Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 507 Yangtze River Naval Battle
"put!"

"Boom bang bang..."

As the lingering heat of late September gradually subsided, temperatures along the Yangtze River began to drop.

The Han army soldiers from the north, who were not originally adapted to the southern climate, gradually adapted as the weather got colder.

Once they adapted to the climate of the Jianghuai region, their offensive against the four cities north of the Yangtze River became increasingly fierce. Liang Zuan could only begin to arrange for the Anhui naval forces to move closer to Huangzhou, waiting to cross the river and withdraw their troops back to Hunan.

Meanwhile, the Yangtze River naval forces in Jiangxia and Hanyang, under the leadership of Gao Jie, continuously used catapults and winch crossbows to cover their own troops inside Hanyang, constantly engaging the besieging Han army from a distance.

On the Yangtze River, which is about two miles wide, there are countless warships, such as tower ships, warships, junks, swift boats, and fire boats, totaling more than two hundred.

The main ship, a tower ship, was over two zhang high and eight or nine zhang long. In addition to the tower turrets used for command, the top floor also had various winches, crossbows, and several small catapults.

Although it was a small catapult, it was able to continuously attack and contain the 20,000 Han troops besieging Hanyang City, thanks to its proximity to the Yangtze River.

There were many boats equipped with winches, crossbows, or small catapults, which stretched across the river like a dark mass, seemingly obscuring the entire Yangtze River.

If their boats were linked together, they could directly pave a "bridge" for the defenders of Hanyang to the south bank of the Yangtze River. This is why the defenders of Hanyang have been reluctant to retreat and have been entangled with the Han army.

Their aim was simply to deplete the Han army's manpower, thus giving them time and resources to prepare for the subsequent campaign in Jiangnan.

Cao Mao, who was in charge of the Han army outside Hanyang at this time, was naturally very clear about the intentions of the Southern Tang navy.

He remained unmoved by this situation, simply because he had already received military orders from Jiangling City.

What he needs to do now is to continue to hold back the Southern Tang army in Hanyang and wait for an opportunity to annihilate them here.

"Damn it, those rebels have retreated to their camp again!"

On the large multi-story ship on the Yangtze River, Gao Jie, who was in charge of commanding the Jiangxia Navy, couldn't help but curse under his breath, and then looked at the generals behind him.

"Pass down the order: have the brothers on the south bank cook meat and let them eat their fill!"

"Yes!!"

Without hesitation, the group agreed and then dispatched a small boat to Jiangxia on the south bank of the Yangtze River.

As the Han army retreated, the Southern Tang troops on each warship relaxed their guard and began to rest in their cabins.

As the sun began to set in the west, it gradually disappeared into the western plains, while the aroma of meat and food wafted from the warships.

With Jiangxia and the entire Hunan province at their backs, their many demands naturally had to be met in order to get them to focus on the war.

As they feasted on meat, the sky gradually darkened. The only visible lights were the fires of the boats on the Yangtze River, the fires of the two cities of Hanyang and Jiangxia on both banks, and the fires burning at the Han army camp next to Hanyang.

More than two hundred warships remained quietly anchored on the river, letting the Yangtze River flow eastward without moving.

Falling asleep to the sound of the river crashing against the hull—this has been the daily routine for the Southern Tang navy soldiers for over a month.

That's why no one noticed anything was wrong, and no one felt uneasy.

Even Gao Jie, the naval commander who had already been warned by Gao Pian, was now completely drunk and fast asleep with the delicate woman beside him.

As time passed, the first day of the tenth month arrived as agreed, and the soldiers of the Southern Tang navy got up one after another, waiting for the Han army to attack the city again.

The fog on the river gradually dissipated, but just as the fog was dissipating, specks of "black spots" began to appear on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, surging downstream.

"Ok?"

The Southern Tang naval soldiers observing from the watchtower noticed something amiss, and before they could continue to observe, someone had already blown a wooden whistle.

"Beep--"

"Enemy attack!!"

In an instant, countless whistles sounded one after another, waking up all the generals and soldiers who were still resting.

Gao Jie practically tumbled and crawled out of the cabin. Before he could even ask what had happened, he could already see countless black dots floating downstream from his vantage point.

Those weren't black dots, but warships.

"Hahaha, they didn't even choose a good time for a sneak attack. It seems Uncle overestimated them!"

"By imperial decree, the entire army prepares to engage the rebel navy!!"

Although Gao Jie's mind was foggy and confused, he still saw the scene of the sun rising and the fog dissipating.

For him, if he were to choose to launch a sneak attack, he would definitely choose a time when the fog is thick, rather than a time as clear as this.

