Chapter 415

Boats ground against each other, sail shadows covering the sky.

The Yingzhou fleet that had just exited the gate was rushing to provide support when they suddenly heard the horn repeat—two short blasts followed by a long one. The ships in the front row urgently turned around, their hulls still carrying the momentum of the forward charge!

The rear rows followed the turn in a rush; some turned too fast, their hulls turning sideways and blocking the path of their own ships; others turned too slowly, their bows pointing straight ahead, colliding with the warships that had just turned from the side!

There were also ships and veteran generals who saw the opportunity quickly; not seeking to form a neat formation, they led their units to cut across the flow, inserting themselves straight into the flank of the white-sailed fleet! Those warships that had just sailed out of the gate also ignored everything and rushed forward, crashing head-on into the snow wall!

The two fleets collided, the wooden skeletons shaking together! Masts pressed against each other, sailcloth tearing!

The warships of both sides either pressed or missed each other, stirring up white waves. The armored soldiers lost their footing, rolling like fallen leaves!

The white-sailed ships did not seek to fight; seeing a block, they didn't fight, and encountering a gap, they passed through, ignoring both their own sunken ships and the enemy's warships!

The ships of both sides almost grazed each other's hulls. The Jingzhou rowers waved wildly, the sail ropes were taut, and everyone's face was ferocious, fighting only for a sliver of the first opportunity!

The area near the gate was in chaos. The defenders were anxious to close the gate, but the fleet below had not yet passed through. Shouts erupted from above and below. The helmsmen pulled the rudder handles violently, trying to turn the ship sideways to clear the gate. The rear ships could not stop their momentum and crashed into the front row, masts and ropes entangled, oar handles striking each other, the broken ones flying up and hitting people in the face!

Seeing the white sails advancing, the orders from the tower became more urgent:

"Clear the gate! Quickly clear the gate!!!"

The waterway was narrow, and at this moment, ship shadows were intertwined like tangled threads. The strong men at the winch were already sweating profusely, the ropes digging into their palms. The winch turned rapidly, and the iron chains rose from underwater with a grinding sound. Just as they left the water, they were blocked by the ship's hull, the chains stretching taut! Another section of the chain got stuck between the mast ropes, making a harsh friction sound!

The row-gate continued to rise, lifting the stern of the ship. The bottom of the ship was punctured, river water rushed in rapidly from the cracks, and the ship tilted. The soldiers screamed:

"Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"

People on the ships scrambled to jump into the water, splash, splash, like dumplings into a pot!

The winch screeched, the giant chains were raised bit by bit, and several ships blocking the waterway were caught by the chains on their masts and beams, lifted up by one end. River water poured down from the broken gaps like rain and waterfalls.

"Lift!!!"

The strong men roared, their palms bright red.

With a loud crack, the mast broke, and the ship's hull folded!

The half-lifted chains lost their balance, one section falling into the water, while the other remained hanging between the broken mast and the ship's beam, spanning the air. The gate was half-raised and half-fallen, blocking the gate along with the ship's hull, blocking both advance and retreat!

Those warships blocked outside wanted to turn to face the enemy, but it was already too late; the vanguard white sails had crashed right in front of them!

Boom!

Wooden boards bulged, nail heads burst, and water columns sprayed from the gaps!

Soldiers leaped like leopards, jumping onto the enemy ships for hand-to-hand combat.

Ship squeezed ship, ropes entangled, masts pressed together, armored soldiers fought on broken boards, crossbow arrows flew horizontally at extremely close range! Short knives and long spears rose and fell repeatedly, and right beneath their feet was the churning river water!

This kind of close-quarters martial arts ship-seizing was the mainstream mode of naval warfare in Europe until the Middle Ages, but here, it obviously could not become the way to decide the battle. Seeing that the gate was not open, the subsequent white sails raised their sails to reduce momentum, and the original straight-charge formation quickly turned into a circular dispersion. Some supported the ship-seizing battle in front of the gate, while others turned to the main battlefield outside the water barrier, determined to wipe out the enemy ships outside the fortress!

While the fighting at the side gate was in full swing, several gaps had been cleared in the water barrier outside the main gate. Taking advantage of the white sails' fresh troops controlling the field and the advantage of the wind, Li Jingxuan released fire ships!

The ships were loaded with dry firewood, pine resin, and grease, ignited instantly, flames soaring into the sky, aggressive and fierce, rushing straight toward the row-gate!

Rows of long poles and forks suddenly extended from the covered walkway of the water fortress, the pole heads wrapped in iron, the steel forks sharp. The long forks held the bow of the ship, and the long poles pushed it aside. There were also hooks like a forest, dragging left and right! The fire ships in front were dragged away as soon as they approached; some changed direction and slid, while others tilted with the current and simply crashed into their companions.

Flames danced and devoured each other, thick smoke rolling. The soldiers exerted their strength together, the poles and forks flying up and down, but they could not block them all, and some leaking ships still crashed into the row-gate!

