Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 508: Flying Across Lu County Bridge

Lu County is the capital of Jizhou Prefecture. It is sandwiched between the Yellow River and the Ji River. To the south is the Ji River and to the north is the Yellow River. Water transportation is very developed.

During the Northern Qi Dynasty, Lu County was one of the important towns on the south bank of the Yellow River. However, during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, due to the flooding of the Yellow River, the economy of Lu County was severely damaged and it was replaced by Licheng, Qizhou, which was further east.

Lu County gradually declined and was once abolished. It was re-established as a county after the Tang Dynasty, but its status was no longer as high as before.

After Fang Chongyong led his troops north from Liangshan, he entered Jizhou and surrounded Lu County, making a gesture as if he was going to besiege Lu County.

Not only that, he also ordered his soldiers to build siege equipment and prepare for battle. No matter how you look at it, this is no joke.

The people around Lu County fled in all directions, not wanting to be swept up in the flames of war. For a time, Yunzhou, Jizhou, Qizhou and other places were in a state of panic, and rumors spread that the Xuanwu Army was attacking the Jiedushi of Tianping Army (i.e. Yongwang Li Lin).

Early in the morning of that day, a messenger in a brocade robe was lowered from the city wall of Lu County. He swaggered to the camp of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army and was led by the sentry to the tent where Fang Chongyong was.

When the man saw Fang Zhongyong, he saluted him casually. Fang Zhongyong didn't take it seriously, and pointed directly at the cushion in front of the table, motioning him to sit down.

This person was Li Xian, the acting governor of Tianping Army, who was in charge of military affairs under Yongwang Li Lin and also the commander of Yongwang's army.

Of course, he has another identity that is unknown to outsiders: he is the son of King Xin'an Li Yi and Anaye's half-brother.

"My brother-in-law's attack on Hebei is quite risky. I am sweating just watching it."

As soon as he sat down, Li Xian couldn't help but sigh and said.

He volunteered to come this time, of course, he had his own selfish motives. The world was in chaos, and only those with military power could have the right to speak. Li Xian was not stupid, and he knew very well what kind of person Yong Wang Li Lin was.

At present, he is just "looking for a new job while riding a donkey". Li Lin was not his own choice, but was "assigned" by Brother Ji. It is really hard to describe the helplessness of this.

"Precisely because the risk is so great, we can attack them by surprise, leaving the Hebei bandits without any means of defense.

I have done a lot of seemingly fruitless things before, which were just a trick to deceive Huangfu Weiming."

Fang Zhongyong said in a deep voice, his face calm, as if he was not afraid of anything.

Li Xian nodded slightly, not knowing what to say.

After all, he is not his father, Xin'an Wang Li Yi, who is not a master of military tactics. He can only be considered to have a rough understanding of military tactics. His expertise is still in the aspects of reorganizing the army, recruiting soldiers, and daily training, and he also learned the experience passed down by Xin'an Wang.

He is the kind of person who can lead troops but not use them.

Li Xian knew that Fang Zhongyong's next battle would be extremely dangerous, but he could not come up with any good strategy, so he could only ask with regret: "There are only 500 old and weak people in Lu County. Can they help? Prince Yong has ordered that these 500 people are not allowed to leave the city."

"They can just watch the show from the top of the city."

Fang Chongyong said calmly. He stretched out a hand, turned his palm over and said, "Shaolin monks have a saying about internal martial arts, which emphasizes the use of inch force to hurt the enemy. Within three to five inches, the punch is as fast as the wind, and the force explodes like a sea. Tonight, I will let the bandits in Liaocheng on the other side know what it feels like to be hit by this inch force."

Li Xian was confused by these words. He asked curiously, "How can you turn the world upside down?"

Li Xian knew Fang Chongyong's plan, which was to cross the Yellow River from Lu County and directly attack Liaocheng on the other side of the river.

The relationship between Liaocheng and Lu County is like the relationship between the south city and the north city of Yecheng during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, with a river in between. It is not too much to merge the two into one city. They can be regarded as one geographically, but it is not necessary in terms of economy and politics.

It is precisely because of the latter reason that the two places have not been merged after a thousand years.

It really couldn’t be any closer!
However, because of this, there was a fatal loophole in Fang Zhongyong's plan.

Seeing that the other party did not answer, Li Xian asked: "How can the army cross the river without being noticed by anyone, even though they have to carry horses with them and there are no large ships on the shore? Although the city wall of Liaocheng is several miles away from the north bank of the Yellow River, with the ships going back and forth, if the army starts crossing the river at dusk, I am afraid that they will not be able to finish the crossing by dawn. By dawn, the enemy soldiers on the city wall will see everything."

Li Xian asked worriedly.

