Three Kingdoms

In water battles, the upstream overcomes the downstream, the faster is better than the slower, and the big ship has the advantage of crushing the small ship. These are all basic common sense, but doesn't it mean that as long as you know this common sense, you will definitely win?

Gan Ning is no stranger to this common sense, but now he is a little constrained.

Because there is someone who knows how to apply this knowledge to the extreme better than him.

Arriving at Zigui means entering a more dangerous area of ​​the river. There are not only reefs but also shoals in the river. In the face of these hidden murderous intentions in the river, it is obvious that a light walking boat will be more flexible than the fighting ship of Gan Ning and others.

Those Jiangdong soldiers who were walking on the waterfront as fast as galloping horses were not afraid at all when they saw Gan Ning and other ships approaching at an angle, trying to crush and hit them. They even made various moves towards Gan Ning and others. He made obscene gestures, and then when the ship of Gan Ning and others approached them, he used various magic weapons.

Penny.

fishing net.

Even kerosene.

Like pole vaulting on the water, the lighter walking boats, with tough bamboo poles as buffers, can pass by the menacing Ganning boats, and some even reduce the speed of the Ganning boats. Speed, but increased his own speed.

The fishing net was thrown on the long oar, and although the kerosene could not be ignited in pieces, it was no problem to temporarily create a flame isolation zone. Such methods made the impact and suppression that Gan Ning expected not achieve very ideal results. Effect.

Of course, there are indeed some walking boats that were hit and sunk, causing the hull to tilt up. The entire boat fell into the water and was carried downstream by the current, but most of the walking boats were like swimming fish, using flexible maneuvers to avoid them. He was hit by Gan Ning and others, and then prepared to trap Gan Ning and other ships near the shore!

There are some differences between the direction of the water flow near the coast and the direction of the water flow in the center of the river. Once the bottom of the boat accidentally hits a reef or shoal, in the current situation, there is almost no other way but to abandon the boat and run away!

Gan Ning originally wanted to use his familiarity with the river channels to force the Jiangdong naval forces to make mistakes in the rush. He also wanted to force these boats to hit the reefs or be stranded on the tidal flats. However, what Gan Ning did not expect was that maybe These gondolas are really too flexible, or perhaps the Jiangdong navy has a certain degree of control over the exploration of this area. Therefore, not many of the gondolas from Jiangdong hit the reefs or ran aground, but there were some in its own fleet. The two sterns rushed so hard that they plunged into the shoal and could not get out. They had to abandon the ship, burn the ship, and escape ashore.

Gan Ning wanted to break a path, but he did not expect the walking boats to be so flexible. Not only was he unable to mess up and destroy these walking boats, but it actually caused his fleet's speed to drop unknowingly.

Jiangdong Louchuan caught up.

The collision plan failed...

Huang Gai stood on the building boat, holding on to the railing and staring at Gan Ning's boat in the distance.

The drums controlling the rhythm in the cabin were like the building turning into a giant beast floating on the water. The dull sound was like a heartbeat, cooperating with dozens of oars with thigh-thick arms exerting force at the same time. , hitting the water surface, fighting against the current.

The sails that were originally half hanging on the deck of the building were now almost pulled to the top. Jiangdong soldiers shouted, and without any special instructions from the general, they cut the wind diagonally, and with the cooperation of the oarsman and helmsman, the huge ship was not only not washed downward by the current, but instead went upstream!

Huge water splashes rolled up from the bow of the building boat, just like Huang Gai's thoughts.

The Jiangdong Navy soldiers were excited, but there was no expression of excitement on Huang Gai's face.

As time goes by, the time window favorable to Jiangdong is shrinking.

Quick victory.

This is also the secret of military strategism that many people know, but it is also not easy to do it.

The word "speed" refers not only to Gan Ning in front of him, but also to the entire naval front.

The "speed" in front of him, Gan Ning is not a fool, nor is he a sheep. He will jump around and resist. Even if Huang Gai arranges three moves, he may not be sure to completely keep Gan Ning here, and if Gan Ning is allowed to Ning fled to the dangerous gorge area ahead, where it would be difficult to pursue him.

And as for the entire front, if we wait for the spring rain...

