Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 595 The bridge was destroyed and everyone died
At dawn, several rooster crows sounded in the Wei camp in Shaoyangzhou, followed by louder drums resounding in the north and south of the Huai River.

The soldiers of the Wei army got up to the sound of drums symbolizing getting up, and washed and had meals amidst the urging of the generals.

Jia Kui, wearing his outer robe, first inspected the camp, then climbed to the high platform and looked down at the Shaoyangzhou Floating Bridge.

In the south of Qiao, due to the good weather today, the Wei army soldiers gathered under Cao Xiu's military orders and prepared to continue the siege of Zhongli City, which was still standing.

For more than 150 days, under Xu Sheng's persistence, Zhongli had become a nightmare for the Wei army, mercilessly devouring the Wei soldiers who attacked the city.

However, these Wei soldiers became increasingly exhausted due to their inability to attack for a long time, and their morale gradually weakened. How can there be no high morale when sending troops and the momentum to conquer Huainan.

Seeing such a scene, Jia Kui sighed slightly.

In terms of his attitude towards using troops against Jianghuai, Jia Kui initially supported Cao Pi's use of force; but as the war situation developed, Jia Kui hoped that Cao Pi would withdraw his troops.

The fact that the two cities of Xiapi and Zhongli could hold on for so long clearly showed that the Southern Han Dynasty was not as lax and unprepared as Cao Pi thought. Jia Kui even suspected that the Southern Han Dynasty sent Yu Jin back to his country in order to make them slack off.

The soldiers and horses were careless, and they marched south across the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, and the strong city was defeated. The war lasted for a long time, and the Han army was waiting for work. At that time, Wei was exhausted and Han was full. How could the Wei army still have the motivation to fight?

Under Jia Kui's arrangement, Lu Xun, who was downstream, wanted to go upstream and destroy the pontoon bridge. He had to first push through the array of fire boats, and then resist the rain of arrows on the pontoon bridge and pull out the hidden piles on the river surface before he could approach the pontoon bridge.

While inspecting the pontoon, Jia Kui had someone measure the water level and found that the water level in the Huai River had risen a lot. Fortunately, the Huai River had not reached March, so the pontoon was still stable.

"Boom!"

But then, it seemed that the pontoon bridge could not withstand the side collisions of more than a dozen vehicles and ships. The thick hemp ropes on the bridge broke one after another, like a crazy python waving, whipping the running Wei soldiers into the water.

Therefore, Jia Kui hated Cao Xiu from the bottom of his heart. If it weren't for the clan general, how could such a general who used troops for his own selfish purposes become a border general?
Now His Majesty knew that he had a grudge against Cao Xiu, so he only asked him to be transferred from Huaibei to Shaoyang Continent, and let Xia Houru, who was stationed at Shaoyang Continent, lead his troops across Huaihe and assist Cao Xiu wholeheartedly.

Jia Kui was from Hedong. Due to his past service, although he had military talents, he had little combat experience. Fortunately, Jia Kui's talent was not weak. After he became the governor of Yuzhou, in order to fight against the Southern Han Dynasty, he had a deep understanding of naval warfare and the habits of Han generals in using troops.

Although the Shaoyangzhou Floating Bridge was proposed by others, the construction of the floating bridge was led by him and Xia Houru.

"Your Majesty!"

Cao Xiu was blocked by Zhongli City. He first shot the general Cao Ren, causing Cao Xiu to lose face. Then when he attacked Zhongli City a few times, Cao Xiu was tricked by Xu Sheng, and Zhongli City survived.

The attendant pointed to the small fleet upstream and asked, "But is our fleet capable?"

When Jia Kui finished inspecting the floating bridge, Cao Xiu was leading his sergeants to besiege Zhongli City.

The dead soldiers swam for a long time, waiting for the rescue of the Han army's boat.

At this time, the cars and boats were as fast as galloping horses, and the boats and boats were set on fire by the Han soldiers!

Not only that, Jia Kui scorned Cao Xiu's approach of storming Zhongli City. Now that Zhongli City has been defeated, Huaiyin will follow, and the large army of the Southern Han Dynasty has not yet fought with the army. Obviously the Han army set a trap for them and used the fortified city to weaken their morale.

Fortunately, the piers of the pontoon bridge were strung together by iron locks. Although the pontoon bridge suffered severe impacts, it could barely withstand the traffic and boats flowing under the gentle water flow. However, the car and ship wrapped in flames spread the flames to the pontoon.

The Han army's follow-up boat did not follow closely because they were worried about the fire ship burning themselves. Instead, they slowed down and rescued the Han army sailors who jumped from the ship.