He hoped that Fang Chongyong would defeat the Hebei rebels, and he did so sincerely, both in public and in private.

It’s a pity that the reality is not as expected. It must be said that Fang Zhongyong’s plan is good, but there are some fatal uncertainties in it.

"Don't worry, we will definitely be able to break the city."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hands gently, looking like he had everything under control. However, when Li Xian asked him more, he refused to say anything more.

Time flies and it's dark.

Fang Chongyong led He Changqi and others to the bank of the Yellow River, only to see that the Yellow River ferry outside Lu County was brightly lit and bustling.

Duan Xueshi is busy organizing his troops.

"How's the situation on the other side of the river?"

Fang Chongyong asked Duan Xueshi, who was busy and sweating profusely.

"Reporting to the commander, General Che has already led a group of signal flags to clear the north bank to make sure there are no enemy scouts. If there is no problem, the fishing boats in the middle of the river will light fishing fires to send us a signal."

Duan Xueshi clasped his fists and bowed.

"Very good, follow the plan."

Fang Zhongyong nodded calmly.

Seeing this, Li Xian couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Brother-in-law, are we just going to cross the river like this? So... hasty?"

Li Xian did not see the kind of large ship that could carry horses. In fact, if such a large ship appeared on the south bank of the Yellow River, the scouts of the Hebei bandit army would definitely report it to the Liaocheng garrison commander after discovering it!

In that case, the other side would have been prepared in advance and the river crossing operation would have failed.

On the battlefield, everyone is saying that you should attack the enemy unexpectedly and when they are unprepared, and everyone can say good things.

But bragging is one thing, and practicing is another.

Li Xian really wanted to see how the world-famous Silver Spear Xiaojie Army could shoot with spears as fast as dragons and do what ordinary people could not.

At this moment, several fishing boats in the middle of the Yellow River lit up their fishing lights in the darkness almost at the same time! They were like fireflies in the grass in midsummer, bright and outstanding.

Everyone at the Lu County ferry could see it clearly.

Seeing this, Duan Xiushi was overjoyed. He hurriedly trotted over to Fang Zhongyong, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "General Jie, it's done! We can build the bridge now!"

"Well, start building the bridge. It must be completed within an hour!"

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand and said to Duan Xueshi.

"Order!"

After Duan Xueshi left, he immediately took out his bamboo whistle and blew it hard! The shrill sound was heart-pounding!

Hearing this, Li Xian looked strange, not knowing what to say. It took an hour to build a floating bridge, and it was on the surface of the Yellow River. He didn't know whether he should scold Fang Zhongyong for being an ignorant child.

However, the next scene left Li Xian dumbfounded!
He saw small boats one after another, spread out towards the north like building blocks. Each boat had been tied up with ropes, one after another, with the bow tied to the stern!
The fishing boats that were originally in the middle of the Yellow River rowed over to pull the ropes to the other side to drive piles. Everything was coordinated like a precision machine, in an orderly and skillful manner. It turned out that the small boats moored here could be tied with ropes in advance at the ferry!
Why the hell didn’t I think of that!
Li Xian rubbed his head in annoyance. These small boats parked beside the pier were inconspicuous. No one had expected that they had been "dealt with" before the bridge was built.

When you really want to build a bridge, you just need to tighten the ropes and pull them out. It doesn't take any effort at all!

This situation could only be discovered by the Hebei rebel scouts on the north bank, who had to come to the pier on the shore of Lu County and conduct careful investigation and identification.

Under the current circumstances, such operations are almost not feasible.

In other words, it was inevitable that the Hebei rebels would suffer this loss, and it was impossible for them to detect it in advance.

Li Xian couldn't help but smile bitterly. If he were the defending general in Liaocheng, he would not be able to defend the city either.

Soon, these small boats were connected by ropes and stretched to the other side of the Yellow River, and people on the other side fixed the ropes to solid piles!

A floating bridge has begun to take shape!
Seeing this scene, Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but sneer, thinking to himself:
Huangfu Weiming, you can't believe that I once built a floating bridge at Wulan Pass in Longyou! The water flow there was so fast! It was many times more difficult than building a bridge today!
"General Jie, the bridge piles have been laid!"

Duan Xueshi ran over and saluted Chongyong with his fists clasped.

"Lay the bridge planks!"

Fang Zhongyong gave the order calmly. His heart was beating violently, but he looked able to hold on. He still had that serious and calm look.

He had used this method of bridge building in Ulan Pass because the river was turbulent at the time and it was inconvenient to lay wooden boards, so he had to build "modules" in advance to reduce the number of laying times!

This method can be used to build a bridge quickly.

But the Yellow River here is wider, and I don't know if it will work. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken, even if it doesn't work.

"Order!"

Duan Xueshi took the order and left, looking full of confidence.

