Chapter 181
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The war raged on.
Large stones, weighing about a hundred catties each, were hurled by catapults, smashing through wooden boats, and the debris on the sea surface increased steadily.
Chen Wang’s forces had catapults, and Yuan Li’s forces also possessed them. Through improvements made by the engineering department, Yuan Li’s catapults could throw heavier boulders than those of Chen Wang’s.
Ironclad warships led the way, and the most common methods of engagement on the sea were stone-throwing and fire attacks. Soldiers dipped arrowheads and torches in flammable oil, vigorously hurling them towards the enemy.
Torch-lit fires blazed on the sails and decks of the warships, and the two opposing fleets approached each other closer and closer, resulting in more and more damaged vessels.
Amidst the thick smoke and burning flames on the sea surface, the sky grew darker, and clouds gradually covered the sky.
On the main ship, Yuan Li raised his head and looked at the sky keenly. The strands of hair around his ears, which were previously blowing forward, now drifted towards the back of his ears.
The wind had changed.
During naval battles, a change in wind direction often brought astonishing reversals.
Yuan Li narrowed his eyes.
Sure enough, Gu Yue immediately said in a deep voice, “My lord, the wind has changed! We are now downwind!”
Those who were well-versed in naval warfare understood the implications of this. Being downwind meant that the arrows and torches they shot at the enemy’s ships would be hindered by the wind, making their progress difficult. Moreover, their own flames would burn faster, putting them at a clear disadvantage.
The enemy general, He Jiwen, also noticed the change in wind direction and felt delighted. He said to his subordinates, “You lead twenty thousand men to escort our lord back to Yangzhou. I will lead the troops to attack Duke Yuan Le Jun!”
Immediately, he intensified his attack on Yuan Li’s forces.
However, Yuan Li remained extremely calm and ordered, “Retreat.”
The Wen army did not hesitate and fled downstream. He Jiwen pursued closely, but as he chased downstream, he discovered that the lower reaches of the Yangtze River were filled with iron chains and iron spikes. It was an ambush!
The iron chains blocked the waterway, and both banks were steep cliffs. The current was rapid, and as the warships pursued with great speed, they would either crash into the iron chains and be destroyed, or they would be pierced by the submerged iron spikes and sink.
The Chen army suffered a sudden loss of dozens of warships before barely managing to stop the ships outside the ambush. He Jiwen felt a sense of danger and turned around to find that Duke Wen and another Wen army fleet had surrounded them from the front and rear!
He Jiwen remained composed but not afraid. “Prepare the catapults; we cannot confront Wen army head-on.”
Yuan Li and Zhou Gongdan led their fleets, facing each other from a distance across the enemy’s fleet, and together they began to attack the enemy.
In order to completely eliminate Chen Wang, Yuan Li and a few others, including Yang Zhongfa, held discussions and decided to divide their forces into five routes. Two routes would be on land, and the other three would be on the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
Yuan Li acted as the “main force,” seemingly with a mighty force, but in reality, it was just a diversion. The purpose was to attract the enemy’s firepower and draw out Chen Wang’s forces to deal with him.
Yang Zhongfa led the naval forces, with Kong Ran as his commander, stationed in the upper reaches of the river, while Zhou Gongdan guarded the lower reaches. Ambushes were set up in both the upper and lower reaches, using iron chains to block the enemy’s river route and cut off their reinforcements.
Even without the change in wind direction, Yuan Li would feign defeat within the agreed-upon time, then escape upstream or downstream according to the wind direction. Meanwhile, the naval forces stationed on the other side in the downstream or upstream areas, if they didn’t see Yuan Li, would take the opportunity to cross the river and penetrate the blockade line in Yangzhou, attacking directly from the land.
On the other hand, Guan Zhihuai and He Langhui would each lead one hundred thousand troops to advance along the east and north routes on the banks of Yangzhou, attacking the military points in Chen Wang’s rear in Jiankang, Guangling, and other places. Their goal was to block Chen Wang’s reinforcements from going down the river and cut off the operational connection between the front and rear, isolating the naval and land forces in Yangzhou from each other.
With the coordinated efforts of the naval and land forces, the five routes would converge to attack Chen Wang! This plan could only succeed; failure was not an option.
At this moment, it is likely that Yang Zhongfa and Kong Ran have already led their troops across the river and are joining forces with the land forces in Yangzhou.
***
Chen Wang woke up before returning to the land.
People around him rushed to him, expressing both joy and concern, saying, “Lord!”
Chen Wang’s eyes glanced over them lifelessly, and he began to cough violently.
The blood he had just spit out seemed to have drained all of Chen Wang’s vitality, making him age rapidly. His trembling hands, supported by others, weakly asked, “How is the battle going?”
