The Legend of Shushan Xuanjian

Chapter 577 Battle of the Pontoon Bridge
The door is opposite to the flowing water of the Crane Stream, and the cloud connects the Yandang fairy house.

Who understands the secluded meaning of the secluded person, and is used to watching mountain birds and mountain flowers.

——"Spring Scenery" Li Bai

……

After several tricks failed, Shi Siming stopped waiting and decided to take the initiative to attack Heyang.

Shi Siming and Sima marched around the sand table to discuss the strategy of attacking Heyang City.

The so-called Heyang City is actually not one city, but consists of three cities, known as the "Three Cities of Heyang".That is, North City, Zhongcheng City, and South City.

Beicheng is located on the north bank of the Yellow River, Zhongli City is located on a large sandbar in the middle of the Yellow River, and Nancheng is located on the south bank of the Yellow River.The three cities are connected by pontoon bridges, echoing each other and forming a defensive system.

If you go south from the three cities of Heyang, you can approach Luoyang; if you go north to attack, you can go straight to Shangdang and Taiyuan;

Heyang's unique geographical location and city structure have been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times, and it is known as the first hub of north-south transportation.

……

In view of the unique city structure of Heyang City, Sima Xingjun suggested that in order to attack Heyang, the pontoon bridge erected on the Yellow River must be destroyed first.

Only by destroying the pontoon bridge can the connection between the three cities of Heyang be cut off, and the siege party will not be caught in the enemy's situation.

Then wait for the opportunity to send troops to defeat the Tang army stationed in the three cities of Heyang one by one.

How to destroy the floating bridge?
The scouts of the Yan army reported after investigation: the two pontoon bridges in Heyang City are tens of feet long each, connecting the two ends of the Yellow River, and the bridge deck is laid on hundreds of small boat boards.

There are [-] or [-] sets of two pontoon bridges. The small boat boards under the bridge are connected by cables and fixed on the river surface with cables and iron anchors.

The shape of the pontoon bridge is quite similar to that of Cao Cao's water army, which used iron chains to fix warships.

Marching Army Sima suggested that Zhou Yu's Battle of Chibi can be followed, and these connected pontoon boat boards can be burned with the strategy of fire attack.

Shi Siming took it seriously, and with one order, the generals acted according to plan.

A few days later, the Yan army and the water army assembled and arrived in Heyang.

The Ordnance Department of the Navy rushed to make a large number of "fire boats" the size of grasshopper boats day and night.These igniting boats were covered with flammable substances such as sulfur and saltpeter.

It will be late this day, and the wind will start to blow on the Yellow River.The wind makes the surging Yellow River more turbulent, setting off wave after wave of white-headed tide.

I saw hundreds of grasshopper boats going down the upper reaches of the Yellow River, followed by hundreds of large warships of the Yan Army Navy.

When the grasshopper boat was about to approach the pontoon bridge, the Yanjun sailors operating the boat ignited the flammable materials stored on the boat, such as saltpeter, pine brights, and dried wormwood, and then flipped over and jumped into the rough waves.

The wind helped the fire, and the "fire boat" blazed and drifted towards the pontoon bridge.

……

According to the Yan army's fire attack strategy, these "fire boats" can quickly ignite the pontoon bridge once they are attached to the small boat boards.

After the pontoon bridge was blown, hundreds of warships of the Yan army swarmed up and surrounded the city of Zhongli on the sandbar.

Zhongli City is not so much a city as it is a camp.Its city wall is only as high as one person, and it is a veritable "sheep and horse city".

The Yanjun building ships were far higher than the city walls of Zhongli City. Using the catapults, bed crossbows and other siege equipment erected on the warships, they could easily destroy the defense of Zhongli City.

Surrounding Zhonglu City, the Yan army that surrounded Heyang North City and South City could launch an attack together, leaving the Tang Army in the three cities of Heyang in a dilemma of fighting on their own and unable to divide their troops to rescue them.

……

Zhongli City is Heyang's weakness.The Sima of the Yan Army could see it, but if Li Guangbi couldn't see it, he wouldn't be Li Guangbi.

Plan ahead.

Li Guangbi already had a strategy to deal with the enemy.

When the Yan army's water army arrived in Heyang, Li Guangbi guessed the strategy of the Yan army's attack on the city.

He ordered the Ordnance Department to rush to manufacture hundreds of hundred-foot long poles overnight, and fixed one end of the long poles on the giant wood of the pontoon bridge, and wrapped the other end with a hard giant iron fork.

……

as predicted.

