Everyone hurriedly asked, and Li Guoqiu said: "Today afternoon I went upstream to check if there was a suitable place to cross the river. On the way, we went to a village and arrested a few local people for questioning. They said that this section of the Yellow River was frozen in winter in previous years.
The weather this year is colder than in previous years, but there is a reason why there is no ice. It turns out that in previous years, the gentle river surface of Baimadu was actually filled with dead trees, driftwood and various debris washed down from the upper reaches. Every year from
At the beginning of summer, after heavy rains in the upper reaches, a large number of trees and debris drifted down. Then when they reached the Baima Crossing section, because the water was gentle, they all floated in this area. Some debris would not flow away as the water flowed around. Some of them floated.
Aquatic plants will also take root on the debris on the river surface, forming patches of floating islands. This is why the four to five miles wide section of the river at Baima Ferry, which looks like a big lake, freezes in winter."
Wanyan Aguda and the Jurchen generals were confused when they heard this. They didn't understand what Li Guoqiu was talking about.
"Military advisor, please make it simple and clear. What does the freezing of the river have to do with the floating debris? Why do I become more and more confused the more I listen to it?"
Li Guoqiu chuckled and said: "Big boss, generals, you should know how to make the river freeze."
Hulu rolled his eyes and said, "You need to ask? The weather is cold, so it will freeze naturally? Like in our Changbai Mountains, even the waterfalls will freeze in winter, forming icefalls. It's still not cold enough here."
Li Guoqiu nodded and said: "If the weather is extremely cold, any water surface will naturally freeze. But the problem is that the temperature here is not comparable to that of the Changbai Mountains of your Jurchen tribe, so freezing requires many conditions to work together. Especially especially
Like the Baimadu river, the water surface is too open. Although it is gentle, it is slowly flowing water, not a static pond. The weather is not too cold, so it is not easy to freeze it. You all have common sense.
, I don’t need to say which one is more likely to form a piece of ice, a small bowl of water or a large bowl of water.”
Yalu Buhua said: "Of course it is easier to use a small bowl of water. Not to mention, when you say this, I feel very strange. Who is it? Why is it more difficult to freeze when it is more open? For example, in our Liaodong area
At the seaside, the weather is also extremely cold, but only the edges of the coast are frozen, but the sea surface is not completely frozen."
Li Guoqiu smiled and said: "You ask this, I don't know. But I think it's probably because ice cubes also need adhesion. The more open the water is, the ice cubes want to condense but have no place to adhere. This is also
The reason why lakes are thick at the edges and thin in the middle when they freeze. In short, we don’t need to worry about what causes this situation. The people said that before Baima Crossing, there were many dead trees and dead grass floating on the river every year.
If the water cannot flow downstream, these floating objects actually divide the water surface. Just like dividing a large basin of water into small bowls and small bowls of water, it is naturally easier to freeze. Those people said that in previous years,
In winter, there are places like islands frozen with debris and water plants in the middle of the river. Local people still set up tents on these islands and dig holes in the surrounding ice to fish."
Everyone was suddenly surprised when they heard this. It turns out that there was a reason why Baima Crossing was frozen every year. Thinking about it, it makes sense. It should be difficult to freeze such a large water body as Baima Crossing, but among these floating objects, weeds and dead trees,
If something like this divides the open water into small areas, it will indeed be easier to freeze. Although they don't understand why this is the case, experience and common sense tell them that the reason the military advisor learned makes sense.
"Those people said. This year, Baimadu has undergone a major cleanup. The reason is that too much debris accumulated over the years has been floating, which has affected the navigation of the ferry. This autumn, an official took his family by boat to cross the river.
When Handan took office as an official, he crashed into a piece of driftwood and his family almost drowned here. The official was furious and ordered local officials to clean up the river completely. So the local government organized dozens of boats and local people to
The boatmen spent a month cleaning up all the accumulated debris floating on the water and in the river bends. The leader still remembers that when we went to the ferry to investigate the situation, we saw several piles of dead wood, silt and aquatic plants.
A few hills? Those are the floating debris they salvaged and piled in the open space next to the ferry. However, as a result of their salvage, only the banks of the Baima Crossing river this year were frozen, and the middle of the river was completely frozen.
