knife

Chapter 615 First Opportunity
The wind comes from the west.

With both mainsail and secondary sails raised, the experienced sailors skillfully maneuvered the sails to maximize the wind power. Coupled with the fact that they were already going downstream, the vanguard fleet of dozens of warships of various sizes galloped down the river like wild horses.

At this speed, it would only take the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to reach each other.

Yao Dali looked up at the divine eagle in the sky.

Seeing it circle a few times before flapping its wings and flying away, I couldn't help but chuckle.

This thing is really good.

Don't underestimate the importance of spotting the enemy even for a short while; it can be crucial for the subsequent battle.

This is especially true for teams that require higher technical skills, such as those engaged in naval warfare.

Lu Fu stood at the bow of the ship, fully armored, his bright red cloak billowing high in the wind, the flags on the warship rustling in the breeze, and the shouts of the sailors in the lower deck rowing with all their might.

However, now that they are sailing against the wind, which is unexpectedly strong, the warships are not moving as fast as they should.

However, after passing the elbow bend ahead, the river will suddenly open up, becoming more than twice as wide, the current will slow down, and the wind will not have such a great impact on the boats as it does now.

The river narrows somewhat along this stretch.

Even without Chen Yan's instructions, Lü Fu knew the importance of this naval battle.

As the vanguard of the entire fleet, the outcome of the first battle is crucial to the morale of the entire force.

Moreover, the opponent in this battle is the Empress Dowager.

Bah! Not Empress Dowager, but Demon Empress, a witch!
Lu Fu let out a heavy sigh. When he first heard the news, he was almost paralyzed with fear.

Of course, unlike Chen Yan, he didn't have the power to choose.

He only has the right to know.

As for actions, he must maintain consistency with Chen Yan.

Looking back at the fifty warships of various sizes behind him, Lü Fu was also full of fighting spirit.

The person opposite is Director Wang.

He'd disliked this kid for a long time.

If his father weren't Wang Pu, would this kid have been able to climb the ranks so quickly?

The kid who climbed up the ladder through nepotism has now become the other party's indispensable right-hand man. Heh heh, if you don't lose, who will?
Now, Chen Yan is the top naval commander of the Great Chu.
And I, of course, ranked second.

All we need to do is win this battle, and everything will be well-deserved.

Winning the navy means winning the final battle against the Demon Queen.

A cry of an eagle came from the sky. Lu Fu looked up and saw a huge black eagle sometimes swooping down and sometimes shooting straight up like an arrow into the thick clouds in the dim sky.

It's rare to see such a large eagle!
"General Lü, ahead!" a lieutenant suddenly shouted.
Lu Fu lowered his head. Not far ahead, the first ship that had boarded his team at the front had turned back. The eight sailors on board were rowing hard and shouting loudly.

They were traveling downstream, and being the first to board the ship, prioritizing speed, they truly appeared to Lü Fu like a sharp arrow hurtling back. "Enemy! Enemy!"

Upon hearing their shouts, Lü Fu's expression immediately changed drastically.

Looking at the sharp bend in the road ahead, and the narrow opening between the two mountains and the river, cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

"General, slow down, lower the sails!" the adjutant beside him shouted. "The enemy is blocking our way here. If we force our way through, we will suffer huge losses!"

"Bullshit!" Lü Fu roared. "We're not just one ship, we have over fifty warships. We're only a mile or so from the gorge. Can we stop now? If we force down the sails and slow down, it will inevitably cause chaos. If the enemy sails downstream, what other option do we have but to go down the river and feed the fish?"

"So what do we do now?" the lieutenant asked with difficulty, swallowing hard.

"What do we do? Charge!" Lu Fu drew his sword with a shout and yelled, "Speed ​​up, speed up, charge across! The river is wide on the other side, if we get across, we'll win!"

The drums thundered, and the flags waved.
The three warships suddenly accelerated and rushed forward.

This is one of the main warships of the Chu army's navy. It is a multi-oared ship with 42 oars and can carry 200 soldiers. It is much faster than the tower ship that Lü Fu and his men were on.

One ship in front and two behind, forming a triangular formation. If they can successfully navigate the bend ahead and break into the enemy fleet, they can create chaos and cover the main force as they navigate through this extremely unfavorable battlefield environment.

Yao Dali had been waiting here for a long time.

Relying on his advance knowledge of the enemy's location and speed, he arrived here ahead of time and set up this trap.

Ten main warships were arranged in a semi-circle on the river, with their catapults, powerful crossbows, and other long-range attack weapons already aimed at this location.

As the first warship emerged, accompanied by the thunderous sound of drums, stone projectiles weighing hundreds of pounds rained down on the area.

The three fighting ships had nowhere to avoid the falling rocks; looking up, all they could see were stones raining down upon them.

The sailors, who were originally crouching on the warships, armored and armed, ready to engage in hand-to-hand combat once they approached the enemy ships, cried out and jumped up to scatter in all directions.

These stones, if they hit a ship, might not cause fatal damage to the warship, but if they hit a person, they could easily take their life.

As they stood up and left their cover and protection, a barrage of crossbow bolts swept across them.

Screams filled the air, accompanied by the splashing sounds of people falling into the water, instantly turning the river red.

In the first wave of attacks, the lead warship was severely damaged. Its rudder was destroyed, its mast was broken, and its mainsail was lowered. The entire ship suddenly turned sideways, blocking the channel. The two warships following behind, which were also badly damaged, had to turn their rudders to avoid it.

However, warships are meant to win by speed. With this delay, the opposing warships had already changed positions. In the second round, ten warships emerged from the gaps and launched another round of dense, storm-like stone-throwing attacks. The two warships, which had turned, were now half-sideways, exposing a larger area to the enemy. After being hit countless times, several large holes appeared on the bottom of their ships.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the ten warships that had become the second column were busy reloading catapults with stones and drawing the bowstrings of crossbows.

Having suffered two rounds of attacks, these three fighting ships are now almost completely destroyed.

But that's not the most important thing.
Importantly, behind them, the Chu fleet had already surged forward.

Lü Fu took the lead, accelerating forward without hesitation.
They had no way out and could not avoid it.

With a deafening roar, Lü Fu's warship crashed into the warship in front of it. The massive warship swallowed the warship whole, and the soldiers on board fell into the water like dumplings being dropped into boiling water. After struggling for a few moments, they were sucked to the bottom of the ship by the enormous suction force. In such a situation, even if you were a white streak in the waves, you would only face certain death.

(End of this chapter)