My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 448 Smoke Signals Destroy the Enemy
Outside Zhouling City, in the center of the ship city on the Yangtze River, on the largest warship, Huang Zu was surrounded by Su Fei and others, gazing at the distant battle.

Seeing that the Yangzhou army had launched fire ships as soon as they began their attack, Huang Zu couldn't help but chuckle.

"The Yangzhou navy was not newly established, but it was truly lacking in manpower."

Huang Zu chuckled and pointed out, "In any naval or fire attack, small boats should be used first to clear the way and break through the enemy's formation, and then fire ships should be used to attack and destroy the enemy's large ships. How can you use fire ships as the vanguard at the very beginning of the battle? We are not dead."

Su Fei and the others nodded in agreement; Jiang Qin's move had indeed made them look down on him.

Deng Long also shook his head and sighed, "I've always heard that Liu Zisheng is good at attracting and using people. But after meeting him today, I realize that the rumors are laughable and exaggerated."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zu burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Su Fei quietly advised, "My lord, Jiang Qin released a small number of fire ships earlier, which should not be all of his kind. We should be extra careful."

Huang Zu and Deng Long, both veterans of the navy, were taken aback upon hearing this, and then slowly nodded.

Huang Zu pondered for a moment and then responded: "Bo Yun is right. Order Chen Jiu to annihilate Jiang Qin's forces as soon as possible. He has eight thousand men, while Jiang Qin only has two or three thousand. How can they be suppressed by the other side?"

Deng Long and Su Fei exchanged a glance and whispered, "My lord, Jiang Qin's troops are quite powerful. Urging Chen Jiu might be risky. It would be better to have him maintain his formation. I don't think Jiang Qin's troops will be able to cause any trouble."

Huang Zu, however, said impatiently, "To contend is to have courage. Now that a great battle is imminent, the vanguard is the courage of the army. If Chen Jiu can only hold the line, why should I entrust the elite troops to him? Send the order to him to carry it out immediately."

In fact, Huang Zu and Deng Long were both right. Deng Long sought stability, but Huang Zu saw the morale-dampening effect that Jiang Qin's troops were having on the Jiangxia navy.

The enemy is outnumbered and is launching a fierce attack on the Jiangxia army. If we cannot retaliate and allow them to gain momentum, the final battle will be much more difficult.

Seeing that generals such as Su Fei and Deng Long respectfully agreed, Huang Zu pondered for a moment and then added, "Send orders to Huang Yao and Fu Xing, instructing them to lead their respective warships forward to fill the gaps on the flanks of the front line, while the original flanks of the front line will be reinforced for Chen Jiu's central army."

"Here!"

Deng Long was overjoyed and quickly agreed.

Huang Zu's side wanted to forcibly eliminate Jiang Qin and his troops, while Zhou Tai's side also experienced new changes.

"What business does Yuan Dai and Xingba have with me?"

Looking up at Zhou Tai's voice, Dong Xi, Gan Ning, and the generals behind them immediately spotted Zhou Tai on the mast.

The two men asked in unison, "General, may I ask when we will launch our attack?"

Under Jiang Qin's fierce fighting, Chen Jiu's troops, which originally covered the entire ship city, involuntarily gathered in the center, and almost all the ships originally deployed on the flanks were withdrawn.

This was exactly what the Yangzhou army had planned. Dong Xi and Gan Ning were both excited and worried about missing the opportunity, which is why they came by small boat to urge Zhou Tai to take action.

Dong Xi and Gan Ning were worried that the other party might change or make adjustments, which Zhou Tai understood very well, but he couldn't make the decision on this matter.

Dong Xi and Gan Ning watched anxiously as Zhou Tai climbed down from the mast, then waved to them.

The two were both surprised and suspicious, and immediately followed Zhou Tai into the cabin.

The cabin was far less bright than it would be in later times; as soon as they entered, Dong Xi and Gan Ning were plunged into darkness.

But when their vision returned, their expressions changed drastically. Ignoring their armor, the two knelt down and cried out, "Greetings, my lord!"

Liu Feng was sitting in the cabin. He had already secretly infiltrated Zhou Tai's army. However, naval warfare is different from land warfare, and he was also worried about startling Huang Zu and Cai Mao, so Liu Feng kept his attack hidden.

Now that the decisive battle has begun, Liu Feng no longer needs to hide; it is the time to come out and boost morale.

"No need for formalities in the army. Yuan Dai and Xing Ba, please rise first."

Liu Feng waved his hand, signaling Dong Xi and Gan Ning to stand up.

"You intend to launch an attack?"

Upon hearing Liu Feng's question, Dong Xi and Gan Ning both felt a little guilty. However, both were formidable generals, and although they were respectful before Liu Feng, they were not so restrained as to be afraid to answer.

"Gongyi has already gathered the vanguard of the Jingzhou navy, and our rear guard can now be mobilized."

Liu Feng nodded slightly, then asked, "What is the situation on the enemy's flanks? Is there any fleet to reinforce them?"