Gao Pian's instructions to him were immediately forgotten; he felt that he finally had a chance to show his skills.

He began to command the navy to prepare to meet the enemy, while the Han navy, sailing down the river, with its mottled hulls and seemingly having just experienced several major battles, was all on high alert.

Each of them was only wearing breastplates and seemed completely unprepared for close combat.

Standing at the bow of the large Fujian ship, Geng Ming watched as the two sides gradually closed in. He immediately waved his command flag: "Drop anchor, prepare for a broadside volley!"

Under his orders, nearly two hundred warships dropped anchor, while the twelve large Fujian ships, which were the main warships, continued to move forward until they reached the vanguard position from the center. Only then did the sailors on board press down the anchor-dropping mechanism.

In an instant, the huge iron anchors fell into the river and dragged along the riverbed for nearly a hundred steps before finally getting caught on the riverbed.

The twelve large Fujian ships had already reached the forefront of the fleet, only two or three hundred paces away from the Southern Tang navy.

At this point, the sailors on board began to row and paddle, using the river current to expose the sides of the warship.

The planks on the hulls began to be peeled away layer by layer, revealing six dark cannon muzzles on the sides of each ship.

The flag bearers waved their flags continuously, and Geng Ming, who had commanded the navy and experienced several battles, still could not hide his excitement.

"Beep--"

After he blew the wooden whistle, the artillerymen behind each cannon instantly lit the fuses and roared as they assembled the Southern Tang navy, preparing to engage them in close combat.

"Boom!"

The wind surged violently over the Yangtze River, causing ripples to spread across the water.

In an instant, the cannonballs fired rained down on the more than two hundred ships of the Southern Tang navy.

"Bang!!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Those are rebel catapults! Don't panic, prepare to fight back!!"

In an instant, several cannonballs struck the mast of the warship, breaking it in two. The hull was pierced through by the shells, and the sailors running on board were also blown to pieces.

Just a second ago they were talking, but in the blink of an eye the other person was smashed into pieces, blood and flesh splattering all over his body.

The impact of the iron cannonballs was far greater than that of any catapult. Many soldiers collapsed and cried out, and Gao Jie was completely stunned.

"Scatter! All warships, scatter and converge on them! Catapults and crossbows, prepare to return fire!!"

After realizing what was happening, Gao Jie quickly ordered the boats to disperse, no longer serving as live targets for the Han navy.

As they dispersed, the Han warships also turned their sides around, and the more than seventy cannons on the sides of the twelve Fujian ships were aimed at the Southern Tang navy's warships under the calibration of the artillerymen.

"Beep--"

"Boom!!"

As expected, the shells whistled and struck the masts of many ships, or tore the sails apart, and crashed onto the decks, bouncing around as ricochets.

It may seem harmless, but a mere graze can cause injury, and a direct hit can be fatal. Sailors tried to dodge it, but many still perished instantly.

"Scatter! Boats, scatter immediately!"

"Beep--"

Under Gao Jie's command, the warships that had received orders had already dispersed, causing the Han navy's hit rate to decrease, with only five or six cannonballs hitting the warships and sailors.

During the brief respite, the Southern Tang navy, having recovered, began to retaliate with catapults and winches, but the effect was not significant.

The Han army's navy had long since dispersed, with the exception of twelve large Fujian ships that remained stationary, the rest of the warships were outside the attack range of the Southern Tang navy.

Although many chisel-shaped arrows hit the twelve large Fujian ships, they could not penetrate their thick hulls.

Despite its seemingly battered hull, the ship had not actually suffered a fatal blow. The artillerymen inside the ship calmly moved the cannons back along the rails after the shelling, cleaned the breech, and reloaded the shells.

Every half-cup of tea's time, they would change sides of the ship, push the cannons to the muzzle of the hull, wait for orders, light the fuses, and then fire at the approaching Southern Tang navy.

The turbulent Yangtze River has now become the main battlefield for both sides.

The Southern Tang armies in Jiangxia and Hanyang, as well as the Han army outside Hanyang, also paid attention to this place. They waved flags and shouted and beat drums to cheer on their own navy, whether they were on the city wall or outside the city.

The Han army's cannons roared incessantly, and each blast excited the 20,000 Han soldiers outside the city, making them feel as if their blood was boiling.

"put!"

"Boom——"

As the two sides drew closer, their respective accuracy improved. The chisel arrows from the winch crossbows even pierced the hulls of the Han army's large Fu ships, while the Han army's cannonballs were hitting from multiple directions.

"Damn it, how come the rebels' warships are so huge?!"

