Chapter 1 The Filature of the Song

With the military order issued, the first to move was Tian Shizhong's command. In the following days, countless soldiers of the Imperial Guard Right Army packed their bags and, under the protection of the rear support troops, retreated from the front line in an orderly manner. A large number of cities in the Hebei region, recently captured but located to the east and north, were abandoned, and the army began to cross those complex rivers, gathering in a few large cities or military camps closer to the main force of the Imperial Guard Front Army.

Once the Song army started its Northern Expedition, the situation became chaotic, and armed reconnaissance and spies began to spread widely.

Armed reconnaissance, that is, scouts and small units infiltrating, need not be mentioned. Spying also became very common... The Song army would do it, and the Jin army would also come to do it. Often a small boat would drift through the various tributaries of the Yellow River at night, pass through those ditches and forests, and then arrive with a password or token... Moreover, whether it was the Jin or Song dynasties, the spies they used were generally local Han Chinese in Hebei.

Under such circumstances, things outside the military camp could not be concealed at all. Such an abnormal deployment of the Imperial Guard Right Army could not be hidden from people, and it immediately aroused the attention of all parties and a chain reaction. As a result, Yue Fei's self-righteous plan encountered unexpected interference from the very beginning, directly affecting his arrangements.

But this unexpected reaction did not come from the Jin army.

In fact, from a military logic point of view, the Jin high command in the Hebei region had no reason to feel particularly incomprehensible about the Song army's retreat... Wang Bolong's encounter was a perfect reason, and the Jin's main force gathering in the rear was an even more fatal fundamental reason.

The Song army commander could completely smell the danger from Wang Bolong's dispatch and the large-scale conscription of the *qianjun*, and shrink back in a big way.

Therefore, the retreat of the Imperial Guard Right Army was initially within a reasonable chain of military logic. Any qualified military general should have expected the Song army to shrink back... It was just that the Song army shrank back so quickly, so decisively, and the scope of the retreat was so wide, which was somewhat admirable.

Besides, another important reason why the Jin army's reaction was within Yue Fei's expectations was actually a person.

Gao Jingshan.

As early as the previous few years, during the confrontation and interaction with the Jin army on the opposite bank of the river, Yue Fei had already noticed the character of this military commander of the Jin's Daming Prefecture – he was dutiful and responsible, had military experience, political talent and political status, but for some reason, he had always been very conservative.

This point was first revealed seven years ago when this person followed the Eight Character Army across the river without firing a single arrow, and all his coping methods since the start of the war could be used to verify it... Those conservative retreats and abandonments, the navy's long-term avoidance of battle, the construction of defense measures in Daming Prefecture, including those twenty-odd catapults aimed at the river, all illustrate the problem.

Not to mention that the catapults were fixed or something, the key point was that setting up the catapults took time... This time was not only about the process of building the catapults, but also about building the catapult positions at the ferry in the city. Did you want to demolish the houses in advance? Did you want to build a catapult factory?

However, after Yue Fei broke through Daming City and faced Yuancheng across the river, most of the catapults on the opposite side were already in place. This showed that Gao Jingshan had probably started preparing the city defenses to the death as soon as the Song army went north, or even as soon as the Third Prince, Eliduo, died, and he didn't leave out a single detail.

I don't know whether to admire this person's composure or this person's intelligence.

And this character was actually another factor in Yue Fei's decision to launch a large-scale offensive before the river froze.

In short, this conservative commander, coupled with the fact that the main force of the Jin army was gathering on a large scale, did not carry out direct military interference, nor did he make large-scale military adjustments around Daming Prefecture – Gao Jingshan simply had no intention of seeking merit.

Wang Bolong did launch an attack, which was also within expectations.

Although this person was under the command of Daming Prefecture, in reality, judging from his garrison, he had always had a sense of separation from the four *wanhu* around Daming Prefecture. At this time, coming from north to south, he also had reason to avoid Gao Jingshan's military orders. In addition, this person had a tough style, and it was normal to make a slight pursuit.

However, it was impossible for Wang Bolong to really pursue too far... On the one hand, there was the danger of going deep alone, and on the other hand, he must have the highest military orders from Wanyan Wushu or the like, ordering him to be in position in a certain area (most likely the area north of Xiazhen).

In fact, his flag did stop in northern Xiazhen, and his subordinates crossed the North Fork of the Yellow River East Circuit, swept through Dezhou, and chose to withdraw after several battles with the Song army.

