The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 359 Volume is waiting for you!

sail!
Countless ships set out from Yanjin and headed for the other side.

Yuan Shao immediately dispatched his naval commanders Gao Fan and Guan Tong to lead the troops to fight.

The river is not as big as the Yangtze River. Although the current is gentle and the water area is vast at Liyang Port, it is still impossible to accommodate all the ships.

Gao Fan and Guan Tong both stood on the fighting warships, took command, and then led the other ships and boats to engage in battle.

"Liu Bei's soldiers are all from Jingzhou and are good at water battles. It would be best if we could get our boats close to them and fight them fiercely, rather than getting dragged into the river by them!"

Gao Fan and Guan Tong were also discussing countermeasures.

When Guan Tong heard that Gao Fan wanted to attach the ships there, he disagreed.

"A ship is different from a road. Even if you stick it on, it will still be shaky and you can't walk on it."

"Most of our soldiers are from the north, and they are just sailing boats down the river. How can they compare to the soldiers from Jingzhou?"

"On the contrary, it is winter now, and the water in the river is cold. It won't take long for your hands and feet to become cold and you will lose your strength! In my opinion, we should send out the big ships and have more soldiers use bows and crossbows to shoot the enemy into the water to avoid close combat with them!"

Gao Fan frowned when he heard that Guan Tong dared to refute him, "Do you rely on your position as the eldest son's subordinate to give me instructions?"

Gao Fan was now a prefect with a salary of two thousand stones, while Guan Tong was previously just a general under Yuan Tan.

If Yuan Shao had not known that Guan Tong was proficient in naval warfare and temporarily promoted him to deputy commander of the navy, the identities of the two would have been very different!

Guan Tong lowered his head quickly: "I dare not!"

"It's just that I came from humble beginnings. When I was young, I also went to the south to beg for food. I know how powerful the southern navy is, so I advise the general not to fight with them in close combat!"

"Although both the southern and northern navies are called navies, their fighting methods are very different! The southern navies often ride on rough seas and prefer to fight on bumpy waters; while the northern navies only use boats and fortresses on the shore to control the waterways and intercept the enemy infantry... If we were to fight the Jingzhou navy on the water now, I'm afraid we would suffer a great loss!"

Guan Tong also advised: "I was born in a humble family, but fortunately, the eldest son promoted me to become a general leading soldiers. Now, the eldest son and I have come from Qingzhou to fight against the enemy, because this battle is a war that threatens the survival of the Yuan family! Therefore, I only want to repel the enemy and defend the territory for the eldest son, and I have absolutely no other thoughts!"

Seeing Guan Tong's sincerity, Gao Fan's frown gradually relaxed.

Because Yuan Shao exiled Yuan Tan to Qingzhou and doted on his youngest son Yuan Shang the most, Gao Fan began to curry favor with Yuan Shang early on and did not want to see Yuan Tan.

"I didn't expect that there is someone as sensible as you under the command of the eldest master."

However, Gao Fan was still stubborn: "Although I have never been to the south, I am very familiar with the waterways in the north! I don't need you to teach me how to fight! You just need to follow orders!"

Guan Tong was panicking and wanted to dissuade them, but was interrupted by Gao Fan's look. He had no choice but to obediently order the Qingzhou navy under his command to go and prepare.

At this moment, Sima Yi and Liu Bei were also riding on a fighting ship together.

Seeing that Yuan's army was only attacking with small boats, the two men immediately guessed what the opposing general Yuan was thinking -

"They are going to rush up and engage in close combat with our army!"

Sima Yi asked Liu Bei worriedly, "Are these soldiers from Jingzhou under your command good at close combat? Don't let them get too close and break their formation."

"Hahaha! Don't panic, Zhongda!"

Liu Bei laughed, pulled Sima Yi into his arms, and pointed at the boats excitedly.

"Most of these naval warriors were trained by Xingba!"

“Although they are not as good as Xingba’s personal soldiers, they are still brave and valiant!”

"If it was the navy from Jiangdong, I might still hesitate. But now it's just the navy from Hebei... Hehe, Zhongda, you and I are both from Hebei, and we know our own business. We can only fish and catch shrimps in small rivers. How can we compare with these men from Jingzhou who have lived on boats since childhood?"

"Zhongda, since Yuan Shao has sent these soldiers here, why don't we also send soldiers on ships and boats to engage them as soon as possible?"

Sima Yi had also heard of Gan Ning and knew that he was a former thief.

Born as a thief, he is the most violent.

It is precisely this kind of violence that is being tested in close combat.

Now the soldiers of Jingzhou are good at steering, and with the training of Gan Ning, they are not afraid of hand-to-hand combat with the soldiers of Yuan army.

Sima Yi was still shy after all, and with the psychological trauma left by a certain emperor, he really couldn't stand Liu Bei's constant pressure...

Twisting his body to break free from Liu Bei's embrace, Sima Yi bowed to Liu Bei and said, "Uncle, although the emperor has ordered me to lead the army, I still have to rely on you and the generals in this battle."

"I am not good at strategy, and I cannot match my uncle's conquests. Therefore, all arrangements will be directed by my uncle, and I will never interfere... Ouch!"

