I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 166 Towering White Waves
"..."

"My lord has a thick skin."

Aside from Chen Yu, who was still in Jiangdong, only Zhou Tai dared to openly harass Liu Miao.

Liu Miao's eyes gradually turned dangerous, and Zhou Tai gave a sullen smile before hiding to the side.

To support Guan Yu, Liu Miao specially selected five hundred elite soldiers from various armies and gave them to Guan Yu.

Therefore, entrusting a strong army to a strong general naturally involves risking one's life to execute the general.

Guan Yu was originally a Lieutenant General under Liu Bei. He was just there to deliver someone, but Liu Miao forced him to go to the battlefield... To be honest, that was really inhuman!
Chen Wu didn't question Liu Miao, but he was somewhat worried: "Guan Yu has been fighting alongside Liu Bei in Youzhou. Can he really command the navy?"

Guan Yu's reputation as a "warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men" on land was already widespread, but his ability on water was truly questionable.

Chen Wu even suggested that he go himself, but Liu Miao immediately rejected the idea.

"You should all trust Yun Chang completely!"

"I'm really worried; we'll see what happens during wartime!"

The war came quickly.

Just five days after the rain began to fall, a loud bang was heard in the upper reaches of the Huai River!
Yuan Jun, you've breached the dike!

Several Yuan soldiers used pickaxes to create cracks, and the dam, which had been temporarily built half a month ago, began to groan, as if some earth dragon or python was turning over below, causing soil and rocks to fall continuously from the embankment above.

As the soil and rocks continued to fall, cracks appeared in the already fragile dam.

The cracks grew larger, and behind them lay the Huai River, which had been accumulating for half a month, rushing, roaring, and howling!

Finally, as the crack grew from the width of an index finger to the width of an arm, it was as if thunder was roaring from the clouds! Accompanied by this sound, the raging waters of the Huai River finally poured down, rushing downstream!

The already narrow river channel could no longer contain the Huai River's bloated body, and the Huai River had no intention of being restricted by this channel, wantonly stirring up white waves and rushing towards the houses and farmland on both sides.

The land was swept away, and the trees were broken.

These things mixed into the waters of the Huai River, making the waves even more terrifying, as if the fleshy snakes had finally grown patches of mottled scales, making them even more unrestrained!
The scattered depressions and pools in northern Dongyang have been completely filled, overflowed, and merged, to the point that they are indistinguishable from one another.

Liu Miao and his generals stood atop the city wall of Dongyang, watching the Huai River continuously swallow up the land that had been exposed, and they all gasped in shock.

The power of heaven and earth is truly terrifying!
Without the slightest pause or mercy, all it can do is destroy!
"Fire attacks are the wiser approach; water attacks are the stronger approach."

"Sun Tzu's words are indeed true!"

If Liu Miao's army had really been stationed in those low-lying areas, they would have been completely wiped out in this one battle!
"If a general can make good use of the opportune time and the favorable terrain, then there should be no battle in this world that he cannot win!"

The generals' feelings and fears were carried along by the Huai River, flowing downstream until they eventually gushed into the East China Sea.

This spectacular performance by nature lasted for a full hour.

An hour later, the raging river finally calmed down, and at the same time, the faint traces of boats appeared upstream.

"Yuan Jun is here!"

Liu Miao turned to look at his generals and said, "In this battle, I rely solely on you all!"

"Here!"

Jiang Qin led the navy out first, and Xu Huang and other generals also reorganized their troops and slowly left the city through the mud.

Only Guan Yu, who had been entrusted with an important mission by Liu Miao, had not yet made a move, which made Lu Su ask curiously, "Isn't Yun Chang going to make a move?"

Guan Yu, sword drawn, stood on his horse, stroking his magnificent beard: "The time is not yet ripe!"

Okay~~~
Lu Su did not disturb Guan Yu, but went to the city wall to watch the battle with Liu Miao.

It was still drizzling, so Liu Miao set up a reed shed.

Under the reed shed were also some folding chairs. These folding chairs, which came from the Western Regions or the grasslands, were originally unknown, but the previous emperor, Emperor Xiaoling, was extremely fond of them, so they became popular. Therefore, Lu Su was not unfamiliar with them.

Lu Su sat down next to Liu Miao, carefully gathering his clothes to avoid bumping into the small stove on the table where wine was still being warmed.

"My lord, all the generals except Guan Yu have already set off."

"Ah."

Liu Miao stared intently into the distance, but he couldn't see much. The puddles in the north had finally gathered together, forming a vast body of water as large as Sangbo Lake north of Jinling, like a mirror that seemed to be turned upside down in the sky.

"Zijing, this is the power of nature."

Lu Su noticed that Liu Miao was unusually different today, and laughed, "I thought my lord was the kind of person who would not change his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. How come he is so awe-inspiring after a flood?"

Liu Miao shook his head: "It's not out of awe."

"I'm just wondering when I'll be able to change the world with a mere gesture..."

Lu Su was immediately terrified: "Has our lord been influenced by the alchemists and wants to cultivate immortality?"