But even if the military developments were completely as Yue Fei expected, he miscalculated, and caused a great delay in the plan. To put it bluntly, what was truly unexpected was not the Jin army, nor the political pressure from Tokyo in the rear... Tokyo's reaction was not that fast, and no matter how great the reaction, it could not directly affect the front line... What had the most direct impact on the military plan were the people of the three prefectures in the Yellow River East Circuit fork.

That is, the Hebei remnants of the three newly recovered prefectures.

Although the Imperial Guard Right Army was never a model army, it depended on who you compared it to. At least it was not too far from Tokyo, and it was closer to Yue Pengju and most of the Imperial Guard Front Army who were from Hebei. The Imperial Guard Right Army did not dare to slaughter cities and plunder, right?

What's more, the common people could not understand the situation. They only saw that the Imperial Guard Right Army had only occupied the towns for dozens or a few days before retreating on a large scale, which would naturally cause panic – would the Jin army return again and carry out large-scale massacres and abductions of Han people like they did eight or nine years ago?

At the same time, the Jin state was conscripting *qianjun* on a large scale in the prefectures and counties around the Yellow River North Circuit, dragging away men from entire villages and towns... Just across a river that would freeze in winter, who didn't have relatives and friends there? Who wouldn't spread a bit of inside information?

So even if the Jin army didn't kill people, the large-scale conscription of laborers was already a solid fact. When the time came, would anyone need to be taught that they would end up dying without a burial place on the battlefield? How many years had passed since then? Except for children, who hadn't experienced war?

Therefore, whether it was admiring the virtue of the King's army, harboring thoughts of the Imperial Song, or fearing war, in any case, with the movement of the Imperial Guard Right Army, about 100,000 people from the three prefectures dragged their families and followed them south.

There was nothing to say about this. Although it would seriously hinder the retreat and gathering of the Imperial Guard Right Army, and would also create huge logistical and livelihood pressures, but the matter had come to this, it was impossible to drive them away... The several battles between Wang Bolong's troops in Dezhou and the Song army were born in this context.

Even Yue Fei could only quickly send troops after receiving the news to support Tian Shizhong in turn, and then personally write a letter to Wan Qixi in Jinan, asking the other party to take them in, while not forgetting to write documents and secret notes to Tokyo and the Hedong area to plead guilty.

There was no way, really no way.

As a native of Hebei, there was no way Yue Fei could leave these people alone, but the army was not in charge of this. Once he focused his energy on these war refugees, his military plan might really be aborted.

Fortunately, on the first day of mid-November, Wan Qixi's official document and private letter arrived at the same time as the obviously angry inquiries from Tokyo... In the official document, the latter promised to temporarily accept these Hebei refugees in the military camps of the Imperial Guard Front Army in Henan, and at the same time organize able-bodied men on the spot to replace some of the Shandong natives and participate in rear transportation.

But this matter was destined not to last long. The pressure on the two circuits of Shandong was also great, and it was necessary to facilitate the return of these people to their hometowns as soon as possible, preferably before the spring ploughing next year, and Yue Fei had to make a statement to the central government so that the central government could supplement them with materials.

At the same time, in another private letter with a personal signature, Wan Qixi did not forget to solemnly remind Yue Fei that he should take the initiative to be honest with the two *xiang gong*, Zhao and Zhang, and explain the plan and the reasons for it. He must not think that he was right and give up communication, nor should he take some things for granted because of the official's absolute trust.

Of course, Wan Qixi also made it very clear in the letter that he believed that with Yue Fei's ability to deal with people, he must have reported to Zhao Guanjia at the same time that he made his decision, and there must be words in Tokyo... But the key was the attitude! The statement to Guanjia should be direct and clear, and the statement to the chief executives in Tokyo must be detailed and clear, preferably with drawings and articles.

Moreover, according to his guess, there would soon be envoys from Tokyo to the front line, and preparations must be made.

After reading the official document and the private letter, Yue Fei felt relieved for a while, but he could not help but feel complicated... Because he had really immediately provided a very serious document to Tokyo that day, and he had also sent his personal school officer, Bi Jin, as a messenger to Zhao Guanjia. Calculating the days, it was estimated that they were almost there, but the *xiang gong* in Tokyo would still be angry and dissatisfied, and even his old partner, Wan Qixi, was worried that he could not maintain a gentle attitude towards the rear.

