As the general of Yokono in the front, I am responsible for the advance of the Army Corps.Yang Yi was still injured, so I left two wounded soldiers to serve him in the imperial capital, and divided my subordinates into two large groups, two small groups, and four groups. Qian Wenyi and Cao Wendao each united the army in front, and the ax camp and the arrow camp followed me. rear. Starting from the south gate of the imperial capital, when passing through Beining City, they saw nothing but dilapidated buildings.Beining City was originally the city where Tu Fang lived. At the beginning, the imperial army fought against the Snakeman here for a long time. After countless hard battles, they were finally defeated and retreated. They lost a lot of troops in Beining City.When Tu Fang passed Beining City, he asked the whole army to stop for a while to mourn for the dead soldiers.It's strange to say that the weather was originally sunny, but when we entered Beining City, it was blown by a snowstorm and suddenly cooled down.Looking at the ruins of Beining City in the snowstorm, I don't know what it feels like, and Tu Fang is probably not in a good mood when he sees this scene.

In the past few years of war, first the Republican Army, and then the Snake People, no one knows how many innocent people died in the flames of war, and it is still unknown how many people will die in the future.The dragon fights in the wild, and the people suffer. Whether it is changing the dynasty or resisting foreign enemies, as long as there is war, the most suffering is still the common people in the world. Leaving Beining City and continuing to march forward, what I saw along the way was still the bones of the road.Originally, the road from the imperial capital to Dongping was very busy, and there were many villages on both sides, but now it is dilapidated. When I didn’t arrive in Beining City, I occasionally saw a few villages, and there were only a few families living in it. It was deserted.

It is more than a thousand miles from the imperial capital to Dongyang City. If you ride a fast horse and go all the way, you can get there in three to four days, but if you march, it will always take about ten days.In the wind and snow, 20,000 horses stretched for several miles, with banners waving.Looking back at Beining City, there is only an outline left in the heavy snow. The ground army moved faster, and on the evening of the eighth day, our front had arrived at the foot of Dongyang City.Deng Canglan and Bi Wei heard the news and came out of the city to meet us. They have been fighting fiercely on the front line for the past few months, and both of them lost a lot of weight.Bi Wei had already grown a big beard, but now his beard was even more messy, making his eyes much bigger.

After Tu Fang's Chinese army entered Dongyang City, the Fourth Division of the Ground Army set up camp around it.There used to be many residents in Dongyang City, but now apart from the army, there are only some peasants who transport food, grass and luggage.Although Dongyang City is not as big as Dongping City, the city that used to have a population of 300,000 to 400,000 people now only has around 100,000 people, making it look empty at once. After finishing the affairs of the Qianfeng camp, I took Qian Wenyi and Cao Wendao to Tu Fang's residence.The four famous generals of the ground army are all partial generals, the same as Deng Canglan and Bi Wei. As soon as Tu Fang came, he naturally became the chief general of Dongyang City.When we arrived, Deng Canglan and Bi Wei were already there.After paying the order to Tu Fang, I sat down next to Deng Canglan and Bi Wei, and Qian Wenyi and Cao Wendao stood behind me.I have trained with Deng Canglan in Xiongguan City for several months, but he has always been a taciturn person, and he has no friendship with me. Although Bi Wei is more familiar with me, he doesn't seem to want to talk to me.

After waiting for a while, the four famous generals of the ground army had arrived.In addition to the Four-Phase Legion, Bi Wei also led nearly 40,000 ordinary troops, and the commanders of these troops also attended the meeting.However, the Four-Phase Legion was formed by Marquis Wen himself, so it is naturally the main force.At this time, Shao Fengguan also came. Although he was also one of the commanders of the Four-Phase Legion, his military rank was only a general, and he could only sit next to me.Just as he greeted Shao Fengguan, Tu Fang stood up and signaled his soldiers to hang up a map of the city defense behind him, saying: "Generals, I have been ordered to reinforce you. Let General Deng tell you about the battle situation first."

Deng Canglan stood up and said: "The general obeys orders." He walked to the city defense map and said: "Generals, there are now more than 83,000 troops in the city, and there are more than 40,000 snake men. Since the end of June Since then, we have been confronting the Snakeman for half a year, but we still haven't made an inch, and the casualties have reached more than 20,000. This battle is so difficult, it is unexpected, and Cang Lan feels ashamed." When May broke the siege of the Snake Man's imperial capital, the whole country rejoiced and felt that victory was just around the corner.When Bi Wei led his army in pursuit, good news spread frequently all the way, but after the snake man was driven back to Dongping City, the good news became less and less. Instead, wounded soldiers continued to return to the imperial capital. It will come again.Fortunately, although Deng Canglan and Bi Wei couldn't make much progress, the snake man also failed to counterattack and cross the river, so people's hearts settled down again.If they failed to block them at that time and were successfully countered by the snake man, even if Marquis Wen had great abilities, he would not be able to fight the second battle against the imperial capital.Although Deng Canglan spoke modestly, none of us underestimated him.Tu Fang also said: "General Deng is serious. The snake people's fighting power is extraordinary. To be able to stand against them without losing the wind is really a victory. The two generals, water and fire, are worthy of being outstanding talents in the world."

