My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

afternoon.

Just as both sides were preparing for the next match, the weather in the sea suddenly changed.

The once calm sea was suddenly swept by a gust of wind, which stirred up layers of white foam and brought with it a dark cloud.

The sky darkened at a visible speed, as if a huge black curtain had suddenly fallen.

"Boom—!"

A deep rumble of thunder came from the depths of the clouds, followed by large raindrops falling without any buffer. At first, they were sparse, but in an instant, they formed a violent curtain of rain, which was swept horizontally by the gale and lashed against the ship's deck, the rocks on the island, and the faces and bodies of everyone.

The waves, which had previously followed a regular pattern, suddenly became turbulent, violently ramming against the Qin army's massive fleet.

Even the massive warships began to rock violently in the wind and waves, while the smaller warships and small boats were more like drunkards being tossed and turned, seemingly about to overturn at any moment.

On the flagship, Murong Yan stared intently at Yuzhou Island, which was so close yet so far away. The tide was slowly rising, which was the perfect opportunity for him to launch a full-scale attack.

Perhaps this is a case of man proposes, God disposes.

Having never seen anything like this before, Murong Lie barely managed to stand by grabbing the gunwale, his face splattered with rain.

"General... let's seek shelter from the wind first!"

Murong Yan looked up at the sky, feeling the sudden storm, and could only give the order.

"Send word! The entire army must leave the waters around this island and find shelter from the wind!"

With difficulty, the command flag was raised on the flagship, and the massive Qin fleet began to slowly adjust its direction amidst chaos and turbulence, finally managing to escape the waters around Yuzhou Island with the help of the wind.

The downpour lasted for less than half an hour before gradually subsiding, but the sea breeze still blew.

At this moment, Xiao Heng stood by the lake halfway up the mountain. He stared at the rising lake level. Deng Jing had once suggested a water attack strategy, but due to the limited water volume of the lake, it was only used as a last resort. Now, this torrential rain caused the lake to swell, and he hurriedly sent people to summon Deng Jing, Han Yong, and others.

Needless to say, all the generals, along with the men they could muster, were thrown into the construction of the dam.

As darkness fell, a rough earthen and stone dam finally took shape, adding another trump card to the defense of this place.

That night, the village at the foot of the mountain was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was unusually heavy.

Each person reported on the brief battles fought during the day: Han Yong's troops blunted the enemy's momentum without suffering any losses; Liu Dan's troops defended the sandbar and easily repelled the enemy ships; Lu Hai patrolled the sea without engaging in battle; Chen Da's troops were in the northern reef area...

"One hundred and seventy-three died, forty-one were seriously injured or disabled, not counting those with minor injuries!"

Chen Da lowered his head, and the number he reported surprised everyone else in the room.

Before Xiao Heng and Deng Jing could speak, Han Yong, who was originally his superior, started cursing.

"Chen Da, you have nearly three hundred men guarding a patch of rotten rocks, and they've been swept away in one wave. General Deng's strategy was for you to rely on the terrain to hold them off, not to send your entire force crashing in!"

Chen Da suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering! Are the men I'm assigned soldiers even soldiers? They run away at the sight of those barbarians, what can I do?"

Han Yong angrily took off his helmet and threw it on the table, pointing at Chen and cursing.

"These are no excuses! A loss is a loss, what's the big deal!"

"Say less, everyone!"

Lu Da also chimed in, but his tone was somewhat sarcastic.

"Keep your mouths shut! Garrison Commander Chen is a master strategist, his plans are flawless, he's definitely right. We roughnecks will just follow orders..."

Deng Jing understood what the three men meant. There were only a few people who could lead troops, and he had no intention of punishing Chen Da.

Xiao Heng, however, was somewhat displeased. He knew what these people were thinking. Deng Jing had been parachuted in, and in their eyes, he was the least senior and a surrendered general with whom they had a grudge. Today, Chen Da's side suffered the heaviest losses, so he naturally became the outlet for their dissatisfaction.

"That's enough!"

Xiao Heng finally spoke.

