Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 509 Multifaceted Success

"Susu..."

In the depths of winter, as thick fog churns across the Yangtze River, visibility on the river inevitably diminishes considerably.

As one of the major lakes in southern China, it is not easy to block off the outlet of Poyang Lake.

However, as time went on, once the silt brought by the Yangtze River formed a sandbar at the mouth of Poyang Lake, it became much easier to block off Poyang Lake.

There used to be a camp built on the sandbar, but the camp has long been destroyed and turned into charred ruins.

Shazhou is only two miles away from the mouth of Poyang Lake, which is why the navy can easily blockade the mouth of Poyang Lake. Without Shazhou, the mouth of Poyang Lake would be more than ten miles away, and it would be impossible to blockade it with just a few dozen warships.

For this reason, Geng Ming's twenty large Fujian ships were basically stationed on the east side of Shazhou and Poyang Lake, in order to guard against Zhang Ji of Chizhou.

"What time is it?"

On the deck of the large ship, looking at the thick fog that had not yet dissipated, Geng Ming couldn't help but ask those around him.

The left and right men were sent to check the water clock, and then returned to report: "Reporting to the Commander, it is currently the fourth quarter of the hour of Mao (5:45 AM)."

"The fourth quarter of the hour of Mao..."

Upon learning the time, Geng Ming looked at the thick fog in the distance and felt a vague unease.

He trusted his intuition, and besides, Hongzhou had been besieged by his side for many days. Perhaps Zhang Ji would seize Hukou when Gao Pian came to its aid.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say to those around him, "Keep a close watch. If you find anything amiss, blow the whistle immediately."

"Yes!" The left and right captains responded one after another, and only then did Geng Ming return to the cabin to rest.

Not long after he entered the cabin, the sky gradually darkened, but the thick fog on the river gradually thinned.

As a result, the sailors on lookout duty quickly spotted hundreds of warships appearing in the east.

"Beep--"

"Enemy attack!!"

After the piercing whistle sounded, the bells of each warship rang one after another. Geng Ming, who had just sat down, suddenly stood up and strode out.

Before long, when he arrived at the bow of the ship, he saw a huge number of warships.

"Zhang Ji has sent troops, so Gao Pian must have already arrived in Jiangxi. Quickly send a messenger to inform Governor Chen."

Without hesitation, Geng Ming gave orders to his men and then commanded the warships to engage the enemy.

The twenty warships, though without cannons, were all large Fujian ships, each with a capacity of two thousand liang, and were much larger than Zhang Ji's own ship.

Facing hundreds of warships of various types, Geng Ming remained calm and composed. After observing the wind conditions, he spoke:

"First, lower the fire ships. If the battle goes badly, then set the fire ships down with them!"

Geng Ming's words caused those around him to gasp in shock, but they dared not delay and quickly unloaded the forty fire ships from the warship.

Once the fire ships were ready, Geng Ming commanded twenty warships to anchor and launch an attack on over a hundred warships.

Fire ships are useful, but they can only be effective when the enemy is in disarray. Since the two sides have not yet started fighting, if the fire ships are released directly, Zhang Ji can directly command the warships to avoid them.

Therefore, Geng Ming needed to first use warships to throw these hundreds of enemy ships into chaos, and then use fire ships to win.

His thoughts, of course, could not be hidden from Zhang Ji, who had been traversing the Yangtze River for over twenty years, but Zhang Ji gritted his teeth and said:

"Damn it! Twenty large ships dare to challenge my hundreds of warships? Let's see who sinks to the bottom of the river first!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he added, "Watch out for those Jiangbei dogs' fire ships, don't fall into their trap!"

"Yes!" The officers on both sides responded one after another, and then began to send out sentry ships to shoot arrows at the forty fire ships upstream.

At the same time, the twenty large Fujian ships led by Geng Ming began to enter the firing range of both sides.

"Prepare the winch crossbow!"

"Load the chisel arrows!"

"Beep--"

Among the hundreds of warships, thousands of sailors ran around, pushing winch crossbows onto the decks and aiming their chisel-shaped arrows at the twenty enormous ships coming from upstream.

When the piercing whistle sounded, the Han army's triple-bow crossbows and the Southern Tang army's winch crossbows were unleashed.

Countless dark shadows crisscrossed the sky above the Yangtze River, and finally, countless arrows, each over ten feet long, fell from the sky.

"Bang!!"

"Um..."

Two or three hundred chisel-shaped arrows rained down like arrows, covering the Han army's warships. Countless chisel-shaped arrows struck the decks and hulls, and a few unlucky Han soldiers were hit, dying on the deck before they could even cry for help, spitting blood.

