It was a moonlit night.
The surface of the river was shrouded in fog.
In the fog, other than the sound of people breathing,
There was only the sound of boats breaking through the water and the water surging.
Countless small boats carrying people quietly entered the water from the river.
Hidden in the night and white fog,
They crossed the river overnight.
If there was no more space, someone would go into the water and swim forward on a small boat. From time to time, someone would be replaced.
Lin Dao-kyung stood at the bow of the boat with his arms crossed, feeling the cool fog.
It hit his face.
His personal attendant listened to the sound of the river flowing slowly under the boat.
He lowered his voice.
"General,
Good news. The brothers who opened the way ahead have already occupied the imperial tent on the bank of the Jiangbei River as a stronghold. "
"Good boy! As expected of the top-notch elites among us! "Lin Dao-kyung grinned heroically.
His personal attendant was not too optimistic. "General … the imperial court's side is full of big ships. The navy has also been through it for a long time. "
On their side,
There were only a few big ships.
The others were all small boats.
Although there were many Jiangnan soldiers who were familiar with the water,
When the generals were appointed,
They also specially appointed those who were familiar with water operations. However, this was the first large-scale battle of the rebel army to cross the river.
Before this, the entire rebel army,
Most of the time,
Was still used to fighting on land.
Water battles,
It was really …
Lin Dao-kyung glanced at him. "As timid as a mouse. Back then, when I just started,
When I followed Big Brother and the others to form a team,
The imperial court claimed to have 100,000 troops to pacify the bandits,
And we only have 5,000 people. Have I ever been afraid? "
"But, we crossed the river in a hurry and don't have a strong navy. I'm afraid …"
"Do you think I'm a reckless man like you?" Lin Dao-kyung shook his head. "You only thought about these problems when you reached the river. Before we set off, we had already considered it."
He remembered that time when he talked about this with his second brother and the others.
He also mentioned the fact that the rebel army's navy was weak and that they could not find a few big ships. The ships could not even fill the number of people. He was afraid that crossing the river was too hasty.
"Yiyang, what you think is also what the other side is thinking." Fang Xiuming said, "Is it hasty? It's not hasty. We've been wasting time with Dynasty for so many years. Although we've been advancing triumphantly, the Imperial Court is still bigger than a horse. As the saying goes, the first spurt of energy, the second spurt of energy, and the third spurt of energy. If we don't take advantage of this great opportunity and take advantage of the fact that the enemy is forced to retreat to Jiangbei and their morale is low, we'll be able to gain as much advantage as possible. When the imperial court catches its breath, I'm afraid the north and the south will be divided. Even if we occupy the peace of the people, it will be very difficult for us to take advantage of their unpreparedness to cross the river and charge straight into Jiangbei. Are we going to stay in Shengjing forever? It's a waste of time and I'm afraid there will be too many variables. "
"Second Brother, I'm also a general. I've been on the battlefield for many years, so I understand what you're saying. But I won't fight an unprepared war … "
"Who said I wasn't prepared? We are not the only ones crossing the river this time. "
Lin Dao-kyung hesitated for a moment. "You mean … the merchant alliance?" He snorted. "Those unscrupulous merchants who only dare to follow behind us and pick up scraps despite having weapons in their hands …"
"Third Brother, don't underestimate them. Why do you think we took pains to discuss with them about crossing the river? Why did Big Brother and I agree to let them join us in the beginning? Why did we tolerate them following behind us to pick up scraps and occupy land? "
"Do you know what's the most important thing in Jiangnan's prosperity and the flow of goods?" Fang Xiuming asked.
Lin Dao-kyung was asked this. He didn't know anything about economics, but he could still answer. "Everyone knows that the most important thing is ships and water. Without those few big rivers, who would be able to deliver goods to and from the prosperous docks of the world … "As he spoke, he stopped.
He thought of something.
Patting him on the shoulder, Fang Xiuming was somewhat gratified. "Think about it again. Which forces are in control of Jiangnan's water transport?"
Jiangnan's water transport. On the surface, it was the government. In fact, the huge "dock gang", countless experts who were used to making waves in the water, and the fleets that came and went were inextricably linked to the water transport chamber of commerce.
And the water transport chamber of commerce and the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce were connected to each other.
After all, Jiangnan's trade relied on the waterways.
Among them, the president of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, the Li family, had business in various industries in Jiangnan. They were one of the biggest owners of the water transport chamber of commerce …
Lin Dao-kyung was shocked.
