Chapter 1273: Sweeping All Before

The summer wind swept across the Liaodong Bay, creating a scene of strong winds and rough waves. The surging swells reflected the sunlight, making the entire sea sparkle and glisten. Beneath the blue sea and clear sky, the smoke of war was spreading, disrupting the harmonious environment.

Around the Liaoyang Suzhou military port, a battle of annihilation against a cornered beast was nearing its end. In fact, when the Liao army adopted a conservative defense, confining their warships and naval forces within the harbor, their fate was already sealed. Using naval forces in the manner of land troops for defense was, from a doctrinal standpoint, placing themselves on the path to defeat.

Naval forces, especially navies, are primarily meant for offense!

Therefore, Guo Tingwei was so delighted once he figured out the Liao army's movements. If earlier he had been somewhat wary, wondering whether this response concealed some scheme, and had heightened his vigilance accordingly, once he confirmed that the Liao army was simply this naive, he showed no courtesy and went all out without restraint.

And in the actual execution, it was even easier, handled with effortless skill. Facing the Liao naval forces that had bound their own hands and feet, trapped in the military port, the East Sea Navy fully brought out the Great Han navy's long-range striking capability, even acting with utter impunity and thorough satisfaction.

Innovation and progress in military technology often bring about revolutions in tactics and doctrine, and this is especially evident in naval warfare. Over the years, the Great Han navy had grown stronger—not only were the ships getting larger and more sturdy, but the means of long-range striking had also become more abundant.

In the past, bows and crossbows were the best long-range offensive means, and boarding actions and hand-to-hand combat were the norm. Now, however, heavy weapons like the thunderclap cannon had matured and been deployed on warships. Especially with the further development of gunpowder technology, "fire arrows" and "fire cannons" had seen further innovative use, greatly enhancing the navy's offensive capability.

Now, the Great Han navy fought with the goal of destroying enemy ships.

In comparison, the establishment of the Liao navy seemed primitive and backward—build a batch of ships, train a batch of sailors, and then there was nothing remarkable about it at all.

When the Great Han navy fully unleashed the fruits of these years of progress, the effect was striking, and the scene that unfolded was one-sided.

Inside Suzhou Harbor, the scene was one of blazing fire and choking smoke. Thick black smoke rolled and surged skyward, as if trying to blot out the bright, dazzling sunlight. The Liao naval forces, which had used their ships as soldiers and formed formations to resist the enemy, were already heading toward annihilation.

Their intention had been to engage the Han army in a life-or-death melee, but things went against their wishes—the enemy simply refused to make contact, pushing them into the abyss of defeat solely through standoff strikes, leaving them with no means of counterattack whatsoever.

The wood of the Liao warships seemed to be excellent fuel, wantonly feeding the flames. With the sea breeze joining in to add to the commotion, the blaze raged even more fiercely, and what it devoured was not just the warships, but also the lives of the Liao sailors.

The successive explosions drowned out the death cries. Splattering fire oil, rockets piercing the air, and bursting sparks together formed a splendid tableau of war—yet beneath this brilliance lurked intense cruelty.

Outside Suzhou Harbor, the massive warships of the East Sea Navy were arrayed in formation, the most conspicuous among them being ten behemoth-like capital ships. Even facing the already weakened Liao navy, they continued to deliver killing blows, their ammunition fired from thunderclap cannons and giant crossbows still streaking through the air with murderous intent.

The Great Han navy's main capital ship was called the Five-Tooth, named after an ancient vessel. Although only ten had come this time, each one was a colossal thing, capable of carrying two thousand sailors and equipped with ten catapult crossbows.

In this era, they were awe-inspiring war beasts, a gaping maw of fangs ready to devour men. With every fire oil shell fired, every volley of rockets released, the waves beneath the hulls would tremble. Yet no matter how the swells surged, they remained steadily astride the sea's surface, like battle-hardened veterans facing everything with composure.

Surrounding the ten Five-Tooth capital ships were numerous escort vessels, swift boats, and other ships of various sizes. Though not as ferocious as the main capital ships, each had its own capabilities—able to charge and to strike. But their task at this moment was still to protect the Five-Tooth ships.

Under passive bombardment with no ability to fight back, the Liao troops in Suzhou Harbor had not failed to resist. Unable to endure such torment and slaughter, several enemy ships sallied forth on their own initiative, seeking to fight to the death, but they were all intercepted and annihilated.

