Governor please stay

This time, the water battles on both sides were small boats, and both were Clippers.Fight fast with fast, the needle point against the wheat awn, it's really hard to say who will win.

At this moment, one after another small boats, which could only accommodate a few people, were released from the fleet of the Xiangdong Navy, and came along the river towards the imperial court navy located downstream.Not only are there a large number of these small boats, but they are also closely arranged, which makes one's scalp tingle when viewed from a distance.

These small boats are fire boats commonly used in water warfare. They will only be ignited when they are close to the enemy fleet. There are 1-2 "death fighters" in each boat.Of course, these people are very good at water. They are death squads, not death squads, and they will jump into the water and run away immediately when the fire boat is lit.

"Mr. Zu, please check the wind speed and direction."

Guessing that the speed of those fire boats seemed to be slower than expected, Wu Mingche said to Zu Hao with his hands clasped together.

"General Wu, please be polite, please be polite. This is a matter of my duty. I am very honored to be able to put down the rebellion for the imperial court. How dare I take credit for it."

Zu Hao boarded the instrument on the top of the ship and calculated for a long time, then came down and told Wu Mingche the result.

The things that measure wind direction, wind speed and water speed are also one of Zu Chongzhi's legacy. Zu Hao was not polite at all, and gave them all to the court.

Liu Yishou was also very generous, and directly handed over Qin Tianjian to Zu Hao for management.

No matter how you look at this move, you feel that His Highness King Wu is really good at being a man, and he can always figure out what the people who rely on him need most.

The ancestors have been coveting this position for decades, since the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, and now they finally got their wish.Willing to work hard for Liu Yishou is not because of conscience, but because of the exchange of interests.

According to Zu Hao's calculations, it is now a southeast wind, and the wind speed is gradually increasing, blowing towards the water army under Wang Lin's command.Whose fleet will those fire boats burn into later, it's really two things.

"The trebuchet is ready, check whether the fuse of the thunderbolt is connected."

Wu Mingche ordered in a deep voice.The orderly came to the top of the ship and played the semaphore, and the ships that received the order also played the corresponding semaphore.

"General Wu, is it okay for Hong Tianlei to fall into the water?"

Hu Sengyou asked in disbelief.

"The shell of this thing is made of animal skin sewn into a spherical shape. It will float and not sink when it falls into the water. The fuze is soaked in fierce fire oil, and it will not go out when it encounters water.

After the enemy ship approaches, use the trebuchet on the ship to ignite the thunderbolt and throw it out. There is no problem falling into the water, as long as you are beside the enemy ship.It is filled with fierce kerosene, iron sheets and other things, and ordinary ships will peel off their skin if they do not die. "

Wu Mingche explained patiently.

He didn't order the soldiers to take this thing out until before the war, and it was kept strictly confidential before.These things were originally intended to serve Gao Huanjun in places like the Yellow River and Zhanghe River, but I didn't expect to test Xiao Yi's level first.

To be honest, Wu Mingche felt a little reckless.Xiao Yi, this waste, is also worthy of this kind of "high-end goods"?

As the first-generation gunpowder product, Shenhuo Flying Crow has been eliminated and is no longer installed on a large scale.Because saltpeter is difficult to obtain, the output of gunpowder is also very limited, and good steel must be used wisely.

The Shenhuo Flying Crow has been used many times in the north, and each time it is used on a large scale, it is very extravagant and wasteful. I believe that the generals under Gao Huan's command are now prepared and have a way to deal with it.The next time you use it, it may not be able to achieve the expected effect.

When Liu Yishou first conceived of gunpowder products, he gave up the idea of ​​developing in the direction of "firearms", because those would involve industries such as machining and metallurgy, and the industrial chain is also very long, manpower, material resources and trial and error costs are required for development. Both are too high.

Since the technology tree for gunpowder purification is relatively simple, it is a more feasible solution to dig deeper into the "bomb" series of things, and results can be produced in a short time.

In fact, the use of gunpowder in ancient China, from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, was also played in this way, and the thinking was no different from what Liu Yishou was doing now.

