Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 775
When Shihu arrived at the frontline camp at Kuokou, more than [-] slave soldiers had already boarded the boat and left the camp, forming a battle formation on the river.At this time, the Huainan navy had already crossed the Jingshan Gorge, and the lights hanging on the bow were clearly visible.

General Fubo Liu Zheng, who supervised the frontline battle of the slave army, led seven or eight frontline generals out to meet them, and at the same time quickly reported the current situation of the frontline formation.

"Only more than [-] people participated in the battle?"

Shi Hu frowned when he heard this number, then waved his hands and said: "Continue to increase troops, all boats and boats in the camp will be filled with troops and leave the camp to fight!"

When the generals on the front line heard this, they all gasped.If this is really done, then the camps on the left and right of Weishui will be empty, and at least [-] soldiers will have to fight against the waves.Although the slave army suffered heavy losses in the battle of Feikou before, it was also built by Daxing during the period of confrontation in Wokou. In addition, the warships originally owned by the slave army in Xuzhou were mostly taken by Shihu after the defeat of Huaiyin. So boats are enough for now.

But the problem is that nearly half of these warships are hastily built, and even a considerable part has not yet been tested with troops.Moreover, there are too few large and medium-sized warships, most of them are small ships, and there is hardly any ordnance on board.There are very few of the Huainan army warships equipped with poles, crossbows, rams, trebuchets and other equipment.No matter how many boats and soldiers are sent into the water to fight, it is difficult to make up for the lack of weapons by virtue of the superiority in numbers.

Liu Zheng was not a slave general who followed Shi Hu from Xiangguo to the south, but had been serving in Xuzhou. He was originally a general of Shi Kan's army.He has rich experience in fighting the southern army, and even organized naval forces to attack the coastal counties in the east of the Yangtze River by sea. Therefore, after hearing Shihu's order, he subconsciously felt that something was wrong, and he opened his mouth with a little organization and wording: "Your Majesty, although our army has a lot of power, it is ultimately short of usefulness. Most of the soldiers are from the north, and they are seldom familiar with water affairs. When they step on the river, it is inevitable that they will panic, and the drums will be difficult to order. The southerners control the Huaihe River, and the soldiers are fine .If we fight Jiangshang, there are too many variables..."

"Shut up! Your Majesty has his own considerations for this order. If you are afraid of fighting again, you will be killed in front of the army immediately!"

Before Liu Zheng finished speaking, two generals rushed out from behind Shi Hu, pointed their halberds at them and shouted angrily.All the generals present, including Liu Zheng and several Xuzhou generals, all looked awe-inspiring, and some of them immediately stepped forward and stood behind Liu Zheng to show their position.

Shi Hu just watched this scene indifferently, the flames in his sharp eyes were unknown whether it was anger or the light of the surrounding torches.

"The last general has the guts to present a little foolish opinion, how dare he obstruct the king's military orders."

Liu Zheng was silent for a while, then he took off his hood and bowed his head, not lacking in fear.

"This battle is unusual and cannot be taken with common sense. The southern bandits rely on their geographical advantages and are arrogant. How can they be insulted by the bandits with an army of tens of thousands of people here? Immediately order the soldiers to board the boat and leave the camp to fight!"

Shi Hu's fingers under the iron armguard hooked the sword hilt at his waist several times, but finally opened it slowly, and said in a deep voice: "As for the defense of the camp, don't worry, [-] people from the Chinese army will enter the camp later. With the backing of the navy, we will defeat the southern bandits tonight!"

When Liu Zheng heard that Shi Hu was still stubborn, he still didn't dare to persist in the end, so he quickly kowtowed and pleaded guilty, and then he stood up with the support of his own soldiers and hurriedly organized the soldiers to continue boarding the ship to fight.

When the warships of the Huainan army arrived at the vortex, there were layers upon layers of warships filled with slave troops on the water, and there were almost a hundred of them within sight of the firelight alone!With such a high-density distribution of warships, one can also imagine the specifications of the slave warships.

Most of the warships were barely more than ten feet wide, and there were many slave soldiers standing upright on the deck. They didn't even have basic shelters such as cabins, but wooden shields were hung on the bow and sides of the ship for cover.In the Huainan Army, such a ship is not even the most basic walking sampan, nor can it be called a warship at all. It is only capable of carrying soldiers, and being able to transport soldiers to the front line is already its limit. .Unless people's lives, boats and boats are not considerate, they run and collide directly, or they have a certain lethality, but the price is to die with the enemy and die together!
However, such boats, which were similar to jokes, have now become the main combat unit deployed by the slave army at the forefront, densely arranged on the river.The boats and boats are connected by thick cables and iron cables, and the boats can even climb and jump on each other, just like this to push forward to meet the enemy.

