The Yangzhou Navy was ready to cut off all means of retreat. If they rushed out, they would have a way out. If they did not, they would die.
On the other hand, the Jiangdong and Jingzhou Navy were filled with anger. This was because in the past few days of fighting, the Jingzhou Navy and Jiangdong Navy had suffered too many losses at the hands of the Yangzhou Navy. Countless of their comrades died while the enemy did not suffer any casualties. The resentment of the deaths of their comrades had accumulated for a long time. Therefore, the Jiangdong and Jingzhou Navy did not slack off.
"Load the ballistae!" Lu Xun ordered the Deputy General.
Ballistae were pulled out from the Yangzhou Navy's warships, emitting a cold light as huge arrows rippled in the air.
"Aim!" Lu Xun gave the order to his men, but the deputy general on the side raised doubts.
"General, we do not have many ballistae left. It would be better to shoot closer! This way, the enemy can deal more damage! " What the Deputy General said was very reasonable. The Yangzhou Navy's three base numbers of giant arrows had almost been used up. Now, they should let the enemy get closer and then shoot. Because this way, they would be able to kill more enemies. The farther the distance, the lower the hit rate.
Only when the enemy was close enough would the ballista's arrows be able to land on the enemy's warship.
But now, Lu Xun actually wanted to shoot within the range of 700 meters? Although this could hurt the enemy, it would also waste the ballistae. Normally, it would not matter, but now, their warships only had a base number of ballistae left.
"Even if all the ballistae hit the enemy, what can they do?" Lu Xun explained to the Deputy General. The enemy had 100,000 troops on the Yangtze River, so they were not afraid of the ballistae.
What Lu Xun wanted to do now was to make the enemy suspicious. He wanted them to think that the Yangzhou Navy still had enough crossbow bolts. This would inevitably cause the Jingzhou Navy and the Jiangdong Navy to fall apart. This was because no one wanted to be the target of the Yangzhou Navy's arrows.
If Lu Xun pulled the enemy closer to attack, with the intelligence of Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, and the others, they would know that the Yangzhou Navy did not have enough ballistae. Once that happened, the Jingzhou Navy and the Jiangdong Navy would be like wolves that smelled blood. If that was the case, they would not be able to escape.
Countless arrows rained down from the ballista. Even at a distance of 700 meters, Liu Mang's ballistae were still able to fire with enough power. Countless arrows rained down on the Jiangdong and Jingzhou Navy.
"Ahhhhh!" Countless screams could be heard. Many warships were turned into a hornet's nest. Of course, there were also many arrows that fell on the water and splashed up countless water splashes.
In just one round of firing, the Jingzhou Navy and Jiangdong Navy lost no less than ten warships.
Wen Pin's heart was bleeding. This was because his Jingzhou Navy was led by Liu Biao's subordinates. Wen Pin had been killed and injured by Lu Xun's Yangzhou Navy. These subordinates were loyal to Jingzhou Magistrate Liu Biao. It could be said that they did not listen to Cai Mao's orders or Huang Zu's orders. It could be said that they were different from the rest of the Jingzhou Navy. They only listened to Liu Biao's orders.
They only listened to Wen Pin's orders because Liu Biao gave Wen Pin military power. Before Wen Pin left, Liu Biao had told Wen Pin that Jiang Xia's troops could be destroyed, but his subordinates must be preserved. Even if Jiang Xia was lost, it would be the same. From this, it could be seen that Liu Biao attached great importance to his subordinates.
Because of the high losses, Wen Pin was afraid that it would be difficult to explain to Liu Biao. Therefore, he let his subordinates take the lead. This way, they could get more merits. In Wen Pin's view, the Yangzhou Navy was like a turtle in a jar. Taking them down would be as easy as blowing dust. With these merits, Wen Pin could explain to Liu Biao. However, he did not expect such a scene. The Yangzhou Navy was not weakened at all and had such a record.
"Send me a message. Question Zhou Yu. Didn't he say that the Yangzhou Navy did not have many arrows left? What is the situation now? I want him to give me an explanation!" Wen Pin said to his subordinates with a gloomy face. There were only about five thousand people left in the troops that Liu Biao gave him. More than ten thousand people had died. How could Wen Pin not be angry?
"Yes!" The lieutenant general had never seen Wen Pin so angry before. He quickly sent out a signal to ask his allies about the situation.
