That night, a hurried message broke the silence.
"Report—"
The ongoing combat meeting was forced to be suspended.
Huang Lie lowered his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"
Although the messenger was wearing a straw raincoat, the rain still continued to flow down his hair. After a while, there were obvious water marks under his feet, which showed how heavy the rain was tonight. When he reported back with his fists clasped, his breathing was rapid and disordered.
“Alliance leader, something terrible has happened. The water level in Miaojiang River is rising rapidly…” His face was visibly panicked.
As soon as these words were spoken, the tent fell silent.
Huang Lie gripped the armrest of the bench tightly.
Although he came from a low-income family, he had seen a lot over the years and could handle any situation with ease. Huang Lie looked around at everyone's expressions calmly and said calmly, "Let's go and take a look."
A group of people wearing straw raincoats headed to the bank of Miaojiang River.
Before he got close, he could hear the rumbling sound of water. As he got closer, the river was turbulent, and God sent strong winds and heavy rains to help, making the Miao River look particularly terrifying tonight. Huang Lie's eyes fell on the temporary water level on the river bank. The original water level had been submerged by the river.
He asked the captain who was in charge of observing the water.
“How much has it increased?”
The water captain replied, "It is already one foot and two inches."
When Huang Lie heard this number, the veins on his forehead jumped violently, and the others were also surprised: "Such a short time..."
The speed at which the water level rises is really abnormal.
At this time, someone thought of a possibility: "… Could it be that the tyrant is interfering? After all, the national seal is in his hands."
Huang Lie said: "This guess is not impossible."
Regardless of whether this matter has anything to do with Zheng Qiao, it must be related. You can't say that God is helping Zheng Qiao. The river water surged abnormally at this time, not too early or too late? If the time is on Zheng Qiao's side, then what are those who are attacking Zheng Qiao
Huang Lie's words slightly calmed everyone's restless hearts, but it was only a temporary solution. The whole army was ready for battle, and morale was boosted, just waiting for the next day to start the battle. If they withdrew their troops or continued the confrontation because of Miaojiang, the morale would be greatly damaged.
What’s even worse is that they can’t afford to delay!
The first effort is strong, the second is weaker, and the third is exhausted!
Therefore, we can only fight and cannot retreat!
How should we fight
Everyone looked at the mighty and rushing Miao River with gloomy eyes; even through the rain they could still smell the fishy smell of earth.
"… The river is turbulent, which is not conducive to our fighting."
I don't know who expressed the concerns of everyone.
The rapid current will inevitably cause the hull to shake violently. If the boats are connected with ropes, it can solve the urgent problem, but the current wind direction will not give Zheng Qiao a good opportunity to set fire to them? They have been confronting Zheng Qiao's troops for hundreds of times, and have made small-scale contact with him. They have used all kinds of provocations, but Zheng Qiao is determined to stay here and will not let them cross the river and land.
Once the fight starts, it will be quite a headache.
Everyone hoped that the leader could come up with a decision.
At this time, Kang Shi asked a sincere question, deliberately putting Huang Lie on the spot: "Leader, do you have a solution? The longer the army is delayed, the lower the morale will be..."
Zheng Qiao is in Osan County on the other side of the river.
Now that it has come to this, no one can hide anything anymore!
Huang Lie's expression was calm, but he glanced at Kang Shi from the corner of his eye. After a while, he let out a long sigh: "There is a way, but it may be difficult to achieve it with one person's strength..."
Everyone hurriedly asked what the solution was.
Huang Lie said: "The river is frozen."
If you can't fight a naval battle, create conditions for a land battle.
Time was so tight, and the flood season was so close, Huang Lie naturally prepared for the worst. This fantastic plan was obtained from the surrendered general Wei Shou. Wei Shou's clan lived in the ice and snow, with long and cold winters and short and warm summers. In the coldest time, the ice on the river surface could be three to five inches thick. Marching on the ice was not a problem.
It was unrealistic to freeze the entire Miao River. According to his idea, he only needed to freeze the nearby river sections for a short period of time, and freeze the ice as thick as possible to ensure that it would not collapse during the battle. If the ice could not hold up during the battle, he could use morale to create ships.
Huang Lie's idea was bold, but it was much safer than connecting ships in series. Most importantly, most of the coalition's soldiers were not good at water, so they were more adept at land battles than naval battles. There was no better alternative for the time being.
Kang Shi secretly complained in his heart.
Huang Lie's wild idea is similar to the style of his master. He thinks of things that others dare not think of, which is really bold.
However, this method has a fatal flaw.
Kang Shi just frowned slightly, but Huang Lie noticed it and asked him with a smile: "What's wrong with this method?"
All the coalition allies looked at Kang Shi.
Kang Shi remained calm and said, "I do have one concern."
Huang Lie said modestly: "Sir, please enlighten me."
“Won’t this move cause ice sheets downstream?”
This is what Kang Shi is more worried about.
