On October 20, the fourth year of Shaoxi, the 40,000 troops on the Yanzhou front had already changed into thick cotton clothes, but even so, standing on the empty and desolate Loess Plateau, the cold northwest wind was still like a knife, drilling straight into the clothes.

A few days ago, it hadn't been so cold, but for some reason, the temperature had suddenly plummeted since yesterday, and for a while, the army led by Ye Qing instantly raised their hearts to their throats, and repeatedly sent cavalry to patrol the banks of the Yellow River for nearly 100 miles to see if there was any freezing phenomenon.

Even the simpler stoves and other heating appliances have been placed in the military tent, but the cold wind can still see the stitches and howl into the military tent.

The desolate land was allowed to be swept by the northwest wind, and a large area of yellow dust and fog obscured the sky and the sun, making the front line, which was already tense due to the confrontation with the Jinren, as if facing the end of the world.

Xu Han, who plunged into the tent, his cheeks were red from the cold, and after hurriedly saluting Ye Qing, he sat down in front of the simple stove, his hands slightly against the steaming clay pot on the stove, shaking the muscles of his whole body, and trembling: "What the hell is this weather, why is it so bad!" It's like being able to freeze people to death! ”

"How's it going?" Ye Qing put down the pen in his hand, rubbed his hands and asked.

"I have personally run the ferries up and down a hundred miles, even in this ghost weather, these are still the places that are suitable for the Jin people to cross the river, and the rest of the ferries that are far away from us, the last general has also arranged scouts, as long as there is a slight sign of freezing on the river surface, I will immediately break it, and there will never be any ice on the river surface." Xu Han said while pouring hot water for himself.

"The men of the 3,000 battalions will be able to come in a little while, and with them, perhaps the river will never freeze. It's just that the weather is ...... right now. I don't know if I'll be able to survive tonight. Ye Qing sighed and said helplessly.

There are only a few places where ferries can be built, and if you want to build ferries, in addition to the relatively narrow river surface and gentle water flow, you are also quite particular about the topography on both sides, so the places suitable for building ferries are often places where it is easy to freeze out thick ice in extreme time in winter.

Since the sudden drop in temperature yesterday, whether it is Wang Chong or Xie Lun, or Wu Juan and Xu Han, they have all immediately led their men to patrol the surface of the Yellow River for nearly 100 miles overnight, fearing that a thick layer of ice will form overnight.

A large number of catapults have been "bombarding and bombing" the river since early this morning, and all the thin ice surfaces that had just formed last night have been shattered.

And Ye Qing's actions on their side even attracted ridicule and abuse from the Jin people on the other side.

"My lord, but if we want to control the river surface of this hundred miles without freezing, we simply don't have enough manpower, and we also have to guard against the surprise attack of the Jin people, so we can't do it at all." Xu Han held the cup and said with some concern.

"Early this morning, Ye Heng went to Menshan and Yanchang counties, and I just sent a letter to King Qing, Liu Minxing, Liu Minxue, including Jingzhao Mansion, I hope we can organize a large number of laborers to help us break the ice in a short period of time." Ye Qing said so, but he was not very optimistic in his heart.

Although he had already signaled Liu Minxing, King Qing and others to give extremely generous rewards to the people who were idle in the cold winter, after all, this was the front line of the war between the Song and the Jin State, so he had no confidence at all, and he didn't know if he could recruit people who "wanted money and didn't want to die" to help them break the ice on the surface of the Yellow River.

"I hope they come soon, or if this hellish weather lasts for a few more days, we'll have to retreat directly." Xu Han said with a sigh.

"Freezing three feet, not a day's cold." Ye Qing picked up the brush and continued to write the letter, and then thought for a while: "You come to guard tonight, as long as you can stand on the ice, you will immediately use firearms to explode." Since drinking water can be frozen by the cold, presumably this embankment may also be frozen stronger. ”

Xu Han looked at Ye Qing, who lowered his head and continued to deal with military affairs, and after opening his mouth hesitantly, he finally nodded, and then said, "Then I will send someone to try it in the col behind us now to see how much is more suitable." ”

"Wait a minute." Ye Qing put down the pen, thought for a while, and said, "I'll go with you, I don't want to sleep well at night, and suddenly be flooded." ”

Xu Han scratched his head and smiled, firearms, now except for the three thousand battalions, the rest can only be proficient in the flower planting army, but the flower planting army is now considered a half-baked level, compared with the three thousand battalions that really play with firearms, it is still much worse.

The camp tent blown by the north wind was hunting, but even if the weather was bad, the soldiers patrolling the camp and the spies and scouts at the embankment were still able to hold their positions, and they did not give the Jin people a chance to sneak attack.

Shaoxi began to conquer the summer in May of the fourth year, and it seemed that it took only half a year to take the city that the Song army planned to get, but if you add the preparations before the station, the battle can be said to have been going on for more than a year, and even the relevant preparations before the station are much longer than the real Iron Horse Jingo.

From the beginning of the real war, to the current good news to Jingzhao Mansion, Hetao Third Road and other places, coupled with the great victory of Jinan Fu Xin Qiji, so that the northern land recaptured by the Song Dynasty, whether it is officials or ordinary people, is now facing the war against Jin, the confidence is unprecedentedly high.

