Sweep Yuan

Chapter 246 A Powerful Tycoon with Ease

Wang Bi, the commander of the Weiwu Guard, disliked passively waiting for an opportunity to fight and did not place his hopes of crossing the river entirely on the naval fleet.

After his troops successfully controlled the west bank of the Qinhuai River, he sent out scouts to search the Niushou Mountain River, Jiulong Lake, Dongmao Lake and other waterways, and found nineteen small sampans that the villagers had hidden in the reeds.

Taking advantage of the brief standoff between the two sides across the river, he ordered his soldiers to gather materials from the local area and assemble 130 bamboo and wooden rafts.

To avoid alerting the enemy, these small boats and rafts were quietly moved to the reed beds near the designated crossing point.

Therefore, when Wang Bi led his troops to the upper reaches of the Fangshan section of the Qinhuai River to begin crossing, the local militia observation posts on the opposite bank of Fangshan Fortress noticed the unusual activity on the west bank, but could only watch helplessly and dared not send troops to carry out futile interception.

—The landing point chosen by Wang Bi was a full four miles away from Fangshan Fortress. By the time the panting Fangshan Fortress defenders arrived, the vanguard of the Mighty Guard had already crossed the river, allowing them to wait in comfort and then use them as a scapegoat!

Moreover, the number of troops left to guard the village was already insufficient.

The main force had been taken away by Marshal Chen Yexian and rushed towards the Red Flag Battalion's detachment camp east of Jiangning City, leaving only two thousand old, weak and local militia to guard the fortress.

Faced with the massive river-crossing operation of the Weiwu Guard, they were willing but unable to do anything. They could only close the gates of the camp and send a fast messenger to catch up with the marshal and report the urgent military situation that the Red Flag Battalion had crossed the river and was about to attack their camp.

At this time, Chen Yexian's 20,000-strong army was marching eastward along the east bank of the Qinhuai River towards Jiangning City.

The army was mainly composed of local militia. Although there were many of them, their equipment was mixed and their training was insufficient. Naturally, their marching speed was slow. The troops stretched for several miles and could not possibly be huddled together. Doing so would not only slow down their movements but would also be disastrous if they were ambushed.

The vanguard of 5,000 men, commanded by Deputy Marshal Chen Zhaoxian, advanced by both land and water. The army on land drove away the Red Flag Battalion scouts along the way, while the fleet on the river sought opportunities to burn enemy ships.

"Vice Marshal! The Red Flag Battalion's naval fleet has been spotted, heading upstream, seemingly to intercept our forces!"

Upon hearing the scout's report, Chen Zhaoxian's spirits lifted, and he immediately spurred his horse to the riverbank to observe.

Downstream, at a bend in the river, a line of warships was sailing upstream, their red flags faintly visible. He raised his hand again to sense the wind direction!
God help me too!

Overjoyed, Chen Zhaoxian glanced around at his militia members, who were slightly nervous at first sight of the enemy fleet. He deliberately raised his voice, laughed loudly, and encouraged their morale:
"My comrades! It rained for most of yesterday, but today the sun has come out and there's such a strong southeast wind! This is the will of Heaven! It's just the right time for us to set fire to the enemy ships! The rebel army has wreaked havoc on Jiangning, incurring the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people. Even the heavens are lending us a hand!"

Although their forces outnumbered their opponents, they were ultimately poorly trained local militia. Facing the infamous Red Flag Battalion, it would be a lie to say they weren't nervous. Morale was paramount in this battle; it needed to be boosted, not demoralized. A quick-witted subordinate immediately understood Chen Zhaoxian's intention and loudly echoed:

"The Vice Marshal is incredibly insightful! Today we will surely achieve a great victory over the enemy navy!"

Chen Zhaoxian was very satisfied with his subordinates' performance and continued to cheer them on with a hearty laugh, as if victory was assured:

"If the enemy fleet gets any closer, it will be doomed, and there will be no escape!"

