Craftsmen of the previous dynasty were able to make suozi armor, which was among the top-grade armors along with scale armor.
Suo Zijia is made by drawing iron into silk, then cutting the silk to make rings and weaving them into chain clothes to protect against swords and bows.
It's just that Suozi armor protects against arrows and is very good at cutting with knives, but it is weak against sharp blade stabs, so it is not as popular among generals as scale armor. However, the technical inheritance has not been interrupted. Huaidong generals also like to wear armor in addition to stabbing.
Those wearing light armor have particularly high protection in combat.
It is easy to draw iron into wire, and craftsmen have accumulated skills in quenching and annealing thin iron wires. However, it is not an easy task to pull out thin iron wires hundreds of feet or even thousands of meters long, and then twist the thin iron wires into ropes.
Since the advent of Huaidong's Lin Zhengjun-class super-large ships with a capacity of more than 20,000 Shijia, higher and more stringent requirements have been put forward for the strength and toughness of ropes, especially the ropes used to tie sails and masts cannot be used indefinitely.
Go thicker.
Compared with traditional hemp rope, iron wire and iron wire rope are undoubtedly better choices. Only Huaidong has a strong demand in this area, so Huaidong craftsmen can continue to toss for several years and invest a lot of resources to perfect the iron wire.
Rope technology.
The dozens of bundles of iron wire ropes currently stored in Huanglongtan camp are far from perfect, but compared with traditional hemp ropes and iron ropes, they have obvious advantages. In fact, iron wire ropes were used in
On the Lin Zhengjun class ship, no other force can understand.
An iron wire rope that is five hundred steps long can withstand tens of thousands of kilograms of tension, but the total weight is only four hundred kilograms; and a fairly strong iron rope can even weigh thousands or tens of thousands of kilograms.
Even if there are fixed objects on both sides of the bank that can withstand tens of thousands of kilograms of tension, the difficulty of placing a four hundred kilogram iron wire rope and a tens of thousands kilogram iron cable across the turbulent water is definitely not at the same level. Although the iron wire rope is suspended above the water,
It is not absolutely impossible to destroy it, but it is definitely much more difficult than burning a piece of hemp rope or bamboo rope with fire.
When Luo Wenhu first saw the iron wire rope and the bundles of thin iron wire with a thickness of only a few centimeters, he thought that it would be so exciting to use this thing to make a stumbling rope and pull it on the battlefield before the enemy cavalry sprints.
!However, he did not mention it. This kind of thing can only be used once. The generals of the Huaidong Army should have considered it long ago. It can only be used once and it is far less versatile than other fields.
At dusk, Chen Zhi and Huang Zuyu rushed to the supply camp. The few workers and officials in the supply camp who usually wore plain clothes and mixed with the craftsmen also changed into official official uniforms at this time.
Whether they can successfully pull up the suspension rope between Longzhao Rock and Shanmen Rock tonight will determine whether they can deliver a fatal blow to the more than 80,000 enemy soldiers still stranded on the south bank of the Han River. How can Chen Zhi and Huang Zuyu take it lightly?
Luo Wenhu was extremely shocked by the secrets displayed by the Huaidong Army in the past two days. In order to better keep up with the generals of the Huaidong Army, he asked Chen Zhi to cross the river with the front to join the battle. Only in this way was it possible
Gain a deeper understanding of the many unpredictable tactics of the Huaidong Army.
After Yan Hu heard the alarm, he would inevitably launch a mad counterattack on the beachhead on the south coast. In a bloody battlefield, it is also necessary for generals to take the lead in resisting the enemy and fighting to boost morale. It is inevitable that middle and high-level generals will die in front of the battle. It is necessary to avoid the command system because of the generals.
If it collapses due to casualties, send more generals there to replace them.
Luo Wenhu wanted to go to the south bank with the front group. Chen Zhi naturally would not object, but would admire his courage and distinguish him from other surrendered generals.
Of course, if Luo Wenhu wants to go to the South Bank first, he needs to do zipline training first.
Since only two or three suspended ziplines could be erected to connect the two banks in the early stage, the elite battalion that was the first to rush to the south bank to organize the early defense could only use the ziplines to cross the river.
