Spring and Autumn I Am King

On March 12, the first year of Zhaohou Wuxi (488 BC), the sea off Langya was calm, like a blue mirror.

At noon, the tranquility was broken, and dozens of Zhao State warships of various sizes left the port and headed out to sea against the tide.

Xu Cheng was the commander-in-chief of this "Langya Naval Master". Since Ju State was annexed to the Zhao clan seven years ago, and the exiled Qing clan of Qi, Gao, Yan and others have settled in the north, Langya has become an enclave of the Zhao clan. Zhao Wuxi sent Bu Zhu to dry the sea salt here, repair the harbor, and try to make Langya the largest harbor in the north. At the same time, Xu Cheng, who is experienced in water warfare, was also transferred here, and let him start from scratch to build a sea fleet for the Zhao family...

In the blink of an eye, six or seven years have passed, and Zhao Wuxi has been listed as a prince, as if he is the hegemon of the north. Under the training of Xu Cheng, the Langya Naval Master has also begun to take shape. Zhao Wushi used all the Langya salt tax to build navigators, so the funds were still abundant. Thousands of local people were requisitioned. The huge trees in Langya Mountain were cut down, dried and sawed into different shapes, which were used to make the keel of the boat. , deck, mast.

The flagship of the fleet is a huge building ship. The building ship is a large warship with multi-storey buildings and offensive and defensive facilities. It looks like a building, so it is called a building ship. The boat is called "Xuanniao". It has four layers, eight feet high, and the whole body is painted in terrifying black. The white sails are even decorated with a mysterious bird that is about to fly. It not only looks majestic and mighty, but also has powerful crossbows and flags on the ship. It is a pity that the speed is relatively slow, and it can only travel in the rear position of the fleet, which plays the role of command and commanding heights.

In addition to "Xuanniao", there are also five other building boats, named after the "five pheasants" in Shaohao's famous bird officials, namely: the pheasant, the pheasant, the pheasant, the pheasant, and the pheasant. In addition, there are more than ten large-wing, middle-wing and small-wing ships, more than ten squatting ships, and dozens of small boats transformed from local fishing boats. The whole fleet can be regarded as "a hundred gallops competing for the current", and the Langya Port is crowded to the full, and it is spectacular when they go out to sea for drills together.

But compared with the neighboring Qi Kingdom, the number of Langya navy masters was nothing at all.

Qi State is a traditional maritime power. As early as the time of Duke Huan of Qi, Qi State's ships began to fish in the offshore waters. After hundreds of years of development, Qi people's navigation skills were second to none. Qi Pinggong (Qi Jinggong) liked to take a big boat to play on the seaside and catch big fish in the sea. It is said that some people from Qi can even travel to the State of Yan opposite the Shaohai (Bohai) Sea.

Correspondingly, the Qi people also established a huge fleet, including Jishui boat division, Dahe boat division, and Shaohai boat division. There are probably three or four hundred ships together, far surpassing Langya marine division.

During training on weekdays, Xu Cheng's imaginary enemy was Qi Guozhou's boat division. Last year, when Qi joined Lianheng and became an enemy of Zhao, he also sent ships north along the coast to spy on the situation of Qi, but Chen also stationed a fleet in Donglai. It is impossible to bypass the Dongnae Peninsula and enter the Shaohai.

Due to the scarcity of ships and lack of experience in maritime operations, Xu Cheng did not dare to invade the waters of Qi State rashly, but adopted a more conservative defense, waiting for Zhao State to aggressively attack Qi, he would advance by sea and land to achieve Zhao Wuxi's hope. Strategy.

Unexpectedly, the people of Qi country will start to be stronger.

At the end of February this year, as the spring ploughing came to an end, the Central Plains, which had been peaceful for more than half a year, was once again shrouded in the cloud of war. The State of Zhao was sending troops to the south, and the State of Wu was also sending troops to the north. Song, Lu, Sishang, and Qi States would become main battlefield.

On land, the Qi army was huddled and defended. They hid behind the Yiyi fortress and the Qi Great Wall and did not dare to show their faces, but at sea, the Qi boat began to appear frequently in the sea off Langya.

Two days ago, the fleet that Xu Cheng sent out to patrol encountered three or four Qi boats, all of which were relatively brisk little wings. When they saw Lang Ya boat master, they fled separately, and finally one was captured. After being severely tortured, Xu Cheng got the news that Qi State had assembled sailors from all over Donglai to invade Langya in the south...

"There are so many boat divisions in the state of Qi, I'm afraid they won't be able to defeat them..." Some people are worried. In the past, sporadic battles with the people of Qi were more victories than losses. Fighting at sea is far from being good at Qi people.

"Raise your troops for a thousand days, and use them for a while." Xu Cheng, however, insisted on attacking and defeated the Qi people in the open sea before they had time to block Langya. Although the Langya navy was not as good as the Qi ship in the past battles, but as the sailors gradually became familiar with life at sea, This disadvantage was brought over bit by bit. What's more, the navy's ship was also equipped with some new weapons that Qi didn't have. Xu Cheng believed that as long as the tactics were right, they could win more with less!