Originally in the Hetao III

Lu was still a remnant official with all kinds of small calculations in his heart, and when the war between Song and Jin was going on in October, he had almost completely lost confidence in the Jin people's recapture of the three roads of Hetao.

At this time, they had to begin to tend to believe that the Song people could win this protracted battle with the Jin people.

Whether it is the officials of the officialdom or the people from all walks of life, with the arrival of the harsh winter, they have become more and more confident and optimistic about the first battle against Jin, coupled with the frequent good news of the Xia Kingdom, which has also made the Hetao Third Road and Jingzhaofu Road burst out with great cohesion.

At this point, even Ye Heng and Ye Qing did not expect that in Yanchang and Menshan, the two counties closest to the front line, Ye Heng would easily recruit thousands of people, who were willing to help the Song army break the frozen ice that might appear on the river.

Thousands of people are almost equivalent to hollowing out the young and strong labor force of Menshan and Yanchang two counties, and in this era, whether it is a county or a state, it is obvious that the population size cannot be compared with later generations, not to mention Menshan and Yanchang, the two lower counties bordering Jin.

Therefore, being able to recruit these thousands of strong men is completely beyond Ye Heng's imagination, although these thousands of people, if they are scattered along the Yellow River, it is like a drop in the bucket, but at least this momentum still makes Ye Heng and the others excited.

Liu Minxing, Liu Minxue, Qingwang Zhao Kai, and Chongguo Gong of Jingzhao Mansion almost all carried out the propaganda sent by Ye Qing to the extreme, and the streets of Fuzhou County were not only plastered with notices to recruit strong men in a short period of time, but also written with strong ink and color, very infectious and passionate and proud The results of the two wars of the Song people against Xia and Jin were written for a while, which made Jingzhao Mansion and Hetao Three Roads in the cold season, but both the people and most of the officials, It seems that there is a raging fire in my heart, and I am proud and proud to be born as a Song person.

Ye Qing and Xu Han tried how to use firearms in Houshan, and Ye Heng had already arranged manpower and began to organize Zhuangding to rush to the banks of the Yellow River.

In less than half a month, through various means of public opinion and propaganda, as well as generous rewards, a great situation was formed in a short period of time in which a great river flowed and everyone worked together to resist Jin.

When Ye Qing and Xu Han were on the way back to the camp from the back mountain, they could already see that behind the Song army's camp, there were huge tents set up dotted with dots, and a large cauldron was also set up on the fire, and it was steaming thick at the moment.

Although there was no smell of food, looking at the hot scene in the cold winter season, Ye Qing and Xu Han couldn't help but be a little dazed, obviously even they didn't expect that Ye Heng really persuaded the people to help them break the frozen ice on the river.

The cold winter began to sweep the entire northwest land from October 19 in the fourth year of Shaoxi, the cold north wind raged along the entire Yellow River, the surging Yellow River water is still flowing endlessly, the weather has never warmed up since the 19th, obviously the real cold winter has arrived.

Since Ye Qing took Xu Han to try firearms on the 20th, the Jin people have not harassed the Song army again, and the begging Shilie gods and slaves often lead their generals to patrol up and down the embankment of the Yellow River, and he hopes more than anyone else that the Yellow River can freeze a thick layer of ice overnight.

It was precisely because of this urgent hope that he was reluctant to throw even a stone into the Yellow River during this time, for fear of smashing the surface of the river that might condense into ice.

In the past 20 days, in addition to the severe cold that has been continuing, there have been a lot of ice-breaking reinforcements on the Song army's side, which has made the beggar Shilie gods and slaves who have always hoped that the river surface will freeze, their brows are even tighter, and their hearts are heavier.

Song Ren's continuous ice-breaking actions for many days, he naturally saw it in his eyes, but he never believed that Ye Qing could go against the sky with his own strength.

On the one hand, they want the Yellow River to freeze, and on the other hand, they want the Yellow River not to be frozen, in such a contradictory situation, the Song army is so unscrupulous about the Yellow River, while the Jin people are cautious and respectful of the Yellow River.

As a large number of people poured into the rear of the Song army's camp like the water of the Yellow River, and then broke the ice on the surface of the Yellow River day after day, the Song army and the Jin soldiers fell into a war of words again.

This time the Song army is obviously more dominant than the last time, in addition to the northwest wind that is passing by, it is the current people and strong men in the Song army, from the beginning of the ignorance, to the curiosity and freshness, and then to the eagerness to join the scolding war.

With the addition of the strong men of the people, coupled with the northwest wind whistling from time to time, the Song army, which was in the upper hand, had a geographical advantage, and the only disadvantage was that the back of the neck would be a little chilly because of the cold north wind beating.

But the Jin people who were at a disadvantage, obviously in front of the whistling northwest wind, were not so good at all, their faces were beaten by the sharp northwest wind, and before they could make a sound, the cold wind poured into their stomachs along the mouth, and it was difficult to scold back for a while.

