sand on the beach was dyed red. , the choking and bloody pavement came, making him very sick to his stomach.

The veteran behind him said thoughtfully: "The commander can throw up if he wants to. It's the first time we saw artillery beating people like this."

Zhang Qixian's face turned pale, and he swallowed forcefully: "It's okay, let's continue chasing!"

Soon, a large number of troops assembled on the east bank, only encountered sporadic resistance, and the disabled soldiers of the Liao army wailed and screamed everywhere.

On the east bank stretching for several miles, the dust is still spreading, dilapidated everywhere, collapsed rammed earth castles can be seen everywhere, under the ruined walls, there are still faint calls for help, completely without the rigor of before...

Looking at the devastated Liao Army positions, Zhang Qixian realized for the first time how terrifying the craftsmen of the confidential department really are. However, after actually seeing such a scene, he suddenly understood the importance of the confidential department and why the officials condoned and protected the confidential department so much.

The armies at Duhekou easily occupied the Liao army's original positions for several miles, and then began to pursue them. However, Li Jilong's vanguard cavalry troops had already pursued them under the city of Youzhou.

After noon, the dust settled and the entire front on the east bank was occupied. Zhang Qixian was ordered to advance along a small road to the east with other troops until the city of Youzhou, where many troops were left to clean up the battlefield.

He took the order and led the troops to execute it quickly. Together with other friendly troops, he opened a huge encirclement net and advanced towards Youzhou.

If it was more than ten years ago, they would never dare to spread their forces to deal with the Liao army, but this time it is completely different.

Most of the routs of the Liao army encountered along the way were already terrified and did not dare to resist at all. Seeing that the Qin army immediately surrendered, there were still a large number of corpses lying dead on the roadside. It seemed that they were chased and killed by the forward Li Jilong's troops.

When the sun was setting, their battalion had advanced more than a mile outside the city of Youzhou, occupying a village outside the city, and captured 56 people along the way. Seven or eight rebels were shot to death by their bows and crossbows in an instant. .

The friendly troops on his left and right flanks also arrived one after another and gathered under the city. By the time it got dark, more than [-] people had gathered under the city.

A large number of remnants of the defeated generals who were too late to enter the city were trapped outside the city, crying and shouting over, kneeling down to beg for surrender, and speaking broken Chinese.

There are at least a few thousand people, but many of them don't wear armor at all, and they look like young men who were temporarily arrested to make up for the number.

Regarding their life and death, Zhang Qixian and other commanders have no right to decide, they only put them all in custody, waiting for the arrival of the commander-in-chief Li Chuyun...

Chapter 510, Progress across the board