Chapter 211: The Waterwheel

Li Bao's raid was exceptionally successful.

This time, Zhang Rong had brought over a hundred small boats and thirty steamships, plus Li Bao's own small contingent, totaling no fewer than five thousand sailors and oarsmen. Yet he had split off nearly half his men, two thousand, for Li Bao to circle around and land. Once the landing succeeded, two thousand sailors, their faces bound with wet hemp cloth, surged into the water stockade from the land side. The Jin troops on the shore inside the stockade instantly lost control and were soon reduced to being butchered.

In the end, it came down to the power of the fire. Although the fire mainly burned the dense cluster of boats in the river, the spread to the shore wasn't that intense—especially since the Jin army had used the Yellow River's heartland levee as a natural wall for their water stockade and harbor, which itself wasn't flammable. But while the levee didn't burn, the Jin troops on shore were stunned by the blaze.

There was no help for it—it was too terrifying.

You must understand, in matters of war, the power of heaven and earth comes first. Unless a state is at its peak of strength, with good governance, harmonious people, brave generals, strong soldiers, and every man like a dragon, only then, by gritting one's teeth and doing one's utmost, might one dare to look up and say that man can conquer nature.

Otherwise, not to mention plagues, floods, landslides, or tsunamis, even a cold snap or heatwave, or an ordinary meteor shower or rainy season, could easily match the might of hundreds of thousands of troops.

And even taking a step back, a mountain or a river sitting there, doing nothing at all, could still play a huge role in military affairs.

Below the dangers of heaven and earth come the mercilessness of fire and water.

This water doesn't need to be a disaster on the scale of floods or tsunamis. Just build a dam or a dike, release it once, and it's enough to send thousands of elite troops into a rout. By the same logic, once a great fire starts, no matter how fierce the armored warriors, how seasoned the Meng'an Mouke, or how battle-hardened the veterans, none of it matters.

Even the Imperial Guard, who recently held their ground at Dongping despite nearly twenty percent casualties and earned the utmost recognition from His Majesty Zhao, wouldn't be of any use. Even Wanyan Loushi's personal troops wouldn't be of any use either!

In fact, once the steamships lined up and the gunpowder bundles, with a range of three to four hundred paces, flew overhead, the Jin garrison commander, Da?, was already stunned into confusion. He was then forcibly dragged off the old levee by a few trusted personal guards.

Once ashore, he turned back to see fires rising on both sides of the harbor and smoke everywhere. This former Jin Battalion Commander, now a direct officer under Great Ming Prefecture, was already at a loss. Though he forced himself to issue a few orders for firefighting and combat, how could such a blaze be stopped?

Not only that, but as the fire spread and the entire water portion of the stockade was burned into a sea of flames, Da? panicked completely and nearly fled. And when shouts of battle arose from the southeast levee behind him, with fire ahead and soldiers behind, this wretch simply abandoned the fight, left the water stockade, and fled through the northeast exit. To be fair, it really wasn't his fault. This scene of fire and water together frightened and panicked this noble of the Bohai clan even more than the tens of thousands of troops advancing in formation across the plain at Changshe that day.

If he hadn't been willing to fight to the death back then, why would he force himself to hold on now?

Once Da? fled in disgrace, taking some of his elite troops with him, the entire water stockade, both on land and in the water, fell into chaos. That's what allowed Li Bao to charge in calmly and rampage freely.

Setting aside how "Splashing Li San" fought with short weapons in the fire, Da? fled without even bringing his horse. With just three to five hundred routed troops, he broke out through the northeast corner of the water stockade and headed east toward Puyang.

But after going only three or five li, he came to his senses and looked back at the water stockade. Thick smoke was billowing, carrying clouds and water vapor straight into the sky, almost blotting it out, unmatched by any beacon tower. Fear crept back into his heart. However, once away from the battlefield, what Da? feared wasn't the fire anymore, but the word "military law."

You see, Da? was originally a defeated general who had been demoted. Before the Yanling-Changshe campaign, he was a noble of the Bohai clan leading a chiliarchy. After the battle, he was demoted to garrison commander at Great Ming Prefecture for the crime of defeat, losing formal field command, though his title remained.

But wasn't it because this man later refused to accept his punishment, often relying on his status as a Bohai noble to act recklessly in Great Ming Prefecture, and whenever he drank with others, he would babble nonsense about Liu Yu and Talan's decisions?

Those words reaching Wushu and Talan's ears were one thing, but when they later reached the increasingly powerful Chancellor Wanyan Nianhan, they angered this powerful minister who couldn't tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes.