He had indeed made ample preparations to win this naval battle, and his confidence was not entirely unfounded.

Unfortunately, the Red Flag Battalion soldiers clearly had no obligation to cooperate with Chen Zhaoxian in staging a "fire attack drama." No sooner had Chen Zhaoxian finished speaking than the Red Flag Battalion fleet, which had been steadily sailing upstream, came to a halt.

On the lead patrol boat, a sharp-eyed sailor pointed ahead and urgently reported to the team leader, Hua Gao.

"Commander! Look! These ships of Yuan Gou... the formation they're setting up is a bit strange! Something's not right!"

In fact, without his subordinates reminding him, Hua Gao had already noticed the enemy ship's unusual behavior.

Ahead on the river, more than twenty small ferries were strangely lined up in a row, almost occupying most of the waterway. The boats seemed to be connected by chains or ropes, which allowed them to maintain a relatively stable distance from each other on the river.

Each small boat was piled high with bulging objects, all uniformly covered with tarpaulins, completely concealing them. A little further behind these strange boats, there were seven or eight small sailboats, their sailors struggling to raise their sails.

"hey-hey!"

Seeing this, Hua Gao sneered and said:
"These Yuan dogs have quite a few tricks up their sleeves! They even came up with the idea of ​​setting up chained fire ships to bluff people!" During the training of naval commanders, there were discussions about the tactics of burning chained warships during the Battle of Red Cliffs, so he was very familiar with this.

The two fleets were still far apart, and Hua Gao, experienced as he was, remained calm. After laughing, he turned around, picked up two small flags, and skillfully used them to signal the main fleet about twenty paces behind him, shouting:

"The Yuan dogs are trying to set fire ships upstream! Retreat immediately!"

At such close range, even without flag signals, shouting can clearly convey information.

The news that "the Yuan army is going to set fire ships" quickly spread to every warship in the first naval formation and was rapidly relayed to the second formation further back via flag signals (after the battle yesterday, Zhang Desheng reorganized the original three formations into two large formations).

If the fleet at this time consisted of large warships that relied on sails, it would be absolutely disastrous to make an emergency turn or turn around in such a narrow and winding river. Not only would the speed be slow, but it would also be very easy to collide and run aground.

However, the Hongqiying naval fleet on the Qinhuai River consisted mostly of small and agile small and medium-sized warships that used a combination of oars and sails, making them extremely convenient to maneuver.

Many boats don't even need to turn around; with just a command, the oarsmen row in unison, and the entire boat can skillfully "reverse on the spot," quickly escaping the danger zone.

Upstream, the brave soldiers on the fireboats, seeing the enemy fleet suddenly change from approaching to rapidly departing, looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Quick! Chase them! Don't let the bandits escape!" Someone shouted first, startling everyone awake.

They had prepared all night, painstakingly creating this chain of fire ships. How could they just watch the enemy, who had already come into view, escape so easily? At the same time, they raised the sails and rowed frantically, chasing after the retreating Red Flag Battalion fleet.

On the shore, Chen Zhaoxian had not expected that the Red Flag Battalion's navy would be so vigilant and react so quickly, fleeing as soon as they saw the situation was not good, causing most of his carefully planned arrangements to fall apart instantly.

"Quick! Run! Keep up with the fleet! Protect the fire ships!" Chen Zhaoxian shouted urgently, urging his infantry to run faster along the riverbank.

The widest part of the Qinhuai River in its middle and upper reaches is only about twenty zhang (approximately 33 meters). The rebel army only needs to place a few dozen archers on the bank to fire fire arrows, which can easily ignite the fire ships and completely ruin the entire plan. There must be friendly troops on the bank to protect the ships and drive away any enemy archers that may appear.

But those fireboats were already sailing downstream, and now with their sails raised and the southeast winds blowing, their speed suddenly increased. How could the poorly trained and malnourished villagers on the shore possibly keep up?