"If it weren't for General Deng's timely assistance today, the north would have collapsed, and the enemy would have seized the beachhead. Would we still be here arguing? Plans are rigid, but people are flexible. The battlefield is ever-changing, and General Deng has done the best he could. Your dissatisfaction stems from the belief that you could have done a better job if you had been in his shoes?"

Xiao Heng didn't give them a chance to explain and continued to point at Han Yong and ask.

"Commander Han, why don't you take command tomorrow?"

Han Yong opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Lu Da awkwardly looked away. They knew in their hearts that, no matter who went to that reef area, the new recruits would inevitably collapse in the face of the enemy's elite first assault.

Xiao Heng did not let Lu Da off the hook. This guy had become arrogant after returning last time, and rumors were circulating in the army that he, Lu Da, was now the number one person after Han Yong.

"Chief Lu, what are the results for today? I saw you leading your men around on the mountain, but you didn't get to either battlefield!"

Lu Da almost lowered his head to his crotch. He originally wanted to go to the western sandbar first, but the battle was already over when he arrived. He tried to cross the sandbar but encountered low tide. By the time he got to the north, it was too late.

Everyone looked at Lu Da at this moment, even Chen Da. It turned out that Lu Da hadn't provided the support they needed.

Xiao Heng didn't continue to blame Chen Da, and his voice softened.

"The battle has only just begun; the Qin army will come again tomorrow and the day after...!"

After a few emotionally charged and seductive remarks, Xiao Heng concluded the day's meeting.

The crowd stood solemnly, clasped their hands in agreement, and withdrew one after another.

The atmosphere remained somber as we left.

Xiao Heng kept Chen Da by his side.

In the deserted water fortress, only the two of them remained, Chen Da still looking embarrassed and resentful.

This man had been with him since Liuxian County, from the supervisory team to the guard captain.

Xiao Heng knew him well; he hesitated when asked to kill people, and was somewhat reluctant to lead troops.

Perhaps he'd gotten a little carried away by being around him all this time, and started looking down on the new recruits.

"Chen Da,"

Xiao Heng sighed, his tone softening.

Do you know why I kept you here?

Chen Da said in a muffled voice.

"This humble general has fought humiliatingly today, bringing shame upon the Prefect."

"It's not shameful."

Xiao Heng shook his head.

"It's heartbreaking. Those two hundred-plus people, just a month ago they were salt farmers and refugees carrying hoes. They trusted you, followed you, entrusted their lives to you, and in one day, they were gone!"

Chen's eyes suddenly reddened, and she abruptly turned her head away.

"Now do you know why so many people were willing to follow Commandant Han?"

Chen Da nodded.

"General Deng doesn't blame you because he knows the capabilities of those new recruits, the harshness of that terrain, and that you've done your best. He's giving you face because of me, and also because he doesn't want to dampen your spirit."

"But you need to understand that you are now the team leader, commanding over three hundred lives!"

Chen Da raised his head and clasped his hands in a deep fist salute.

"This subordinate understands!"

"Go back and think it over carefully!"

Watching Chen Da take a deep breath and stride away, Xiao Heng slowly sat back down and rubbed his temples.

Soon after, a report came from outside.

"Prefect, Lu Ming requests an audience."

"Enter!"

Lu Ming lifted the curtain and entered, clasped his hands in a neat greeting, and without much pleasantries, took out a letter tightly wrapped in oiled paper from his personal pocket and presented it with both hands.

"This was sent by Young Master Xu from Langya Port via express courier."

Xiao Heng took the letter, quickly opened it, and found that the letter was written in Xu Xianzhi's handwriting, simple yet dense.

The contents consist of a shipment of military equipment that traveled south from Langya Port, followed by a detailed route and the time of arrival at the Qu County dock.

Xiao Heng's gaze lingered repeatedly on the words "one hundred sets of armor," "one hundred strong bows," and "fifty thousand arrows," his heart pounding rapidly.

These supplies arrived just in time, especially the bow and arrows, which were exactly what he needed.

"Hahaha!"

The laughter surprised Lu Ming, who was standing to the side.

"Excellent! Well done, Cui Shi!"

Xiao Heng slammed the letter heavily on the table.

"How could I refuse when the meat is practically offered to me!"

"Lu Ming, please summon General Deng for a meeting immediately!"

"promise!"

......