This naval battle had been unfair from the very start—the disparity in strength was simply too great.

On the command ship, the chief general Guo Tingwei stood atop the towering lookout tower, gazing at the fireworks feast within Suzhou Harbor not far away. The sky, nearly dyed red, looked rather beautiful in his eyes.

Beside him, watching the battle, were not only naval officers but also several infantry generals. Accompanying them across the sea this time were also several infantry units for land operations.

They had witnessed this naval battle from beginning to end, watching the enemy ships across the way either burning or sinking into silence, each of them utterly stunned. Shi Yande, the Chief General of Hebei, finally couldn't hold back and said: "Crossbows and cannons used on warships—they work this well! Is fighting a battle this easy for you naval forces? The Liao army has no ability to fight back at all!"

Hearing this, a hint of self-satisfied smile appeared on Guo Tingwei's aged face, while he modestly said: "After years of drilling and training, this is the first large-scale real combat. It seems the results are quite good!"

Seeing Guo Tingwei's feigned restraint, Shi Yande couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead and said: "No wonder Your Majesty values you so highly. With this kind of fighting style, why would we fear any resistance to landing? After this round of strikes, the enemy ships are destroyed and the Liao army must already be terrified!"

"This is also because the Liao army responded foolishly, exposing their own weaknesses and giving our forces the opportunity!" Putting away his complacency, Guo Tingwei said: "If they had not chosen to turtle up and defend inside the harbor, but instead sallied out decisively and engaged in close-quarters boarding combat, even if they still could not have won, they could at least have inflicted some casualties and losses on our forces.

After all, the Five-Tooth warships are too cumbersome and slow to maneuver. In close combat, deprived of the advantage of catapult crossbows, fighting them would be like jade and gold clashing against rubble!

Even more, if they had not confronted our forces head-on but instead slipped around and raided the Great Han's coast, they could have created considerable distraction for our forces. Unfortunately, they are unaccustomed to naval warfare and ignorant of our tactical innovations, so they could only wait helplessly for death!"

After hearing Guo Tingwei's words, Shi Yande was silent for a moment, then complained: "These Khitan—of all things to learn, why did they have to learn to build a navy? They spent so much manpower and resources, only to have it destroyed in an instant! Those several thousand sailors, if transferred to defend cities on land, would have been far more useful..."

Guo Tingwei chuckled and said: "The weapons workshop is currently researching and building a kind of tubular cannon. I hear its power will be even greater. If it can be mounted on warships, our navy's combat effectiveness will rise even further!"

Shi Yande shook his head—he didn't understand such things. Seeing Guo Tingwei somewhat pleased with himself, he thought inwardly: It's only on the water that you can gallop about—can your ships sail all the way to Liaoyang and attack Linhuang? In the end, it'll still be up to them to do the fighting and attacking.

Still, it was too wasteful. Shi Yande had been quietly observing—in less than half a day, they had emptied the fire oil shells and rockets from four supply ships. Utterly extravagant...

"Marquis of Hai'an, the Liao naval forces have already been destroyed. Next, it's our turn, right?" Turning his head, Shi Yande said: "Having been on the water these past few days, I still don't feel steady on my feet. We need to get ashore, and while the enemy is demoralized, press the attack, seize Suzhou in one stroke, and secure a foothold—only then can we take the city!"

Guo Tingwei could naturally see that Shi Yande was unable to contain himself, unwilling to fall behind others, and eager to claim merit. Not exposing him, Guo Tingwei smiled and said: "The harbor is in chaos and the waterways are blocked, so it's not convenient to advance rashly. Let's first go and say hello to Suzhou City!"

With that, Guo Tingwei gave the order: leave a portion of the fleet to monitor the enemy harbor, and the rest of the entire force advance northeast toward Suzhou City. Suzhou City was located deep within the bay, bordering the coast, and considerable wealth and effort had been invested in its construction.

However, when faced with an attack from the Han army coming from the sea, it proved equally powerless, with no countermeasures whatsoever. Compared to the navy, it was more like a Lady of Beauty whose acupoints had been sealed, left to be violated at will...

"These Khitan truly harbor wild ambitions—of all the names to pick, they had to call it Suzhou..."