The sky was full of goose-feather snow riding on the howling north wind, filling the entire world. It only took one night to dye both sides of the Yellow River pure white. As the temperature dropped again with the heavy snow, thin ice had already formed on the slippery areas a little further from the water.
The power of nature is so great and unpredictable. No matter how many plans you have made before, in such a harsh climate, you can only stop fighting and wait for this sudden snowstorm. Don't think of other methods until you get over it.
The morale of the rebel army has not been affected by the snowstorm. On the one hand, their military ration supply is still quite sufficient. The previous sweep across Hebei allowed them to obtain enough food and grass for several months. On the other hand, The generals who came down from Sun Tu had already conveyed the fact that they were not afraid of delays to the troops below, which made the soldiers more confident. The temporary strike gave the soldiers more opportunities to rest and breathe.
It's just that the heavy snow lasted for three days and nights, and the temperature dropped to the lowest point in several years, which made it somewhat overwhelming for the soldiers. Seeing this, at noon on the 22nd, Song Jiang asked to see Sun Tu and put forward an opinion: "General, I think that since the troops cannot be mobilized for the time being, why not withdraw the army to the rear city to rest? This will save the soldiers. We are suffering here.”
There is some truth in what he said. In the past few days, there have been many frostbite accidents in the army. Even if Sun Tu had been on guard early in the morning, ordinary soldiers still had a hard time in such bad weather. Even as time went by, the number of bonfires used for heating at night was decreasing sharply. If this continues, it will only I'm afraid there will be widespread casualties.
But Sun Tu immediately rejected his strategy: "If it doesn't work, it will be exhausted again and again. If we retreat at this time, our army's morale will definitely be frustrated. Even if we come back after the snow, we will not be able to achieve today's results." . Moreover, do you think that if we are the only ones suffering, the defenders on the other side will have a better time? If my guess is correct, they will only have a more difficult time than us because they are even less prepared, and once we retreat, we will give them the opportunity to retreat. opportunity, so we can never give up.”
"But if this happens, the bodies of the soldiers..." Song Jiang said with worry on his face.
But Sun Tu hardened his heart: "For the sake of the overall situation, sometimes you can only sacrifice some people. Besides, I always thought that the opportunity for us to cross the river might appear soon, so I held on for a few more days." After a pause, he continued: "I am sending an order. From today on, all generals can only have one bonfire in their tents for warmth, and all other firewood will be distributed to ordinary soldiers."
Song Jiang glanced at Sun Tu thoughtfully, but did not object again, and hurried out of the tent to issue this new military order. As soon as Sun Tu's military order came out, it really boosted the morale of the already low army. When he saw the dry firewood in the generals' tents being moved out and delivered to their own small tents, especially General Lian Sun. After all the dry firewood was brought out, the resentment in everyone's hearts was completely gone.
In fact, this team that has been fighting for many years and is united is never afraid of hardship. As long as the generals above can treat everyone equally, it is enough for them to sincerely support them. And now, with the coach Sun Tu leading by example, everyone is even more convinced, and they are even more convinced that they can't live up to the challenge.
How long will it take before I can achieve the final victory and cross the surging Yellow River
Two more days passed like this, and in the early morning of the 25th, the heavy snow finally stopped the night before, and the long-lost sun also showed its face. But before everyone could be happy, a bigger problem came again. The weather did not get warmer as the wind and snow stopped, but instead became colder.
There is an old saying among the people that it is not cold when it snows and it is cold when it melts. However, when it snows and makes people feel bone-chilling cold, once the sun comes out and the snow melts, the temperature will naturally drop further, even at noon, in the military tent. It can be so cold that people shiver.
Even with a physique like Sun Tu's, he felt cold all over at this moment. Because his military tent was so big, there was only one bonfire built, and there was no way for the temperature inside the tent to rise. It was much colder than the military tents of ordinary soldiers.
But at this time, his attention was no longer here. After putting down a military document, his ears suddenly twitched, and after listening carefully to the movement outside, he shouted loudly: "Here comes someone! "
Although the few soldiers guarding outside the tent were a little frozen, they quickly brought the colder air outside and entered the tent: "General!"
"Do you hear anything different outside?" Sun Tu said, already getting up and walking towards the tent door. The soldier was stunned for a moment and shook his head blankly: "I don't know..."
"Listen carefully. Are there any less movements compared to before?" After Sun Tu opened the curtain and listened carefully again, the smile on his face became brighter. The opportunity he was waiting for came true. coming.