When Jia Kui looked at the south bank, his attendants didn't know what they saw from upstream. Their eyes were as wide as bells, for fear that they had seen something wrong.

The Huai River is prone to flooding, especially in March, when the water level will rise seven or eight feet at the turn of spring and summer, with strong winds and heavy rains. It is very unsafe to rely on a single floating bridge to connect the north and south banks.

The soldiers of the Han army threw the torches onto the fodder mixed with ointment, and saw fireworks shooting up into the sky, and then thick black smoke rose.

Rubbing his nose, Jia Kui wrapped his outer robe tightly, stepped down from the stage, and inspected the Shaoyangzhou Floating Bridge.

Therefore, there was a tacit consensus within the Wei army, and it was approved by Cao Pi. Before mid-February, regardless of the outcome of the battle or whether he could defeat Zhongli, Cao Xiu had to withdraw to Huaibei to ensure the safety of his army.

After being stimulated twice, Cao Xiu felt that he had lost all face and was ashamed. In order to wash away his shame, Cao Xiu had no other choice but to attack Zhongli City.

Facing the sudden arrival of the boat, Jia Kui, like everyone else, froze for a moment and observed the incoming boat. Then when he saw that the speed of the boat did not slow down and its target was pointed at the pontoon bridge, Jia Kui keenly sensed that something was wrong.

The cold wind blew by in the early morning, and Jia Kui suddenly couldn't help but sneeze a few times.

Jia Kui turned his head and looked around, only to see a large number of boats appearing upstream at an unknown moment, rushing towards the pontoon bridge!

At the last moment when the pontoon was shaking violently, Jia Kui and his attendants boarded Shaoyangzhou. Jia Kui looked at the pontoon bridge that was being hit by cars and ships, breathing heavily, his eyes full of disbelief.

"Zhouge?"

Under the rapid sound of gold ringing, Jia Kui seemed to understand something and shouted: "Let's go!"

The Shaoyangzhou Floating Bridge is centered on the mainland and uses small boats as piers. Several iron locks connect the boats in series and fasten them to both sides. After the bridge piers are in place, the bridge is built on the boat and then the bridge deck is laid.

Pang Tong stood on the deck and saw the dead soldiers emerging from the water. He shouted: "Quickly put down the ladder and save your colleagues first!"

First, a vehicle and ship collided with the pontoon bridge. The bridge's timbers shattered and the ship's piers shook violently, making a creaking sound. Then more than ten vehicles and ships collided from different sections of the bridge, making a loud noise and the entire pontoon bridge shaking violently.

Listening to the sound coming from the south bank, Jia Kui couldn't help but look into the distance. Even though there was a gap between him and Cao Xiu, he still hoped that Cao Xiu could conquer Zhongli.

"go!"

"promise!"

Seeing that the deck and cabin of the boat were all wrapped in flames, the dead soldiers of the Han army jumped into the cold Huai River like a fish.

Immediately afterwards, an enemy ship seemed to be spotted on the upper floor of Shaoyang Island, and there was a ringing sound.

Although the Han army was defeated twice by Huo Chuance, Jia Kui did not dare to neglect. In order to strengthen the defense of the pontoon bridge, Jia Kui placed many hidden piles downstream of the bridge deck. In order to facilitate the communication between the navy, Jia Kui not only set up arrow towers and watchtowers at both ends of the bridge, but also set up lifting trestles.

After that, even though Jia Kui was closer to the south bank, in order to be loyal to his duty and ignore other people, he ran towards Shaoyangzhou.

Now, with the help of the wind, the flames of the cars and boats that were set alight became even bigger. And because no one was operating it, the boat slowed down and had enough time to burn. Before approaching the Shaoyangzhou pontoon bridge, it completely turned into a fire ship.

The reason why the army is determined to fight Zhongli is not only because Cao Pi was blinded by the victory, but also because Cao Xiu was dominated by anger.

Under the impact of more than a dozen vehicles and ships, Wei Zu standing on the pontoon became unstable. Wei Zu fell directly into the Huai River under the violent shaking. Occasionally, a lucky person escapes by climbing on the bridge and runs madly towards Shaoyangzhou or the shore.

Where did the Han army's ships come from, and how could they reach the upper reaches of the Huai River? And why is there no news from upstream?

"Your Majesty, what should I do now?" the attendant asked.

"Use bamboo poles to prop up the boat and put out the fire!"

Seeing a small fire burning on the pontoon, Jia Kui gritted his teeth and said.