This was very frustrating.

However, no matter what, after Wan Qixi extended a helping hand without hesitation, Yue Pengju could finally breathe a sigh of relief and continue his military plan, and he was unusually determined... Even if the situation was in a very unfavorable and tense state at this time because of the delay in the refugee affairs, he would still do so.

Or rather, although there was no specific expectation for this matter, it was almost inevitable that a military plan involving tens of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of auxiliary soldiers would have problems.

Yue Pengju could not be shaken by this. He would only strengthen his determination because of this.

On November 13th, the third day after Tian Shizhong's troops arrived at the military camp around Daming City in the midst of the chaos, the weather turned gloomy. This was a good opportunity. Knowing that he could no longer wait, Yue Fei directly conveyed the military order to the various units in the evening.

And after receiving the military order, on the evening of that day, the first to move was unexpectedly the Imperial Guard Navy at Maling Ferry.

Maling Ferry was located at the mouth of the river more than ten *li* upstream of Daming City and Yuancheng. This place was the fork in the road between the Yellow River East Circuit and the North Circuit. At this time, many Imperial Guard Navy ships suddenly began to move under orders under the cover of night, but most of them were confused... There was no way, most of their commanders and generals had only received temporary orders today. As a result, many people speculated based on the route that they were going to the east to continue to protect the retreat of the Imperial Guard Right Army.

But there were always exceptions.

There were three people here at Maling Ferry who knew the whole plan early on. One was Zhang Rong, who personally came to take charge. One was You Xueqiu, who had sorted out documents (read letters and wrote letters) and was in charge of diplomacy (when he was the master of ceremonies at banquets) for Zhang Rong when he was in Liangshan Marsh... Of course, now he was a participating official who had been granted the title of Jinshi... The last one was naturally Xiao En, the commander who had been prepared for a long time, and who had prepared his troops after receiving the military order today, and led his troops alone to the northwest.

"Does Lao Xiao have anything to say?"

Listening to the movement outside, in the village behind the ferry, Zhang Rong, who had been waiting for a long time in a certain house, directly asked the question... After so many years, he could really recognize even You Xueqiu's footsteps.

"What's there to say?" You Xueqiu came in, cupped his hands and said to Zhang Rong, who was wearing a cotton-padded jacket and sitting on the *kang* . "If he had something to say, he wouldn't be him!"

Zhang Rong was speechless and just sighed.

"Besides, he shouldn't have anything to say in the first place." Seeing this, You Xueqiu could only continue to cup his hands and persuade him. "The principles of loyalty and patriotism on the court reports are not false, even if you don't talk about this great principle, when Guanjia patrolled the river two years ago, didn't you take the opportunity to rectify the team by cleaning up the 'food-eating demons'? How clear were you that day... What 'today is different from the past', 'going home means being a good citizen and a rich man', 'obey the law and you can have a peaceful life', 'staying means being a soldier and eating food', 'being a soldier and eating food means obeying military orders and abiding by military law', 'it means having your head on your belt'..."

"I understand all the principles, but I always feel a little sorry for him..." Zhang Rong couldn't help but interrupt the other party, obviously still finding it difficult.

"Then don't talk about these principles, just talk about loyalty. Is Lao Xiao disloyal?" You Xueqiu directly cupped his hands and sat down next to the other party. "Twisting yourself around and refusing to go will make things difficult for you... When the time comes, you will be unfaithful to Guanjia, unrighteous to Marshal Yue, and unkind to those Hebei old people who are fleeing in the middle of winter. You will be unfaithful, unrighteous, unkind, and unlawful. The banner of 'Acting on behalf of Heaven' will also be taken away. Will he be happy? Chief, what's wrong with you today? Isn't it just selling your life?! Since we went to Liangshan during the reign of Emperor Daoyun, who has cared about their life? Today, if you lose your life like this, will Guanjia not allow the memorial tablet to enter Yue's shrine, or will you not support your family? Why do you underestimate the brothers so much? When we didn't have any ideas, weren't your words the most? Today, the situation is so simple, why are you confused? Have you really gotten used to a peaceful life?!"

By the end, You Xueqiu's tone was already somewhat high-pitched.