As they drew closer, Gao Jie realized that the Han army's warships were a size larger than his own warships, and even their heights differed by nearly seven or eight feet.

"Change to shotgun shells and fire!"

As the Southern Tang navy drew ever closer, Geng Ming calmly gave orders. At this moment, the gunners on each of the large Fujian ships began to replace the five-pound iron cannonballs with more than twenty iron pellets of varying sizes.

As the whistle blew, the seventy-odd cannons on the broadside fired simultaneously, unleashing over a thousand shells that instantly riddled the approaching Southern Tang warships with holes. Sailors on the decks were killed instantly, their blood flowing everywhere.

Gao Jie commanded the Mengchong, Mengchong, and Zouge to rush forward in an attempt to seize the deck, while he led the tower ships to attack continuously from a distance of more than a hundred paces using winches, crossbows, and small catapults.

Seeing this, Geng Ming simply ordered: "The warships behind, lower your anchor and use the rams to deal with these warships, and cover the large Fu ship as it lowers its anchor!"

"Yes!!" Upon hearing Geng Ming's military order, the left and right captains ordered the flag bearers to wave their flags.

In an instant, the warships behind began to row and reel in their anchors, while the twelve large Fu ships surrounded by Mengchong, Mengchong, and Zouge used weapons such as wolf-tooth scythes and sword carts on their decks to block the Southern Tang sailors who were preparing to board the ships.

The heavy wolf-tooth mace, weighing hundreds of pounds, slammed down, and the sailor who was hit immediately fell into the river, his flesh mangled and bloody.

Such sailors were not isolated cases; their blood almost stained this section of the Yangtze River red.

Before they could board the ships, 160 warships of various types behind the Han army retracted their anchors and began to sail down the river, using their rams to ram these small and medium-sized warships such as the Mengchong, Mengchong, and Zouge.

"Uuuuuu——"

"boom!!"

"Hey, hold the ship steady!"

"Avoid their ramming angles! Quick!!"

As the horns sounded, more than twenty large Fujian ships, each with a capacity of two thousand tons, which were about the same size as the gunboats, rammed and overturned all the boats that stood in their way, as if crushing debris, and even crushed them directly into the hull.

Upon seeing this, the sailors jumped into the water to escape, using the buoyancy of their paper armor to quickly run to the boats on either side for refuge.

Faced with the collision of hundreds of warships sailing downstream, these sailors were constantly tossed about by the river. Even if they were lucky enough to be rescued onto their own warships, they would soon face the ramming of the Han army's warships.

"Uh-huh!"

"boom!!"

"So-and-so surrenders! So-and-so surrenders..."

The screams and the crashing of ships echoed continuously. Relying on their larger size, the Han army's Fujian ships were like a torrent on the water, instantly burying all the warships, junks, and small boats that tried to use the gunwales.

Countless sailors lingered on the water, barely clinging to life in the gaps between Han warships, constantly pleading for surrender.

Some even chose to use the buoyancy of the paper armor to swim vigorously towards the south bank of the Yangtze River or to distant ships.

At the same time, the twelve cannon-equipped Fujian ships reeled in their anchors and began to charge towards the thirty-odd multi-story ships.

"Withdraw! Withdraw back to Dongting Lake!"

Seeing the overwhelming defeat in the battle, Gao Jie could no longer care about the allied forces in Hanyang and had no choice but to retreat into Dongting Lake, preparing to use the lake's mouth to block the Han army's navy from entering.

However, their retreat speed was clearly not as fast as the speed at which the large ship pursued them.

Before long, the large Fu ship rammed through all the warships blocking its way and charged into the ranks of the Southern Tang navy's warships.

Gao Jie felt a chill run down his spine, and then he saw the muzzles of the Han army's cannons suddenly lower...

"Boom!!"

In an instant, thousands of iron pellets the size of quail eggs swept across the left and right, riddling the warship with holes. None of the sailors on the deck survived; they all screamed and died.

Seeing this, Gao Jie could only order his soldiers to raise their shields to protect him on either side, and continue to direct the warships to retreat into Dongting Lake.

Seeing the main ship retreat, the Southern Tang navy's warships began to retreat to Dongting Lake, while Geng Ming waved his command flags and directed his hundreds of warships to expand the victory.

"Warships retreat, set fire to the ships!"

"Woooooooo..."

"Fireships, prepare!!"

In an instant, countless large ships weighing thousands of tons launched small boats resembling the Ming Dynasty's eagle ships.

These small boats have narrow, pointed bows, allowing for the use of both sails and oars. The boats are also piled high with wooden barrels, some of which have connecting lines.