They had run with all their might for less than half a mile when they were all panting heavily, drenched in sweat, and their steps became heavier and heavier. Instead of getting closer, the distance between them and their own fire ships on the river was getting farther and farther, and the entire marching column became scattered and sluggish.

"Useless! What a bunch of useless trash!"

Watching the fleet rapidly recede into the distance, Chen Zhaoxian cursed angrily, but dared not urge the exhausted villagers to continue the chase—they couldn't catch up anyway.

Moreover, the formation was already in disarray after running such a short distance. If they continued running and were suddenly attacked by the enemy, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But he was unwilling to give up the opportunity to defeat the Red Flag Battalion's navy, so he could only suppress his anger and give the order:

"Maintain formation! Move forward quickly!"

Because the Red Flag Battalion's navy was overly vigilant, the skirmish on the Qinhuai River did not break out as expected. Meanwhile, on the east bank of the upper reaches of the Qinhuai River, the battle to capture the fortress on Fangshan Mountain began sooner than anticipated, and was already nearing its end.

The opportunity was fleeting. The first batch of nearly a thousand elite soldiers of the Weiwu Guard had just crossed the Qinhuai River when Commander Wang Bi led them, carrying twenty specially made small wooden rafts (covered with wet cowhide on the outside and reinforced with a supporting structure on the inside), straight toward the enemy stronghold at Fangshan.

Having successfully seized the beachhead, the enemy, intimidated by the sheer force of the troops, dared not launch a counterattack from their stronghold. Therefore, there was no need for the troops to cross the river upstream. Instead, the troops could move ahead to the west bank of the river in the Fangshan section and immediately engage in the battle to capture the stronghold after crossing, thus creating continuous waves of attacks.

After Wang Bi personally led his elite troops to the foot of the Fangshan stronghold, he immediately ordered most of his soldiers to use crossbows to suppress the defenders and cover the attack.

He personally led over two hundred elite soldiers, using the twenty specially made wooden rafts as super shields, forming a cumbersome but relatively safe assault formation, and charged straight at the wooden stockade built by the enemy along the mountainside.

Then, they smashed oil canisters against the stockade wall with all their might, and then rockets were launched in unison!
In an instant, flames shot into the sky from many sections of the stockade wall, thick smoke billowed out, and the wooden stockade wall crackled in the flames. The defenders were forced to retreat repeatedly by the scorching flames and thick smoke, and cries and screams rose from all sides.

Once the fire had subsided, Wang Bi personally led his strongmen to wield giant axes and frantically hack at the burning stockade wall!
This camp was originally designed to garrison more than 20,000 troops. If the troops were fully equipped and the defense was effective, a direct attack would inevitably come at a heavy cost.

At this moment, the vast camp was left with only two thousand panicked defenders. Faced with Wang Bi's unreasonable and relentless attacks, which targeted specific points, the camp was riddled with weaknesses and impossible to defend against. If, at this juncture, a particularly brave and decisive commander had led his elite troops out of the camp to launch a counterattack, it might have been possible to delay or even halt the Red Flag Battalion's advance, buying them a little time. But that would have been all, and the casualties would have been devastating.

Above them, a dense rain of arrows fell from the Red Flag Battalion; beneath the burning stockade walls, the enemy launched a relentless and frenzied attack; and on the river, countless small boats and rafts were rapidly transporting enemy troops.

Any army, upon witnessing such a despairing scene, would see its morale crumble rapidly, and collapse would only be a matter of time.

Sure enough, just as the second batch of soldiers from the Mighty Guard crossed the river and landed, before they could even reach the foot of Fangshan Mountain to join the attack on the stronghold, a cheer came from the mountain – the enemy stronghold at Fangshan Mountain had been captured!
The garrison in the village collapsed too quickly. The only thing they had time to do was to light the beacon fire on the mountaintop, sending the dire news of the camp's dire situation to the main force in the distance.

……

"Our rear... has been attacked?!"