"What do you, a *cuoda* who can't even pass the *gongsheng* exam, understand?" Zhang Rong was also a little impatient. "There are difficulties at one time, and there are ideas at one time... If you really want me to say it, it's really that I've gotten used to a peaceful life... Ten years ago, when the Jin army had just invaded, all the men and women, old and young, in our village would risk their lives to row and board the boat. At that time, there wasn't this kind of problem. The key is that the overall situation is actually not bad now. There's no need for everyone to risk their lives, so this doesn't show up?"

"Oh..." You Xueqiu suddenly cupped his hands there and realized. "What the big chief means is that it's not about risking our lives, but about why we have to assign one brother out of ten to risk their life? And when assigning tasks, you can only assign this life-risking task to the most intimate brother?"

"You've hit the nail on the head." Zhang Rong slapped his thigh and sighed for a while, and quickly said non-stop, seemingly explaining something. "At the root, I trust Guanjia. The way he works so hard, saving energy for ten years, I always feel that the general plan for the Northern Expedition can be successful... Since ancient times, among the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, how can there be a Guanjia who works so hard and doesn't succeed? I also trust Pengju. I've been brothers and neighbors with Pengju for ten years. I know his ability to manage soldiers and his temperament. If he says it can be done, then the matter seems absurd, but inside it's probably not absurd at all, and it can mostly be done... But that's what makes my heart ache!"

"So I understand now?" You Xueqiu nodded repeatedly. "But Big Chief, these things that make people's hearts ache always have to be done by someone, right? In a smooth battle, there must be people who go to be scouts and people who go to be bait. In an encounter battle, there are vanguards who rush forward, and there are people who go to block. When attacking a city, there must also be a first climber... Lao Xiao's matter, it seems like he's throwing his life away, but in reality, from a global perspective, from a big battle perspective, it's inevitable. Since it's inevitable, why think so much?"

Zhang Rong shook his head repeatedly, but got up from the kang wearing a cotton-padded jacket, walked around his own scholar barefoot, and then got off the kang, put on his shoes, and walked to the door before turning back:

"I'm going to ride a horse to Gucheng to watch... Don't be idle either. Go to Daming City to see Yue Pengju and prepare to meet Lao Xiao's group of brothers."

You Xueqiu was stunned for a moment, said 'Oh', and then quickly got up and got off the *kang*.

The two walked out of the house together. Seeing the obvious movement in the village, they felt helpless in their hearts, but they had nothing to say. They just went to lead their horses and prepared to go to Daming City and Gucheng separately.

However, after the two got on their horses and walked to the north gate, they separated and galloped away for only a moment. In the darkness, Zhang Rong suddenly woke up, but turned back and cursed at the dark night: "Damn it, wasn't it Lao Xiao who asked you, you bastard, to persuade me? You said you didn't have anything to say?!"

However, in the twilight covered by dark clouds, You Xueqiu just hugged his horse and walked away, turning a deaf ear.

Zhang Rong was helpless. Hearing the movement in the river, and knowing the principles in his heart, he just reined in his horse and circled around in place, and then finally asked the guards beside him to raise torches and hurried on his way.

Not to mention You Xueqiu going to Daming City to see Yue Fei, just say that Zhang Rong personally rode his horse to Gucheng Town. The journey was only a dozen *li*, and along the way, he saw that on the eastern waterway after the Yellow River split, there was a large lantern almost every two or three hundred steps, all the way from Maling Ferry to the formation, actually continuously, which was clearly his own navy's ships. Then there were countless armored soldiers densely deployed on both sides, patrolling non-stop. Although there were previous military orders to keep their voices down and to be silent, with such a situation, even ordinary movements were already quite noisy. And when he arrived in Gucheng Town, he saw even more densely packed civilians gathered together, and half of the town was illuminated.

His mood became even more complicated.

There was no way. The so-called complexity was on the one hand, the helplessness in his heart, knowing that this movement could not be concealed from Yuancheng, and that Xiao En's trip was bound to be. On the other hand, he was also infected by the chilling atmosphere along the way, but he also gradually put aside all the previous thoughts and Xiao En's persuasion through You Xueqiu, and became serious.

Wang Gui, the vice commander of the Imperial Guard Front Army, was in charge of the situation here in Gucheng. Seeing Zhang Rong personally arrive here with a stern face, he was also caught off guard and hurriedly greeted him with cupped hands.

As for the others, seeing Zhang Jiedushi and Vice Commander Wang gathering in this town, everyone up and down knew that this was the key.