Only two soldiers were needed to row them, and they were significantly faster than the small boats of the Southern Tang navy.

More than a hundred fire ships began to rush down the river towards the warships that were several times their size, operated by soldiers. When they were about to reach the warships, two soldiers immediately abandoned their oars and lit the fuses on the wooden barrels with torches.

Before the Southern Tang navy could react, the Han soldiers jumped into the water, while the fire ships, propelled by the river current, rushed toward them.

In an instant, countless fire ships collided with the ships of the Southern Tang navy in the waterway leading to Dongting Lake, but nothing happened.

As they trembled with fear, the fuses in the wooden barrels burned out, and then countless sparks burst forth on the surface of the river in an instant.

"Boom!"

The fire barrel, with gunpowder as its core and grease as its shell, ignited the grease the moment the gunpowder exploded. The flying grease caused the entire waterway to burn, including the boats.

Many soldiers who fell into the water were covered with large pieces of burning tar floating on the surface, and instantly let out shrill screams.

The towering flames seemed to dispel even the winter chill, and Gao Jie, who was at the forefront of the retreat, undoubtedly escaped this calamity.

But in his eyes, dozens or even hundreds of warships were engulfed in flames, and countless sailors tried to jump into the water to escape, but the water and the ships were burning with fire.

Some people choose to make a drastic decision, jumping into the water and not surfacing, instead trying to swim out of the area in one breath.

Others used broken planks as small boats in an attempt to escape to the shore.

Regardless of their choices, most of them perished in the inferno, while the Han army's warships, seemingly out of nowhere, ceased firing their cannons at the ships from a distance, causing the grease to continue to splatter and the flames to spread.

"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard..."

Gao Jie stared at the scene before him, felt his vision go black, and fainted from anger.

"Brothers, the navy has won! Now it's our turn to recapture Hanyang!"

“Woohoo!!”

Meanwhile, Cao Mao, seeing his side win the naval battle, immediately ordered the Han army to launch a fierce attack on the walls of Hanyang.

The defenders in Hanyang watched helplessly as their navy was defeated and retreated into Dongting Lake, abandoning themselves. Before they could even react, they saw the Han army preparing to attack the city.

"No need to pursue them. First, use artillery to breach the walls of Hanyang and capture the city!"

Geng Ming did not pursue Gao Jie not only because the waterways leading into Dongting Lake were polluted by petroleum, but also because the large Fu boat had difficulty moving around at the mouth of Dongting Lake.

What he needs to do now is help Cao Mao capture Hanyang City and then rush to the aid of Wang Shi in Huangzhou.

"Uuuuuu——"

The bugle calls sounded one after another. Under Geng Ming's command, the Han army warships began to rescue the Southern Tang sailors who were still alive on the river and bring them ashore, then captured and imprisoned them.

Twelve gunboats equipped with cannons began bombarding Hanyang City. The bombardment lasted from noon until dusk. Gao Jie, who had hastily retreated to Dongting Lake, immediately sent men to block the mouth of Dongting Lake with iron chains after regaining his senses, and sent a fast horse to Gao Pian in Jiangdong to request reinforcements.

While he was seeking help from Jiangdong, Geng Ming helped Cao Mao capture Hanyang City in just two days. He then continued down the river, completely cutting off the lifeline of Liang Zuan's more than 30,000 troops in Huangzhou.

"Release!" "Bang bang bang—"

On the third day of the tenth month, when Geng Ming led his warships across the Yangtze River into the Sheshui River and began bombarding Huangpo City, Liang Zuan inside the city had already received news of Gao Jie's disastrous defeat on the Yangtze River.

Zhang Ji's Anhui naval forces dared not come to their aid, meaning that his 30,000 troops in Huangpo and Huanggang were now completely isolated.

"How long will the food in the city last..."

Listening to the continuous sound of cannons, Liang Zuan asked the military advisor in front of him with a gloomy expression.

After stammering for a long time, he finally said, "We still have enough food for half a year, but the firewood in the city is only enough for two months."

"If Huangpo is like this, then Huanggang can't be much better..."

Faced with the answer to enlist, Liang Zuan felt his mood sink even more, and he couldn't help but say, "I should have died long ago. Now that I can help King Gao wear down Liu Jilong's troops at Huangpo, it is worth dying for."

"Pass down the order: the city stands, we stand; the city falls, we die!"

"Think of their relatives in Jiangnan. If we don't defend them, then our relatives will have to defend them to the death."

"If we die here, King Gao will surely not mistreat our families. We should repay King Gao's kindness by dying in battle!"