Liu Miao rolled his eyes: "Did Yuan Shu create this water through his cultivation of immortality?"

Lu Su was puzzled: "What does my lord mean?" "Zijing, let me ask you, why does water always flow downhill?"

What is the problem?
Lu Su moved his hand closer to the stove: "If the water doesn't flow here, where else can it flow?"

"Why?"

Lu Su felt that Liu Miao was acting strangely today... He didn't know what Liu Miao meant.

Fortunately, Guan Yu finally reached the city wall and asked Liu Miao for permission to leave: "Liu Yangzhou! Zhang Xun's banner has been spotted! We are ready to fight!"

"it is good!"

Liu Miao seemed to have finally stopped agonizing over the inexplicable question of why water flows downwards. He got up, poured himself a cup of warm wine, and then presented it to Guan Yu with an expectant look: "It's cold today, Yun Chang, drink this wine before you go!"

Guan Yu took the wine cup and immediately drank it all in one gulp!

"Thank you, Governor Liu... Hmm?"

For some reason, Guan Yu actually saw a hint of...disappointment in Liu Miao's eyes?
Does Liu Yangzhou doubt my ability to kill Zhang Xun?
Guan Yu's blood surged with rage: "Liu Yangzhou, wait a moment! I will go immediately to take the heads of Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui for you!"

Watching Guan Yu's retreating figure as he descended the stairs, Liu Miao put down his wine cup with a bored expression: "Why did you actually drink this wine?"

Lu Su: ...

After the upstream water level was flat, Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui immediately led their soldiers to board boats and head towards Dongyang!

"Liu Miao's army has been caught in a sudden flood and must be in disarray! Ignore the soldiers struggling in the water and head straight to Huaiyin to capture Liu Miao alive!"

"Here!"

Hundreds of ships sailed down the river from upstream, their imposing presence amplified by the beating of drums on the warships.

As they passed the puddles, Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui could see floating timber and provisions, which were clearly the remains of Liu Miao's original camp!
Some of Yuan's soldiers couldn't wait to jump into the water and grab these things, but Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui both felt that something was amiss.

Why... is there no sound?

Yuan Jun had actually experienced such a situation before.

When Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Cao at Kuangting, he fled all the way to Taishou City, where Cao Cao flooded the city.

Especially since Yuan Jun was not the one digging the water last time, but the one being dug, Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui were extremely familiar with that scene.

Houses floated on the water, people and livestock huddled together, crying out for help. Whether enemy or friendly, they dared not give up hope, pleading desperately for those on shore to pull them ashore…

Although the power of the Huai River was far greater than that of Cao Cao's flooding of Taishou City, it shouldn't have been so great that not a single soldier of Liu Miao's army survived.
Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui dared not be overconfident, and gradually moved towards the high ground to the south, intending to set up camp and capture Dongyang, a strategic location in the lower reaches of the Huai River.

suddenly!

A drumbeat even louder than the one on Yuan's ships rang out! The shockwaves coming from all directions terrified Yuan's soldiers!
On the water to the southeast, Jiang Qin, holding a short knife, stood with one foot on the bow of the boat, riding the wind and waves, and quickly approached Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui!
On land, Xu Huang also led his soldiers to quickly chase after Yuan's army, wading through the mud. The long iron sword he carried became even sharper and colder as it was washed by the raindrops!
The sound was so loud! The military formation was so orderly! There was not a trace of flood damage on them!

At this moment, the sound of drums also rang out from the Dongyang city wall in the rain!

I hadn't noticed it before, but now that I look up, what else could that flag that was constantly rising and falling in the dark clouds be but the character "Liu"?
"Wasn't Liu Miao in Huaiyin? When did he come to Dongyang?"

"Have we fallen into a trap?"

They intended to take advantage of Liu Miao's illness to kill him, but who knew that what they found after following the Huai River's flow would be such a scene!
Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui were both seasoned generals who had fought on many battlefields. As disciples of Yuan Shikai, they had already been fighting against the Qiang and Xianbei people on the border before the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out. Their vigilance against war was ingrained in their very bones!
When the two saw that Liu Miao's troops were well-organized, they immediately realized something was wrong—

"Withdraw! Quickly withdraw!"

But they both forgot one thing—

Water really does flow downhill!

They came downstream at great speed. But now, returning upstream, their speed is naturally slower than when they came.

Moreover, once the Huai River was damaged, it has never returned to its former tranquility.

Turbulent currents and waves.

Soil and tree branches.

All of this rendered Yuan's army, numbering around 20,000, unable to move!
Jiang Qin used his headband to shield himself from the fine raindrops, and kept calculating the distance to Yuan's ships in his letters.

Although arrows were already being shot at sparsely, they posed no threat whatsoever amidst the turbulence of the wind and rain!
"One hundred feet."

Thirty feet.

"Ten zhang (approximately 33 meters)."

"Three feet!"

Jiang Qin could no longer restrain himself. He stretched his leg muscles to their limit and, with a furious roar, leaped across the ravine like a tiger descending a mountain, landing heavily on Yuan's ship!
"In this battle, we must annihilate Yuan's army and protect Jiangdong!"

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)