The elite battalion that planned to cross the river first was led by brigade commander Liang Shou, who had a thin face and was named Luo Wenhu. It was hard to imagine that Liang Shou was just a butcher in Dengzhou City before joining the army. They had transferred him as early as two days ago.
Come and do zipline training.
Entering the secret training camp deep in the mountains, Luo Wenhu realized that the Huaidong Army's attempt to cross the Han River was not a temporary move, but one of the plans that had been formulated before the occupation of Fancheng. In the secret training camp, two tall pillars were linked together.
The zipline is not complicated to say, but it requires repeated training in advance to ensure that when crossing the river, it will not get stuck due to problems caused by individual people.
In the camp, Luo Wenhu also saw hundreds of fine iron bed crossbows and scorpion crossbows prepared to block the river. At this time, he tore off the rainproof varnish and pulled it out of the camp, revealing his ferocious face in the open space. The soldiers on the front base
The horses are also prepared, ready to make up for the Dragon Claw Rock at any time.
Luo Wenhu tried two zip lines. Wearing armor, he could slip over a distance of more than 100 meters without too much difficulty. Then he, Liang Shou and the camp sentry generals further studied the terrain around Shanmen Rock and Miaotan Ridge on the other side.
and various emergency combat plans.
Following them across the river, there were a dozen craftsmen who were responsible for the later erection of the suspension bridge.
This battle is not to use a zipline to send five or six hundred people across, but to use iron ropes to build a suspension bridge between Longzhao Rock and Shanmen Rock that can allow people and horses to pass through on a large scale, transporting three to five thousand people in a day or two.
Even more elite soldiers and horses crossed the river, cutting off the Xianggu Passage at the southern foot of Miaotan Ridge in one fell swoop, completely destroying the enemy's plan to escape north on the south bank.
This kind of fighting method was something Luo Wenhu had never thought of before. He couldn't help but think of Chen Hansan who was still defeated in the Battle of Xuzhou in a daze to this day...
Luo Wenhu had always been puzzled by Chen Hansan's defeat in Xuzhou. How could the river, which was frozen solid after winter, suddenly collapse? But when the construction officer of the Huaidong Army was asked to explain, Luo Wenhu didn't think about it.
The truth is so simple, without knowledge it really kills people.
After nightfall, Luo Wenhu and Liang Shou led their troops to assemble behind Longzhao Rock. At this time, the wind started to blow. Looking at the hazy night sky, Luo Wenhu asked worriedly: "Will there be rain or snow?" The rain and snow weather will undoubtedly increase.
Difficulty of crossing the river.
"It would be nice if it snowed hard..." Liang Shou looked up at the sky. Crossing the river was not difficult. There were so many bed crossbows and scorpion crossbows blocking the narrow river surface. He was not afraid that enemy ships could attack the fine iron ropeway from the water.
However, after hearing the news, the enemy troops could only reach Shanmenyan from the mouth of the valley at the southeastern foot of Miaotan Ridge, less than 40 miles away. If there was heavy snow, it would greatly delay the enemy troops' arrival to encircle them.
Rain and snow are not good for anyone, but they are good for everyone.
The Huaidong Army's preparations have been adequate. The worse the weather, relatively speaking, it will only be more disadvantageous for the unprepared and defenseless enemy forces on the south bank.
Chen Zhi and Huang Zuyu came over and said: "There is nothing abnormal on the south bank. It is expected to snow today. You should be careful of slippery rocks when you go there. Are you ready?"
Liang Shou nodded, Chen Zhi, Huang Zuyu and Li Baidao, who led the second group of troops to cross the river, said: "Then push the crossbows ashore first..." Although the enemy sentinel ship passed this section of the river every two hours after dark,
But there is no guarantee that the enemy naval warships from upstream will come faster. The armored soldiers zip across the river and are unable to fight back against the bows and arrows fired by the enemy ships in the air. They need to use bed crossbows and scorpion crossbows on the shore to block and attack those coming from upstream.
Enemy ship...