Liang Zuan expressed his idea, and the military advisor immediately agreed. He then ordered the banner soldiers to relay the message to all the troops in the city.

Unfortunately, the soldiers in the city did not have Liang Zuan's awareness; for them, being a soldier and getting food was simply a matter of survival.

Now that Huangpo is besieged, if reinforcements do not arrive soon, the people's morale will inevitably waver.

This principle was understood not only by them, but also by Liang Zuan, the commander-in-chief, yet he still ordered his troops to hold out to the death and refuse to surrender.

Faced with their fierce resistance, Geng Ming and Wang Shi decided to use artillery shells to show them the strength of the Han army.

From the third day of the tenth month, Huangpo City was constantly being repaired and patched up, while Liu Jilong had already transferred Cao Mao's troops, who had occupied Hanyang, back to the city.

Before the Jiangxia naval battle, the counties of Gong'an and others in the southern part of the Yangtze River had been captured by Geng Ming using artillery.

Now, to hold onto their gains, they only have Cao Mao's 20,000-plus troops and the 10,000-plus new soldiers in Jiangling City available.

Liu Jilong sent Cao Mao across the river to defend the counties along the river. Yu Gongchu, who was supposed to lead his troops to eastern Guizhou, could only rely on the Lishui River for defense after learning that Gong'an and other counties had been lost. At the same time, he sent a fast horse to Gao Pian in Jiangdong to beg for reinforcements.

As he pleaded for reinforcements, Lu Ruyue, on the Guizhou battlefield, gradually felt the pressure.

After more than twenty days of fierce attack, Tada Castle, which was known as an impregnable fortress, has now become dilapidated. Many gaps in the city wall have been filled with sandbags by Lu Ruyue, leaving it riddled with holes.

Of the more than 24,000 Southern Tang troops in the city, only less than 20,000 remained. Wang Jian, on the other hand, continuously transferred troops from Jiannan Road, keeping the front-line army at 30,000.

Faced with the Han army's almost relentless artillery bombardment and their repeated tunneling attacks, Lu Ruyue finally chose to abandon Duotian City and retreat to Fuyang City in the rear.

"Brother Xing, they've probably retreated to Fuyang, but Fuyang is not like Duotian. We can take it down in three to five days at most!"

Inside the ruined Tada Castle, Wang Jian smelled the gunpowder in the air, and heard Wang Zhi's slightly excited voice in his ear.

"After capturing the two cities of Fuyang and Dushang, we will be able to surround Suiyang, the current capital of central Guizhou."

"If Lu Ruyue were to retreat again at that time, he would only be able to retreat to Juzhou in the south, and we would then be able to take advantage of the situation to recover all the prefectures and counties north of the Qian River."

Wang Jian spoke eloquently, then asked, "How many of our troops have been killed or wounded these past few days?"

“Three thousand four hundred and seventy-four people,” Wang Zhi answered without hesitation, then added:
"After all, they are new recruits who have been trained for less than eight months. It is not surprising that there are more casualties. Moreover, our army has captured four states and is about to capture the fifth. Your Highness should not blame you, should you?"

"It's not that I'm worried about Your Highness's wrath," Wang Jian shook his head, rejecting the conjecture, and sighed.
"Someone was worried that too many people would die or be wounded in Guizhou, so that they would be unable to attack Hunan and Lingxi."

When Wang Zhi heard him say this, he couldn't help but click his tongue and said, "If Your Highness could give us tens of thousands more troops, we might be able to recover all of Qianzhong, Lingxi and Annam."

Wang Jian did not answer, but simply strolled around the ruined Tada Castle before saying, "Your Highness has ordered our army not to pursue them, which clearly means you want these rebels to take the people south with them."

"You have seen the situation in central Guizhou. It is mostly mountains and rivers with little flat land. Although I am the governor of central Guizhou, I would certainly not be happy if I had to serve here all year round."

"If one cannot seek more merits, one will certainly not have a place in future promotions."

"No way?" Wang Zhi said in disbelief.
"Now, apart from Lord Wang, Xing Ge is the highest-ranking general among the troops who was surrendered. His Highness will consider Xing Ge no matter what."

"I hope so." Wang Jian was still somewhat unsure of himself, a lack of confidence stemming from his background as a surrendered general.

Even though Liu Jilong was magnanimous, he occasionally felt inferior to those generals from Longyou.

That's why he kept thinking about how to achieve great things and how to advance further.

"Reorganize the three armies and set off tomorrow to attack Fuyang. We must take all the prefectures and counties north of the Qian River before the end of the month!"

"Yes!!"

