Chapter 23 fourth quarter

At this time, Yang Keshi himself drank a bag of water and ate some dry food.The soldiers led his horses to drink water by the river, and he watched by himself to prevent him from drinking too much.Many generals gathered around him, waiting for his orders.He gathered himself together, made a comprehensive estimate of the battle situation, and considered what to do next. This part of the army commanded by Yang Keshi has indeed undoubtedly won the victory in the battle in the southern bank of Lantaodian, but this partial victory did not bring him the kind of joy and encouragement that he often had after defeating the enemy on the Northwest battlefield. emotions, for he, like all fighters, judged unerringly that the war was far from over.The enemy army is not only very tenacious, but also very tenacious, waiting for an opportunity to launch a second counterattack.

Valuing from a strategic sense, the victory of Yang Keshi's troops was nothing more than blocking one of the many crossings of the Liao army and annihilating part of the Liao army's vital forces.This victory is very limited, and it is unlikely to have a decisive impact on the ongoing all-out war.Yang Keshi bears the heavy responsibility of commanding the East Route Army, so of course he cannot be satisfied with this.In the process of his victory in the battle, he was constantly alerted that the armies of his friends and neighbors were in a hurry.He himself looked westward, and south of the river, as far as he could see, fierce battles were going on. Some enemy troops had already wedged in quite far behind, but our army could not use pincers to attack effectively. The counterattack shows that our army is in a passive situation in the battles in those areas.

Yang Keshi kept sending orders to transfer the follow-up troops that could be mobilized and the reinforcement troops that had arrived at the front line of Langoudian to reinforce friendly troops.He found that the Liao army on the other side was doing the same thing, and many neat infantry and cavalry rushed to their west to help them with flags and clamor.But they had many fords under their control, and could fight across the river without hindrance, while our army was forced to fight in its own position.He also found that part of the Liao army galloping west and our army going west for reinforcements were only separated by a river, and there seemed to be a race walking competition on the paths along the two banks.Sometimes when the river is relatively narrow, the soldiers would threaten the opponent with a rain of arrows in an attempt to disrupt its ranks.This kind of random arrows that blindly fired and fell into the river before hitting the opposite bank was greatly ridiculed and ridiculed by the opponent.

However, most of the Liao army on the other side of Langoudian still stayed in the original position, beating war drums and blowing conch shells without stopping, making preparations for battle.Behind it, new mobile troops appeared continuously, seeming to be reinforcing the front line.Based on years of combat experience, Yang Keshi, a veteran on the battlefield, can tell at a glance that this is a suspicious soldier.It was always these troops, these war horses, carrying banners with constantly changing colors and numbers, circling around behind.Even if it is a bluffing suspect, it still cannot be concluded that the enemy's strength is exhausted.There are still so many troops gathered on the north bank, which can be seen clearly with the naked eye. They moved briskly, and their spirit was not frustrated by a failure to cross the river.They are not getting weaker, but getting stronger as they fight.They are still preparing to cross the river for the second and third time, at least they are still making the gesture of crossing the river again to contain Yang Keshi's main elite troops.Seriously crossing the river or just making a gesture of crossing, both are equally enough to make Yang Keshi's brain troubled.

Now Yang Keshi is indeed in a very passive position. Although he won some battles, fierce battles are taking place on the western battlefield. If he desperately goes west for reinforcements, the enemy will really cross the river and reoccupy this piece of riverside position that he won after a bloody battle. , and may also go straight to his headquarters, causing the entire Eastern Route Army to fall into the embarrassing situation of losing its base and failing command.But if he wants to stay here, the enemy will achieve his goal of containing him. Due to the important position of the commander of the Eastern Route Army, Zhong Shidao mixed most of the Jingyuan Army and part of the Qin Feng Army and put them under his command. Down.If the Liao army contained him, it would be tantamount to achieving the strategic goal of containing the main force of the Western army, and to expand the results of the battle on other battlefields and develop in depth.He didn't get any definite news from Fan Village, but he obviously wouldn't overestimate the combat capabilities of Liu Yanqing and Xin Xingzong.If there is a failure in the command of the teacher's way, the overall situation may be corrupted.