The so-called "ice floes" are "ice floods". The blockage of the river causes the water level of the river to rise rapidly. If the downstream river channel is narrow or has not been completely dredged, the downstream will suffer. When Kang Shi's question came out, everyone was indifferent, leaving only the noise of rain.
Huang Lie replied, "If this battle can decide the outcome, we will land as quickly as possible, in a few hours at the shortest and a day at the longest. The scene Mr. Kang is worried about should not happen. If we continue to be timid, I don't know when we can kill the tyrant."
The only thing left was to tell Kang Shi openly, even if this move would really cause the problem he was worried about. Now that the overall situation is at hand, they have to make some choices and can't just give up because of some concerns. They are cautious and cautious, but Zheng Qiao is not.
After he finished speaking, Kang Shi's face looked a little pale. He didn't know if it was because of the cold wind, the moonlight, or because he was angry.
Gu Ren said: "We are always different from the tyrants."
Zheng Qiao does not care about the lives of living beings and acts arbitrarily. As the party that is fighting against Zheng Qiao, how can they do this
Huang Lie said: "Of course it's different."
Some people were uncomfortable with what they heard and immediately refuted: "What the County Magistrate Gu said is wrong. We are asking for the people's orders and killing the tyrants in order to save lives and save the world. It is inevitable to make some choices. This is to give up small gains for the greater good."
"That's true."
Wu Xian did not express his opinion. He just looked at Miao Jiang in a daze, staying out of it, as if he did not notice the intrigues among his allies.
Upon hearing this, Gu Ren hesitated to speak.
Although Kang Shi was the temporary representative of Chen Tang, he could not fully represent Chen Tang. Chen Tang's sneak attack on Cunshan also took away half of the elite troops, further weakening his voice in the allied forces. Even if Gu Ren's side was added, his voice would not carry much weight.
In the end, everyone adopted Huang Lie's suggestion.
Many of the words of the scholars have the effect of affecting the environment, but if you want to freeze a section of the river, the power of the words can be imagined. It is difficult to do it with only one scholar, so naturally other forces need to draw people to assist. You don't know until you gather together, and you will be shocked when you gather together. There are really a lot of people gathered. Then it is necessary to calculate the thickness of the ice surface and the literary energy required to cast the words.
It's completely enough if you put it together.
It is worth mentioning that both Kang Shi and Gu Ren refused to send people, and the reasons were given before everyone expressed dissatisfaction.
Kangshi was very straightforward and said they were short of people.
Chen Tang took away all the arrogant scholars and staff. Although Kang Shi still had a few subordinates who were also scholars, they were either too shallow in cultivation or in critical positions. As the only commander in the battle, Kang Shi couldn't just ignore his own family.
Gu Ren’s reasons were also very straightforward.
He has only two outstanding scholars of literary talent under his command.
One is him, and the other is his sixth brother.
The sixth brother was in charge of logistical support, and he was the master. Other scholars who were not good enough in literary talent and literary talent were not good enough, so he decided not to show off. If everyone had any objections, Gu Ren could only shamelessly ask Wu Xian to borrow someone.
Who made the Tianhai Wu family famous for their wealth and power
Wu Xian: “…”
It seems like the words "sucker" are engraved on his face
At the same time, on the other side of Miaojiang River.
The news of the Miaojiang River's sudden rise was also delivered to Zheng Qiao.
At that time, Zheng Qiao had just woken up from a nightmare.
Dressed in a flawless white undergarment and a cloak on his shoulders, he sat beside the bed in a trance. He had hardly had a full night's sleep in these years. As soon as he closed his eyes, he would dream of horrible chaotic phantoms, countless familiar and unfamiliar ghost faces that wanted to kill him.
If it was just to claim his life, it would be fine. Zheng Qiao wasn't even afraid of them when they were alive, so how could he be afraid of a ghost that only appeared in his dreams? Unfortunately, his body didn't hold up and reacted strongly.
This made him frustrated and angry.
"Lord, I just received news that the Miao River has flooded."
The eunuch on duty carefully passed the message to him.
Zheng Qiao came back to his senses. When he heard the news, his eyes widened slightly, as if he had not expected such a coincidence. Then he began to laugh softly. The laughter gradually became louder and more piercing: "Rapid increase... Hahaha, at this time..."
Sweep away the nightmare haze.
Zheng Qiao had many eyes and ears, so he naturally knew that the allied forces would launch a general attack on the second day, but he didn't expect that Miaojiang would be so disrespectful to them that it actually swelled in the middle of the night on the first day. He laughed for a long time before stopping, his slender fingers supporting his angular jaw.
He asked the night eunuch with great interest.
"Guess how the other side will end tomorrow?"
The eunuch knelt humbly and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I, your servant, cannot read a single word. How, how can I understand these things?"
Zheng Qiao didn't expect to get an answer from him.
Listening to the noisy rain outside the window, Zheng Qiao asked the eunuch to bring a lamp. He suddenly felt like going out for a walk: "Come with me for a walk."