Under Wang Jian's command, 30,000 Han soldiers and more than 70,000 civilians continued their advance towards Suiyang.

At the same time, news of Wang Jian's recapture of Feizhou and his advance on Yizhou also reached Jiangling City.

Liu Jilong was naturally very satisfied with the Han army's success in conquering cities and seizing territory on multiple fronts.

The arrival of winter in Jiangling City made Liu Jilong feel comfortable. Although it was a bit damp and cold, he could bear it.

"At this rate, Wang Jian will be able to recover the eight prefectures north of the Qian River by the end of the month. It's just unknown how many people he can keep and how many he can relocate to the south of the Qian River."

Looking at the Yangtze River on the sand table, Liu Jilong pulled up the flags of Yizhou and Suiyang and put the two flags back on.

The two flags read "Guizhou" and "Guiyang" respectively, so Zhao Ying asked upon seeing them, "Does Your Highness intend to change the name of this place?"

"This place is Han territory, why is it called barbarian land?"

Liu Jilong chuckled in response, and then said, "Few dynasties have been willing to invest money and grain in the development of this central Guizhou region before, but if our dynasty wants to conquer Dali in the future, we will have to go through this place."

"Gao Pian relocated hundreds of thousands of people into central Guizhou and slaughtered many ancient barbarians, which saved our army a lot of trouble."

"However, the southwest is vast, and countless Miao, Yao and other ethnic groups live in the mountains, streams and valleys. Simply slaughtering them will not wipe them out. We still need to find a way to relocate them to the Central Plains to replenish the population of the Central Plains."

"The imperial edict ordered Wang Jian to, after taking over Qianzhong, deploy earthworkers and gunpowder to continuously open up mountain roads, cut down trees along the way, and set up post stations every ten li. Each post station must have a granary capable of storing a thousand shi of grain. If a city is to be repaired, it should be expanded."

The relocation of Han Chinese to the southwest and the relocation of Yi people from the southwest to the Central Plains was indeed harsh on the Han Chinese who were relocated to the southwest, but it was something that could not be done.

Without the migration of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, this vast land in the southwest would never have belonged to the Han dynasty, a fact that can be seen from the Han dynasty to the present day.

If, during the height of the Han Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of people were frequently relocated to the southwest, given the population situation in the southwest at that time, the assimilation of Han people into barbarian cultures would probably not have occurred.

Lost in thought, Liu Jilong instructed Zhao Ying: "Send an imperial edict to Luoyang, ordering them to dispatch students from Guanzhong and Dongchuan to the Qianzhong government office."

To govern central Guizhou, we still need students from the Dongchuan region. Although many places in central Guizhou are cool in summer, that is only true for the few prefectures near Dali. The other prefectures are still somewhat hot and humid.

If officials from the north were appointed, they would likely suffer greatly from the local climate, ranging from serious illness to death.

Of course, the solution to this problem is simple: just keep cutting down trees.

The so-called cold miasma and hot miasma are nothing more than altitude sickness and toxic gases emitted by the humid and hot decay of plants.

As human activity began, the swamps, no longer sheltered by trees, became land and were subsequently cultivated into farmland.

Those trees were used to build houses, make furniture, or burn as firewood.

Feudal dynasties used very crude methods to relocate people, resulting in a consistently high number of deaths and injuries along the migration route.

In the early Tang Dynasty, seven or eight out of ten people who were relocated to Lingnan died. By the Ming Dynasty, the death rate had barely reached five or six out of ten, and it was not until the Qing Dynasty that it was barely reduced to three or four out of ten.

The reason for this is that with the large number of migrants and the many deaths, people have accumulated experience.

Liu Jilong started the population migration in Longyou, and the mortality rate of the people was not high under his leadership because he had prepared everything.

He considered all the issues along the way, such as food, herbs, roads, and doctors. Although the cost of this migration was relatively high, it was much better than risking people's lives to make mistakes.

If Wang Jian had followed his imperial edict, the mortality rate of the people who moved to central Guizhou would have been significantly reduced.

As he was lost in thought, someone strode into the Sizheng Hall. Liu Jilong looked closely and saw that it was Jing Xiang, the former Imperial Diarist.

"Your Highness, our army has captured Huanggang and Wankou, and nearly 10,000 rebels have surrendered."

Jing Xiang respectfully walked up to Liu Jilong and handed him the military report.

Liu Jilong took the document and examined it. After confirming that it was correct, he nodded and said, "Now, only Huangpo remains as an isolated city in Jiangbei. With Wang Shi and Geng Ming joining forces, Liang Zuan won't be able to hold out for long."