Due to the topography of the river, the speed of water flow actually varies.

Now is the dry season, and the water flow is not very fast. If it is the wet season, when the water flow is fast, you can naturally go down the river with a boat for 3,000 miles a day, but if you go upstream...

But the problem is, Zhu Zhi hasn't come yet.

Obviously, Zhu Zhi doesn't want to take over this stall.

Zhu Zhi may not be as good as Huang Gai in water warfare, but his political acumen is obviously sharper than Huang Gai's.

It is not impossible to go upstream until spring, but it will need to be stretched. In some areas, it is necessary to open a road to the shore first, and then send people to pull the fibers. This speed is not as fast as traveling directly on land, so it is definitely not possible in this area. When necessary, spring and summer are not suitable for fighting against the current.

Then Zhu Zhi can naturally use the six months to move around, and it’s hard to say...

Governor! Huang Gai sighed in his heart, Jiangdong...Jiangdong is such a ghost. He looks like a human on the outside, but in fact he is a ghost!

Huang Gai's thoughts were racing, but his Jiangdong Navy soldiers followed the original plan to encircle Gan Ning.

"Left full rudder!" 』

Gan Ning looked back at the approaching building ship and shouted, "Get ready to throw kerosene!" 』

There is no way to continue to tangle with the gangsters, and they must leave immediately, otherwise they will be surrounded by Jiangdong's large ships chasing after them in the shoals on the shore!

"Left full rudder!" 』

As the messenger in Gan Ning's cabin shouted at the top of his lungs.

The wooden and iron-clad rudder made an overwhelmed squeaking cry.

"Left full rudder!" 』

The flag-bearer on the podium on the top of the loft tightly grasped the handrail to avoid falling off the ship due to the tilt, while waving the flag and echoing hoarsely.

The water goes down and the boats go up.

Whether it was the oarsmen or the soldiers hiding in the cabin stepping on the flywheel, layers of white smoke rose from their heads and bodies, their flushed faces and bulging veins, and they began to turn and accelerate at Gan Ning's order.

There was a new type of walking boat in Jiangdong, and the ships of Gan Ning and others were also equipped with new flywheels.

The shadows of Jiangdong Navy's buildings and ships gradually came over.

The rumbling drums, mixed with everyone's shouts and the sound of waves, filled the space between the two mountains and above the river.

"Alas? "Huang Gai looked at Gan Ning's ship and began to adjust its direction again, and couldn't help but clicked his tongue, "It's really..."

The people do not have three tunes, and the formation does not have three orders.

Gan Ning could give three orders on the spot and still be able to command, which is enough to prove that Gan Ning's ability and the soldiers under him already have the foundation of an elite soldier.

But that's about it.

"Be prepared for fire!" ” Huang Gai gave the order, “Take it up! Rake! 』

The flag bearer of Jiangdong Navy raised the battle flag, and the bright red and dark blue flags flew up and down.

"quick! quick! Bring up the water rake! 』

The Jiangdong navy took out a strange-shaped bamboo object from the cabin and placed it on the bow of the ship.

As the kerosene poured down, Gan Ning raised his head to take a look, and his expression changed.

Because the entire formation was destroyed, when the kerosene tactics were deployed, it was more like a belt of kerosene than a whole sea of ​​​​fire!

But now it's too late to adjust. According to the instructions, after pouring the kerosene, you must light the fire directly.

And even if the fire is not lit, the kerosene will be poured out and cannot be taken back...

Flames rose up and covered part of the Jiangdong warship behind.

Gan Ning exhaled.

However, the Jiangdong battleship that immediately rushed out of the sea of ​​fire surprised Gan Ning.

Although some kerosene still stained the warship, most of the kerosene burned in front of the bow. The small amount of kerosene that stained the ship was quickly wiped out by the Jiangdong navy with a wet cloth. It was covered with sand and soil.

"What is that?" ! 』

Gan Ning's eyes widened.

On both sides of the Yangtze River, there is a lot of wood and bamboo.

The water rake of the Jiangdong navy is not high-tech. It is just like the deminer before the tank. It separates the kerosene, and if it is contaminated, it only burns it on the water rake. Once it is out of the sea of ​​​​fire, the water is directly discharged. Just rake and throw it away...

