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The location Qin Mu chose was not very wide for the Yellow River, and he could clearly see what was happening on the other side with the naked eye. He calmly put up a sign and told Qitate that he would cross the river from there.
As if they were afraid that Qitat on the other side could not see clearly, the Qin army soldiers shouted in unison on the east bank: "Qitat, listen, our emperor said that you don't have to divide your troops to guard other places, just concentrate your forces here, and we will cross the river from here. Our emperor's words are golden and he will keep his word!"
Listening to the joyful voices of the Qin soldiers, it felt like they were telling Qitate to get ready to welcome the emperor's visit. Some of them were chewing roasted lamb legs while shouting, not taking the enemy on the west bank seriously at all.
Qitate certainly didn't believe what Qin Jun said. He thought that Qin Jun was bluffing and just wanted to cover up their ulterior motives.
However, even though he didn't believe it, there were now almost 20,000 Qin troops concentrated on the east coast, and there were indeed no Qin troops active in other places, so he still concentrated most of his forces here.
The east wind was blowing and the sun was shining. The greenness of the grassland became thicker and thicker day by day. It stretched to the horizon and connected with the deep green blue sky. It was hard to tell where the sky was and where the grassland was.
Looking west across the river, the towering Helan Mountains are vast and boundless, with undulating peaks like a galloping river, majestic and magnificent.
On the grassland on the east bank, the Qin army did not set up camp, but scattered on the grass to eat lunch. The smoke from cooking curled up and the aroma of meat filled the air. It looked like a picnic on the grassland after a happy spring hunt.
The fluttering flags were dancing in the spring breeze. Herds of war horses were neighing happily on the grass. They were eating the fresh green grass so much that they raised their heads and tilted their mouths from time to time, as if they were smiling.
Qin Mu was also smiling. After drinking a full glass of fine wine, he whistled while fencing: "Look up, and howl at the sky. My heart is filled with lofty ambitions. Thirty years of achievements are now dust and dirt, and eight thousand miles of journey are now clouds and moon..."
Hong Niangzi beside him was a little disappointed. She interrupted him and asked, "Your Majesty, we have almost eaten up all the livestock on the Hetao grassland. What will happen to the people on the grassland after the war?"
Qin Mu glared at her and replied helplessly: "What else can I do? Go and farm."
Such an answer made Hongniang very angry, but she didn't dare to contradict Qin Mu in front of everyone. So she lowered her head and said nothing, ignoring him.
Actually, this time Qin Muzhi asked the army to rob the herdsmen's livestock for military rations for other reasons. First of all, transporting food and grass from Guanzhong is not only costly, but also the army is hindered by food and grass, making it difficult to advance quickly.
They robbed the herdsmen on the grasslands of their livestock and then sent them to northern Shaanxi to farm. Northern Shaanxi and Guanzhong are now sparsely populated, with many wastelands uncultivated. Sending them to northern Shaanxi and Guanzhong can greatly save the time of transporting grain and grass and reduce losses on the road.
The most important thing is that Hetao is the area with the most serious soil erosion in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. If Qin Mu wants to manage the soil and water, he can no longer allow herders to graze without restraint as before.
To control overgrazing, there is no better way than using war as an excuse to eat up the livestock on the grasslands and relocate the herders inland.
This was a two-pronged approach, as it freed the army from logistical burdens and reduced food and grass losses. It also easily forced the herders on the grasslands to follow the court's policy and move inland, reducing grazing, in order to protect the soil and water in the Hetao area.
Hongniang didn't know all this and thought that Qin Mu didn't care about the lives of the herdsmen on the grassland.
The diligent Abu has now almost become Qin Mu's personal chef. There is no doubt that Abu is a foodie himself and his cooking skills are really good. Not only can he stew mutton with sheep stomach, but the roasted mutton is also free of any mutton smell and is fresh, fragrant and tender.
Qin Mu ate with great relish. After he had drunk enough wine and eaten enough meat, the guards brewed some top-quality Mingqian Longjing tea. The aroma of tea filled the air, making Teng Jitai and the others salivate.
Outside the courtyard, the wind was blowing and Xizi was smiling. The wine was fresh and the tea was delicious. Qin Mu was generous and gave the tea to everyone. Teng Jitai and the others were overjoyed. The wine was fresh and the tea was delicious. They were very happy. They thanked him for the tea.
"Your Majesty, are we really going to cross the river like this?" Abu finally couldn't resist asking out of curiosity.
Wenbuchu Huer, the leader of the Tumed Left Banner, also said, "Your Majesty, the ice and snow in the Yellow River have just melted, and the water volume is high. The Qitate have set up defenses on the other side. If we cross the river like this, I'm afraid..."