In comparison, the Han army's twenty warships also fired a considerable number of chisel arrows, especially the three-bow crossbows equipped with winches, which saved far more manpower than winch crossbows.

Only a dozen or so people are needed to operate a winch crossbow, so the Han soldiers on the twenty warships fired over a hundred chisel arrows.

However, after being hit by a chisel arrow that was about ten feet long, the three to five zhang long boat was instantly torn open, and river water kept pouring in. The sailors on board could only fight back while trying to salvage the boat.

Even those larger warships and fighting vessels suffered numerous casualties from being hit by an arrow.

For a time, the two sides were evenly matched. However, because the winch crossbow required more manpower and the process was too complicated, the Han army was able to continuously suppress the Southern Tang navy with the triple-bow ballista in the subsequent shooting exchanges.

Seeing that the chisel arrows could not sink the Han army's large ships, Zhang Ji gritted his teeth and said, "Bring on the catapults and smoke bombs!"

At his command, small catapults were dragged onto the deck, and dozens of sailors on board worked together to engage the mechanism. They then placed objects resembling the weapons of the Han army, capable of taking on ten thousand men, on the leather straps.

As the torches ignited the object, the sailors on either side of the catapult immediately hurled it down, triggering the mechanism to launch this formidable weapon at the Han army's warships.

Dozens of dark objects streaked across the sky until they reached the airspace above the Han army, at which point they suddenly exploded.

"Boom!!"

They released firelight similar to fireworks, followed by countless black objects falling down, which quickly caught fire after adhering to the hull.

"Put out the fire!!"

The left and right captains immediately ordered all the warships to put out the fire. When Geng Ming saw this, he thought of his own "Ten Thousand Enemy".

"Gao Pian kept this hidden for a long time, only bringing it to the forefront at a time like this."

"However, this weapon is also made using methods similar to ours. Do you think that only they have it, and our army doesn't?"

Seeing Zhang Ji reveal his last trump card, Geng Ming no longer held back and directly ordered the captain beside him, "The army charges into the enemy formation, prepare for the 'Ten Thousand Man Invincible' and 'Fire Furnace'!"

"Yes!" the captain replied hastily. Then, after the Han soldiers extinguished the fire on the warships, the warships stopped engaging the Southern Tang navy at long range and instead charged towards them.

Upon seeing the Han army warships charging towards them, Zhang Ji on the tower ship immediately ordered, "Prepare to board them!!"

In an instant, the warships began to link up tightly to block the fierce ramming of the Han army's warships.

As the two sides drew closer, the sailors facing the Han army's warships could only watch as the warships, which were several feet taller than themselves, rolled in.

"boom!!"

"Um..."

As the warships collided, the sailors on the smaller boats felt their bodies sway before they were spun around and fell into the water.

The sailors around could clearly see that the Han warships directly rammed and capsized those small boats, and were then blocked from charging by the dense array of warships behind them.

Before the Southern Tang sailors could catch their breath, a window suddenly opened on the ram of the Han army warship, and a fist-sized iron pipe protruded out.

"put!"

In an instant, black grease gushed from the black iron pipe, spraying most of the warships blocking its path. At that moment, Han sailors on the deck fired rockets at one of the ships.

In an instant, all the warships that were stained with petroleum caught fire, and the black pipes that were still spraying petroleum sprayed flames that were more than two zhang long.

The "fierce fire oil tank" was a weapon used in the Song Dynasty for defending cities and naval warfare. Similar to the flamethrowers of later times, it was mainly used to burn engineering equipment and warships.

This device, which doesn't involve much technology, only requires adding two more mechanisms to enable remote operation. Even if the flames eventually spill into the fire cabinet and explode, it won't harm many of the operating soldiers.

With twenty warships launching a fierce attack with burning oil tanks, dozens of Southern Tang warships were instantly engulfed in flames.

"What is this?!"

Zhang Ji watched as 30% of his own warships were destroyed in an instant. His eyes widened in fury as he stared at the Han army's warships. At that moment, the catapults on the Han army's warships were ready.

"boom!"

When the mechanism was smashed, more than twenty men, each capable of fighting ten thousand men, flew off the deck and crashed down on the Southern Tang navy.

Just before they were about to fall, they suddenly exploded in mid-air, their interiors filled with petrolatum and iron pellets, covering dozens of feet. Countless warships were set ablaze, and sailors were killed on the spot.

However, as a price, the bows of three large Fu ships belonging to the Han army suddenly exploded, and the grease also set fire to the bows of the Han army's large Fu ships.

"Extinguishing!"

Geng Ming calmly directed his sailors to extinguish the fire. He knew the weaknesses of the raging oil tanker and had made thorough preparations.

