Chapter 521 Keeping Dangerous

On the 25th of the first lunar month, the first official attack of the rebels on the West Cliff Ferry on the south bank of the Yellow River finally began. The West Cliff Ferry is the only channel that can cross the river to attack Lingzhou. If you occupy this ferry, you can attack Lingzhou on a long drive, which is an important strategic place.

Zhu Huan, the king of Anhua, ordered He Jin to lead 10,000 soldiers and horses to seize the Xiya ferry and force Lingzhou. In his view, the Lingzhou court garrison had only more than 6,000 soldiers and horses. After the defense was scattered everywhere, the officers and soldiers stationed in the west cliff would not exceed 2,000. This battle should be easily won, and the army would drive down Lingzhou. However, after a day and a night of continuous attacks, the imaginary victory did not come. The terrain of the west cliff was too steep, and the Lingzhou defenders stationed on the south bank also resisted tenaciously, abruptly defending the south bank and did not let the rebels step on the opposite shore.

He Jin was forced to be helpless and had to take risks. On the night of 26th, he ordered Ding Guang to lead 2,000 soldiers and horses to cross the ice. This is very risky. Part of the Yellow River section west of Ningxia Town begins to freeze from the end of October every year. After the accumulation of a long cold winter, the ice will become thicker and thicker, and it is even more possible to drive around in the twelfth lunar month.

However, after all, it is the ice, and below is the cold and piercing river. Once the ice is loosened, there will only be a dead end. Therefore, such a dangerous plan is an unconventional method of warfare. It is only best to cross the river from the wide, flat and ice-free river at the west cliff ferry. However, in the face of Zhu Yuqi's criticism, He Jin did not care about taking any risks.

Early the next morning, good news came one after another. Ding Guang's 2,000 soldiers and horses crossed the ice undamaged and arrived at the canyon on the opposite bank without any casualties. After a half-day detour, the officers and soldiers who appeared on the south bank of the West Cliff Ferry launched an attack. How could He Jin miss such a good opportunity and ordered the army to cross the front, with the frontal attack and back and the advantage of troops. On the evening of the 27th day of the first lunar month, the West Cliff Ferry was broken, and the 1,800 officers and soldiers defending the West Cliff and two Lingzhou Weiqian were killed in battle.

The good news spread to the town of Ningxia, and Zhu Yu was overjoyed. He was ordered to reward He Jin and the front soldiers, awarding He Jin the title of vanguard, and ordered He Jin to quickly lead the army directly to Lingzhou.

The happy time is always short. Just as Zhu Yuqi was looking forward to the good hope of He Jin's army capturing Lingzhou and sweeping the northwest, only half a day later, the war report ahead came again. He Jin's army, who raised his troops south to Lingzhou, encountered officers and soldiers who came from the direction to reinforce the ferry from Lingzhou, and was blocked. Stationed in the town of yak halfway.

"He Jin, a fool, actually lied about the number of officers and soldiers and said that there were six or seven thousand soldiers and horses intercepted. It's simply nonsense. There was only one guard in Lingzhou, 2,000 soldiers and the ferry was annihilated, and there were only 4,000 left. They only dared to shrink in the city to defend, and how dare they take the initiative to attack? This He Jin has failed to live up to my expectations. Zhu Wei in the hall was furious and cursed uncontrollably.

Zhou Ang, who was fully armed, said, "Your Majesty, the last general, please lead troops on an expedition. He Jin is afraid of death, but the last general is not afraid of death. The last general has already said that He Jin still wants the prince to reward him. Does he want to be the prince?"

"Hit." Zhu Yu scolded, "What does it mean to say such a thing? You are just resentful that I have appointed Marquis He Jin. Don't let me hear another word of internal grisance, otherwise I will not forgive you.

Zhou Ang said, "The last general is just thinking about the overall situation. How can there be six or seven thousand soldiers and horses?"

Zhu Yuqi muttered and said nothing. Sun Jingwen came forward and said, "Your Majesty, maybe what He Jin said is true. We have been doing this for nine days. The court may not be able to respond yet, but the Shaanxi prefectures must have received the news. After Yang Yiqing escapes, they may make arrangements in advance. Maybe this is the soldiers and horses reinforced by Zuo Jinzhou Prefecture."

Zhu Yuqi's face looked gloomy and said, "No matter where he is a soldier and horse, I ordered He Jin to attack with all his strength and must attack Lingzhou by tomorrow morning."