So, with an order from the Supreme Military Command, this wretch was directly kicked out to be a boat watcher.

And you know what? After that, he became much more obedient.

Back to the present. Although this year was a so-called warm winter, "warm" meant the rivers weren't completely frozen. In the morning, well water in villages on both sides of the Yellow River still froze, and frozen pork could still be stored in cellars.

So Da?, his face red from the heat, his beard and hair singed into a mess, was utterly disheveled. But halfway through his escape, he looked back and felt the winter cold, trembling for a moment. If he just left like this, Nianhan might kill him with a single order!

Yet with such a fire and the Song troops descending like divine soldiers, Da?, unable to fathom how the Song army had conjured up such a large navy, had completely lost his courage and dared not turn back.

And so, in broad daylight, this former great general who had led ten thousand troops stood like an idiot in the wilderness between Puyang City and Xiaowu Sao, staring at the fire, unable to advance or retreat.

But this scene didn't last long, because, as Zhang Rong had thought, such a successful fire attack had already alarmed the garrison at Puyang, twenty li away, the moment it succeeded.

The Puyang garrison was naturally stunned too. They also couldn't imagine the Song army daring to cross the river and attack them.

However, the garrison commander there, Gao Jingshan, was a cautious yet decisive general. Amid his shock, he judged that it was likely a Song sneak attack, but the numbers shouldn't be large. So he hastily mustered two available Meng'an from around the city, gathered as many warhorses as possible, donned his armor in a rush, and personally led the troops to reinforce, hoping to salvage something.

Halfway there, he ran into Da?, whose beard had been burned clean and who was now shivering.

Seeing the former Bohai noble in such a state, Gao Jingshan was both alarmed and felt a pang of sympathy for a fellow creature. He dismounted, stepped forward, handed over his personal wineskin, and spoke soothingly while inquiring.

"So you're saying the Song army came downstream in a large fleet with a large force and launched a surprise attack?" Listening to Da?'s fragmented report, Gao Jingshan frowned deeply as he looked at the massive fire at Xiaowu Sao and the ash fluff gradually appearing in the air. "Just steamships capable of carrying catapults, fifty or sixty of them, and ordinary small boats of three to five zhang, two to three hundred? And they set fires on the water while no fewer than five thousand troops attacked from the land on the rear, with over ten thousand men striking simultaneously on water and land, so they succeeded instantly?"

"If it weren't so, how could I, your brother, have ended up like this?" Da? drank a few mouthfuls of wine, warming up slightly, but kept stamping his feet. "I only had two thousand men. Caught off guard by the Southerners' navy in the water stockade, attacked from three sides... On the water, we have no hope against the Southerners. On land, we could have fought to the death, but the fire was too big, baking over from the river. We couldn't even stand near the old course of the Yellow River. With such heavenly power, it's less that we were chased out by the Southern army and more that we were driven out by the fire."

Gao Jingshan was silent for a moment.

You see, Gao Jingshan was a man of hidden talent. In another timeline, as a non-Han, he was a major Jin general early on, then stood firm through the brutal and bloody factional struggles within the Jin court. Even during the reign of Prince Hailing, Wanyan Liang, he remained a high-ranking figure in the Jin army—truly a man of note.

So at this moment, hearing Da?'s words, he had already formed his own conjectures and decisions.

First, no matter what, this Song raid was unprecedented. Whether it was the sudden appearance of naval power or the audacity to cross the river and attack the Jin army in Hebei, the shock it caused was beyond measure.

Truly beyond measure. This kind of fact, suddenly placed before you yet hard to comprehend, was the same for everyone.

Da? was shaken by it, and how could Gao Jingshan not be shaken? Da? was fearful and panicked, and how could Gao Jingshan not feel some fear and doubt?

Second, despite his fear, he didn't fully believe Da?'s words. Reason told him that even if the Song army had launched a raid, they couldn't have that many troops to simultaneously attack from three sides, with five thousand just for the land assault. Five thousand in total was more likely.

However, some of the claims couldn't be dismissed. For example, the steamships being equipped with small, light catapults that fired mud pellets and gunpowder bundles over a long range. Many Jin generals who had experienced the siege of Nanyang had described these things in bits and pieces, and the veteran Jin general Chizhan Hui had even given his life as a warning to everyone.

As for gunpowder fires being uncontrollable and spreading faster than oil, they had already encountered that during the Jingkang era. And the fire before their eyes was plain to see.