At his command, the three heavily damaged large Fujian ships began to retreat, while the remaining large Fujian ships continued to attack the Southern Tang navy.

Seeing the Southern Tang navy in disarray, Geng Ming turned to the captain and ordered, "Attack with fire ships!"

"Yes!" The captain replied without hesitation, and then ordered the flag bearers to start waving flags and shouting to transmit the signals to the fire ships behind.

In an instant, forty fire ships, propelled by sailors, began to rush toward the Southern Tang navy. Only after Geng Ming saw that the distance between the two sides was not much different did he order a retreat.

"The Great Fortune Ship retreats!"

"Yes!"

All the large Fujian ships began to retreat by rowing, while the forty fire ships passed through them and headed straight for the Southern Tang navy.

The sailor quickly lit the fuse, then jumped into the water and swam towards his own large ship.

The sailors on the Dafu ship had been waiting for this. When they saw the men jumping ship, they threw down their nets and clung to them tightly.

Once they were sure they had grabbed the net, the sailors pulled them onto the deck with all their might, while at that moment the Han army's fire ships had already crashed into the burning Southern Tang navy.

"Boom!!"

"Um..."

Moments later, a series of explosions rang out, and the screams of the Southern Tang sailors were chilling. Seeing the heavy casualties on his side, Zhang Ji dared not mention the recapture of Hukou. He could only shout urgently, "Sound the retreat! Withdraw the troops!!"

At his shouts, the flag bearers waved their flags continuously, and the seventy-odd surviving warships began to retreat in an orderly manner. The sailors who were lucky enough to survive went down the river and, with the help of other sailors, escaped back to their warships one after another.

Only a few managed to escape. Under the thick, inky clouds, the Yangtze River was filled with smoke and fire. Countless burning warships were swept downstream, and the corpses covered in grease were washed ashore by the river, still burning. It was a terrifying sight.

Zhang Ji retreated to Chizhou again, and the Han army, at the cost of hundreds of casualties and the destruction of five large ships, successfully withdrew back to the mouth of Poyang Lake.

"Send a fast horse to inform Lord Wang and His Highness of this matter. Also, tell Governor Chen to be careful of Gao Pian's surprise attack!"

"In addition, I ordered Governor Wang to dispatch warships from Dongting Lake southward to guard against the rebels continuing their surprise attack on the mouth of Poyang Lake."

Geng Ming's expression was grim, after all, they had the upper hand throughout the battle, but their casualties were not small.

If the entire Jiangling navy were here, Zhang Ji would have had no chance of escaping.

Chen Ying's six gunboats were immobilized, but could have helped him retreat calmly if necessary, so he had no choice but to withdraw his navy to Dongting Lake.

As he thought this, the sky gradually darkened, and the burning warships on the Yangtze River sank to the bottom of the river one after another.

Meanwhile, more than 600 miles to the south, on the upper reaches of the Gan River, a battle had just ended.

"Sorry..."

Within Jizhou, when the once blazing Han army banners fell to the ground, thousands of corpses lay beside them, some from the Southern Tang army and others from the Han army, but the majority were Han soldiers.

The Southern Tang army was cleaning up the battlefield, but the battlefield was full of corpses, and there were no captured Han soldiers at all.

On the official road not far from the battlefield, Gao Pian sat on a stool, looking somewhat disheveled.

Gao Qin walked over to him, handed him a pot of water, and said, "These rebels are much weaker than the rebels we encountered in Xichuan years ago. They should be troops that Liu Jilong recruited and trained not long ago."

"I thought I could defeat these 5,000 men with my 30,000 troops, but in the end I still managed to get them to retreat to Xingan. I really don't know how Liu Jilong trained his troops."

Gao Qin said with some regret, while Gao Pian, who was drinking water at the moment, also did not look too good.

He led 30,000 troops from Fuzhou to Jizhou, hoping to swallow the 5,000 soldiers that Chen Ying had sent out. However, he failed to swallow them whole and almost broke a tooth, which made him very unhappy.

What is the name of the captain of this troop?

Gao Pian couldn't help but ask Gao Qin, who bowed and said, "His name seems to be Lu Yanhong. He was a general under Qin Zongquan in the past. When Qin Zongquan attacked Luoyang, he defected to Liu Jilong. I never thought that this person would have some ability."

"Hmm." Gao Pian did not refute, after all, being able to lead more than two thousand remnants of the army out of his encirclement was already quite an achievement.

“Bury these bodies on the spot to prevent a plague.”

"Yes!"

Gao Pian gave the order, then continued, "The main army will break camp and retreat to Fuzhou tomorrow. I want to see if Chen Ying dares to send troops to attack Jizhou again."

