Sweep Yuan

Chapter 243 Battle in the Rain, Bloodstained Qinhuai River

On the Qinhuai River, a fine drizzle fell, and the air was thick with moisture. The enormous shadow of Jubao Gate was cast on the turbid river surface, like a lurking beast. The unfinished barbican walls resembled the beast's outstretched claws, tightly guarding this section of the river.

The first flotilla of the Red Flag Battalion cut through the rain and slowly entered this most treacherous section of water.

But just as Hua Gao was navigating the lead boat close to Zhenhuai Bridge, the outlines of dozens of warships suddenly appeared in the rain and fog ahead—the very same naval force that had sailed into the Qinhuai River yesterday to assist the Jiangning garrison.

This remnant force consisted of only forty-odd small and medium-sized warships, far inferior to the Red Flag Battalion's navy in both number and morale. However, their choice to confront the Red Flag Battalion's navy at this location was a well-thought-out tactical decision.

Although the Jubaomen barbican was not yet completed, it was located next to the Qinhuai River. The garrison could easily attack the boats and people on the river by throwing bricks and stones from the city wall, effectively supporting their own navy.

On the gate tower, higher up behind the barbican, there was another garrison that could use crossbows to fire arrows from under the eaves where the drizzle was kept out. Although the distance was too far to aim at a specific target, it was enough to suppress the Red Flag Battalion land forces that were trying to support the navy from the south bank.

Last night, the navy, in coordination with the Second Division of the Valiant Cavalry, annihilated the main force of the Yuan navy left behind at Jiajiang Water Fortress. This morning, they braved the rain to storm into the Qinhuai River, intending to use the rain as cover to sail across the dangerous section of the Jiangning South City Wall, eliminate the remnants of the Jiajiang navy, and help Brother Lu cross the river.

The battle between the two sides was already destined, so there was no time to hesitate. As soon as Hua Gao spotted the enemy warships, he immediately sounded the alarm with a gong.

"All troops on alert! Yuan navy spotted!"

Sang Shijie, commander of the Second Naval Battalion, stood at the bow of the ship, rain streaming down his resolute face. He squinted as he surveyed the enemy fleet ahead and the fortifications on the city walls, knowing in his heart that this was a tough nut to crack.

But he also understood that the remnants of the Jiajiang naval forces had nowhere left to retreat.

Their mission was to blockade this section of the river. Once the Red Flag Battalion's navy successfully broke through the Qinhuai River at the southern city wall and entered the waters upstream where there were no friendly forces to restrain them, the Yuan army's remaining ships and defeated generals would only be chased and attacked by the Red Flag Battalion's navy, which had a much larger force.

For the remnants of the Jiajiang naval forces, this battle was a desperate counterattack they had no choice but to fight.

"Commander! Brother Lu has arrived!"

Following the directions of his soldiers, Sang Shijie turned his head and saw that on the south bank of the Qinhuai River, his comrades from the Second Garrison of the Fujun Guard had quickly deployed their defensive formation under the command of Garrison Commander Wu Fu.

They pushed their makeshift shield wagons, raised their heavy shields, and formed a defensive formation, resolutely providing shore-based support for the navy. Almost simultaneously, arrows rained down from the city gate tower, striking the shield wagons and shields with a "crackling" sound, like hailstones falling.

—The terrain around Zhenhuai Bridge is complex. Shishan had anticipated that the Yuan army would block the navy there, and ordered Wu Fu's troops to prepare for reinforcements in advance.

The Yuan army held an absolute geographical advantage. The defenders on the barbican could not only easily attack the Red Flag Battalion's warships on the river with bricks and stones, but could even bring Wu Fu's troops on the opposite bank into their attack range.

Heavy stones pounded on the shields with a thud that sent chills down the spine. Occasionally, a stone that flew over the shields would fall into the crowd, eliciting a suppressed cry of pain.

Although Wu Fu's soldiers were brave, due to the terrain, the bricks and stones they threw could not reach the towering city gate tower. In fact, they were using their own flesh and blood to share the pressure from the city wall for their brothers in the river.

Casualties began to appear, and morale was put to a severe test.

"First team, retreat! Second team, advance! Third team, get ready!"

The area around Zhenhuai Bridge was not conducive to the deployment of a large army, and the attack area was limited. Wu Fu divided his more than a thousand soldiers into four teams to take turns to cover the naval brothers, so as to minimize the casualties of any one unit and maintain the physical strength and morale of the soldiers in the town.

