Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 503: Hunting in the South
The first day of the first lunar month, the fourth year of Tianyuan.

Stars dot the night sky.

The sky was pitch black and the river was dead silent.

The water was relatively calm, with no big waves, just some slight ups and downs.

There was a faint gray fog on the surface of the river.

Caishi Ferry.

The soldiers guarding the ferry stood lazily in several corners, with their heads down, some yawning, and some already asleep.

However, inside the camp, one could still hear some lascivious music.

The successive defeats and turmoil in the State of Chen had consumed all of the veteran soldiers and officers in the army.

After the old soldiers were consumed, the combat effectiveness of the entire army began to decline rapidly and was no longer on the same level as the North.

A large number of middle and lower-level officers were consumed, which led to more dangerous consequences. A large number of insects occupied the positions of officers.

For example, this Caishi Ferry.

Many of the officers here are here for training. They don't train the army here. On weekdays they mainly extort money from passing ships. The rest of the time they get some dancers and singers to have fun in the camp.

It's fine on other days, but when there is a festival, we must drink together and get drunk.

It is now the first day of the fourth year of the first lunar month, and people from all over the world are celebrating the New Year's Day.

The soldiers here were no exception. The officers drank a lot of wine and secretly invited some dancers. They were having a great time.

There were only a few soldiers on guard duty, and as everyone in the camp was having fun, they had no enthusiasm for their job and were very negative.

The fog in the distance was suddenly torn apart.

Then I saw a ferocious beast's head emerging from the fog.

It looked like a tiger, carved from wood, with eyes wide open, rushing out from the mist.

The ferry was still quiet and no one noticed this place.

After this beast, four more ferocious beasts appeared one after another. They tore through the fog and sailed towards the ferry at an astonishing speed.

After sailing for a long time, they finally revealed their entire bodies. They were five medium-sized speedboats, and under the cover of night, they were rapidly approaching the ferry.

"Who?!"

A soldier suddenly woke up, looked up, and saw a warship coming from the opposite direction.

The soldier froze in place. He had never encountered such a situation before and had no idea how to deal with it.

After being stunned for a few breaths, he suddenly reacted and started shouting, "Enemy attack!!"

His shouting woke up the people around him.

They all looked towards the river, and seeing the warship getting closer and closer to them, they panicked instantly and began to inform everyone.

There was a noise outside the camp, and soon there was noise inside as well.

Then I saw drunken soldiers rushing out of the house, their clothes in disarray, some holding torches, some shouting insults, and some screaming and running away.

The scene was chaotic.

Han Qinhu suddenly jumped off the warship and into the shallow water, causing a wave of splashes. He was wearing armor and holding a short weapon. He quickly looked at the soldiers on his left and right, "Brothers! Follow me and kill!"

He took the lead and rushed towards the enemy camp. Several soldiers wanted to stop him, but he killed them one by one with his sword.

Behind him, soldiers continued to charge forward, increasing in number, totaling more than five hundred people.

These people are all good fighters in the army, tall in stature and with amazing fighting spirit.

Han Qinhu was the first one. His original name was Han Qinbao. It was said that he once killed a tiger when he was young and changed his name to Han Qinhu.

Han Qinhu rushed into the enemy like a tiger among a flock of sheep. He chopped left and right with skillful movements. No move was superfluous and every move hit the vital points. He killed one by one with his sword and had already reached the door. The soldiers could hardly keep up with him.

When Han Qinhu rushed into the camp, he was covered in blood, like a bloody man. He had changed weapons several times. His eyes were wide open, just like the tiger that broke through the mist just now. "Those who surrender will not be killed!!"

Han Qinhu roared loudly in his poor southern dialect.

The soldiers standing in front of him dropped their weapons without any hesitation and knelt on the ground.

As the soldiers behind them rushed over, the local soldiers either fled or surrendered.

Han Qinhu seemed tireless and did not ride a horse. He just walked back and forth in the enemy camp to kill several people.

Finally, there were no more enemies standing in the entire camp.

Han Qinhu put down his weapon and wiped the blood off his face.

“It’s igniting!!”

The soldiers immediately took action and began to deploy around. A moment later, a sky-high flame appeared at Caishi Ferry, illuminating the riverside.

The fog was illuminated by the fire, and a moment later, a huge ship tore through the fog and rushed out, and behind the ship were countless warships. They swept across the entire visible range and began to gather at the ferry.

When the warships docked, a large number of soldiers quickly walked down from the warships.

Gao Yanzong, wearing heavy armor, was commanding the army to assemble on the ground, and even some war horses were transported here.

In the distance, the sound of paddling poles was heard, and the warships of both sides seemed to have already started fighting.

Gao Yanzong looked at Han Qinhu standing beside him and didn't even bother to ask for credit for him.

"General, lead your men to take Wuhu, and I will quickly attack Gusu!"

"only!!"

Both sides immediately led their armies and marched out separately again.

The war officially started.

In this battle, the Han army dispatched a total of about 280,000 troops, led by Wang Lin and Gao Changgong, who attacked from two directions.

Wang Lin led a large army to attack South Xuzhou directly.

Gao Changgong led his army to attack Bazhou.