"Reporting, reporting to Milord, Governor, the Jingzhou Navy sent a message. They asked us why the Yangzhou Navy still has ballistae and giant arrows!" The messenger quickly passed the questioning of the Jingzhou Navy to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu.
"The Jingzhou Navy is questioning us? Haha! "Sun Ce's eyes were filled with anger. If the Jingzhou Navy asked them, who would they question?
Zhou Yu also raised his head and looked at the approaching Yangzhou Navy. Zhou Yu thought that the Yangzhou Navy did not have many ballistae and giant arrows. This was because the Yangzhou Navy did not care about the consumption of giant arrows at the beginning of the battle. Lu Xun's idea was to earn enough and run. In any case, the Jingzhou Navy and the Jiangdong Navy would not be able to catch up to them. However, he did not expect the Jiangdong Navy to play the Iron Blockade.
"The Jingzhou Navy is nothing. Let Wen Pin do whatever he wants!" Sun Ce did not care about Wen Pin's thoughts. The Yangzhou Navy was like a turtle in a jar. Zhuge Liang was about to surrender to him. Sun Ce's warships could swallow the Jingzhou Navy and the Yangzhou Navy. Therefore, Sun Ce did not care about Wen Pin's questions.
"Wait! Go and tell Wen Pin that we told him that the Yangzhou Navy does not have many ballistae left, not all of them! Now is not the time to beat the grass and scare the snake. It is better to calm Wen Pin down. "
"Hmph!" When Wen Pin heard the news, he slammed his fist on the warship. Was it not the same as not saying anything?
"General, the Jiangdong Navy does not put us in their eyes at all!" The Deputy General on the side was also surprised. They had questioned the Yangzhou Navy, but now it was the Yangzhou Navy's turn. Why would they give such a lukewarm answer? " The Deputy General said as he gestured to Wen Pin. This meant that they were trying to sabotage their current ally, the Jiangdong Navy.
"Now is not the time!" Wen Pin shook his head. If they caused trouble now, it would only allow the Yangzhou Navy to break through. Their goal was to destroy the Yangzhou Navy. Now, they had to deal with the Yangzhou Navy first. Wen Pin's eyes narrowed. This time, they had joined forces with the Jiangdong Navy. Wen Pin was not worried. He was prepared to take down the Yangzhou Navy and snatch one or two of the Yangzhou Navy's new warships. With Jingzhou's huge shipbuilding industry, he would be able to quickly use the new warships in the Jingzhou Navy. As for the previous agreement with Jiangdong, once the Yangzhou Navy was taken down, they would cede Jiangxia to the Jiangdong Army.
"Gong Jin, do you want us to slow down and let the warships on the flanks resist?" Although Sun Ce was dismissive of Wen Pin's question, he still felt sorry for the Jiangdong Army. The warships on the flanks were strengthened before the expedition. They could resist the ballista attacks better than the other warships.
"No need!" Zhou Yu shook his head. "This Lu Xun is just bluffing!" Zhou Yu said indifferently.
"But?" Sun Ce was still a bit uneasy. If the Yangzhou Navy did not have enough ballista bolts, then they should have attacked at close range instead of throwing the ballista bolts. Although the ballista bolts were powerful, it was also a waste.
"What Lu Xun wants is for Milord and Wen Pin to avoid the battle!" Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce. Lu Xun threw a rain of ballista bolts from afar. He wanted the Jingzhou Navy and the Yangzhou Navy to be afraid of each other. Although the two armies were allies, they each had their own ulterior motives. Once one side had the idea of avoiding the battle and wanted their allies to help them, the formation would become chaotic and the Yangzhou Navy would have the chance to break through.
"Tell Wen Pin that if he avoids the battle, the Jiangdong Navy will immediately retreat!" Zhou Yu said to the messenger.
Soon, Wen Pin's reply came. If the Jiangdong Navy did not retreat, the Jingzhou Navy would not retreat either. Although his words were unpleasant to the ears, Zhou Yu still laughed.
"It's useless?" Lu Xun saw that the Jingzhou Navy and the Jiangdong Navy's formation did not become chaotic. Instead, they became more synchronized. Lu Xun knew that his plan had failed.
"Have all the cannons stop firing and attack when they are close!" Lu Xun could only pass down the order.
The Yangzhou Navy, who did not care about the number of ballista bolts, stopped firing.
"Is that so?" Zhou Yu looked at the warships on both sides and was about to see the enemy's appearance. "Pass down the order to aim at the flagship of the Yangzhou Navy. Sink it regardless of the losses!" Zhou Yu said to his subordinates.