Teng Jitai said smartly, "What's there to be afraid of? Your Majesty will not really cross the river here. All is fair in war. I guess Your Majesty is just helping to create confusion and confuse that bastard Qitate."
"Hahaha... Teng Jitai, you guessed wrong this time." Qin Mu laughed heartily, "My words are golden, how can I go back on my word? My 20,000 troops will really cross the river after lunch."
"This... This... This... This... Your Majesty, how is this possible? Didn't General Su only bring some small boats? How could he cross the river when there are tens of thousands of enemy troops stationed on the other side?"
"How to cross the river is something General Su has to worry about. I trust the generals under my command. You all just wait and watch the show."
If these words had not come from the mouth of the Emperor of Qin, no one would believe them even if they were beaten to death.
There are at least tens of thousands of enemy troops on the other side, waiting to attack when the enemy is halfway across the river. Su Jin brought more than a hundred small boats. Can he cross the river with just these
But Qin Mu's relaxed expression clearly showed that it was no big deal.
Qitate on the opposite side saw that the Qin army was indeed showing signs of preparing to cross the river. Many small boats were placed on the east bank, as well as a large pile of ropes and planks. In addition, a lot of wood had been chopped down. Some Qin Mu soldiers were using knives to sharpen the wood, as if they were going to use it for pile driving.
The astonished Qitate did not dare to delay. After repeatedly checking the defense line on the west bank, he ordered his soldiers to dig trenches along the river, considering that the Qin army's rifles had a long range and great power.
Tens of thousands of strong Mongolian men wielded shovels and hoes, digging desperately and sweating profusely.
Hadanbaatar took off his hat, scratched his itchy scalp, and said to Qitate: "Khan, do you really believe that the Qin army will cross the river here?"
Qitate patted the horse's head to calm the restless horse, shook his head and said, "The terrain here is indeed the most suitable place to cross the river. Regardless of whether the enemy really wants to forcefully cross the river from here, it will not be wrong to strengthen the fortifications first."
Another general, Meng En, said, "Great Khan, I think the Qin army on the east bank must be bluffing to attract our attention. Their real main attack direction should be the Keyi Gate in the north. Ma Yongzhen has 50,000 troops, and they are the main force."
"One man can hold the Keyi Gate, and ten thousand men cannot open it. I have already arranged everything over there, so you don't have to worry. The Qin army on the east coast will not be able to hold out for long without logistics. As long as we keep our spirits up and don't let the Qin army take advantage of any opportunity, they will have to withdraw in disgrace in a few days."
"Khan, what did you send Sukhbaru to do? Can you tell me..."
"No." Qitate's expression immediately turned cold and hard. Meng En and Sukhbaru had a deep friendship. If it weren't for the fact that the Qin army was approaching and he needed more people, he would not have kept Meng En. He had secretly decided that after repelling the Qin army's attack, he would immediately get rid of Meng En. "Sukhbaru's whereabouts are top secret. There may be Qin spies in our army. We have to be careful. When the Qin army runs out of food and grass, you will know what he is doing."
Qitat's 10,000-man army worked very hard under his strict orders, and soon dug a trench two feet deep. The generals at all levels still felt it was not fast enough, and kept shouting, "Hurry up! If anyone slacks off, I'll beat him to death. You, hurry up!"
Under the supervision of their generals, the Mongolian soldiers worked breathlessly. The Qin army on the east bank watched and laughed, as if they were watching a fool playing with a bird.
"Stop digging, it's too late."
"Forget about it. There's no point digging as many rat holes as you guys. I can pee right out of here."
"Chitate, come and welcome the Holy King. Our Majesty is about to cross the river."
"Hahaha... ... ... .."
The Qin army on the east bank was extremely arrogant. Of course, they were not just talking. Sure enough, after having enough food and drink, the Qin army began to quickly drive wooden stakes and lay wooden boards on the mudflats on the shore.
The earthwork skills of the Han people have been passed down for thousands of years. No one in the world dares to claim to be the best. Once the Qin army on the east coast started working, it was so fast that it was dazzling. A two-meter-wide wooden plank bridge was soon built on the mudflat, extending straight into the water.
Immediately afterwards, the Qin army was seen carrying small boats into the river, and groups of three to five, or ten to eight people began to board the boats quickly and orderly.
Seeing this situation, the Mongolian soldiers on the west bank threw down their hoes and shovels and shouted.
"The Qin army is about to cross the river!"
"Look everyone, the Qin army is about to cross the river!"
"... ... ... "
Qitate couldn't help but wipe his eyes. This was impossible. Did the Qin army really cross the river like this? Were all the Qin army crazy
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ps: On the second day, continue to ask for the guaranteed monthly ticket!
.(To be continued..)
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