Chapter 779
Fu Youde: Oh no, we've fallen into their trap!
As soon as Fu Youde gave the order, the entire army instantly entered a state of combat readiness. Although they broke out on their own, the generals under Fu Youde were no pushovers.
Lan Yu and Wang Bi were both capable generals who excelled in battle.
At this moment, Wang Bi led his men directly into the vanguard and took over command.
The cannon fire from the opposite side came crashing down like a landslide, and for a moment the waters of the Wulongkou River boiled.
"Charge team, move out!"
The vanguard, led by General Shi Gengming, consisted of twelve "Haishan" warships that surged out from the upstream bay entrance, crashing into Fu Youde's vanguard like a black whale.
This type of ship is a unique type of warship used by Chen Jiusi's navy. The hull is covered with iron sheets, and there is a sharp ram at the bow. Thirty-six long oars protrude from the openings on both sides. It can turn quickly in narrow waterways and is perfect for frontal assaults. If it rams an enemy ship, it can directly knock an enemy down!
"Put down the racket!"
Upon seeing that the enemy had unleashed such a terrifying warship, Wang Bi immediately roared in anger.
This renowned general, wielding two swords, stood at the bow of the flagship "Dingbo," his hair and beard bristling, his long sword stained with blood.
Wang Bi, a native of Dingyuan, Anhui, was known as the "King of Double Swords" because of his superb martial arts skills and proficiency in using double swords. He was a first-rate brave and fierce figure among the younger generation, and some even called him the "Little Chang Yuchun".
With his command.
His three large warships simultaneously released their battering rams—huge iron-clad wooden poles controlled by winches, capable of smashing the decks of ordinary ships.
Suddenly, it slammed down, striking the iron plate of the Haishan ship hard, sending sparks flying. However, the Haishan ship remained sturdy, its hull only swaying slightly without appearing to be destroyed.
"Damn it, iron-shelled turtle!" Wang Bi spat and cursed, only able to watch helplessly as a Hai Shan warship rammed into the port side of the Dingbo warship beside him.
Boom!
The two boats collided, sending wood chips flying everywhere.
The Dingbo was rammed and swayed several meters to the side, its hull groaning under the strain.
At the same time, dozens of grappling hooks were thrown from the Haishan ship and tightly gripped the side of the Dingbo. At the other end of the grappling hooks, fierce soldiers of the Chen army, with steel knives in their mouths, swung along the hooks!
"Cut the rope!"
Upon seeing this, Wang Bi immediately shouted loudly.
His henchmen rushed forward, raising their hands to cut the ropes.
But Chen Jun's arrows rained down, targeting the unarmored sailors, whose screams rose and fell, and the grappling hooks were difficult to break in time.
More than ten Chen soldiers had already swung onto the deck, and upon landing, they formed a battle formation with shields in front and swords behind, cutting into Fu Youde's army like wedges.
Wang Bi personally led his personal guards to the front. His long sword moved like a dragon, shattering the shield of the enemy soldier with a single blow. Without changing his momentum, the enemy soldier was severed in two, head and body separated. At this moment, Wang Bi, wielding his greatsword, roared, "Follow me and kill!"
"General, wait! Our retreat has been cut off!"
Wang Bi intended to charge forward, but unexpectedly, his personal guards shouted from behind.
Wang Bi turned around and saw three iron cables stretched across the river, each as thick as a child's arm, with barbed iron hooks hanging from them. Behind the cables, dozens of speedboats were arrayed, their archers poised to fire. They were there to trap them like turtles in a jar.
"Form a circular formation! Move closer to the central army!" Wang Bi made a decisive decision.
But would Zhang Dingbian give him that chance?
At this moment, on Chen Jun's flagship "Whale Swallower," Zhang Dingbian put down his binoculars.
“Fu Youde’s central army has moved.” His voice was deep and resonant, like the tolling of an ancient temple bell, steady and powerful. “Order the left and right wings to advance slowly and give way to the waterway on the east bank.”
"Old Zhang?" Chen Xiaohu, who was with the army, asked in confusion, "The water is shallow on the east bank. What if Fu Youde's army breaks out from there?"
“I want them to go to the east bank.” Zhang Dingbian stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming. “Underwater on the east bank, I’ve buried three hundred detonators developed by the Academy of Science and Technology. With that kind of power, one can blow up an entire area. No matter how many of them go, they’ll all die.”
Chen Xiaohu was taken aback when he heard this, and then said, "There's actually such a thing? Compared to those lunatics in the School of Science and Technology, I feel like we're all living bodhisattvas."
