Chapter 801
The one who rose to power died? This, how is this possible!
After giving these instructions, Chen Jie stood up, looked at Zhu Chongba's corpse, and said, "Do not desecrate Zhu Chongba's body. Make me a large coffin of golden nanmu wood and place it in it with care."
Hearing Chen Jie's words, Zhang Dingbian nodded slightly. Sun Yong, who was standing beside him, said, "Godfather, only kings and nobles can use golden nanmu wood. Zhu Chongba is our enemy. Should we treat him so generously?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Sun Yong and said, "Zhu Chongba is our enemy, but not the enemy of the Han people. He is a hero of the Han people, and heroes should be treated with sufficient respect."
"and……"
Chen Jie paused here, then waved his hand and said, "You have too much to learn, kid. I won't explain it to you too clearly. Go help your master pack up. You'll be busy from now on."
As Chen explained, Sun Yong scratched his head in confusion, then turned and left.
At this moment, Chen Jie thought to himself that besides these things, treating Zhu Chongba's body well also had two very practical implications. First, Chen Jie was going to take over Zhu Chongba's territories such as Jiangnan. Zhu Chongba was different from other warlords. He was relatively honest and fair in his governance, so he was very popular with the people. If he were to dishonor Zhu Chongba's body...
This will inevitably lead to resistance in the Jiangnan region, which will be extremely detrimental to Chen Jie's recapture of these territories.
Therefore, treating the King of Wu well is also treating the people and gentry of Jiangnan well, which will prevent them from developing such strong resistance.
Besides, Chen Jie owed Zhu Chongba a favor. Zhu Chongba had shown him mercy with his last blow, so how could he possibly desecrate his corpse?
His conflict with Zhu Chongba was a clash of personalities and a struggle for the world, but they had never had any enmity with each other; in fact, they could be considered friends.
Therefore, from a moral, economic, and personal perspective, Chen Jie had no reason to desecrate Zhu Chongba's corpse.
Looking at Zhu Chongba's corpse, Chen Jie said, "Old Zhu, you didn't live your life in vain. Even in your dying moments, I'll still have to treat you with reverence."
With that in mind, Chen Jie ordered the fleet to prepare to set sail and return to Jiujiang, where his wife was still waiting for him!
He promised her that he would rush back as soon as he won!
Chen Jie gave an order and led his flagship back to Jiujiang first. Zhang Dingbian and the rest of the army did not retreat directly, but went to the two key ports of Hukou and Nankang to occupy them and then form a siege of Dadu.
Zhu Chongba was defeated, but in order to prevent the enemy from putting up a stubborn resistance, as a strategist, Zhang Dingbian had to seize the key points as soon as possible. If the two sides reached the point where they had no choice but to fight each other, he could send troops out immediately and catch the enemy off guard.
This is something he, as the commander-in-chief, must do.
Meanwhile, a stalemate was also taking place at the Hukou battlefield, which served as the second battlefield.
The two sides in this battle were Chen Xiaohu and Tang He, who were the two catalysts for this decisive battle.
At this moment, the waves on the north island of Poyang Lake were surging, and the waves were crashing against the two fleets on the water. The two fleets were five meters apart and were each in their own formation.
To the west, the Han army fleet deployed in a "wild goose formation," with the vanguard being eighty "ironclad warships" personally led by Chen Xiaohu. These ships had iron hulls, ferocious tiger head rams cast on their bows, and thirty-six long oars extending from both sides, allowing them to move swiftly even without wind.
Chen Xiaohu stood at the bow of the flagship "Tiger's Roar," shirtless and wearing only a pair of black trousers, revealing his steel-like body. His crimson-gold broadsword pointed towards the water!
Half a step behind him, Shi Gengming, the commander of the Vermilion Bird Army, stood with his gun in hand, looking at the opposite formation and speaking.
"General, the Wu King's army formation has appeared."
"The vanguard was Tang He's 'Dingtao Fleet,' consisting of fifty warships arrayed in a wedge formation. The central force was Deng Yu's 'Lanjiang Fleet,' consisting of eighty tower ships arranged in a square formation. The rear guard... appeared to be supply train."