"Jiedushi, the ship has arrived." Wang Gui was obviously a little nervous, so much so that he was panting in the dark night, and the white air he exhaled was particularly obvious under the torch. "Things can't be delayed. It's not that cold tonight, and ice roads probably won't work... Let's use logs!"

"Then let's use logs!" Zhang Rong immediately responded, but added a sentence as if to cheer himself up. "They are all methods commonly used in shipyards, and they have been tested a full three times. There is no reason why they can't be done! Hurry up!"

Wang Gui nodded heavily and gave the order without hesitation: "Drag the ship!"

Hearing the order, in front of the shipyard next to the port of Gucheng Town, a small paddle steamer that had been waiting for orders immediately worked hard to drive the waterwheels and sailed gently towards the open-air shipyard. Then, under the nervous gaze of everyone, it rushed up the wooden ramp that was not found in ordinary shipyards by inertia, so that the bottom of the ship was exposed.

If you continue to look down, you will find that this wooden ramp actually runs through half of the town, and there are wooden roads connected in the distance.

Inertia seemed huge and heavy, but it was ultimately no match for gravity, and gravity, under certain circumstances, would eventually be hindered by friction, but human power was enough to overcome nature.

Sure enough, the speed of the ship was getting slower and slower, but it finally rushed up the ramp with the correct direction, and as the bow of the ship swayed slightly, it finally faced slightly upwards and stopped at the end of the shipyard.

Seeing this shape, the civilians and helmsmen who were pedaling the wheels on the ship came down together. At the same time, more civilians who had been waiting for a long time also swarmed up, directly tying ropes around the ship full of mud and water with bare feet, fixing objects, and laying logs in front. After a short preparation, they scattered again, trying to drag the ship onto the wooden road in front like trackers... They had done several experiments before and knew what to do.

However, what was dumbfounding was that hundreds of civilians, as well as countless livestock, whether horses or mules, were all working hard to the west, but for some reason, they could not move this small paddle steamer, so much so that everyone was frustrated and didn't know what to do.

Zhang Rong and Wang Gui, the two decision-makers, were also dumbfounded, but they were also sweating profusely... It had all gone well before, why was it not working now? If this didn't work, wouldn't Xiao En really be throwing his life away in Yuancheng? Should they call a stop? If this didn't work, even if Wang Gui was Yue Fei's own brother, he wouldn't be afraid of military law, would he?

In the midst of the panic, Zhang Rong tried to calm down, but untied his cotton-padded jacket and draped it over his shoulders, standing with his hands on his hips, while Wang Gui, as the executor, had no choice but to ask people to check the ship to see if anything was stuck, while also calling the civilian leaders to scold them, telling them to be sure to use their hearts and strength, while not forgetting to call more civilians.

When Wang Gui finished scolding and the civilian leaders with different expressions were preparing to disperse and try again, under the torchlight, Zhang Rong suddenly raised his hand and stopped one of them:

"Don't go!"

The man was startled and quickly turned around and bowed.

"I remember you, you've always been a *tunzhang* who followed our navy, right?" Zhang Rong asked seriously. "I saw that you had something to say just now? Do you know what's wrong?"

The civilian leader, that is, Zhou Bin, was about to answer when Wang Gui also looked over seriously, scaring the latter into lowering his head again.

"Don't scare them, Commander Wang." Zhang Rong stamped his feet for a moment. "These people who follow the army are all from the military settlements along the Yellow River, either retired old brothers or people who have suffered from war disasters. If you act like this, they will either not accept it or be so scared that they can't move!"

Wang Gui turned around awkwardly, but couldn't help but stop three or four steps away, watching Zhang Rong ask him in person.

And sure enough, as soon as Wang Gui left, Zhou Bin said carefully and seriously: "Jiedushi... This humble subordinate just wanted to say that it may not be that something is stuck, nor is it that there is not enough strength, it's just that there are military orders today that do not allow loud noises, and coupled with the cold weather at night, the people's hearts are scattered, so the strength is scattered. If we are allowed to sing a shanty, it's just a ship, and we will definitely be able to drag it on the road."

Wang Gui was still confused, only thinking that this person was talking nonsense, but Zhang Rong and the old brothers from Liangshan Marsh beside him, where did they not know where this was coming from? They were immediately relieved, and then looked at Wang Gui together.