So Gao Jingshan quickly reached a conclusion in his mind:

First, the water stockade and boats were beyond saving. This was a classic case of the power of fire and water, and the Song army had already succeeded. No matter what was done now, the result of a major defeat couldn't be avoided. Forcing himself into this muddy water might only bring trouble.

Second, the Song army wasn't large, and some troops were still on the land portion of the water stockage, engaged in close combat. There was still some room for maneuver.

Third, as the garrison commander of Puyang, even if he didn't want to wade into this mess, he had to make some show of effort. Otherwise, he couldn't explain himself to the Supreme Military Command and Chancellor Nianhan.

With this thought, this Jin Battalion Commander spoke kindly to the "Bohai noble" before him: "General, I have something to say, but I'm afraid you won't want to hear it."

Da? knew exactly what he meant. He quickly took another few gulps of wine and stamped his feet even more: "How could I not know what you mean, General Gao? But today's defeat is absolutely not because I was unwilling or afraid to fight..."

"As long as you understand, General." Gao Jingshan's expression didn't change as he interrupted him in the wilderness. "But given our friendship, I can't just leave you in trouble! From what you say, the boats in the water are beyond saving, but there might still be some Song infantry in the water stockade. I came in a hurry to reinforce, and the main force is still assembling behind me—I don't know when they'll arrive. I only have two Meng'an with me, but that should be enough."

Da? wanted to speak but stopped.

"General, this isn't a time for you to choose." Gao Jingshan said seriously. "I'll put Morive's Meng'an under your command. Lead them and your routed troops back to the stockade for a counterattack. If you can make some gains, you might be able to redeem yourself!"

Da? was half grateful, half hesitant: "That's all well and good, but what about the fire now? Can we really hold our ground if we charge in?"

"Aren't you asking the obvious, General?" Gao Jingshan sneered. "When you counterattack now, those Song troops will fall into the same situation you were in. Fire on the river, and our Great Jin elite attacking from behind—they'll be the ones who can't hold their ground! We'll use the fire to trap them from both sides!"

Da? finally understood and stamped his feet for the third time.

Without a word, he raised the wineskin, took a fierce gulp, his eyes turning bloodshot, then mounted Gao Jingshan's warhorse. Without even a word of thanks, he called out to the Meng'an named Morive and his routed troops, and they swarmed back toward the water stockade.

Seeing this, Gao Jingshan didn't mind at all. He casually found a horse, mounted it, and ordered his men to spread out and search for fleeing routed troops. Then he slowly led the remaining Meng'an, unhurriedly following toward the great fire at Xiaowu Sao.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened to the west. At Xiaowu Sao, the fire on the river had diminished slightly, but the ash fluff was increasing.

Zhang Rong, Chief Zhang, had long since left his boat and gone ashore onto the river levee after Li Bao broke into the water stockade. He found a clean, suitable spot east of the angle between the old and new levees, set up a small camp stool.

Then, covering his face with one hand, he sat upright on the levee, his chest bare, looking down from a height at the water stockade, which had already turned somewhat gray inside and out. It was unclear whether he was observing a battle that was impossible to observe.

Beside him stood only his son-in-law, Yu Yunwen, holding a large banner with the character "Zhang" in one hand, and with the other, like his father-in-law, holding a piece of hemp cloth soaked in river water over his mouth and nose, standing in attendance.

The latter was the first important military order issued by Zhang Rong after agreeing to Li Bao's plan to launch a surprise attack from the shore, during the consultation on the battle plan. It applied not only to the assault troops but to everyone else as well—those without cloth were to tear open their clothes, wet them, and wrap them around their faces… Yu Yunwen, at the time, was stimulated by the smell of roasting meat from the fire, vomiting incessantly, and was unclear about what followed, only remembering this order and the later order to carry the flag.

It was under such a scene, amidst the gray ash and firelight, that over a thousand Jin Jun cavalry suddenly galloped in from the northeast at extreme speed.

The leading *meng'an*, named Moliye, seeing flags in the distance of an unusual standard, knew they belonged to a high-ranking Song Jun officer. He whistled, leading one or two hundred riders to turn in that direction, intending to capture the man first.

Unexpectedly, just as this fellow turned toward the river embankment, still several hundred paces away, several dozen mud shells mixed with gunpowder packets shot out from behind the flags, catching the dense Jin Jun cavalry in a panicked disarray.

At the same time, several hundred soldiers in leather armor suddenly surged out from behind the river embankment, each holding a powerful crossbow, standing in strict formation.