The people around him hurriedly replied, “General He Jiwu saw you fainting and was worried about your health, so he sent 20,000 men to escort you back to the shore. Before you returned, our army fought equally with Yuan Li’s forces and even gained the upper hand. The timely change of wind aided our army, inflicting heavy losses on Yuan Li’s forces. Yuan Li led his troops to escape along the river, and General He Jiwu is pursuing him closely! Please rest assured, Your Highness; we will definitely win this battle.”
Chen Wang’s momentary blackout not only frightened those around him, but he also felt his mind hazy and sluggish.
He nodded slowly until a quarter of an hour later, when he suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed the hands of his subordinates, saying firmly, “Something’s not right!”
His subordinates were startled, and one of them asked, “Lord, are you feeling unwell?”
A burst of bloody smell surged up Chen Wang’s throat, “Yuan Li would not escape so easily; this is a trap, an ambush! Where is the reinforcement? Shouldn’t our reinforcement have arrived at the rear?”
Only then did everyone realize that the navy and the land forces, which Chen Wang had arranged to go to the battlefield in the second and third batches, had not yet arrived.
Someone went outside to check, and the vast river was devoid of any ships or flags.
Without Chen Wang having to say anything more, the others also realized that something was wrong. Regardless of the situation in front of them, there should have been news from the rear army. Yet, they had not received any information about any changes in the battle.
The front was uncertain, and the rear had changed. They were anxious, “Lord, this…”
Their rear might have… already been attacked!
“Quickly return to Yangzhou!” Chen Wang ordered, and darkness engulfed his vision again, “Send a ship to deliver a message to He Jiwu, telling him not to linger in battle and to hurry back to Yangzhou for support!”
***
In contrast to Chen Wang, who had lost all communication, the military intelligence sent to Yuan Li’s hands kept coming one after another.
Information from his own forces, as well as information that was intercepted and sent to Chen Wang, allowed Yuan Li to have a clear understanding of the current situation in the battlefield.
Not long after, a ship carrying a message for He Jiwu arrived. Yuan Li guessed that it was the military intelligence from Chen Wang asking He Jiwu to retreat, so he deliberately ordered the army to ignore this ship.
As expected, when the ship approached, He Jiwu quickly changed from fierce resistance to finding an opportunity to retreat.
Yuan Li smiled and issued another order.
He ordered the army to pretend to show a gap, allowing He Jiwu to lead his troops to escape through the gap, sailing upstream.
An hour later, just as Yuan Li expected, He Jiwu took the opportunity to escape through the gap and sailed upstream with all his might.
The sailors on the main ship of the Wen army displayed white and red flags, conveying the order “do not pursue” to Zhou Gongdan and his group.
Zhou Gongdan’s fleet also gradually came to a halt.
Once He Jiwu’s army was far away, Yuan Li withdrew his gaze and looked south, saying, “Let’s go, it’s time for us to go ashore.”
Although their navy had been trained for four years, they still couldn’t match the elite and skilled Yangzhou navy. Even if their ships were better and their weapons were more threatening, even if He Jiwu fell into the ambush, the two sides could still fight to a standstill.
If they continued like this, even if Yuan Li won, he would have to pay a huge price of damaging one enemy for every eight of his own—half of the ships he spent four years building would sink in the Yangtze River, and half of his 45,000 navy and 50,000 Youzhou troops would be killed or injured.
Such losses were too great, and even if it was a victory, it would be a pyrrhic one, not worth it in Yuan Li’s view.
He couldn’t defeat Chen Wang with the navy, so from the very beginning, Yuan Li’s strategy was to shift the battlefield to the land.
In naval warfare, he was not a match for Chen Wang. However, in terms of cavalry and infantry, Chen Wang’s army was far behind, unable to catch up.
Rather than fighting with He Jiwu on the Yangtze River, why not let him escape. He Jiwu had to spend more time to travel upstream and was hindered by iron chains in his path. By the time he returned to Yangzhou, Yuan Li would already be ashore.
Fighting on land would allow his soldiers to avoid many unnecessary casualties. Wasn’t that better than fighting on the Yangtze River?
When Yuan Li reached the Yangzhou shore, he saw that the armies of Wen and Yangzhou were locked in fierce combat, and the riverbank was stained crimson with blood.
The Wen army had gained the upper hand.
The Yangzhou navy that escorted Chen Wang back was also engaged in battle. They hadn’t expected the situation on land to be so severe, so they quickly made the decision to abandon the shore, fighting and protecting Chen Wang back to the ships, preparing to go to the Luling military point to call for reinforcements and more ships.
Yuan Li said straightforwardly, “Follow them.”