"Judging by the time, Gao Qianli should have taken Muzhou and is preparing to attack eastern Zhejiang, right?"

"The question now is whether he will return to reinforce Hunan or grit his teeth and continue the attack on eastern Zhejiang."

He wasn't sure what Gao Pian would do, after all, he wasn't Gao Pian, and Gao Pian wasn't him.

The intelligence on both sides was inconsistent, but once Gao Pian learned that he had a powerful navy, he would probably consider how to protect Hunan and Jiangxi.

"Keep a close eye on him. I want to see if Gao Qianli's composure is unshakeable."

Liu Jilong gave a brief instruction and then turned to walk towards the side hall, while Jing Xiang and Zhao Ying could only bow and offer their gifts.

After he disappeared, the Han army continued its triumphant advance for the next few days.

Wang Jian successively captured Fuyang and Dushang, and his army was heading straight for Suiyang. Meanwhile, Lu Ruyue evacuated all the civilians who could be evacuated, preparing to retreat to Juzhou to continue the tug-of-war with Wang Jian.

Yu Gongchu was reinforcing the Lishui River defense line, while Gao Jie was hiding in Dongting Lake, and Liang Zuan continued to hold Huangpo to the death.

Faced with the lack of reinforcements, Cai Xi of Annam had no choice but to grit his teeth and resist the invasion of You Shilong and Duan Zongbang.

At the same time, just as Liu Jilong had predicted, Gao Pian had already captured Muzhou and even marched overland into Hangzhou.

Song Wei, Dong Chang, and Yang Xingmin retreated to Yuezhou, but Yuezhou was indefensible and it was only a matter of time before it was recaptured by Gao Pian.

At this time, he had not yet received intelligence from the rear, so he was quite pleased with himself after taking Hangzhou.

"There are only two prefectures left in eastern Zhejiang. Yuezhou is easy to attack but difficult to defend, while only Mingzhou can be considered easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"Even so, our army's gunpowder can still take Mingzhou. Then I'll see where these rats can escape to!"

Inside the Hangzhou government office, despite his arrogance, Gao Pian couldn't help but glance at the map behind him, pointing towards Hunan and Guizhou, after he finished speaking.

As he looked at the map, Wang Chongren hurriedly walked into the Hangzhou government office and then bowed to Gao Pian.

"what happened?"

Seeing his unpleasant expression, Gao Pian had a vague sense of foreboding.

"King Gao, the Han army has entered Hunan and has now occupied four cities, including Gong'an."

"Yu Lang led 20,000 troops to build city walls along the Li River in an attempt to block the Han army from advancing south."

"Wang Jian led his army to capture our Yizhou. I'm afraid he will soon take Bozhou and occupy the eight prefectures north of the Qian River."

"Furthermore, your earlier prediction was indeed correct. The Han navy was powerful, with not only larger ships than ours, but also the use of similar iron cannons on board. Our navy suffered a crushing defeat at Jiangxia, with only less than a hundred warships and nearly ten thousand sailors retreating to Dongting Lake, suffering tens of thousands of casualties."

"Hanyang, Huanggang, and Wankou have all fallen in succession, and now only Huangpo in Lianglang is still desperately holding on, but..."

Before Wang Zhongren could finish speaking, Gao Pian had already guessed everything.

Not only were the eight prefectures north of the Yangtze River lost, but the eight prefectures in western and northern Guizhou were also lost one after another, and now the Han army has landed in Hunan.

The distance from Gong'an to Changsha, the capital of Tanzhou, is only four hundred li. If the Han army were to head straight for Changsha, the court left behind in Changsha would surely fall to the rebel leader.

"Father, should we go back to help now?"

"King Gao, let's go back to Hunan to provide aid. His Majesty and the court are still in Changsha."

Gao Qin and Wang Zhongren tried to persuade Gao Pian, who also felt a moment of disorientation.

He originally thought the Jiangbei and Qianzhong defense lines could hold out for several months, but they collapsed in less than two months.

With such a powerful navy, it was only a matter of time before troops were transported south.

The weather in the south will take at least four more months to return to its scorching heat, and four months is enough time for them to sweep through the currently depleted Hunan and Jiangxi provinces.

He might have to withdraw his troops, but Zhejiang was right in front of him, and he couldn't bear to leave.

"By imperial decree, the three armies shall break camp tomorrow and attack Yuezhou. Within half a month, capture Yuezhou and Mingzhou, and then return to Jiangxi!"

Gao Pian spoke firmly, but Wang Zhongren and Gao Qin looked grim in response to his words.

Seeing the two hesitate, Gao Pian couldn't help but glare angrily: "Why aren't you accepting the order?"