Although the confrontation between Dongping City and Dongyang City put a heavy burden on the empire, it was still bearable at last. Marquis Wen was able to continuously train troops, dispatch troops, and continuously replenish recruits.But hearing what Tu Fang said, Deng Canglan just smiled wryly, and said: "Your Excellency's ridiculous praise, Canglan is ashamed. Now that His Excellency leads the troops here, it is really like rain after a long drought. I hope we can win the battle." He said, pointing to the Dongping City Road on the map: "Please look, generals, Dongping City faces the river in the north, and our army can only attack from the north gate. The river is several miles wide, thanks to the snake boats Very few, and now it seems that there is no intention of going north, otherwise, with the strength of our army, I am afraid that it will be difficult for the snake people to counterattack with all their strength."

At this time Qi Yahui suddenly said: "General Deng, the snake people built embankments to accumulate water to irrigate Dongping City, forcing our army to abandon the city and go north. Now, should our army repeat this strategy and let the snake people have a taste of it?" Deng Canglan said: "At first we also thought about whether it was feasible. Although most of the dams built by the Snake Man were collapsed and ruined, it is not impossible to repair them. I just went to the boat to see it on the ground, and then I knew that time has passed and the situation has changed. This plan has already worked. No way. The Snakeman dug a mile-long ditch outside the south gate of Dongping City. Even if our army builds dams upstream and downstream, the accumulated water will only leak from the ditch into the Sea of ​​Storms. This big ditch is short , is also a full mile long, and it is all on the bank of the Danan River, all under the control of the snake people, and our army cannot block it."

In the north of Zhijiang Province, adjacent to Dajiang, there is a huge lake called Fengbohai.This Sea of ​​Storms is the largest lake in the empire, and it stores a lot of water. The snake man dug the ditch outside Dongping City. Even if we build embankments to accumulate water, the river water will flow south along the ditch, find a way to flow into the Sea of ​​Storms, and cannot flow back into the city.The snake people are very powerful, so it is not surprising that they dug such a big ditch. When they were in Fudun City, they also wanted to attack the city.It's just that digging this ditch is not an easy task, it must follow the terrain and carefully plan to succeed. Even if all the people from the Water Office of the Ministry of Industry come together, I am afraid that it will take several months of work to go through surveys and call tens of thousands of people. can finish.The snake man was able to dig such a ditch in a short period of time.And with this ditch, the northeast sides of Dongping City are facing water. If we want to attack from land, we can only attack from the southwest side. With our current strength, this is simply impossible.Hearing what Deng Canglan said, Qi Yahui remained silent and had nothing to say.

Deng Canglan knocked on the desk and said: "When you generals are coming, I have discussed with General Bi many times, and I also wanted to send a detour to attack from the south of Dongping City, but this plan is too difficult. Standing firm behind the people, there must be 100,000 soldiers in the army. Even if our army can separate out such a large force, a march of 100,000 people will not be able to hide people's eyes and ears. What's more, once the snake people find out, there will be a field battle. Lan is timid, the leader of the Snake Man is fighting in the field, and if the Snake Man divides his troops to 10,000, it is enough to stop the surprise soldiers, so this is also impossible."

Tu Fang thought for a while and said, "So, the only way is to attack from the front?" Deng Canglan nodded and said: "I'm not talented, I think that's the only way. All the generals are handsome today, and they may have some wonderful schemes. Canglan is all ears." Tu Fang thought for a while, and said, "If we attack from the front, it will be a water battle. The snake man water battle is not inferior to a field battle. I am afraid that with our army's strength, we are still no match for them." Deng Canglan said: "Snake people are born with water skills. Fortunately, they have very few ships, and their sailing skills are not very good, so every time they engage in battle, they always focus on defense. Even so, our army has attacked many times, but still can't win. Cheap." Tu Fang stared blankly at the map, surrounded by complete silence.I couldn't help but feel at a loss. Hearing what Deng Canglan said, it was almost impossible to capture Dongping City.If the attack on Dongping City is based on water warfare, and the land army is good at land warfare, I am afraid that the reinforcements this time will not be of much use. Tu Fang looked at it for a while, then sighed and said, "Are these monsters really invulnerable?" Deng Canglan