The first wave of attacks had already wiped out more than half of the soldiers who were escorting the rations. Some of the remaining Zhang Ji soldiers jumped into the water in a panic, while others simply hugged their heads and laid down in the hold of the ship, giving up on resisting.
No matter which choice they made, it was not a good path of retreat for the soldiers of Zhang Ji. What awaited them was the fate of death. The only difference was drowning or being killed.
Yang Rui grasped the opportunity and stole 50 ships of rations from Zhang Ji's army without much effort. It was estimated to be no less than three to four hundred thousand jin. For Yang Rui who did not have enough supplies, this was not a small number.
Zhang Ji's army definitely had more than this amount of provisions. However, after Yang Rui's navy launched a surprise attack and even stole the provisions along with the ships, Zhang Ji's soldiers on both sides of the river became wary. For a moment, it was impossible for them to transport any more provisions. There were no more ships to transport them.
In fact, if Yang Rui was willing to suffer some losses, he could still snatch the remaining food from the east bank. Currently, there were only ten to twenty thousand soldiers left in Zhang Ji's army who stayed behind to guard the east bank.
However, regardless of whether it was landing or fighting on land, the scaled soldiers were not the best at it. It was inevitable that there would be some losses. If it was purely to steal rations, Yang Rui felt that it was not worth it.
Right now, although Yang Rui did not have enough rations, it was enough for them to use for a while. It was just rations. In Yang Rui's eyes, its value was far lower than the lives of the scaled soldiers.
"May I ask if you are the Qing Province Navy? My family head will ask you to come out and answer … "
Another factor was that Zhang Ji had sent people to contact Chen Changsheng at the first moment. His words revealed a desire to contact Chen Changsheng.
At the same time, Chen Changsheng did not know how the other party judged, but he was able to tell the true identity of Yang Rui.
"I am the general of the Qing Province Navy, Donglai Taishi Ci. May I ask if you have any instructions?"
After completely taking control of the 50 ships of grain that were intercepted, Yang Rui let Taishi Ci go forward to talk to Envoy Zhang Ji. He did not go forward personally.
Although Taishi Ci's words were polite, he did not mention the fact that he had plundered the other party's food.
"I've long heard of your great name, but it turns out that you really are Donglai's Taishi Ziyi! I am General Zhang Ji, General Zhang Xiu. Ziyi, would you like to come ashore for a chat? "
The person who came was actually Zhang Ji's nephew, Zhang Xiu. However, because he was not wearing a military uniform and had changed into a scholarly robe, Taishi Ci, who had fought him before, did not recognize Zhang Xiu's identity.
Even when Zhang Xiu introduced himself, Taishi Ci did not connect the person on the distant ship with the person who fought at Tong Pass. If Yang Rui had not mentioned Zhang Xiu's name, Taishi Ci might have thought that Zhang Xiu was just a scholar.
When Zhang Xiu announced his name, Yang Rui, who was on the ship at the back, also noticed it immediately. He immediately secretly calculated, weighing the possibility of directly capturing Zhang Xiu.
Zhang Xiu's skills were not ordinary. If he did not use the heavy weapons on the three ships, even if Yang Rui's side had a considerable advantage in terms of ships, it should not be difficult for Zhang Xiu to escape with his skills.
Yang Rui coveted Zhang Xiu because of his love for talent. Naturally, he would not easily kill Zhang Xiu. At this moment, Zhang Xiu was also an envoy. Whether it was capturing or killing him, it was very against the rules.
Therefore, if Yang Rui forcefully captured Zhang Xiu, he had almost no confidence. If he failed, it would also be a violation of the rules of the battlefield. It would not benefit Yang Rui's reputation at all.
"I appreciate General Zhang's good intentions. However, I have an important matter to attend to now. It is inconvenient for me to stay here for long. I will take my leave now …"
Taishi Ci felt that there was no room for discussion with the other party. He also saw Yang Rui slightly shaking his head from the corner of his eyes. Thus, he rejected Zhang Xiu's invitation.
"It is a pity that I, Lord Zhang Ji, do have an important matter to discuss with you. General Taishi Ci, please consider it …"
Zhang Xiu's ship did not continue to approach, but he still did not give up.
"I do have an important matter to attend to. It cannot be delayed. General Zhang Xiu, take care. Farewell. "
However, Taishi Ci didn't say much. Under Yang Rui's signal, he turned the ship around and led the navy ships to escort the newly seized provisions down the river.
In fact, after confirming that Zhang Ji's army had crossed the Pu Ban ferry, Yang Rui had a rough idea of Zhang Ji's army's intentions. It was nothing more than passing through Fengyi County on the north side of the Yellow River to Chang 'an City when Tong Pass was blocked.
The purpose of Zhang Ji's army heading to Chang 'an City was very clear. It was nothing more than to save the little Emperor Liu Xie and the officials, and finally achieve the plot of Liu Xie returning to the eastern capital Luoyang. Under such circumstances, Yang Rui had already decided not to continue interfering with Zhang Ji's army.
For now, Yang Rui could not predict how the plot of the region he participated in would end if Zhang Ji's army could not complete its mission. In comparison, Yang Rui naturally hoped to see a clear path.
Since Yang Rui had already decided not to interfere too much with the plot, after snatching some of Zhang Ji's army's provisions, he led most of the navy back to Tong Pass.
Of course, although Yang Rui did not plan to attack Zhang Ji's army, the various exploration ships had been cruising up and down the Yellow River under Yang Rui's orders. Even the larger tributaries of the Yellow River could often be seen Yang Rui's ships.
As Yang Rui expected, after seven or eight game days, Zhang Ji's army had almost crossed the southern part of Fengyi County and finally arrived near Chang 'an City.
During this period of time, Zhang Ji's army did not stop attacking along the way. Along the way, several cities controlled by Li Jue and Guo Si were easily taken down. The provisions that had been stolen by Yang Rui were also replenished.
"System Announcement: Li Jue and Guo Si are exhausted from fighting. Zhang Ji's army has rushed to Chang 'an City. Li Jue and Guo Si have reached an agreement. The Great Han Emperor Liu Xie has listened to Zhang Ji's advice and has decided to return to Luoyang.
The region plot has entered the second stage of Liu Xie's Return to the East … "
"System Announcement: The region plot of Liu Xie's Return to the East has begun. The players and NPC forces' participation window has opened again. At the same time, players and NPC forces who have already participated in the plot can choose to withdraw or increase their forces and obtain supplies through the plot window …"
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