Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Kuizhou City is difficult to capture, so attack Baidi City first!

Anyway, the officers and soldiers of the navy were defeated, and the rebel navy could roam freely in the Yangtze River.

Sun Chengmai, a newly defected naval officer in Kuizhou, said: "Don't be careless in control. It's better to go to Baidi City. If we go east to attack Shimen Pass, we have to cross the Kui Gorge (Qutang Gorge) dangerous beach. The most dangerous thing is Black Rock Beach. , two black stone beams in the north and south extend into the Yangtze River, and the water rushes fiercely on both sides, sending out several whirlpools in succession, and the beach is bottomless. If you are not careful, the hull of the boat will be torn off by the whirlpools and smashed into pieces, and people will fall into the water and fall into pieces. It's useless. Even the corpses can't be washed away. If they don't sink, they just float and spin on the whirlpool."

"How to get there?" Li Bao asked.

Sun Chengmai said: "It takes an experienced helmsman who is familiar with the water force to avoid the jet whirlpool before sailing through it. At its narrowest, the channel is only fifteen or six feet (more than 50 meters), with countless bright and dark eddies. If you go wrong for a few feet, the boat will be destroyed and people will die. .”

Li Bao clicked his tongue in surprise, but at the same time he was a little scared.

If the officers and soldiers of Kuizhou retreated to Wushan, and there were no locals to warn them, and they foolishly took a boat there, wouldn't they have to suffer countless losses in the Yangtze River?

Sun Chengmai continued: "Now is the dry season, the water is slow and the whirlpools are not that severe. But there are also problems with shallow water. If you are not afraid of whirlpools, you are afraid of reefs, and you need an experienced helmsman to steer."

Li Bao said: "You said that the whirlpool was caused by two stone beams. Why not take advantage of the dry season to remove the stone beams?"

Sun Chengmai said: "The stone beam is as strong as steel. It is useless to chisel it a little. If you want to chisel more, it will take countless hours."

Those two stone beams are rich in iron sulfur oxides, and being as strong as steel is not an adjective.

It was not until the Daoguang period that a businessman named Li Benzhong hired people to drill and cut rocks at his own expense, which slightly reduced the difficulty of navigation.

In the end, it was up to the People's Liberation Army to use explosives to remove nearly 30,000 cubic meters of rocks.

Between words, the fleet was approaching Baidi City.

Li Bao stood on the deck. Directly in front of him was Tiezuo Pass (Qutang Pass, Kuimen), in front of him was Baidi City, and in front of him was Qutang Gorge.

The majestic mountains and rivers shocked Li Bao to the point of being temporarily speechless.

At this moment, Li Bao finally understood what it means to be a "hero in the world".

After coming back to his senses, Li Bao said: "Why fight against Wushan? With such steep mountains and rivers, just occupy Kuimen. We only need one or two thousand people to hold on, and if the navy's cameras are moved, even a hundred thousand officers and soldiers will not be able to kill them. .”

The approach of past dynasties was to pull up an iron chain across the river at the mouth of the narrow Qutang Gorge.

Just throw thousands of soldiers at Kuimen and pull up the iron locks, and no one will be able to pass by!

Therefore, in the Northern Song Dynasty, Qutang Pass was directly renamed Tiesuo Pass.

"Siege the city!"

Li Bao gave the order and the soldiers rushed towards Baidi City in boats.

There is no place to stay nearby, so we can only attack the city immediately, and the equipment has been built.

Li Bao's navy consisted of hundreds of large and small warships, all of which were converted merchant ships, fishing boats, tankers, and salt ships. Most of the naval officers and soldiers are fishermen, water bandits, patrolmen, private salt traders, and salt merchants' clerks.

The guard general of Baidi City was named Guan Shuyan, and he had only two thousand soldiers under his command, most of whom were temporarily recruited rural soldiers.

Seeing the rebel navy approaching, Guan Shuyan was horrified and immediately shouted: "Quickly open the city and follow me to meet the rebel army!"

"You can't take orders..." The civil servant next to him quickly stopped him.

"Qiang!"

Guan Shuyan took out his sword and chopped it into pieces.

Are you kidding me? Most of Sichuan has been lost. Why should I hold on to the few rural soldiers I have?

Li Bao held the telescope given by Ju Ming and watched the city gate slowly open. The guard and his soldiers came down the steep hillside. He nodded and smiled: "But he is also smart."

"Guan Shuyan, the guilty general, pays homage to the general of the rebel army!" This guy rolled over and knelt down in front of Li Bao.

Li Bao stretched out his hand to help him up: "General Guan is so righteous that he will surrender in order to save the people even if he bears the name of disloyalty. I really admire him so much that I don't need to pay such a big courtesy."