The Huainan army's front-line scout Qingzhou had already arrived at the battlefield one step ahead. Seeing the formation of the slave army in such a formation, it was an eye-opener for a while, and I don't know how to evaluate it.If it is said that this formation is dull and ignorant, it is quite imposing when viewed from the sidelines, especially when the boats are spread out and almost cover the entire waterway in front, and there are not many dead spots exposed.

But if it's subtle, it's really against your will. Such a stupid formation can only be praised for its quantity, and there is no technical content at all.Even ordinary rogue water bandits would not fight in such an formation. Of course, it was because ordinary water bandits really couldn't form such a large formation as a slave army.

When the scouts at the front passed the news to the forward commander Lu Yong's ship, Lu Yong understood Shi Hu's intention after a little thought, and said with a smile to Cao Na on the other side: "Ji Long is already poor in skills. It can be seen that there is no desire to fight because of the delusion of the crowd that we can forcibly stop our army on the river."

When Cao Na heard this, he also said bitterly: "Using the flesh and blood of soldiers as a fence and the lives of living people as armor, this slave is really poor and wicked. It is a great misfortune to have such a villain in the world! The slave army looks like The momentum is great, but the morale of the army is broken, and it is difficult to fight. Our army is full of morale and rushes in. The slaves are already afraid, worrying that they will collapse, so they are driven into the water, cutting off their retreat, and falling into a situation of death. , forcing people to give up their lives to fight!"

Both of these two were refugees from handsome backgrounds, and they were not good people in themselves, but when they talked about the formation formed by the slave army, they also felt the nature of stone tigers and wolves from the bottom of their hearts.A total of tens of thousands of lives will be lost in the waves under the strict arrangement of this slave general, and there will be no bones left!What kind of cruel temperament can be so disregarding human life!
Although the two sighed in this way, seeing Shi Hu responding to the enemy with such a posture, they no longer had any doubts about the news Xin Bin reported.Shi Hu didn't care about the lives of his soldiers so much, he would rather block the Huainan Army on the river at the cost of tens of thousands of lives, which shows that he has decided to go.Moreover, he gave up the lives of his soldiers so recklessly, which shows that he has completely given up hope in the war with the Huainan Army, and it can be explained only by Shi Le's death and his eagerness to return.

If Shi Le is still there, knowing that Shi Hu got rid of the entanglement of the Huainan Army in this way and withdraws from the war, if he is not severely punished, people inside and outside will collapse!
"The ship carrying the salary moves forward, and the fire breaks through the formation!"

After thinking for a while, Lu Yong immediately ordered.Although he has no lack of emotion about the fate of the soldiers in the front line of the slave army, these emotions are not enough to affect his decision.Especially right now knowing that Shi Hu's intention to go is already decided, only by breaking through the obstruction of the river as soon as possible and directly contacting and fighting with the main force of the slave army on the shore can he have a chance to stop Shi Hu's withdrawal and inflict heavy damage on him.

Following Lu Yong's order, three fighting ships with narrow and long bows in the fleet quickly sailed out of the original team, passed many boats nearby, and rushed to the forefront of the fleet.These three ships were built for water warfare and fire attack. They look no different from ordinary warships, but in fact only the keel and the basic frame are made of the same material, such as the walls and decks, which are thinner and more brittle. Made of bamboo.Therefore, the maneuverability of the whole ship is better, but it does not have the sturdiness of ordinary fighting ships and warships at all. Although it cannot be said to be broken at the touch of a touch, it will definitely not be able to withstand too violent impact.

When the boat accelerated to a certain level, the soldiers on the boat quickly left their original positions under the command of the captain, and moved to the back of the boat. Welcome aboard.

When the three ships were still two arrows away from the slave ship formation, the Huainan Army officers and soldiers escorting the flanks immediately ignited their rockets and shot their bows one after another.The three ships were loaded with firewood soaked in ointment, and as soon as sparks fell, the fire spread rapidly. When the ships rushed into the formation of the slave army, nearly half of the ships were covered by raging fire.

Although the slave boats are light, they are densely arranged and connected by hooks and cables, so they have little mobility at all. Seeing the fire boats coming straight at the water surface, it is not that there are no arrangements. Even if there are hundreds of soldiers on the slave boats that bear the brunt Hold a long staff and refuse to stab forward.However, the ship is long and narrow, and there are too few frontal force points, so it still plunges into the first line of slave ships unstoppably. Even if the two slave ships that bear the brunt of the collision are half-tilted, most of the soldiers fall into the water .

As for the soldiers on the other slave ships, most of them were forced by the fire and fled directly to the side ships along the cables.The smaller the boat, the less stable it is on the river. Once disturbed by this, nearly half of the more than ten warships in the slave army's first ship formation tilted into the water, and the entire defense line collapsed immediately.However, due to the dense number of ships, there were not many slave soldiers who actually fell into the water and drowned, and most of them were rescued by the rear camp.