Chen Yexian, who was leading the main force of the central army, was riding his warhorse and had a relatively wide field of vision. He had just noticed that the vanguard of Chen Zhaoxian's troops had suddenly accelerated and galloped wildly. Before he could figure out what was happening, someone in the ranks shouted in panic, pointing to the sudden plume of smoke rising from Fangshan behind them.

Although Chen Yexian was startled, he was not afraid.

The Red Flag Battalion had been frequently seen on the west bank of the Qinhuai River and had even seized a Yuan army stronghold. Our 20,000 troops had been mobilized and were heading straight for the Red Flag Battalion's camp east of Jiangning City. It would be abnormal if the enemy did not take the opportunity to cross the river and launch a surprise attack on our rear to contain us.

This scene made Chen Yexian's heart sink, sensing that something terrible was about to happen—this was the highest signal of danger for the camp! It meant that the enemy was not only harassing, but launching an extremely fierce offensive, proving that the Fangshan camp could be breached by the enemy at any moment!
"Report—!!! Marshal! Something terrible has happened! A major disaster has occurred!"

Just then, a fast horse galloped up from behind. The messenger on horseback was soaked in sweat, his face ashen, and he didn't even bother to look back at the three conspicuous beacon fires in the direction of Fangshan. He practically rolled off his horse, shouting hoarsely with a sob in his voice:

"Marshal! The enemy... several thousand enemy troops are crossing the Qinhuai River and are about to attack our camp!"

Although the news was severely delayed—it arrived only after the village was almost breached—it confirmed a terrifying fact: the enemy's fighting strength was extremely formidable, and their movements were swift as the wind. In a very short time, they had completed the entire process of crossing the river, attacking the village, and possibly even breaching it!
How to do? !

Chen Yexian's mind raced, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Returning to Fangshan immediately? Definitely not!
Not to mention that the eldest son had already led five thousand vanguards out and the situation was unclear, so they could not abandon Bude, his own main force of the central army had also gone far ahead.

By this time, the entire army had turned back hastily to reinforce the enemy, who must have already established a foothold and may even have made defensive preparations based on their camps.

At that time, the enemy, having rested and prepared, will surely rout the scattered local militia!

If the bandit commander were bolder, he might even dare to pursue them!

Although the local militia outnumbered the main force, encountering thousands of Red Flag Battalion rebels in the open field at the height of their power, the outcome was uncertain. If the battle became stalemate, and they were surrounded by reinforcements from various rebel units, the entire army would likely be wiped out!

"Accelerate the advance!" Chen Yexian quickly made up his mind and almost roared the order.

The current situation is nothing more than a "trade-off," a contest of speed and ruthlessness! With 20,000 troops on our side, we might be able to break through the enemy's equally sparsely defended camp in the east of the city before they catch up!

Even if things go terribly wrong, as long as the army can reach the walls of Jiangning, they can at least retreat into the city and hold their ground!
—As for whether that old fox Danidas will let his troops into the city? Chen Ye is not worried. If the old fox dares not let our army into the city, then he will force the Chen family to turn against him. At worst, he can just surrender to the Red Flag Camp.

With 20,000 troops at their disposal and being from their hometown, no matter who occupied Jiangning and became the "master," the Chen family would still be the "second master" who had the final say in Jiangning.

"Marshal! Look ahead!"

Just as Chen Ye was rapidly calculating various possibilities and escape routes, his subordinate suddenly exclaimed in alarm, pointing to the river in the distance.

Chen Ye suddenly looked up and saw thick smoke rising from the Qinhuai River in front of him. It was too far away to see clearly what was happening. His heart tightened, but a sliver of hope arose within him. He asked疑惑地问道:

"Could it be... that Bud's fireships have been successfully captured?!"