Chen Xiaohu squinted and grinned, "Tang He, Deng Yu... those two troublesome fellows. I heard that our Prince of Han is going to have a decisive battle with Zhu Chongba today. No matter what, we must bring the Prince of Han good news first! Order: the vanguard will split into three teams, one team will launch a feigned attack from the front, and two teams will flank them from the sides. The central warships will press forward and smash them with their battering rams!"
"Order!"
To the east, the Wu king's army was arrayed.
Tang He stood atop the third deck of the "Dingtao," holding a telescope, carefully observing the Han army's changing formation. He was only thirty years old, but his temples were already gray, and his back was as straight as a pine tree. His crimson mountain-patterned armor was polished to a gleaming shine, and the golden beast on his shoulder was still conspicuous in the dim light of the day.
“Chen Xiaohu wants to divide his forces to encircle him.” He put down his glasses and said to his deputy commander Deng Yu beside him, “General Deng, you lead the Lanjiang Fleet forward three miles and form a ‘layered formation’ to guard his flank. I will lead the Dingtao Fleet to meet him head-on. Chen Xiaohu is brave, but he is impatient in his military tactics. I will show weakness on the front to lure him deeper, while you cut off his retreat from the flank.”
Deng Yu cupped his hands in greeting: "This subordinate obeys the order. However... Chen Xiaohu has the cultivation level of the second stage of the Fusion God realm, General, please be extremely careful."
Tang He gripped his sword, a fierce glint in his eyes: "He's at the second level of the Fusion God Realm, yet my blade hasn't lost its edge? Besides! Naval warfare is all about formations, tactics, and weaponry. No matter how brave he is, can he stand against my thousands of soldiers? Does he think he's some kind of genius?!"
"Order the change of formation!"
"promise!"
With the command flag raised, the Wu King's fleet began to change formation.
The war drums sounded, and the great battle began.
Chen Xiaohu personally led thirty ironclad warships, which shot towards the vanguard of the Wu King's army like arrows released from a bow. The tiger-head rams at the bows of the ships split the water, stirring up two white waves ten feet high.
When they were a mile from the enemy, Chen Xiaohu leaped from the "Tiger Roar" onto the foremost ironclad warship, pointing his broadsword forward:
"Fire arrows!"
A thousand arrows were unleashed simultaneously. The Han archers used armor-piercing spikes, specifically targeting the waterline, sails, and rudders of the Wu King's warships. The Wu King's army retaliated in kind, with giant arrows from ballistae whistling through the air, striking the ironclad warships and sending sparks flying.
"Speed up! Crash through!" Chen Xiaohu roared.
Thirty ironclad warships charged at full speed, then suddenly dispersed when they were a hundred feet away from the enemy—not in disarray, but rather "split into smaller units," with ten ships forming a team, like three sharp knives, thrusting into the three weak points of the Wu King's vanguard.
Tang He could see it clearly through the telescope.
"Change formation! Spread out the arrowheads, transforming them into fish scales!"
With a change of command flags, the fifty warships of the Wu King's army instantly dispersed, scattered like fish scales. When the ironclad ships rammed into them, most of them missed their target. Only three warships were hit on the side, with wood chips flying everywhere, but they were not sunk.
"Spin! Rebound!" Tang ordered again.
The scattered warships quickly circled around, unleashing a hail of arrows at the ironclad ships from their sides, rear, and sterns—blind spots indeed. Although the Han army's armor was formidable, the archers on the ship's hull were left unprotected and suffered heavy casualties.
Chen Xiaohu was enraged. He brandished his broadsword, the blade glowing with dark golden energy, and then leaped into the air, walking on water, heading straight for Tang He's flagship, the "Dingtao"!
"Tang He! Do you dare to fight me?!"
The sound was like a tiger's roar, causing ripples to spread across the water's surface.
Tang He's expression remained unchanged. He knew Chen Xiaohu was brave, but charging straight in right at the start of the battle was a bit too domineering.
"Bring me my gun!" Tang shouted.
The guards handed over the iron spear. This spear was named Black Dragon, and it was twelve feet long. The shaft was made of century-old ironwood from Fujian, and the spearhead was mixed with black iron. It weighed thirty-eight catties.