Along the long front line from South Xuzhou to Bazhou, there were Han generals in charge of the attack everywhere, and each of them had his own goals.

The Han army decided to launch a general attack on the night of Yuanshuo, which was the New Year's Day.

This day was the laziest time in the entire Chen State. From the emperor to the generals, to the local people, everyone was busy celebrating the festival. No one would have thought that the Han army would launch a general attack on this day.

Gao Yanzong and Han Qinhu first captured Caishidu. At the same time, Wang Lin led a large army to attack Southern Xuzhou.

Before this, Wang Lin kept releasing news to the public, saying that his condition was getting worse and worse and it seemed that he would not survive this month.

He ordered Chunyu Liang to take some broken ships and dock in the direction of southern Xuzhou to confuse the enemy.

Before the Chinese New Year, Wang Lin led the entire navy of the eastern part of the Han State and suddenly appeared near Guangling.

At night that day, Wang Lin's army began to cross the river.

Nanxuzhou is different from Caishidu. Although they are also celebrating the festival, the defenses are several levels higher. There are more than 10,000 troops stationed here. Although the number is not large, it is already a large number in Chen State. Moreover, the opponent has a large number of warships.

The enemy's navy near Nanxuzhou is the most powerful navy, with five giant ships and countless medium and large warships.

The lights are bright in South Xuzhou.

Laughter and joy could be heard in several camps outside the city.

This was even more so inside the city. In the government office, Governor Huang was drinking with many officials.

The officials' faces were greasy and their bellies were bulging, but their eyes were filled with tears.

"Comrades!"

"People all over the country are celebrating the New Year. Even those who work in the fields can now gather with their families and celebrate the holiday."

"But we can't do that."

"Family members are so far away from each other, and it is difficult to relieve the pain of missing each other. How miserable are we?"

He burped and continued, "But it is because of our suffering that the people can have a good New Year's Day. And the people of Xuzhou can stay at home peacefully and have no worries about food and drink. Isn't this all the credit of the envoy?"

"You have sacrificed too much for the people of Xuzhou and for us."

He wiped his tears, stood up and toasted the governor again.

Everyone was quite moved and stood up.

Because officials could not serve in their hometowns, and Chen State established a strict supervision system during the reign of Emperor Wen, mainly to detain the families of officials and generals in key areas to prevent them from rebellion. This could not be blamed on Emperor Wen, but mainly because Chen State was originally a loose group.

Even Chen Baxian cannot be said to have completed the unification of the south.

When he died, there were still many separatist princes in the south who were similar to Lao Wang.

Even Lao Wang himself was defeated during the reign of Emperor Wen.

The banquet was very lively, with musicians playing and dancers accompanying, and the officials of South Xuzhou were drunk.

As they were laughing, the door was suddenly kicked open.

Then a soldier rushed into the hall, and the cold wind outside also blew in. The officials were furious.

Governor Huang looked at him coldly and was about to question him when the soldier trembled and said, "Oh no! Governor! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"what?!"

Everyone was shocked, and one official even overturned the wooden table in front of him.

The governor Huang Ke stood up in astonishment and asked, "Where did the enemy attack?"

"The Han army, which seems to be Wang Lin's army, has now engaged our army."

Huang Ke's face turned pale, "No! No! Didn't Wang Lin die of illness?"

"Are you guys?"

Huang Ke had no talent to begin with, and was extremely flustered at the moment, not knowing how to respond. The officials around him hurriedly said, "Don't worry, sir! Wang Lin can't be here. Even if he comes, he can't defeat our army with his warships!"

"This is a merit bestowed upon us by God. Please lead the troops to attack and capture Wang Lin alive!"

The official said this while blinking his eyes.

It was obvious that he did not believe the news of Wang Lin's invasion at all. However, they could just launch a battle to "defeat Wang Lin". Regardless of whether the battle was true or false, they could just inform the court that they had defeated Wang Lin.

Huang Ke finally calmed down. The navy of Chen State was spread all over the long defense line of the river, the most important bridgehead in southern Xuzhou. The elite of the navy were all here. They had five giant ships. Who could defeat them?

Huang Ke pulled up his belt, and then gave a mighty order to the officials to follow him out to capture Wang Lin alive.

The officials walked out of the office one after another.

They led the soldiers stationed in the city and began to rush towards the river.

While walking on the road, the official was still whispering to Huang Ke about this hard-won opportunity.

"The enemy is absolutely incapable of attacking. I think Chunyu Liang wants to borrow Wang Lin's reputation to attack us during the New Year. If we can repel them this time, then the envoy will be in front of His Majesty, but..."

Huang Ke was overjoyed.

He said, "If I can be valued by His Majesty this time, I will never forget your contribution."

The two began to imagine themselves defeating the enemy and becoming famous.

When they led the army to the river, the sky had begun to brighten.

On the river, hundreds of warships were engaging each other.

Among them were huge warships, with wooden poles raised high and hitting each other. Many pieces of warships were seen floating on the river, and there were also many corpses. The blood flowed into the river and was quickly swallowed up, without showing any scarlet color.

But the smell of blood drifted all the way to the shore.