The leading *meng'an*, Moliye, was struck in the face by fragments of the shattered mud shells, swelling up a large lump. In a fit of rage, but seeing this, he could only retreat in disgrace to rejoin his unit.

The *da* who was holding the rear, his eyelids twitching, angrily spurred forward and shouted, "How can you be so stupid? Didn't I say there were cannon carts on the river? Forget this side, dismount and break into the water stockade for me—there are still Song Jun inside!"

The Jin Jun cavalrymen around and ahead, hearing the order, only turned back to look coldly, while Moliye, enraged, let out a wild howl like a beast.

The *da*, realizing he had spoken rashly, quickly corrected himself with shame: "I drank too much and was anxious… Brothers, follow me in dismounting and fighting on foot in the stockade. After the battle, I'll take no spoils and will even take gold and silver from my home to thank you all! Brother Moliye, I'll have an extra heavy reward for you afterward!"

Having said this, the man dismounted of his own accord, personally took up short weapons, and led his personal guards to charge into the ash-filled water stockade. Only then did Moliye sneer, dismount, and lead his men to follow in the assault.

Watching this scene from afar on the river embankment, Yu Yunwen was momentarily alarmed and turned to look at his nominal father-in-law. But Zhang Rong just sat there covering his nose, and not only that, the several hundred armored soldiers also lowered their flags and drums, returning beneath the river embankment to cover their noses and rest.

Thus, for a full half-quarter hour, listening to the rising cries of battle from within the smoky, fiery water stockade—clearly Li Bao's unit engaging these newly arrived fresh reinforcements—Zhang Rong finally turned back calmly and gave the order:

"Wave the flag for me!"

Yu Yunwen, forgetting to cover his mouth and nose, hurriedly raised the flag and waved it with all his might… It was at this moment that this clever new *jinshi* finally realized that his father-in-law had placed him here not out of concern for his seasickness, but because he valued his tall stature—waving the flag, he could raise it higher!

Once Zhang Rong's command flag was waved, the river immediately became busy. First, several Song Jun naval signalmen hidden beneath the old embankment—the remnant dike of the Yellow River's old northern course, which also served as the natural outer wall of the Jin Jun water stockade—prompted by companions in the river, went ashore almost simultaneously. Facing the still-lingering fire, they waved various flags toward the water stockade.

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the paddle-wheel boats in the river also shouted and clamored with effort, as if calling for something.

Yu Yunwen, his face covered in ash, was momentarily puzzled.

But only for a moment. Soon, the leather-armored, short-weapon naval troops who had earlier broken into the water stockade emerged from the gray, scorching stockade, following the sounds and flags, escaping via the river embankment. Under the cover of waiting boats, they returned to the river to rest.

Yu Yunwen, turning back curiously, clearly saw that as soon as these men returned to the river, their first reaction was not to bandage wounds, but to wash and wet their face-wrapping linen in the cold river water.

Not only that, almost at the same time, Xiao En, the naval commander under Zhang Rong who had been waiting in the river, had somehow already arrived behind Zhang Rong. Now, leading over a thousand leather-armored warriors who had been long rested—also with wet linen wrapped around their faces—he calmly landed from behind Zhang Rong.

Then, surging past the side of Yu Yunwen, who stood dumbfounded, mechanically waving the flag, they once again attacked the water stockade from its southeast side, achieving a second strike.

"Stop!"

Seeing Li Bao and Xiao En advance and retreat along the river embankment, using control of the waterway and embankment to complete a rotation while maintaining the momentum of the surprise attack, Zhang Rong naturally thought to care for his son-in-law. "Go down to the river and wash the linen… wash it for your old man too… then come back up."

Yu Yunwen, already captivated by the scene, descended with an excited air, hastily washed the linen for himself and Zhang Rong, then came back up to hold the flag.

Then, this young *jinshi*, while handing over the wet linen, naturally couldn't resist asking an extra question: "Grand Commandant… using the advantage of water to rotate and withdraw so smoothly, though not as refined as the Queyue Formation, it's a case of great skill appearing clumsy. Does it have a name?"

"I don't know what 'Queyue Formation' is, but this trick of ours does have a name." The Grand Commandant Zhang, taking the wet cloth, sat calmly as before and spoke slowly. "We folks from the water marshes have always called it the 'Water Wheel'… you were vomiting so badly earlier, you just didn't hear it."

Thus, Xiao En led his troops to break in from the rear again. Within the gray, fire-lit water stockade, cries of battle rose once more, while Yu Yunwen, because of the term 'Water Wheel,' fell into a momentary daze.