"More than two thousand were lost in the first battle. I wonder if Liu Jilong would still like the gift I gave him after he finds out."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Pian got up and went to the tent that had just been pitched in the distance.

At the same time, Lu Yanhong, who had retreated to Xingan, hurriedly sent a fast horse to apologize to Chen Ying. Chen Ying, who had just received news of the attack on her side, looked extremely grim.

How many casualties did our army suffer?

The sound of cannons rang in Chen Ying's ears; it was the sound of gunboats and their own cannons bombarding Zhongling City, but he couldn't feel happy at the moment.

His order was to divide the troops to recover Yuanzhou and Jizhou. Although Yuanzhou has been recovered, Jizhou still lacks the three counties of Luling, Taihe and Yongxin.

"Two thousand four hundred and sixty-seven people were killed in the battle..."

Upon hearing the number announced by the fast horse, Chen Ying couldn't help but gasp.

As the commander of the eastern route, he commanded 50,000 troops, but he had already suffered heavy losses in the successive conquests of Jiangzhou, Yuanzhou, Hongzhou and other prefectures and counties. Now, he had lost nearly 2,500 men in a surprise attack by Gao Pian.

Thinking of this, he could only bite the bullet and say, "I will personally submit a memorial to Your Highness to plead guilty and accept Your Highness's punishment."

"Order the entire army to capture Zhongling City before His Highness's decree arrives!"

The soldiers who perished in the battle could not be saved. The only thing Chen Ying could do was to capture Zhongling, the capital of Hongzhou, before His Highness's imperial edict arrived, and then confront Gao Pian in Fuzhou.

As he was thinking this, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out outside the tent, and he couldn't help but stand up.

Dou Jingchong lifted the tent flap and handed the imperial edict to Chen Ying: "Your Highness's edict."

Chen Ying frowned slightly. He had not yet sent out news of the losses suffered by the divided troops, and he wondered what imperial edict His Highness had sent.

Thinking of this, he opened the edict and quickly saw its contents.

When he saw Liu Jilong reminding him not to divide his troops, but to gather his forces to attack Zhongling and avoid being attacked by Gao Pian in a divided manner, he couldn't help but sigh.

"This battle was my fault. I hereby order Han Jian and Lu Yanhong to cease their attacks on other prefectures and counties and instead focus on defending the counties that have been recaptured by our army."

After the military order was issued, Chen Ying returned to his position, wrote a memorial, and handed it to Dou Jingchong, saying, "Send it to Jiangling City. This matter cannot be kept secret."

"Yes!" Dou Jingchong could only nod in agreement when he saw Chen Ying's request, and then sent a fast horse to Jiangling to report.

A moment later, Chen Ying received another military order from Wang Shi, the contents of which were similar to what Liu Jilong had said.

Chen Ying could only explain to him in the military report, while preparing a large force to attack Zhongling and capture the city before Gao Pian could retreat to Fuzhou.

By this time, Zhongling City, which had been under attack for nearly ten days, was already riddled with holes. Sections of the western city wall had collapsed. Although Zhong Chuan had repaired them with bricks and sandbags under the cover of night, the city wall would inevitably be unable to withstand the Han army's advance if they launched a strong attack.

If Zhong Chuan wanted to hold out, he would have to engage the Han army in close combat, and Chen Ying was very confident in his own ability to fight in close combat.

Just as he was about to leave his tent to observe the situation in Zhongling City, he heard the sound of galloping hooves.

He rubbed his temples, and then Dou Jingchong entered the tent, his face grim, and said, "Gao Pian ordered Zhang Ji to launch a sneak attack on Governor Geng. The two sides have been fighting since dawn. This is the military report that just arrived."

Chen Ying received the military report, but saw Geng Ming reassure him not to worry about the direction of Poyang Lake and remind him to withdraw his troops.

It could be said that everyone was reminding him to withdraw and divide his forces, but it was still too late.

Gao Pian was nearby, while Liu Jilong and the others were far away. Although their reminder was helpful, it was too late when it arrived.

Faced with the situation at the mouth of Poyang Lake, Chen Ying could only continue to plan the attack on Zhongling. It wasn't until midnight when another fast horse arrived with news of Geng Ming's defeat of Zhang Ji that he was able to return to his tent to rest.

The following day, Chen Ying continued to direct the army to bombard the Zhongling city wall, while ordering laborers to prepare siege equipment.

While the fighting raged fiercely in Jiangxi, things were far from peaceful in Jiangdong as well...

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Runzhou, located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, had its capital, Dantu County, as the first barrier facing Huainan. The Yangtze River was more than ten miles wide at this point, and the opposite bank could not be seen at a glance.

The mighty Yangtze River separates the north and south, and Wang Zhongren, who is stationed here, has repeatedly ordered his soldiers to patrol daily and observe the river's condition at all times.

