My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

Inside the island's water fortress, Xiao Heng descended from the mountain.

Looking at the new recruits in the village, who had been listless but whose eyes now lit up with light because of their small victory, he felt a little comforted.

Although the tempering of blood and fire is cruel, it is the fastest way to turn laborers into warriors, and even Chen Da, the leader, has become much more smug.

Upon seeing Xiao Heng's arrival, Chen Dayi, who had been dejected yesterday, hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

But the simulator results this morning showed that in the ensuing fierce fire attack on the dock, Han Yong's troops fought to the death and refused to retreat. Chen Da, after being engulfed in flames and finally exhausted, moved Xiao Heng deeply.

Chen Da is a pretty good guy. He might have just been following behind others before, but now he's become the one who can lead the charge.

After praising him a few times, Xiao Heng found Deng Jing.

The two stood on the tower of the water village, looking at the dock in the distance.

"If the enemy launches a fierce attack with fire ships at any cost, it will be difficult to hold out for long. Logically speaking, a fierce battle is bound to take place here. Do you have a well-thought-out plan?"

Deng Jing seemed to have anticipated Xiao Heng's question, and he pointed towards the dock area.

"Your Excellency's concerns are absolutely correct. If the enemy launches a fire attack, our only option is to retreat and defend!"

He raised his head, looking directly at Xiao Heng, without a trace of hesitation or wishful thinking in his eyes.

Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh?"

"If he wants to burn, let him burn; not only let him burn, but help him burn it cleanly and thoroughly!"

Xiao Heng's eyes were full of relief. His original intention in coming down the mountain was not to guard it, so he listened attentively.

Deng Jing stroked his short beard and continued.

"The docks, piers, and berths were all built by our army, and we know where the key points are. Commander Han's troops can provide some initial resistance to delay the enemy's fire ships. Once they get close, we can retreat in an orderly manner. At the same time, reserve personnel to secretly hide oil and firewood at key support points. When our main force retreats into the water fortress and the back mountain passage, we can ignite these pre-prepared materials, allowing the fire to spread with the wind and instantly engulf the entire dock area!"

Hearing these confident words, Xiao Heng nodded.

"With the pier destroyed, large ships cannot dock in the short term. If he wants to land, he can only do so by small boat, or he will have to spend a lot of time and manpower to rebuild the pier. We will not give him that time."

Xiao Heng thought Deng Jing had some retaliatory plan, so he asked a question.

"You want to..."

But Deng Jing shook his head.

"Retreat to the new camp on the mountain, relying on the terrain and fortifications to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out!"

"And what about this water fortress?"

Xiao Heng glanced at the water fortress behind him and asked another question.

"The water fortress itself is mostly made of stone, which is not easily flammable, and its location further back makes it difficult for fire to reach..."

But Deng Jing quickly added another sentence.

"Let's stay here for now. Murong Yan will set up camp here, which will save him the trouble of searching for a campsite!"

After listening, Xiao Heng remained silent for a moment.

Deng Jing's plan was quite bold. He knew that Deng Jing and Murong Yan were playing psychological warfare. There was only one water source on the road, so what would happen to the Qin army if they ran out of water?

Thinking of this, I already agreed. Deng Jing not only thought of tactical countermeasures, but also considered how to win in the future. He truly has the qualities of a great general.

"good!"

Xiao Heng made the final decision.

"We will follow your plan. Tamsui has its own mountains and lakes. The only concern is maintaining contact with the Lu Da fleet in the open sea!"

"Chief Lu is well-versed in hydrology. Even without a dock, there are several hidden tidal flats where small boats can temporarily be repositioned. Furthermore, if his attack is successful and he brings back supplies, he can find another safe place to hand them over."

"..."

Just after noon, flames shot into the sky from the direction of Yuzhou Island pier.

Chiganhun led twenty fire ships, crashing into the dock like a fire dragon. Han Yong, following Deng Jing's instructions, left only a small number of archers to provide some resistance. Once the fire ships were close, he sounded the retreat and led his troops to retreat in an orderly manner into the back passage of the water fortress.

The fire ship crashed into the railing of the wooden pier, the crackling sounds of burning mingling together, thick smoke billowing and obscuring the sky. The oil and firewood that had been placed in key locations on the dock were ignited by the soldiers left behind, and the fire instantly got out of control, completely engulfing the entire dock.

Murong Yan stood on the flagship's deck, looking at the sea of ​​fire at the dock, and finally a smile appeared on his lips.

"Order the entire army to take advantage of the situation and land!"

As the command flag was waved, the Qin army's small boats swarmed aboard.

The fire burned for a full half hour, leaving only the charred foundation stones on the entire dock. The Qin army encountered little resistance and set foot on the island.

However, without the pier extending from the dock, Murong Yan's several multi-story ships could only moor outside the harbor and were transported ashore by small boats.

Chigan Hun also managed to return with his remaining troops. Although he was pale, he was able to catch his breath because of his victory in burning down the dock, and was able to stand aside and wait for orders.

After landing on the island, the Qin army's morale soared. Murong Lie volunteered to lead his troops to garrison the water fortress, while the rest of the soldiers scattered to clear the surrounding area.

However, their smugness did not last long. They soon discovered that the few reservoirs in the water village had run dry, and the surrounding streams had been cut off. The only thing they could find were a few murky, stagnant pools of water, which were completely undrinkable.