The iron wire ropes have not been unfolded yet, and bundles are placed in front of the "I"-shaped iron piles, but one end of the iron wire ropes is fastened to the iron piles with iron buckles made of fine iron, and the suspension ropes are ready;
Under the cover of darkness, a framed crossbow was also pushed up the cliff from the camp. After the slotted giant crossbow arrows were in place, they were aimed at the water channels upstream and downstream of Longzhao Rock.
Just after Xu Shi, two enemy patrol ships sailed down the river. Fearing the crossbows of the Huaidong Army on the north bank, the two enemy patrol ships passed almost close to the south bank, making people worried that the men and horses lurking on the south bank at this time would be exposed.
.
The north wind is howling, the sky is hazy, and the night is as dark as ink. The enemy patrol ship passes by, and the men and horses lurking on the south bank use lights as signals to indicate the shooting direction for the four giant crossbows set up on Dragon Claw Rock!
These four bed crossbows made of fine iron are obviously larger than the bed crossbows commonly used in the military. The crossbow arrows are slotted and the arrow tails are tied with ropes. Luo Wenhu was also nervous, although the string tension of the giant crossbow was higher than that of ordinary bed crossbows.
It was stronger, but he was not sure whether he could shoot the giant arrow with the tail rope to the other side. He had not seen the repeated experiments carried out by the carriage soldiers before, so he always felt that it was not safe.
On the other side, lights were used to mark the shooting direction. Chen Zhi waved his hand and gave the command, listening to the crossbow bolts flying through the air. Caught in the howling north wind, he didn't know whether he was shooting on the other side. He only saw the soldiers operating the crossbows pulling the arrows.
When the arrow tail rope was stretched and the rope was straightened, he said excitedly: "The shot has reached the other side!" After a while, the other side also used lights to signal success.
Looking at Chen Zhi, Huang Zuyu, and Tang Xitai looking at the night below the river with solemn expressions, Luo Wenhu felt that the sweat on his palms was a bit excessive.
Luo Wenhu quickly tied three bundles of iron wire ropes behind the rope. Luo Wenhu watched these wire ropes slowly being pulled down the river. After about half an hour, the three wire ropes were stretched straight on the Dragon Claw Rock, with a very small
The angle slopes downward...
Luo Wenhu was the first to go down the platform and use the rigging to set up the suspension rope. He stepped on the stone and slid into the air. He listened to the cold wind howling in his ears, the sound of waves surging under his feet, and the water foam hit his face, making him feel cold.
, did not ask him to think too much, as castration was approaching, but he could also see the situation on the other side of the river more clearly.
Several lanterns illuminated a natural landing stone platform under Shanmen Rock. A dozen people who had lurked earlier were standing on the stone platform. At this time, they stretched out a long pole and hooked the body of Luo Wenhu, who was about to castrate.
He pulled it to the stone platform and untied it; there were three rope ladders hanging down on the left side of the stone platform for people to climb up, and four giant iron crossbows were nailed slightly below the stone platform, roaring in the wind and waves, motionless, and fired.
The stone is probably half a foot deep...
What a powerful bed crossbow!
While Luo Wenhu was in a daze, "whooshing", three more people were sliding from the other side behind him at the same time...
There was a man here holding a lantern and shining his light over him. He couldn't recognize Luo Wenhu: "Why didn't Liang Tou come over? Who is this general?"
"This is Commander Luo Wenhu from the Military Intelligence Department; Dong Biao, is there anything unusual here?" Liang Shou's voice sounded next to Luo Wenhu, asking the man who came here on horseback.
"It turns out it was Commander Luo." Dong Biao, the sentry leader who had lurked in advance and was in charge, came over, bowed to Luo Wenhu, and said to Liang Shou, "The enemy troops in the valley in front of Miaotan Ridge are still in their dreams; but in Dongling
As well as the two lookout posts at Huya Beach, each was guarded by fifteen or sixteen soldiers. When we approached before nightfall, we encountered three enemy posts in the south of the mountain, killed two, and asked one to escape, but it should not be possible.
It was too alarming to the enemy. Three thousand enemy soldiers were stationed at Cao Chong Village in the upper reaches of the Nanhe River before nightfall. They stopped there and planned to continue to Gucheng tomorrow. After being alarmed, they will probably be pulled over to attack here..."