In a heroic fight, Yang Keshi and his warriors unite to win, but in a patient fight, he is defeated.It was almost noon now, and the sun was burning above his head like a fire, which increased his restlessness and anxiety.Zhong Shidao did not bring him good news, but the liaison soldiers he sent out to contact the friendly army brought back very inconsistent news. Some liaison soldiers did contact the chief over there, and according to their own observations , made correct reports, and some reports were correct but outdated.New situations have emerged on the ever-changing battlefield.The liaison soldiers who had just returned reported the good news that the general Wang Teng had advanced to the ferry and defeated the Liao army. The liaison soldiers sent by Wang Teng himself reported that the Liao army had new reinforcements and they had already defeated the Liao army. Forced to retreat to the second line, and asked to send troops here to reinforce.There are also liaison soldiers who have not contacted the chief officer in charge, and report it as a comprehensive situation based on what he saw; some failed to reach their destination at all due to various obstacles.The latter two liaison soldiers were reprimanded by Yang Keshi, but the first two were not enough for him to correctly judge the overall situation. He just synthesized these reports and vaguely formed a general impression: the whole situation of the battle was not in my favor.

Yang Keshi, who is good at winning battles but not good at losing them, and good at quick decisive battles but not protracted ones, couldn't help fidgeting.Suddenly, a bold and even reckless idea flashed into his head: "Kou Ke comes, I can go too." Since the Liao army can cross the river to attack me, why can't our army cross the river to fight back?Now there are no rules and regulations that can bind him. "Saving Zhao and besieging Wei" is an ancient strategy. As long as you cross the river to eliminate the Liao army's headquarters, the threat can be lifted no matter here or there.Seeing that the pontoon bridge that had been repaired by the Liao army again and destroyed by our army was still basically usable, he immediately sent people to repair the pontoon bridge on his side and prepared to lead the army across the river.At this moment, he was so angry that he didn't pay attention to the 20,000 to 30,000 enemy troops on the other side.He believed that with his 500 personal soldiers and the part of the force at hand, not only could he disperse the Liao soldiers along the river bank, but he might even rush to the Weijia camp, go straight to the lair of Yelu Dashi, and force the Liao soldiers who had crossed the river. The army had to withdraw to rescue, which reversed the whole situation of the battle.

Abstract plans quickly turned into concrete actions.As soon as he made up his mind, he immediately sent someone to report Zhong Shidao (by the time the sent person came back with Zhong Shidao's instructions, he had already fought on the opposite bank), and at the same time ordered his commander Zhao De to say: "The current situation is chaotic, and the outcome is hard to decide. I want to lead an army across the river to fight to the death. Please use the old general to cover me across the river with a bed crossbow, and then, according to the situation, continue to send reinforcements to respond. There is a position here, please ask the old man General, you must hold on to it, and the Hughists broke the pontoon bridge and cut off my way back, which is the most important thing."

Zhao De is the veteran who has a record of drinking thirty catties. He has a lot of combat experience, but in comparison, his fierce and brave spirit seems to be lacking.The two are often difficult to unify in one military officer.Hearing Yang Keshi's risky decision at the moment, he couldn't help sweating profusely, and advised: "Seeing that there are tens of thousands of Liao troops on the other side, Commander Yang is crossing the river with partial divisions. Everything is not perfect. Please think twice." "Soldiers are good but not many. I have made up my mind. The old general will act according to my general's order, and there is no need to obstruct it."

Yang Keshi issued an order in a repressed but firm tone, it was a general's order, and Zhao De, who knew his "thunderbolt" temper, did not dare to disobey him anymore, so he obediently agreed.While sending additional personnel to repair the pontoon bridge, he sent people to move ten phoenix crossbows to the bridgehead, lay them out one by one, and fiercely fired arrows at the Liao army on the other side of the ferry. The Phoenix crossbow is a high-end crossbow that uses machinery to launch. Each bed needs 20 to 30 skilled hands to serve it. Once the bow is set and the arrows are injected, the crossbowmen will step hard. Ten seven or eight feet in length, just one arrowhead There are huge arrows weighing three catties flying out at the same time, and the farthest distance can reach a thousand steps.Iron armor, shields, baffles, and cowhide tents can't block its sharpness, and it can penetrate even two or three feet thick earth walls. It was indeed an effective weapon for long-distance attack in the war at that time. .It has only one shortcoming, in the hand-to-hand combat between the two armies, fearing to accidentally injure one's own people, this kind of Fenghuang crossbow cannot be cast.

