Chapter 292

The ministers in the Eastern Han court began to whisper.

An old general stood out and said: "600,000 naval troops, this scale, has never been seen since ancient times."

Another civil official said: "Using fire to break giant ships, this is the way of the Battle of Red Cliffs."

Liu Xiu nodded but didn't comment.

He didn't know the details of this battle well enough to jump to conclusions.

The text on the Sky Screen began to refine, appearing line by line.

【Detailed progress of the battle】

【In 1363 AD, Chen Youliang led an army of 600,000 and hundreds of giant warships eastward to attack Zhu Yuanzhang's Yingtian (now Nanjing). Zhu Yuanzhang led 200,000 naval troops to meet the enemy, and the two sides fought a decisive battle on Lake Poyang.】

【Chen Youliang's warships were as tall as mountains, while Zhu Yuanzhang's boats were small and few. On the first day of the battle, Zhu Yuanzhang's army suffered heavy losses, and many generals were killed.】

【That night, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted the suggestion of his general Guo Xing and decided to use fire attacks. He selected a suicide squad to pilot seven small boats filled with gunpowder and firewood, taking advantage of the northeast wind to charge at Chen Youliang's fleet.】

【The fire ships hit the giant ships, and flames shot into the sky. Hundreds of Chen Youliang's warships caught fire in a chain, the lake water was burned boiling hot, and countless soldiers jumped into the lake to drown or be scalded to death.】

【Chen Youliang was shot in the head by a stray arrow in the chaotic battle and died on the spot. The remaining troops scattered, and Zhu Yuanzhang won a complete victory.】

After watching this, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, sighed: "Fire attack, it's fire attack again."

"Zhou Yu burned Cao Cao, Zhu Yuanzhang burned Chen Youliang. It seems the essence of naval warfare lies in the word 'burn'."

Wei Zheng said from the side: "Your Majesty is right. But the key to fire attack is not the fire, but the wind."

"Without the east wind, Zhou Yu couldn't have burned Cao Cao. Without the northeast wind, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't have burned Chen Youliang either."

Li Shimin nodded: "So in naval warfare, one must occupy the right time, the right place, and the right people."

Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's reaction was the most direct.

He stood in front of the Yingtian Palace hall, looking at the text on the Sky Screen, his eyes slightly red.

Not because of excitement, but because that battle was too bitter.

He remembered his ships being smashed to pieces by Chen Youliang's giant ships, his soldiers falling into the water one by one, never to surface again.

He remembered the fire that night, burning half the sky red, the lake water being boiled, and the smell of burning filling the air.

He remembered Chen Youliang—his arch-rival, the biggest enemy of his life—being shot through the head by a stray arrow, falling from the ship, and never getting up again.

He won that battle.

But it wasn't an easy win.

"The Sky Screen is right," Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly spoke, his voice a bit hoarse, "After that battle was fought, my great cause was achieved."

Zhu Biao stood to the side and asked softly: "Father Emperor, were you afraid at that time?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while and said: "Afraid. But even if afraid, I had to fight; if I didn't fight, I would die."

Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang's commentary floated across the Sky Screen.

【Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang: In that battle, I almost died there. Chen Youliang's ships were taller than my city walls, and my arrows shot at them were like scratching an itch. If it weren't for that east wind, I wouldn't be standing here today.】

Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, couldn't help but laugh when he saw this commentary.

【Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin: This junior is quite honest, daring to say he was afraid. If it were me, I would also say I was afraid. Fighting a war, who isn't afraid? Those who say they aren't afraid have never been on the battlefield.】

Emperor Qianlong shook his folding fan and said slowly.

【Emperor Kangxi: Zhu Yuanzhang was able to win against the odds, not relying on luck, but on courage and strategy. Anyone can use fire attacks, but daring to take the initiative when the enemy is strong and we are weak, that kind of courage, not everyone has.】

In another space-time, Chen Youliang stood in his imperial palace, his face ashen.

He had just proclaimed himself emperor, in high spirits, feeling he was the invincible true Son of Heaven.

Then the Sky Screen told him—he would lose, lose miserably, die at Lake Poyang, and be shot through the head by a stray arrow.