and Bi Wei looked at each other, and suddenly said: "It's not invulnerable, the snake man's defense skills are not good, there is no way, if our army can attack the city, the snake man will definitely lose. It's just..." It's just that we can't attack the city at all.Bi Wei also let out a long sigh at this time, and interjected: "That's right. The snake people escaped into Beining City after the imperial capital retreated. I led the army to pursue them. I thought it would be easy to recapture Beining City. I didn't expect these snake people to be together by the river. However, after crossing the river and retreating into Dongping City, they changed in an unbelievable way." I lowered my head and pondered. Marquis Wen had said before that the total strength of the snake people was around 200,000, and a hundred thousand troops were divided to attack the imperial capital, and more than half of them were burned by a fire, but the remaining 40,000 snake people still have this level Strength, really unexpected.Now the total strength of the snake people is still about 140,000, which is more than that of the imperial capital.Fortunately, they developed too fast and their forces were dispersed. If all the 200,000 troops were used to attack the imperial capital, the minefields of Marquis Wen would not be effective. Snake people are too strong, we are constantly improving, but the combat power of snake people seems to have no bottom.When will this war end? This meeting went on for a long time without any results, but it knocked half of our confidence when we set off.Marquis Wen is sending troops now because he knows that the fighting power of the snake people will drop sharply in winter.But now it's very cold, and we still haven't made any progress. After the spring, the snake people fight back, and then we don't know how to deal with it.After the meeting, Tu Fang continued to discuss with Deng Canglan and Bi Wei, while we returned to the camp to organize.I don't know what they can come up with, and there probably won't be any tricks. Qian Wenyi and Cao Wendao followed me out of the door, and the three of them walked abreast.I was still thinking about this, when Qian Wenyi suddenly said: "Control, if Dongping City can't be breached in winter, I'm afraid..." He didn't speak anymore, Cao Wendao rushed to say: "That's right, if you can't take back Dongping City at the beginning of spring, that would be extremely bad." I nodded and said: "Master Wen Hou formed the land army. The first task is to assist the water and fire armies to recapture Dongping City. With General Tu and General Deng Bi joining forces, our force is also superior. Most likely we can have a unique strategy. If we succeed in the First World War .” As I was talking, someone behind me shouted: "General Chu." I turned my head and saw that it was Shao Fengguan who brought Zhuge Fang over.I rode over and said with a smile, "General Shao, long time no see." Shao Fengguan still had a faint smile on his face, and he came over and said, "Brother Chu, can you say something?" I paused in my heart, and said: "What's the matter?" I was afraid that he would tell some bad news.He took me to the side and whispered: "General Chu, I heard that Lian Baice is under your command now?" I said: "Yes. You know it quickly, I just asked him to come here just before departure." Shao Fengguan pondered for a while, and said: "Lian Baice is capable enough, but this person is too snobbish, you have to be careful, I'm afraid he won't be too loyal." Shao Fengguan probably still has a grudge against Lian Baice for not sharing weal and woe with him.I smiled wryly, and said: "As long as he is loyal to the country, even if he is not loyal to me, what does it matter?" Shao Fengguan was stunned, and a smile appeared on his face again: "Brother Chu, your heart has really opened up a lot, but I am stingy." I smiled.It was written in "Victory of the Army" that the way of employing people is the first, followed by virtue.No matter how snobbish Lian Baice is, he is indeed a rare talent.When I returned to the imperial capital, I was also a broken soldier who was almost beheaded. If it wasn't for Marquis Wen's extraordinary promotion, I wouldn't be where I am today.I didn't want to say too much, so I said, "Brother Shao, you've been in Dongping City for a while, so is the snake man really invulnerable?" Shao Fengguan said: "When the snake man retreated into Beining City, Bi Wei also suffered a small loss at first, but when my wind army arrived and threw flat mines from the air, the snake man's defense immediately collapsed. However, now in Dongping The situation is a bit different. It is not an easy task for the Wind Legion to fly across the great river to throw thunder at Dongping City. Moreover, the Snake People have also learned how to lay out fortifications at the top of the city. Their fortifications are completely different from ours. Pile the soil on the top of the city, cover it with broken bricks and tiles, and then dig holes in the soil, so that the flat mines will not pose a great threat to them.” This defensive