At the Xiangshui Tianjin Ferry, there are rows of boats parked on the shore, boats connected to boats, masts and masts forming a forest, and groups of civilians in poor clothes and ropes, driving calf carts or pushing deer carts, transporting batches of military supplies.
Arrive at the ferry and load onto the ship.
When Liu Jing arrived at Jindu of Xiangshui River by car, he saw such a busy scene.
A group of civilians pushing more than twenty large crossbows passed by the side of Liu Jing's car.
The earliest record of a large crossbow is in "Mozi Bei Gaolin", which has a history of hundreds of years. However, it may be due to poor practicality that it has not become a standing weapon on the battlefield.
The record of the use of large crossbows in Jingnan was thirty-four years ago. At that time, Jingzhou soldiers Zhu Gai and others stationed in Guiyang County had not received much reward from the court because they had been guarding the border for a long time. The soldiers were all complaining, and for a while
In anger, a massive rebellion was launched. Ren Yin, the prefect of Guiyang, abandoned the city and fled. The rebels gathered tens of thousands and turned to attack Lingling.
The prefect of Lingling at that time was the famous minister Chen Qiu. He gathered the old and weak officials from the county to defend the city together. "Strings and big trees were used as bows, and feathered spears were used as arrows. They used the opportunity to fire, and shot more than a thousand steps from a distance, killing many people."
.”
Of course, this long-distance shooting of more than a thousand steps must be an exaggeration. Even the three-bow crossbow, the ultimate form of the ancient Chinese large crossbow, cannot effectively kill such a long distance, and it is difficult to even hit it in half.
When Liu Jing recruited carpenters to develop shooting poles, he also made a batch of large crossbows, which were strung with winch shafts, which greatly improved their practicality. Liu Jing named them "bed crossbows".
The development of the three-bow bed crossbow was not very smooth. The resulting sample was not much more powerful than an ordinary bed crossbow, but the materials required were several times that of an ordinary bed crossbow.
There is no way, the three-bow bed crossbow is the same as the shooting pole, the production technology has been lost long ago, and its technical content far exceeds the shooting pole.
Liu Jing's knowledge of the three-bow bed crossbow was very limited. He only knew that it consisted of three bows, two arranged upright and one inverted, and strung with a twisting shaft. He could only provide such a few ideas, and coupled with the lack of technical accumulation, failure was expected.
thing.
There is no progress yet on the three-bow bed crossbow, but the trebuchet was tinkered with by Liu Jing and his craftsmen.
The concept of trebuchets, like large crossbows, has been put forward very early, but the first large-scale application will have to wait until next year's Battle of Guandu. Cao Cao used a trebuchet to attack Yuan Shao's tower. The sound was like thunder, so it was called "Trebuchet".
Thunderbolt car.”
The prototypes of the trebuchet and the shooting pole are both water-drawing tools. The working principles of the two are surprisingly similar. In the process of developing the shooting pole, Liu Jing inevitably thought of the trebuchet, and the entire development process went unexpectedly smoothly.
Due to the huge destructive power of the trebuchets, Liu Jing dismantled all the more than ten trebuchets originally used to defend the city and moved them onto the ship. In addition, he also prepared to build some more when he arrived at the location.
"Ming Ting..." Seeing Liu Jing's car, Zheng Zheng immediately took a break from his busy schedule and came over.
Liu Jing got out of the car and said seriously: "Bomu, after I leave, Lingxian County will be handed over to you. In the past two years, you have managed the government on my behalf in Lingxian County, governed the county by law, punished rape and eradicated evil, and made the surname powerful.
No one dares to test the law without fear. With you in charge of Ling County, I feel very at ease."
Serious is not a man who is good at words. He bowed and said: "I will definitely guard Ling County until the Ming Dynasty returns in triumph."
Liu Dingding nodded and explained a few more things. Then, under the respectful escort of Zheng Zheng and others, he boarded a huge battleship and headed to Hunan and Lei. He met Liu Zong and others' warships, then arranged the fleet and carried out a large-scale campaign along the river.