However, before the Han army from Jiangbei arrived, they were met with a surprise attack from Yang Xingmin.

"To dare to launch a surprise attack on Mingzhou with only three thousand men is not the character of Yang Xingmin when he clashed with our army before."

Inside the Dantu government office, Wang Zhongren faced his generals, slowly put down the military intelligence report in his hand, and looked at everyone with disdain.

"This must be a scheme by Li Yangchun of Jiangbei, but we can turn the tables on him and transfer the new recruits from Suzhou to Mingzhou and the five thousand veterans from Hangzhou to Runzhou."

“If Li Yangchun wants to cross the river, then let him come.” “I want to see if he can still be so composed when he is attacked halfway across.”

"He only dealt with a nobody like Zhu Quanzhong in the Central Plains, and he already looks down on our army like this? Does he think he's Liu Jilong?"

Wang Zhongren snorted coldly. He never thought that Liu Jilong's generals had many capable men.

Besides Liu Jilong, the only other notable figures in the north are Wang Shi and Zhang Wu, but they are now both in the west.

He had carefully studied Li Yangchun's methods for dealing with Zhu Quanzhong, which were nothing more than using feints and real attacks, followed by overwhelming the enemy with sheer military force.

Yang Xingmin is a feint, while Li Yangchun's main force in Jiangbei is the real force. Now, they want to use overwhelming force to overwhelm our side and land in Jiangdong. How easy is that?

Runzhou has 20,000 new soldiers, plus 5,000 veterans transferred from Hangzhou. With 25,000 troops prepared in advance, they are not afraid of being unable to defeat Li Yangchun.

"We will forcibly conscript people from all over the country to build catapults. No matter how sharp the rebels' magic is, as long as our army has enough catapults, I want to see how Li Yangchun will land."

"Yes!!"

Under Wang Chongren's military orders, the entire Jiangdong region was mobilized, and this mobilization naturally did not escape the notice of Liu Jilong's spies who had been planted in Jiangdong long ago.

Thanks to the spy's report, Li Yangchun also learned that Wang Zhongren had guessed his intentions, but he did not panic.

Facing the assembled generals, Li Yangchun smiled nonchalantly at them:
"Wang Chongren thought that by deploying a few catapults, he could defeat our army's advance."

"So it seems he doesn't look down on me, but rather on all of you..."

The people of Longyou, perhaps because they were once enslaved by the Tibetans, are very concerned about their reputation.

Now that Li Yangchun has said this to them, they naturally feel a little embarrassed.

"That bastard from the south, who was beaten into a stray dog ​​by us in Xichuan, wasn't this confident back then. Now we're determined to cross the river and crush him completely!"

"Wang Zhongren, that insignificant scoundrel, dares to obstruct our army?"

"Have you forgotten how Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen really died?!"

"Gao Xun and the relatives of his generals are still imprisoned in Chang'an. What right do they have to look down on us!"

"A pig-dog creature..."

The generals, who hadn't thought much of it at first, were suddenly enraged by Li Yangchun's few words. They wished they could cross the Yangtze River to the south right now and defeat and capture Wang Zhongren alive.

Looking at the enraged crowd, Li Yangchun couldn't help but nod and say, "Since you all think the people from the south are cowards, then I won't hide anything anymore."

"At dawn tomorrow, the three armies will break camp and head south to the Yangtze River crossing, with Tan Kai's troops as the vanguard and Liu Song's naval forces as support to cross the river and seize the north bank of Dantu."

"Your subordinate obeys!!"

Upon seeing Li Yangchun give the order, the generals dared not delay and bowed in agreement.

Afterwards, Li Yangchun gave detailed instructions on other matters. As the generals began to leave, Tan Kai walked from the crowd to the main seat.

Seeing this, his subordinates Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiba, Zhang Guihou, Pang Shigu, and others all stayed behind.

Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiba, and Zhang Guihou were generals of the Han army, while Pang Shigu and others held the rank of colonel.

Facing them, Tan Kai, who was only a few years older than them, didn't say much, but simply glanced at them and said:
"You are all former surrendered generals. Whether you can shed your surrendered status and gain His Highness's favor depends on this battle!"

"If we are able to reach the south bank first in this battle, I will personally submit a memorial to the throne to recommend you for merit. I hope that after this battle, you will all be promoted and given the rank of captain!"

The promotion of Ge Congzhou and others to the rank of captain also meant that Tan Kai's status would rise accordingly.

He was reminding others, and he was also helping himself.

Upon hearing this, Ge Congzhou and the others raised their hands and bowed to Tan Kai, saying, "Please rest assured, Commandant, we will certainly not fail Commandant Gu's trust!"