He wanted to intimidate the people. The flagship of the Yangzhou Navy was the backbone of the Yangzhou Navy. As long as the flagship was sunk, the other Yangzhou Navy warships would be leaderless. This would make it easier for the Jiangdong Army to take over the Yangzhou Navy's new warships.
"Wait!" Just as the messenger was about to give the order, Sun Ce stopped him. "Gong Jin, do not shoot the flagship!"
"Milord?" Zhou Yu looked at Sun Ce suspiciously.
"Gong Jin, what do you think of Lu Xun's talent?" Sun Ce asked.
"He has the qualifications to be a commander!" Zhou Yu did not hesitate to say his evaluation of Lu Xun. Lu Xun was only a weak person, but he could command 10,000 Yangzhou Navy with ease. It must be known that when Zhou Yu debuted, he could only command 3,000 people and was already a little flustered.
"He has the talent to be a commander? Why not have such a person in our hands? "Sun Ce said with a light in his eyes.
"Milord, this person is very wild and arrogant. It is difficult to tame him!" Zhou Yu wanted to persuade Sun Ce to give up the idea of subduing Lu Xun.
"Can he be as arrogant as Zhuge Liang? Can he be as talented as Zhuge Liang? "Sun Ce compared Zhuge Liang to Lu Xun.
"No!" Zhou Yu replied. Lu Xun could only be admired by Zhou Yu, and he thought that he was a promising talent. However, Zhuge Liang made Zhou Yu sigh, because Zhou Yu could not compare with Zhuge Liang in many aspects.
"Then he can be subdued!" Sun Ce said to Zhou Yu.
"But!" Zhou Yu still wanted to say something. You must know that Lu Xun and Sun Ce have a great hatred for each other. Countless people in the Lu Family died in the hands of Sun Ce. Although he did not directly kill them, he did it indirectly. Can this hatred be resolved? His grandfather Lu Kang.
"Don't say anymore, just take him down!" Sun Ce said to Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu mentioned Lu Kang to make Sun Ce give up the idea of subduing Lu Xun. However, once Zhou Yu mentioned it, Sun Ce's temper flared up.
"Lu Kang, Lu Kang, if your grandson is under my command, I don't know if you will still say those words." Sun Ce's eyes flashed with cold light. He looked at the big word "Lu" on the Yangzhou Navy's warship in front of him and could not help but fall into deep thought. In the battle of Lujiang, the attack on the Lu Family was not only because of Lu Kang's stinginess, but also because the governor of Lujiang, Lu Kang, had humiliated him, Sun Ce.
Lu Kang's evaluation of Sun Ce was that Sun Ce only had the courage of an ignorant man, but he did not have the wisdom of an ordinary man. In the end, it would be difficult for him to achieve great things, and he would inevitably fall in the world like his father.
This was what thoroughly angered Sun Ce. Being humiliated by an old man like Lu Kang, Sun Ce, who was still a hot-blooded young man, could not endure it. Therefore, he added oil to the fire and finally led Yuan Shu's troops to attack Lu Kang. Yuan Shu was also happy to be idle. He had been thinking about Lujiang for a long time. He was also unhappy with the old stubborn Lu Kang. Now that someone was willing to lead troops to attack, it was exactly what Yuan Shu wanted. For Sun Ce, who was the eldest son of his old friend, Yuan Shu was very relieved.
Sure enough, as Yuan Shu expected, Sun Ce's fighting strength was not inferior to his dead father. He helped Yuan Shu to deal with Lu Kang and took over Lujiang. At that time, Yuan Shu gave Lujiang to Liu Xun. It could be said that Sun Ce's efforts were useless.
However, Sun Ce still worked hard for Yuan Shu and attacked Lujiang for three years because of Lu Kang's words.
For a long time, Sun Ce had been suppressing his anger. At first, he thought that he could force Lu Kang to surrender and make Lu Kang take back his words. But who would have thought that Lu Kang, that dead old man, was like a stone in a latrine pit, smelly and hard. He even locked his whole family in the prison of Wan Cheng.
In the end, most of the Lu family members starved to death in the prison. The only one who didn't surrender to Sun Ce was Lu Kang. Even after his death, Lu Kang didn't change his words. This matter had been in Sun Ce's heart for many years.