On the bridgehead, crossbow arrows were fired fiercely, as urgent as a shower.The Liao army on the opposite bank couldn't survive on the ground or in the huts, so they had to disperse one after another, and the bold ones crawled on the spot, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Yang Keshi took advantage of the random firing of crossbow arrows, led his troops, and with a shout, climbed onto the pontoon bridge and headed straight for the other side's ferry.This is really a critical moment.Although the Liao army couldn't stop the crossbow, they hid in a secluded place where the crossbow could not hit and fired arrows to attack the Song army on the floating bridge.The closer the Song army was to the middle stream, the denser and more powerful the arrows became. If the Song army was negligent, they were shot down on the pontoon bridge or fell into the river.Yang Keshi hurriedly urged the superintendent's soldiers to rush across, and he himself walked quickly on the pontoon bridge with the brigade.The raft swayed from side to side, making it difficult for them to move forward. "Ouch!" Several voices shouted at the same time.They suddenly found that not far upstream from the pontoon bridge, there were more than a dozen wooden boats already on fire, following the trend of the water, approaching the pontoon bridge.The fireboat was loaded with oil, dry grass, sulfur, wheat straw and other things that are easy to catch fire. Riding on the wind, the fire suddenly burned very hot, and it sailed to the side of the pontoon bridge, smashing, breaking up and spreading the raft.It blocked the way of the Song Army on the pontoon bridge like a fire dragon. A flurry of unavoidable confusion ensued on the raft. Some people see that they can't move forward, some people are afraid that the fire will spread to themselves, some people are blinded by the smoke and flames, and they all want to retreat.The raft swayed even more.This chaotic situation, if left unchecked, could lead to total defeat.Seeing that the situation was not good, Yang Keshi hurriedly swung his heavy body from side to side following the shaking of the raft, then stood firm, and shouted sharply: "Since we have come here, there is death and no life, mountains of swords can climb, and seas of fire can break through. What's the difference between a few fire boats? Which brother jumps into the river to subdue it?" As if answering his words, the Liao army shot at him with a dense burst of arrows.A soldier jumped up in front of him and blocked the arrow with his body, which hit him in the throat. He fell on the raft and raised his shield with trembling hands to cover the general.Another soldier standing on Yang Keshi's left in the next room rubbed his feet together, and with a splash, he rushed into the river.Before he seemed to have considered any method to subdue the fireboat, he responded to the commander's call and jumped into the rapids.At this time, courage was more important than wisdom. He plunged into the turbid water vortex, pushed aside layers of evil waves, and swam straight to the direction of the fire dragon, trying to subdue the fire dragon with his bare hands.The soldiers on the raft yelled to give him advice and find a way.Already, five or six soldiers jumped into the waves one by one. They tried their best to catch a long wooden pillar floating on the water, and threw themselves into the sea of ​​fire together, trying to use the wooden pillar to support the fire boat and prevent it from approaching. on the pontoon.This was the only effective way they could consider to subdue the fire dragon under the conditions at that time.At this time, the muddy river water was scorching hot, and the flames, by the wind, rushed straight to their heads and bodies, making them unable to get close to the burning boat.The Liao army on the north bank aimed at them again, firing arrows frequently.They went up several times, but were forced to retreat several times.The soldiers on the raft shouted to cheer them on.They were forced to retreat, and rushed forward again, repeatedly retreating and advancing.They set a good example, and then more than a dozen bodyguards jumped into the river, and several of them carried a wooden post-these wooden posts were floating from the broken raft, and they were all the thickness of a bowl. Four or five feet long.They grabbed the wooden pillar, divided into several teams, and rushed on it desperately.Relying on wooden pillars, relying on their naked bodies, they didn't care about the random arrows shot from the north bank, rolling and rushing in the sea of ​​fire.The scalding water, the bursts of flames, the burning firewood and reeds, and the scorched blisters on their bodies could not stop their pounce.Inch by inch they advance through the flames.They succeeded, and when they got close to the fireboat and propped it up with wooden posts, everyone couldn't help cheering.They pushed the fire boats apart on both sides, and let them