When the "fire boat" of the Yan army was about to approach the pontoon bridge, the giant iron fork on the head of the long pole immediately forked the fire boat."

The "fire boat" seemed to be grasped by a huge iron hand, unable to move.

After a stick of incense, the blazing "fire boat" was burned to ashes.Was swept up by the torrent, sank into the river, and disappeared in ashes.

The floating bridge was unharmed.

Hundreds of large warships of the Yan Army Navy that followed were blocked in the river, and more than half of the warships were engulfed by the turbulent river to the pontoon bridge before they could turn around.

The huge iron fork on the long pole pierced into the hull, still holding the warship to death.

The warship is like an insect that has fallen into a spider's web. Although it keeps struggling, it can't break free.

The soldiers of the Tang army saw this, and their morale was high.

Li Guangbi had already arranged trebuchets——stone pegs—on both sides of the pontoon bridge and the river, and used the trebuchets to throw huge boulders at the warships of the Yan army.

The warship was firmly forked by the iron fork, unable to move, and could only be beaten passively.

Huge boulders that fell from the sky fell on the deck, smashing big holes in the deck, splashing wood chips and flying debris.

The Yan army sailors who couldn't dodge in time were smashed into meat paste, with limbs and arms broken, and flesh and blood flying everywhere.

The boulder hit the side of the ship, piercing the belly of the ship.

The turbulent river flooded into the cabin.The sailors who had no time to escape from the boat were sealed in the cabin, trapped by the sinking warship, fell to the bottom of the river, and drowned alive.

……

Countless Yan army sailors threw off their warships and jumped into the water, hoping to escape disaster by virtue of their water properties.

The crossbowmen of the Tang army ambushing on both sides of the river fired ten thousand arrows.The arrows were as dense as pouring rain, pouring down on the Yan soldiers who were swimming and escaping.

Bai Fu was ordered to lead a team of sharp archers to patrol around the pontoon bridge.As long as Yan Bing emerges from the water, he shoots away with an arrow.

Yan Bing's head was clearly visible like a gourd floating on the water.The sharp archers are like shooting live targets, the arrows are not in vain, and they are killed with one blow.

Soon, thousands of corpses of Yan soldiers floated on the surface of the river.

Attacking with fire, smashing stones, and killing with arrows, for a while, Yan soldiers on the warships and in the river channel screamed again and again, like ghosts on earth.

……

At the end of the shooting, Bai Fu and Lynx couldn't bear to do it.

Bai Fu let out a long sigh, put away his bow and arrow, and said to Lynx: "Shooting unarmed Yan soldiers is the same as massacring ordinary people. I really can't do it. Call back!"

A school lieutenant beside him was in a hurry and shouted at Bai Fu: "Disobeying the general's order is subject to military law!"

Lynx stared angrily, raised her bow and arrow, aimed at the captain, and said angrily, "Didn't you hear General Bai's order?! How could you be making noise beside me!"

Bai Fu stepped forward and pressed down Lynx'er's bow and arrow to prevent the situation from expanding.

Bai Fu smiled calmly, and said to the captain: "Capturing prisoners of war alive is more deterrent to the rebels than shooting them. Follow my orders. If the commander blames me, I will carry it alone!"

The rest of the archers also had this intention long ago, but they were afraid of Li Guangbi's military law and did not dare to disobey it.At this time, seeing that Bai Fu took the initiative to take responsibility, everyone unanimously stopped.

Bai Fu sent an order that as long as the Yan soldiers dropped their weapons and made a gesture of surrender, the Yan soldiers would be released ashore, and the soldiers of the Tang army would tie them up.

In order to avoid further troubles in the future, Bai Fu ordered the herald to report this strategy to Li Guangbi quickly, and attached three reasons for his own resignation and cessation of killing.

"Surrender without killing!"

Tang Jun's loud slogans echoed on both sides of the Yellow River, shattering the last resistance of the Yan Army.The Yan army's morale collapsed, they disarmed one after another, and raised their hands to surrender.

For a time, both sides of the river were densely packed with Yan soldiers who voluntarily surrendered.

……

This fierce battle was over in less than half an hour.

Most of the warships of the Yan Army have been sunk, and there are only a few warships that are far away from the pontoon bridge.

As soon as the battle started, seeing that the situation was not going well, the warships of the Yan army hurriedly turned around and retreated the same way they came.Only then was he able to escape, and he retreated completely.

Shi Siming, who was watching the battle from a distance, saw that the general situation was over, so he had no choice but to withdraw his troops.

The Yan army lost another battle.

Although Shi Siming was unwilling, he had no choice but to plan the next battle.

……

(End of this chapter)