The inner cabin of a fireship is a tightly sealed space. When the fire burns to a certain extent, the hot air inside expands and bursts suddenly at a critical point.As a result, the whole ship was splattered with flames, brilliant like fireworks, and the shattered and flying fragments of the ship's hull and the burning firewood were flying all over the sky, covering a distance of nearly ten feet around.

The affected slave army was already complaining endlessly, and there were very few who dared to stay on the boat at this time. Most of them directly threw themselves into the river holding the cables to avoid the fire attack.The originally mighty slave ship array was chaotic and several huge holes suddenly appeared!

"Attack!"

The loud drums sounded on the large warship of the Huainan army, and the warships scattered on the front and rear wings immediately adjusted their bow angles and rushed straight to the slave formation!The tight noose on the warship was like a harp string, making a life-threatening buzzing sound. Before the warship arrived, the giant crossbow and trebuchet had been launched frequently.The night wind could not stop the deadly flying stone, and the flying stone smashed into the slave formation, making crackling sounds one after another!The powerful crossbow arrow roared, not only piercing through the night, but also piercing through the flesh and blood of the slave soldiers, and digging deep into the slave army warship!
Although there are many slave warships, they have suffered heavy blows one after another. There are few orders on the front line that can be officially executed. A large number of slave soldiers don't know how to respond to the enemy. Even if they want to fight back, they don't know what to do. Before seeing a specific southern soldier, the fatal blows came one after another. Many soldiers had already curled up in the warship with their heads in their hands, wailing and howling.

In any battle from the north to the south, water warfare will always be an insurmountable difficulty for the north.Not only that the northerners are not familiar with water affairs, water and fire are the most ruthless. Once soldiers are on board, it can be said that they have no way to retreat.In the early years, the Chinese dynasty planned to attack Wu for nearly two generations, not because the Wu people were strong.With a good geographical environment, whenever the world is in chaos, Jiangdong often becomes a natural place to recuperate, because it is absolutely difficult to break through the obstacles of numerous waterways without a strong army.Anyone who uses troops in the south must be psychologically prepared for heavy casualties.

When the battleship of the Huainan army rushed forward, nearly half of the huge ship formation of the slave army was destroyed and chaotic to the extreme.A piece of wreckage in front of the ship was still connected by hooks, and many slave soldiers who fell into the water were struggling on the surface of the river now, wailing and begging for their lives.But their wailing did not receive any positive response. The Huainan army warships ran over them directly, without even stopping to clean up the battlefield.

But this does not mean that those slave soldiers can escape, because there are many cables connected to the rollers behind the warships of the Huainan Army.These rollers are connected in series on the horizontal axis. Under the impact of the water flow, they roll like wheels on the water surface. The wooden wheels are inlaid with iron spikes inside and outside. Those slave soldiers floating on the river will be separated from their flesh and blood immediately, and paved behind the battleship. A shocking wave of blood!
When the fighting ships and warships rushing to the front were about to reach the remaining ships of the slave army, they immediately turned their rudders to the flanks to outflank, and at the same time forced the slave ships closer together.The frontal direction left by these warships was immediately filled by the successor ships, and then there was a new round of bombardment with stones and giant crossbows!
Not long after the battle started, the Huainan Army's strong attack on the battlefield, which was originally a few miles away from the Wokoushui camp, was quickly forced back nearly half of the distance.Although the details of the battle could not be clearly seen in the water camp, the endless roaring noises in the night and the howling and mourning of the slave soldiers all told that the frontline battle was not good.

Shihu's face was as sinking as water, and he stood under the banner, surrounded by hundreds of guards, there were also hundreds of messengers running around, announcing the assembly of various ministries and the latest situation of various defense areas.

"My Majesty, the casualties in the water battle were heavy. General Liu asked Your Majesty, should we continue to fight the Huainan Army on the water?"

Liu Zheng's soldiers on the front line reported that the battle situation was unfavorable, but before he could finish his words, Shi Hu, who had been suppressed to the extreme, suddenly shouted, drew out his sword and slashed it down, and the soldier's head was immediately beheaded!
"Tell Ma Qiu and other generals that all the soldiers of the old battalion will be driven into the water, and if anything fails, their commanders will be beheaded!"

Shi Hu yelled violently, and didn't take back the bloody long sword, just holding it in his hand, the bloodshot eyes became more ferocious.Up to now, he has completely given up the tens of thousands of soldiers on the front line. He only hopes that the investment of these lives can wear down the spirit of the Huainan army, and it will be more conducive to the defense of his elite Chinese army.

This is already the only remaining value of these tens of thousands of soldiers. If they are left in the camp, once there is a rout, it will disperse the elite of his central army.At that time, the Nanren will land on the shore and pursue the victory, and the situation will collapse even more.This is absolutely unbearable for him, because his tens of thousands of Chinese elites are already the biggest reliance for him to return to the country in the future.

Only by exhausting the vigor of the southerners and not daring to attack the shore easily, will his tens of thousands of Chinese troops have enough time to calmly rectify and leave the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)