Of course, it sounds simple, and the equipment is not complicated, but when it is used, it naturally becomes the standard for measuring a general's commanding ability.

If only Fang can break away the entanglement of Zou Ge, then the array can be restored. If the array can be restored, the range of the kerosene dumping can be larger. If Huang Gai's move can be discovered earlier, he can run further. Lead them further to the Xiling Gorge...

But Gan Ning also knew that this result was already the best he could achieve.

No more cards in hand...

Now, there is only one way.

Escape.

At full speed, escape!

The most dangerous part of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is the section from Zigui to Badong. As long as you enter the Xiling Mountain range, the chance of a smooth escape increases.

But obviously Huang Gai didn't want Gan Ning to escape so easily.

Amidst the sound of war drums, Jiangdong's ships entered the shooting range and began to shoot crossbows and stone bullets at Gan Ning and other ships.

As the launch order was given, the three-row crossbow mounted on the bow of the ship roared towards Gan Ning and other ships. Three spear-like crossbows pierced down, and most of them fell into the water. But once they were pierced, whether they hit the hull or the human body, they were extremely destructive.

Following the firing of the crossbow guns, the small catapults on the upper part of the building ship also began to project stone bullets towards Gan Ning's fleet. This type of catapult placed on a ship is relatively small, and the stone projectiles projected are smaller than those on land, about the size of a human head, but the damage caused by the impact is not small at all!

Among Gan Ning's fleet, some of the ships that fell behind were shot by crossbows. Amidst the clicking sound, the crossbows penetrated directly from the upper roof to the interior of the cabin, and then saw spraying out from the gaps in the cabin. color!

Then there were stone bullets falling from the air. Although most of the stone bullets were not very accurate, as long as they were hit, whether it was the deck or the roof, whether it was wood or flesh, there was basically a loud noise. in, broken into pieces.

The cockroach, which was shot or hit, quickly descended and was caught up by the Jiangdong ship behind it.

The archers of Jiangdong Louchuan leaned out from behind the parapet and fired a dense rain of arrows, many of which were ignited. They fired at Gan Ning, who was about to attack Gan Ning's men who were about to fight back. The Sichuan and Sichuan naval forces were immediately shot like hedgehogs.

Gan Ning's fighting ship naturally received a lot of attention.

When Gan Ning saw a black shadow in the sky coming towards him, he felt his scalp numb. Without saying a word, he somersaulted from the roof to the deck.

As soon as he landed on the deck, Gan Ning heard a loud crunching sound above his head before he could stand up. When he looked up again, a stone bullet hit the place where he was standing, and wood chips flew everywhere. The flag tilted and fell into the river.

Seeing Gan Ning's flag falling from the ship, the surrounding ships were in an uproar. Gan Ning quickly got up, grabbed a flag, and climbed onto the roof of the roof that was half smashed, waving the flag to show that I was still alive. Death, this would allow the surrounding Sichuan and Sichuan naval forces to calm down and prevent them from getting confused on the spot.

"General!" General is in danger! 』

On the deck, Gan Ning's guards jumped to their feet. Now that the roof of the building collapsed, Gan Ning risked his own life in order not to lose morale. However, because the roof of the cabin collapsed, they had no way to go up to protect Gan Ning and could only worry on the deck.

Gan Ning's actions naturally attracted the attention of Jiangdong Navy and Huang Gai.

"Shoot this beast!" 』

Huang Gai pointed at Gan Ning unceremoniously.

Huang Gai admired Gan Ning's courage, but that didn't mean he would show mercy to Gan Ning.

Being able to directly kill a general of the Bashu Navy, Huang Gai was definitely not willing to play hard to get.

Crossbows and stone bullets roared in, crackling around the Ganning battleship, and crashed down. They either hit the water or plunged into the river...

Miraculously, Gan Ning was unscathed by the Jiangdong navy's attack. At most, he was only splashed by water.

Gan Ning laughed loudly and made insulting gestures towards Jiangdong Navy...

Naturally, a second wave of attacks immediately followed.

