knife

Chapter 772 Easy Multiple Choice Questions

Hearing Xu Bo's words, Zhong Mian, who was serving tea and water, felt a chill run down his spine.

The Xiong and Xiang families were families that had fought side by side for hundreds of years!
But now, when faced with a life-or-death situation, Xiong Yi still chose to betray Xiang Zhuang without any hesitation.

There are truly no permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Anyone can be put on the trading table to exchange for benefits.
No one is off-limits for trade, provided the price is right.

"Our mission is to completely destroy Chen Yan's navy!" Xu Bo took a sip of tea and looked at everyone present.

“Chen Yan’s troops are also elite. Not only do they have more warships than us, but they are all new models!” Yan Yi frowned and said, “We have no chance of winning!”

Zhong Wuyang shook his head and said, "If we were to fight on the water, we would naturally have little chance of winning, but aren't we in the port now?"

"What's the plan?" Zhang Shun asked.

“When we entered the port, Chen Yan had his own agenda. His ships were at the very back, while those of us who weren’t his direct subordinates were all on the outer perimeter!” Zhong Wuyang sneered. “In this way, we couldn’t have direct contact with the Linghu family’s troops in Ankang County. All our interactions and supplies had to be handled through Chen Yan’s forces. Even a few bags of rice and flour had to be shipped through them. Heh heh!”

"You mean we should trap them in the port and beat them like dogs?" Zhang Shun's eyes lit up. "But I see there are quite a few martial arts masters in Chen Yan's troops!"

Zhong Wuyang turned to look at Xu Bo and said, "Mr. Xu, what does the Regent say about our losses in this battle?"

"All losses will be borne by the Regent!" Xu Bo said without the slightest hesitation. "In the past, there were established procedures for personnel losses, and these procedures were followed. As for the loss of warships this time, the Regent will compensate at a ratio of 1:1.2. You can still trust the Regent's reputation, right?"

The people inside the cabin all nodded.

“Alright!” Zhong Wuyang said, “That makes things easier! These next two days it’s our turn to patrol the waterways with the Yan family’s boats. Our entry and exit from the port won’t arouse suspicion, but if Elder Zhang’s boats move without orders, it will easily arouse Chen Yan’s suspicion, so your boats cannot move.”

"If we don't move, how can we strike at the other side?" Zhang Shun raised an eyebrow and asked in return.

"These next two days, choose a suitable location and then break open the bottom of the ships!" Zhong Wuyang took a breath and said slowly, "When the time is right, sink all these ships into the waterway!"

Yan Yi slapped his thigh and laughed loudly, "Brilliant! In this way, it won't be easy for Chen Yan's ships to leave the port. Even without external attacks, it will take at least ten days to half a month to clear the waterway. Then we can take whatever we want from the outside!"

"Sink the large ships and load the small boats with flammable materials and release them!" A vicious glint flashed in Zhong Wuyang's eyes. "Let all of Chen Yan's warships turn to ashes in the harbor!"

Before Zhang Shun could speak, Xu Bo slammed his hand on the table and said, "This is a good idea, Zhang Shun. The Assistant Minister will certainly provide ample compensation for all your losses, and the credit for this battle will definitely go to you!" Zhang Shun glanced at the other two families beside him, and although somewhat reluctant, he could only agree to the plan. "Judging from the weather these past two days, the southeast wind is about to pick up. If we're going to do it, we must act as early as tomorrow, or at the latest the day after. Only by taking advantage of the wind can we maximize the effectiveness of our attack!"

Ankang County Prefect Linghu De descended the steps and greeted Chen Yan with a smile: "General Chen, I have long admired your name. I should have come to pay my respects to you a few days ago, but I was tied up with worldly affairs. I only managed to find some free time, so I hurried over here. I hope you will not blame me for being negligent!"

When Linghu Ye entered the pass, his navy was a major weakness. Without a navy, his attempt to conquer the south was tantamount to a pipe dream. The Eight Garrisons of the South had their own navies, but after the crushing defeat at Xiangyang by Jiang Qian, these navies were almost completely wiped out. Later, after He Zudao returned to the Eight Garrisons of Jiangnan, although he made efforts, a navy, a highly technical army, could not be rebuilt in a short time. Eventually, even He Zudao himself disappeared.

In contrast, Li Dachui, although he has not yet officially entered the pass, already has a powerful naval force within the pass, including Wang Dao of the eight towns of Jiangnan, and the Shu County naval force that Li Dachui has greatly rebuilt after taking over Shu County.

On the Yangtze River, Linghuye had little competitive advantage.

This is the reason why he and his team have been working so hard to win over Chen Yan.

As long as Chen Yan pledges allegiance, Linghu Ye Group's weakness in the navy will be immediately addressed, and it may even be able to rival Li Dachui's power in the south.

Therefore, even though Linghu De was facing the enemy in Hanzhong who were eager to launch another harassment and attack, he still rushed over to meet Chen Yan, not wanting to neglect this naval general.

Chen Yan is of considerable importance in Linghuye's future plans.

"You flatter me, Prefect. Chen Yan's garrison here has already caused you a lot of trouble!" Chen Yan sincerely thanked Linghu Ye. Although the other party had only arrived today, all the supplies he had arranged were already prepared, which had relieved his urgent need.

Linghu De laughed and grabbed Chen Yan's hand, saying, "Come on, let's get drunk today! I know nothing about the navy, but today I've met an expert, so I'll have to drink with him and learn a lot from the general!"

"I will speak frankly and without reservation!" Chen Yan replied with a smile.

After the defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs, Chen Yan still harbored a loyal heart for the Great Chu and was single-mindedly determined to rebuild the navy and restore the glory of the Great Chu navy. Unfortunately, Xiang Ying died, Xiong Yi retired, Zhou Zheng was sidelined, and Na Wei from the southwest became the so-called regent. Although Na Wei tried his best to win over Chen Yan, Chen Yan felt that Na Wei would never amount to anything and that following him would inevitably lead to a precarious end.

It was at this moment that Linghu Ye seized the opportunity, took advantage of the situation, and successfully won over Chen Yan.

At this point, anyone with a discerning eye would know that the outcome of the battle would most likely be decided between Linghu Ye and Li Dachui, and most people would place their bets on these two.

For Chen Yan, Li Dachui was not an option. Wang Kai died at his hands, he led the pursuit of Jiang Qian, and he was involved in the Battle of Red Cliffs. Most importantly, Li Dachui's naval forces were very strong. Both Wang Dao and Yao Dali were valiant naval generals. Even if he were willing to surrender, there would be no place for him there.

On the contrary, Linghu Ye has nothing in naval construction. As long as he goes there, he can be in a high position and hold great power. Moreover, Linghu Ye has a 50% chance of winning this fierce battle!
Therefore, this multiple-choice question was not difficult for Chen Yan at all.

(End of this chapter)