Wang Gui still didn't believe it, but after a while, the people who went to check the ship came back, but only said that there was no problem, and Zhang Rong was still looking at him coldly, so he could only treat a dead horse as a living horse.

Immediately, the ban was lifted, and Zhou Bin was simply designated as the commander here.

As a result, that Zhou Bin was a little too careful. The civilians and animal power all returned to their positions and prepared. After everything was ready, they ran over to ask: "May I ask the commander, who should lead the shanty?"

Wang Gui became even more impatient and was about to point at Zhou Bin and ask him to do it.

But at this moment, Zhang Rong, who had already been impatient on the side, suddenly stopped pretending, but threw the cotton-padded jacket on the ground, walked down wearing his cowhide carved boots, directly snatched the rope from an older civilian in the mud, and looked back at each other: "Do you recognize me, Zhang Rong from Liangshan Marsh? I, Zhang Rong, will sing the shanty! The shanty of Shandong Liangshan Marsh, can everyone sing it?!"

Wang Gui and the Imperial Guard Front Army below, as well as countless civilians, were dumbfounded. On the contrary, the Imperial Guard Navy up and down had no reaction at all and just laughed.

But what kind of temper was Zhang Rong? Where would he care about the reactions of the people around him? After hearing the laughter and angrily scolding, he opened his mouth to sing.

That's right, shanties are used to be sung, not shouted. It's just that the tune is long, with emphasis on the light and heavy, so that everyone can exert their strength together.

Wang Gui stood there blankly, his mind blank. Although he had lived in Shandong for almost ten years, it took him half a day to understand the lyrics.

As the saying goes:

"A shanty, I sweat all over,
A shanty, I get courage all over.
A tow rope is nine *zhang* and three *chi* long,
Father and son are tied to it on their shoulders for generations.
Guanjia demanded flower and stone tributes,
One tribute is ten big boats.
The boats go from Jiangnan to Henan,
Requiring hundreds of thousands of trackers in total.
Stepping through two capitals, no one asks,
Who knows the coldness in the trackers' hearts..."

This shanty was certainly a little out of place now, but it was definitely useful, because when Zhang Rong sang to "ten", "hundred", and "thousand", the paddle steamer had already successfully left the shipyard and boarded the flat wooden road behind. The wooden road was full of prepared logs, and the civilians immediately became much easier after the ship was pressed on the logs.

Moreover, once they came here, the terrain was open, and the livestock and manpower that could be used were more abundant than before in front of the shipyard.

As a result, this paddle steamer equipped with a small catapult immediately began its land sailing.

As for Zhang Rong, Zhang Jiedushi, although he succeeded in one fell swoop, he still sang the entire shanty, walked with the ship for a long time, and then turned back and put on his cotton-padded jacket.

At this time, the second paddle steamer had already been successfully launched, and the third ship, which was a large paddle steamer, had begun to try at another larger open-air shipyard outside the town.

"The ship can definitely go, so I won't stay here." Zhang Rong returned to the front and gave an order to Wang Gui, who had not yet reacted. "But you, Commander Wang, are not a worker either. You should listen to others more... No matter what else, you must first boil hot water, enough hot water."

"Jiedushi, rest assured." Wang Gui came back to his senses and quickly bowed respectfully. "There will definitely be no shortage of hot water and hot meals."

"That's not what I mean." Zhang Rong said solemnly. "The two methods we discussed before, one is logs and the other is shallow pit ice roads... The ice roads can't be formed now, right?"

"Right!"

"But there is still thin ice." Zhang Rong seriously reminded him. "In the second half of the night, there will be thin ice on the logs and in the shipyard, which is prone to accidents... Keep pouring hot water! And pay attention to the logs, replace them quickly if they are broken!"

Wang Gui suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Rong didn't say much. He got on his horse again and came directly to Daming City, but after walking five or six *li*, in the night, he suddenly heard a shout of killing in the southwest night sky. He didn't know how many people were acting in the night, startling him to rein in his horse and circle around in place... Zhang Rong knew that Daming City had received a fast horse report, knowing that the cover-up here in Gucheng could not be concealed, and it was very likely that someone had reported it after the first ship was successfully launched, but no matter what, the feigned attack plan had been launched in advance.

That's right, Yue Fei's so-called plan was this, at least this was one of them.

To put it bluntly, if you want to capture Yuancheng, a fundamental problem is how to ensure that the Song army forms a local superiority in troops, and then calmly deploy its positions and calmly attack the city without interference.