Just as the father-and-son-in-law duo of Zhang and Yu were discussing the essence of military strategy, two *li* to the northeast, under an increasingly gray sky and amid ever-thickening ash, Gao Jingshan quickly received a frontline report—the scouts couldn't see the Song Jun withdrawing from the water stockade via the river embankment, but they could see Song Jun in the river surging up from the eastern side of the stockade's embankment and pouring into the stockade.

Without analysis, it was clear that the *da* and Moliye were in trouble, because now it was their turn to be caught between the fire and the assault troops.

But unexpectedly, Gao Jingshan remained calm, still reining his horse in the dim wilderness, staring at the flying ash without a word.

After waiting a while longer, as another group of scouts returned and reported the approximate number of Song Jun ships on the main course of the Yellow River, this Jin Jun *wanhu* finally spoke:

"Gao Long!"

Another accompanying Bohai *meng'an* quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands to receive the order.

"The situation is clear." Gao Jingshan reined in his horse and spoke calmly, laying it out slowly. "The Song Jun only have five [thousand?]. I'll watch over the defeated troops and gather the forces here. Wait for me to return."

This Gao Long was clearly Gao Jingshan's trusted man. He merely cupped his hands slightly, then led his troops galloping eastward.

One *meng'an* numbered a thousand men—mostly standard cavalry under the *meng'an-mouke* system, with a smaller portion being Han Chinese supplementary troops. But this time, to support quickly, Gao Jingshan had even provided horses for the Han Chinese supplementary troops. Thus, as soon as the order was given, the formation was as imposing as a thousand riders sweeping across a level hill, following the path of the previous *meng'an* toward the water stockade.

As Gao Jingshan had said, winter nights fall very quickly. With the ash growing thicker, the sky was gradually darkening, but such a commotion could not be hidden at all… On the river embankment, Zhang Rong and Yu Yunwen saw it clearly. The latter, being a first-time battlefield participant, was once again panicked as before.

"Wave the flag!" Seeing the Jin Jun dismount and pour into the water stockade from the northeast, Zhang Rong remained unhurried, waiting a while before giving the order.

Yu Yunwen, flustered for a moment, hurriedly waved the flag.

This time, the same thing happened—on the river embankment, the other signalmen responded in unison, and a clamor rose from the river… But Yu Yunwen was puzzled. Last time he waved the flag, Xiao En had led his troops to plug the Jin Jun's rear. Now that he was waving the flag again, who could go?

With this thought, the young *jinshi* couldn't hold back and turned to look again. He saw a man in leather armor, holding a short weapon, with a wet cloth wrapped around his face, coming from behind.

Only when he got close did Yu Yunwen see clearly that this man was none other than Li Bao, the 'Po Li San' who had earlier retreated to the river!

Xiao En, holding his ground while retreating, used the cover of the paddle-wheel boats' cannon carts to calmly ascend the river embankment for rest. Meanwhile, Li Bao, who had already rested for a while, along with the troops previously withdrawn, turned from the river to this side, then surged back onto the river embankment, repeating the tactic and charging straight for the water stockade.

It was only then that Yu Yunwen realized why this tactic was called the 'Water Wheel.'

Wasn't the scene before him exactly like a water wheel turning ceaselessly under the impact of the Yellow River, allowing their own troops to leverage the advantage of water and always remain in a superior assault position?

He had originally wanted to persuade his nominal father-in-law to transport some Song Jun from the opposite bank… After the fire started, quite a few Song Jun had gathered on the south bank to watch… But considering the limited number of boats, and the fear that they might not be able to retreat cleanly if a large Jin Jun reinforcement arrived, he had hesitated and not made up his mind.

But who would have thought that this Grand Commandant Zhang, this great chieftain, was so skilled on the water? If earlier Yu Yunwen's comparison of this water rotation technique to the Queyue Formation was just flattering his father-in-law, now he was thoroughly convinced that some things truly were examples of great skill appearing clumsy!

Back at the front, Li Bao once again attacked the water stockade from the rear. The Jin Jun inside the stockade were in chaos, having no idea how many Song Jun had arrived. They only felt a continuous wave of pressure from behind, pushing them toward the riverbank. The riverbank was scorching hot, with thick ash making it hard to breathe, truly an untenable position.

