The success of the sea trials made everyone rejoice, but they didn't expect this method to be feasible, which was really unexpected. Wang Yuan immediately asked Yan Zhenqing to select more than 1,000 people to help cut down trees and bamboo, make ropes, and help the boatmen transform the boats. At the same time, because the waterway is narrow, a large number of people need to cut the reeds and dig up the shallow mud to build a temporary passage for boats, so that once the river is crossed, the people can get on the boats nearby. For it would have been impossible for most of the people to wade across the reeds to the river.

The whole camp was in full swing, and many people spontaneously began to help, helping to carry bamboo and helping to find suitable materials on a dozen sandy mountain bags within a radius of several miles around. Harvest reeds and bundle them as a hull to increase buoyancy and prevent collisions. Everyone was excited about getting rid of this bitter sea north of the Yellow River, and they were full of energy to do their work.

Wang Yuan was actually still very worried, because he found that things were not as simple as he imagined. Although the trial voyage was successful, it took more than two hours. We departed in the morning and returned in the early afternoon, and it took more time to cross the river than expected. Nine small boats can be assembled into one large ship, and more than 200 small boats can only be assembled into twenty-six large ships. In addition to nine shipwrights, each assembled large ship can only carry about sixty or seventy people. In other words, even if more than 20 boats set off at full capacity, they could only transport less than 2,000 people across the river at one time. Nearly 50,000 soldiers and civilians can only cross the river a day if they can only run twice a day. Wouldn't it take more than ten days to complete all the river crossings? This is absolutely not possible.

Ten days, it's a joke. Facing a strong enemy, you need to cross the river as soon as possible, but you can't spend more than ten days here. The limit of Wang Yuan's psychology is that it takes three days to cross the river, which requires 15,600 people to cross every day, which is four times the capacity of the existing ferry.

There was no good solution, only to carry more people per boat, to reduce the time it takes to cross the river, and to use the night time to cross. The danger of crossing the river at night can be imagined, but Wang Yuan has no choice, this risk must be taken. Crossing the river day and night at all times was the only way to ensure that all the people could be sent across the other side as quickly as possible.

Wang Yuan discussed this idea with Yan Zhenqing and Helan Jinming, and both of them felt that they needed to take this risk. Because they all know that the longer they stay in this cottage, the worse the consequences. The opponent's 20,000 soldiers and horses also arrived in the afternoon and camped a few miles west of the cottage. Although they did not start as soon as they came up, there was no doubt that if they found out that they were crossing the river, they would immediately attack.

The next few days were a great test not only for the defending soldiers and horses, but also for the boatmen who crossed the river. Crossing the river around the clock is not only a test of the physical strength of the boatmen, but also a test of their boating skills. Crossing the river at night is the most taboo thing, and they will never boat on the river at night.

All kinds of problems are piled up, giving everyone a lot of psychological pressure. But everyone understands that this is the time to work hard, and the pressure is huge but it has to be faced.

Starting in the morning, according to Wang Yuan's instructions, Zhao Qing and Tan Ping divided the 5,000 soldiers and horses into more than 20 teams. Five hundred men were arranged to defend the bluestone wall of the walled gate, and at the same time, soldiers and horses were also ambushed in the woods and reeds next to the dozen or so roads that must be passed after entering the walled gate. The woods are not too high, just small mounds with trees, but they still serve as ambushes for archers. The most troublesome thing was in the large open area near where the people boarded the boats, where there was nowhere else to hide except the mountain where the Gathering Hall was located. If you want to ambush, you can only hide in the reeds.

However, the reeds are all shallow water and sludge places, and it is not easy to hide here. It is obviously unlikely that the soldiers would have soaked in water day and night waiting for the enemy to attack. It's okay during the day, after all, the power of the autumn sun is still there, and the water temperature is not too low. However, soaking in water at night is sure to kill you. The autumn weather has become cooler and cooler since the heavy rains, the temperature at night has plummeted, and there is some frost on the ground in the early morning. Moreover, it is easy to create a technical problem in the ambush in the reeds, that is, the archers are unable to aim and shoot arrows due to their obstruction of sight, and half of their bodies are in the dense reeds swing at the height of one person, which is actually similar to that of a blind man.

In order to solve these problems, Wang Yuan, Zhao Qingtan and others discussed the design of a high-legged tree branch platform. They weaved improvised foot-down platforms out of tree branches, and then used the density of reeds and the buoyancy of the water to press the platforms against the reeds, so that a tabletop-sized platform of branches could be stood on by three or four people without sinking. When a person squats on it, he can be blocked by the dense branches and foliage of reeds, but if he stands up, he can reveal a small half of his body and see his surroundings clearly. This small platform solves two major problems, allowing soldiers to see the enemy's tracks and shoot them with bows and arrows without being immersed in the water.

Everything is unfolding in a tense and orderly manner, and the military and civilians in the entire Wagangzhai are busy. It's a race against time to prepare before the enemy attacks. After a busy afternoon, the twenty-five assembled ships were finally completed. After dinner, Wang Yuan decided not to delay any time and immediately began to cross the river.