When Guan Shuyan heard this, he immediately felt much more comfortable, and he recommended himself: "The general guarding Tiezhuo Pass opposite is my distant cousin-in-law. If the general is trustworthy, he will send a small boat and ask me to bring Kuimen over. .”

Li Bao was even more happy: "If you can persuade Kuimen to surrender, it will be a great achievement for the general."

Guan Shuyan set out in a small boat, dreaming of getting promoted to an official position in the new dynasty, but in a blink of an eye he was at the Iron Lock Pass.

"Brother-in-law, it's me!" Guan Shuyan shouted.

Guard general Tang Qiu angrily rebuked: "I asked you to guard Baidi City, why did you surrender as soon as the bandits came?"

Guan Shuyan shouted: "Brother-in-law, let me in first."

Tang Qiu bent his bow and took an arrow, aiming at Guan Shuyan and shooting.

Guan Shuyan hurriedly avoided the arrows that flew past him, and shouted in horror: "Brother-in-law, are you really shooting?" Zhu Xianggong has already occupied three of the four Sichuan Gorge roads, and there are only a few cities left on Kuizhou Road. . It is true that Iron Lock Pass is a natural barrier, but it is guarding against enemies downstream. How can you guard against enemies upstream with so few people?"

"Don't say more," Tang Qiu shouted, "If you want to win this level, let the thief general lead the troops to take it, and then we can do it with real swords and guns."

Guan Shuyan shouted: "All the generals of Kuimen are listening. My brother-in-law has gone crazy. Hurry and tie him up and surrender!"

"Who dares?" Tang Qiu turned around and glanced at his officers.

Hundreds of rebel warships have already sailed towards Kuimen and are looking for a suitable landing point.

Tang Qiu seemed to be quite prestigious, and the officers were stared back by him.

Finally, someone was bold enough to take a step back and then move forward: "Brother Tang, Brother Guan is right. Sichuan is almost completely lost. How can we hold on to only a few cities? There are people with big headscarves who surrender. We, Qiu Ba, will not be ashamed to surrender. With Kuimen being so dangerous, the officers and soldiers cannot attack, so Mr. Zhu will definitely be the emperor. If you and I surrendered early, there is no chance that we will be able to become marquises in the future."

Tang Qiu sneered: "You know what the heck, when the Imperial Army and the Western Army come to kill, the bandits will be defeated thousands of miles away. As long as we guard Kuimen, you and I will both be heroes!"

Another officer asked: "Even if we have made a great contribution, does this credit really belong to us? I'm afraid someone will take it away."

"No one can take away such a great achievement!" Tang Qiu said this, feeling unsure of himself.

Two more officers came from other city walls, communicated with each other with their eyes, and then approached Tangqiu together in a fan shape.

Tang Qiu's personal soldiers pretended not to see it and deliberately distanced themselves.

Everyone except the general wanted to surrender.

Tang Qiu might be able to keep the great merit of keeping Kuimen intact, but others would definitely not be able to keep it. They would not have any share in being rewarded based on their merits.

Tang Qiu drew his sword and scolded: "Whoever dares to come here will be killed!"

Someone had already come around to the side and behind, each of them looked at each other, and then rushed over at the same time, tied up Tang Qiu and surrendered.

Li Bao climbed up to Guancheng and looked at the steep and narrow Qutang Gorge, and he suddenly felt infinitely heroic.

He had the urge to write poetry, but he didn't read much and could only write a limerick.

Occupying this place can ensure that the eastern gate of Sichuan is not lost, and it does not require the investment of too many troops.

After repeatedly confirming that Tang Qiu was unwilling to surrender, Li Bao smiled and said: "I can't bear to kill such a righteous man, so I will return him to Kuizhou City!"

A ship carried Tang Qiu and sailed to Kuizhou City.

Kuizhou Road Transport Envoy Guo Lun, deputy envoy Zhao Shiding, transportation judge Zhang Shen, and many officials, large and small, including prefects and county magistrates from other prefectures and counties, all who have not been captured by the rebels are gathered in Kuizhou at this moment Inside the city.

Some officials even came from Chengdu.

There were more than 70 high-ranking officials gathered in Kuizhou City.

"Who is under the city?" Zhang Shen asked.

Tang Qiu replied: "Kuimen guard Tang Qiu."

Guo Lun was shocked: "Did you surrender the bandits?"

Tang Qiu said with a mournful face: "I did not surrender to the thieves, but the generals under my command rebelled and tied me up to sacrifice to the rebels. Kuimen and Baidi City have been lost, and the thieves will deliberately send me to Kuizhou City."