Water transport, dock gang, fleet …
Fang Xiuming saw that he understood, nodded, and patted his shoulder. "Third Brother, snakes and rats all have their own ways. Those who can make a name for themselves aren't fake. Although these merchants used to be submissive in front of the imperial court and smiled in front of us, if they weren't dealing with water transport, they were dealing with the water transport. On the Jianghu road, the water network is dense, and the water forest is scattered like stars in the sky. It's not easy to safely transport goods to their destination. And if you want to go out to sea, there are pirates from the south and the west. Generally speaking, those who want to do big business are little sheep. Just the Li family alone has a large fleet of cannons overseas. "
At the end of the conversation, the candle swayed. Fang Xiuming pointed his finger at the map on the table behind him. His eyes reflected the light of the candle, and he was satisfied. "Who said our navy is weak? Who said we lack ships? "
The silent and lightless ships quietly traversed the white fog on the river. They had reached the center of the river.
It was a good day. There was no wind, and there was no fog.
There weren't even any waves.
The arrows didn't go astray.
In an instant, the sound of something breaking through the air was overwhelming.
The fog suddenly seemed to grow red thorns. In the white fog, there were screams coming from all directions.
Splash, splash. It was the sound of layers falling into the water.
Then, flames ignited on the surface of the water.
The ships were burning.
The white fog gradually dissipated in the flames. In the distance, there were tall "water beasts" crouching in the river. Clusters of flames flickered above their heads through the fog — a large number of soldiers holding torches. Numerous archers drew their bows. The arrows that were shot out were lit by the torches. Wrapped in oilcloth, the arrows with fire burned the river fog and shot into the small boat.
The imperial court's warships.
"Night attack!" Lin Dao-kyung didn't expect to be ambushed halfway. He sucked in a breath of cold air. He was a veteran general. He understood immediately. He cursed in his heart, "Damn it! We fell into a trap! Which son of a b * tch leaked the information … "
"Third Commander!"
"Don't panic. Our allies are already on their way. " Lin Dao-kyung remembered the previous information. "Pass down the order. If the ships catch fire, tell the soldiers to dive into the water and hide in the unburned ships. Follow those who are good at swimming. Hide in the river and avoid the imperial court's navy. Wait for reinforcements!"
They waited and waited. In this sudden battle, the rebel army's navy was weak to begin with. They instantly fell into a bitter battle.
At first, they could still hold on. But more and more ships from the imperial court arrived. They were all filled with gunpowder, oil barrels, and arrows. They poured into the water like rain.
The thin fog gradually dissipated. The imperial court's ships were lined up on the long river. They were so dense that they couldn't see the end of them.
The personal attendant was very anxious. "Third Commander, we can't wait any longer. We must retreat! Why don't we swim to the back? We'll protect you! "
Large groups of imperial court's navy had already jumped into the water and fought the rebel army soldiers who had abandoned their ships and fled.
The imperial court's navy soldiers were all thin and weak. There were even supervisors on the ships supervising the battle. They wanted to swim away after a few rounds. They were no match for the rebel army's valiant soldiers.
Arrows rained down from the sky. In the water, the imperial court's ships took cover and fired another round of arrows at the rebel army soldiers.
Although the imperial court's navy soldiers were useless, they were endless. There seemed to be an endless number of them.
Although the rebel army soldiers were all good men, two fists were no match for four hands. Moreover, they were being attacked from the sky and the water. Soon, more and more corpses floated on the water. They were all dressed in rebel army uniforms.
'Why aren't they here yet?! Why aren't they here yet?! '
Lin Dao-kyung's heart was bleeding. If they retreated from the rear, what would happen to his brothers at the Jiangbei stronghold?
Those were the rebel army's elites. They had always been good at sieges. How could he let them be surrounded like dumplings by the imperial army?
But now, the river in front had been cut in half by the imperial court. They had lost the elites at the front, and the allied army's navy at the rear had yet to arrive. The situation was extremely unfavorable. If they continued to hold on …
In the end, he had no choice but to abandon the cumbersome armor on his body and the conspicuous boat, quietly entering the water.
His personal attendant and the imperial court's navy soldiers fought in the water. He swung his saber and killed those who blocked his way as he swam forward with all his might …
The moonlight was cold and frosty as it shone on the river.
On the river, blood, fire, oil, armor, and corpses had long been burned into a ball. Even the moonlight was melted.
The fire on the river burned until dawn. The last bit of ash fell.
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