Sima Yi was also from the north, and he didn't know how to keep the boat stable. He didn't notice it and threw himself into Liu Bei's arms...

Liu Bei did not push Sima Yi away, but took the initiative to embrace him: "Zhongda, be careful!"

"But what Zhongda said before was a bit too polite! Since the emperor has asked you to lead the army, you can just lead the army with peace of mind! I, Liu Bei, will definitely obey your command!"

Liu Bei had obviously learned his lesson in the previous battle of Yingshui. "At that time, Kong Ming advised me, but I didn't listen, which almost led to a great defeat. Now I shouldn't make the same mistake again!"

"And Zhongda, you are too modest when you say you don't know strategy! Kong Ming often told me that you are the only one who has the best strategy and command around the emperor, and you are even better than him! If you don't know strategy, then there is no one in the world who knows strategy!"

"Uncle, Kong Ming is too modest. It doesn't count."

Sima Yi struggled again to break free from Liu Bei's embrace, but at this moment his feet were unstable again, and he leaned directly on Liu Bei's strong chest...

Forget it...

Sima Yi was feeling a little uncomfortable due to the rocking of the boat, so he simply lay in Liu Bei's arms like a salted fish.

"Zhongda."

Liu Bei suddenly remembered something at this moment.

"My child is almost born. How about you become his godfather in the future?"

Sima Yi's eyes widened: "How can this be done?"

"Don't worry! It will definitely work! Kong Ming has already agreed to be my child's adoptive father! He will be taken care of by the two of you, and with the help of uncles Yun Chang, Yi De, Zi Long, etc., I can rest assured!"

Liu Bei said this with some emotion: "When the Grand Master was still alive, I once visited him. At that time, I didn't understand why the Grand Master, who was obviously a veteran of the battlefield and a well-known important official, was so protective of his own son Wansheng. He was really like a woman... Now that I have a son in my old age, I suddenly understand the Grand Master's feelings back then. He always wanted to have someone to take care of his son! Now as long as the child is safe, I can rest assured on the battlefield!"

"If Zhongda could help look after me today, I would be able to put my mind at ease!"

Seeing that Liu Bei was full of enthusiasm just now but now looked sad, Sima Yi was afraid that Liu Bei would be absent-minded during the battle, so he quickly agreed.

"Uncle, rest assured. I will take responsibility for this matter!"

Liu Bei was immediately overjoyed: "If that's the case, I have nothing to worry about!"

"Zhongda, you stay here and watch me go and kill the enemy myself!"

After saying that, Liu Bei actually ran to the side of the deck with a bow and arrow and started fighting with the bow!
At this moment, Yuan's warships and boats had also rushed up.

It was not beyond Guan Tong's expectations.

Although they are both naval forces, the ways in which the navies of the North and the South fight are completely different!
When the same wave came over, the soldiers of Jingzhou stood still, while the soldiers of Hebei suddenly stumbled, causing the Han army to laugh: "You can't even handle such a small wave. If it reaches the Yangtze River, you will be scared to death!"

The Hebei soldiers could not bear the humiliation, so they gritted their teeth, picked up their short blades and rushed forward, resolutely carrying out Gao Fan's order to engage in close combat with the Han army.

The Han army saw the enemy's weakness clearly. Even if there were no waves, they still stepped on the planks and kept shaking the boat to tease the Hebei soldiers.

The soldiers from Hebei couldn’t even stand steadily, so how could they fight?

After only a quarter of an hour, the first batch of Yuan army soldiers who rushed forward were completely wiped out by the Han army, no one escaped!

Guan Tong was so upset watching from behind that he quickly came up to Gao Fan and asked, "General! Pull back all those warships and boats! Otherwise, no matter how many you send, they will just be thrown into the river to feed the fish!"

At this moment, Gao Fan actually knew that he had made a mistake.

But when he thought that he would be punished by Yuan Shao for this matter when he returned, he hesitated for a moment and was reluctant to give the order.

"General Gao!"

Guan Tong thought Gao Fan did not realize his mistake, so he called out to him again.

But when he saw the beads of sweat on Gao Fan's forehead due to nervousness and his trembling fists, a flash of enlightenment appeared in his eyes.

"General! Please send a large ship to pick us up as soon as possible! When we return, General Gao can tell Lord Yuan that it was my idea to use small boats for close combat!"

Gao Fan was shocked when he heard this and looked at Guan Tong in surprise.

But when Gao Fan saw the sincerity in Guan Tong's eyes, a feeling of shame surged up from the bottom of his heart, evaporating all the sweat he had just produced.

"Asshole! Do I need you to take the blame?"

Gao Fan no longer hesitated, and finally issued an order to the battleships in the rear: "Go up! Let the soldiers shoot arrows to suppress the enemy!"

Guan Tong was relieved for a moment when he saw Gao Fan was finally sent on board the big ship.

I don't know.

Just opposite.

Seeing that Yuan army's large ships had begun to mobilize, countless Han army generals smiled knowingly at the same time.

Zhang Fei stood on a battleship and patted the Zhuge Liannu and small Thunderbolt Chariot that were loaded on board beside him.

"I'm waiting for you!"

(End of this chapter)