Zhang Dingbian said, "It's fortunate that the Institute of Science and Technology is ours. If it were Zhu Chongba's, I don't know how many of us would have died."
Chen Xiaohu said, "That's right. No wonder our King of Han wanted to make Lao Tao a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households. I feel that he's qualified to be a king, the King of Gunpowder!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingbian said, "Tiger Commander, don't talk nonsense. We are soldiers, we only care about fighting, and we must not get involved in anything else."
"I know, I know, let's catch that old bastard Fu Youde first."
"The King of Han said that if we can capture Fu Youde this time, he will reward us with three hundred jars of fine wine. Those are all fine wines that the King of Han sealed in the Mian River."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingbian said, "Fu Youde is no ordinary man; he might not fall for the trap. Order the second team to prepare the fire ships."
Before he finished speaking, his gaze sharpened.
On the river, a large ship was sailing upstream, heading straight for its flagship, the "Whale Swallower".
The large banner bearing the character "Fu" on the bow of the ship fluttered like blood amidst the smoke of battle.
"Oh?" Zhang Dingbian laughed. "You dare to charge into our formation. Bring me my spear."
The guards on either side carried up the eighteen-foot-long spear. This spear was made entirely of fine iron, with a spearhead shaped like a snake's tongue and blood grooves on both sides, and weighed sixty-eight jin (approximately 33 catties).
Zhang Dingbian held the spear in one hand, twirling it in his hand, the spear tip piercing the air with a buzzing sound.
"Beat the drums, prepare to fight!"
Chen Xiaohu glanced at him and said, "This Fu Youde is also quite strong, probably on par with you. How about I take his place?"
"Tiger Commander is injured, so don't move around too much. Just stay on the sidelines and watch. I haven't stretched my muscles in a long time!"
Zhang Dingbian spoke while standing with his gun in hand.
As a martial artist, he had not used force for a long time, and he was somewhat excited at this moment.
At this moment, Fu Youde stood at the bow of his flagship, the "Breaking Waves," his phoenix-beak knife pointing diagonally at the river surface.
Behind him were more than thirty surviving warships, most of them damaged and with torn sails, but their bows were all turned towards the enemy. This was a counterattack in a desperate situation, a fight to the death.
"General, please send Zhang Dingbian out!" Gu Shi's voice was tense.
Fu Youde saw it. The "Whale Swallower" was like a giant beast cutting through the river, and the red-turbaned general at the bow was none other than Zhang Dingbian.
The two had met briefly outside Hangzhou, where they bowed to each other from afar, each serving their own master. Today, however, they were to face each other in life and death.
"Archers, fire three rounds of rapid fire and then board the ship," Fu Youde said calmly. "I will personally meet Zhang Dingbian."
"No!" the lieutenant exclaimed urgently, "General, you are the commander of an entire army..."
"Commander?" Fu Youde laughed bitterly. "With 100,000 troops entering this deadly place, what face do I have to call myself commander? Today, only by fighting to the death can we preserve the morale of our soldiers."
Without another word, he drew his knife and leaped onto the side of the ship.
At this time, the two ships were less than fifty feet apart.
"Fire arrows!"
Fu Youde's army unleashed a barrage of arrows, which flew like locusts.
But when the "Whale" raised its wet leather curtain, most of the arrows bounced off.
Zhang Dingbian stood behind the curtain, his spear planted firmly on the ground, without dodging.
Thirty zhang, twenty zhang, ten zhang—
boom!
The two ships collided head-on with a loud crash.
The bow of the "Breaking Waves" was reinforced with iron, which caused the "Whale Swallower" to stagger back several feet.
At the moment of impact, Fu Youde leaped into the air like a roc soaring through the sky, heading straight for Zhang Dingbian!
"Good timing!"
Zhang Dingbian flicked his spear, meeting Fu Youde's phoenix-beak knife head-on.
clang!
The clang of metal against metal resounded, echoing across the great river.
The two men each took three steps back, and the deck planks cracked inch by inch.
"General Fu, how have you been?" Zhang Dingbian stroked his beard and smiled, appearing calm and composed.
"General Zhang, you have a brilliant plan. Today, my 100,000 troops are entering the tiger's den!" Fu Youde held his sword across his chest, his breathing slightly disordered—he had used all his strength in that attack, but Zhang Dingbian seemed not to have used his full strength.