All the eunuchs and palace maids on night duty followed.
Arriving at a waterside pavilion, Zheng Qiao looked at the dense ripples in the pond, and suddenly pointed at the pond and said, "I grew up in the inner palace when I was young. At the age of five, I followed my mother to Xin Kingdom as a hostage, and was looked down upon by others. The people in the palace were all flatterers and sycophants, and the concubines who were not favored were either in the cold palace or worse than the cold palace. Ever since that old beast from Xin Kingdom lost interest in my mother, the food in winter was cold, and in summer it was rotten... Sometimes I was so hungry that I secretly stole the fish from the inner palace's fish pond..."
The eunuchs and palace maids hung their heads and trembled.
It's easy to be shocked after hearing about Zheng Qiao's dark history.
But Zheng Qiao didn't care and continued to reminisce about the past.
From how he was despised and bullied by the eunuchs and palace maids in the Xin Kingdom's inner court, to how the concubines of the old king of Xin Kingdom targeted them mother and son, to how his mother abandoned all her dignity and used more dissolute means than those of a brothel girl to win favor, in order to secure an opportunity for Zheng Qiao to become an apprentice to a famous scholar.
The old king of Xin State treated his mother as a plaything, and even made her dance in front of the ministers in a half-naked state at a night banquet in the palace. The woman, who was born into a wealthy family, struggled hard for her only son. It was not until Zheng Qiao suffered that she completely collapsed.
Finally, he died of depression.
The atmosphere was stagnant, with only the noise of rain remaining.
I don't know how long it took, but I seemed to hear someone murmuring, "How can I not hate them? Even if they die a thousand times, it will not relieve the hatred in my heart."
In the second half of the night, Zheng Qiao fell into a deep sleep listening to the sound of rain.
It was a rare peaceful sleep.
The sky was getting light and the rain showed no sign of abating.
"Report—Lord, Miao, Miaojiang—"
As soon as Zheng Qiao woke up, he heard the anxious voices of soldiers.
"What happened to Miao Jiang?"
The soldier said, "It's frozen."
Zheng Qiao almost thought he had heard it wrong: "Ice?"
He was surrounded by soldiers and generals and headed for the front line of Miaojiang River. From a distance, he could see the literary aura rising from the surface of the river, with mysterious characters circling in the air, and could vaguely see war horses bathing in the river in armor. The majestic literary aura could be clearly felt even from such a distance.
"Lying in bed at night listening to the wind and rain, I dream of iron cavalry on an icy river... Hehe, are these guys planning to freeze the surface of the Miao River?"
Zheng Qiao recognized the meaning of these words at a glance.
"Lord, do you want to send someone to destroy it?"
The sixteenth-rank senior figure beside him had his thick eyebrows raised.
Zheng Qiao waved his hand and said calmly, "That's all."
Once the Word Spirit is activated, it is difficult to stop it. Forcible stopping requires strong external force. Once it is successfully stopped, the person who casts it will suffer backlash. The degree of backlash depends on the power of the Word Spirit.
It's not that Zheng Qiao didn't want to stop it, but he knew he couldn't. The effect of this word spirit was not just as simple as freezing the river. He said to the illusion of the war horses bathing in the river: "Do you see those war horses? If you want to stop it, you have to get through them first."
The general was not convinced: "I will definitely get through it."
Zheng Qiao said: "It's difficult."
It's not that it's difficult to cross the Iron Horse Bathing River, but it's difficult to cross it before the Word Spirit takes full effect. Zheng Qiao had seen the power of this Word Spirit before, so he knew it was unnecessary: "Since the enemy is ready to fight a land battle with us, then let's fight."
We'll see who will be buried on the ice then.
As the two talked, the surging Miao River gradually calmed down, and a thin layer of ice formed on the river surface. As the spirit from the river surface continued to penetrate, the ice layer thickened at a speed visible to the naked eye. At first, the river water below could be seen through the ice surface, but as time went by, it turned into a crystal clear white. Snowflakes were floating over the Miao River, and the air temperature dropped sharply.
Zheng Qiao watched the ice spreading from the opposite side.
Suddenly a smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and the general beside him was puzzled.
"Why is the king laughing?"
Zheng Qiao said, "I am no better than the other side. I suddenly remembered that there is a branch of the lower reaches of Miao River that flows into Yanzhou... You say, they have been busy opposing me for these years. Do they have the time to send people to reinforce the river bank and dredge the river?"
No one answered this question.
Zheng Qiao shook his head and said, "I don't know how they do it, but I know that in the Yanzhou and the other half of the state within Chaoli Pass, although the government offices in the area collect corvée labor every year, it is to deceive the royal court into granting funds... There seems to be a lot of corruption in the counties and prefectures within the area."
As he spoke, his eyes curved with a smile.
"Alas, they are just as bad as me."
To some extent, he is his successor and inheritor.