If the flames are not extinguished now, the floating bridge will not last long. It is even said that if the cars and boats are not eliminated, the pontoon will inevitably be unable to withstand the impact and break after a while. Once the pontoon bridge breaks, the north and south banks of the Huai River may be cut off by the Han navy.

However, in order to prevent Lu Xun's ship from hitting the pontoon, Jia Kui was prepared and used large bamboo poles to prop up the incoming ship. Now facing the big boat coming down from the upper reaches, Jia Kui didn't know whether he could use the big bamboo pole to prop it open.

"what?"

Looking at the crumbling floating bridge, many people hesitated. "Your Majesty, the pontoon bridge will be broken, and life is in danger if you get on the bridge. It is better to withdraw to Shaoyangzhou and wait for the rescue by the troops on both sides of the strait!" someone advised.

Jia Kui was not afraid of life and death. In order to inspire everyone, he drew his sword and shouted: "Since I have been ordered by your majesty, how can I abandon the bridge because of greed for life?"

"Follow me to the bridge!"

Jia Kui held his sword and shouted, taking the lead to reboard the broken pontoon bridge. Seeing Jia Kui's behavior, many soldiers were inspired to board the pontoon bridge in order to save it.

But how could Pang Tong follow Jia Kui's wishes? He and Tai Shiheng each led 5,000 troops and went straight down the river to attack the north and south of the floating bridge, hoping to cut off Shaoyangzhou's communication with both sides of the strait. In front of their fleet were small boats filled with sulfur and ointment.

Soon, when Jia Kui boarded the pontoon bridge again, the boat crashed into the pontoon bridge under the control of the Han army sailors. A small boat is different from a car and a boat. The car and boat are tall, and it is difficult to spread the flames to the pontoon for a while. Although the boat has no impact, it can quickly spread the flames to the pontoon.

However, there is a long pole on the pontoon, which directly blocks half of the boats. However, although they were blocked by long poles, many small boats rushed to the pontoon.

The fire spread to the pontoon bridge and would burn it down before long. Even if there are iron locks connected by then, it won't last long.

Seeing the fierce fire on the pontoon bridge, the attendant grabbed Jia Kui who was trying to push the fire boat open and shouted: "Your Majesty, the enemy is coming well prepared. The bridge will be burned with flames and the pontoon bridge will be difficult to save!"

Jia Kui broke free from the pull of his attendants, and said with a death wish, "I have been ordered by the emperor today, An Neng will leave in fear of the enemy!"

As he spoke, Jia Kui held bamboo poles in both hands and pushed the burning boat open.

Just as Jia Kui pushed out a small boat, Tai Shiheng took the boat and reached the upper reaches of the pontoon. The naval sergeant stood on the deck and shot at the Wei troops on the pontoon.

Jia Kui was surrounded by everyone, so he was the first to attack. There was a rain of arrows, and many of the sergeants on Jia Kui's left and right were hit by arrows.

"Shangjun, leave quickly!"

The attendant protected Jia Kui with a shield and shouted: "Our navy has arrived, please board the ship and retreat to the north bank!"

When the pontoon was attacked by fire, Cao Wei's navy immediately assembled and moved against the current to attack the Han navy.

But before Jia Kui could speak, a hail of arrows fell from the Han army!
"what!"

Jia Kui screamed, and a sharp arrow hit him directly in the chest.

Immediately afterwards, the shield-wielding soldier was hit by an arrow in the thigh and could no longer protect Jia Kui.

Without the shield, several arrows shot through the armor. Jia Kui was in great pain, staggered a few steps, and fell into the cold Huai water.

After a few struggles and a few splashes, Jia Kui was submerged by the Huai River.

Jia Kui, the governor of Yuzhou, died in battle!
Looking from the sky now, we can see that both the south and north of the bridge were attacked by Han army fireships. Fierce fire burned the pontoon bridge, black smoke floated to the sky, and arrows from Han and Wei dynasties crisscrossed each other.

In particular, the tower guarding the pontoon on Shaoyang Island had a large number of archers, shooting wildly at the Han army boats in the near continent.

At the same time, Cao Hong on the north bank saw that the north of the bridge was under attack, and the archers climbed up the building to shoot. A team was even sent out to try to get onto the pontoon.

Pang Tong's generals only had 5,000 men, and his troops were far less than those of the Wei army. In order to destroy the pontoon bridge as soon as possible, Pang Tong put on armor and stood on the deck to supervise the troops to defeat the enemy.

"Captain, be careful of arrows!"

Several cold arrows flew onto the ship, and the attendants protected Pang Tong.