He took the spear, leaped off the ship's deck, and landed at the bow, the iron spear held horizontally.
"Chen Xiaohu, stop being so arrogant!"
The two stood about thirty feet apart on the lake. Chen Xiaohu stood on the water, his feet condensed with qi, as if walking on flat ground; Tang He stood at the bow of the boat, using the hull to steady himself.
"Kill!" Chen Xiaohu struck first, slashing out with his blade. A crimson blade of light shot towards Tang He.
Tang He frowned slightly. He drew his iron spear and used the "disarming" technique, the spear blade sliding past the blade's edge to dissipate most of the force. Then he suddenly charged forward, the spear tail sweeping back to smash into Chen Xiaohu's waist and abdomen.
"Clang!" Chen Xiaohu parried with his sword, and the two men each took a step back. A look of surprise flashed in Chen Xiaohu's eyes; Tang He's spear technique seemed to be even better than it had been in Luoyang!
"Excellent marksmanship!" He grinned, and his swordplay changed again. This time, it wasn't a straight slash, but transformed into thousands of sword shadows, like a torrential downpour, covering Tang He's vital points. Every sword shadow was real, and every strike was enough to shatter stone tablets.
Tang He remained expressionless, his iron spear dancing like a curtain of light. The clanging sounds of impact rang out like popping beans, sparks flying everywhere, but he maintained a flawless defense.
The two were evenly matched and very familiar with each other's moves, so it was difficult to determine a winner for a while, and the two were locked in a stalemate.
The two fought for about half an hour when suddenly a small boat drifted by from afar. On board was a scout from the Wu King's army, a messenger sent by Tang He to observe news from the main battlefield.
At this moment, the small boat quickly approached, and just as the boat was spotted, scouts from the Han army's side also arrived swiftly.
At the same time, the Han army scouts took out their bows and arrows and began to shoot at the Wu King's army scouts. The Wu King's army scouts ignored the pursuers behind them and did not retaliate even when they were hit by arrows. They just rushed towards Tang He's army formation with all their might.
Upon seeing this, Tang He immediately shouted, "Go and provide backup!"
Soon the army went to pick up their messenger, and Chen Xiaohu grinned and said, "Someone, bring back our scout too. That kid is really bad. He bullied the enemy's messenger. I like it. I'll promote him later."
"Yes!"
Both sides immediately went to rescue their men, and soon both sides' scouts were captured and taken to their respective camps.
At this moment, the Wu King's scout suddenly collapsed to the ground, tears mixed with blood streaming down his face. Seeing this, Tang He felt a sense of unease and asked, "What happened?"
"Yes, what's wrong?"
Deng Yu, seeing the messenger, also asked anxiously.
"General Tang! General Deng! Something terrible has happened! The King of Wu... the King of Wu... has been killed in battle at Luoxingdun!"
The scout's voice was shrill and clear, reaching everyone's ears amidst the deafening sounds of battle.
"What...what did you say?" With a thud, Tang He sat down on the ground, completely dumbfounded. What did you say? The King of Wu, the King of Wu is dead?!
Deng Yu was stunned. His bow fell to the deck with a "thud," his quiver tipped over, and arrows rolled all over the floor, but he seemed oblivious, as if struck by lightning!
Even the entire Wu King's fleet fell into an eerie silence at this moment. All the soldiers and generals stopped what they were doing and stared blankly in the southeast direction—the direction of Luoxingdun.
Zhu Chongba...is dead?
The one who led them out of Haozhou, the one who proclaimed himself King of Wu in Nanjing, the one who said he would "drive out the barbarians and restore China"... is dead?
How is this possible? How is this possible!
The entire Wu army was terrified; the meaning of their battle had vanished!
At the same time, Chen Xiaohu also received a report from his scouts: The Prince of Han has won, and Zhu Chongba has been killed in battle!
"The King of Han has won! Hahahaha!" Chen Xiaohu laughed wildly, his laughter filled with ecstasy. "Heaven is truly helping me! Zhu Chongba is dead, you bunch of stray dogs, why don't you surrender now?!"
He pointed his broadsword and roared, "Strike while the enemy is down! The entire army—kill!"