......

On a large snowfield in the north of Lingzhou, a big war is about to break out. He Jin, who received Zhu's death, was ready to lead an army to forcibly attack and start a battle with the 6,000 officers and soldiers intercepted. It was not until the battle began that He Jin knew the identity of this army. They were soldiers and horses from Guyuan's security guards. Guyuan was in Lingzhou. More than 200 miles south, how this army appeared here to teach people confused; but in any case, since the prince died, He Jin had no choice.

The security guard commander was Peng Yue, who had entered Ningxia Town to lead Yang Yiqing and Qiu Yue. Before leaving that night, he talked with Yang Yiqing all night. Yang Yiqing frankly told the situation in Ningxia Town and asked Peng Yue to immediately move north and station on the side of Lingzhou after returning to Guyuan. Originally, he could not have his troops without the imperial army. He was mobilized privately, but Yang Yiqing said that he would bear all the responsibilities. Out of trust in Yang Yiqing and because of the important matter, Peng Yue immediately marched north after returning to Guyuan and rushed to Lingzhou after the Xiya Ferry was broken.

Hearing that the rebels attacked Lingzhou, Peng Yue had no time to greet Yang Yiqing and his commander Huang Zheng in Lingzhou City, so he led the army around the city to go straight to the north of Lingzhou, blocking He Jin's army halfway.

After a short trial, the two sides launched an attack. On the snowfield, the horses roared, shouting and shocking the sky, the swords and guns intersect, the swords and shields are staggered, the heads are broken and the arms fly together, and the blood and the morning glow are the same. On this unobstructed snowfield, the time and place of the two sides are similar, and the difference between the strength of more than 2,000 is not special. Although the security guard is at a slight disadvantage, it is roughly equal.

But not long after, Lingzhou soldiers and horses learned that Peng Yue's security guards had fought with the rebels. Yang Yiqing and Huang Zheng rushed out to support all the soldiers and horses in Lingzhou, and this situation was broken. Lingzhou's fresh force brought a large number of firearms, and even did not hesitate to dismantle the three cannons guarding the city. Although most of these guys exploded with dumb fire immediately after firing a few shots, the deterrent power to the rebels is huge.

The situation soon turned one-sided. Seeing that the general situation was not good, He Jin immediately ordered the army to retreat. The remnants withdrew all the way to the West Cliff Ferry and were chased by Yang Yiqing and Peng Yuehuang Zheng all the way. They were chased to the canyon of the ferry before they stop.

He Jin gasped for a moment and took a break. He took a look at the number of casualties. Nearly half of the 10,000 soldiers and horses were damaged, and he regretted it. Now, although the canyon guarding the West Cliff Ferry has a favorable position, it is impossible to retreat against the Yellow River. This situation cannot be held on, and sticking here will only be destroyed by the whole army. While the officers and soldiers were also resting and adjusting, He Jin ordered to secretly cross the river and withdraw to the boundary of Ningxia Town on the north bank in the dark.

By the early morning of the 29th of the first lunar month, He Jin led 10,000 soldiers and horses to the south bank and returned to the original place, and there were less than 6,000 soldiers and horses left.

With the danger of the Yellow River, the situation was slightly stable, and the officers and soldiers were unable to cross the river for the time being. He Jin settled down a little and went back to Ningxia Town to explain the situation in detail. Although he knew that he would be scolded by the prince, he could only bravely plead to plead.

Zhu Xiaoqi looked at the dejected He Jin in front of him, and an impulse to draw his sword and cut him gushed out in his heart, but he resisted and squeezed out a smile on his face.

"It's common for soldiers to win or lose. Why did General He need to be so decadent? We didn't expect that Guyuan officers and soldiers appeared strange. You were also unprepared. It's not your fault that we didn't consider this in advance."

He Jin said gratefully, "The humble position is incompetent, and the prince is disappointed."

The king of Anhua sighed and said, "Now is not the time to blame yourself. The current situation is a little bad. With the arrival of Guyuan reinforcements, how can you know that the defenders in Yansui and Pingliang and other places are not coming? It seems that the response of the court this time is very fast. What do you care about?"

