"Bring the sandbox."
Cao Rui gave a slight wave of his hand, and Xu Shu turned to walk towards the camp behind him. The four Tiger Guards each lifted a corner, carrying out a huge sandbox from the cart that had not been completely disassembled.
The emperor and his officials gathered around the sandbox, and Xu Shu crouched down slightly and made some adjustments for a moment. Then, places such as Liaodao River, Liaotun, Xiangping, and Liaokou appeared on the sandbox.
Man Chang searched for a long hay pole near the riverbank and drew several lines of different thicknesses on the ground beside the sandbox:
"Xu Huang's detour route back then was like this: he first followed the Yellow River northward, then crossed the river to the west, and finally turned south to form a big loop."
In succession, Man Chang pointed to several critical places on the sandbox with the reed stick: "There were nearly thirty li of fortifications on the east bank of Liaodao River. Liaodong is not lacking in horses, so there must be cavalry behind relying on horse speed to defend against them. The speed of crossing the river is not as fast as that of enemy cavalry."
"Then head north," Man Chang continued along the trace of the Liaoshui River on the sandbox: "Fill in the earth in Liaozai to create a path, and bypass it from the north."
"Then head south, towards the direction of Liaokou."
Cao Rui sighed lightly: "Empress Wu in Tongguan, not like today I have a wisdom to refer to. Jia Wenhe, Xun Gongda and others are men of wisdom, I have today beside full, mar, Xu, Pei and other ministers. But Xu Gongming such a man of natural courage now do not know who can compare with him."
If we can't pick a general who can fight like a god, then let's compare our military prowess! Can we really lose to Gongsun Yuan in such matters?
Cao Rui whispered, "I remember there is a note on the map that the Liaokou at the mouth of the Liaoshui River is about 50 li away from here."
Man Chang nodded: "That's right, fifty li."
"Minister Pei, Minister Lu."
"Here," both Pei Qian and Lu Yuc answered in unison.
Cao Rui said, "I command you two as supervisors of the military overseer, each leading 6000 infantry for the main army to search and open paths."
"Which of you would like to go south, and which would like to go north?"
Southward is Liaokou, and northward is Liaozai. One southward and one northward, it's obvious that the degree of hardship and merit are different.
Pei Qian can still recall the scene from two days ago.
At that time, Pei Qian sent a mounted soldier and an infantryman, each carrying a long rope, to enter the southern marsh of Liaozai. They walked for less than ten zhang from the moment they entered the marsh. Suddenly, as if the solid and long grassland had turned soft, the horse sank into the mud, and struggled more deeply.
Northward to Liaozai is more difficult, while southward, it's a smooth path.
Pei and Lu exchanged a glance and then, without speaking, both replied in unison, "We leave it to Your Majesty's decision."
"Very well," Cao Rui said: "Lu Gong will command Zhao, Cheng, and Du Dao, to head northward into Liaozai and prepare the soil, build dams and roads to enter the Liaozai, and search for pathways in the Liaozai."
"Minister Pei will command Zheng, Chunyu, and San Shu Yu as his subordinates to head south. He will maintain the roads leading to Liaokou to ensure sufficient supplies for the main army."
"Understood!"
Pei Qian and Lu Yuc each agreed, and Cao Rui turned to look at Man Chang.
"If this battle is like the Battle of Tongguan in the past, then what I should do is to make a show of strength and feign an attack here to draw the bandits here. General Man, what should we do here?"
Man Chang slightly stroked his beard, gazed at the opposite shore of Liaotun City, and said slowly yet confidently, "Your Majesty, there are three things that should be done here."
"The first, we should build many encampments and set up more flags, to show the grandeur of the main army."
"Second, order the soldiers to cut down trees and build a dockage bridge. Then make catapults to suppress the other side, and frequently feign attacks."
"Third, send messengers to the enemy camp on the eastern shore to persuade them to surrender. Gradually loosen the tone of the words as the progress of roads on both sides, so as to make their arrogance and hostility grow."
"Then go ahead," Cao Rui moved his body slightly: "In a few days, I will personally go to Liaokou to see the sea!"
...
The army exceeds ten thousand, vast and boundless.
When Cao Rui led the main army for the first time, Gongsun Yan and Bi Yan in Liaotun City did not dare to rashly go out to fight, but only urged the soldiers to rush to repair the encirclement and city defenses.
On the morning of two days later.
From the newly built watchtower on the city wall of Liaotun, the elderly general of Liaodong, Gongsun Yan, gazed across to the Wei army camp on the west bank of the Liaoshui River, furrowing his brows deeply between them.
In the morning mist, several Wei army strongholds along the north-south line of the Liaoshui River appeared, like an indescribable giant beast opening its arms. There were piles of freshly cut logs stacked along the riverbank, and soldiers were already building simple docks and rafts at the riverside.
"General Bi," Gongsun Yan, whose white hair had completely turned white in the past few days, turned around, and the sound of his armor rang out:
"You arrived in Liaotun five days ago and said that the relief forces from Xiangping were preparing. Five days have passed, but why haven't we seen a single messenger?"
Bi Yan, who was appointed to lead the relief forces from Xiangping, also had a great mental pressure that cannot be compared to ordinary people. On the one hand, he had to defend himself, and on the other hand, he had to support Gongsun Yan and retreat in time if he couldn't hold it.
The array of Wei army on the west bank of the Liaoshui River was something that Gongsun Yan could not see alone, and Bi Yan also saw it.
He knows everything, but he can do nothing.
Bi Yan continued to use words to evade responsibilities: "Old General Gongsun, you don't need to worry. Wei army hasn't even started the attack yet? I have brought all one thousand horsemen from Xiangping, we can hold on for a while no matter what." "Your majesty should still be training the army in Xiangping and wait a little longer."