But as soon as the tongues of fire swept over, they were pressed down by the huge wet felt spread out from the tower!

There was also viscous river mud mixed with sand and soil poured down in buckets. Taking advantage of the gap, the defenders gritted their teeth, shouldered the long poles, and pushed away all the fire ships that were sticking to the side.

Li Jingxuan was stunned for a moment and looked at the military official beside him:

"The defending general is Zhang..."

The military official immediately said:

"Zhang Ji."

"It's Zhang Ji?"

Li Jingxuan asked again as if he hadn't heard clearly.

"Yes, Zhang Ji was previously a friend of the Prince of Jian'an and was transferred to the Yanyue Rampart before the battle."

The military official had no choice but to report the information he had already reported before.

Li Jingxuan's brow did not unfurl.

The Prince of Badong was sitting and eating lunch, holding a beef bone in his hand, the meat on the bone stewed until it was soft and rotten, steaming and glistening with oil:

"This Zhang Ji has some ability, no wonder he is valued by my uncle. Like this, after breaking the Yanyue Rampart, capture him alive if possible. If he is sensible, I will take him as a general!"

Guo Wenyuan immediately praised:

"Your Highness is as inclusive as the sea, with an open mind. Whenever you meet a talent, you are willing to recruit them. This is truly the style of a king!"

Xue Shao and Tao Rui exchanged a tacit glance.

The Prince of Badong chuckled, smilingly provoking Li Jingxuan:

"Gongyu, your fire ship plan didn't work! The three armies are all watching. You've lost your craft, don't you want face?"

Li Jingxuan bowed and replied:

"Their shipping lane is broken, and the outer water is lost. The naval forces are trapped in the port, equivalent to sitting and waiting for death.

They can only defend, not go out; they can resist for a while, but cannot support it for long.

Moreover, just now they resisted the fire ships with the strength of the entire fortress, exhausting their muscles and energy, and their momentum has already declined.

Even with a thousand poles and a thousand forks, what is the use?

Your Highness, just watch, our army breaking the gate is right before our eyes!"

The Prince of Badong laughed heartily, threw away the beef bone, wiped his hands, grabbed the sword on the table, and strode to Li Jingxuan. He pushed the sword forward:

"A good 'right before our eyes'! Gongyu! Borrow this sword! Just give the order! The three armies, including myself, are all at your disposal!"

Li Jingxuan looked at the golden, eye-piercing sword hilt. His first reaction was not the excitement of having great power, nor the expectation of showing his might, but rather that since the three armies and the Prince would listen to his command, did that mean Wang Yang also had to be under his command?

He didn't know what was wrong with him, that he could still think of Wang Yang at such a time!

Of course, he knew that the Prince of Badong wanted to "settle the Jianghan in one battle" and let him let go of his hands and feet to break the Yanyue. It was both a show of trust and favor, and convenient for the history books to look good, so he staged this sword-borrowing drama. It was just an authorization for the battle, not representing anything.

But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! As long as he had great merit in his hands, was he afraid of not having power?

He straightened his sleeves, suppressed his distracting thoughts, knelt down in armor, received the sword with both hands, his gaze like iron:

"Your subject will certainly not disgrace the mission!"

Li Jingxuan expanded his military force, waving his army straight forward, fighting ships layer upon layer, the sound of strings forming a piece! Using bows and arrows to suppress the defenders on the tower!

At the same time, he ordered twenty heavy boats to rush straight at the row-gate! The iron edge of the bow violently crashed into the logs, shaking the entire water gate! The sound of wood was muffled, like a drum belly being struck!

Dozens of light boats approached the gate, soldiers holding iron cones and giant hammers to assist in chiseling the gate!

There were also large boats connecting ships, surrounding from left and right!

Although the defenders on the ladder were unable to lift their heads due to the rain of arrows, some still risked their lives to reach out, wanting to resist with forks and poles, but were quickly shot down!

The middle ladder could not block the Jingzhou arrow rain, but the watchtowers on both sides had crossbow windows. The crossbowmen shot through the windows, killing the soldiers on the enemy boats in front of the gate in a crossfire. They shot until the light boats were overturned and the rowers were flipped!

Li Jingxuan immediately ordered two teams of fighting ships to cover the left and right, and also transferred elite archers to approach by boat, specifically shooting at the crossbow windows!

The heavy ships were still crashing into the row-gate, the logs were already dented, and the iron hoops were loose. Large groups of axemen stepped on the connected boats, sticking to the gate, axes falling like rain!

The iron hoops were shaken and already loose; the iron chains were hacked, the gaps between the wooden rows gradually opened, and the rivets flew! Seeing the row-gate shaking more and more violently, the defenders rushed out, braving the rain of arrows, and threw rolling stones downward frantically!

Seeing that the time had come, Li Jingxuan ordered the ships in front of the gate to clear a path, and then released the fire ships again!

This time, the manpower on the tower was already in chaos, bows and arrows pressing down, long poles scattered! The wet felt had not been spread again, and no one was supplying the mud buckets! The tongues of fire entered through the gaps, first a thin line, then suddenly leaping up!