After thinking hard for a long time, Zhou Ang came forward and arched his hand and said, "Don't worry, Prince. Even if all the soldiers and horses from Guyuan, Yansui, Pingliang and other places come, the number of troops are less than 20,000, and they may still be on the way. We still have 16,000 soldiers and horses on hand, and there are still 20,000 soldiers and 3,000 of the prince's guards. More than 10,000 recruits in the city, and the humble position is confident to take Ningzhou before the officers and soldiers gather and guard the gateway of Ningxia Town. Once Ningzhou is lost, other state governments are difficult to protect themselves. How dare they come back to fight? They will only retreat and protect themselves. If the prince leads the army, he will cut through the thorns all the way and will never follow General He.

He Jin looked ugly and said angrily, "Zhou Ang, what do you mean?"

Zhou Ang swore and said, "It's meaningless. I'm just telling the truth, but the superior strength was beaten to the head. Only when the prince is kind can you stand here and speak. If I were you, I would have found a seam to get in it."

He Jin was furious and was about to refute each other. Zhu Yuqi scolded, "Shut up. I'm not in such a good mood to listen to your quarrel."

The two stopped their mouths, and Zhu Xiaoyu hummed to Sun Jingwen and said, "What do you think of Mr. Sun?"

Sun Jingwen pinched his beard and said slowly, "Your Majesty, your words may not be very pleasant to listen to. According to your subordinates, we may have insight into Song Nan and Yang Yiqing before this incident. Obviously, the Guyuan army came too fast, which must be the result of their emergency dispatch. From this point of view, it is a little impossible to take down Lingzhou now. However, the situation is still unclear. Ningxia Town occupies the advantage of the terrain. As long as it does not attack, it can be invincible. The most urgent task is to use the Yellow River to build good fortifications, guard the ferry, and let the officers and soldiers sigh. With the danger of the Yellow River, 20,000 soldiers and horses in Ningxia Town can be a million army.

Zhu Wei frowned and said, "but then we shrink here?"

Sun Jingwen shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, how can you be anxious about success? It is the best strategy to avoid its sharpness. Even if the court gathers a large army to deal with us, once they are blocked by the divine punishment of the Yellow River, what if Chen Bing is for several months and years? Can the court bear such a large amount of military expenses? On the other hand, we have thousands of miles of fertile land in Ningxia Town, and there is no need for food and materials, which is called waiting for work. We are just a thorn, stabbing at the critical point of the court. The court can't afford to consume it, but we are worry-free. The court will understand that there is nothing we can do about it. At that time, we can take advantage of their retreat to Shaanxi and then complete the prince's grand wish. This is called Zhang Chi's way.

Zhu Wei brushed his beard and nodded slowly and said, "It makes sense, but can you really rely on the Yellow River to keep it? Didn't He Jin capture the West Cliff Ferry with 10,000 soldiers and horses?

He Jin shouted, "Your Majesty, it is not difficult to guard the West Cliff Ferry, but it is necessary to prevent officers and soldiers from crossing the ice. The last general suggested that they should immediately send people to go upstream to break holes in the ice and break the hard ice. In February, the broken Chen Bing will not freeze. In this way, they have no choice but to the West Cliff Ferry."

Zhou Ang also said: "Yes, we can immediately recruit people to build a beacon along the top of the river valley. Once officers and soldiers venture to cross the river at the dangerous beach of the torrent, we can know that we can send troops to block them on the river. The West Cliff Ferry can build a high fortress and fortifications, making it difficult for officers and soldiers to cross.

Zhu Yu patted his thigh and said, "Okay, let's avoid its edge for the time being. He Jin, you returned to guard the ferry. Zhou Ang, you immediately recruited civilian husbands to build a beacon along the river, and sent people upstream to destroy hard ice along the river to prevent officers and soldiers from smuggling. Jingwen, you have to walk more in the city recently to appease the hearts of the people in the city. By the way, why didn't Qiu Yu come today? He has some insight in the war. Why didn't you see him speak out?

Zhou Ang sneered and said, "Is it hatred? I'm sleeping with my wife at home.

Zhu Wei frowned and was waiting to speak. Sun Jingwen said, "General Qiu sent someone to sue for sick leave. I heard that he was heavily bedridden due to the wind and cold."

Zhu Xiaoqi said with a slightly pale face, "So, Jingwen, you have time to take some medicine from the palace to visit. At present, there are only a few people who can use it. Qiu Yu is a person who can fight, so you can't leave it."

Sun Jingwen nodded and said yes.