Beiyan expected that the Huaidong Army would set up a trestle bridge in front of the enemy to help soldiers and horses rush to cross the Feng River, but the Feng River flows from southwest to east, and there are more than 70 miles along the coast, and they are all plain areas, and there are not 100 places suitable for erecting trestle bridges, but also 80 places.

The Zhouqiao Brigade, which marched west with the soldiers and horses of the middle route, had more than 4,000 craftsmen and other auxiliary soldiers, and quickly dispersed with the soldiers and horses in the front, and selected more than 20 bridge-building points along the east bank of the Fenghe River for preparation.

On the east bank of the Feng River, the Chen Yan Station was in the center, the 1st and 2nd Brigades Li Baidao and Liang Shou advanced to the area along the river, and the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Brigades were in a later position to stand guard; On both sides of the theater under the jurisdiction of the Denghai Town Division, one brigade from each of Han Caizhi and Hu Qiaoguan's headquarters arrived at the riverside area and could participate in the first batch of river crossings at any time.

More than 20 bridge-building points were scattered on the forward positions of the four brigades, and even if the soldiers and horses of the Northern Yan on the west bank saw that the Huaidong Army had the intention of building bridges and rushing to cross, there was no way to carry out targeted prevention.

Thousands of loaded wagons and nearly 20,000 heavy mules and horses traveled back and forth between Jinhai and the east bank of the Fenghe River, transporting a large amount of materials to the front line.

By the 16th, the forward positions of the four advance brigades, eight artillery positions, and a larger number of crossbow platforms along the river had also been quickly constructed, and a total of 40 heavy artillery pieces of more than 24 pounds were put into position.

The sound of the test-fired cannon roared like spring thunder exploding in the ears, and the iron bullets slashed through the air, whistling and making a sharp sound of breaking the air, and the bullets fell like a plow, cutting open the soft soil soaked in the rain after the summer, leaving shocking scratches on the ground.

Although at a range of four miles, forty solid iron bullets were fired at a time from the positions of eight artillery pieces, the density of shells formed was very limited. Even if the dense cavalry array charges, forty heavy artillery guns fire solid bullets, and they may not be able to shoot twenty or thirty horsemen at one time, but the movement of heavy artillery when it is fired is so loud that it still makes the hearts of those Yanbei soldiers who have never seen Huaidong artillery sway.

However, this also strengthened the determination of Nahe Wugu and other Northern Yan generals to command the Huai Eastern Army outside Yanjing City.

Heavy artillery is less powerful than heavy crossbows in bombarding buildings such as city walls.

The traditional heavy stone-throwing crossbow must be advanced to within three or four hundred steps of the city wall before it is possible to throw stone projectiles directly to the side of the city wall. Similarly, at such a close distance, it is easy to call the soldiers and horses defending the city to fight back, unless the siege soldiers and horses have the ability to completely block the defenders in the city, otherwise the heavy stone-throwing crossbow cannot be pushed to the front of the battle and used.

Huaidong's heavy artillery can build positions four miles away or even farther away from the city wall, and can be densely deployed in the protective array of siege soldiers and horses, which greatly increases the difficulty of the defending soldiers and horses to counterattack and destroy their artillery positions......

Although Yanjing City is strong, the Huaidong artillery that has no ability to counterattack continues to bombard, and it is only a matter of time before it collapses. The Huaidong Army's means of blowing up the western fortress of Jinhai made people even more frightened, which made the Northern Yan generals who were clumsy in defending the city even less confident in defending the city, so they could only give it a go and pin the last chance of victory on the field battle outside the city.

As night approached on the 16th, a greater number of light artillery pieces were pushed out from the cover camp behind and into the artillery positions; The scorpion crossbow on the crossbow platform on the river bank throws a large number of oil cans and igniters to the opposite bank to ignite, illuminate the night sky on the west bank of the Feng River, and hide the position on the east bank in the night.

Taking advantage of the raging fire on the west bank, the various units of the Zhouqiao Brigade quickly sent men across the river from the forward positions of the four advance brigades, and a group of more than 10 or 20 troops dragged the heavy anchor connecting the iron cable from the river to the opposite bank.