"General, there is no water source on the island!"

The scout's report instantly jolted Murong Yan awake. He clenched his fists tightly, realizing he had fallen into Xiao Heng and Duan Shuiyuan's trap once again.

The garrison abandoned the dock but left him a water fortress. This was not a hasty retreat, but a deliberate act to leave him in this waterless place to make a fool of himself. The fresh water on the ship was ultimately limited, and each resupply required returning to Qu County, wasting all the time on the road.

"Search! Search deep into the mountains!"

Murong Yan roared angrily, his eyes filled with shame and anger.

The Qin soldiers were forced to venture deep into the island's interior in search of water. As they followed the original stream and approached the mountainside, they encountered the garrison lying in ambush.

It wasn't until dusk that scouts discovered there was a lake halfway up the mountain, and Xiao Heng's new camp was set up by the lake, using the terrain to build three lines of defense. Of course, there were other water sources, but they were far from enough for the soldiers landing on the island.

Upon learning the truth, Murong Yan trembled with rage. If they didn't seize the water source quickly, the Qin army would collapse before the defenders could even retaliate. He immediately ordered, "Rest tonight! At dawn tomorrow, launch a full-scale attack! We must capture the lake in one fell swoop and capture Xiao Heng alive!"

Chiganhun, who was standing to the side, wanted to remind Murong Yan how dangerous the place was, but he gave up when he saw that Murong Yan was already in a frenzy.

The Qin army was fully assembled at dawn the next day.

Murong Lie led the vanguard to clear the way, and more than 5,000 soldiers surged toward the mountainside like a tide.

The defending troops were already on high alert, with Deng Jing in command, Han Yong and Chen Da leading their troops to defend the first line of defense, Liu Dan arraying the second line of defense which was not yet fully completed, and Xiao Heng standing on the watchtower on the mountain, overlooking the battle situation.

Soon, the mountain road, less than three miles long, was crowded with people. With archers providing cover from behind, the infantry took the opportunity to rush to the depression.

Murong Yan personally beat the drum to cheer on the troops, and the attack began.

The defenders of the first line of defense put up a fierce resistance using trenches and chevaux-de-frise, while the archers of the second line fired rapidly with almost no casualties, and soon Qin soldiers fell in droves.

But they still charged forward, stepping over the corpses. Han Yong led the charge, his ring-pommel sword replaced with a long bamboo spear. He commanded the fearless Qin soldiers, shouting rhythmically until his voice was hoarse.

"Hold the line! Don't let that scoundrel get up there! Stab!"

After half a day of fierce fighting, the Qin army paid a heavy price, but with an absolute numerical advantage, they finally broke through the first line of defense.

Seeing this, Murong Yan personally led his main force to charge forward.

At this moment, Han Yong and Chen Da, along with other veterans, began to guard the passageway, covering the retreat of the soldiers there.

Chen Da swung his sword and cut off the arm of a Qin soldier, shouting at Han Yong.

"The commander-in-chief goes first; I'll stay here!"

Before Han Yong could answer, he led more than fifty new recruits and charged forward, forcefully blocking the breach. After their previous victory, the recruits had already gained Chen Da's trust and, seeing this, mustered their courage and followed him in a fierce battle.

With space suddenly available in the passage, the retreating soldiers quickened their pace, and by the time Chen Da and his men returned, only a dozen or so remained.

Murong Lie was overjoyed when he saw the defenders suddenly retreat, just as he was about to reach the second line of defense. He immediately gave the order.

"They can't hold on! Charge!"

Murong Yan was overjoyed, thinking that the defending army was exhausted, and immediately ordered the entire army to attack. The Qin army rushed to the depression.

When the Qin army was already crammed together in that passage, Deng Jing knew the time was right and gave the order.

"Open the floodgates!"

With a deafening roar, the earthen dam that had been blocking the lake mouth was breached, and the lake water that had been accumulating overnight rushed down like a wild horse with the force of thunder!

The water, carrying pebbles and mud, formed a wall of water half a meter high, rushing towards the Qin army inside the passage.

"Oh no! It's a water attack!"

Murong Lie, who was on the front line, suddenly changed his expression and screamed in alarm, but it was too late to retreat.

The passage was narrow, and the Qin soldiers were crammed together, unable to dodge, and were instantly swallowed by the flood.

Screams, cries for help, and the sound of bones breaking mingled together as the surging water swept the Qin army off their feet, many of whom were engulfed in the rubble and fell silent instantly.

Murong Yan, who had reached the low-lying area, was held tightly by his personal guards and barely managed to avoid being swept away, but he was soaked to the bone and looked utterly disheveled.

He watched as his army was swept away by the flood, a chill running through him.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

Murong Yan could no longer maintain his composure and, under the cover of his personal guards, stumbled and retreated down the mountain.

The flood subsided in less than half an hour, but the passage was in complete disarray, with heavy casualties among the Qin army, and their originally fierce offensive completely collapsed.

The flood, however, resulted in limited casualties, which only made Murong Yan more cautious in his next attack.

This time, Deng Jing had no intention of letting Murong Yan off the hook. He knew Murong Yan's character all too well. Meanwhile, Han Yong had already begun to amass a large army...