Now that he saw Lu Kang's grandson, Lu Xun, did you know? Now, Sun Ce found a way to vent his anger. Originally, he was angry that the Lu Family had been opposing him. Now, Sun Ce wanted Lu Xun to surrender to him. In this way, Sun Ce could disdain Lu Kang in front of Lu Kang's grave. You said that I was useless, but now, this person who you said would not be able to achieve great things has become your grandson's lord. Your grandson has to kneel down when he sees me. What else can you say?
So now, Sun Ce looked at Lu Xun with fiery eyes.
Zhou Yu did not know about the changes, but when he saw Sun Ce's firm eyes, he knew that his lord could not be changed. So even if Zhou Yu did not know, he still firmly stood on Sun Ce's side.
"Pass down the order. Aim at the Yangzhou Navy's vanguard. I want to see them sink in front of me!" Zhou Yu shouted to his subordinates. If they could not shoot at the Yangzhou Navy's flagship, then they would settle for the next best thing. They had to deal with the Yangzhou Navy's vanguard. They had to be afraid. Only when the Yangzhou Navy was afraid would they stop their warships.
"Yes!" The Jingzhou Navy and the Jiangdong Navy might not be a match for the Yangzhou Navy in terms of warships and ballistae, but they had more people. Their warships could not compare to the Yangzhou Navy, so the Yangzhou Navy would limit their speed. Their ballistae could not reach as far as the Yangzhou Navy, so the Yangzhou Navy would be able to reach the Yangzhou Navy.
There were four hundred warships, and each warship had five ballistae, so there were two thousand ballistae here. Two thousand ballistae came within range of him and shot out in an instant.
"Shoot!" The Yangzhou Navy and Jiangdong Navy generals roared at the same time.
The Yangzhou Navy had forty ballistae per warship. Twenty ballistae meant eight hundred ballistae. Eight hundred versus two thousand. The entire Yangzhou Navy was covered by the ballistae.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Some of the Jiangdong Navy's warships had already sunk. Although the Yangzhou Navy's warships were stronger than the Jiangdong Navy's, they could not withstand the enemy's attacks.
The three vanguard warships of the Yangzhou Navy were directly bombarded into pieces. The entire warship was torn apart. The Yangzhou Navy soldiers on the warships had no way to survive. Behind them were two warships that were also turned into a hornet's nest. Although they were still tenaciously fighting back, looking at the arrows that were shot from time to time, they knew that these two warships were in a precarious situation.
"Charge!" Five warships and nearly two thousand soldiers were lost. This was the biggest loss for the Yangzhou Navy. Needless to say, the Yangzhou Navy was precious, but there were also the warships and the ballistae.
"General, look, there's a fire!" The Vice General pointed to the front and shouted to Lu Xun.
"No!" Lu Xun saw that the place on fire was not other people, but the warships of his own fleet. It turned out that the two warships that had lost their power and knew that it was impossible for them to escape had taken out alchemical fire oil and set their own warships on fire.
"Fire?" Sun Ce was surprised. He was not worried that the fire on the warships would burn him. The fire on the two warships would not affect the Jingzhou Navy and Jiangdong Navy's warships as they did not have much power to move them. Even if they could move, the Jingzhou Navy and Jiangdong Navy's ballistae would not let them get close. They would certainly send them to the bottom of the Yangtze River.
Sun Ce was surprised because he was distressed. These were two new warships. The first three were not among them, so there was no way to save them. But these two warships could still float on the surface of the water. It was clear that the Yangzhou Navy's warships were excellent. They could be brought back to the shipyard to be repaired.
"Brothers, take advantage of this opportunity to charge!" Lu Xun suppressed the anger in his heart and shouted to the soldiers beside him. After losing 5 warships, it wasn't like they didn't gain anything. At the very least, they managed to destroy a few enemy warships that were blocking their path. They were also getting closer and closer to the enemy. Naturally, the enemy didn't dare to use the ballistae anymore. This was because the ballistae's penetrative ability could easily harm their allies.
"Prepare to ram!" Lu Xun roared loudly. The Yangzhou Navy's new warship's horn was exposed. It was extremely sharp. Everyone on the warship grabbed the things around them so that they would not be thrown out in the next collision.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The Yangzhou Navy's warship's horn was very powerful. The hull of the Jiangdong Navy's warship was torn apart like paper.
Fifteen warships cut through the wind and waves as they moved forward. In the collision, the Jingzhou Navy and Jiangdong Navy lost more than a dozen warships.
There were thousands of casualties. Wen Pin and Sun Ce's expressions were not good.
