My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

The Qin army fleet, a single multi-storied ship.

Murong Yan stared at the dock expressionlessly; the defeat and humiliation he had just suffered did not move him.

"General, why go to such trouble?"

Murong Lie, unable to contain himself, pointed towards the dock.

"The enemy forces number only a few hundred soldiers, relying solely on fortifications. Our fleet of ships will charge forward in one fell swoop and flatten them!"

Murong Yan slowly shook his head, puzzled by the bare mountain.

"Xiao Heng is a man of unpredictable and cunning nature. You have not witnessed his methods firsthand; feigning weakness before plotting murder is his usual tactic. This dock may seem attackable, but who knows if it is another trap to lure us deeper? Order a thorough reconnaissance to find other shallows and passes where we can land. The main force should remain stationary for now."

He paused, then suddenly thought of something.

"Bring Chigan Hun up here."

Not long after, Chigan Hun, who had been intentionally released by Xiao Heng, was brought before Murong Yan.

"General."

Chigan Hun bowed his head in respect, his posture was so respectful that it was almost excessive.

Murong Yan didn't look at him, still gazing at the island.

"So, you escaped from this island, didn't you?"

"Yes...yes."

"Is Xiao Heng still alive?"

"This humble general witnessed it with his own eyes: when a distinguished guest arrived on the island, Xiao Heng accompanied him the entire way!"

Murong Yan turned his head and stared at Chigan Hun.

"I'll trust you one more time. Temporarily deploy the vanguard. If we win this battle, I'll personally recommend you for credit!"

Murong Lie, standing to the side, was somewhat displeased.

"General, this humble general..."

Murong Yan quickly interrupted him.

"You've been out of battle for a long time. Step back and await further orders. This battle is going to be fought!"

Murong Yan knew this man was too reckless, but his father was of noble status, and he could not allow him to take the risk in this battle.

Upon hearing this, Murong Lie glared at Chi Ganhun and left disdainfully.

Soon, the order was given, and more than a dozen small boats left the fleet again.

After leaving the queue, they split into two groups. One group quickly approached the shallow waters to the north, which were full of reefs.

The Qin soldiers on the ship had clearly discovered that the water was shallow and there were many reefs, making it difficult for large ships to approach, but possible for small ships and wading.

They gestured with their hands, even using a long pole to probe the water's depth, before a small boat turned around and quickly sailed towards the main fleet to deliver the message.

One team scouted along the south bank and quickly discovered the direction of the western sandbar. After circling there for a while, they found the sandbar connecting the two islands.

Xiao Heng, on the mountain, saw all of this.

The shallow waters to the north were discovered, and the sandbars to the west were given special attention; everything unfolded as predicted in the simulation.

He looked up at the sky; there was still about an hour before the tide completely receded.

At that time, the sandy land in the shallows to the north will be exposed, greatly reducing the threat, while the sandbar to the west will also be exposed.

Deng Jing of the water fortress responded promptly, and the sand embankment on the west side posed little challenge due to the terrain, with Liu Dan's two hundred crossbowmen.

Deng Jing himself led 800 troops to the north bank, and also transferred a team of archers from the dock to provide support.

At this time, the northern coastline had no flat mudflats, only large areas of dark, jagged reefs submerged in shallow water, appearing and disappearing with the ebb and flow of the tide.

The Qin army's fleet could dock directly, but neither side could deploy any formation. The so-called defensive line relied on a few particularly tall reefs and narrow passages between them for defense.

Chen Da and his recruits, who had only been training for a month, were scattered among the rocks.

"Hide well! Don't show your face! Wait until they get close before you poke them!"

Chen Da gave a final pep talk.

Soon the first ship docked, but most of these new recruits had never even seen blood. Seeing the Xianbei archers drawing their bows and nocking arrows, their hands holding bamboo spears were already trembling uncontrollably.

A volley of arrows rained down on the rocks, and several recruits who hadn't hidden properly were hit on the spot, screaming as they tumbled off the rocks.

This completely threw them into disarray. Some tried to dodge but slipped and fell, while others tried to retaliate but were forced back by arrows as soon as they poked their heads out. The sparse arrows flew out but didn't even touch the Qin army's ships.

"Stay calm! Everyone stay calm!"

Chen Da swung his sword and cut down the first Xianbei soldier who charged forward.