……

About five miles ahead of Chen Ye, Chen Zhaoxian had just rushed up a small earthen mound when he saw the scene on the Qinhuai River in the distance:

The thirty-odd fire ships that our side had placed so much hope on had all been set ablaze, and the daredevil sailors who were piloting them hurriedly jumped ship and desperately swam to the banks to escape; while the Red Flag Battalion warships, which were expected to be swallowed up by the fire ships, were still in the waters far downstream, completely intact.

The fire ships were set ablaze by dozens of Red Flag Battalion archers. They even waved to Chen Zhaoxian from afar, shouting something that, to everyone's surprise, was not pleasant—clearly a direct provocation.

Chen Zhaoxian had been a tyrant in the village for over thirty years; he had never been provoked like this before. He immediately drew his knife and roared:

"Charge! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

The local militia, already furious from the inexplicable raid and the provocations of the Red Flag Battalion, immediately charged out in a chaotic frenzy.

"Kill!"

In naval battles, fire attacks are a common tactic. The warships had the materials to make rockets. Zhang Desheng deployed archers en route and ordered them to shoot rockets to burn the enemy ships, so that they would not fall into the hands of the enemy.

Something is wrong!
Chen Zhaoxian quickly calmed down and was about to call a retreat when a roar, even more powerful than that of the local militia, suddenly rang out from the inner side of the riverbank ahead!

"kill!!!"

Suddenly, thousands of Red Flag Battalion soldiers, clad in bright armor and gleaming with gleaming swords and spears, leaped up from the inner side of the riverbank like a flood bursting its banks! Among them were hundreds of cavalrymen who swept straight toward the charging local militia.

Chen Zhaoxian was terrified by the sudden counterattack and turned to flee. Only then did he realize that the smoke from the direction of Fangshan had turned from one to three. His hands and feet went cold, and he almost fell off his warhorse.

By this point, he understood perfectly well that from the beacon fire that broke out on Zhongshan last night, to the Red Flag Battalion's flanking force launching a major attack on the mountain today, and now to the ambush being brought out in full force, it was all a long-planned trap, just waiting for him and his son to walk right into it!

This battle was lost!

Regret, fear, and despair surged into his heart in an instant, but Chen Zhaoxian couldn't care less about them at this moment. He suddenly pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and fled.

His 5,000 vanguards had already broken formation during the pursuit of the enemy fleet and their rush to the riverbank. Upon seeing the ambush, they completely collapsed, running back in a frenzy, and were completely out of control.

Fortunately, he still had a fast horse, and it hadn't reached the front lines yet. As long as he reached the central army and joined the main force commanded by his father, there would still be room for maneuver: fight, surrender, or retreat.

However, his powerful warhorse and conspicuous general's armor stood out like a beacon in the darkness amidst the chaos of battle, immediately attracting the attention of Huang Siwen, the commander of the Fourth Battalion of the Valiant Cavalry Guard who was leading the cavalry raid.

"Keep a close eye on that Tartar general on his fine horse! Don't let him get away!" Huang Siwen roared, spurring his horse forward and giving chase to Chen Zhaoxian.

Chen Zhaoxian lay on the horse's back, whipping it desperately. The wind howled in his ears, mixed with the sounds of pursuit getting closer and closer behind him and the dying screams of his own soldiers.

Just as he was beginning to feel a surge of joy at the prospect of escaping a desperate situation, he was shocked to discover that a huge cloud of dust had risen on the horizon behind the central army.

"How is this possible?! So quickly...we've been outflanked? Surrounded?!"

The thought had barely formed when Chen Zhaoxian felt as if he had been struck hard in the back by a heavy hammer! Immediately, a sharp pain shot through him, his vision went black, and he could no longer hold onto the reins, falling heavily off his horse.

An extremely powerful armor-piercing arrow pierced through the breastplate on Chen Zhaoxian's back and deeply embedded itself in his heart.

"Bud—!!!"

At the front of the central army, Chen Yexian, who was anxiously watching the battle unfold, watched helplessly as his eldest son was struck by an arrow and fell from his horse.

(End of this chapter)