The Wu King's army has collapsed.
It wasn't that they were defeated; it was that their spirit collapsed. The commander-in-chief was disoriented, the deputy commander was at a loss, and the soldiers were filled with fear. When an army loses its will to fight, no matter how many soldiers it has or how well-equipped it is, it is nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter.
The Han army swept through the enemy ranks like tigers among sheep. Their ironclad warships rammed and smashed through everything in their path, tearing Wu's ships to shreds like paper. The ramming poles on the warships struck down like giant hands, snapping a warship in two. Archers on the decks fired arrows indiscriminately, felling Wu's soldiers like wheat being harvested, countless drowning.
When Tang He was dragged back to the "Dingtao" by his personal guards, his eyes were still vacant, and he murmured, "The higher-ups... the higher-ups..."
"General! Let's go!" the bodyguard roared. "If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"
Deng Yu regained some composure, gritted his teeth, and ordered: "The entire army... retreat towards Hongdu! As many as you can, retreat!"
But it was too late.
Shi Gengming had already commanded the Han army fleet to complete the encirclement. The Wu King's army's rear was cut off, and its left and right flanks were compressed. Only the southeast corner still had a gap—a "lifeline" deliberately left to drive away the routed soldiers and make them trample each other.
"Break through! Head southeast!" Deng Yu shouted hoarsely.
The remaining Wu king's warships surged toward the southeast gap like headless flies. Ships jostled against each other, oars tangled, and ships constantly capsized due to collisions. Those who fell into the water were crushed by ships rushing from behind, turning into blood and flesh.
Tang He finally regained consciousness. Looking at the hellish scene before him, watching his old soldiers who had followed him for many years die in battle, drown, or be trampled to death, tears of blood welled up in his eyes.
"It's me...it's me who killed my brothers..." he hissed, drawing his sword to commit suicide.
"General, you mustn't!" The guards held him tightly.
"Let go!" Tang He struggled. "The one who rose to power is dead. What face do I have left to live on—"
Before he could finish speaking, a stray arrow struck him squarely in the right chest. The arrow pierced his back, spraying blood. Tang He groaned and fell backward.
"Commander Tang!"
Deng Yu fought his way to the "Dingbo" ship and saw that Tang He was seriously injured. Without hesitation, he ordered his personal guards to lift Tang He up and transfer him to a speedboat.
"Let's go! Back to Hongdu!"
The speedboat shot off like an arrow, weaving through the chaotic lake. Behind them, the Han army's pursuers were already upon them. Chen Xiaohu stood at the bow of the "Tiger Roar" ship, watching the fleeing speedboat, sneered, and drew his bow.
"Whoosh-"
The arrow flew like a meteor, aiming straight for Deng Yu's back.
Hearing the whooshing sound, Deng Yu turned and slashed out with his sword. With a clang, the arrow was deflected, but he was also jolted so badly that his hand was split open and his sword slipped from his grasp.
"Speed up! Faster!"
The rowers paddled with all their might. The speedboat finally broke through the encirclement and entered a tributary south of Xieshan Mountain. The Han army pursuers were hindered by the narrow waterway and gradually fell behind.
Deng Yu collapsed on the boat, panting heavily. He looked back and saw that the sea north of Xieshan had turned into a sea of fire. Of the more than 400 warships of the Wu King's army, less than 50 were able to escape.
The lake was covered with wreckage and corpses, and the water was completely stained red with blood.
Tang He lay in the boat, barely breathing. The arrow was still lodged in his chest, and more blood gushed out with each breath. His eyes were open, staring at the gray sky, his lips moving.
Deng leaned closer and heard him say:
"You...didn't you say...you were going to lead us to establish a new...dynasty?...The Ming Dynasty...the name of the country has already been decided, how could you...you..."
Before he could finish speaking, he fainted.
The speedboat sped through the tributary towards Hongdu. The dozen or so survivors on board were all silent, their faces ashen with death.
They lost.
A crushing defeat.
Not only did they lose the battle, but they also lost their backbone and the belief they had fought for for twenty years.
Ahead, the outline of Hongdu City faintly appeared in the twilight, but their hearts were cold; there was no road ahead! (End of Chapter)