"Charge! Charge!" A smile finally appeared on Lu Xun's face. The enemy's warships were about to be broken through. As long as they rushed out, the Jiangdong Navy and the Jing Province Navy would not be able to catch up with the speed of the Yangzhou Navy's new warships.
Just as Lu Xun was about to rush out and escape, the warship suddenly shook. Lu Xun did not support himself well and directly staggered out. Fortunately, the deputy at the side pulled Lu Xun in time, otherwise Lu Xun would have been seriously injured.
"What's going on?" Lu Xun's heart had a trace of uneasiness.
"General. General, chains, chains! "Soon, a messenger came to deliver the news.
"Where did the chains come from?" Lu Xun was stunned. Because of the chains behind them, they chose to break through from the front. However, there were still chains to break through from the front.
"Haha! You still want to rush out? In your dreams! "The Jingzhou Navy and Jiangdong Navy looked at the scene in front of them and could not help but sneer.
The warships of the Jingzhou Navy and the Jiangdong Navy were all connected by iron chains. Even if the warships were sunk, the chains were still there. They relied on the buoyancy of the other warships to block them from the outside.
Therefore, the Yangzhou Navy could not rush out unless they could sink all the warships of the Jingzhou Navy and Jiangdong Navy.
While Lu Xun was in a daze, the Jiangdong Navy had already surrounded them.
"Surrender, Lu Xun!" Sun Ce's voice came from the Jiangdong Navy's warship.
"General, what should we do?" Being surrounded by the enemy, many people in the Yangzhou Navy panicked.
"General, let's fight them!" Some people were very excited because many of them were Jiangxia people. They were born to be enemies with the Jiangdong Army.
"Yes, General, let's fight them!"
"Lu Xun, Lu Boyan, as long as you surrender, I, Sun Ce, will give you what the King Of Shu, Liu Mang, gave you. I can even give you twice as much as him!" Sun Ce loudly tempted Lu Xun.
"If you don't surrender, then you will die! Don't even think about burning these warships. It is impossible. With my order, 100,000 soldiers will come. These warships are mine. Your lives are also mine. Surrender and join the Jiangdong Army. The Yangzhou Navy is finished! "
"General, we?" Some of the soldiers were shaken. They could have rushed down in a spurt of energy, but once they stopped, they were afraid of death.
"Reporting, General, we only have a dozen ballistae left!" The ballistae on the warships were almost all used up. A dozen ballistae were not enough to fight a round.
"There are no more ballistae left? Do the heavens really want me, Lu Xun, to die? "Lu Xun's face was full of bitterness.
"Everyone, do you believe in me, Lu Boyan?" Lu Xun smiled and said to his subordinates. "General, we will follow you. We want to be with you! We will do whatever you say! " A soldier on the side said to Lu Xun. Although Lu Xun was the commander, at first, everyone was not convinced. This was because Lu Xun was a weak person. Who would be convinced by a young boy? However, Lu Xun used his achievements to explain why the Lord and Military Advisor appointed Lu Xun as the commander of the Yangzhou Navy after Gan Ning left.
"Good, then pass down my order. Take out all the alchemical fire oil! These warships must not be left to the Jiangdong Army! " Lu Xun was shocked. He was ready to destroy everything. The ballistae were gone and the road was blocked. Therefore, Lu Xun was angry.
"Yes!" His subordinates were ready to move. Suddenly, a lieutenant shouted, "Wait! “
"What is it, Lieutenant Yu? Are you scared now? If you are, then please go out and surrender! " Lu Xun said coldly to Lieutenant Yu. The other soldiers on the side also looked at Lieutenant Yu angrily.
"No, General. Although I do not know much, I will not betray His Highness the King Of Shu. His Highness the King Of Shu has been good to us. We can't see it!"
"Then what do you mean, Lieutenant Yu?"
"I just want to remind you. Didn't Military Advisor give you a letter before this?" The lieutenant said to Lu Xun.
"A letter?" Lu Xun was stunned for a moment, but then he remembered. Indeed, before the battle, a letter was sent from Lujiang. Lu Xun originally thought that the letter was intelligence, but he was stopped by the messenger. He said that the letter was given to Lu Xun by Military Advisor. He told Lu Xun not to open it unless it was a last resort.
But now, it seemed like it was really a last resort.
Being reminded by Captain Yu, Lu Xun took out the letter from his chest and opened it. The more he read, the wider his eyes became. In the end, Lu Xun took in a deep breath and asked the same question, "Do you still believe in me, Lu Xun?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