"nonsense!"

Zhang Shen suddenly drew his bow and nocked an arrow, shot it out without warning, and then shouted: "This person is a bandit pretending to be a bandit, not Tang Qiu, the guard of Kuimen."

Tang Qiu was hit by an arrow inexplicably. He was so frightened that he stepped back and rolled down the steep stone steps, falling to pieces on the way. He looked down at the arrow on his shoulder. The wound hurt, and his heart hurt even more.

He knew what Zhang Shen meant. If Kuimen was lost, Kuizhou City would become a turtle in a jar. Not to mention the soldiers guarding the city, even the officials would want to surrender.

Kuimen cannot be lost, so he, the guard of Kuimen, must be fake.

Tang Qiu had a bloody head when he rolled down the stone steps. He limped back to the boat, gritted his teeth and said to the boatman: "Send me back to Kuimen and I will become a thief today!"

There was deathly silence at the top of Kuizhou City.

More and more officials came after hearing the news, even the prefect of Chengdu was here.

Zhang Shen said, "Don't make random guesses. That was just a bandit impersonating him. I've seen Tang Qiu, the guard of Kuimen, and he looks nothing like this guy."

Guo Lun, the nominal head coach, felt his mouth was dry and he was staring at the rolling Yangtze River in a daze.

Other officials also looked at each other. Kuimen was gone and Kuizhou was an isolated city. Even if they can hold on for half a year, don't expect to wait for reinforcements. The officers and soldiers of the navy will not be able to pass the Iron Lock Pass!

Officials one after another left the city wall in despair.

There is no way to escape from this terrible place. Either commit suicide, die in battle, or be captured. There is no fourth possibility.

The next day, Li Bao came with his army and camped on the east bank of Meixi Mountain, facing Kuizhou City across the river.

A few days later, it was New Year's Eve.

There is no New Year's joy in the city, and everyone has a sad face.

The people in the city implemented ration control, all grain was requisitioned, all the young and strong had to defend the city, the old, weak, women and children were responsible for transporting supplies, and Zhang Shen had to fight a protracted war with the bandits.

This man is the third in command of Kuizhou Road and the person who knows the most about military affairs.

As for the first and second leaders, they were drinking in the house to soothe their sorrows and left the city defense matters to Zhang Shen. They did not want to face the reality.

The people and soldiers were all complaining, and the good New Year turned out like this.

On the New Year's Day, Li Bao led his troops ashore.

He asked his soldiers to carry the overturned boat and go to the city to shout: "Brothers and sisters in the city, today is New Year's Eve. As long as you surrender during the day, you can have New Year's Eve dinner at night. If you don't surrender, you will never have New Year's Eve dinner in this life." It's over. General Li said that if you continue to resist, the rebels will come in and massacre the city! Brother Xiangjun and rural soldiers, hurry up and kill the officials, and everyone will bring meat to their New Year's Eve dinner. General Li killed a few pigs, Just waiting for you to come and eat. The big chunks of fat will satisfy your craving!"

Kuizhou City is built on the mountainside, with a steep stone staircase leading to the riverside pier.

Li Bao chose a stone step to set up the pot outside the range of his bow and arrow. No porridge, no stir-frying, just big fat suet, put it into the pot and simmer slowly.

Several large pots were used to boil lard together. When the river breeze blew, the aroma of the oil would float to the top of the city.

The rebels under the city were still shouting with their boats: "Come out and eat pork, big fat meat, come and celebrate the New Year! If you surrender, you will have meat to eat, a big fish and meat New Year's Eve dinner! Quickly kill the officials and surrender, come out and eat big meat. Eat." After getting meat, you can return to your hometown, those who do business do business, and those who farm land. General Zhu lowered exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes in Chengdu, and the people there are living a good life. There are no corrupt officials, and corrupt officials have been killed... "

"Fathers of Kuizhou, follow me to kill officials and eat meat to live a good life!"

A temporarily appointed rural soldier officer suddenly raised his weapon and shouted. The fellow villagers responded and killed the nearest official.

More and more rural soldiers took action, and soon young men from the cities also joined in. They had had enough these days.

The military attache was so frightened that he joined in and led his troops to massacre the civilian officials.

Civil servants from all over Sichuan were blocked in the city and dozens of them were killed. Regardless of his official reputation, the good and bad officials were killed together, which gradually evolved into attacking the wealthy households in the city.

It was a military attache who opened the city gate with his soldiers, and everyone else went crazy.

The first thing Li Bao did when he entered the city was not to keep his promise to give him meat, but to quickly ask the soldiers to stop the burning, killing and looting.