method can only be done by snakes.I thought about it, and said, "How about the snake man's law in guarding the city?" Shao Fengguan curled his lips and said: "There are no rules, just blindly fighting fiercely. Alas, it is this kind of fierce fighting, but we have nothing to do. Any tricks to lure the enemy, attacking east and west, are completely useless to the snake people. If the whole army can rush to the city, It may be easy to break through the city, but it is impossible to rush forward, alas." Dongping City faces the river in the north, and if it attacks, it can only rely on the strength of Deng Canglan's navy.But Deng Canglan's navy only had 15,000 men and five or six hundred warships. This strength alone was indeed not enough to deal with the Snakeman.I sighed and said, "I didn't expect that, this bone is really hard." "Swallow it no matter how hard it is." Shao Fengguan smiled and said, "Are you free tonight? Come and drink with me in my camp. I have something good for you to taste." I asked: "Is there any mission tonight..." Shao Fengguan interrupted me and said: "You just came here, there will be something wrong. Don't worry, the snake people are sticking to their defenses this time. They don't have a boat. Even though they can swim, they can't swim. This river is several miles wide." In the evening, I asked Tu Fang for leave, and I went to Shaofengguan Camp.When I went to see Tu Fang, he was still thinking hard about the topographical map, and he still couldn't think of any place to attack.Bi Wei and Deng Canglan had been at odds with the Snake Man in Dongping City for so long, and their general talents were superior to those of Tu Fang. As soon as I entered Shaofengguan's camp, Shaofengguan greeted me just after the announcement, and said with a smile: "Brother Chu, you are here, come in." He dragged me into his tent, which was very clean. The layout is also very decent, there is a table in the middle, a pot of unknown meat is being cooked on it, the aroma is tangy, and there are several dishes on the side. I sat down and said with a smile, "It smells so good. What kind of meat is this?" Shao Fengguan proudly said: "You haven't tried it, you should try it." He poured me a glass of wine, pointed at the pot of meat with chopsticks, and said: "There is nothing new about it, but this meat is rare." I put a piece into my mouth, and as soon as I chewed, I felt that this piece of meat was like ice and snow, it melted in my mouth, and my mouth was full of deliciousness.I was surprised: "What kind of meat is this? I haven't eaten it before. It doesn't seem to be the meat of pigs and sheep." Shao Fengguan said: "Ha, of course you have never tasted it. The whole empire is only produced in this big river, and there are no other places." I said, "Huh, is it fish? It doesn't look like it to me." Shao Feng said: "It's not fish, it's Jiang pork. Jiang pig is a kind of water animal in the big river. It looks like a fish, but it has no scales all over its body and its meat is very thin. It's not too rare for this river pig to start spring. It’s just that the meat is bland and tasteless in spring, but in winter, it’s full of fat and fat, and it has a strange fragrance when cooked with reed wormwood by the river. It’s just that river pigs hide in mud holes for the winter, and it’s extremely difficult to catch them in winter. Today, my men When a few soldiers were patrolling, they found this river pig coming out of the hole, and caught him right away, so you are lucky." The Jiang pork tasted very delicious. I ate two pieces in a row and tried it with quick vegetables.Just thinking of the snake man across the river, I was disturbed again and lost my appetite.Put down the chopsticks.Shao Fengguan was eating happily, when he saw me put down the chopsticks, he asked in surprise, "What's the matter? Does it taste bad?" I said: "No. I was wondering if Lord Tu has a plan to defeat the enemy." Shao Feng said: "What do you want to do? Anyway, the sky is falling and it's not just me. Let's take one step at a time." He stretched out his chopsticks, put another piece of meat into the pot, put it in his mouth, and said with a smile: " Anyway, I figured it out, my life was originally chosen, and every day I live is a net profit, not a loss." What he said was funny, but it sounded infinitely disappointing to me.The first time I saw Shao Fengguan in Dongping City, he was not so cynical, but since Zhen Yining's death, his words always seemed to be sarcastic.A burst of unexplained sadness welled up in my heart, I also grabbed a piece of meat, and said: "Yeah, I figured it out, it's all the same thing, every day I live is earned." Shao Fengguan snorted through his nose, and was about to say something again, when a soldier outside the door said loudly: "General Shao, Commander Deng is here to invite you." Shao Fengguan frowned, and said, "What is Deng Canglan asking me to do at this time?" Seeing him as if he didn't want to pay attention, I said, "General Shao, since you have something to do, let's go." Shao Fengguan said: "Brother Chu, don't pay attention to him, if