He also personally led the second team of soldiers to the front of the battle and hurled the stones in his hands at the Yuan naval commander who was directing the battle.

"Hold on! Buy time for our naval brothers!"

On the river, the Yuan army's remaining ships, knowing they had nowhere to retreat, unleashed astonishing fighting power. Using long weapons such as spears and harpoons, they prevented the Red Flag Battalion's warships from getting close, attempting to confine the enemy to this narrow body of water and cooperate with the city's defenders to wipe them out.

"Don't hesitate! The more you hesitate, the more people will die!"

Watching his brothers fall around him, constantly struck by bricks and stones, Sang Shijie's eyes turned bloodshot. He knew the key to breaking this deadlock lay in close-quarters combat; once both sides were locked in combat, the attacks from the city walls would actually decrease. He roared:
"Charge them! Jump aboard! Kill!"

Sang Shijie shouted and ordered his flagship to ram directly into the nearest Yuan warship.

The violent collision caused the ship to shudder violently. Sang Shijie stumbled, but quickly regained his balance. Before the two ships could separate, he was the first to brandish his short knife and bravely leap onto the enemy ship's deck, braving the bricks and stones whistling down from above!
"kill--!"

The commander took the lead and boarded the enemy ship to fight, which greatly inspired the soldiers of the Second Naval Battalion. The soldiers on Sang Shijie's flagship jumped onto the enemy ship one after another.

More warships recklessly swarmed onto the Yuan ships, and soldiers roared as they followed their commanders onto the enemy vessels, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the Yuan army. The sounds of clashing swords and spears, shouts, and screams instantly replaced the commands, echoing across this relatively narrow stretch of water.

The blood quickly stained the deck of the warship and the surrounding river, and then spread downstream with the rain.

On the city wall, the two Xiangyang cannons originally deployed by the defenders attempted to unleash their power, but these giant catapults, which were slow to fire and extremely inaccurate, seemed out of place in this rapidly changing close-range land and water battle.

Two heavy stone projectiles were launched far into the open ground behind Wu Fu's troops, creating two large mud pits. Apart from splashing mud and water everywhere, they had no effect and were quickly abandoned by the defenders.

Just then, a commotion arose from the south bank.

"It's Commander Bian! The Divine Machine Battalion has arrived!"

Bian Yuanheng personally led two battalions of soldiers, providing cover for the Shenji Battalion's artillerymen, and braving the drizzle, carried ten bronze cannons, each weighing 720 jin (approximately 310 kg), to the designated firing positions. The Shenji Battalion's artillerymen quickly began assembling the cannon carriages and measuring the distances; the entire process was tense yet orderly.

The fighting on the river has entered its most brutal phase; every moment, people fall, and others constantly rush forward.

Sang Shijie was covered in blood, his blade was dulled from the cuts, and his eyes were blurred by the enemy's blood. He could only wipe his face briefly when the enemy fell, then switch to the enemy's weapon and continue fighting.

In a close encounter, the brave prevail. In this situation, neither side dares to back down and can only grit their teeth and persevere, hoping that the other will collapse first.

"Load the explosive charge! Quickly! Cover yourself from the rain!" Deng Dagang, the commander of the Shenji Battalion, shouted hoarsely.

Fortunately, Marshal Shi clearly stated from the beginning that "fixed-load gunpowder" was to be used. This gunpowder, sealed with oil paper and bamboo tubes, was exactly the amount to be fired at one time. Although it was used in the rain, extra care was still needed. When loading the gunpowder, umbrellas, straw hats and other items were used to shield the gunpowder as much as possible.

But at least it ensured that the artillery was still combat-ready in such bad weather, rather than becoming completely useless.

After a long wait, the gunner finally completed the firing preparations.

"Target—the Yuan dogs on the barbican wall! Release them!"

Deng Dagang suddenly waved his command flag.

“Boom, boom, boom, boom—!”

Ten cannons roared in unison, their scorching smoke instantly dispelling the surrounding rain and mist. Black iron projectiles tore through the air, hurtling towards the barbican with a deathly shriek.

The effects of rain are ultimately unavoidable. The gunpowder will inevitably become damp to some extent, and the gunners will be soaked to the bone. During the operation of the guns, the gunpowder will also get wet, which will affect the accuracy and power of the salvo.

Of the ten shells fired, six missed their targets: some slammed into the thick rammed earth foundation of the barbican, leaving only a dent; others whistled over the heads of the defenders and disappeared without a trace.