More importantly, he couldn't wait any longer...

Xu Cheng belonged to Xu Guogong's clan, and after Xu Guo died in Wu, he served in the navy of Wu country in humiliation, and then he went to Zhao clan. Mrs. Xu Ying is the last hope of these survivors of the Xu country. According to Zhao Hou's promise to Xu Cheng when she married Zhao Hou, after defeating Qi and Wu, Xu will restore the country!

But Xu Cheng knew that even if Xu Guo recovered, its proportion in the Zhao clan's Central Plains system would be determined by the meritorious deeds they made for the Zhao clan!

It may be safer to hide in the port and "wait for work", but once he misses this opportunity, he has already been criticized, and the Langya boat master, who is considered to be a "waste of money and silk", will be in a more difficult situation. Once Zhao Hou is disappointed with Xu Cheng, Whether Xu Guo can return to the country has become a question.

Therefore, Xu Cheng must make great contributions to borrow! And now, is a rare opportunity.

So on the 12th day of the third month, riding the southerly wind on the sea, Xu Cheng resolutely commanded the Langya navy to leave the port to stop the Qi navy that was heading south along the coastline.

Xu Cheng stood on the building ship "Xuanniao", the bird feathers on his coat fluttering in the wind.

The open sea is no better than a harbor. The waves are rough, the waves are surging, and the changing wind makes the sails rattle. It is very difficult to use it skillfully. However, although this fleet has left the harbor for a long time, it can still maintain the battle line in the storm. Xu Cheng is very pleased with this. After many days of training, plus the advantage of six giant ships, the Langya Navy has the same Human strength.

Half an hour after they left the port, Winglet, who was acting as a scout in front of them, lit a thick smoke of warning...

They are about to encounter Qi Guozhou's boat division!

The south wind was blowing, the sails were bulging, and the rumbling war horns crossed the sea, screaming hoarse and deep, like the call of the giant beasts in the sea, according to the legend of ships, horns and flags, this is the means of the navy to pass the message.

The speed of the ship is slowly slowing down, which is convenient for adjusting the formation after encountering the enemy. After less than half a moment, Xu Cheng also saw the enemy ship far away on the sea level through the "mirror" in his hand...

Because of the headwind, the Qi boat did not open its sails, but moved forward slowly with the blades, but even so, they had already occupied Xu Cheng's entire field of vision. From east to west, the entire azure sea was full of Qi Ship's Shadow!

Xu Cheng put down the telescopic mirror, and took a deep breath: "I'm afraid there are as many as 200 ships in Qichuan, and it's close at hand..."

Qi Guo is pulling out the old man, just to complete his achievements in one battle, vowing to completely annihilate the Langya boat master who has been occupying the door of the house for many years, and control the sea area.

"Retract," Xu Cheng ordered hurriedly, "lower the mast, and the oarsmen are in place." The crew hurried to their posts, and the deck of the building was busy.

Xu Cheng's palms were already sweating: "Whoever controls the ups and downs in this sea depends on this battle!"

...

At the same time, ten miles north of the Langya Naval Master, Qi Guozhou Ship Master also found their traces.

"Zhao Ship!" On the observation deck, the crew warned loudly, and then drums roared among the ships. The number of Qi Guozhou's boat divisions was three times that of Langya's naval divisions, and communication was three times more difficult.

"Get off the oar!" Chen Heng, the commander of the Qi fleet, gave a loud command, "In a row!" On the big wing he was on, a hundred oar blades entered the water at the same time, and the oar officer rumbled and beat the drum, the sound of the drum was like a huge and gentle heartbeat , Every time you knock, the oar moves one point, and the hundred people are like one, neat and uniform.

Facing the sea breeze blowing across his face, Chen Heng looked solemn.

He is a very cautious commander. He first selects a few fast boats to go deep into the sea off Langya, carefully examine them, and spy on the truth, rather than rushing in rashly.

But what he didn't expect was that the Langya navy, who numbered less than 100 ships, dared to take the initiative and chose this open sea as a battlefield to meet them~www.readwn.com~ What's worse is that now it is so hard to die that it blows up. south wind...

It is common sense to fight against the sea, and the one with the upper hand has the upper hand.

Now that the enemy ship is coming downwind, Qi Jun has no choice but to bite the bullet.

Following Chen Heng's order, the Qi ships that stretched for several miles spread their wooden wings one after another.

Standing at the bow of the boat, Chen Hengneng could hear the soldiers of Qi State shouting across the sea, encouraging each other. Since the departure of Dongnae, they have been stuffed in the cabin, doing nothing, can't wait, eager to fight, and firmly believe in victory.

This is the unique confidence of the seaside fishermen. It is like a tough reef, which will not stand even if the waves hit.

Chen Heng also showed a smile of determination: "Although Qi Jun has repeatedly lost to Zhao on land, in the sea, we are the real overlords! Today, I want to let the navy master Zhao Jun know that a small snake on land has entered. The sea is always no match for the deep sea dragon!"

As the two huge fleets are slowly approaching, the first naval battle in the history of the Eastern World is about to start... (To be continued.)