It's frozen. We can't cross the river directly." Li Guoqiu continued.
At this point, all the Jurchen generals, including Wanyan Aguda himself, suddenly realized.
"It's strange. I didn't know why I piled up a few piles of debris that day. It turned out to be debris floating in the river. Damn it, isn't this the luck of the Zhou people? In this way, we can't do anything
Crossing the river directly. It’s really self-defeating, damn it,” Wanyan Agu cursed angrily.
"It is indeed a coincidence. The imperial court of the Zhou Dynasty probably did not expect that it would unintentionally plant a willow tree. It is exactly this reason that prevents my army from crossing the Yellow River. However, since I know the reason, it is their unlucky one. We don't have to think of a solution.
It would be too risky to get a ferry to force the crossing. There is no need to attack elsewhere and lose the great opportunity to attack Bianliang. We can directly attack the city of Bianliang and conquer the capital of the Zhou Dynasty. Trying to use the Yellow River natural moat to stop our army is
Impossible." Li Guoqiu said with a deep smile.
.
"The military advisor has already devised a plan to cross the river? What kind of plan is that?" Wanyan Agu asked in surprise.
Li Guoqiu's method was very simple. He took advantage of the fact that it was still the first month and the weather still had not warmed up, so that the river surface could be frozen again. They put all the driftwood and debris salvaged ashore back into the river, because it could not be evenly distributed on the river surface, so
Li Guoqiu specially led thousands of soldiers to the upper reaches of the canyon to cut down the weeds and trees on the river bank canyon and throw them into the river, allowing the flowing river water to complete its natural distribution. Many Jurchen generals were actually skeptical about this. They felt that this Han military advisor was
The method is a bit fanciful. Can we cross the river in this way? I'm afraid it's a joke.
A large number of debris and floating weeds reappeared on the wide river surface of Baimadu, but because most of them floated down with the water from the upper reaches, the soldiers and horses of the Zhou Dynasty opposite Baimadu did not notice it at all. They were still immersed in it at the moment.
Inspired by the emperor's personal expedition, he was busy building fortifications and arrow towers in preparation for a tight blockade of the White Horse Ferry.
After the cold night of the first day, at dawn, Wanyan Aguda, Li Guoqiu and others came to the river. They were surprised to find that the river ice had extended to dozens of steps away from the river bank, and some driftwood and dead grass on the river were also covered with ice.
The ice has been removed. However, the river ice is still too thin and the water surface has not been completely frozen, but it is obvious that this has had an effect.
In the afternoon of the next day, the north wind suddenly picked up and the weather quickly turned gloomy. Li Guoqiu was overjoyed and shouted for God's help. There was a heavy snowfall just before this year. It has been sunny weather for more than a month, causing the temperature to rise.
It's not cold enough, which is abnormal. Didn't the northern lands have to experience several blizzards before spring arrived that year? But in front of us, it was obvious that another blizzard was coming, but it was later than in previous years.
But in Li Guoqiu's view, it was just the right time.
Sure enough, in the evening, heavy snow fell from the sky. It continued to snow until the early morning, and another half-foot-deep snow accumulated on the ground. When Wanyan Aguda woke up early in the morning and saw the thick snow, he couldn't help but cursed.
He thought that this heavy snowfall came at an untimely time, and the movement of the army would become very difficult. Material supplies and the movement of vehicles and horses would be restricted. However, military advisor Li Guoqiu came to his residence with a bright smile.
"Congratulations to the great chief, congratulations to the great chief. God help us, the crossing of the river is done." Li Guoqiu shouted.
Wanyan Agu was stunned at first, but soon understood what Li Guoqiu meant. He said in surprise: "What? The river is frozen?"
Li Guoqiu chuckled and said: "It's all frozen. In the early morning, I ordered people to walk along the river to the other side dozens of steps away. The entire river was completely frozen. Although it was covered with snow, the river had become a smooth road. Oh my God.
This is really a blessing to the great leader. This heavy snowfall and severe cold have come at the right time."
Wanyan Agu was so happy that all his worries were forgotten. The river froze, and the army could march across the river. This was what he had dreamed of.