600,000 troops, hundreds of giant ships, losing to Zhu Yuanzhang who only had 200,000.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Chen Youliang kicked over the desk in front of him, and the tea bowl shattered all over the floor.

"My fleet is invincible! How could Zhu Yuanzhang's small boats burn my giant ships?!"

His subordinates knelt all over the floor, no one daring to make a sound.

But everyone's face looked bad.

What the Sky Screen said had never been wrong.

Zhang Dingbian stood out; he was the fiercest general under Chen Youliang and the only one who dared to speak when Chen Youliang was angry.

"Your Majesty, the Sky Screen speaks of future events. As long as we take precautions in advance, we won't necessarily lose."

Chen Youliang took a deep breath, his eyeballs rolled, and then he nodded.

But his hands kept shaking.

In the Eastern Han court, Liu Xiu listened to the entire process of the Battle of Lake Poyang and was silent for a while before speaking.

"Chen Youliang had 600,000 troops, Zhu Yuanzhang had 200,000."

"Chen Youliang's giant ships were like mountains, Zhu Yuanzhang's small boats were like leaves."

"From troop strength to equipment, Zhu Yuanzhang had no advantage."

"But he won."

He paused and continued: "Why?"

Ying Zheng suddenly spoke.

He had been listening all along without interrupting, but he felt he could answer this question.

"Because Zhu Yuanzhang found Chen Youliang's weakness in a desperate situation."

Ying Zheng said, "Giant ships are big but clumsy; fire attacks are dangerous but fatal."

"Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't afraid of death, Chen Youliang was afraid of death, so Zhu Yuanzhang won."

Liu Bang nodded: "Brother Zheng is right, when fighting a war to the end, it's not about who has more people, but who isn't afraid of death."

Liu Che added: "And who knows how to use their brain."

"Zhu Yuanzhang is a smart man; knowing he couldn't win head-on, he changed his tactics."

Liu Xiu listened to the analysis of the three ancestors and suddenly smiled.

He felt he had gained a lot—the Sky Screen hadn't finished ranking yet, and he had already learned from the three predecessors.

The Sky Screen continued to flip down, starting to show the subsequent impact of the Battle of Lake Poyang.

【Impact of the battle】

【After the Battle of Lake Poyang, Chen Youliang's power was destroyed. Zhu Yuanzhang annexed his territory and incorporated his remnants, greatly increasing his strength.】

【The following year, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself King of Wu and began the northern expedition against the Yuan Dynasty.】

【Five years later, Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor in Yingtian, with the national title of Great Ming.】

【This battle is a classic example of winning against the odds and winning against the strong in Chinese military history, and it is also one of the largest naval battles in world history.】

【Zhu Yuanzhang used small boats to break giant ships, creating the precedent for fire attacks against large fleets. Later naval battles often imitated this method.】

Liu Bang saw the words "winning against the odds, winning against the strong," and the corners of his mouth curled up.

"I'm familiar with this. When I fought Xiang Yu, wasn't every time winning against the odds?"

Ying Zheng glanced at him: "You winning against the odds? Wasn't every time relying on Han Xin?"

Liu Bang was choked, opened his mouth, and couldn't speak for a long time.

Liu Che smiled, and Liu Xiu also smiled.

Even Ying Zheng, who had been expressionless, had the corners of his mouth curl up slightly.

After watching all the content, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, sighed.

【Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin: Zhu Yuanzhang fought this battle beautifully, but what was even more beautiful was his later path. From a cowherd to an emperor, this path is deeper than the water of Lake Poyang.】

Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, nodded.

【Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin: That's right, fighting a war is just the beginning, sitting on the world is the real skill. Zhu Yuanzhang being able to stabilize the country was not easier than fighting Lake Poyang.】

Emperor Qianlong finally said.

【Emperor Kangxi: I think Zhu Yuanzhang's most powerful point was not fighting, but knowing how to use people.

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Liu Bowen, which one wasn't a hero of the time?

Being able to gather these people around him is harder than fighting a hundred Lake Poyangs.】

The golden light on the Sky Screen began to gather, and the ranking of this part was coming to an end.

The last line of text emerged.

【Ranking Top Ten Ancient Battles · Battle of Lake Poyang · End】

【Next preview: Battle of Red Cliffs】