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Volume 1: A man is born in troubled times, and he should rule the roost in troubled times. Chapter 965: Forced Crossing of the Yellow River

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    The rapids are like arrows, and the sound of the water is deafening.

    Sun Ce stood on the bank of the river with his sword in his hand, looking at the rolling waves, rushing and never returning, and a strong sense of solemnity and solemnity echoed in his chest.

    He hasn¡¯t received the news about the martial arts battle yet, but the information about Wang Yu¡¯s journey south was sent to him immediately.  Although Sun Ce did not believe from the bottom of his heart that Cao Cao would be defeated by Wang Yu, the movements of Yu Jin and Jia Xu's ministries had shown that Cao Cao had become a target of public criticism and was in danger of being surrounded and annihilated!

    Of course, Cao Cao is an experienced soldier and will not give in so easily.  But there is no doubt about one thing, that is, time has become quite tight.

    There is no time to continue to deal with and test the enemy. Either advance or retreat.  Retreating is not in line with Sun Ce's character and will make him embarrassed to meet Jiangdong's elders; advancing is a desperate attempt that leaves no way out and leaves no room for retreat!

    Gaotang was empty, and the defenders lacked strength, but they had the Yellow River natural moat to rely on. This was the biggest obstacle for Sun Ce and Xia Houyuan on their way to advance.

    The river bank is so long, Sun Ce thought it would not be difficult to find a weak point to cross the river.  As a result, after the actual operation, it was discovered that the enemy was much more difficult to deal with than imagined. From Gaotang to Chiping, the enemy troops were deployed everywhere without leaving any gaps, which caused great difficulties in crossing the river.

    Chen Dao, who is presiding over the overall situation on the other side of the river, is not a famous general in the usual sense, but this person displays the four words of meticulousness and caution to the fullest.  In the past few days of the confrontation, Sun Ce launched more than ten probing attacks in total. He used strategies such as night battles, raids, attacks in the east and west, and concealment, but he still failed to open a gap in the defense line on the other side.

    Nowadays, Sun Ce has fewer and fewer choices. Finally, he becomes determined and prepares to launch a forced crossing.

    In order to cooperate with Sun Ce's offensive.  Xia Houyuan had led his troops to leave two days ago and headed eastward, aiming directly at Licheng, an important town in the west of Jinan.

    Xia Houyuan did this for the purpose of encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao. If Zhang Liao and Huang Zhong could not be effectively restrained, the Jiangdong Army during the forced crossing would not only face the trouble of being attacked halfway across.  It is also easy to fall into a crisis of attack from both sides.

    Sun Ce knew that Xia Houyuan's purpose of resolutely advancing eastward was to attack the hinterland of Qingzhou to resolve the Qingzhou Army's siege on Cao Cao's main force.  But since the two families have been fighting side by side until now, there is no need to be too clear about the details.

    Reasonable and reasonable, he can only carry out the forced transfer to the end!

    The day after the Xiuwu battle.  Sun Ce personally supervised the army and launched a strong attack on the north bank of the Yellow River.

    In the vanguard were 10,000 Jiangdong elites led by two generals, Chen Wu and Han Dang. Sun Ce led 10,000 troops in the center for stamina. Liu Bei led 5,000 troops to guard the rear and was also responsible for commanding long-range troops.  .

    Zhu Huan was ordered to build a pontoon bridge for the army.  Under his command and compulsion.  Tens of thousands of people, with inflated animal urine tied to their waists, jumped into the rushing river carrying wooden boards, bamboo poles and ropes.

    The Yellow River is famous for its rapid water flow. The roaring waves hit the rocks. If a person is swept in, he will be knocked to the bottom of the water and swept away by the turbulent current.  Even more terrifying are the undercurrents under the water and the whirlpools on the surface, no matter how good the water quality is.  As long as you are involved, you will have a narrow escape.

    This is not the scariest thing. As the pontoon gradually took shape and began to stretch towards the center of the river, the Qingzhou people on the other side could not sit still.

    They were not Song Xianggong, and they did not know the virtue of letting the enemy cross the river calmly and fight in formation. Thousands of soldiers quickly gathered, rushed to the shore, and erected a long wall with wooden shields.  Behind the wooden wall, someone pushed more than thirty ballistas.  He drove the oxen and horses to twist the bowstring, and put the nine-foot-long crossbow arrow on the crossbow bed.

    Not only is the current of the Yellow River fast, but the wind on the water is also very strong. When the distance is far, ordinary bows and arrows cannot cause trouble to the opponent at all.  The powerful bed crossbow is naturally the most appropriate choice.

    The sound of the rushing water was quickly covered up by the whistling sound caused by the crossbow arrows piercing the air.

    The first person fell into the river and was gently rolled up by the waves. A circle of red ripples appeared in the yellow river water, which quickly disappeared.  Then came the second and third ones. The people who were trudging through the water had nowhere to dodge. They watched thick wood flying one after another, passing through the bodies of several people at the same time.

    The people were in a mess and wanted to escape, but there was nowhere to escape in the fast current. If they left the pontoon, they would only be swept away by the waves.  He wanted to retreat, but his retreat was blocked by his companions. At the beginning of the pontoon, hundreds of war supervisors armed with spears came forward fiercely. Even retreating would be a dead end.

    The cries gradually became louder.

    The common people can¡¯t understand why a humble citizen like themselves should bear such dangers?  Is it because he is under the rule of Guo Shijun?

    "Don't be messy, don't be messy, just build the bridge to the middle of the river and it will be considered complete!  Those who work hard are rewarded heavily, including ten bushels of corn each!  "Zhu Huan took a dozen guards and ran onto half of the pontoon at the risk of losing their lives. He shouted at the top of his lungs and used kindness and power to inspire the courage of the people.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, our crossbow is coming up too!¡± The sound of the crossbow bolts being twisted was also heard from the river bank behind them.