The Prince of Badong stood up all at once! His hand gripped the sword hilt, his eyes revealing a sharp light!

He saw the row-gate catch fire, the middle section sinking inward, the cracks opening wide, river water mixed with fire pouring in, red flames churning!

With a loud boom, the entire row-gate collapsed!

Broken wood, broken stones, broken chains, and scrap iron fell into the water one after another, stirring up waves that reached the sky, smoke spreading everywhere!

The cheers of the Jingzhou army shook the heavens!

Li Jingxuan stood at the bow, his clothes fluttering, high-spirited!

Looking at the collapsed row-gate, looking at the rolling thick smoke, a monstrous heroic spirit arose spontaneously in his chest!

At this moment, a figure flashed through his mind—that was when attacking Baling, a white-robed young master stood at the bow, his long sword facing the current, a thousand sails competing to set off, with a wave of his hand, breaking the city as if splitting it!

He was standing diagonally behind that figure at the time!

Looking at that figure, he felt both envy and jealousy in his heart.

Now, although he didn't have a long sword in his hand, he had the Prince's sword!

Beneath his feet was not a tower ship, but it was better than a tower ship!

And the thick smoke before his eyes, the sounds of killing in his ears, everything seemed to overlap with that figure!

Li Jingxuan drew his sword, a roar exploding from his chest:

"Three armies, break the city!!!"

The drum sounds grew louder, thunder shaking the river surface, warships like a tide, a thousand boats competing to flow!

In an instant, the great army launched together, heaven and earth changed color, as if a flood were entering a gorge, pouring out for a thousand miles!

Splash!

Wang Yang flicked his wrist, lifting the rod, and a carp was brought out of the water, landing on the bow and jumping.

The guard hurriedly grabbed the fish and put it into the fish basket.

Seeing Wang Yang sit for a whole morning and finally catch a fish, he breathed a sigh of relief. The people on the other side of the boat had told him not to stay long, but this master wouldn't leave until he caught a fish! He was almost forced by this cold-faced death warrior to go into the water and hang a fish on the hook!

"Young Master, it's already noon, shall we go back for a meal?" the guard asked in a fawning tone.

Wang Yang put down the fishing rod and stretched:

"Fine, let's go back! Tell the kitchen, I'll eat this one I caught today, don't swap it for me."

The guard hesitated:

"This one is a bit small..."

Wang Yang laughed:

"Not small at all."

"How does the Young Master want to eat it?"

Wang Yang stood up, stretched his arms, and said lazily:

"Add tofu, stew it into soup!"

The warships scrambled to enter, swarming in. The Mengchong ship at the very front had just sailed past the gate when a harsh cracking sound came from the bottom of the ship—it was iron nails!

It turned out that nail rows had been set underwater long ago, their tips pointing upward, dense like teeth. The vanguard warships charged too violently and threw themselves onto them, the ship bottoms cracking like tofu. River water surged instantly, and before the rowers could recover, they were rolled into the muddy current!

The ships behind could not stop their momentum! Bang, bang, they crashed into several ships!

The ships that followed used the wreckage of the front ships as a cushion and forced their way over, the rest of the ships remaining fierce, either breaking through or detouring! The large army advanced, its momentum like a fierce tiger!

The water surface ahead suddenly widened.

And in that wideness, a dark shadow spanned across!

That was a piece of land on the water formed by connecting giant boats!

On the land, eight hundred crossbowmen were lined up in a square formation, and between the square formations were rows of bed crossbows, facing the gate!

The general on the warship at the very front only had time to say "Damn it," and then there was a loud bang, bang, bang, bang!

Large spears were like arrows, piercing the ships like rot!

The crossbowmen fired in unison, and a sound of thud, thud, thud erupted on the river! The entire view was filled with flying debris like rain, blood spraying like mist!

A large group of Yingzhou warships rushed out from the flanks, shouting at the top of their lungs:

"Capture Xiao Zixiang! Be enfeoffed as a Marquis of a Battalion Commander!"

"Capture Xiao Zixiang! Be enfeoffed as a Marquis of a Battalion Commander!"

Scarlet broken wood and broken oars mixed together, rolled by the river current like mud, like a swamp of blood.

The Jingzhou navy was stunned all at once!

The Prince of Badong was furious, jumping and roaring:

"Use fire! Use fire! Connected boats must be attacked with fire—"

Before he could finish, an out-of-control fighting ship crashed into the side of the flagship!

The Prince of Badong stumbled and fell out, on the verge of falling into the river!

The souls of those around him were terrified! Four or five people pounced at the same time! They grabbed the Prince of Badong with hands and feet!

Li Jingxuan crawled up from the deck in a sorry state, his forehead covered in blood, looking at the chaos ahead. The gate was like hell, and the enemy army was flanking from left and right, rushing over! Gritting his teeth, he waved his sword and roared:

"Retreat! Quickly retreat!"