Chapter 1562 – Cutting Nie Liang and Attacking Yang Tao, Sword Pointing at the World (One Hundred)
Yang Si certainly didn’t spit the lychee shells into the river intentionally, but the soldiers weren’t paying attention and did just that.
By a twist of fate, not only did it alert the enemies, but it also misled them into making a wrong judgment, thinking Yang Si and his companions had no defenses at all.
After all, which army preparing for battle would have the leisure to eat lychees?
Was this looking too highly at oneself, or too lowly at the enemy?
The Deputy General huffed, “These people really underestimate us!”
Yan Lin smirked slightly, tossing the lychee shells back into the river, “Underestimating them is better; if they are on guard, they would be the ones worried.”
As time passed, the fog thickened, and visibility diminished further.
Yan Lin dispatched soldiers in small boats, rowing upstream along the direction of the floating lychee shells, but they couldn’t find any trace of the enemy.
The soldiers quickly returned to report this to Yan Lin, who was quite astonished.
“No trace of the enemy? How could that be?” Yan Lin recalled the lychee shells; the cracks were still fresh, clearly just peeled, and according to the drifting time, the enemy should be nearby. Why couldn’t they find them? This just felt wrong!
As he pondered, the leading soldiers on the warship noticed something amiss; there seemed to be vague black shadows ahead in the thick fog.
The soldiers rubbed their eyes, doubting they were seeing things. Focusing again, the shadows appeared to not exist at all.
What’s going on?
Could it be a ghost ship?
Common folks living near the water often heard their elders tell tales of water spirits, especially in areas where water battles took place. Fishermen returning from their catch would say they saw ghostly figures of two armies clashing, faint war cries still ringing in their ears.
One person spreads a rumor, and it grows increasingly bizarre, eventually turning into so-called spirit legends with vivid details.
Clearly, this soldier was another victim of such ghost stories.
However, he soon wouldn’t have to worry about that, as the shadows drew closer, becoming clearer.
What was once thought to be ghostly figures was actually the silhouette of warships, just too dark in the night to see properly.
When they finally got a clear look, they realized the enemy ships were very close, and they were speeding toward them. Before the leading ship could issue a command to shoot arrows, the enemy ship had crashed rudely into them, causing the whole ship to shake violently and emit a dull sound.
“Enemy attack!”
A soldier shouted loudly, launching a signal rocket into the sky, which let out a piercing screech.
Xie Ze chuckled, “The military adviser really has clever ideas; painting the ships this color, and the enemy only realizes we’re here at such close range.”
After saying that, the ship crashed into the enemy again, and the soldiers took advantage of the moment to throw grappling hooks onto the enemy’s deck and charged forward.
Naval battles revolved primarily around bows and arrows, with soldiers using shields to block incoming arrows from the enemy. Archers would shoot arrows or flaming projectiles at enemy ships; the movement of their ships was managed by specialized helmsmen. Their own Lord, along with the woodworking workshop and naval commander Qi Kuang, collaborated to design a heavy hammer specifically meant to smash enemy ships. Coupled with the shipbuilding techniques offered by the “Mountain Spirit,” their warships were practically armed to the teeth, offering excellent defense and remarkable destruction, perfectly capable of a head-on clash!
As the enemy and friendly ships were close, Xie Ze quickly commanded the soldiers to release the prepared hammer onto the enemy.
The leading enemy ship was rammed several times. Once the hammer struck, the hull let out a tooth-grinding groan, revealing a large hole. The vanguard ship quickly boarded the enemy’s deck and made a swift attack.
Xie Ze and the others took the initiative, but Yan Lin’s side reacted very quickly, unleashing countless flaming arrows toward them.
“This is… an ambush?”
Yan Lin’s face was overtaken by shock, his eyes swirling with a terrifying depth.
He did not panic; instead, he immediately ordered the soldiers to prepare a counterattack, first using arrows to push back the enemy.
The Deputy General also urged, “Adviser, we’ve fallen into the enemy’s trick!”
Yan Lin’s expression darkened; he didn’t need the Deputy General to remind him.
Not only was there an ambush here, but there was likely an ambush at the Jingyang granary as well, or perhaps by the military camp on the water…
Thinking of this, Yan Lin couldn’t help but clench his fists, grinding his back teeth tight, his jaw tight with anger threatening to explode.
“Qiu Clan!”
He didn’t know if the Qiu Clan was being manipulated by Feng Zhen and Yang Si or if they were in cahoots against Yang Tao; he wouldn’t spare the Qiu Clan!
“Don’t panic, just follow orders and drive them back.”
Yan Lin’s voice had a reassuring quality, inexplicably giving a sense of security.
However, only Yan Lin knew that since the enemy had gone to such lengths, spending so long to set this trap, they were undoubtedly well-prepared.
Meanwhile, a similar situation was unfolding at the Jingyang granary.
To prevent accidents, Yan Lin sent a cautious old general to lead a surprise attack on the Jingyang granary.
This old general was a former subordinate of Yang Jian, who had fought alongside Yang Jian for many years and was the most loyal.
Not only was he loyal, but this old general was also low-key and humble, never using his seniority to act arrogantly like other old-timers.
Yan Lin knew he was steady in action and experienced in combat, so he entrusted the surprise attack to him.
This old general did not disappoint Yan Lin’s trust; as they approached the Jingyang granary, he sensed that something was off.
“Order everyone to stay alert, keep your spirits up; I feel something isn’t quite right here.”
The junior aide accompanying the old general said, “It looks pretty normal; I didn’t expect Liu Xi to set up the granary here.”
The waterway near Jingyang was quite complex, with high concealment, convenient transport, and relatively close to the enemy’s main camp, making it indeed very safe.
The old general replied, “What do you know? I sense an unsettling atmosphere over the granary; my heart isn’t at ease.”
The junior aide was frustrated. Was there such a saying in battle?
Despite his suspicions, the old general did not order a retreat but instead had his soldiers remain cautious.
They killed the guards and rushed into the granary, but the old general’s unease only grew.
“General, this isn’t food; it’s all dry grass and black oil!”
The old general’s face twitched as he shouted, “Retreat! There are ambushes!”
No sooner had he spoken than the hidden soldiers sprung up, attacking from all directions.
The archers, who had been itching to shoot, fired flaming arrows into the enemy’s ranks, also targeting the dried grass.
Want to retreat now?
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, too late.”
Feng Zhen elegantly fanned himself with a golden fan, covering half his face, revealing eyes gleaming with schemes and plots. The weather was hot, with heavy moisture in Zhangzhou, and the soldiers’ battle cries only added to the discomfort, with only this gentle breeze providing him some relief.
“An eye for an eye! You made me suffer, and now you’ll have to swallow your losses!”
The damage from these two armies against Yang Tao wasn’t particularly significant, but the main force led by General Fu Wang and Commander Qi Kuang was the key to determining victory or defeat!