    Xia Houyuan marched eastward with a light force, focusing on speed. The generals only carried five days of dry food, and they were completely in a desperate situation.  He left all the remaining equipment and food to Sun Ce who needed to attack the enemy.

    The quality of these imitations in the hands of Jiangdong Army is inferior to those of Qingzhou Army, but they are superior in quantity.  Sun Ce gave an order, and hundreds of crossbows and catapults fired at the same time. The civilians who were making a mess in the river felt that the light above their heads dimmed, and the next moment they heard a dull crash and a shrill cry from the other side of the river.  Miserable screams.

    "No retreat, no retreat! Keep building the bridge. Those who retreat will be regarded as deserters and will be killed without mercy!"

    Zhu Huan¡¯s team of supervisors raised their spears and stabbed the civilians who fled ashore to death on the bank. The blood spread along the river and mixed with the blood of those who were shot by crossbow arrows to dye half of the river red.  To move forward is to die, and to retreat is also death. The civilians, who had no choice but to accept their fate, used ropes to tie the bamboo poles and wooden stakes used to build the pontoon bridge, while praying to the gods and gods, hoping for a safe survival.

    The shooting continues.

    More Qingzhou troops gathered from other places, holding shields and pushing crossbow carts. More and more crossbow carts turned their targets from civilians to Jiangdong crossbowmen on the other side.

    "Set up the crossbow!" In front of the crossbow formation, a silver-armored general raised his spear high and majestic.

    "Set up the crossbow" dozens of soldiers shouted in unison.  Amidst the sound of the horn, dozens of soldiers exerted their strength at the same time. The crossbow arm creaked in protest and was slowly pulled into a half arc. Two strong men shouted loudly and raised a huge crossbow, which was stuck in the crossbow slot.  .

    Hundreds of crossbowmen repeated the same action, and more than fifty iron-clad giant crossbows dazzled and chilled in the sun.

    "Wind!" The silver spear swung down heavily, bringing up a gust of wind.

    "Buzz!" More than fifty spears of death flew into the air with the sound of wind, swept across the river, and smashed down on the enemy.

    The shields raised by the first row of Jiangdong soldiers were smashed to pieces, and the shields of the second row were raised in a mess.  In an instant, the second row of shields also collapsed, and several late-fired giant crossbows passed through the gap between the dead bodies and flew towards Jiangdong Army's unfolding crossbow cart.

    ¡°Raise your shield to protect the ballista, raise your shield to protect the ballista!¡± the Jiangdong general supervising the battle shouted at the top of his lungs.

    The bed crossbows and slingers are new units. Because they fight far away from the front line, the generals are unwilling to waste their elite strength here, so most of them are used by auxiliary soldiers.

    The courage of the auxiliary soldiers was limited. They were frightened by this tragic scene and most of them dispersed. Only a few brave ones raised small wooden shields regardless of life and death and formed a semicircular array in front of their own ballistas.  But the giant crossbow arrows flying through the air were beyond the power of human power to withstand. Wherever they passed, shields were scattered, people flew upside down, and a bloody rain fell out of thin air above the protected crossbows.

    The firing frequency of Jiangdong's ballistae was instantly disrupted. Although they tried their best to fight back, as more and more Qingzhou troops gathered, the ballistae's replenishment speed was also very fast.  Moreover, the Qingzhou militia's combat effectiveness may not be higher than that of the Jiangdong Army, but they are well-trained and can make adjustments during fierce battles. Even though the number of ballistae is relatively small, they do not fall behind in the battle.

    Amidst the whistling of crossbow bolts, Jiangdong Army's crossbow and catapult formations gradually became sparse, and their numbers gradually became equal to those on the opposite side, and then fell to the disadvantage.  But their sacrifices were not in vain. Without the threat of the crossbow, the progress of the pontoon was accelerated after all.

    By the time the long-range confrontation gradually decided the winner and the Qingzhou Army gained advantages in both quantity and quality, the pontoon bridge had already extended to the middle of the river.

    Although the Yellow River is not like the Yangtze River, with a surface area of ??dozens of miles, which makes people sigh and sigh, it is not comparable to ordinary rivers.  The section of river Sun Ce specially selected is about three or four miles wide. The extension of the pontoon bridge to the middle of the river can only be said to be a good start.  But when the pontoon bridge was seen extending to the center of the river, the Jiangdong army's formation erupted in cheers.

    Following Han Dang¡¯s order, the logs that looked like bridge building materials were piled on the edge of the river bank. The logs connected by ropes were pushed down to the water in a row. After sinking suddenly, they immediately floated up.

    "My sons, follow me!" Chen Wu jumped onto the raft at the lead, roaring like thunder.  He held a shield in his left hand and a halberd in his right hand. He stood on a crudely made raft, and his figure was as stable as a mountain.

    "Kill!" Jiangdong's army boarded the raft one after another. Someone in front was pulling the rope hanging from half of the pontoon.There were people behind with oars and poles, and they were moving forward very quickly.

    More rafts were pushed into the water, and more soldiers boarded the rafts, like ants, clinging to the sides of the three pontoon bridges. At a glance, it seemed as if an island in the middle of the river appeared out of thin air on the river.

    "As the saying goes: Northerners are good at riding horses, southerners are good at boats, and it is indeed true." Seeing Jiangdong's army crossing the river on rafts, Wang Mo sighed with emotion: "But are they too hasty? What if they wait for the pontoon bridge to be restored?  If you stretch forward a few hundred steps, you might be able to rush over in one breath."

    Chen Dao was silent and just watched intently. After a moment, his expression suddenly changed and he lost his voice: "No! That raft is not for crossing the river, but for quickly building a bridge!"
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