Liu Handong opened his mouth and said, "Uncle Zhao, you have solved a big problem for us. How to make a sheepskin raft, do you know it, uncle? ”

"I know the old man very well, I have helped my father make sheepskin rafts since I was a child, and I am very clear in every process in between. The old man will first talk about the method of making a sheepskin raft: starting from the neck of the sheep, peel off the whole sheep's complete skin bag, then soak it in salt water and then dry it, then apply vegetable oil to the limbs and neck to make the sheepskin soft, and then tie it into a bag with a thin rope, leave a small hole to blow enough air and seal the hole, and then tie several leather bags with wooden slats, and the sheepskin raft is made. ”

"Uncle Zhao, I would like to ask you to be our technical instructor for making sheepskin rafts, and start making them immediately, and we will provide all the manpower and materials you need. Uncle Zhao, do you think this is okay? ”

"What's not to do then. It was the lord and the Red Star Army who made the old man's family no longer hungry, and now that he can do something for the army, it's too late for me to be happy, old man. As long as the manpower and materials are sufficient, I promise to build a wide pontoon bridge over the Yellow River for our army within five days, and I will definitely not delay the northern expedition of the army. Moreover, the old man will also mobilize the surrounding villagers to help together, I believe everyone is very happy, isn't it, folks? ”

"Willingly!"

"Willingly!"

"Willingly!"

The surrounding people said loudly.

Liu Handong was very moved and said: "Uncle Zhao! Folks! I, Liu Handong, on behalf of the Red Star Army, thank you in advance. ”

Then, Liu Handong instructed: "City Lord Kong Rong, immediately arrange manpower and materials, and fully cooperate with Uncle Zhao to make sheepskin rafts." ”

Afterwards, Kong Rong left the square with Uncle Zhao and immediately went to prepare to make a sheepskin raft.

Liu Handong seized the opportunity to educate the generals: "Comrades, everyone has seen it, this is the wisdom of the common people. Therefore, we must persist in following the line of the common people, and only by doing everything for the common people, relying on the common people for everything, coming from the common people, and going to the common people, can we overcome all difficulties and establish a great new era in which the common people are the masters of their own affairs. ”

"We've been taught." The generals said one after another.

That night, Liu Handong and Zhuge Ming discussed the Northern Expedition alone in the study to see if there was anything else that was not well thought out.

After the two discussed for a while, Zhuge Ming seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly said a little nervously: "Lord, if you are facing Hou Xiahou Yuan of Jizhou during the Northern Expedition at this time, don't play Go with him on the 'chessboard array' he arranged." ”

"Strategist, what is the reason for this? What 'checkerboard array'? What is the game of Go? Why is Go still played in battle? Liu Handong asked confusedly.

"Don't worry, please listen to me tell you in detail."

So, Zhuge Ming explained to Liu Handong in detail: The chessboard array is the unique battle qi skill of the Xiahou family, and once released, this skill can form a huge Go chessboard on the battlefield. The two sides of the game use their own soldiers as pawns, and every 100 players are regarded as one pawn, and then the commanders of both sides play chess on the chessboard. When the game is finally over, all the pieces played by the losing side are at the full control of the winning side. For example, the winning side can wipe out all the soldiers who used the losing team as pawns in an instant.

Today, there are four holy hands in the Go world, and the four of them are just distributed in the east, south, west, and north directions, and the Go world respectfully calls them "the four saints of the four directions". These four saints are the southern saint Zhou Yu, the western saint Zhuge Ming, the northern saint Xie Xuan, and the eastern saint Xiahou Yuan. Therefore, Xiahou Yuan's level of Go is the top level in the world, and except for the other three saints, there is almost no possibility of winning the game against him.

"Therefore, my lord, I would rather fight with Xiahou Yuan than play against him on the chessboard. Please remember this point, please remember! Zhuge Ming instructed earnestly.

Seeing that Zhuge Ming said so cautiously, Liu Handong hurriedly agreed: "Don't worry, I will never play against Xiahou Yuan on the chessboard array." ”

"Alas, if I wasn't worried that Jin and Wu would attack again, I would have accompanied the lord to the north on the Northern Expedition, so that I wouldn't have to worry about Xiahou Yuan committing murder on the chessboard." Zhuge Ming said a little helplessly.

......

On the night of five days later, on November 6, the 200th year of the Shu Han calendar, on the course of the Yellow River in Qingzhou, a pontoon bridge built of sheepskin rafts has floated on the river, just like "a bridge flies north and south, and the moat becomes a thoroughfare"!

To be able to build this pontoon bridge so quickly, in addition to the full efforts of all the officers and soldiers of the Red Star Army, the local people have made great efforts. The common people spontaneously organized, some slaughtered sheep to provide sheepskins, and some joined the production team of sheepskin rafts, which greatly increased the production manpower.

In order to complete the construction of the pontoon bridge as soon as possible, the nearby people directly removed their door panels to build the bridge deck. In this way, the process of cutting wood to build the bridge deck is omitted, and the time for building the pontoon bridge is greatly saved.