The heavy anchor cast by Huaidong can reach four or five thousand catties at the heaviest, and the smaller one weighs one or two thousand catties. Usually, a 2,000-ton capital warship needs twenty or thirty anchors of such a huge weight to be able to fix the hull above the stormy sea.

When there is a lack of sufficient pontoon bridge fixations on the west bank of the Feng River, dragging the heavy anchor to the west bank and digging the iron claws deep into the dirt is the best alternative.

The iron claws of the heavy anchor were pulled deep into the soil, and the piles were driven for reinforcement, and the iron cables connecting the heavy anchors were straightened with winches on the east bank, and the special pontoons with square heads and square corners were quickly lowered into the water, connected with the iron cables, and the trestle was laid, a simple pontoon bridge fifty or sixty meters wide, which was erected in almost two hours.

In order to increase the bearing capacity of the pontoon, a different number of skin pontoons are fixed on both sides of the pontoon.

In the depths where the campfire on the shore could not be illuminated, Tong Huacheng and a dozen scouts hid in the grass about three or four hundred steps away from the river embankment, watching the Huaidong army quickly build a pontoon bridge under the night.

Tong Huacheng, as the leader of the Western Temple Supervisor, is himself the scout of Beiyan's best at spying. He disagreed with Nahewugu, and he didn't need to lead the troops, so it was useless to stay in the camp, so he took the initiative to ask the battle to go to the front to reconnoiter the movements of the Huaidong army at close range.

Even though he had expected this, Tong Huacheng was deeply shocked by the efficiency of the Huaidong Army in building pontoon bridges.

Looking at the dark shadows of the crossbow platforms and artillery positions of the Huaidong Army on the other side under the faint starlight, Tong Huacheng knew that this was not a good opportunity to rush up and destroy the Huaidong pontoon bridge.

At this time, approaching the west end of the pontoon bridge and entering the range of two or three hundred steps together, it would only cause a frantic bombardment of Huaidong heavy crossbows and ambush fire crossbows.

The Huaidong Army was divided into a group of five pontoon bridges, and at the east end of each group of pontoon bridges, two or three hundred heavy crossbows and dozens of more powerful fire crossbows were deployed.

Although Tong Huacheng knew that most of the soldiers and horses on the left flank of his army, including the young generals, were bloody and brave soldiers who were not afraid of sacrifice, he did not think that any army and horses could directly face such a dense attack of the Huaidong crossbow array at a close distance of two or three hundred paces without destroying it.

Only after the Huaidong Army first sent troops and horses to cross the river on a small scale, the elite cavalry they deployed in the rear rushed up and mixed with the Huaidong Army, which could limit the use of Huaidong's heavy crossbows; When the Huaidong Army was in turmoil, it was a suitable tactic to destroy the Huaidong pontoon bridge with a heavy axe or arson.

Soon, the intelligence along the Feng River was gathered: in the middle of the entire Feng River, the Huaidong Army rushed to build 26 pontoon bridges at the same time after nightfall.

The Huaidong Army obviously understood the plan here, and the pontoon bridges were built under the cover of night, but Tong Huacheng only saw that the Huaidong Army's river-crossing soldiers and horses were concentrated on the east bank after nightfall, and dozens of shield carts and bed crossbows were pushed to the east end of the pontoon bridge, but it was delayed until midnight, and the Huaidong Army was not seen crossing the river and officially entering the west bank, and they seemed to be testing the patience here.

"General Tong ......" Several people hid in the grass and touched it, Tong Huacheng reflexively leaned against the pit and half lyed, and it seemed that the person was a scout from Han Cundu who had a close reconnaissance of the enemy's situation, and asked in a suppressed voice, "What's new in Han Cundu?" ”

"The three trestle bridges erected by the Huaidong Army in Hancundu are very different from the pontoon bridges erected in other places." Come and go.

"What's the difference?" Tong Huacheng frowned and asked, he was worried that there would be some unexpected new situation at this time, and the battle was about to break out, and it was impossible to change the plan.