They spent more than a year in the Han army. In addition to accepting their current status as officers and becoming familiar with the organization and discipline of the Han army, they also received literacy education every night.

The literacy campaign carried out by the Han army did not only include literacy but also incorporated a great deal of ideological and political education.

Although this kind of education cannot change the way adults think, it can subtly influence their words and actions.

Under this influence, people who had previously experienced violence and taken things for granted now feel constrained by something inexplicable if they were to do them again.

Tan Kai glanced at the crowd and, seeing that no one had any complaints, immediately waved his hand to dismiss them.

Everyone returned to their respective camps to rest, and the next morning, with the help of laborers, they began to break camp and head south.

The procession of 30,000 people stretched for miles, with more than 40,000 laborers behind them.

These laborers drove horse-drawn carts loaded with supplies, while not far ahead at the Yangtze River ferry crossing, more than a hundred ships of various types, including large-scale warships and large warships, were moored.

These ships were acquired from Kang Chengxun, along with the thousands of sailors under his command.

After being trained and weeded out by Li Yangchun, and replenished over time, they now number nearly ten thousand sailors.

If the Anhui naval forces were still intact, Li Yangchun would naturally not dare to launch a surprise attack on Jiangdong.

Now that he had guessed that Gao Pian would use the Anhui naval forces to launch an attack on Poyang Lake, he naturally wouldn't sit idly by and wait for his doom.

While Li Yangchun was lost in thought, he had already led 70,000 soldiers and civilians to the Yangtze River ferry. Before them lay not only hundreds of warships, but also the boundless Yangtze River.

Many soldiers in the army had never seen the Yangtze River before, and now that they had suddenly seen it, there were quite a few sighs and exclamations of emotion among them.

Li Yangchun has visited the banks of the Yangtze River countless times in recent days and is very familiar with the situation of the Yangtze River.

Throughout history, when attacking the south of the Yangtze River, those from the north mainly chose three locations: Jiangxia, Wankou, and Caishi.

There are historical precedents for crossing the Yangtze River directly to attack Jiangdu, but few have succeeded. Starting tomorrow, he will be one of them.

"The three armies will set up camp for rest and reorganization, and tomorrow we will cross the Yangtze River and head south!"

"Yes!"

Under Li Yangchun's orders, 70,000 soldiers and civilians began to set up camp and rest, while nearly 10,000 sailors rested on their warships.

The following day, before dawn, nearly 10,000 naval troops began escorting Tan Kai's force of over 5,000 men south to Jiangnan.

Facing the dark Yangtze River, the Han soldiers on the ship were filled with trepidation. Tan Kai wanted to say something, but seeing the solemn expressions on the faces of Ge Congzhou and the others behind him, he didn't dare to say anything more, for fear of putting too much pressure on them.

"Uuuuuu——"

As dawn broke, the south bank of the Yangtze River was less than a mile away from them, and the Southern Tang army patrolling the riverbank had obviously spotted them as well.

The sound of bugles rang out along the riverbank, startling countless Han soldiers who had fallen into a false sleep.

"Disembark and go ashore in fifteen minutes!"

Looking at the flag signals that Liu Song's flagship was waving in the distance, Tan Kai decisively turned around and gave instructions to Ge Congzhou and the others.

"It will take at least two hours for the navy to transport the second batch of brothers to Jiangnan.

"After our troops land on the south bank, they will dig trenches on the spot, form ranks and hold the south bank. We must hold out for two hours!"

"Your subordinate obeys!!"

Upon hearing Tan Kai's instructions, Ge Congzhou and the others bowed and agreed, feeling confident in their mission to hold out for two hours.

Although many of the soldiers in this Han army had only trained for two years, with Liu Jilong providing them with ample food, the entire army was no less capable than the elite troops of other garrisons.

It was not difficult for them to hold off an army of more than 10,000 men for two hours.

With this in mind, everyone donned their armor and made thorough preparations.

At the same time, Wang Zhongren in Dantu City also received the news.

"That Li Yangchun really doesn't give me any time!"

Wang Zhongren looked grim. The five thousand veteran soldiers from Suzhou were still on their way, while Runzhou only had twenty thousand new soldiers who had been training for less than five months.

"They can't possibly transport tens of thousands of troops to Jiangnan with hundreds of warships. As long as our army defeats their vanguard first, it will be much easier to defeat them later."

Under Wang Zhongren's orders, the 20,000 Southern Tang troops outside Dantu City were quickly transferred to the riverbank, while Tan Kai and his men had already boarded small boats and started heading towards the shore.

When Wang Zhongren, fully armored, led his army to the outskirts of the city, nearly a thousand Han soldiers had already landed on the shore and quickly began to form ranks to face the enemy.

