On the river bank leading to the ferry, Yang Yiqing was leading a group of generals pointing, patrolling, and talking loudly.
On the pier, a large number of soldiers are busy working nervously. A large amount of wood and bamboo are being transported in carloads and stacked on the pier. Many people have already begun to build something.
Zhang Yanling got off his horse, walked down the ramp, and walked to the pier. Someone saw Zhang Yanling coming and immediately reported it to Yang Yiqing. Yang Yiqing turned around and saw Zhang Yanling coming, and led everyone to greet him.
"Why don't Marquis Jianchang rest for a while? It's precisely because I wanted Marquis Jianchang to rest for a while that I didn't let anyone disturb you. I didn't expect Marquis Jianchang to come anyway." Yang Yiqing cupped his hands and said with a smile.
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "How can I sleep peacefully when I think about the situation of the rebels and the enemy? I got up early in the morning and went to the Yamen. I heard that Lord Yang and the generals were coming to the ferry, so I hurried over."
Yang Yiqing nodded and said with a smile: "I understand why the emperor sent the Marquis to quell the rebellion. The Marquis is worried about important things and does not care about hard work, which is admirable."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Master Yang, isn't this the same? Is this worthy of praise?"
Yang Yiqing laughed endlessly.
At this moment, the morning fog on the river quickly dissipated, and the situation at the opposite ferry, obscured by white fog, gradually emerged.
Looking from a distance, the cliffs of the ferry on the other side are towering, which is similar to the terrain here. The gentle area between the high cliffs is also the dock. This is why Lingzhou North Ferry is an excellent ferry on the Yellow River in this section of Ningxia Town. The river surface is not only
It is wide, the river flows slowly, and there are almost natural flat areas on both sides of the river, which is suitable for the movement of soldiers and horses across the river and ashore.
Some people may think that the topography of the shore is not important, but they are totally wrong. The cliffs on both sides of the Yellow River are steep and towering, and the river channel is equivalent to passing through canyons. If there is no suitable terrain, even if you cross the waterway, it will not matter.
It was impossible to climb the cliff, let alone complete the large-scale river crossing operation of people, vehicles and horses.
Lingzhou North Ferry is responsible for the transportation of a large amount of materials, vehicles and horses, and people. In the past, military dispatch, merchants, and goods all crossed the river from here. Without the flat terrain on both sides, it would be difficult to
Flying to the top of the cliff is not possible? Or is it possible to escape from Foolish Old Man and move the mountains and level the cliffs hundreds of feet high on both sides? That is absolutely impossible with human power.
"It's really a good ferry for crossing the river. I heard that there are only a few ferry crossings on this section of the Yellow River in Ningxia Town. Our ferry is the largest one. It is indeed true." Zhang Yanling praised.
Yang Yiqing nodded and said: "Yes. There are three ferries in Ningxia. This is the largest and most suitable for large armies to cross the river. There are two ferries upstream and downstream, but the terrain is slightly narrow and the water flow is fast. That is why Lingzhou is like this.
It's important. If Lingzhou is lost, the passage to the north will be cut off. Fortunately, Lingzhou is in our hands, and the ferry here is also in our hands."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "To be precise, the Nandu Port is in our hands. The other side is in the hands of the rebels."
Yang Yiqing smiled and said: "So what? As long as the southern ferry is in our hands, the army can march north and forcefully cross the Yellow River to quell the rebellion. There won't be no place to cross the river."
Zhang Yanling was stunned and asked: "Does Master Yang mean to prepare for an attack across the river?"
Yang Yiqing was also stunned and said with a smile: "What? Don't the Marquis think so? That's right, I haven't introduced the situation to the Marquis yet. Originally, I planned to inspect the ferry and inform you after I go back. Now that Marquis Jianchang is here
, let’s just talk to you here.”
Zhang Yanling nodded and said, "I am all ears."
Yang Yiqing said: "Currently, about 40,000 troops have been assembled in Lingzhou. Some are still arriving, but they will be able to be assembled within three days. The imperial court gave us 50,000 troops this time, but just in case
One, two in the upstream and downstream
At the ferry, I decided to send five thousand soldiers and horses each to patrol to prevent the rebels from sneaking across the river. Of course, I guess they would not dare to cross the river. Even if they cross the river with a small group of soldiers, they will die. But
You still have to take precautions.”
Zhang Yanling said nothing and stood there quietly listening.
Yang Yiqing thought to himself: "...After the 40,000-strong army in Lingzhou was assembled, my decision was that the army was ready to cross the river and attack. The rebels destroyed the fishing village on the south bank, took away the boats and people, and tried to prevent us from crossing the river. Then
It's just wishful thinking. I have already ordered people to mobilize a large number of timber and shipbuilding craftsmen from Pingliang, Qingyang and other places. Jianchang Hou, you should also have seen that starting today, we will build a large ship to cross the river at this pier."
Zhang Yanling listened to Yang Yiqing's words, and his brows slowly knitted together. It turned out that so much wood and bamboo were transported to the dock to build a large boat for crossing the river. It must be said that Yang Yiqing acted vigorously and resolutely. From Qingyang Mansion to Hepingliang Mansion
Transporting the wood and craftsmen obviously didn't just start today. It started at least a few days ago. Otherwise it wouldn't have been so fast.
"The reason why Cao Xiong failed before was because Cao Xiong was underprepared and underestimated the enemy. When the army crossed the Yellow River, they actually used sheepskin rafts. It was ridiculous. When I crossed the river with the army, I wanted to build big boats. Each boat can carry more than two hundred people.