Not daring to ignite the fire to arouse the vigilance of the Huaidong Army, the people who came picked up a piece of sand and used a branch to draw a simple picture of the trestle bridge erected by the Huaidong Army in the direction of Hancundu: "In Hancundu, the Huaidong Army did not use pontoon boats and iron cables, and pushed the trench and bridge cars directly into the river to connect them, and looked strange at the humble duty, but they were afraid of startling the grass and snakes, so they did not send people to reconnoiter at close range, but this matter was strange, and I came to report to General Tong......"

The siege of the city is commonly used trench bridge car, but only the width of the trench is not large, the trench bridge car is pushed down the moat, so that the two ends are stuck on the shore, then the formation of a trench bridge that people and horses can cross, but the Fenghe River in the direction of the Hancun Bridge is fifteen or sixteen zhang wide, and it is not impossible for the Huaidong army to build such a large trench bridge car, but it may not be better than the pontoon bridge.

Moreover, it is not impossible for a giant trench bridge car with a length of 15 or 6 zhang to be launched again on the shore at one time, and there is no need to divide it into several pieces and make it, and then connect it after pushing it into the water.

Tong Huacheng was also very suspicious of the trestle bridge built by the Huaidong Army in the direction of Hancundu, but he couldn't wait for him to rush to Hancundu to take a closer look, and the Huaidong Army on the east bank moved, and the campfire on the east bank was also lit at this time, illuminating both sides of the Fenghe River as bright as day - seeing that the Huaidong Army was about to cross the river, Tong Huacheng could only quickly retreat with the scouts to avoid the battlefield where the two sides would fight to the end......

Tong Huacheng retreated to a low hill on the west bank, at this time there were blazing campfires everywhere on both sides of the Feng River, almost burning the night sky, and also illuminating the battlefield on both sides of the Feng River.

"Not good!" Tong Huacheng's heart jumped suddenly, he suddenly found that the Huaidong Army's river crossing points in other places were perfunctory, only the river crossing in the direction of Hancundu was the most resolute, and the people and horses crossing the river were between the light and darkness of night and light, like a black iron stream entering the west bank.

Just now, the scouts reported that the trestle bridge erected by the Huaidong Army at Hancundu was different from other places, and combined with the situation in front of them, Hua Tongcheng could certainly understand that the Huaidong Army must have other deployments in the direction of Hancundu, so that they could not guess it.

didn't care about hiding the traces, Tong Huacheng immediately sent his subordinates to take out the war horses hidden behind the low mountain, and galloped in the direction of Daying, hoping to remind Nahe Wugu in time to notice the change in the direction of Hancundu, and he led dozens of horsemen to rush to the direction of Hancundu.

However, in response to the Huaidong Army's sudden river crossing operation at this time, the counterattack of the Northern Yan soldiers and horses on the west bank defense line was also quickly launched at this time.

The large battalion of the left wing of the Northern Yan also noticed that the Huaidong Army was the most resolute in crossing the river in the Hancun Crossing area, and the men and horses were the most dense, so they had no time to think about it at this time, and they had to take advantage of the Huaidong Army's unstable foothold on the west bank to resolutely counterattack, in fact, it was impossible to leave too much time for them to hesitate or think. Under the cover of night, the 5,000 cavalry assembled on the Luohedian side after nightfall resolutely attacked in the direction of Hancundu.

Tong Huacheng joined this cavalry on the way, and there was no way to stop this attack except to tell the lord general Tan Moro to be vigilant about the Huaidong army's abnormal movements in the direction of Hancundu.

The 5,000 cavalry had already entered the range of the Huaidong Army's ambush fire crossbows, and were divided into three groups to rush south.

The cannon was fired in the night, and the fire from the muzzle of the cannon was like a strange firework, and the whistling shells were blasted in.

At this time, a slight hesitation and a slight pause would mean that the Huaidong Army could be called to fight one more round of artillery, and it would be realized that at least twenty or thirty elite cavalry would die under artillery fire, and the retreat would make the friendly troops who were charging at the same time on both sides fall into the predicament of being threatened on the flanks.

Only by attacking forward, only by getting close to the Huaidong Army can the Huaidong Army's ambush fire crossbows and heavy crossbows on the east bank be rendered useless, and only by tearing up the battle formation of the Huaidong Army entering the west bank and destroying the floating trestle bridge erected by the Huaidong Army on the Fenghe River can there be a chance to retire and reunite......