Even more remarkably, a cannonball flew over the barbican and struck the eaves of the rear gate tower, instantly shattering bricks and tiles and causing the defenders on the tower to scream in terror and commotion.

However, four cannonballs still accurately hit the defenders on the barbican!
The solid iron ball, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, tumbled and leaped wildly through the crowd, leaving a trail of blood and gore in its wake. The hellish scene and incomprehensible power instantly shattered the already low morale of the defenders. "Sorcery! It's sorcery!"

"Thor is angry! Run!"

Someone shouted first, and the surviving defenders were terrified, completely losing their will to fight. They dropped the bricks and stones in their hands, cried out in panic, and fled from the city wall crenellations, tumbling and crawling down the barbican to hide inside the city.

The attack on the most threatening barbican vanished instantly!
On the river, the pressure on the Red Flag Battalion's naval soldiers, who were fighting hard, was greatly reduced, and their morale was boosted!

"Brothers! Kill! Our divine thunder has arrived!" Sang Shijie roared, brandishing his sword. The remaining naval soldiers unleashed astonishing fighting power, launching an even fiercer attack on the already terrified Yuan sailors.

Seeing that the threat of the barbican had been eliminated, and that enemy and friendly ships were locked in fierce combat on the river, Bian Yuanheng knew that bombarding the area with artillery would greatly increase the chance of friendly fire. He immediately ordered a change of target.

"Aim at the city gate tower! Bombard those Tartars who are firing arrows!"

The defenders on the city gate tower had barely recovered from the chaos of the accidental cannon fire. Under the officers' shouts and whippings, they returned to their firing positions and continued to rain arrows down on Wu Fu's troops on the shore.

They could see the artillery positions, but the range of crossbows was far inferior to that of artillery, and in this rainy weather, they were even less able to threaten the Shenji Battalion. They could only continue to attack the land-based support troops of the Red Flag Battalion, hoping that their own navy on the river could create a miracle.

However, no miracle occurred, and the battle between the two naval forces on the river was nearing its end.

The Red Flag Battalion's navy already had more warships and soldiers, and their morale was even higher. Last night's battle served as a "sparring partner" for Feng Guosheng's cavalry, which further fueled the navy's soldiers' determination. As soon as they got close to the enemy ships, they immediately boarded and fought.

Without the strong support of the barbican, the already low morale of the remnants of the Yuan navy quickly collapsed. Under the increasingly fierce boarding attacks of the Red Flag Battalion navy, their will to resist crumbled rapidly.

In the narrow waters, the losing side had no room to escape by boat. Apart from throwing themselves into the water for a sliver of hope, they had no choice but to surrender. However, the Red Flag Battalion's naval officers and soldiers were already bloodthirsty, and the Jiajiang naval forces dared not surrender. They jumped into the blood-stained Qinhuai River and swam to escape.

Zhang Desheng, the garrison commander of the First Naval Garrison, had just arrived at the battlefield with his Second Squadron when he saw that the situation was already decided. The navy was rapidly expanding, and every soldier who had experienced the great battle was a rare talent. Not wanting to needlessly increase casualties, he roared with all his might:

"Disarm and you will be spared! Surrender and you will be spared!"

But Zhang Desheng's shouts were drowned out by another huge roar.

"Boom boom boom!"

The gunners of the Shenji Battalion finished reloading their gunpowder and began the second round of shelling.

This time, the shelling effect was still unsatisfactory, even far worse than the first round.

Most of the shells either flew too high over the top of the city gate tower, their destination unknown, or landed too low on the rammed earth foundation of the barbican. Two shells flew close to the rooftop, knocking some tiles off.

Only one cannonball narrowly grazed the top of the barbican, flying at extremely high speed towards the top of the gate tower, blowing off several glazed tiles and smashing a horrifying hole in the thick wooden roof planks. The violent tremor caused more than a dozen pieces of rubble to slide down from the surrounding area.

The soldiers guarding the city wall became agitated again, and many turned and ran.

Such poor artillery fire left Deng Dagang, the commander of the Shenji Battalion, looking rather embarrassed. He glanced at the blurry outline of Yuhuatai in the distance through the rain and explained to Bian Yuanheng:

"Commander Bian, our position is too low, and there's a barbican in front of us. The angle at which the cannonballs can hit the city gate is too small! At most, they'll break a few rafters and overturn a few tiles. If we want to blow down that city gate, our gun emplacements must be at least as high as the barbican!"

