In late autumn, the north wind is bleak, and the rolling river water flows eastward. A floating bridge on the surface of the Yellow River connects the north and south. The south bank is Baimajin. Every day, a large number of soldiers and civilians travel north and south through the floating bridge. There are stations near the fort guarding Baimajin, which has become a temporary resting place for passers-by.

Inns generally only accept officials or soldiers from the army, passers-by from south to north, and can only rest in the perimeter shops and restaurants lined up outside the post station. Passers-by of various identities gather in the perimeter shops and restaurants of different levels, chatting about all kinds of strange stories.

While resting, everyone will ask for information.

Now the current situation is unstable, and the government army has successively defeated wars. Huaibei has been occupied by rebels, and Henan is in full swing. Once the government army is defeated again, it is likely that the south of the Yellow River will change hands. Therefore, passers-by are very concerned about the current situation so that they can avoid bad luck as soon as possible.

In places like Baimajin, where traffic is important and crowded, the news is circulating very quickly. People can find out various news here and judge how the situation is going.

Now, news spread like wildfire, that is, the official army was defeated in Caozhou and almost all the troops were wiped out.

Regarding this news, ordinary people just lament that there are many lonely ghosts in the world, or that the rebels are powerful, and after hearing this, a knowledgeable person can judge that the court in Yecheng is probably not good.

"Oh, who knew that in just one year, the situation was so decayed..."

"Brother, why do you feel so emotional?"

"You don't know that last year, last year, I was in this Baimajin, but when I saw the emperor personally conquering the mighty team, how mighty and majestic it was..."

In a simple restaurant, several ordinary-dressed passers-by were chatting under the straw shed. One of them was well-informed and said that he had the honor of seeing the grand occasion of the emperor's command in person. According to him, the team that crossed the river south at that time stretched for more than ten miles, and could not see at first sight.

At that time, people along the way had to avoid it. Those who had no time to avoid it had to kneel on the side of the road and would not look up and peek. Whoever dared to be honest would be a whip at the least, and at worst, they would be taken to be a coolie.

Therefore, this old man didn't see what the emperor's chariot looked like at that time, but he had a personal experience of the majesty of the king.

At that time, seeing such a large-scale army, no one doubted how long the rebels who occupied Xuanhu, Yuzhou Prefecture, could last. Everyone felt that since the emperor was in charge of the army and the prime minister assisted, he would definitely be able to quell the rebellion by the end of the year.

As a result, after the government army surrounded Xuanhu, it took several months but couldn't get it. Not only that, it also suffered heavy casualties and suffered consecutive defeats.

Later, it was said that the emperor was ill, and the imperial guards returned to Yecheng. Not long after, the defeated officials suffered another great defeat in Shaoling. It is said that one out of ten soldiers was not yet available. Seeing that the traitors were very arrogant, the court sent a large army south to prevent the situation from worsening.

When the official army crossed the river, most of them also went to Baimajin. Although the scale was not as large as that of the emperor's commander, the momentum was still quite large. Everyone thought that the court should have pacified the rebels this time, but the result was contrary to their wishes.

The court lost Huainan and Huainan, and was beaten to death by the one-legged bronze man. Now...

Hearing this, someone became interested: "One-legged bronze man? Whose character is this?"

The well-informed person who recalled the mighty scene of the official army replied: "Who knows, everyone says so, I don't know who the one-legged bronze man is. It's very powerful anyway."

"It is said that this one-legged bronze man has magical powers. He guarded the Xuanhu like an iron barrel. Countless officials attacked day and night, but they could not attack Xuanhu. And this one-legged bronze man not only encroached on Huaibei, but is still in Caozhou, killing the official army so much that it is everywhere..."

After hearing the news, someone interrupted: "So, the government army was really defeated in Caozhou?"

"I lost, I really lost. I can't hide this matter. Everyone will know about it in a few days at the latest."

The person who learned this news was a little unbelievable: "Well... if that traitor crossed the Yellow River, wouldn't the capital be in danger?"

"It's not so? I'll tell you..."

A well-informed person lowered his voice and whispered a message: "Aren't we under the jurisdiction of Bianzhou? It is said that the traitor has occupied Li Hu and is going to attack Puyang. Our Bianzhou troops have now rushed to Puyang for reinforcements!"

"Puyang? But... the sash platform is also dangerous? If the traitor wants to cross the river, he must be walking on Baimajin, but isn't it here?"

"Who knows? The thief crossed the Yellow River like a clean cloth on Qingqi. Even if he really wanted to come here, he might not have been to Baimajin. Isn't this Shijijin, Yanjin, and nearby Changshoujin!"

In the Yellow River section of the Bianzhou area, there are several important Jins that can cross the river. Baima Jinshen (Fer) is the largest, so it is a place that military strategists must fight for.

The rebels came from Caozhou and would definitely occupy Puyang first, and then attack Bianzhou Prefecture near Baimajin to control Baimajin. Only then would they not be able to escape Baimajin.

Passers-by who received the news were thinking about how to avoid war in the future, while some people were concerned about when the official army could repel the thieves, because although they were only preparing for winter now, in the spring of the next year, if wars continued south of the Yellow River, spring plowing would inevitably not be carried out normally.

The spring plowing is not smooth, and in summer and autumn, the crops in the fields will have a bad harvest or no harvest. If a famine breaks out, it will not be a joke.

As they thought about it, many people fell silent. The situation was turbulent and chaotic for nearly ten years. I don’t know when it was the end. Originally, when Zhou State destroyed Qi, the people thought that the world was finally peaceful, but in a few years the fight started again and continued until now.

If this continues, even if the people do not die in the war, they may become hungry after the outbreak of famine. No one can tell whether they will be themselves and their families will be allowed to survive.

Just as they were sighing, a loud noise suddenly came from the side, which scared many people trembled like a bolt from the blue. People looked in the sound and saw thick smoke rising from the fortress not far away, as if they were struck by lightning.

Then the second and third loud noises came, and two thick smoke rose from the fortress in turn. People could see clearly now, and the subsequent burst of fighting made everyone's face change.

There was a sound of trumpets in the fort, and there were patrolling soldiers outside the fort shouting loudly, "Enemy attack!", and pedestrians in civilian clothes suddenly drew their swords and slashed at the soldiers beside them. Outside the post station was in chaos, and passers-by in the surrounding restaurants and restaurants were frightened to escape in all directions.

A caravan team was walking well on the official road. The entourage took out various weapons from the carriage and rushed towards the direction of the floating bridge. The panicked pedestrians rolled and crawled to the sides of the road, watching the government army fighting with these people in a daze.

A few loud noises came from the fortress, and the situation in the fort was unknown. The garrison seemed to close the door to block the attack. Baimajin was in chaos, and the pedestrians who were waiting to cross the river or just cross the river were scattered like birds and beasts, leaving a large number of luggage.

At this moment, saving lives is important, and the uninvited guests attacking the floating bridge gradually gained the upper hand. Seeing that these people had the possibility of successfully seizing the bridge, a fire broke out in the middle of the river bridge.

The crossing river pontoon bridge is composed of two large chains that link many ships together. Wooden boards are laid between the ship for pedestrians and horses to pass through. Once a fire breaks out, the fire can easily spread.

As expected, the fire that originally appeared in the middle of the pontoon bridge soon spread to both ends. The pontoon bridge that ran across the river gradually turned into a fire dragon, and the two large iron chains supporting the pontoon bridge sank into the river one by one.

It should be that the defenders on the north bank of the river bridge broke the iron rope. Without the constraints of the iron rope, the burning floating bridge quickly disintegrated and turned into fireboats, drifting eastward with the river.
Chapter completed!