"Warfare is based on deception." Zhang Dingbian pointed his spear diagonally. "Now that you've come, General, stay."
Before the words were even finished, the spear, like a venomous snake striking, thrust straight for Fu Youde's throat. The thrust was as fast as lightning; the spearhead pierced the air with a hissing sound. Fu Youde dodged to the side, and his phoenix-beak saber slashed horizontally, aiming for Zhang Dingbian's waist and abdomen.
Zhang Dingbian raised his spear shaft to block the blade, and with a twist, tried to disarm it.
The two fought fiercely on the bow of the boat, which was only a few feet in circumference. Their spears and swords flashed, and the water could not penetrate their defenses.
However, Fu Youde's troops were caught in a fierce battle.
Relying on its armored advantage, Chen Jun's Haishan warship rampaged recklessly.
The port side of the "Breaking Waves" ship had been rammed and cracked, with river water gushing in. Fu Jun went forward to plug the leak, but was met with a barrage of rockets from Chen Jun, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
Even more deadly, a series of muffled thuds came from the east bank.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Water columns shot into the sky as more than ten of Fu Youde's warships, attempting to maneuver through the shallow waters of the east bank, struck detonators, instantly shattering their hulls. River water surged back, causing the ships to tilt rapidly, and soldiers fell into the water like dumplings, only to be shot dead by archers on Chen's speedboats.
"General! There's an ambush on the east bank!" Wang Bi, covered in blood, jumped aboard the "Dingbo" and shouted hoarsely.
Fu Youde's heart sank.
He feinted with his sword, forcing Zhang Dingbian back half a step, and took the opportunity to glance at the east bank. He saw the river surface littered with broken wood and debris, people struggling and calling for help, and blood staining the shallows red.
"Zhang Dingbian!" Fu Youde's eyes widened in fury. "You cheated!"
"All's fair in war." Zhang Dingbian thrust his spear again, this time aiming straight for Fu Youde's heart.
Fu Youde raised his knife to parry, but his strength had waned, and the impact caused his tiger's mouth to split open, bleeding profusely. He staggered back several steps, his back slamming into the mast before he could barely regain his footing.
lost.
An army of 100,000 and a thousand warships entered this deadly place. The vanguard was routed, the central army was surrounded, and the rear army... the rear army was probably also ambushed. Even if a military genius were to be reborn, he would be powerless to turn the tide.
Fu Youde was utterly despondent.
Just as Fu Youde was in despair, a deafening roar of battle suddenly erupted from the southwest.
A fleet pierced the flank of Chen's army like a sharp sword. There were only about thirty ships, but their design was peculiar—long and narrow, with iron spikes on their bows, specifically designed to ram enemy ships across the waterline. The large flag on the bow prominently displayed the character "blue".
“Lan Yu!” Fu Youde’s spirits lifted.
The newcomer was none other than Lan Yu. He had been ordered to break out of the encirclement on the south bank, but upon hearing the cannon fire, he knew that Fu Youde was in danger. He disregarded military orders and led his 3,000-strong naval force to the rescue.
"Commander Fu, don't panic, Lan Yu is here!"
Lan Yu stood at the bow of the boat, holding two knives, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.
His "cone boat" was designed to counter the armored armor of the Haishan warship—it didn't ram the hull, but instead rammed the bottom.
A ship named Haishan was hit three times in succession, causing its bottom to crack and river water to rush in, and it slowly sank.
"How dare you, you brat!" Zhang Dingbian roared, abandoning Fu Youde and pointing his spear at Lan Yu. "Bring me my bow!"
The guard handed over the iron-rimmed bow. Zhang Dingbian drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and the bowstring was drawn taut like a full moon; the arrow flew like a shooting star, aiming straight for Lan Yu's face.
Lan Yu heard a whooshing sound as an arrow whizzed past his face and pierced the throat of the flag bearer behind him.
He broke out in a cold sweat and dared not be careless again, so he hurriedly ordered the fleet to retreat.
"Commander Fu, let's go!"
The Blue Jade fleet fought desperately to break through the gap.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the "Breaking Waves" ship turned around and sailed downstream.
The remaining Fu Youde warships followed suit, fleeing in panic like stray dogs.
"Chase!" Zhang Dingbian was not about to let them go, and personally led the "Whale Swallowing" ship in pursuit.
Chen Xiaohu, watching from the side, remarked, "Zhu Chongba's forces are indeed filled with fierce generals."
