"We have been walking along the banks of the Yellow River, close to the Yellow River is populated, and now the Turkic elite soldiers have been transferred to attack and annex the state, and the rest of the tribe is either slaves or old and weak women and children, and even if there are soldiers, it is not worth a battle. Although the total strength of our army is not superior, it is gathered in one place, and it is still slightly weak to be the enemy of the entire Turks, but in the face of the Turkic personnel left behind alone, our army occupies an overwhelming advantage, and it is certain that we will win the battle. ”

Liu Tong looked at Chen Ying and didn't dislike him for talking too much, especially Chen Ying's encouraging eyes at him, the more Liu Tong spoke, the more fluent he became: "If the situation is favorable, we will take Liang Shidu in one fell swoop, which is equivalent to cutting off one of the Turks' arms with one sword." At present, according to our estimates, the defenders in Suizhou City will not exceed 3,000 people, Suizhou City is low, the defense is poor, compared to Lingzhou City, it is really a heaven and an underground. The only thing to worry about is that if the Turks abandon the annexation of the state, concentrate their forces, and attack Lingzhou with all their might, we will definitely be difficult to support at that time, but it doesn't matter, our troops are strong, and the imperial court will not sit idly by, as long as we can send troops to support in time, we will not suffer too much loss! ”

Zhang Huaiwei said: "Why can't we attack Suizhou at the beginning? ”

Chen Ying smiled faintly: "Although Liang Shidu does not have tens of thousands of soldiers, and the equipment is not well-equipped, but if the city is refused to defend to the death, even if our army takes Suizhou, the losses will not be light, so take more roads and lure Liang Shidu's soldiers and horses out of Suizhou City. ”

When Chen Ying said this, he naturally had this confidence. The lancers of the Dingyuan Army used actual combat to prove to the world that they are absolutely well-deserved iron troops.

Xu Jingzong said again: "But now to build a square boat, let's not talk about whether it can be in time, the key is that we don't have so much dry wood in Lingzhou!" ”

In fact, Xu Jingzong appeared in Jiangnan, and he was really no stranger to shipbuilding. The wood that has just been cut down cannot be used to build ships at all, and if it is built with wet wood, as long as the ship is launched, it is easy to be soaked and rotted; Even in this season, when exposed to the sun, the wood is easy to deform, and it is not possible to do it in three or two months.

Usually, when building a ship, the trees are cut down first, put in a warehouse with excellent ventilation, and slowly dried. From the time the wood is cut down to the time it is completely dry, it takes at least three or two years.

Not to mention two or three years, Chen Ying didn't even want to wait for three months.

Chen Ying is naturally aware of this problem, and he also has a way to solve it, and in later generations there is a special drying room, which can dry the wood in a very short time. However, without waiting for Chen Ying to say this, Yu Guni said: "I thought it was a big deal, but this thing is actually easy to do!" ”

Everyone looked at Yu Guni in unison, and Yu Guni said: "We can use leather bags!" ”

Chen Ying is very unfamiliar with this so-called leather bag, after Xu Jingzong's explanation, Chen Ying realized that the so-called leather bag is actually the sheepskin raft of later generations, but after the Song Dynasty, the complete skin of the cattle and sheep will be hollowed out of the internal organs, called "muddy", but in this era, it is not a complete leather, but a number of nitrated leather, sewn together, first seal the pinhole with fish gelatin, and then use paraffin wax and butter for waterproof treatment.

"Poof......

When everyone heard Yu Guni tell his solution seriously, they immediately burst into laughter.

Zhang Shigui said with a smile: "Although the leather bag can sail on the Yellow River and carry three or five people, how can it bear the heavy responsibility of transporting the baggage of the army?" ”

In fact, Zhang Shigui was right, more than 10,000 troops traveled, especially the highly mobile cavalry, only more than 20,000 war horses were dispatched, and 500 stone of grain would be consumed every day, plus more than 10,000 people per six liters, and nearly 1,000 stone of grain alone would be needed. , even if it is a hundred stone boats, it will cost ten ships a day, and as for the leather bag, it is a drop in the bucket to be able to transport it.

Just when everyone was laughing wildly, Chen Ying nodded solemnly and said, "I think it's okay!" ”

Everyone was dumbfounded, looking at Chen Ying incredulously.

Chen Ying naturally would not tell them that the sheepskin rafts ferried by the Yellow River in later generations were made of more than 600 sheep, which could carry more than 50 tons, and more than 50 were converted into stones, which was about 1,000 stones.

It eats on the enemy and feeds the war with war. The supplies prepared by the army did not need much, and the food consumed in ten days was enough, and it was not enough to carry a month's worth of food, which was only the transportation of more than thirty large sheepskin rafts.

Chen Ying also saw the kind of giant sheepskin raft in later generations, a heavy truck pulling goods, weighing nearly 160 or 70 tons, could be used to cross the river with a giant sheepskin raft.

Xu Jingzong also felt that Chen Ying was a little too whimsical, but Chen Ying insisted on doing this, and he let it go. If you want Xu Jingzong to learn from Wei Zheng, I'm afraid Xu Jingzong will definitely not do this.

Chen Ying learned Cao Cao's tactics in the Battle of Chibi and connected a number of sheepskin rafts. Some people will also say that this kind of combined warship, which is difficult to move, can burn the company camp if the enemy attacks with fire. The key is that there are many accidental factors in the Battle of Chibi, and of course, Cheng Mo also made a choice out of desperation.

There are many people and great strength, Chen Ying took advantage of the fact that it was not busy with farming at this time, and the eldest girls and little daughters-in-law in Lingzhou and the eighteen towns of Lingzhou were all concentrated, and the nitrated leather was sewn into a barrel-shaped leather bag, and after the experiment was completely sealed, the air was blown in, and then the upper valve was blocked.

Chen Ying also mobilized the craftsmen under Lin Chuanfu to work, and rushed to build a raft, which was 12 zhang long and about 6 zhang wide, and was loaded on the raft with more than 800 sheepskin air bags. After testing, such a sheepskin raft could carry more than 2,000 stones.

Seeing this result, everyone's eyes were about to pop out.

"Is that okay?"

Chen Ying's brain is obviously different from that of people in this era, whose leather bag will be equipped with a mast?

But Chen Ying dared to pretend, he set up a tripod frame in the front, middle and back of the raft, fixed the mast, and formed a mast about four feet high, and wrapped the tent cloth to form a huge soft sail, at least when the wind is right, this huge sheepskin raft can sail quickly.

Sufficient manpower allows Chen Ying's plan to be implemented smoothly. Like dumplings, in just three days, 33 huge sheepskin rafts were built.

Chen Ying originally planned that the troops could save horsepower and manpower and ride a sheepskin raft up the Yellow River, but to Chen Ying's expectation, these Lingwu soldiers would rather bump on horseback than ride on a sheepskin raft.

Chen Ying suddenly realized at this time that the Turks were a group of landlubbers. However, Chen Ying did not make it difficult for a strong man, so he just let it go.

There are also some Dingyuan soldiers who are not afraid of fainting boats, pulling blindfolded war horses, walking on huge sheepskin rafts, they ride on sheepskin rafts, looking at the Lingwu soldiers marching slowly on the shore, how to see and feel that these Lingwu soldiers are a group of fools with broken brains