As for the remarks that the Chinese only used gunpowder as fireworks in ancient times, it is pure nonsense with ulterior motives.Gunpowder was used in the military at the very beginning of its invention.

But it cannot be denied that at that time, it also suffered from the unknown ratio of gunpowder, many impurities, and lack of theoretical basis.These factors limited the explosive power of gunpowder and delayed the development of firearms.

The second-generation gunpowder products in Liu Yi's garrison have been improved into fire caltrops for individual soldiers, thunderbolts for land-combat trebuchets, and thunderbolts for water-combat trebuchets.

The difference between the latter and the former is mainly that it is filled with fire oil and can float on the water.

On the whole, the tactics have become more diversified, showing a way of blooming flowers, which is hard to guard against.The gunpowder workshop and supporting workshops outside Shouyang City are kept in a state of strict secrecy, and the assembly line operation splits all the production processes and parts, and each workshop is responsible for one of the utensils.

Especially Hongtianlei, it was taken out for Xiao Yi's navy not long after it was successfully developed, and I don't know if it was the luck or misfortune of the King of Eastern Hunan.

During the Caishiji water battle in the Song Dynasty, Yu Yunwen used "Booming Thunder" to make the Jin soldiers suffer a lot.Of course, he also has a "secret weapon", which is the "new warship" that Wu Mingche is using now.

Now there are many small water wheels behind the wall panels on both sides of these warships.There are as few as six, and as many as twenty.In addition to the sails, the interior of the ship is driven by manpower on small water wheels, and those complicated transmission devices are cancelled, so it can be mass-produced.

The transmissions on the Haifeng are all made of copper alloy. Although the meshing is precise and the performance is excellent, the cost is extremely high and it is not convenient for mass production.On weekdays, being Liu Yishou's ship is very interesting, and I really can't think too much about other things.

At this moment, exclamations came from the boat, because everyone saw that the fire boats that had been released had already started to go upstream and head towards their original fleet as the wind turned into a strong wind!

Fortunately, it hadn't been ignited yet, otherwise the water warships under Wang Lin's command would have been over once the fireboats had been set ablaze.

"Beat the drum, rush over, and throw thunderbolts at the enemy!"

Wu Mingche shouted at the messenger.

The orderly climbed to the top floor and hoisted a red flag, which looked very eye-catching and fluttered in the wind.

Following the wind, the fleet headed towards Wang Lin's navy, and the speed was getting faster and faster!

"boom!"

The soldiers of a certain fast boat in Wang Lin's water army were in a hurry to recover the fire boat, but they didn't expect a thunderbolt to be thrown into the nearby water.

Just when they secretly rejoiced that they escaped unharmed, Hong Tianlei exploded on the water!

Oil was splashed on the ship, and the planks began to burn.The air wave of the explosion overturned the fireboat being recovered, and the igniter inside was ignited by the kerosene burning on the river surface, and began to burn violently!

"No, there's a fire, come and put out the fire!"

Some soldiers on board shouted, but it didn't seem to be of much use.Fire oil is lighter than water and does not dissolve in water.Floating on the surface of the water burns, it can't be extinguished by pouring it at all, only sand can cover it, and isolate the air to prevent the flame.

Where do you find soil on the river?

The ship was quickly ignited by the fire, starting to burn from the bottom up, and soon sank completely into the Yangtze River, leaving only many crying people and burning kerosene on the water.

One ship after another was "named" in Wang Lin's naval fleet, and many of the ships were hit by fire ships that were released by the family and had not had time to recover.This is far more than just the effect of one plus one equals two. Wang Lin's navy, who was recovering the fire boats one after another, suffered a big loss by accident!

"Go in the direction of Dongting Lake! Retreat!"

Wang Lin is not a fool either, seeing that the situation is not right, of course he has to run away.There are no bulky large ships in the navy now. Although they have been beaten by the enemy now, they are not hopeless.

"Give up those burning boats, give up on recovering the small fire boats, and retreat to Dongting Lake in the south!"

Wang Lin yelled at the messengers beside her.The flagship hung the flag of retreat and fled first.