burn by themselves, and burned to ashes, and a section of unimpeded passage appeared in the middle.The buoys that were on fire and scattered by the collision were extinguished and fixed by the Song army on the raft long ago.The Song army, taking the opportunity to give a shout, passed the wall of fire in the middle of the river and on their road to success, and went straight to the river bank. Before they had time to rub their eyes, which were bewitched by the thick smoke, they were stopped and killed by the Liao army huddled by the river beach.The Liao army, which had been dispersed by the phoenix crossbow on the south bank, jumped out of hiding again at this time, and started a hand-to-hand combat with the Song army. Having overcome the greatest dangers, one has the right to despise lesser dangers.Song Jun had just crawled out of the river. Many people were burnt to pieces, many people had their hair and beards burned off, and many people lost their weapons and horses in the fight with water and fire. Face off against the Liao army, which outnumbers them innumerably.They only have a 1% chance of survival, but being able to fight the Liao army on the ground is their chance of survival.Now there is nothing that can stop them from successfully landing. No matter how strong the Liao army is, it is no match for the fire dragon. Even if the fire dragon can be subdued, why do they care about the Liao army, which is also made of flesh and blood!They were supported by a strong belief that they must land, that all obstacles must be cleared, and they must be cleared.Their courage and divine power suddenly increased several times. An empty-handed soldier had just climbed onto the river bank when he was targeted by the Liao army hiding on the slope, who fixed him and stabbed him down.The soldier suddenly grabbed the barrel of the gun.The Liao army on the slope was afraid that their weapons would be taken away, so they pulled it upwards forcefully, and the soldiers who grabbed the gun barrel followed the pull and jumped up the slope more than ten feet high.Before he got on his feet, he cried out in a shrill voice: "I'm the first to go up the slope, brothers, hurry up!" All the soldiers fighting on the river beach and rushing across the pontoon bridge saw this thrilling glimpse, not only with their physical eyes, but also with their spiritual vision. This thrilling glance was indeed a great encouragement to the Song army who was engaged in the battle at that time.Just like the first soldiers who jumped into the river and threw themselves into the sea of ​​fire, although they are just soldiers and may not be able to complete the task by themselves, they have set an example for everyone with their heroic behavior and changed the attitude of the soldiers in battle. Mental states that make possible things that seemed impossible in advance.They are the unsung heroes who really make a difference, sometimes decisive, in every battle.History is created by these unsung heroes, not by the great heroes who have been covered with brilliant halos as historians write from indirect, sometimes even intentionally distorted, fabricated, and reversed materials. Following the victory of the landing battle, Yang Keshi himself walked to the end of the pontoon bridge.He is a burly and magnificent man weighing one hundred and eighty catties, plus an iron armor of more than thirty catties.Although his movements are not commensurate with his figure in battle, he is brisk and brisk, giving full play to the role of a warrior.But now to climb up the steep dirt slope and up the river bank, I need the help of my brethren.His fully equipped war horse was also led up by his own soldiers.At this time, the Liao army near the river bank was wiped out, and an empty battlefield was temporarily cleared. Like the border of the Song Dynasty in Baigou Henan, the border of the Liao army in Hebei is almost bare, without many fortifications.The difference is that the Song Dynasty voluntarily withdrew its defenses in order to please the Liao Dynasty, but the Liao side despised the Song Dynasty, especially since the Chanyuan Alliance, Liao's successive Beiyuan privy envoys and frontier defense generals did not believe that the Song Dynasty had the power to attack , so he disarmed himself.Since Yelu Dashi took over the front line, his dominant idea was to fight to the death, and he did not spend a lot of manpower and material resources to build fortifications.All historical records of Yelu Dashi prove that he was an attacker without hesitation.Although history tells us that if you are not a good defender, you cannot be a good attacker. Standing on this empty battlefield, Yang Keshi took the iron mace from his own soldiers, held it up high, and shook it to his partners on the south bank, indicating that they had obtained the preliminary results of the forced landing in front of the enemy. His pair of iron maces that everyone recognizes has also become his flag of recognition.