Go north.
Due to the relatively late departure time, the fleet did not arrive at its destination until noon the next day.
Liu Zhu, on the other hand, has been waiting here for a long time. He has not been idle these days. He sent troops to block all roads leading to the outside world in Hengshan Township to ensure that his actions will not be leaked.
In addition, he also blocked the Xiangjiang River for dozens of miles, and no one was allowed to enter the water. Hundreds of fishermen in Hengshan were deeply affected. People who make a living in fishing are already living in poverty. Once the river is blocked, they will immediately fall into lack of food and clothing.
situation.
In fact, this is not only the case in Hengshan Township, but also in Lingxian County. The impact on fishermen is even worse than that of Hengshan Township.
Although Liu Jing sympathized with the plight of the fishermen, it was related to his own success or failure, and he had no choice but to wait for opportunities to compensate later. The means of compensation were nothing more than tax exemptions, corvee, etc., which was the most direct way to reduce the burden on the people.
Liu Jing ordered the five battalions of Liu Xiu, Liu Liang, Cai Sheng, Ma Zhou, and Han Guang, totaling 4,000 people, to land in the hilly area on the south bank of the Xiang River and go several miles deep to build military camps and fortifications.
Since the battlefields of the two sides were not in the same place, Liu Zong led his troops and naval forces to set up separate camps a few miles south.
The next day, February 7, Shan Rixi led two thousand Jingman warriors, traveled all the way through mountains and ridges, and arrived at the north bank of the Xiang River in a dusty journey.
"Liu Jun..." Shan Rixi took a few close friends across the Xiang River to meet Liu Jing.
Looking at the silk-haired green robe and high-spirited single-day clothes, they formed a strong contrast with the desolate image of the past. Liu Jing couldn't help laughing and said: "Uncle Weng, you came so fast, I thought you would have to wait at least a day or two.
Only then will it arrive.”
Shan Rixi smiled and said: "Since I received Liu Jun's letter last month, I immediately gathered the warriors to wait for your order. It's a pity that the waterway cannot be reached, otherwise it could have been moved one day earlier."
Liu Jing took Shan Rixi's hand and said: "The Jingzhou Army is known as a hundred thousand troops. Since crossing the river, it has suppressed Jingnan. Heroes and wise men are all hiding in hiding. The opponent is so powerful that others are afraid to avoid it, but Uncle Weng is not afraid."
How rare it is for a powerful enemy to advance despite the difficulties."
Shan Rixi said solemnly: "If it weren't for Liu Jun, I would have died at the hands of my enemies. How could I have achieved what I have today? All of this is thanks to Liu Jun. As long as Liu Jun says a word, I will die even if I go through fire and water."
Ci."
Liu Jing nodded happily and began to describe the entire ambush plan to Shan Rixi. Liu Zong led the navy to intercept the front army of the Jingzhou navy. The two of them led their subordinates to ambush on both sides of the Xiang River from the south to the north to attack the Chinese army.
The north bank of the Xiang River is a mountainous area, which is more difficult to climb, while the south bank has hilly terrain, which is easier to land on. Therefore, the south bank is destined to become the main battlefield. Liu Jing personally led the five battalions of soldiers to guard the south bank, while the less pressured north bank was left to Shan Rixi.
After hearing this, Shan Rixi took the initiative to ask for orders: "Liu Jun, the south bank is more dangerous, why don't you send us to guard the south bank?"
Liu Jing refused without thinking: "Your advantage is that you can travel freely in the mountains. Fighting in formation on flat ground is not your strength."
How could Shan Rixi not know this? He just wanted to show his bravery to Liu Jing.
On Liu Jing's side, everyone was already in place, while on the Jingzhou navy side, they were only halfway through the journey. It took another six days until the afternoon of February 13 to reach Hengshan Township.