While the soldiers were still looking confused, Dong Ping, Song Jiang and other generals rushed over excitedly: "General, good news, accurate news came from the river. The river in front is slowing down rapidly, and there are many knots in the river near the shore. Ice Elephant, our chance has arrived!" In their excitement, they didn't even care about being outside the tent, and shouted loudly as soon as they saw Sun Tu.
After hearing this, the soldier realized that, yes, at this time, the rushing sound of the Yellow River, which could be heard every day, was so quiet that he couldn't hear it even if he didn't pay attention. This made him jump for joy. Once the current is cut off, it will be much easier to reach the south bank.
Sun Tu smiled even more at this time: "Okay, it's not in vain that we have been waiting on the river bank. The opportunity I mentioned before has come, hasn't it?"
"We admire the general's foresight." Everyone immediately clasped their fists and said. They had doubts when Sun Tu said he would wait here for an opportunity, but now the answer is finally revealed.
"Then when will we send troops to cross the river again?" Yang Zhi asked even more eagerly.
"No rush, let's go to the river first and take a look." Sun Tu smiled and walked forward again. Half an hour later, they arrived at the bank of the Yellow River. Seeing that the surging river water was now flowing quietly like a stream, everyone's eyes were filled with joy.
After Sun Tu waited and watched for a while, he took a stone from his feet and smashed it hard against the ice in front of him. With a bang, the stone made a small crater on the ice, then bounced and finally rolled into the river further ahead and disappeared. After seeing this scene, Sun Tu's eyes lit up even more. The situation was far more favorable than he thought.
"General, compared to
At present, the current of the Yellow River has slowed down too much. Maybe with just one impact, our ship can successfully reach the south bank. Song Jiang added: "Before, we were blocked by them because of our failure in water battles, but now it's different." "
"Yes, General, the opportunity is rare, why not send troops as soon as possible? I thought tonight would be a perfect opportunity. They must not have thought that we would have such a trick and dare to forcefully cross the river at night." Dong Ping also said with bright eyes. Put forward his own opinions.
But Sun Tu still shook his head: "No hurry, do you think the river will continue to freeze until the entire river surface is frozen?"
Everyone finally understood what Sun Tu meant, and everyone looked strange: "This, this is a bit too difficult, isn't it? It is said that the water of the Yellow River has not frozen once in ten years. Will there really be such a miracle this year? ?”
"It's hard to say. The weather is really cold this year, isn't it?" Sun Tu's eyes suddenly looked into the distance, but he found that there were people and horses moving on the other side. Apparently, Zhang Shuye knew about the river water. After being frozen, I came to check on the situation.
At this moment, the commanders of the two armies actually looked at each other across the bank, and seemed to look at each other deeply. Although he couldn't see the other party's appearance, Sun Tu could guess that Zhang Shuye must be very anxious and panicked at this time.
This is indeed the case. Zhang Shuye's face at this time has shrunk into a ball with worry. He is staring at the river that is getting slower and slower in front of him, muttering something in his mouth: "How could this be? Could it be that even God is standing there?" Are we really going to trap the imperial court in despair by siding with those rebellious people?"
In the past few days, Zhang Shuye, who used to have an extraordinary appearance, seemed to be a completely different person. Not only was his face haggard, his eyes were bloodshot, his hair was half white, and he looked more than ten years older. The pressure on him was too great, and the situation in front of him was too dangerous - there was a rebel army on the other side, and the court at the rear had not sent military rations due to food shortages. Now the army was about to run out of food. Now that this happened again, the Yellow River seemed to be about to stop flowing, which was almost going to be the last straw for him.
In sharp contrast to his panic and helplessness, Sun Tu's face was red with excitement: "Did you see it? The ice surface of the river a few meters offshore is already so solid, and this is just the beginning. It will take another day or two. , I believe that the water of the Yellow River will definitely freeze here. By then, not to mention infantry, even horses can rush across the ice. Once we can really cross the Yellow River on foot, how can the soldiers and horses on the other side stop it? Can you withstand our offensive?"
The generals all became excited at this time. If there was such a result, it would indeed be what everyone wanted to see. After all, most of the army is landlubbers, and it is always the best choice not to take a boat, not to mention that it only requires two more days to wait. Compared to the harvest, this delay is not a problem at all.
When his subordinates agreed in unison, Sun Tu said loudly: "Also, pass on my order to move all the war drums in our army to the river, and wait until the time comes to beat the drums to cheer. In this battle, I will not only I want to win, and I must defeat the defenders on the other side in a devastating way, so that the soldiers and horses of the imperial court in the rear will no longer dare to block my way!" When he said this, blazing flames flashed in Sun Tu's eyes. He believed that he There is only one step left from victory.