I plan to spend half a month making
Thirty to fifty large ships. In this way, a large number of soldiers and horses can be transported ashore at one time. If supplemented by simple river crossing tools such as bamboo rafts and wooden rafts, ten thousand people can attack the other side at one time. It will be a devastating force." Yang Yiqing did not notice.
Zhang Yanling's expression was on his face, he was stroking his beard and said.
Zhang Yanling frowned and pondered. Yang Yiqing smiled and said: "Jianchang Marquis, what do you think of my arrangement?"
Zhang Yanling looked up at Yang Yiqing and said: "Master Yang, how many troops are there on the opposite bank of the rebels? How many defense facilities are equipped? How many archers? How many ballistas? How many artillery pieces? Are there any other defense facilities? Master Yang has investigated them all.
Already?"
Yang Yiqing was stunned and said in a deep voice: "Are you worried that I, the Marquis of Jianchang, do not know the enemy's situation? You can rest assured. I have already made a clear investigation. Not everyone wants to follow the rebels and rebel. Therefore, I have received the news.
A few secret reports, including information on the military strength on the other side of the river.
There are more than 25,000 rebels on the opposite side of the mouth. I have 40,000 troops crossing the river. I have the advantage. There are some archers and crossbow cannons on the opposite side, but I also have countermeasures. The big ships built this time will be very strong.
It is difficult to destroy, let alone bows and arrows. As long as we..."
Zhang Yanling said loudly: "Mr. Yang, can we renegotiate the matter of crossing the river and attacking?"
Yang Yiqing frowned and said: "I have already made arrangements for the Marquis of Jianchang. According to my estimation, as long as we successfully cross the river, we can defeat all the dead and put down the rebellion. It will not take more than a month at most. It may not even be needed. So..."
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "Mr. Yang, what if we fail to cross the river? Building a big ship is a good idea, but how do you know that the other side has no special means? According to your information, there are 25,000 soldiers and horses stationed on the other side. That is based on
The Yellow River is naturally dangerous and guarded. How can you dare to attack easily? Don't say anything else.
, if I were the garrison on the other side and your big boat crossed the river, I could use rockets to set it on fire. Your big boat might be able to land safely, but I’m afraid it would be burned down if it couldn’t be turned back for a second trip. But wouldn’t the soldiers and horses crossing the river have no reinforcements, and they would all be destroyed in the end?
"Having learned from Cao Xiong's mistakes, Mr. Yang should be cautious."
Yang Yiqing was a little shocked and said in a deep voice: "Jianchang Hou, what you mentioned are extreme situations. I don't think your situation will happen. The rebels don't have kerosene. How can ordinary rockets set my ship on fire?" ?Are all the people on the ship stupid? Don’t they know how to put out fires?”
Zhang Yanling laughed. At this moment, he realized that Yang Yiqing was really a scholar and a nerd. Fighting might not be his strong point.
"Master Yang, how can you take this kind of thing by chance? If you don't think it through carefully, what matters is the lives of the soldiers and the success or failure of the rebellion. Master Yang, this matter should be considered in the long term." Zhang Yanling said.
Yang Yiqing frowned and looked at Zhang Yanling and said: "Master Zhang, according to your wishes, how should we suppress the rebellion?"
Zhang Yanling said: "I haven't thought about it yet. I can't make a decision."
Yang Yiqing laughed.
"Master Zhang, are you noble this year?"
Zhang Yanling said: "I am twenty-two years old. Why does Mr. Yang ask this?"
Yang Yiqing smiled and said: "Master Zhang is so young. Others are as old as Mr. Zhang and have accomplished nothing. Mr. Zhang is already the Marquis of the Ming Dynasty, and has been entrusted by the court to preside over the major tasks of countering the rebellion. Zhang Hou Do you know what the reason is?"
Zhang Yanling frowned and said, "Master Yang, do you mean that I, Zhang Yanling, am not worthy of being here?"
Yang Yiqing chuckled and said: "I don't know whether you are worthy of it or not. What I know is that the reason why Lord Marquis came to quell the rebellion is not because you have commanded troops and won any great battles. Therefore, this matter of quelling the rebellion, Jianchang It's better not to worry too much. Marquis Jianchang just stay here. If you feel bored, you can wander around. I will arrange the counter-rebellion matters. When the time comes, you, Lord Zhang, can just sit back and enjoy the results. It’s better not to worry about this plan to counter the rebellion and how to use the troops.”
Zhang Yanling's face changed color, and she was surprised when she looked at Yang Yiqing's smiling face. This Yang Yiqing actually said these words. Rather than saying that he did not trust his ability, it was better to say that he was insulting himself. Originally, he still had feelings for Yang Yiqing. The good feelings I had had disappeared completely in an instant.
"Master Yang, I am the commander-in-chief of the counter-rebellion, and I am responsible for leading the army in combat. You also know the official decree of the imperial court. No matter what you think of my ability, you cannot deprive me of the right to lead the army." Zhang Yanling said calmly. vocal tract.
Yang Yiqing chuckled and said: "Master Zhang, I don't dare to resist the decree. But you must not forget that I am the general military affairs director of the counter-rebellion army and am in charge of military affairs and related matters. In other words, the Marquis must listen to me. I don’t need your consent to decide the matter. Do you understand? I don’t care how noble your identity is as Lord Zhang, or how you persuaded the imperial court to get this job. I just want to tell you about counterinsurgency. I said Forget it. You can't command or dispatch any of the soldiers here. If you don't believe it, ask all the generals here. You may be a noble prince in the capital, but you can't do it here. .”
Zhang Yanling looked at the dozens of generals beside Yang Yiqing in surprise. Those generals looked at him with mocking smiles. Zhang Yanling instantly understood his situation. Here, he was alone. As the chief counterinsurgency officer, In the eyes of these people, I'm afraid it's just a decoration.