On the surface of the Yellow River, which stretches for nearly 100 miles, because of the fact that in more than 20 days, the people who have come to help one after another have made the real strength of the Song army able

According to Ye Heng's promise to the people, to protect them before the big war comes, he can also monitor the various actions of the Jin people on the other side.

There are occasionally thin layers of ice on the river surface formed at night, and then escaped the eyes of the Song people who patrolled at night, but as long as it was early in the morning, it would always be the first time to be the people's strong men, relying on the wisdom of labor to create a slap rod, a rod smashed on the river surface, splashing waves at the same time, but also making the Jin people on the other side of the river feel distressed.

At this time, on both sides of the Yellow River, the place where the Song and Jin camped had already formed a simple city, and now in the camps of the two armies, there are not only people's husbands, but even women who burn fires, wash and cook are mixed in them, especially the camps where the people's men and strong men are located in the rear, the sky above their heads has always been full of cooking smoke, and the meals are continuous, with a touch of life and a little less bloody meaning.

And the camp tents that were originally connected together, because of the ideology of things gathering like and people by groups, slowly refined and distinguished in silence, and groups of people began to automatically change their residences, and at the same time, in order to show the difference from the people in other states and counties next to it, simple to pitiful fence walls were also erected during this time.

The bare land has long been trampled into a series of twists and turns, the narrow place is just two people walking side by side, wide enough for carriages and horses to pass through, the simple city, so silently under the strong living ability of the people, began to slowly take shape, and may even continue to expand the range, so as to truly form a military town.

Standing on the high platform, after only a while, Ye Qing, who was so cold that his hands and feet were cold, and Ye Qing, who slowly climbed down from the high platform, somewhat understood Ye Heng's worries.

But now, since the people have spontaneously formed their own favorite life circles, if they are forcibly disrupted, I am afraid that not only will it not be beneficial, but it will trigger some unexpected drawbacks.

"Before the people were strong, all the soldiers were just fighting and sleeping, but now ...... Although the army has not yet found the matter of drinking in private, but among these people, there are already businessmen who have seen profit and forget their righteousness, and I also saw the appearance of the picker yesterday, so if it goes on like this, I am afraid it will affect our military morale. Ye Heng looked at Ye Qing, who was smiling, and said worriedly.

Originally, they just wanted to let the people help them break the ice of the Yellow River, although up to now, tens of thousands of people were still able to obey the orders of the army and do their duty without complaint, but if they were allowed to bring their living habits into the barracks, this would obviously go against the original intention.

At the beginning, all the men here were men, but in just ten days, there began to be women sneakily appearing in the camp tent, helping those people to wash and cook, whether it was Ye Qing or Ye Heng, at that time the heart was quite beautiful, in this way, a large part of the troops were saved, and they were even able to go over to eat.

But unexpectedly, after ten days passed, on a sunny afternoon, when Ye Heng inspected the people's tents again, he heard the sound of many children laughing and playing, which made Ye Heng feel a little stunned and dissatisfied.

"Are there children running to the river to play?" Ye Qing rubbed his frozen hands and asked, Two days ago, Bai Chun's girl finally sent someone to bring him the black fur, and now he is like a bear, swaying in the camp.

"Not yet, but the officials I sent to govern the people's camp have sternly warned them. But I want to ...... It's not an option to keep going like this, and it's better to let them go. After all, it is the front line of the war with the Jin people, how can it become this town? Ye Heng stabbed Xu Han and Wang Chong next to him, hoping that the two of them could help him and help Daying say something.

"The original reward for the people was given too high." Ye Qing couldn't help pursing his lips, sighed in the cold wind, and then lowered his head and continued: "It's impossible to stop it right now. Uncle Ye...... You may only see women and children boiling water and cooking, but have you noticed that these people and strong men are more efficient in breaking the ice than they were at the beginning? And there are fewer trivial things in my army? ”

"Yes, this is indeed the case at the moment, but in the long run, the existence of merchants and women is difficult to guarantee that there will be no messy things, and businessmen can make the remuneration of the people and strong men become enjoyment in the shortest possible time, with wine and meat. The same is true for the women, you don't even drag your family in the camp, if you are a little more beautiful, ....... Ye Heng looked at Ye Qing and frowned slightly, and then sighed and said: "Although the generals at all levels have strict orders, it does not mean that everyone will abide by them. ”

"My lord, what Lord Ye said is right." Xu Han looked at Ye Qing, who frowned slightly, and then looked at Ye Heng and continued: "There are many soldiers in the army who have never tasted what it is like to be a woman, and now that we are at war with Jin, although life and death are not taken to heart, it is difficult to guarantee that some soldiers will not hold it, and they must also taste the psychology of what it is like to be a woman before they die in battle, so it is not good for Yu Junxin." As for the existence of merchants, they can be strictly forbidden to sell wine, but in this way, the people are afraid that they will be dissatisfied again, after all, in this winter, and the cold wind is blowing on the side of the Yellow River, it is difficult to hold on for more than half an hour without drinking some wine. ”

"The wine is supplied by us, and as for the women, Uncle Ye...... Immediately drive them all away. Ye Qing bit his lip, and then made up his mind and said.