Bian Yuanheng nodded, agreeing with Deng Dagang's assessment. The stray bullet that accidentally hit the eaves during the first round of shelling had given him the idea to test the feasibility of shelling the city tower, but now it seemed that it was indeed difficult to achieve.

However, he also keenly noticed that the large dispersion of the two rounds of fire was not mainly due to the operation of the gunners in the Shenji Battalion, but rather to the instability of the gunpowder after it became damp in the rainy weather.

"It's alright! These two rounds of cannon fire scared away the Tartars on the barbican and relieved the pressure on our naval brothers. That's a great achievement!"

Bian Yuanheng patted Deng Dagang on the shoulder and laughed:
"The Marshal is still waiting for our news, and our naval brothers have already succeeded. Prepare to retreat!"

On the river, the remaining Yuan sailors were either dead or had surrendered, and some of the soldiers who had jumped into the water were still struggling in the blood-red river.

Sang Shijie was covered in blood, unsure whether it was from his own wounds or the enemy's blood splattered all over him. Without time to examine himself, he forced himself to stand and hoarsely gave the order:

"Quick! Forget about the Yuan soldiers in the water, tie up the prisoners, and get the boat away from here! Go upstream!"

The two rounds of artillery fire startled the Yuan army into hiding temporarily. However, the enemy would eventually realize the limitations of artillery. Once they realized this, and no longer concerned about harming their own troops, they would inevitably launch a more frenzied counterattack.

The Second Battalion suffered heavy casualties and was no longer able to divide its forces to control the captured enemy ships.

Fortunately, Commander Xu had anticipated this situation before the battle and arranged for three fleets of ships. The Second Battalion was to simply sail their own warships first, while the captured warships would be taken over by Zhang Desheng's troops who had already caught up. Once they were far away from this dangerous section of the river, everyone would be reorganized.

As expected, the chaos among the guards at Jubao Gate did not last long.

In less than a quarter of an hour, under the officer's desperate shouts and even threats of knives and guns, the defenders returned to their firing positions.

By this time, Bian Yuanheng and Wu Fu's troops had successfully completed their covering mission and had long since retreated beyond the range of the Yuan army's crossbows.

In the river, the chilling sounds of battle had subsided, leaving only the sounds of boats sailing and the current.

The battle was over, but the Red Flag fleet had not yet fully traversed this deadly stretch of water. The defenders seized their last chance, frantically unleashing a hail of arrows onto the river in an attempt to salvage some face.

However, the third flotilla of the Red Flag Battalion had already crossed the Zhenhuai Bridge and, relying on simple equipment such as rattan shields, braved the rain of arrows and headed upstream on the Qinhuai River.

When the fleet finally sailed out of the section of the river near the southern city wall of Jiangning, two large armies stood solemnly on the open area on the south bank, their military bearing impeccable and their killing intent palpable—the Qingri Guard and the Zhongyi Guard soldiers who had been waiting there for some time.

It was precisely because of the presence of this force that the Jiangning garrison dared not concentrate all its troops on the south city wall, and the remnants of the Jiajiang Navy dared not retreat, leaving them no choice but to fight the Red Flag Battalion Navy head-on.

The bloodstains on Sang Shijie's body had been wiped clean by the medical team and he had been given simple bandages, but due to significant blood loss, his face was frighteningly pale.

After this fierce battle, the Second Battalion of the Navy suffered heavy casualties and the soldiers urgently needed rest. Their formation was automatically moved to the back and they became the third squadron.

The first fleet was now led by Zhang Desheng himself. He knew that his fellow soldiers had been looking forward to the navy's assistance in crossing the river, so he immediately led the fleet to shore.

Chang Yuchun stood at the front of the line. Before the warship had come to a complete stop and the gangplank had been put on, he laughed loudly, slammed his spear into the ground, and with the help of the momentum, leaped up. His strong body, like a hawk, landed steadily on the bow deck of Zhang Desheng's ship, causing the warship to sway slightly.

"Hahaha! Well done! Brothers of the navy, you've worked hard! The rain hasn't stopped yet, this is a golden opportunity!"

Chang Yuchun's voice was like a booming bell, brimming with fighting spirit, and he proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Next, it's time for us, Brother Lu, to show off our skills!"

……

P.S.: To explain, the Qinhuai River is formed by the confluence of the Lishui River and the Jurong River, and generally flows from southeast to northwest before joining the Yangtze River.

(End of this chapter)