Pang Tong pushed away his attendants and shouted: "How can I retreat when we are fighting hard? Beat the drums and sound the trumpets to let the tribes advance forward."

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Three Han soldiers in a small boat braved the rain of arrows and rushed to the pontoon bridge. They slashed as many ropes and wood as possible to fix the pontoon bridge.

When the Wei Army crossbowmen on the Wei Army Tower saw the Han soldiers, they immediately greeted them with arrows.

"what!"

One Han soldier was hit by an arrow and fell into the water. Another soldier came up with a shield and tried his best to chop down the big trees on the pontoon bridge. There is another person holding a bow, trying to cover his colleagues.

"Snapped!"

The bridge was cut off by soldiers in small boats. Under the impact of cars and boats, the pontoon bridge instantly became much looser. As the bridge deck was burned by fire, the small boats serving as bridge piers were gradually exposed, along with several iron locks.

Just as the shield-wielding soldiers were trying to cut down the bridge piers and boats, the Wei navy navy on the other side of the bridge came over with bows and crossbows. Two Han soldiers on the boat were hit by arrows and fell into the water immediately and died.

As the Wei army used various tactics to defend the pontoon, the Han army's shortcomings due to its small number of troops were constantly exposed, and its offensive could not help but slow down.

Standing on the deck, Pang Tong saw that the offensive was slowing down and Lu Xun's troops were still missing. He was very anxious and stood on tiptoe to look downstream.

If Lu Xun's troops fail to arrive, even if he destroys the pontoon bridge, he may not be able to complete Huo Jun's plan as he wishes. There may even be a mistake. All the boats and boats he led may be lost here due to the small number of soldiers.

In fact, Pang Tong's delay in seeing Lu Xun was not due to Lu Xun's breach of contract, but because Lu Xun considered that his 700 or 800 boats were densely arrayed on the Huaihe River and could easily be destroyed by the Wei army's fire attack. Therefore, Lu Xun had been waiting for Pang Tong to attack the pontoon bridge and attract the Wei navy away.

The Wei navy attacked the Huaixi navy, while Lu Xun advanced at full speed, splitting his troops into two groups to attack the north and south of the pontoon, and attacked the Wei navy with Pang Tong.

Fu Xu held his bow and stood on the bow of the boat, and as a vanguard, he went straight towards the Wei navy.

The navy of the Wei army hurriedly responded to the challenge and turned to fight Fu Xu. However, under the three-piece set of bow and arrow volley, short spear throwing, and spear piercing, how could the Wei navy navy be Fu Xu's opponent, and was directly killed and fled in defeat. They took up the oars and rowed towards both sides of the bank.

In order to completely wipe out the Wei navy, Fu Xu led his troops to adjust their direction and sail towards the river bank to pursue the retreating Wei army. The Han army behind Fu Xu took over his position and rushed towards the burning pontoon.

Feng Xi led the warships to control the oars on both sides and attacked the pontoon bridge lightly. They cooperated with Pang Tong's troops to destroy the piers of the pontoon bridge. Or in order to facilitate the reverse movement of the ship, hidden piles and wooden fences inserted in the water were removed. Or the archers on the boat could calmly aim and shoot without the interference of the fire ship.

Before long, except for the archers on both sides of the bank and on Shaoyang Island, all the Wei soldiers on the pontoon and Huai River were wiped out. Without the interference of the Wei army, the Han army became more and more calm, but the pontoon bridge was completely engulfed in flames, the iron locks were burned, and the pontoon bridge was broken into several sections under the impact of vehicles and ships.

At the same time, because the pontoon bridge was in danger, the Wei army that besieged Zhongli City gave up the siege!
The sound of gold ringing representing retreat sounded, and the Wei army retreated like a tide.

Looking at the retreating Wei army, Xu Sheng, whose left leg was injured, was so exhausted that his body couldn't help but slumped down on the city ladder.

Seeing that Cao Xiu had withdrawn his troops uncharacteristically, many Han soldiers were doubtful. However, looking at the looming black smoke in the sky, their expressions gradually became excited.

Zhang Gui held Xu Sheng's hand tightly, pointed at the black smoke in the sky, and said excitedly: "General, look, reinforcements have arrived!"

Xu Sheng looked out and saw the few wisps of black smoke gradually dispersing in the sky, and then a large amount of black smoke appeared. He seemed to understand something!
"Destined to live!"

"Destined to live!"

Xu Sheng covered his excited face with his hands, cried bitterly, and kept saying.

ps: I updated it too late last night, and I had a fever. I'm very uncomfortable today, so I'll leave you with a chapter.

(End of this chapter)