"Then we can attack immediately? What are we waiting for? I can't wait for a moment." Wanyan Agu said loudly.
"I suggest you wait one more day for the ice to freeze more solidly to avoid accidents. After all, there is thin snow covering the ice and the thickness of the ice is unknown. Moreover, even if we attack, we cannot attack directly because the opponent is waiting for us.
It would be better to wait until after dark and the cavalry to cross the river suddenly and kill them by surprise, leaving no trace of armor behind. What does the chief think?" Li Guochou said in a deep voice.
"What the military advisor said is absolutely true. God is really helping me. I'm not talking about the heavy snow. I'm talking about the fact that a person like the military advisor came to my side. This is my great luck, Wanyan Agu. The military advisor's wisdom is comparable to yours.
Zhuge Liang is respected by the Han people. With your help, great achievements will be achieved. Military advisor, don’t worry, I will not treat you badly in the future. I will make you my prime minister." Wanyan Agu laughed loudly.
Li Guoqiu smiled and said: "Thank you, big chief, but these are not important. I, Li Guoqiu, only have one request, that is, after the big chief accomplishes his task, I will hand over the Guo royal family to my disposal. I want to avenge my ancestors.
.If the great leader feels that I need to be praised more, then it is better to entrust me with the land of my hometown in the Southern Tang Dynasty, so that I can restore my ancestral foundation and fulfill the long-cherished wish of my royal family, the Li family, for more than a hundred years. That would be a great reward to me.
The greatest compliment ever.”
Wanyan Aguda's heart was moved and he thought: So this person wants to restore the country? No wonder he is so dedicated. Restoring the country by his own hands is a good plan. Hehe, you are thinking too much. How can I
Are you willing to raise tigers to cause trouble? If you are not of use to me, how can I tolerate you?
"Hahaha, it's easy to talk. I can promise you now that as long as the Great Zhou Dynasty is destroyed, I will grant you the wish to restore the Southern Tang Dynasty. You and I have been friends for generations and are each other's country of brothers." Wanyan Agu laughed loudly.
"Thank you so much, chief... for the success!" Li Guoqiu knelt down and kowtowed, his eyes were moist and his voice was choked with sobs. This was the first time he had kowtowed to Wanyan Agu since he met Wanyan Agu, which shows that
He showed excitement and gratitude for the hope of restoring the country. Many times, once people have too much delusion, their IQ will be short-circuited. With Li Guoqiu's wisdom, he would not fail to understand who Wanyan Aguda is.
But the Li family was too obsessed with it, so at this time, they also lost their minds.
…
On the dark night of the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there were no lights or moon. The Jurchen army began to assemble towards the north bank of Baimadu after dark. Like ghosts in the night, a large number of cavalry were assembled within two hours.
Today, it is the most important night of the Shangyuan Festival for the people of the Zhou Dynasty. In the past, whether in towns, villages, border towns or capitals, both soldiers and civilians, old and young, would have fun watching lanterns and guessing riddles on this night. Because the Shangyuan Festival is over.
, the busy life of the new year is about to begin, the shops are going to open for business, those who are studying are going to school, those who are working are going to work, and those who are going out are going to pack up and leave home. But tonight, the Jurchens are going to
On this night of the Yuan Dynasty, which the Zhou people valued most, they launched a sneak attack across the river.
In the Dazhou military camp south of Baimadu, the commander Bai Qi specially gave the soldiers a special meal tonight. There was more meat in the meal, and each soldier was allowed to drink a small bowl of wine. Since the army was stationed in the south of Baimadu for a short period of time,
In a short period of eight or nine days, all the soldiers worked very hard. Many of them were withdrawn from the north, and some were mobilized from the surrounding areas of Gyeonggi. On the night of the Shangyuan Dynasty, they stood guard at the freezing White Horse Ferry in the snow and ice.
Naturally, they were not in a good mood. Bai Qi wanted the soldiers to experience some festive atmosphere and warmth, so he made an exception and let them drink a little wine and have a good sleep.
