The Empress has abandoned me? I'll support a new emperor and destroy your kingdom!

"Set sail!" Zhao Jianing stood at the bow of the boat and gave the order in a deep voice.

The oars sliced ​​through the thick river water, and the ferry slowly left the shore, sailing into the vast white fog.

The figures and flags on the shore quickly blurred and disappeared, leaving only the boundless fog and the rushing water, as if only this lone boat remained in the world.

In the middle of the river, the fog grew even thicker.

Visibility was only a few dozen feet. The river was swift, and the ferry was rocking violently.

Everyone held their breath, hands on their weapons, watching the white expanse of water all around them warily.

Han Lie personally took a "water listening tube," immersed his mouth into the water, and listened intently.

"There's movement." Reaching the middle of the river, Han Lie suddenly whispered, "To our left front, underwater, there's the sound of paddling, more than one... very fast, heading straight for us! And... the sound of boats moving, flanking us from both sides!"

Almost at the same time that Han Lie finished speaking.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

A piercing sound suddenly rose from the thick fog on both sides!

Countless sparks pierced through the white mist, shooting towards us like will-o'-the-wisps!

The target was clear: the sails, cabins, and crowds on the decks of the three ferries!

"Enemy attack! Raise your shields! Put out the fire!" Zhao Jianing roared, waving his sword to deflect the arrows.

The guards raised their shields to protect their vitals.

The rockets were nailed to the sails and gunwales and quickly ignited. Flames leaped on the damp wood and canvas, and thick smoke mixed with water vapor made it even more choking.

"There are people underwater! They're chiseling at the bottom of the ship!" a sailor at the stern shouted in alarm.

All that could be heard was a muffled thud from the bottom of the boat—the sound of a sharp blade striking wooden planks!

"Use the water ghosts! Stop them!" Zhao Jianing ordered the thirty skilled swimmers.

Without hesitation, more than ten people, with short blades in their mouths, leaped into the icy river and engaged in a fierce battle with the dark figures attacking from below, causing blood to gush forth.

"Use the 'Dragon King Cannon'! Bomb the underwater ones!" Han Lie shouted to the soldiers on the ship who were holding the "Underwater Dragon King Cannon".

Several soldiers quickly lit the fuse and threw the iron can into the waters around the ship.

"Boom boom boom!"

A series of muffled explosions rang out underwater, and several jets of water mixed with blood and foam suddenly burst open on the surface of the river!

The screams were drowned out by the water and the sound of explosions, but the muffled thuds from the hull being hammered down became much less frequent.

However, the attacks did not stop.

In the thick fog, several long, narrow, and extremely fast "wave-drilling" boats emerged from both sides like ghosts. The boats were filled with figures holding crossbows, grappling hooks, and grappling hooks, and they approached the ferry, attempting to board it!

Further away, the outline of an even larger warship could be vaguely seen in the fog, with flags waving on board, and the character "冯" (Feng) was faintly visible!

At the same time, shouts of battle and the clash of weapons could be heard from the opposite bank!

Clearly, the scouts who had crossed the river to investigate earlier had also engaged the ambush troops!

"They want to trap us in the middle of the river!" Zhao Jianing's eyes were red. "Protect His Highness, charge to the other side!"

The rowers rowed with all their might, but the old boat was heavy and slow.

Enemy ships on both sides were rapidly closing in, and arrows rained down.

Guards continued to be hit by arrows and fall into the water, and the fire on the sails grew larger.

"Abandon ship! Land on the beach!" Yun Jin's voice rang out through the chaos, chillingly calm.

She had already drawn her sword and stood at the cabin entrance, her dark outfit splattered with sparks and bloodstains.

"Commander Zhao, take your men and use the 'river-blocking nets' to stop the enemy ships! Military Advisor Han, use the remaining 'Dragon King Cannons' to blow up the nearest large ship! The rest of you, follow me and jump into the water to swim ashore!"

"Your Highness! No! The river is too cold and too fast!" Qingdai held her tightly.