Master Tu calls me, I still have to go, Deng Canglan and Bi Wei, it's nothing to ask them to wait. Come, have another drink." He poured a full bottle of wine and handed it to me with a nonchalant expression, letting me worry on his behalf.I drank the wine in the glass, ate a few pieces of meat indiscriminately, and said: "Brother Shao, hurry up, I'm full, I can't even eat." Shao Fengguan hiccupped and said with a smile: "Brother Chu, you are so timid. Anyway, after this drink, I'll go see them." He filled my wine glass again, and raised it to me. Welcome, said: "Come on, Brother Chu, I hope we can survive the next battle." Coming out of Shao Fengguan's tent, he got on his horse and went to see Deng Canglan.After saying goodbye to him, I walked towards my camp, hearing the sound of the river, the city was dimly lit and looked dilapidated.Dongyang City and Dongping City are facing each other in Jiajiang. Although Dongyang City is not as large as Dongping City, it is not much different.At the beginning, Zhijiang Province was known as a prosperous city, and the two cities were extremely prosperous. Now that one has fallen into the hands of the Snake Man, the residents of the other city have also escaped. There are not many civilian families left in the city.If the war really ends one day, I don't know how long it will take for the two cities of Dongping and Dongyang to restore their old views. As soon as I arrived at the gate of the camp, I jumped off my horse, and suddenly a person appeared beside me, and said in a low voice, "Control." This is Lian Baice's voice.I said, "Brother Lian, it's you, what's the matter?" Lian Baice used to be the guard of Dongyang City, but now he is just a small corps leader.I'm afraid he won't feel good when he visits his old place again.Lian Baice walked up to me and said in a low voice, "Tongzhi, you and General Deng Bi met just now, right?" I said, "Yes, I just arrived today." Lian Baice frowned, and said: "Control, I don't know if I should say something..." I didn't wait for him to finish, and said: "Brother Lian, from now on you can just say what you have to say, I will never I won't let you say it." Lian Baice hurriedly said: "It's like this, Zhi Zhi, you also know that I used to be the guard of Dongyang City back then." I said, "Yes, it hasn't been long, just over a year." Lian Baice said: "I have not stayed here for a short time. Although the winter in Zhijiang Province is not as cold as the imperial capital, it is still quite chilly." I was stunned, and said: "What's wrong? Will the river freeze in winter?" Lian Baice said: "People in my old life said that the river was frozen, but I have never seen it. Zhizhi, I want to tell you that the river is too cold in winter. Although the snake people are not strong in winter, they can Attacking the city in such icy water, I am afraid that the attacking side will suffer even more." I pondered for a while, and said: "This is a problem. However, General Deng has been in battle for a long time, I am afraid he has already thought of this point." As soon as I said it, Lian Baice's face was gloomy. He must have felt that his opinion was not taken seriously, so he hurriedly said, "By the way, General Lian, when you defended Dongyang City for a long time, where did you think you would attack?" Dongping City is the most powerful?" A gleam of joy appeared on Lian Baice's face again, and he said: "Under the control, the general feels that if we want to attack Dongping City, the only way is to attack Dongping City from the front." I sighed, Lian Baice stayed in Dongping City for a long time, and he also said that the only way to attack Dongping City was to attack from the front.But the water gate is to the north of Dongping City, Deng Canglan's navy is not strong enough to suppress the snake man, what is the best way to attack? After Lian Baice was dismissed, I sat in my tent, found the "Seven Essentials of the March" and "Victory Strategy" in the book bag, and flipped through them.I have read these two books fluently, and I can memorize them by heart.As I was watching, a gust of wind blew past, dimming the candlelight. I stretched out my hand to protect the candlelight, still thinking about the war. The advantage of the Snakeman lies in the combat ability of individual soldiers and direct water combat, so it is not feasible to send the water ghost team to destroy the water gate of Dongping City.Our only advantages are military strength and weapons such as flying machines, thunder crossbows, and dragon cannons, but they are not strong enough to make the snake man collapse at a touch. How can we attack? Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard someone outside say: "Control." The voice was a bit timid, I raised my head and said, "Come in." The curtain was raised, but it was Jian Zhonglan who came in.He stood at the door, hesitantly, and I said, "Jian Zhonglan, is there anything else at this late hour?" Jian Zhonglan walked in, saluted and said: "Controlling, the general will have a plan to defeat the enemy." I couldn't help laughing.Jian Zhonglan is a little ignorant, the first time he had an impression of him was when the snake men besieged the imperial capital, he also said that he had a plan to break the bamboo, but I didn't hear it, I didn't expect him to have another plan this time .I just wanted him to quit, but then I thought, if he hadn't reminded me in Wuyang City, I'm afraid I would never have thought that He Congjing would also negotiate with Daoyi.Although this person is young, he speaks well, even if the strategy to defeat the enemy is not feasible, it is good to listen to it.I said: "Tell me, what is the strategy to defeat the enemy?" Jian Zhonglan was a little hesitant at first, but when he heard what I said, his face showed joy, and he said: "Yes. Tong Zhi, the last general lived among the Di people when he was young, and the Di people lived by water and grass, and they often moved. quicksand……" I became a little impatient, I didn't know what he was saying, and said, "Does this have something to do with the strategy of defeating the enemy?" Jian Zhonglan said: "Yes. The quicksand in the desert is very similar to the river water. Once people and horses fall into it, they can't stop sinking and can't get out again. Therefore, when the road explorer found the quicksand, someone used it to The planks make a way." I couldn't laugh or cry, and said, "River water is not the same as quicksand. Although wooden boards can float on the water, you can't use wooden boards to pave a road on the river, right?" Jian Zhonglan said: "Of course you can't use wooden planks on the river, you can build floating bridges." He didn't speak aloud, but my mind suddenly flashed like lightning, and suddenly stood up and said: "Floating bridge?" Jian Zhonglan said: "That's right. In General Deng's water corps, there are not many large ships, but quite a few small boats. These small boats can only carry seven or eight people. They are not very useful for transporting troops, but they are good for building pontoon bridges. Now days It's cold, and the wind and waves on the river are not strong, if we can build a pontoon bridge from Dongyang directly to Dongping City, then the army can directly reach the city, which is no different from attacking Pingcheng." I said: "Exactly. General Deng still has some large warships under his command, which can serve as guards on both sides, and the Wind Legion can also defend in the air, and then cover the ground Legion's assault. At the same time, the Fire Legion can also directly I rushed to the bottom of the city." The more I talked, the more excited I became, and I took a few steps and said, "That's right, this is a solution. Jian Zhonglan, I want to give you a credit." Jian Zhonglan said: "Thank you for the control." Excitement also appeared on his face. Let Jian Zhonglan go back, I am still thinking about the possibility of building a pontoon bridge.During the march, the baggage battalion was not only responsible for transporting the baggage, but also built a pontoon bridge if there was a river blocking the way.It's just that the pontoon bridge on the small river is very convenient and easy to dismantle. I haven't thought about building a pontoon bridge on the big river. I don't know if it is possible.Moreover, the river is several kilometers wide, although there are quite a few small boats in the Water Corps, I don't know if there are enough to build the floating bridge to the city, and the floating bridge will take a few days to complete, if the snake people see us building the floating bridge, they will definitely rush out to attack, To build a pontoon bridge is not something that can be built just by saying it.Lian Baice is the most familiar with the terrain here, I think he should know whether this idea is feasible.Thinking of this, I couldn't stay any longer, and walked out of the tent. As soon as I got outside, the night guard soldiers saw me coming out, they couldn't help but startled, and said: "Controller, are you still going out at this late hour?" I said: "I want to find Lian Baice under General Cao's command, which camp does he live in?" The soldier was startled again, and said: "General Cao is there, I don't know that Lian Baice." I can't help but laugh.Now there are 5,000 soldiers in the Qianfeng Battalion, and even I only know some generals. Apart from the members of the headquarters, these soldiers must not know anyone else.I said, "Okay, I'll go there by myself." Cao Wendao's camp was still brightly lit, I just got close, but I heard a commotion inside, Cao Wendao rushed out to meet him, and said: "Control! Why are you here?" His face turned red and then turned white. I was suspicious and said, "What are you doing?" He said: "It's nothing..." Seeing that I was about to go in, he hurriedly said: "Control, it's a mess inside, I'm asking them to clean it up." It would be fine if he didn't explain it, but once he explained it, it made me even more confused.It's getting late now, how can I organize it in such a night.Regardless of his obstruction, I opened the curtain and walked in. As soon as I entered, I saw two soldiers carrying a table with a blanket