"Form the Six-Flower Straight Formation and defeat them before their reinforcements arrive!"

Without hesitation, Wang Zhongren waved his command flag, and the 20,000 Southern Tang troops behind him began to assemble and form ranks.

A quarter of an hour later, five thousand Han soldiers were the first to land and successfully form ranks, ready for battle.

Wang Zhongren's troops only managed to form their own battle formation half an hour after the Han army, which made him look rather unwell.

"Enter!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he commanded his army to launch an attack on the five thousand Han soldiers who were positioned on the riverbank.

Seeing this, Tan Kai appointed Ge Congzhou as the left flank, Zhang Guiba as the vanguard, and Zhang Guihou as the right flank.

Due to limited space on the warships, their 5,000 vanguard consisted of infantry, with cavalry and mounted infantry following behind.

Under Tan Kai's command, five thousand Han soldiers formed a straight line to face the enemy, while Wang Zhongren's twenty thousand troops pressed forward horizontally.

Tan Kai was somewhat nervous, while his subordinates Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guiba, Zhang Guihou, Pang Shigu, and others remained very calm.

Judging from previous battles with the Han army, although the quality of the Huainan Han army was not as good as that of the Henan Han army, it was more than enough to deal with the troops under Wang Zhongren's command.

"put!"

"Crackling..."

When the two sides closed to within 120 paces, the three thousand crossbowmen of the Southern Tang army began to suppress the Han army with crossbow bolts, but the Han army remained unmoved until the Southern Tang army closed to within 60 paces, at which point the Han army began to draw their bows and nock their arrows.

In an instant, arrows from both sides clashed. The Han army, clad entirely in lamellar armor, was unaffected by the arrows, while many soldiers of the Southern Tang army, wearing paper armor, were wounded by arrows.

As the distance between the two sides continued to close, the sharpshooters in the Han army began to engage in face-to-face attacks. The Southern Tang army had suffered losses before, so they naturally trained corresponding face-to-face archers as well.

However, the Han army's armor only exposed their eyes, making it extremely difficult to break through head-on.

In a short time, many soldiers of the Southern Tang army fell, and many Han soldiers were also hit by arrows.

Wang Zhongren remained unmoved, and the two sides closed to about ten steps apart.

At this distance, more and more soldiers from both armies were being attacked by arrows, but whenever one soldier fell, another would take his place.

"Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo!"

"kill……"

"Bam—"

"Uh-huh..."

As the vanguard soldiers of both sides began to clash with their spears, muffled groans of those struck by the spears echoed continuously, and countless men fell to the ground.

The Southern Tang army surged forward like a tidal wave, but the Han army's formation remained as firm as a rock, unmoved.

"No retreat! Garrison troops, supervise the battle!"

Wang Zhongren, with a solemn expression, continued to issue military orders to the soldiers fighting at the front.

The garrison soldiers, wielding long-handled swords, constantly scanned the area ahead. Whenever a deserter retreated, they would raise their swords and chop him down, executing him on the spot.

"kill!!"

The new recruits of the Southern Tang army were experiencing the battlefield for the first time. The actions of the rear command instilled fear in them, leaving them no choice but to grit their teeth and keep launching attacks.

They crashed against the Han army's formation like waves, causing it to twist and deform.

"withstand!"

The river wind, carrying the stench of blood, swept into his throat, and Zhang Guiba's roar tore a gash amidst the clash of close-quarters combat.

As a general in the vanguard, Zhang Guiba was undoubtedly the one under the greatest pressure from the enemy at this moment.

The pressure on the more than 1,500 Han soldiers to withstand the attack of nearly 10,000 Southern Tang troops is unimaginable.

He personally led the stationed soldiers to patrol the front lines, not to supervise the battle, but to provide support to any areas where the troops were unstable.

As a subordinate general, he roamed around wielding a large club, and whenever an enemy soldier broke through the lines, he would raise his club and kill them on the spot.

Under his maneuvering, the vanguard remained as solid as a rock, unmoved by the constant attacks of the Southern Tang army.

Gradually, more and more soldiers fell during the battles between the two armies. When Han soldiers fell, they were dragged to the rear, but the Southern Tang army simply could not achieve this level of organization.

All they knew was to keep engaging the Han army in battle, trying to break through their lines.

Without cavalry, the two sides fought a fierce battle with only infantry. Wang Zhongren's face grew increasingly grim as time went on, especially after he saw the Han army's naval warships reappear on the Yangtze River.

"Uuuuuu——"

"Reinforcements are on their way! Hold the line!"

Hearing the bugle call behind him, Tan Kai knew what was happening behind him without even looking.