It is normal for the Huaidong Army to have scouts infiltrating on the south bank and for Yanhu to have scouts on the north bank. Both sides will search for the other party's scouts every now and then, but as long as they are not infiltrated in the core area, they will rarely mobilize troops to mobilize the masses.
Liang Shou, who sent a large number of soldiers and horses to search overnight, was not worried that Dong Biao's killing of patrol sentries would arouse the enemy's vigilance...
Liang Shou and Luo Wenhu didn't waste any time and climbed up the mountain gate rock from the rope ladder.
Shanmen Rock is slightly smaller than Longzhao Rock on the north shore. The top of the rock is only forty or fifty steps deep. Past it is the dense forest that can be seen everywhere in Miaotan Ridge. It is inaccessible and has towering trees. It is a slope that gently descends to the south and west;
The two wire ropes were fastened to the roots of the giant tree with iron buckles and stretched so tightly that the bark of the tree was broken. When stretched on the rocks, even if someone was ziplining across the river, they would not move at all and were very strong.
The whole plan seems very simple, but such a simple and practical background hides Huaidong's incredible strength. Such a simple and practical strategy is also difficult for the enemy to see through. Luo Wenhu prides himself on being both civil and military, and he is very ashamed at this time.
Almost any battalion general or sentry general in the Huaidong Army will be no worse than him - and it is difficult for the Huaidong Army to plan a lot for this...
Soon another twenty or thirty people zipped over, and some of them had bundles of thin iron wires less than one minute (tenth of an inch) tied to their bodies. There were already more than forty people lurking in the dense forest behind Shanmen Rock.
In addition to the seven or eight craftsmen who had lurked in advance, other alert guards took over the iron wire and used the surrounding trees as stakes to quickly form a temporary defensive camp.
Although it is simple to build a camp using iron wires to surround trees, it is much faster than cutting down trees to build a camp.
Even if the iron wires can be cut with knives and axes, the iron wires can be tightly encircled into a mesh to slow down the enemy, and they are not protected from fire. It is more effective to use it in conjunction with iron caltrops. Huaidong Army's bow and crossbow deployment
Behind the iron wire, it can effectively and intensively shoot enemy troops blocked by obstacles such as iron wire nets, iron caltrops, and horses.
When it comes to fighting, the elite of the Huaidong Army are not short of courage at all. The key is to suppress and not let the enemy troops surge in from all directions.
Although Shanmen Rock is in Miaotan Ridge, it is not far from the mountain. After all, it is necessary to consider that elite soldiers and horses can quickly attack from Miaotan Ridge by crossing the river and cut off the passage between Xiangyang and Gucheng. Therefore, at the same time, in
Once the enemy finds out, they will attack Shanmenyan very quickly, without many terrain obstacles.
The suspension rope above the Han River can hide the enemy's force until dawn at most, and the enemy will attack before the sun sets at the earliest. Liang Shou led the front troops to cross the river, in order to build defenses around Shanmen Rock first, so as to be able to attack the Han River in the morning.
A suspension bridge was built on it so that more soldiers and horses could quickly cross the river...
After almost 400 people had passed through, two enemy patrol ships arrived from upstream.
Although the night was dark, the three suspension ropes were suspended fourteen to five feet above the water. So many people were already deployed on both sides of Dragon Claw Rock and Shanmen Rock. They were so startled that the surrounding birds and beasts fled. Naturally, they would not call the enemy sentinels.
Not even alert.
When the enemy sentry ship sailing close to the south cliff raised its fire to illuminate the night sky, they were naturally greeted by a rain of arrows like locusts. More than half of the dozen soldiers on the enemy sentry ship were instantly killed or injured, but the remaining enemy soldiers on the ship were also killed in time.
Light up the beacon fire at the stern of the ship to warn the south bank!
Luo Wenhu stood on the rocks and saw the enemy troops at Dongling and the lookout posts at Huyatan. They quickly lit up warning beacons. Only then did he realize that the enemy troops at the two lookout posts on the left and right were so close. If it weren't for
Each is separated by a ridge, and the straight-line distance from Shanmen Rock is only four or five miles.