Gongsun Yan sighed and sat on a small stool, saying helplessly, "I am not afraid of Wei army, I am just worried about the war."
"Hongyi, the cavalry of Liaodong is under your command. You know the current situation of the army and the inside story. When Lord Cao conquered Liucheng, our late lord was already so afraid that he killed the two-Yuan and offered their heads."
"This time, it's the emperor of Wei himself who is here, and the calumnies from across the river have already come. Even the Sun and Liu families are hard to withstand. How can I, with only so few troops, hope to resist Wei army?"
"If the reinforcements from the Duke don't arrive soon, I'm afraid the situation will really get worse!"
Bi Yan watched Gongsun Yan's worried expression and could only use words to console him. At the same time, he made a silent resolve in his heart that if anything went wrong, he would die trying to save Old General Gongsun.
At noon, the materials from various places finally managed to assemble a makeshift bridge.
General Man Ming ordered General Tian Yu's department to cross the river to the east along the newly built floating bridge. The distance between the river and the encampment was about 100 zhang. Before General Tian Yu reached the edge of the encampment, he was pressed back by a barrage of arrows from General Gongsun Yan's department.
Charge, retreat. Three charges, three retreats.
After three charges, General Tian Yu's department withdrew calmly and even had time to tidy up and pack away the floating bridge.
In the central tent of the main camp, General Tian Yu personally reported the battle situation to General Man Ming.
"Reported to General, our department has charged against the encampment three times and been shot back by the enemy archers. I have observed that there are only about five hundred enemy archers, not more."
"Furthermore, the enemy army does not dare to fight outside the encampments."
Man Ming stroked his beard and frowned: "Your department crossed the river and advanced to the southern part of Liaotun City, ten li away. After three advances, the time was enough for the enemy to deploy cavalry."
"But the enemy has never dared to come out of their camp to fight. It could either be that the defending general is cowardly and has nothing to rely on, or that the enemy has few cavalry."
Tian Yu hesitated for a moment: "Could it be that the enemy is waiting for us to initiate an attack on the encampment?"
"Not at all!" Man Ming said decisively: "Although there is only one floating bridge today, three thousand people are enough to establish a foothold on the beachhead. Once the position is established, enough people can come over from behind."
"They wouldn't take that bet!"
Tian Yu saluted and said: "If that is the case, once the equipment is complete, we can try to cross in two or three routes. Perhaps there will be some unexpected results!"
Man Ming nodded: "The enemy is acting so strangely, let's find out more about it. It's too early to draw a conclusion now. I will send someone to seek the emperor's edict soon and see what we should do next."
While Man Ming was stationed in the central camp, Emperor Cao Rui, accompanied by Sima Yi, Xu Shu, and other attendants, arrived at Liaokou, which is fifty li south of the camp.
"Is there a dock at Liaokou? I seem to remember that historically, people in Liaodong have always sailed to the southern peninsula by sea. It seems unusual for there to be a dock here."
Yesterday arrived here, Pei Qian, stood behind Cao Rui and bowed, "Liaokou has not always been the main port of call. It is just because Liaokou is far from each city and seafaring ships can travel through the Liaoshui River all the way to the bottom of Liaotun City."
"In terms of geography, the Liaoshui River turns east at Liaokou, and the west bank where we are located is suitable for building a dock."
Cao Rui nodded slightly, then turned to look at the twenty ships temporarily moored in the bay outside the pier.
Sima Yi approached and said: "The main army needs about 1.5 million tons of grain every month, and flat-bottomed ships can carry 1,500 tons each. As long as there are five ship fleets arriving at Liaokou every month, it will be enough to supply the main army's grain needs."
Pei Qian stepped forward half a step: "What Minister Sima said is very true. After I arrived at Liaokou yesterday, I carefully investigated the details of the sea ships, and not a single ship had any accidents or crises. The coastal areas of the Bohai Sea are all conducive to ship transportation, which is not the same as the dangerous conditions in the eastern seas of Qing and Xu provinces."
"Your Majesty, the official responsible for supervising the transportation of grain this time is the Ombudsman Pei Hui. As for detailed information, he knows it better than me."
Cao Rui looked at Pei Qian, then at Sima Yi whose speech was interrupted by Pei Qian, and smiled, "Pei, you are a man of talent. I must make a good introduction to this Pei Wenji."
"Summon Pei Hui."
Two tiger guards rode out on their horses, and soon after, Pei Hui also returned on horseback.
Seeing Pei Hui pay a respectful bow, Emperor Cao Rui nodded and said, "There is one Pei in my presence, and today there is another Pei."
"Xin Zhongshu is in charge of all matters in Quanzhou. Is there anything unusual?"
Pei Hui had expected the emperor to ask him about maritime transportation, but was surprised that the emperor began by asking about Xin Pi and did not mention maritime transportation at all.
Pei Hui respectfully replied: "Your Majesty, Xin public is holding various matters in Quanzhou very well, and the collection of grain from all over can be timely. The Board of War at Yè City is handling public affairs, and the Duke of Hei Zhou, Lǚ Shǐjūn, has also arrived in the River Intermediate to oversee the transportation."
"Xin public is in the north, Duke Lü is in the middle, and the officials of the Board of War are in the south. All matters are being coordinated properly."
It was not that Emperor Cao Rui did not care about the transportation of grain by sea, but rather that the Bohai Sea had relatively calm waters and it would not be difficult to transport grain from Tianjin in later times along the coast to Liaoning.
If Wei Dynasty could indeed replicate the route that Sun Quan dispatched ships to Liaodong, Emperor Cao Rui would be interested in learning about the details.
It is merely what should be done properly. (Chapter ends)