"Staying on the ship means certain death! Jump!" Yun Jin said decisively, first tying a plank to her body, then cleaving open the burning ship's side with her sword and leaping into the icy river!

The biting cold instantly overwhelmed her, and the river water choked her nose and mouth, but she struggled to swim towards the faint outline of the opposite bank.

"Protect His Highness!" Zhao Jianing roared at the men who remained, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

If something happens to Yun Jin, how can Lord Su declare war on the Tianming Empire?

Su Che made so many efforts and arranged so many people just to help Yun Jin ascend the throne and then support him in conquering the Ming Dynasty.

......

"Execute the order!" He then strapped on the leather bag, jumped into the water, and swam vigorously toward Yun Jin.

Qingdai gritted her teeth and followed suit.

With the commander leading the charge, the remaining guards had no more hesitation. They abandoned their ships or clung to planks, desperately swimming towards the opposite bank.

The thirty water ghosts who jumped into the water also desperately entangled the enemy water ghosts, buying time for the main force.

Han Lie lit the last few "Dragon King Cannons" and hurled them fiercely at the nearest enemy ship. He then ordered his men to scatter "river-blocking nets" into the waters in front of the pursuing enemy ships before jumping into the water.

"Boom!" Explosions rang out on the side of the enemy ship. Although they did not sink the ship, they caused a moment of chaos and slowed the ship's speed.

The "river-blocking net" even got tangled in the propellers of two small boats, causing them to spin around.

Taking advantage of the brief chaos, the people who had fallen into the water desperately swam towards the opposite bank.

However, fierce fighting also broke out on the beach on the opposite bank at this time!

The scouts and some of the guards who had crossed the river earlier were fighting with the ambush troops that emerged from the reeds, trying to seize the beachhead.

Arrows were shot from the shore, and people were constantly hit and sank into the river.

Yun Jin struggled to swim, the icy river water almost freezing her limbs, and her chest burned with pain.

An arrow grazed her cheek, leaving a trail of blood.

She gritted her teeth and continued charging forward.

Zhao Jianing quickly swam to her side and used his body to shield her from the arrows.

Just as they were less than twenty feet from the shore, with the fierce fighting on the shore and the enemy ships regrouping and chasing after them.

"Kill them—!"

"Revenge! Kill the government soldiers!"

A deafening battle cry suddenly rang out from the depths of the reed marshes downstream!

Dozens of fishing boats and sampans of various sizes shot out like arrows, each boarded by men armed with harpoons, machetes, and bows and arrows.

Although their clothes were tattered and their formation was scattered, everyone had a ferocious look on their face and roared loudly as they charged straight at Feng Kun's warships and the small boats that were pursuing them!

He's one of Jiang Ba's men!

Yin Wujiu's liaison officer did indeed persuade them!

These fishermen and local militia, who made their living on the water year-round and had a long-standing grudge against Feng Kun, became the key force disrupting the battle!

Instead of a direct assault, they patrolled the perimeter, harassing and attacking Feng Kun's ships with rockets, fishing nets, and even burning firewood boats, preventing him from fully pursuing Yun Jin and the others.

"Jiang Ba! You're asking for death!" A furious roar came from Feng Kun's navy.

Some of the warships had to be divided to deal with this group of "water bandits" that suddenly appeared.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yun Jin, Zhao Jianing, and the others finally struggled to climb onto the cold mudflats.

On the shore, the dozens of guards and scouts who had arrived earlier, led by a brigade commander surnamed Liu, held a small beachhead position, but all of them were wounded and in grave danger.

Soldiers kept emerging from the reeds.

"Form ranks! Protect His Highness!" Zhao Jianing choked on some water and roared hoarsely. He struggled to his feet and swung his sword to cut down an enemy soldier who charged at him.

Yun Jin also leaned on the ground with her sword, her whole body soaked and her face pale, but her eyes were sharp as knives as she scanned the battlefield.

"Commander Liu! How many men are left?" she asked.

"Your Highness! There are less than forty men left who can fight!" Commander Liu roared, his face covered in blood.