The navy army under his command has rich experience and quickly changed formation. The bow and stern of the snake-like boat headed towards Dongting Lake.Although many of the ships in the back row were hit by thunder from the court navy, many ships escaped quickly.

"Let the sons and daughters step on the wheel faster, speed up to chase, and hang all the sails!"

Wu Mingche commanded calmly.

The court's water army began to accelerate, and then accelerated, and the trail of the tail could be clearly seen.The distance between the fleet and Wang Lin's navy was getting closer and closer.As for the severely damaged warships of Wang Lin's navy, they were all burning in place and sinking slowly.

At the moment of pursuit, Hong Tianlei is no longer very useful.Even if one ship is hit, it is difficult to disrupt the opponent's formation.

Wu Mingche ordered to the messenger: "Speed ​​up, Dongting Lake is ahead, let the loach boats use shock tactics on the lake to overturn the enemy's fast boats!"

The loach boat is the smallest of the new warships, but it is extremely sturdy, and the hull is protected by reinforced wooden boards.Not only that, the curves of the hull and the bottom of the ship are specially designed, and the stability is much stronger than that of ordinary ships.

What's even more terrifying is that each ship has a built-in "self-destruct device". As long as the fuze is ignited, it can be blown up to avoid being captured by the enemy.If you can't beat the fight with the ship, you can also burn jade and stone together, and exchange one with the enemy's limit.

When Liu Yishou arranged for this kind of boat, he had the idea of ​​exchanging the small boat for Xiao Yi's big boat if he couldn't beat it.Unexpectedly, Wang Sengbian actually reimbursed his own building and boats together with Webster's navy, which saved Liu Yishou a lot of trouble.

"Captain, something is wrong. The enemy fleet is chasing us from behind. There is a kind of small boat that is not only fast but also very fierce. It overturned our fast boat at once."

Lieutenant General Lu Na pulled Wang Lin's cuff and asked him to look behind him.

Wang Lin looked back and was so frightened that she was out of her wits.There are not a few ships left in the own fleet behind him, and the rest are all on the half-water road.And the speed of the pursuers didn't slow down at all, it was almost one after another.

"I have suffered from warships and armaments, alas!"

Wang Lin sighed, feeling deeply that Liu Yishou didn't pay attention to martial arts, and the ships on his side were far inferior to the opponent's.Sometimes the military strength of the navy does not really depend on the size of the ships.

At least not just look at the size of the ship.

"Captain, the right bank is the waterway of Dongting Lake. One after another, they enter the reeds, and you can't see anything. Why don't you divide your troops and break through."

Lu Na suggested in a low voice.

They were all water thieves, and they ran away if they couldn't beat them, which was nothing more than normal.

"How can I leave my brothers and run away!"

Wang Lin scolded in displeasure, and categorically rejected Lu Na's suggestion.

"Captain, there are tens of thousands of brothers. Without these brothers, there will be others in the future. But there is only one Wang Lin in the world! Please don't be arrogant!"

Lu Na pulled Wang Lin's cuff and knelt down for him.

Wang Lin is very responsible as a general and never makes things difficult for her subordinates.Now that the situation is critical, Wang Lin, who has accumulated a lot of virtue on weekdays, really has someone willing to cover him to escape.

"Play the banner and fight to the death with the pursuers!"

Lu Na roared at the messenger!

The flagship hoisted the battle flag, and as expected, the fleet behind Wang Lin's flagship stopped advancing, turned around and headed towards Wu Mingche's pursuers, and soon some ships were hit and sunk.Wang Lin, on the other hand, took a small boat lowered by the flagship, accompanied by her personal guards, and entered a hidden waterway on the right bank of Dongting Lake.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the reeds.

There are countless such waterways along the Dongting Lake, and only local fishermen can tell which is which.Wu Mingche's soldiers and horses came from Pengcheng. Even with a map, it was impossible to find the location where Wang Lin's boat disappeared.

The fighting on Dongting Lake continued. Although Wang Lin's water army resisted desperately, they could not escape the fate of being wiped out in the end.The navy under Wu Mingche's command only lost five loach boats.

They're all self-destructing!