But he was too busy to attend to everything. A gap in the reef was breached by the Qin army, and several Xianbei soldiers rushed in with curved swords and shields, hacking wildly at the new recruits.

"Run!"

Someone shouted, and the recruits completely panicked, dropping their weapons and fleeing along the pile of rocks.

Chen Da tried to stop them, but was entangled by two Qin soldiers and could only watch helplessly as the defensive line was torn apart...

The battle turned into a one-sided disadvantage almost instantly, and no matter how loud Chen Da's roar was, it was difficult to conceal the fighting strength of these civilian non-military personnel.

The Qin army's Xianbei archers displayed their seasoned skills, showing no mercy to a group of new recruits who had their backs to the enemy, treating them as prey on the grassland.

"No refunds allowed!"

Chen Da's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He personally led his men to a breach that the Qin army had broken through, and casually cut down the two new recruits who were leading the escape.

But at this moment, these people had lost all their morale. Chen Da could only fight and retreat at the same time.

As more and more men were injured and fell, the Qin army quickly realized the chaos and weakness of the garrison. In an instant, the remaining ships, led by a chieftain, rushed ashore, and the Qin army occupied the entire reef. In less than a quarter of an hour, more than half of the three hundred new recruits were killed or wounded, and the rest even scattered.

The Qin army that landed did not pursue, but instead prepared to form ranks at this spot.

Soon, an even bigger commotion came from the sea, and more than twenty slightly larger ships arrived, rushing menacingly toward the reef area. Standing at the bow of the ships was Chigan Hun, eager to avenge his defeat and make a name for himself.

Chen Dalai, who had just retreated, encountered Deng Jing's reinforcements. Deng Jing did not blame him, but ordered Chen Dalai to supervise the battle and to kill anyone who tried to run away. Then, he personally led a dozen elite soldiers to charge at the enemy before they could get a foothold.

Deng Jing's long spear, like a dragon emerging from the sea, pierced directly through the chest of the Qin army chieftain. A dozen elite soldiers followed closely behind, and amidst the flashing blades, they slaughtered the Qin army blocking a waterway, sending them flying in disarray.

"kill!"

Deng Jing roared like thunder, and with a sweeping motion of his spear, he sent another Qin soldier flying.

Seeing Deng Jing's bravery, dozens of the new recruits following behind stopped, picked up their weapons, and rejoined the battle.

The Qin army had just occupied the reef and had not yet firmly established their position when they were caught off guard by this sudden counterattack, and they retreated to their ships in droves...

But Deng Jing led more than 800 men, including 100 archers, and annihilated the Qin army in the area in a short time.

However, the Qin army's follow-up ships were still approaching, and Chigan Hun's ships were in the lead, less than 100 meters away from the reef area.

But he was met with a barrage of gunfire. Chigan Hun tried to force his way to the shore, but soon realized something was wrong.

The seawater that had submerged the reefs is receding little by little, and beaches are beginning to emerge.

"Tide! The tide is out!"

Qin soldiers shouted in terror.

Before Chiganhun could react, a small boat beside them crashed into a reef with a loud bang. A large hole was torn open in the bottom of the boat, and seawater instantly filled the cabin. The people on board screamed as they fell into the sea.

The boat behind couldn't stop its momentum and crashed into the broken boat in front. The boat broke into several pieces instantly. The third boat tried to turn around, but it was swayed by the receding tide and got stuck between two reefs, unable to move.

This triple attack froze the sneer on Chiganhun's face. He could only look at the rocky beach so close at hand and rage helplessly.

He suddenly realized that Xiao Heng's men had already calculated the tide; this shallows were not a landing point at all, but a deadly trap waiting for them to walk into!

Deng Jing didn't give him a chance, letting the archers get close and fire several more volleys before Chigan Hun finally ordered a retreat.

Meanwhile, the battle on the western sandbar was also basically over.

Liu Dan's troops, occupying a high vantage point, easily repelled the Qin army's small boats that attempted to approach with their elite archers; the enemy couldn't even get close to a decent beach.

The first probing attack ended in failure for the Qin army, which suffered setbacks on both fronts.

The tide was still receding, leaving a wider expanse of mudflats for the Qin army and a brief respite for the island's defenders.

Deng Jing stood on the exposed reef, gazing at the Qin fleet in the distance. He knew the real test was yet to come; it might be tomorrow, or when the tide rose again.

"Order all units to take a break and regroup..."