Dong Xi and Gan Ning were immediately discouraged and stammered, "We...we haven't seen it yet."

Liu Feng smiled faintly and said, "If that's the case, why rush? Gong Yi has been through countless battles. If he's out of strength, he'll definitely ask for help. There's no need to rush."

"Here!"

Seeing that Liu Feng did not blame them, Dong Xi and Gan Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

The two men exchanged a glance, hesitating whether to take their leave and return to their own ships, when suddenly a soldier walked in from outside, saluted, and reported: "Reporting to the lord, two fleets of ships, each with three or four hundred vessels, have appeared behind the Jingzhou naval fortress, filling the gaps on both flanks."

"oh!?"

Liu Feng's eyes lit up immediately, and he turned to look at Zhou Tai: "Youping, it seems the time has come."

Upon hearing Liu Feng's words, Dong Xi and Gan Ning, who had just been about to take their leave, immediately perked up. The two stepped forward and volunteered, saying, "My lord, we are willing to be the vanguard to protect Gong Yi. If anything goes wrong, we will accept the punishment of military law."

Upon hearing this, Liu Feng immediately laughed. Just as he was about to say something, someone came in to report that Zhu Huan and Huang Gai had also boarded the ship and wanted to see Zhou Tai.

Liu Feng burst into laughter, then got up and walked outside.

Xu Chu, Lü Meng, and Ling Tong followed closely behind, protecting him.

Then came the generals led by Zhou Tai, who followed closely behind.

When Liu Feng came out, Zhu Huan and Huang Gai were both taken aback, as they had no idea that Liu Feng had come by boat.

Before they could explain, Liu Feng spoke up.

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou, who held fast to his territory, regarded the prefectures and counties of the court as his own private property. Without the emperor's edict, he sent troops to conquer the prefectures and counties of Jingnan. His disloyalty was evident in his words."

Liu Feng drew his sword and pointed it forward: "Today, the soldiers of Yangzhou will fight against the rebels and quell the traitors. On the great river, we will decide who is the strongest. Now is the time for you all to show your skills."

Zhou Tai and the others knelt on one knee and shouted loudly, "We are willing to fight for the general against the disobedient!"

Liu Feng nodded and looked at Zhou Tai, saying, "Youping, start the boat and light the smoke."

"Here!"

Zhou Tai stood up and shouted loudly towards the mast: "By order of our lord, raise the ship and light the smoke!"

At Zhou Tai's call, a full four hundred small boats rushed out of formation, evenly distributed across the entire width of the river.

The Jingzhou navy on the opposite side was initially somewhat panicked, thinking that the Yangzhou navy was about to launch another fire attack.

The flanking ships hastily prepared fire-fighting equipment, while Chen Jiu's central army involuntarily weakened its siege of Jiang Qin.

But what happened next left the Jingzhou navy dumbfounded.

Instead of raising their sails and charging straight at the Jingzhou navy, the soldiers on these ships lowered their sails, dropped anchor, and secured their vessels to the river. The Jingzhou navy was bewildered and confused, not understanding what the Yangzhou navy was up to.

Immediately afterwards, the Yangzhou soldiers on these ships began to light fires, but unlike the previous fire attack, there were no open flames on these ships, only thick smoke rising up.

Under the influence of the prevailing southeast wind, the smoke began to drift toward the Jingzhou naval formation.

Having already boarded seventeen ships, Jiang Qin looked back after being reminded by his personal guards and was immediately overjoyed.

"Good! The great mission is accomplished! We are all the ones who deserve the greatest credit."

Jiang Qin was overjoyed and laughed heartily. At the same time, he encouraged the Yangzhou soldiers around him, saying, "Gentlemen, change your masks. The time has come to report to our lord and the people. How dare we be stingy with our lives!?"

At Jiang Qin's urging, the soldiers of Yangzhou Army took out cloth masks from their pockets, wet them with river water, and put them on their masks.

The wind amplified the smoke, and the distance between the two armies was not far to begin with.

The waterway is only six or seven miles long, and there is no obstruction on the river surface.

Most importantly, the vanguard of the Jingzhou navy was engaged in a fierce battle with Jiang Qin's forces, while the central fleet's large ships were chained across the river, leaving them helpless to watch as the smoke, aided by the southeast wind, spread over the entire central fleet's fortified city.

The Jingzhou navy never expected such an encounter, and they had not prepared cloth masks.

Some clever people tore strips of cloth from their clothes to make do, but this was not only less effective than a cloth mask, but also made it impossible to fight back because they had to hold the cloth strips up with one hand.

After the smoke gradually engulfed the Jingzhou fleet, the four hundred smoke ships began to lower their anchor and raise their sails, rushing towards the opposite side. However, their purpose was not a fire attack, but to close the distance and enhance the effect of the smoke.

Sure enough, as the distance closed, the smoke became even thicker, especially since the Yangzhou army had added feces, coal, sulfur, and poison to the smoke to increase its lethality.

Seeing that the Jingzhou fleet was completely shrouded in thick smoke, Liu Feng, with a look of joy, gave the order: "All generals, listen to my command!"

