The Legend of Shushan Xuanjian

The red flag opened three times with the sound of the drum, and two dragons jumped out of the water.

The shadow of the shadows flies thousands of swords, and the sound of drums splits the waves and thunders a thousand thunders.

The sound of the drums is getting closer to the target, and the two dragons are looking at the target like a blink of an eye.

People on the slope shouted thunderbolts and frightened, and rainbows were hung on the top of the pole.

The front boat has won the bid for the water, and the rear boat has lost its position.

The blood of sore eyebrows is the first to fight, and the heart of a friend on the other side seems to be burning.

——Excerpt from "Song of Race" by Zhang Jianfeng (Tang Dynasty)

……

In the early morning of this day, the horns of the rebel water village hummed, and the battle started again.This time Liu Zhan personally set up the formation and directed the attack.

The warships of the rebel navy arrived in Guazhou mightily.

A fierce water battle broke out on the river. Hundreds of warships fought in melee. Arrows on the river were like locusts, and stone cannons were like rain.

After the meeting was over, Ding Jiuqu and Sheng Hailiu left the big tent and discussed as they walked.

The red flag opened three times with the sound of the drum, and two dragons jumped out of the water.

Ding Jiuqu was also puzzled.

Tang Kui retorted: "We are in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. If we want to attack with fire, we must have a southeast wind. But now the solar terms, the northwest wind blows every day. Could it be possible that you can borrow the east wind like Zhuge Liang?"

The blood of sore eyebrows is the first to fight, and the heart of a friend on the other side seems to be burning.

The dozens of warships that Tang Jun rushed to the forefront were sunk by stone cannons one by one, and the terrified soldiers jumped into the river one after another to survive.

But at this time of year, northwest wind blows day and night on the rivers around Baisha and Guazhou, how can we borrow the wind? "

People on the slope shouted thunderbolts and frightened, and rainbows were hung on the top of the pole.

The morale of the three armies was immediately high, and the murderous intent was high.

Sheng Hailiu said: "Old Ding, Zhuge Liang borrowed the east wind in November. At this time, there is often a three-day Xiaoyangchun in the Chibi area, and the southeast wind blows on the river. Zhuge Liang is proficient in astronomy and geography, so he can do this.

Recalling Bai Fu's mysterious smile, it has a lot of meaning.Ding Jiuqu guessed: "General Bai is from Qingcheng, maybe he also knows the spells of summoning wind and rain, and spreading beans into soldiers."

Before the envoy came out of the county house, Jiang Shang had heard the sound of harmony early in the morning.

The clothes on both sides of the strait are broken and fragrant, and the silver hairpin shines like a frost blade in the sun.

"Rumbling", the sound of drums resounded through the sky.

Liu Yin put his right fist on his chest and shouted: "The last general will never let the general down!"

Several hours later, with the efforts of the craftsmen, the fire boat was quickly ready.

Liu Zhan unsheathed his long sword, pointed forward obliquely, and shouted loudly: "This is the sword that An Lushan's generals offered me when they surrendered.

If you want to attack with fire, you must first have a fire boat.

The navy of the Tang army retreated in Ming Jin, and under the cover of Ding Jiuqu's fleet, slowly retreated into the water village.

Back in the big tent, Sheng Hailiu pleaded guilty to Bai Fu, and said: "You don't need your life, and the size of the boat is no match. The final general thinks that it must be attacked by fire."

The fierce battle on the river lasted for nearly an hour. The Tang army suffered heavy losses. The initial formation was completely disorganized. More than fifty warships were burned and sunk. mast.

At this time, the Tang army's sailors also sounded their horns together, and the low sound of the horns echoed on the river, and warships braved the wind and waves, and rushed to the river.

Each boat is equipped with dozens of oarsmen (rowers), and the center of the boat is densely packed with straw figures standing next to the curtain, all wearing armor and holding knives and guns.These tied straw figures are all designed to confuse the enemy.Because it is impossible for a warship full of soldiers to be used as a fire boat, once the opponent mistakenly thinks that these grass figures are soldiers, they will be negligent in guarding against the fire boat.

Tang Kui said anxiously: "General, where does the wind come from?"

The sound of the drums is getting closer to the target, and the two dragons are looking at the target like a blink of an eye.

The fire boat was filled with inflammable things, grasses and reeds, all of which were dried out, sprinkled with sulfur, smoke and nitrate, and filled with fish oil, and covered with blue curtains, which were also soaked in fish oil. of.As long as the sparks splash upward, it will quickly catch fire.

Not only that, but with a stable hull and a wide deck, it is easier to attack by trebuchets.The craftsmen of the rebel army installed huge trebuchets on the deck, and the weight and distance of the boulders thrown were far better than the stone bombs and crockpots filled with kerosene thrown by the Tang army navy with Thunderbolt sea falcons.

Liu Zhan gathered his giant ships to form an array.More than a thousand warships formed a huge phalanx on the river of Guazhou, more than ten miles long, so majestic, spectacular and shocking that it looks like a mountain.