This time, the hit rate seemed to be higher, but only three or two crossbows hit the battleship and stuck on the deck at the rear. Most of the remaining crossbows and stone bullets still missed.

"Koto is nothing more than that!" Gan Ning laughed and looked around boldly, "Did you see it?" Even if I stand, they can't hit me! 』

The Bashu navy all cheered, and their morale rose sharply.

Huang Gai was furious, slapped the railing, and then woke up the next moment, "Send the order!" It's too far away from this guy and not accurate enough! Each ship prioritizes the nearest target! 』

If there were sniper rifles in later generations, Gan Ning would be courting death by doing this. But now that there are no direct sights and all shooting depends on feeling and experience, the more he wants to hit a fixed target, the more he wants to hit a fixed target in the water waves. It is definitely getting more difficult when it is rippling and ups and downs.

In addition, Gan Ning's battleship is located in the front of the queue, some distance away from the Jiangdong Tower ship behind it. Therefore, the more accurate the shot is, the more missed it is, and the more difficult it is to shoot Gan Ning to death in one go. , the result was a waste of crossbows, guns, stones and bullets, which also invigorated the soldiers of Bashu and improved their morale.

As the battle continued, whether it was walking on a boat or a large boat, whether it was paddling the water with a long oar, or treading water with a flywheel, human power was always used. Humans are not machines, fatigue and slowdown are inevitable.

After the initial burst of high speed, the largest Jiangdong ship was the first to slow down in the upstream competition.

The building ship is large and is most affected by the current. Although it can use the slope of the sail to cut the wind and move upward, it also means taking more routes. Compared with the Ganning stern and fighting ship, which can basically maintain a straight line, it costs more. Strength and Kung Fu...

As for the Jiangdong walking boat, although the initial speed is extremely high, its speed depends entirely on the physical strength and cooperation of the oar hand. When the battle continues, the physical strength of the oar hand decreases, and naturally it is impossible to go fast even if it wants to.

Only Gan Ning's ships and battleships are equipped with flywheels, which can relatively reasonably distribute the sore hands and sore legs. It's like studying for the college entrance examination in later generations. When you are tired of studying Chinese, you study mathematics, and then finish studying English. Brush other subjects...

Therefore, overall, the overall endurance of Gan Ning and others was better than that of Jiangdong Army, which also made Gan Ning Army and Huang Gai Army gradually distance themselves during the chase.

"Ming Jin, withdraw the troops." Huang Gai saw Gan Ning fleeing in embarrassment with the three or two remaining cats and kittens. He snorted and ordered the troops to retreat.

The soldiers in Jiangdong cheered.

Huang Gai also put on a smile on his face, nodded to the surroundings, then turned around and got off the command platform and returned to the cabin.

When Huang Gai was about to enter the cabin, Huang Gai turned his head and looked at the two burning stern boats that were stranded on the shoal. He frowned and thought for a moment, then pointed, "Send some people over to put out the fire and drag it back for a look." look……"

"Um? ” Guard Huang Gai was stunned for a moment, “Are they those two stern ships? 』

Huang Gai nodded and entered the cabin without explaining why.

This time, he won the battle.

The Jiangdong navy was celebrating their victory, but Huang Gai was not very proud of it.

Because Huang Gai knew that it was normal for a naval force that was almost the strongest and largest in the Han Dynasty to defeat the Bashu navy, which was built recently and had fewer ships.

This doesn't mean anything, but the tenacity and tenacity of the Bashu Navy, just like the fearless death and brave fighting shown by Gan Ning, slowed down the majestic Jiangdong Navy...

It can even be said that even if Huang Gai injured or even killed Gan Ning in this battle, it might not affect the entire battle situation.

Because winter has come...

The window period is about to pass.

When spring comes, the Jiangdong Navy can only come to a complete standstill.

"Someone is coming!" Huang Gai called out in a dull voice, "When we get back, make preparations immediately. I'm going to meet Governor Zhu!" 』

However, it shouldn't be him who is having a headache now.

Huang Gai turned sideways, leaned in the cabin, and closed his eyes slightly.

In addition to external strategic goals, there are also internal strategic goals.

Taking advantage of the gap between defeating Gan Ning, Zhu Zhi happened to come up...

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