"The general is here!"

Zhou Tai, Gan Ning, Dong Xi, Huang Gai, Zhu Huan and other generals responded in unison.

"Xingba, you are tasked with attacking the enemy's right flank. Within an hour, I want to see you aboard the Jingzhou warship. Can you do that?"

Gan Ning chuckled: "Why does my lord underestimate me? Although I am not talented, half an hour is enough for me. Please sit and watch how I accomplish my task!"

"good!"

Liu Feng gave an approving look, and then said to Dong Xi, "In that case, the enemy on the left wing will be left to you, Yuan Dai."

"Thank you for your great kindness, my lord!"

Dong Xi replied proudly, "Although I am not as brave and fierce as Xing Ba, I am not willing to lag behind others. This humble general is also willing to sign a military pledge that I will board the ship city of Jingzhou within half an hour!"

"The Yuan Dynasty was strong and powerful, no less so than Xingba."

Liu Feng laughed heartily, his gaze immediately falling on Zhu Huan and Huang Gai.

"Gongfu, you shall lead your troops to reinforce Gongyi."

Liu Fengxian said to Huang Gai, "Tell Gongyi that I give you one hour to deal with the enemy in front of you. After one hour, Youping will lead the main force to attack. If the decisive battle is affected because you have failed to deal with the enemy's front line, military law will be merciless!"

"Here!"

Huang Gai immediately knelt on one knee and loudly replied to Liu Feng, "Please rest assured, my lord, I am aware of the situation and am willing to stake my life on it. If I fail to eliminate Chen Jiu, I will accept military punishment."

"it is good!"

Liu Feng turned to Zhu Huan and said, "Xiu Mu, you will follow You Ping and command the main fleet."

Zhu Huan quickly cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "Yes, sir!"

Liu Feng instructed, "Gentlemen, what I want is not to defeat them, but to wipe them out! After this battle, I want only my Yangzhou navy to remain on the Yangtze River."

"I am willing to die in the service of my lord!"

The generals began to disembark and return to their respective camps.

Meanwhile, on Zhou Tai's flagship, Liu Feng's banner with the character "Liu" was raised, along with the banner of the Governor of Yangzhou and the banner of the Left General.

Afterwards, Liu Feng changed into short clothes and personally stood in front of the large drum on the top floor of the flagship, personally beating the drum to cheer on the troops.

"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng!"

Soon, the entire Yangzhou army learned that Liu Feng was in the fleet and was personally beating the drums to cheer on the troops, which boosted morale to its peak, and they shouted three times in unison, "Wu sheng!" (meaning "ten thousand victories!").

After receiving their orders, Gan Ning and Dong Xi returned to their own camp and quickly dashed into the smoke like arrows released from a bow, their target the Jingzhou navy.

Huang Gai did the same, dividing his own territory into three parts.

Two of them circled around to the outside, first using powerful bows and crossbows to bombard the flanks and rear of Jiang Qin's Jingzhou navy, and then personally led elite troops to launch a surprise attack from the rear.

Huang Gai's charge immediately shook Chen Jiu's already somewhat hesitant troops.

The smoke has not only failed to dissipate, but has instead become even thicker, causing the Jingzhou naval soldiers to have runny noses and mouths. Forget about fighting, the smoke is so strong that they can't even open their eyes.

Just then, Huang Gai was protected by powerful bows and crossbows, and wave after wave of arrows rained down on the Jingzhou navy like a storm.

At the same time, Huang Gai himself was as fierce as a wolf and tiger, fearless of death, and his elite troops swept through the enemy lines and quickly caught up with Jiang Qin.

"Gongyi, our lord has ordered us to capture and execute Chen Jiu at the utmost speed!"

Huang Gai called out loudly to Jiang Qin.

By this time, Jiang Qin was covered in blood, his armor had turned brownish-purple, and only a few dozen soldiers remained by his side. This was not because the others had all died in battle, but because most of them could not keep up with Jiang Qin's speed.

Jiang Qin slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Even someone as brave as him was already somewhat tired. So far, he had killed no fewer than thirty valiant soldiers of the Jingzhou army, all of whom were elite warriors who fought bravely and fiercely.

Upon hearing Huang Gai's shout, Jiang Qin turned around and glanced at Huang Gai before replying, "Gongfu, can you see the tall, thin man under the red flag across the way?"

Despite the swirling smoke, Huang Gai still spotted his target: "I see him."

"That man was Chen Jiu."

Summoning his remaining strength, Jiang Qin invited Huang Gai, "Gongfu, would you dare to make a bet? Let's wager Chen Jiu's head; whoever takes it first wins, how about it?"

Huang Gai burst into laughter. He had been worried that Jiang Qin would be unhappy about his arrival to help, since it felt a bit like he was taking credit for Jiang Qin's help.

Jiang Qin was a trusted and senior general of Liu Feng, while Huang Gai was a newly surrendered man. He really didn't want to face off against him.

Seeing Jiang Qin's generosity, what could he possibly be unwilling to do?

(End of this chapter)