All the soldiers and horses were immediately in place to lay an ambush, and the boatmen were also summoned, and Wang Yuan encouraged and encouraged them, and gave the order to cross the river. Because it was the first time to cross the river, and it was in the middle of the night, it was extremely dangerous. So Yan Zhenqing asked the people to sign up voluntarily. The people were very hesitant, they all knew the danger of crossing the river in the middle of the night, and it was unknown whether these strange boats could withstand the wind and waves, so they were not very active.

In order to reassure the boatmen and the people, Helan Jinming, the Taishou of Beihai, also personally crossed the river in the first batch of boats to cross the river. He was going to go across the river to settle the people who had crossed the river. Wang Yuan praised Helan Jinming's actions, and he found Feng Wang Li Heng, hoping that he could also set an example. Although Li Heng was also very scared, he didn't want to show his timidity in front of Wang Yuan, so he also got on the boat.

Helan Jinming and Li Heng's actions made the people very encouraged, a Taishou and a current prince are not afraid, what are they afraid of? Soon, more than 20 large ships were filled with more than 1,500 people. Originally, the full capacity could reach 2,000 people, but because it was a night crossing, for the sake of safety, Wang Yuan let each boat carry dozens of fewer people to ensure safety.

At the beginning of the shift, more than 20 modified boats slowly sailed away from the reeds and set off towards the roaring Yellow River. Wang Yuan, Yan Zhenqing and others were very nervous, if the night crossing was successful this time, it would be the prelude to crossing the river. And after the crossing of the river begins, I am afraid that the fierce battle will soon begin.

……

A few miles west of Wagangzhai is the military camp of Chang Yuantu's army. Chang Yuantu thought that when he arrived at the White Horse Ferry, the solemn army of 50,000 had already arrived, and he could avoid the risk of attacking alone. However, when he led his army to follow the soldiers and horses of Pingyuan City to the bank of the Yellow River, he found that Yan Zhuang's 50,000 soldiers and horses had not arrived here at all.

Of course, Chang Yuantu didn't want to fight with the other party without the arrival of the Yan Zhuang army, the battle on the bank of the Qishui River had already made Chang Yuantu feel uneasy, he knew that the opponent in front of him was strong, and he would definitely not fight with the other party unless he had to. But Yan Zhuang also understood that if the other party wanted to cross the river and escape, he would have to attack hard. Because if you let your opponent cross the river and slip away under your nose, An Lushan, the emperor of the Great Yan Kingdom, will definitely skin yourself alive. Therefore, on the one hand, Chang Yuantu sent people to urge the Yan Zhuang army to hurry up, and on the other hand, he secretly prayed that the opponent would not cross the river and flee so quickly, lest he be forced to attack.

Fortunately, the movement of the brigade in Pingyuan City made Chang Yuantu feel a little relieved, because the other party did not go to Baima Ferry to cross the river, but came to stay in the dilapidated cottage where Wagangzhai was located back then. Chang Yuantu knew that there was no place to cross the river in this area except Baimadu, and the other party could not cross the river in this section of the wetland sandbar hiding in the Wagangzhai area, which made Chang Yuantu feel a little relieved. Although I don't know what the other party's intention is in doing this, at least the other party's inability to cross the river is good news for the time being, and he doesn't have to launch an attack before Yan Zhuang arrives.

As a result, Chang Yuantu set up camp a few miles west of Wagangzhai and ordered his soldiers and horses to closely monitor the whereabouts of the other party and maintain a high degree of vigilance. He even ordered people to build simple fortifications in front of the camp and prepare for defense.

In the afternoon, Chang Yuantu rode a war horse to patrol outside the cottage to observe, standing on the west slope of the hill, you can see from a distance that there are many people busy shuttling between the reeds and the woods of the cottage, Chang Yuantu doesn't know what they are doing. But Chang Yuantu only needs to watch the river, and he doesn't need to pay attention to it if there are no boats crossing.

That night, Chang Yuantu was a little drunk and hazy after drinking a few glasses of wine, and he was also very tired from chasing after him with soldiers and horses these days, and his body was extremely sore. So he got into his tent early and slept with his head covered. Just when he was sleeping extremely sweetly, and was having a spring dream of himself and the prostitute Red Apricot in Ninghua Building in Taiyuan City, he was awakened by the rude shouts of his lieutenants.

"Chang Taishou, wake up quickly. There seems to be movement on the enemy's side. ”

Chang Yuantu got up with a bone, and there was still the spring dream just now in his mind, and he was very unhappy.

"What's going on?" Chang Yuantu shouted.

"Like...... They were crossing the river overnight. The adjutant said hurriedly.

"What? How can it be. Chang Yuantu got up angrily, and immediately after he was neatly dressed, he went out of the camp accompanied by the deputy general and personal guards, and climbed high and looked towards the cottage to the east. But I saw that the cottage a few miles ahead was brightly lit. Countless bonfires and torches lit up the sky, and countless figures ran back and forth. That's all right, following the fingers of the lieutenant generals, Chang Yuantu saw the dozens of dotted torches on the river in the distance. There were so many torches on the surface of the river, and they were moving slowly, wasn't that crossing a river or something?