The fire boats are shuttle-shaped fast boats. Each boat has a big iron nail in front of the bow, and there is a hook in front of the iron nail. When it hits the side of the opponent's boat by the wind, the hook gets hooked and wants to be pulled down again. Can't pull it out.Why do you say there must be a strong southeast wind?Going upstream cannot be achieved by relying on human strength alone.

Sheng Hailiu shouted loudly: "Beat the drums, line up!"

Tang Jun's sailors had lingering fears and hesitated to advance. Even Ding Jiuqu and Sheng Hailiu's main ship did not dare to approach.

Liu Zhan handed the golden arrow to Liu Yin and said, "You have full command of the water army!"

……

Bai Fu smiled mysteriously and said, "I have my own arrangements."

The shadow of the shadows flies thousands of swords, and the sound of drums splits the waves and thunders a thousand thunders.

When the envoy goes out, everything is accurate, and the horse has been led by the red flag.

The front boat has won the bid for the water, and the rear boat has lost its position.

Liu Yin strode forward, knelt down on one knee and said, "The last general is here!"

The rebel soldiers stood beside the ship's side of the giant ship, condescending, firing arrows, and the firepower became more intense.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

Behind each fire boat is a walking boat tied to it.When the fire boat is about to hit the side of the enemy's boat, light the hay on the fire boat, and then untie the stern cable, jump on the walking boat, and row back hard to leave the fire boat.

As soon as the right wing of the Tang Army Navy exchanged fire, they suffered heavy losses and had to retreat hastily.Bai Fu ordered more than ten captains to be beheaded immediately, and only then did the chaotic army stop the decline, and prevent the warships from panicking and colliding with each other when they fled.

Liu Zhan pointed his sword at the Tang army's navy and shouted, "Beat the drums, let's fight!"

The morale of tens of thousands of soldiers was high, and they raised their arms and shouted: "Fight to the end, never retreat!",
The shouts resounded through the sky, and Liu Zhan yelled, "Liu Yin listens!"

Even with such a design, the soldiers on the fire boat are often shot and killed by crossbow arrows when they approach the enemy ship, or because the current is too fast and the wind is too strong, they are swept into the sea of ​​fire before they can escape... So, it can be used as a fire boat Soldiers who take the lead must not only be proficient in water skills, but also have the heart to sacrifice their lives.

Under the leadership of Liu Yin, warships slowly sailed towards the center of the river.

On the [-]th day of the fifth month, the sky was clear and bright, and Yang Hua circled the river and sang Xiaoying.

Occasionally, a dozen warships of the Tang army broke through the rain of arrows and gunfire, and approached the giant ship.The rebel soldiers on the giant ship hooked the Tang army warship with long hooks, and hundreds of rebel soldiers jumped off the giant ship, relying on the superiority of their numbers, they hacked and killed the Tang army sailors on the spot.

Sheng Hailiu let out a long sigh, and said: "In water warfare, the only way to break giant ships into an formation is to attack with fire. But it is true as General Tang said, there is no southeast wind, once a fire attack is launched, if there is a little carelessness, the fire boat will go smoothly. If you go down the river, you will burn your own warship. Alas..."

Today, I, Liu Zhan, use this sword to swear an oath to fight side by side with you, to the end of the bloody battle, and never retreat! "

Bai Fu pondered for a moment, then made a decisive decision: "According to the plan, prepare to attack with fire."

Because the giant ships of the rebels are connected by iron cables, they are not afraid of wind and waves, and they are extremely stable, just like a tall city slowly moving on the river.

"Rumble", the drums beating, the morale of the Tang army's navy is high, and they are looking forward to a decisive battle with Liu Zhanjun to compete for the supremacy of the water.

With these sharp weapons, the firepower of the rebel navy was significantly enhanced, suppressing the most aggressive warships in the Tang army's navy, the warship, the bed crossbow loach and the thunderbolt sea falcon, and it was difficult to get close to the giant ship.

Liu Zhan shouted loudly to the soldiers: "If you kill an enemy, you will be rewarded with ten taels of gold and ten acres of fertile land. If you kill the leader of the enemy army, you will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold!"

Liu Zhan was wearing a golden helmet and armor, holding his sword in his hand, and staring at the soldiers sharply.Behind him, Liu Yin's bronze helmet and iron armor held a long knife in his hand, expressionless and silent.

Ding Jiuqu and Sheng Hailiu had many loyal and brave men chasing the wind and waves, and they quickly selected the "dare to die".

The river around Guazhou is more than ten miles wide.

Sheng Hailiu, the forward of the Tang Army Navy, stood on top of Qianshi's main ship, staring sharply at the river.He knew very well that as long as Liu Zhanjun could be defeated in this battle, they would be the masters of the Jianghuai River from now on.

Only wins and losses will be rewarded, and ten boats and five exchanges between the two sides of the strait.

After playing all the things for a while, he took off the tattoo and asked for a letter.

I am now taking a closer look at the races, and see why they are in a stalemate.

If you don't want to go to the shore and rest, you will arrive at the time when you destroy the car and break the oars.

——"Jingdu Song" Zhang Jianfeng (Tang Dynasty)