spread on the table and a bowl on the ground.Seeing this scene, I suddenly realized that Cao Wendao must be gambling. Gambling is a common practice in the army, and some people who like to gamble even gamble day and night, but I don't like gambling, and most of them don't gamble around me.Along the way, he traveled day and night, and Cao Wendao didn’t have time to gamble. Now that he’s in Dongyang City, his hobby started to come up again. He probably called some officers under his command to babble, but he didn’t expect that I would come here suddenly.I turned my head and said, "Are you guys gambling?" Cao Wendao blushed, and said, "It's my fault for the control, I'm addicted, let them play a few games with me." I sighed slightly.Cao Wendao is good at everything else, and he is honest, but he doesn't care about priorities.I whispered: "It's okay to play twice at ordinary times, but don't play too hastily, the snake man is still on the other side, and we will set off at any time." Cao Wendao was surprised: "So fast? I think it will take a few days to rest." I said, "Have you ever thought about how to attack?" Cao Wendao said: "Lao Qian and I also discussed it, and felt that there is no other good way except for a frontal attack. It is only a frontal attack, and General Deng's ships are not enough, so it is very difficult." I nodded and said, "That's true too. Can't you think of any good ideas?" Cao Wendao said: "Not yet. Do you have any good ideas?" I said: "Jian Zhonglan came to tell me about this just now, I want to hear what Lian Baice means. Is he there?" Cao Wendao curled his lips and said, "That little Jane, what's his idea?" I said sternly: "Brother Cao, if you listen to one side, you will be dark, but if you listen to both, you will be clear. What Jian Zhonglan said is quite reasonable and cannot be generalized." Cao Wendao didn't dare to talk too much, and said, "Okay, I'll go and call Lian Baice." I said, "No need, I'll go find him. Where is he?" "The second room on the left." After Cao Wendao finished speaking, he suddenly whispered, "Tongzhi, I know it's wrong to gamble in the camp. You won't punish me, will you?" I didn't intend to punish him at first, but after hearing what he said, I felt that I shouldn't be too light-hearted, so I said: "There will be no punishment, but from now on, the lights will be turned off in the camp, and no one will do anything else. Next time For things like this, don’t blame me for being rude.” Cao Wendao smiled, and said: "Yes, yes, as ordered." When the soldiers were by his side, he was always respectful to me, but when we were together in private, he didn't seem to have much respect for me. When they reached Lian Baice's tent, Cao Wendao called out, "Lian Baice, have you fallen asleep yet?" Lian Baice responded inside, opened the curtain and came out. When he saw me, he was startled, and said, "Jianzhi! Why are you here?" After finishing speaking, he saluted.I said: "Brother Lian, I want to ask you something, go to General Cao's tent." When I arrived at Cao Wendao's tent, I briefly talked about Jian Zhonglan's plan to build a pontoon bridge. Lian Baice frowned and said, "I'm afraid it can't be done. Although the water is not urgent now, there are still big waves on the big river from time to time, and the big river How can a pontoon be so easy with a width of several miles?" I was disappointed for a while.Lian Baice stayed in Dongyang City for a long time, so what he said was naturally reasonable.I sighed: "It doesn't look like it's going to happen..." Unexpectedly, before I finished speaking, Lian Baice frowned suddenly, and said: "It may not be impossible!" I was surprised and delighted, and said: "It's okay?" Lian Baice raised his head and said, "When I was in Dongyang City, I heard from the elders that a long time ago, someone also wanted to build a pontoon bridge on the big river. It seems that it was more than a hundred years ago." I said, "Successful?" Lian Baice said: "At that time, there was a batch of tributes from southern Xinjiang to be sent to the imperial capital. There were too many things and it was too close to the Tianshou Festival. At that time, the ships in Dongping City were all small boats. A pontoon bridge was built to transport the tribute directly to Dongyang City. However, after the pontoon bridge was built, the tribute was washed away by the big waves before the tribute was transported. At that time, all the tributes on the boat fell into the water. " I said: "That also proves that the pontoon bridge cannot be built." Lian Baice said: "However, that time it was from Dongping to Dongyang, which is the opposite. The south bank of the great river is steeper and the current is faster, but the north bank is much gentler. It is difficult to go from south to north, but easier to go from north to south. A lot." When he said this, he suddenly said: "Tongzhi, I thought about it, if this pontoon bridge starts from the upstream, maybe it can really be built!" I still couldn't figure it out for a while, and said, "From upstream? Why?" Lian Baice squatted down, picked up a stone and