In fact, it didn't take three or five rotations. Before sunset, with Xiao En's second breakthrough—that is, after the 'Water Wheel' had turned exactly two full cycles around the Yellow River embankment—the Jin Jun reinforcements, repeatedly battered within the water stockade, could no longer hold out… They weren't really beaten to death by the Song Jun. Rather, it was their own iron armor, the ash in the air, and the unbearable heat of the fire that had robbed them of their combat effectiveness… They hadn't expected the ash to be so powerful. As for the temperature and the armor, they had counted on a quick victory, but instead, it became a burden.

The two *meng'an*, Gao Long and Moliye, joined forces and fought to break out with their remaining troops, while the *da* was seen by witnesses to be cut down by Song Jun in the melee.

At this, Gao Jingshan, the Jin Jun *wanhu*, standing northeast of the water stockade with a group of defeated troops, watching over several thousand warhorses, could only cover his nose and stand in silent solemnity, listening to the faint cries of battle from within the stockade without a word… Those were scattered Jin Jun, like the *da*, trapped in the stockade by smoke and heat. Their numbers were unknown, to be determined only by post-battle corpse inspection.

Gradually, the setting sun fully emerged, casting a rosy glow over the wide mouth of the Yellow River's northern course. On the north bank, Xiaowu Sao, though no longer ablaze, was still red-hot and stifling, while the sky-filling ash lent a unique hue to heaven and earth.

At this moment, the main Jin Jun force finally arrived as reinforcements. Zhang Rong, commanding from the river embankment, calmly ordered a withdrawal, turning back to the river.

For a time, cheers rang out across the river. Even the scattered Song Jun units hastily gathered on the opposite bank, learning of the great victory, responded with distant shouts across the river.

Watching the various units return, Zhang Rong, who had been sitting for a long time, finally packed up his camp stool, preparing to be the last to board the boat and withdraw.

But just then, a single Jin Jun rider, unarmed and unarmored, galloped toward them through the ash, holding a white flag in the last glimmer of light. By the time he arrived, the white cloth was already mottled with gray. He reined in his horse just outside arrow range, then, seizing a gap in the cheers and clamor, shouted with all his might: "The defender of the Great Jin's Kaide Prefecture, General Gao Jingshan, the *wanhu*, sends an envoy to inquire: Who is the commander of the Song naval forces? May we know his name?!"

Zhang Rong, sitting on the embankment with his robe open all day, his face and body covered in black ash, threw down the long-dried linen cloth in his hand and turned his head sharply.

The cheering soldiers nearest on the river, seeing this clearly in the light, instinctively faltered, and the silence spread to nearly every soldier on the river… In the midst of the stillness, Yu Yunwen, also turned into a gray figure with only his mouth and nose white, hurriedly raised the flag and stood firm again.

"Go back and tell that Gao who I am—he doesn't need to ask!" Zhang Rong, naturally dark-skinned and now covered in black ash, was barely visible. He put one hand on his hip and pointed into the distance with the other, shouting with the same voice he'd used to sing fishing songs on the water slopes back in the day. "Just remember, you fuckers, that from now on, the Yellow River isn't your Jin bastards' to command! That's all!"

Having said this, he led his son-in-law down the embankment and boarded the boat. Then, several hundred vessels on the river started up one after another, glistening on the waves as they returned south. And around this Grand Commandant, Military Governor, and Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Naval Forces, led by the naval commander Xiao En, who was personally rowing a small boat, a fishing song gradually began to ring out.

As the saying goes:

"My father was born on Mount Shuipo, born with a nature to kill.

I've cut down faithless men in internal strife, and killed the bird generals of the Jin.

A hero doesn't read poetry or books, only dwells on Mount Shuipo.

Once I set foot on the Yellow River, I'll run rampant between heaven and earth."

The envoy had been stunned by the scolding at first, but hearing this song now, he was utterly shocked... The name of Zhang Rong of Mount Shuipo, the battle of Suotou Beach—which Jin man didn't know?

He hastily pulled up the flag and returned to his camp to report.

However, there was no need for him to report back. The song drifted far, startling both banks of the Yellow River. Gao Jingshan, who heard the fisherman's song from afar, had already relaxed—if it was Zhang Rong of Mount Shuipo in person, surely the Grand Marshal's headquarters would tolerate this defeat to some extent?

Before sunset, the Song naval forces had already easily crossed the Great River and returned to the southern bank.

A moment later, as the sun set and darkness fell, both sides completely ceased fighting. Only the Yellow River's flowing water, reflecting the dim light between the two sides, flowed on eternally, never stopping day or night.

PS: Continuing to offer up the new book "This Great Ming Is Too Fierce"... Interested classmates can go take a look.