The battle between the two sides was extremely fierce, and the State of Chen still made a good counterattack even after being ambushed.

but
Huang Ke was cold all over and froze in place.

With the help of the firelight, he saw the battle situation in the distance.

His lips trembled and he looked at the official beside him.

"Han State. Where did so many warships come from???"

Among the armies currently fighting on the river, the warships of the Han Kingdom actually had the upper hand! !

There were four giant warships in total, and countless golden-winged warships, all of which were attacking with all their might. The battle situation seemed chaotic, but in fact, the warships of the Han army had been in formation all the time, and they were able to form a formation even in the dark.

In every place, one could see the Han army's warships besieging the Chen army's warships.

The formation they put up was called the Double Blade Formation, with giant ships starting at both ends, cutting through the battlefield, and then closing inwards to kill directly!

If being able to form a battle formation under the cover of night is the difference between a large number of middle and upper-level generals, then being able to form and change battle formations at any time and easily tear apart the enemy's formation is the difference between the main coaches.

The commander-in-chief of the South Xuzhou navy here is named Tian. He is a very young general. In the past, he served as Xu Du's deputy general. This is his first time to command a large army.

He was very lucky. The first time he became a commander, he met Wang Lin.

The young general stood at the bow, shouting at the top of his lungs, looking at the armies on his left and right in despair. He kept giving orders, but his judgments were all as predicted by Wang Lin. He was hit everywhere, and his warships did not even play a role before they were surrounded and sunk by the enemy.

In Wang Lin's eyes, his operations were completely visible, he could see them all, and even make predictions several steps in advance.

Huang Ke was a person who didn't know much about military affairs, but after seeing what was happening before his eyes, he had completely lost his fighting spirit.

"withdraw!!"

The reinforcements just arrived and left quickly.

The desperate young general looked at the warships that were gradually surrounding him, and finally knelt on the bow crying.

The Chen people had no idea why the enemy had so many warships, nor did they know why Wang Lin was here.

When the sun rose from the river in the distance and gradually covered southern Xuzhou, the river was full of debris.

The wreckage of warships and indomitable fighters are all here.

The Han army has completed the landing. The Han still needs some operations on the water to defeat the enemy, but on land, Wang Lin does not need to give too much command, just give them an order to attack.

The governor Huang Ke surrendered, and Southern Xuzhou was taken without a fight.

When Wang Lin took over Southern Xuzhou, Gao Changgong was still attacking Bazhou.

Gao Changgong's navy was obviously inferior to Wang Lin's, and he encountered relatively powerful people such as Xu Jingcheng and Lu Xida.

When he launched the attack, the enemy was not drunk but was always on guard, and the fight between the two sides was extremely brutal.

Gao Changgong sent several generals under his command to continue their march southward by land.

There are always breakthroughs on land.

Just as the people of Chen were still immersed in the joy of the New Year and the ministers were still thinking about each other, the news of the Han army's approaching attack suddenly spread.

A rebellion broke out in the south as well.

Yuan Xian didn't even have time to reach the place. When he was halfway there, the barbarians started to riot.

They gathered together, attacked the garrisons in various places, killed officials, and raised the flag of the Han Dynasty.

Yuan Xian had just learned of the massive enemy attack in the north, and before he could react, he heard news of a rebellion in the south.

Yuan Xian hesitated for a moment, but rushed south again.

Yuan Xian actually understood military affairs and was capable of fighting.

The north does not need him, but the south is hard to say.

When Yuan Xian arrived at the place, the southern part of the State of Chen was in chaos. It was not only the barbarians who rebelled, but also many powerful tribes who colluded with them. They simply raised the flag of the Han State and rebelled together. There were even cases where powerful Han tribes led the rebellious barbarians to attack the government of the State of Chen.

However, the rebellion in the south did not cause much trouble in Jiankang.

Because the most deadly enemy is right in front of us.

When the news that Wang Lin captured Southern Xuzhou, Gao Yanzong captured Gusu, Han Qinhu captured Caishi Ferry and Wuhu Ferry reached Jiankang, Jiankang was instantly in an uproar.

The ministers who were celebrating were no longer in a good mood, and the emperor urgently summoned all the ministers to discuss the war.

These ministers who usually talked big, quoted classics, and shouted that the Chen navy was invincible and that the northern Hu would be unable to move south within twenty years, now lowered their heads and said nothing.

Only Chen Xu was anxious and running around.

Chen Xu knew that the Han Kingdom would invade, but he did not expect it to come so soon, even during the New Year.

How shameless!!
He is indeed a genuine Hu person!!
Coming here at this time to fight and kill people is immoral!! Tyrant!!
But now it is useless to curse or talk. Without Jiangbei's river defense line, it is as weak as a piece of paper. That is why Huang Fachi would rather die than not protect Jiangbei. Once Jiangbei is lost, the enemy can complete the attack in just one night. It is impossible to connect such a long battle line with iron chains, let alone cover it with warships.

"Wang Lin and Gao Yanzong are coming from two directions! What plans do you have for repelling the enemy?!"

"His Majesty!!"

"The only solution now is to hunt in the south first!"

(End of this chapter)