"This subordinate obeys..."

Faced with Gao Pian's attitude, the two had no choice but to accept the order and quickly spread the news that the three armies would continue to attack the remnants of the Zhejiang army to all parts of the camp.

The troops were unaware of the situation in the rear, and assumed that King Gao was planning to quell the remaining bandits in eastern Zhejiang as soon as possible before returning to Hunan.

As they broke camp, Yuan Xi also sent men by boat to Yangzhou, where they met with Li Yangchun, who was worried about the situation in Jiangdong.

"Please, Governor Li, send troops to our aid!"

Upon seeing Li Yangchun, the envoy immediately knelt down and kowtowed, begging for help.

Faced with his actions, Li Yangchun subconsciously stood up, but then, as if he had thought of something, slowly sat down.

"Without Your Highness's decree, I cannot send troops."

"If you trust me, you can lead your troops to retreat to Wengshan County (Zhoushan) in the past. It will take at least half a month or two months for me to send troops down the Yangtze River."

"This..." Upon hearing Li Yangchun's words, the envoy hesitated.

Seeing his reaction, Li Yangchun reassured him, "It concerns the lives of tens of thousands of people, so it's normal that you can't make a decision. Go and rest for a while, and come back to me when you've thought it through."

"Yes..." The envoy sighed and could only leave the yamen under the escort of the soldiers beside him.

After he left, all the generals in the hall looked at Li Yangchun, who then rose and walked to the table, crossing the path.
“Song Wei, Dong Chang, Yang Xingmin, Qian Liu and others have long been highly respected in Jiangdong and Liangzhe.”

"Even if His Highness had not yet issued an edict, he would still have to consider the prestige of these four people in Jiangnan."

"Let them retreat to Zhoushan, and then our army will recover the Jiangdong and Liangzhe regions. This will enhance our army's prestige."

"If they choose to surrender to Gao Pian, it will be easier for our army to reclaim the land in the area, saving us a lot of trouble from redeeming the land from the local powerful families."

"I will report this matter to Your Highness. If you all feel it is unacceptable, you may also report it to Your Highness."

Li Yangchun knew he was inexperienced and that many generals in the army were not convinced of his abilities, but he still spoke frankly with them.

Seeing his reaction, many generals exchanged glances, but ultimately said nothing.

Seeing that no one objected, Li Yangchun dismissed his generals, and the fast horse he sent out rushed to Jiangling City.

A few days later, seeing that Li Yangchun really had no intention of sending troops, the envoy returned to Zhejiang by boat. By this time, Gao Pian had already captured Yuezhou, leaving them with only Mingzhou.

After the messenger brought back the news, Song Wei, Dong Chang, and the others felt that they had been tricked by Liu Jilong and slammed their fists on the table.

"Damn it! You said you'd send troops if we surrendered, where are your troops now?"

"He actually came up with the idea of ​​sending someone to Wengshan!"

"That stable boy from Guanzhong only got to this position because of his strong army and powerful horses. He treats me so lightly before even becoming emperor. What will become of him in the future?!"

“I would rather surrender to Gao Pian than go to Wengshan!”

Song Wei and Dong Chang were trembling with anger and had already decided to surrender to Gao Pian.

Yang Xingmin and Qian Liu frowned, but exchanged a glance privately without saying a word.

"Pass down the order: the entire army will surrender to Gao Pian tomorrow. I would rather be Gao Pian's subject than Liu Jilong's dog!"

Faced with Liu Jilong's months-long refusal to help, Song Wei and Dong Chang made a decision.

Faced with his actions, Yang Xingmin and Qian Liu said nothing. It wasn't until Song Wei and Dong Chang saw that no one objected and dismissed everyone that Yang Xingmin and Qian Liu gathered together.

"Someone needs to evacuate to Wengshan."

When the two met in private, Yang Xingmin went straight to the point and told Qian Liu his purpose.

Qian Liu's eyes flickered upon hearing this, and he finally nodded and said, "Gao Pian is nothing but a skeleton in a tomb. Liu Jilong is only worried that our army will continue to occupy Jiangdong in the future. Only by retreating to Wengshan can he feel at ease."

"If that's the case, retreating to Wengshan wouldn't be a big deal. Anyway, I never intended to live in Zhejiang."

"That would be very good." Yang Xingmin nodded, then parted ways with Qian Liu and returned to their respective residences.

That night, the two men took command of the navy and their families and headed out of Mingzhou towards Wengshan. By the time Song Wei and Dong Chang realized what was happening, it was already too late.

(End of this chapter)