To achieve this goal, let's not mention after the Yellow River freezes. Before the Yellow River freezes, for the terrain of Yuancheng, it is certainly necessary to ensure that the river can be controlled. As long as the navy can appear on the river near the city, it will be of great help to both attacking the city and defending against external enemies interfering, or retreating when necessary.

However, Gao Jingshan had been a military leader in Daming Prefecture for many years. How could he not know this principle? Those twenty-odd catapults were a preemptive arrangement aimed at this key point, and they were really ruthless. The Imperial Guard Navy had no effect at all.

In response, Yue Fei's response was very absurd, but it was also very simple, even simple to the point of being crude – this place was only a dozen *li* away from the Yellow River fork, and the two rivers were only a dozen *li* away. Then why not drag the ships across the land and directly bypass the blocked river?

This idea seemed absurd, but in fact there was not much of a problem. After Yue Fei explained it in detail that day, Zhang Rong felt that it was feasible, because there was dry dock technology in this era. As early as the time of Emperor Taishang Daoyun, someone had built a dry dock next to Jinming Pool to repair those large dragon boats in the pool that were destined not to be able to go into battle.

Moreover, inland river boats are all flat-bottomed, and flat-bottomed means that they can be assisted by logs to 'sail', which is much more convenient than the pointed-bottomed sea ships.

Therefore, the concept of land sailing was not a fantasy from the beginning.

However, there were also some other requirements for doing so. It was not enough to just have an idea. He had to ensure that the speed was fast and that it was unexpected to the Jin army. On the battlefield, the biggest variable was always people.

Any wonderful military plan, as long as it is detected by the enemy, is destined to attract obstacles and interference. At that time, no one knows what will happen. In fact, this is also the reason why Yue Fei gave up digging ditches to divert water, which was a conventional method.

In order to be successful, there must be feigned attacks and other actions to cover up tonight, and it must be a reasonable feigned attack and cover-up.

So what should be the Song army's reasonable military attempt?

"Are they coming?"

With a commotion outside the city, inside Yuancheng, Gao Jingshan, dressed in a brocade jacket, almost the same as the winter dress of Henan nobles, was sitting upright in his own attic, slightly raised his head, his expression unchanged. "I knew it, with such a commotion, something must be wrong... Which side is it?"

"The south side!"

A Jurchen *mouke* bowed and said. "Looking at the torches and the formation, there are no less than several thousand, maybe ten thousand, who are piling up boats to connect pontoon bridges, preparing to cross the river at night!"

"Don't worry about him." Gao Jingshan said disapprovingly. "Just send scouts to carefully investigate along the river, and let the south city be brightly lit all night and be seriously vigilant... If he really dares to attack, we will rely on the high walls and solid defenses to make him powerless."

"What if the Song army goes to attack Nanle and Weidian?" The Jurchen *mouke* hesitated for a moment.

These two places were in the southwest of Yuancheng and were considered prosperous strongholds and branch cities.

"Then let Nanle and Weidian be careful to defend together." Gao Jingshan pretended to be enlightened. "If they can't hold on, tell the two defending generals to retreat to the Yongji Canal at night and enter the city at dawn."

"Yes." The Jurchen *mouke* responded helplessly and then hurried downstairs.

Gao Jingshan continued to sit in the attic, feeling bored for a while, but couldn't help but look at a servant beside him. The latter understood and quickly bowed to inquire:

"Does the commander have any instructions?"

"I remembered something." Gao Jingshan sighed slightly. "Go find the kind of small stew pot with a stove, and then find a fish and ask the cook to prepare it... Finally, go find *Gao Tongshi* and say that I want to invite him to eat fish here."

The servant responded blankly and went down immediately.

With the commander's order, what was a mere pot and a fish? After a while, the stew pot was placed, the fish was stewed, and Gao Jingshan asked someone to find a bottle of Blue Bridge Wind and Moon, but *Gao Tongshi* had not arrived yet. Therefore, the commander of the Jin army simply opened the latest issue of the Song people's court reports, which was stained with blood, and began to pour and drink and watch it by himself.

However, the commotion outside the city became louder and louder. Although Commander Gao sat firmly like a mountain, he couldn't stop the constant flow of officials, officers, and servants.

"Commander!"

Suddenly, another young Bohai *mouke* came to report in person. "The Song army has captured Nanle! The