However, he did not make a move easily. Before this battle, Chen Jie told him to let Zhang Dingbian accumulate more military merits to win over the troops. Zhang Dingbian was a talented commander, but he was still inexperienced. He should give him some opportunities to show his abilities.
Chen Xiaohu understood. Chen Jie intended to promote Zhang Dingbian, but since he joined them later, he needed to accumulate more military achievements.
Therefore, Chen Xiaohu's current role is more about holding the line; as long as Zhang Dingbian can handle the situation, Chen Xiaohu will not easily take action.
Zhang Dingbian led his troops in pursuit.
Fu Youde and Lan Yu fought and retreated, losing more than ten ships along the way. By the time they reached Jiaolong Bay, their remaining forces numbered less than a hundred ships, and more than half of their soldiers had been killed or wounded.
Zhang Dingbian pursued them to the mouth of the bay, but then ordered the boats to stop.
"Aren't you going to pursue Dingbian anymore?" Chen Xiaohu asked, puzzled.
“Fu Youde has lost his courage, and Lan Yu is nothing more than a brave man; he is not worth worrying about.” Zhang Dingbian looked at the river under the setting sun, where corpses and remains floated, and the river water was dyed dark red by the setting sun, like a sea of blood. “Our army has achieved its objective; there is no need to pursue them further.”
"But capturing Fu Youde alive would be a great achievement."
Zhang Dingbian said, "I should not sacrifice the interests of the whole army for my own benefit. What is more important now is to treat the wounded and expand the results of the battle, rather than chasing after two deserters."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaohu glanced at Fu Youde and Lan Yu, who were fleeing, and said, "Dingbian, if you don't want these two, then I'll go after them. The King of Han gave me the order to capture Fu Youde alive."
Zhang Dingbian looked at Chen Xiaohu and asked, "Commander Hu, what are your injuries?"
"Dealing with the two of them is not difficult at all."
Chen Xiaohu said, and Zhang Dingbian replied, "Then Tiger Commander, be careful."
Chen Xiaohu said, "Mm."
With that, Chen Xiaohu jumped off the main ship, the Whale Swallower, and chased after Fu Youde in a small boat.
At this moment, the river wind howled, bringing with it the smell of gunpowder and blood.
Thirty miles away, Fu Youde stood on the wrecked "Breaking Waves" ship, looking at the sparse fleet behind him, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Commander Fu!" Lan Yu hurriedly helped him up.
"One hundred thousand troops... a thousand warships..." Fu Youde's face was ashen, his voice hoarse, "How many are left?"
Lan Yu lowered his head, not daring to answer.
The count revealed that fewer than 10,000 survived, and only 30 to 40 warships remained.
The rest were either sunk, burned, or captured by the enemy. All baggage and provisions were abandoned.
This was Fu Youde's most devastating defeat since he joined the army.
As the sun sank into the river, its last rays illuminated his blood-stained face. This renowned general, known for his bravery, now saw only despair in his eyes.
"Blue Jade".
"Your subordinate is here."
"Please apologize to the King of Wu for me... please apologize to the King of Wu for me." Fu Youde closed his eyes. "Fu Youde... has failed my lord and my 100,000 soldiers."
After saying this, Fu Youde actually tried to draw his sword and commit suicide, but Lan Yu grabbed Fu Youde's hand and said, "General Fu, you mustn't! Keep your body and do something else!"
Fu Youde's face was covered in tears: "How can I face the King of Wu again!"
However, he had already put down the sword in his hand.
Lan Yu gritted her teeth, tore off her battle robe to bandage Fu Youde's wounds, then turned around and shouted sharply: "Full speed retreat! Back to Hukou!"
The remaining fleet drifted downstream, like a group of wounded whales, disappearing into the twilight on the river.
At Wulongkou, Zhang Dingbian had already begun clearing the battlefield. The bodies of Fu Youde's soldiers that had been retrieved were piled up into a small hill on the shore. He ordered them all to be buried on the spot, and a wooden monument to be erected, inscribed with "Tomb of Wu Army Soldiers".
Upon seeing this, Shi Gengming praised, "The Commander-in-Chief is benevolent and virtuous."
Zhang Dingbian shook his head, gazing at the numerous graves for a long time before whispering:
"We are all sons of the Han people, why should we distinguish between us? I only hope that after this battle, the world will be at peace soon, and there will be no more such bloodshed."
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaohu had already caught up with Fu Youde's fleeing troops!
"General, look, there are pursuers behind us!"
At this moment, a soldier on the Breaking Waves reported to Lan Yu. (End of Chapter)