Looking at the simple faces covered with sweat beads on the shore that had just finished their work, Liu Handong felt that he had a great responsibility, if he couldn't do a good job for the welfare of these loveliest people, then he would be completely unworthy of being reborn.

Thinking of this, Liu Handong said excitedly: "City Lord Kong Rong, write down how many sheep and how many door panels each family provided for the construction of the pontoon bridge, and convert all of them into the total price according to the market price, and deduct the corresponding agricultural or commercial taxes of the people in the coming year." ”

Kong Rong replied: "Lord Qi, we have registered the quantities of these materials one by one from the beginning. ”

At this time, a loud voice came from the common people on the shore: "Lord, there is no need to deduct the agricultural or commercial taxes for the coming year." These materials are all donated to the soldiers by ourselves, and they may shed blood and sacrifice at any time in order for us to live a good life. ”

"Fellow villagers, I have received your wishes on behalf of all the officers and men of the Red Star Army, but our Red Star Army will never violate the discipline we have formulated. Therefore, we will definitely compensate for these materials. ”

"Now, our Red Star Army is still very poor, and we can't afford to buy these materials for the time being, so we can only deduct the agricultural tax or commercial tax that each family should pay in the future, which is the bottom line that our Red Star Army must stick to."

Liu Handong thanked the villagers for working overtime in the past few days, and some villagers worked overtime all night, so that a pontoon bridge across the Yellow River could be built for our army so quickly. The love of the villagers for us, the officers and men of the Red Star Army will always remember the five. ”

"We, the Red Star Army, will never disappoint the love and expectations of the villagers, and we will repay the villagers with the victory of this Northern Expedition. All of them, stand upright, and salute all the people! Liu Handong finally ordered.

At this moment, with a uniform sound of leaning on the legs, all the officers and soldiers of the Red Star Army gave a standard military salute to the common people.

"Finish! The whole army crosses the river and starts the Northern Expedition! Liu Handong ordered loudly.

The large force of the Red Star Army immediately walked onto the pontoon bridge and headed towards the other side of the Yellow River.

Looking at the mighty procession across the river, Liu Handong couldn't help but think of a poem by a great man in his previous life. So Liu Handong had an idea, and immediately recited after slightly modifying individual words: "Mount Tai is pale and yellow, and 70,000 heroes cross the river." The tiger is better than the past, and the world is turned upside down and generous. It is advisable to be brave and brave, and not to be a famous overlord. If there is love in the sky, the sky is also old, and the right way in the world is the vicissitudes of life. (Note: For the original poem, please see the poem "Seven Laws: The People's Liberation Army Occupies Nanjing")

When the soldiers of the Red Star Army heard Liu Handong chant such a majestic and mighty poem, and it was so in line with the current scene, a heroic feeling arose spontaneously in their hearts, and they were even more eager to win the victory of the Northern Expedition in their hearts.

And some Confucian scholars in the team couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "The lord is worthy of being the heir of the dragon ruler selected by Confucius, and his poetry talent is unparalleled!" ”

After crossing the Yellow River and leaving the boundary of Qingzhou, it entered the jurisdiction of Jizhou. When the officers and men of the Red Star Army set foot on the land of Jizhou, they immediately dispersed to various rural areas to carry out the land reform movement.

At this time, when the local peasants were hungry and cold, and they were hungry, the Red Star Army launched a campaign to fight local tyrants, divide the land, and distribute the grain, which instantly saved the lives of countless ordinary people.

With practical actions and extensive propaganda, the Red Star Army quickly made the people of Jizhou truly realize that the Red Star Army is an army that fights for the common people and works for the welfare of the common people, and it is an army that serves the people wholeheartedly. Therefore, the officers and men of the Red Star Army quickly won the support of the local people.

In this process, Liu Handong learned from the mouths of the common people that Jizhou has always belonged to the rule of the Xiahou family, and the current Jizhou Hou is the Xiahou Yuan mentioned by Zhuge Ming.

During the autumn harvest this year, Xiahou Yuan sent troops to forcibly collect eighty percent of the grain in the hands of the local people, so as to prepare grain and grass, and forcibly capture strong men to expand the size of the army.

At the end of September, after completing the collection of grain and the expansion of the army, Xiahou Yuan led an army of 80,000 from Handan City and rushed to attack Jicheng, the main city of Youzhou.

On October 15, Yuan Shu, Marquis of Youzhou, was not to be outdone, and stubbornly did not listen to the strategy of the strategist Jia Xu - using the tall city walls to defend instead of attacking, Yuan Shu rashly led an army of 70,000 out of the city to fight Xiahou Yuan on the plain outside Jicheng.

Xiahou Yuan used 70,000 main forces to bite Yuan Shu's main force to the death, and then sent 5,000 cavalry from the left and right flanks to outflank Yuan Shu's rear.

In this way, the balance of the battle situation is broken.