Bai Qi still thinks that the situation in front of him is not dangerous. Although the fortifications are simple to build, it is enough as long as there is a place for shooting arrows. The Jurchen army is now blocked on the north bank of the Yellow River. If they want to attack, they must cross the river. If they want to cross the river, they can
The river must be forcibly crossed by boat. His 150,000 troops are guarding the south bank. If the Jurchens want to force the crossing, they will be suicidal. Bai Qi actually noticed the ice on the river, but he believes that it is still difficult to reach the point where it can walk.
It was very early. Because before the heavy snow, there were only sporadic icing phenomena on the river, and there was a large open river surface. But after this heavy snowfall, it just blocked the visual perception on the river. There was a vast white sheet of thin snow.
Covering the river surface, it is impossible to judge what is happening under the snow.
Bai Bing believes that the Jurchens will not risk crossing the ice because the water surface under the snow is full of dangers. Only those who are crazy would do this. Bai Bing's thinking is related to the fact that he has stayed in the northeastern town for too long. His battles
I have almost never encountered this kind of situation in my experience, so I obviously don’t pay enough attention to it.
At the third watch of the night, the soldiers of the Zhou Dynasty who were responsible for keeping watch discovered the dark and swaying figure on the river in the hazy night. They thought they were dazzled by what they saw, but soon they discovered that it was a large group of people coming from the river like a tide.
The people and horses coming from the north bank. In order not to be noticed by the defenders on the south bank, all the Jurchen cavalry led their horses on foot and slowly stepped on the thick ice under the snow towards the other bank. When the soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty came,
When their figures were discovered in the hazy skylight and snowy light, the Jurchen cavalry front team had already approached a hundred steps away.
"Woooooo!" was a timid warning in the cold wind. The trumpet sounded rapidly. When all the Zhou soldiers woke up from their sleep and looked around hastily, the thunderous shouts of the Jurchen cavalry had already resounded across the river.
They got on their horses, urged their horses, and charged towards the slightly higher embankments and fortifications on the south bank.
The reaction of the soldiers and horses of the Zhou Dynasty was very fast. The soldiers slept in the tents with their armors still on and their weapons still in their hands. They immediately began to attack the shore quickly. But the Jurchen cavalry obviously came faster and more suddenly.
When the Jurchen cavalry's iron hoofs stepped on the snow on the shore, the Zhou soldiers and horses were able to shoot the first round of dense arrow rain, and then they were forced to start a hand-to-hand battle.
Groups of Jurchen cavalry rushed over from the river. The ice on the river made an ear-splitting roar. The entire river seemed to be undulating. In some places, the ice broke and made a clicking sound. It seemed that it was about to break at any time.
Collapse. But the Jurchens could no longer care about that. Under the urging of Wanyan Aguda, more than 100,000 Jurchen cavalry and Ben ignored the danger at their feet, rushed across the other side on horseback, and rushed into the battle group with the Zhou soldiers and horses.
among.
The soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou Dynasty were not overwhelmed immediately. Bai Qi had made adjustments during this period. He would not allow any more soldiers to flee without fighting. He set up a supervising team, increased the intensity of rewards and punishments, and made
A lot of ideological work was done. Emperor Guo Xu's personal inspection also really boosted morale, so the Zhouxiang army showed the highest fighting spirit since the war began. Even if the infantry faced the cavalry, they did not collapse quickly.
The two sides fought fiercely from night to dawn, with heavy casualties on both sides.
Originally, the Zhou army was about to collapse, but Bai Qi finally organized 50,000 cavalry to withstand the Jurchen cavalry and dragged the war until dawn.
With the cavalry standing up to the opponent's cavalry, the infantry became more motivated to fight. They desperately held the opponent back and entangled themselves with the Jurchens, dragging the battle into a fierce stage.
But the Jurchens finally used the Iron Buddha cavalry to fight, because Wanyan Agu didn't want to delay it any longer. He wanted Li Guochou to use the Iron Buddha cavalry to overwhelm Bai Qi's cavalry. As long as Bai Qi's cavalry was defeated, the Zhou infantry would be defeated.
In fact, it is not worth mentioning. The three thousand iron pagodas appeared like monsters. This was their second appearance in front of the formation. But this time they were attacking the enemy formation head-on, which was the purpose of their original formation. The iron pagodas were heavy
The cavalry soon showed that they were invincible and ignored the fierce formation-breaking power of any opponent standing in front of them.