scratched it on the ground, saying: "Look, this is a big river." He drew two lines on the ground, which could be regarded as a big river, and drew two squares opposite to each other. He said: "This is Dongping City, that's Dongyang City. If the pontoon bridge goes directly from Dongping to Dongyang, and crosses the big river directly, it just catches the river, and the ropes used to build the bridge are very strong. But if the pontoon bridge on the north bank does not go from Dongyang from the city, but upstream." As he spoke, he drew a dot upstream and a diagonal line to Dongping City on the south bank, and said, "Look, the pontoon bridge crosses the river obliquely, and the force on the rope will be much smaller." , and it is more reliable to set up." I can see what he means.The most important thing about the pontoon bridge is to use ropes to connect the boats together. As Lian Baice said, it is indeed easier to build.But from Dongping to Dongyang, the pontoon bridge is a straight line, which is much shorter. If it is built from the upstream, many more boats will be used.I said: "In this way, are the ships enough?" Lian Baice smiled slightly and said, "There are indeed not enough boats." I sighed: "Then what else to say, it is useless." "There are not enough boats, but we can use others instead." Lian Baice's smile was a bit unpredictable, "The most abundant thing in Dongyang City is bamboo, and bamboo rafts can be used to replace boats." Bamboo raft!A light flashed in my mind, and I shouted, "That's right! You're so right!" Zhijiang Province is rich in bamboo. It is said that some places are called Ten Li Bamboo Sea, and there are bamboos all over the mountains and plains. Therefore, many daily utensils in Zhijiang Province are made of bamboo.There are not many bamboos in Dongping and Dongyang, but there are bamboo gardens everywhere. Even the big families in the city always have a few clumps of bamboo in their courtyards.If the boats and bamboo are collected, maybe it will be enough.The more I thought about it, the more excited I became, and said: "Okay, you write this plan down immediately, and I'll report it to Lord Tu." Lian Baice said: "It's still early, we need to see the flow of the river on the ground. To control, the last general is not talented, and he is familiar with the terrain of Dongyang City. I would like to explore the water situation." I looked at the sky and said, "Can I go at night?" Lian Baice said: "It's not easy to be found by snake people at night, it should be better. But, General Chu, are you going now?" I said: "It's not too late, let's go and have a look right away, and make a preliminary decision on this matter." Lian Baice probably didn't expect me to be in such a hurry, so he thought for a while and said, "That's fine. But, Tong Zhi, how is your water quality?" I was taken aback by his question, and said: "It's okay, although it's not good, I can't drown." Lian Baice smiled slightly, and said: "It's fine if you don't sink to the bottom. With me here, you can rest assured that you will be in charge." I laughed too, and said, "Okay, call Qian Wenyi and Cao Wendao immediately and let them prepare the boat." 叫起他们，曹闻道一听我们要趁夜勘探水势，吓了一大跳，却也坚持要和我一同前去。我拗不过他，也同意了，让钱文义在岸边接应。其实我更想让钱文义一同去，钱文义毕竟是海边长大的，水性更好一些。 我们找了一条小船，这船也只能坐五六个人，我与廉百策、曹闻道带了另两个会操桨的一同下船。在岸上时，听到江水之声也不觉如何，一到水面，才知道江声原来很响，几如金鼓，浮桥若是直直通过去，恐怕只能用铁索才行。 那两个士兵操桨很熟练，我和曹闻道两人划桨只能算充数，他们两人一桨下去，船就在水面上掠过。廉百策坐在船头，不过用手探到水中试着水势，渐渐已至江心。此时对岸越发清楚，看得到东平城只有零星灯火。看来现在的蛇人已不再怕火，却仍然不是太习惯。 廉百策看了看对岸，又伸手到嘴里舔了舔，试了试风向，道：“统领，东阳城如此的船只有千艘么？” 我想了想，道：“小船的话，如果加紧征调，说不定能有。” 廉百策道：“江阔四里，斜着铺设浮桥，则浮桥长度在五里左右，大约有八百丈。平均每两丈用船三艘，大概需船一千二百艘，加上竹筏，已经够用了。”他又试了试水势，道：“水流还有点急，只怕非得在上游四里外下水才行。来，再往南岸走走，靠近些看。” 我有点担忧，道：“再近些，只怕离东平城太近了……” 蛇人天生会水，虽然它们没有船的话游不过四里宽的大江，但游个一两百丈说不定还行。一旦被蛇人发现，我们这样一艘小船只怕是送死。廉百策倒有些不在意，道：“统制放心，小将耳朵甚灵，水中若有异响，我一定会听到……” 刚说到这儿，他忽然脸色一变，我吃了一惊，道：“怎么了？” 廉百策抬起头，脸已变得煞白，喝道：“快往回划！快走！有船从南岸过来了！” 我耳中仍然满是江声，根本听不到别的声音，曹闻道看来也比我好不了什么，同样一脸茫然，但廉百策说得这么慌，只怕不会有错。我们加紧往回划，廉百策也拿起一把桨划了起来。蛇人败退到大江边时遭到邓沧澜与李尧天的水军团截击，损失很重，北上时的船只也大多被我们夺下，但毕竟还有一些的，恐怕蛇人发现了我们，出来追击了。我们现在过江心没多少，隔得那么远蛇人居然也会发现我们，真是怪事。海老在符敦城时曾对我说过，蛇人目不能视远，现在又是深夜，它们到底是怎么发现我们的？ 廉百策划了几下，忽然皱了皱眉，道：“停下！”我也没在意他这般命令，停下手中的桨，曹闻道骂道：“做什么？一会儿让我们逃，现在又要停下。” 廉百策道：“似乎不是我们的，现在这声音停下来了。”他俯下声，耳朵贴在船帮上听了听，忽然道：“不对！有刀枪撞击之声，是在动手了！” 我们不由一愕。难道有人会从东平城过来么？不对，更可能的是，那些人和我们一样，也是趁夜来勘测水势的，只是他们离东平城太近了，以至于被蛇人发现。 廉百策还在听着，一边道：“没错，确是有人江上交手了，听声音，似乎很不妙……哎唷，有人落水了！”他说得绘声绘色，曹闻道喝道：“喂，廉百策，你别胡说八道来吓人，我怎么什么都没听到。” 廉百策道：“现在刮的是北风，你在风中听当然听不到，若是贴到船帮上听从水里传来的声音，便可以听得出了。” 曹闻道半信半疑，俯下身子去听，我也将耳朵贴到船帮上。刚一碰上，只觉江声一下大了一倍，直如金鼓齐鸣，别的什么也听不出来。这时曹闻道叫道：“我听不出来！统制，你听到了么？” 我皱了皱眉，道：“廉兄，你真的听到了么？”说实话，我也不是很信。廉百策有些委屈，道：“当然，末将在东阳城呆了好多年，那时有一阵连睡都睡在船上，看得熟了……” 他还没说完，江面上忽地一亮，过了一会，听得很轻的“嘣”一声。这声音又轻又闷，但我知道，那是火雷弹的声音！ 廉百策说的一点没错，确是有人在江上，而且，那是帝国的人！我拿起桨，道：“快，过去看看！” 曹闻道惊道：“统制，你真要去看？” 我道：“那些人已到危急关头，说不定是帝国的将领。我们靠近些看，若不是，再逃也来得及。” 这时忽然江面上空又闪了一下，这回不是贴着江面的，看得更清楚。我再无怀疑，道：“看，那是在求援！” 曹闻道还要说什么，廉百策点了点头道：“不错。曹将军，你带着弓箭么？” 曹闻道身边带着那把短弓，他拿出来道：“带着，只是在江上恐怕射不中。” 廉百策道：“你守着，我来回他一个信号。”他的本领都在弓上，身边也带着一把短弓。他搭起一支箭，从怀里摸出一块汗巾包在箭头，又拿出火镰来打着火绒，点着了那块汗巾。看着汗巾烧了一阵，他才仰天射了出去。 江上风大，汗巾上的火一下被吹灭了，但余火不熄，一个红点射向空中。他射完这一箭，却见南边江面上忽然闪起一个亮点。也亏得东平城中暗淡无关，这个亮点很是清晰，在江面上晃了几晃。我知道那是水军的灯语，也不知是什么意思，正要问廉百策，他却在一边惊叫道：“统制，那是邓沧澜！”