After more than an hour of fierce fighting, everyone's hands were trembling, and even taking turns to rest could not restore their strength in a short time.

The infantrymen clashed with their spears, while the cavalrymen used bows and crossbows to suppress the enemy with arrows. The garrison troops had to supervise the battle and rush to provide support in various places. Both armies were in the same situation.

At this critical moment, Ge Congzhou and Zhang Guihou, serving as the left and right wings respectively, managed to withstand the attack of 5,000 Southern Tang troops with 1,500 soldiers each. After stabilizing their position, they even showed signs of a counterattack.

"Damn it! Hold your ground!"

Standing on the drum cart, Wang Zhongren could clearly see how disheveled his own troops were on the left and right flanks of the battlefield ahead.

Nearly ten thousand men on either side launched a fierce attack against a force of only three thousand men on either side, yet they were still managed to be pushed back several steps.

"The supervisory team is to oversee the battle; anyone on either the left or right flank who retreats... shall be executed!"

Wang Zhongren was determined. If he led 20,000 men and was defeated by the Han army of 5,000, the world would surely laugh at him.

At this moment, while directing the battlefield, he was also watching the warships on the Yangtze River that were constantly approaching the south bank.

"If five thousand men are already so difficult to deal with, what will I do if another five thousand come?"

Wang Chongren gritted his teeth, hoping that he could defeat the seemingly ordinary 5,000 vanguard troops before the Han reinforcements arrived.

As time went by, and seeing that the Han army's warships had begun to lower small boats, while the five thousand Han soldiers in front of him remained firmly in formation, he instantly thought of the scene of Jiangdong being swept away by tens of thousands of Han troops.

"The central army will switch to a sharp formation, break through the Han army, and be rewarded with 100,000 coins!!"

Wang Zhongren offered an irresistible reward, which excited the Southern Tang army that was fighting against the Han army. However, the Han army in front of them was like buckets of cold water, and every time they launched a strong attack, a bucket of cold water would be poured on them.

Especially as more and more ships appeared at sea, and hundreds of ships moved toward another riverbank, the Southern Tang army's formation inevitably began to waver.

Ge Congzhou seized the opportunity and suddenly raised his spear: "The enemy's formation has weakened, kill!!"

He led several hundred garrison soldiers in a counterattack against the weak points in the Southern Tang army's formation.

In an instant, the soldiers stationed behind saw Ge Congzhou dart left and right, knocking down two Southern Tang soldiers, making the already loose formation even more obvious.

"kill!!"

Hundreds of garrison soldiers followed Ge Congzhou into the formation, breaking through what was initially a loose formation and tearing it apart in an instant.

"Asshole!!"

Wang Chongren cursed in disbelief, only to see his flank, which was several times larger than the Han army's, broken through, causing the other two flanks to begin to waver.

"General, another Han army has landed on the riverbank. Let's retreat!"

Seeing that their own army formation had been broken, his men immediately tried to persuade Wang Zhongren to retreat by suggesting that the Han army land on the riverbank.

Wang Zhongren didn't want to retreat, but he knew that if he didn't retreat, he might be left behind.

"withdraw!"

Reluctantly, Wang Zhongren could only order the army to retreat, while he personally commanded nearly a thousand troops to cover the rear.

"Dang Dang Dang..."

As the gong sounded, the Southern Tang army, relieved, began to retreat in formation. Seeing this, Tan Kai, without hesitation, waved his command flag: "Advance!!"

In an instant, the battlefield situation reversed. More than 10,000 Southern Tang troops began to retreat, while less than 5,000 Han troops actually began to pursue them.

Upon seeing this, the thousand or so Han soldiers who had just landed in the distance also quickly joined the pursuit.

"withdraw!"

Wang Zhongren continued to issue orders, while simultaneously ordering the garrison to form a battle formation to block the Han army attempting to pursue.

As the two sides clashed, the sounds of weapons clashing were incessant. The Han soldiers, who were originally exhausted, suddenly found strength and kept repelling the rearguard that Wang Zhongren had left behind.

As more and more Han soldiers poured onto the riverbank, Wang Zhongren, seeing this, dared not be careless and immediately turned his horse around and blew his whistle: "Retreat!"

Before the thousand or so soldiers covering the rear could react, he shook the reins and retreated towards the distant city of Dantu.

Seeing Wang Zhongren retreat, the more than a thousand garrison soldiers who were still resisting quickly turned around and fled to Dantu City in the rear.

"Run away!!"

"kill--"

Blood stained the riverbank red, and broken weapons and banners were everywhere. The "Bohai" banner, representing the Southern Tang Dynasty, was trampled into the mud and sand of the riverbank by the Han army, broken and decaying...

(End of this chapter)