The battle results created by the new warships and new armaments greatly shocked the soldiers from Wu Mingche and below.

It turns out that under the condition of proper tactics and advanced weapons, it is really possible to hang and beat the unprepared enemy without any effort.

Even a well-trained enemy army.

Advanced technologies such as thunderbolts, water wheels, and loach boats played an extremely important role in this battle.Wu Mingche, who had no confidence in the Northern Expedition before, believed after the war that the navy under his command would become the trump card of the Northern Expedition.

And Xiao Yi, the king of Eastern Hunan, will also usher in his final demise after losing the navy that he relied on to maintain the strategic balance.

……

At the head of the city of Baling, Fan Yi in armor, witnessed the whole process of the water battle from the head of the city.

He never expected that the naval army that Xiao Yi, King of Eastern Hunan relied on in his daily life, would be so vulnerable!Unbelievably weak.

It was almost unilaterally hanged and beaten!

"General, the enemy has shot the letter of persuasion into the city!"

A messenger held a bow and arrow tied with letter paper, handed it to Fan Yi with both hands and said respectfully.

Chapter 578 Unfathomable Liu Yishou

Baling City (Yueyang) looks different from ordinary cities in this era. It is an irregular circle, and the north wall is constantly eroded by the river water rising in summer, so the north wall is often repaired.

For thousands of years, although the general location of the whole city has not changed, the overall shape of the city has often changed.The city wall was destroyed and built, and it was destroyed again after being built. It is no longer what it used to be.

On this day, when the sun rose, the south gate of Baling City was unexpectedly opened by the defenders.

Fan Yi, a major general under Xiao Yi's command, took the lead and marched out of Baling City with a small number of defenders in the city.

They threw all their armor and weapons aside and piled them up, and then stood on both sides of the south gate of Baling without saying a word.

After Liu Yishou sent someone to shoot the letter of persuasion into the city with bows and arrows, the letter promised that all the defenders of Baling City from Fan Yi down would not be held accountable if they were able to open the city and surrender.After thinking about it, Fan Yi finally opened the city gate at dawn.

On the surface, it seems difficult to make the choice to surrender, but in fact, in the current situation, if you don't surrender, you will die, and there is no way to reverse the decline.

The reason why Xiao Yi's soldiers and horses were able to fight "asymmetrical" wars before was that the Webster's navy, which was used by the imperial court to control the river, was almost wiped out and lost its "control of the sea."

Once the naval forces on the court's side regained the "control of the sea", no matter how miraculous Xiao Yi's operations were, he would just be suicidal.

Because the soldiers and horses of the Jiankang court no longer have any fear of him, it's okay not to toss, and he will die faster if he toss.

Xiao Yi probably couldn't understand this point, but the generals under his command, such as Wang Sengbian, Wang Lin, Fan brothers, etc., could see it clearly.

Now that the main force of the water army led by Wang Lin has been almost wiped out by the new warships of the Jiankang court, Fan Yi, who is besieged in Baling City, has no other choice but to surrender.

No matter how capable Xiao Yi is, it is impossible to send troops back to rescue him, right?Is it really necessary to fight this kind of defensive battle that is meaningless if you stick to it?

Fan Yi thought so, and his generals probably thought so too.

Soon, Yang Zhong, who got the news, came to the south gate of Baling with his elite soldiers, and looked at the unarmed generals and soldiers at the gate of the city who were only wearing Liang Jun uniforms, all listless.

These people threw aside their weapons and armor and surrendered completely.

War is a game in which the overall situation determines the part. In many cases, unimportant local resistance will be reduced to "hot chicken time".

From this perspective, Fan Yi's decision is that those who know the current affairs are the heroes.

However, sometimes, an important local confrontation can affect the overall situation, and even determine the overall victory or defeat.

For example, the water battle on the Yangtze River in the north of Baling City yesterday determined the final outcome of the Xiangdong King's army.

Which is more important, the whole or the part, and which is the key to victory?

"General Fan, please come down to King Wu's camp and tell us about it, our troops will take over the city, don't bother General Fan."

Yang Zhong said expressionlessly, very formulaic.