Soon, several soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army carried a huge rectangular wooden board and ran towards the small boats connected by ropes.

The soldiers used large iron nails prepared in advance to nail it to the boat, and from a distance it looked like a flat wooden bridge deck.

They were like running a relay race; the first group would leave after finishing nailing, and the second group would lay the second board and continue nailing, going back and forth endlessly.

Li Xian carefully examined the large wooden boards with wooden strips added as reinforcements and edging all around, and suddenly remembered that when the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army was pretending to surround Lu County, it seemed that they were building a "siege weapon" and the camp was bustling with activity.

Only now did he realize that these people were not building siege ladders, they were just building wooden boards for a floating bridge!
Fang Chongyong and his soldiers have been busy for several days just for this moment!

Li Xian couldn't help but look at Fang Zhongyong, who kept a poker face, crossed his arms, and wondered what he was thinking. He felt a wave of palpitations.

Even an indescribable fear.

The Silver Spear Xiaojie Army should be very capable in fighting, but Fang Chongyong did not become complacent and think that he was invincible.

On the contrary, the opponent pays great attention to combat details and logistical support, and is very fond of using strategies.

Even the construction of the pontoon bridge required thorough preparations made several days in advance, including many strategic deceptions, both large and small.

In fact, in Li Xian's opinion, the Liaocheng defenders might not pay attention to these things at all, but Fang Zhongyong still played the routine meticulously! Even the wooden planks for crossing the river were made to make the enemy think that they were preparing siege equipment to attack Lu County.

Not using large ships was also intended to paralyze the defenders on the other side, making them think that the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army had no intention of crossing the river.

His meticulousness should not be underestimated!
Li Xian began to understand how Fang Chongyong had won those great battles in the Western Regions and fought against Tubo.

Compared with Fang Chongyong and his Silver Spear Filial Piety Army, they had a tight deployment and were advancing step by step.

Li Xian felt that he and the soldiers under Prince Yong were really a bunch of weaklings and stupid chickens!

Not only is he bad, but he is also ignorant.

How can good-for-nothings like them defeat a fierce and powerful army like the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army?
Li Xian couldn't help but worry about the fate of Yongwang Li Lin.

Just as Li Xian was lost in thought, Duan Xueshi walked up to Fang Zhongyong, clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "General, the pontoon bridge has been built! In less than an hour! I am here to hand over the order."

“Prepare several fishing boats and patrol back and forth along the pontoon to salvage brothers who accidentally fell into the water.

Everyone else, ride your horses across the river!"

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand and immediately called to He Changqi beside him, "You lead the personal guards to lead the charge! Go now!"

After saying that, He Changqi took the order and left, and all the personal soldiers behind Fang Chongyong left without a single one left.

Li Xian stood there like a fool, not knowing whether to follow Fang Chongyong to cross the river or go back to Lu County to sleep!
As if remembering Li Xian, Fang Zhongyong turned around and waved his hand to Li Xian, saying with a smile: "There will be someone in the Xuanwu Army to be responsible for the transportation of food and fodder. Thank you, His Royal Highness Prince Yong, for me. You don't have to worry about the suppression of the Hebei bandit army."

After saying this, he rode his horse onto the floating bridge and disappeared into the night.

"Hebei is a dangerous place, you really dare to go there! I thought you were just bluffing."

Li Xian looked at the soldiers of the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army who crossed the river in an orderly manner and disappeared into the night. He couldn't help but sigh and murmured to himself.

People are very different. Some people are like water and fire, and will kill anyone who stands in their way.

This really can't be compared.

Li Xian couldn't help but worry about Yong Wang Li Lin.

This prince really doesn't know how dangerous the situation in the world is.

A fierce dragon or tiger like Fang Chongyong has come out to stir up trouble!
How should Li Lin deal with such people?
……

On the city wall of Liaocheng, the capital of Bozhou, a fire chief guarding the city climbed up the parapet and whistled at the people below.

After he finished peeing, he pulled up his trousers with a look of satisfaction.

Suddenly, standing on a high place, he seemed to see a figure swaying under the city!

When the fire chief looked again, the figures had disappeared again.

He rubbed his eyes, jumped down the parapet in a hurry, and said to the soldiers around him: "There seems to be a figure under the city. How about you take a gondola down to take a look?"

"It's going to be okay. It's dark outside."

The soldiers secretly cursed their own fire chief for being a worthless person. They were unwilling to go down to see the situation, but forced him to go. Therefore, they refused to give in and go down from the tower.

"Well, let's go over there and inspect it."

The fire chief pointed to the other side of the wall. Standing on the wall, he whistled at the city below. The military law would at least start with ten military sticks. It would be hard to explain this matter if it was investigated.

(End of this chapter)