Luling was located on the south side of Yangzhou, and as Chen Wang escaped, Yuan Li pursued, finally arriving at Luling at dusk.
At this point, the Wen army had not yet arrived. Chen Wang ordered his men to disembark and prepare to head to the military camp to regroup the army before Yuan Li’s arrival.
Half an hour later, Yuan Li’s fleet also stopped at a distance from the shore. He left ten thousand men to guard the ships, while the rest finally stepped ashore.
This elite army, renowned throughout the northern lands, set foot on solid ground and immediately became spirited, holding their weapons with enthusiasm and eagerly staring at Yuan Li, eager to engage in battle.
Yuan Li didn’t disappoint their expectations, “Gu Yue, take ten thousand men to destroy the warships left by Chen Wang on the shore. The rest of you, follow my orders, and we will sneak into Luling, destroy the Yangzhou navy’s military camp and shipyard, and capture Chen Wang here!”
“Jia Qing, lead the way.”
Jia Qing saluted and divided the army into four groups to pursue Chen Wang’s army, blocking all possible escape routes.
This was the southern region, densely covered with jungles, and it was springtime when everything was reviving. Miasma, swamps, and mosquitoes were common in the surroundings.
The soldiers covered their mouths and noses with cloth and carried herbs to repel insects and ants. Their eyes were vigilant, wary of any potential danger in the surrounding environment.
Many of them couldn’t help but exclaim in their hearts.
Their lord was truly incredible. In the past, they didn’t understand why they had to undergo wilderness survival training and learn how to deal with miasma and swamps. But now, in the midst of the southern jungle, they realized how important those skills were.
It seemed that their lord had already foreseen today when he made them learn wilderness survival.
Yuan Li’s personal guards exchanged glances and admired their lord even more. Gu Yue was already showing a look of reverence and worship toward Yuan Li’s back, his eyes shining brightly.
Every time they thought they were already in awe of their lord, they would find themselves even more impressed the next day.
As victory seemed within reach, Yuan Li, Jia Qing, and the others didn’t relax in the slightest. On the contrary, they remained on high alert, wary of any possible traps.
This was Chen Wang’s main base, Yangzhou, and Luling was one of Chen Wang’s military strongholds. Yuan Li’s forces couldn’t easily infiltrate this place, and they had no idea how many of Chen Wang’s troops and weapons were hidden here. They were also unfamiliar with the terrain. If they let their guard down even slightly, Chen Wang might turn the tables completely.
They proceeded with caution, not slowing down their pace. After crossing the final mountain ridge, Yuan Li looked up towards Luling city but froze in place.
Luling city was ablaze, with flames soaring into the sky, reflecting a bright red glow on the evening horizon. Someone had already attacked Luling.
Who?
Yuan Li, Jia Qing, and Guo Mao exchanged a glance and accelerated their pace, getting closer to Luling City.
As they got nearer, they could feel the scorching heat of the raging flames, making them sweat profusely. The area in front of the city gate was filled with fleeing soldiers, and the sounds of wailing and cries for help were audible from within the city walls. Occasionally, there were pleas for “help” or “surrender.”
Yuan Li wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and, for some reason, felt his heart rate quicken.
He licked his dry lips and glanced sideways at Jia Qing.
Jia Qing quickly ordered his soldiers to capture a fleeing Yangzhou soldier and brought him over, asking, “Where is Chen Wang? What happened in Luling City?”
The Yangzhou soldier collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, “Someone launched a surprise attack from the rear! They burned down the shipyard and five hundred warships. They also stormed into the main camp, and the entire Luling City’s defenses have been severely damaged!”
Five hundred warships?!
Everyone gasped in shock.
Yuan Li was astonished to learn that Luling City had hidden such a substantial naval force, but he was also relieved that these assets had been destroyed.
He felt the increasing heat around him, making his breathing a bit hurried. Glancing around, he opened his mouth and pressed on, “Who attacked you?”
The Yangzhou soldier was visibly terrified by the attackers and desperately shook his head. But when his eyes caught sight of the city gate, his whole body went limp. He frantically tried to crawl backward, terror-stricken, and stammered, “They are coming… it’s them!”
Yuan Li’s eyelids twitched as he sensed something unusual. He looked up.
A group of figures emerged from the blazing Luling City.
The leader was tall with a handsome face, holding a blood-stained broadsword. Under the flying sparks of fire, he unexpectedly locked eyes with Yuan Li, catching both of them off guard amidst the chaos of fleeing soldiers.
The sky was filled with hues of red, and thick black smoke billowed as the smell of charred materials lingered in the air.
The setting sun seemed to be dyed red by the intense flames as it hung over the western hills.
They were all taken aback, frozen in the moment.
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Thanks for the update