Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3455 Kuafu Chases the Sun

The Great River.

The more you lack, the more you fear losing it.

What Zhou Yu lacks is time, and he doesn't have much time left.

On the tower ship, Zhou Yu stands under the flag of Jiangdong, and also under the flag of his own general.

The iron-like golden hook-like "Zhou" character used to be an existence that no one dared to compete with on the Great River, but now it seems dim and dim, even under the provocation of the river wind, it looks a little weak and can't raise its head.

The bank of the Great River is changing.

The war situation of the Han Dynasty is the same.

As the commander-in-chief of the Jiangdong Navy, Zhou Yu not only shoulders the hope of the Zhou family, but also bears the heavy responsibility of the entire Jiangdong foundation.

If Zhou Yu was just considering the Zhou family, he would not have to drag his sick body to the front line this time.

Maybe some people would think he is stupid, and maybe some people would say that he can't let go of military power, but Zhou Yu wants victory more and realize his dream!

The dream he discussed, formulated, and imagined with Sun Ce!

That dream, how beautiful it was...

At that time, the sky was so blue, the river was so clear, and now...

The sun's light made Zhou Yu feel a little dizzy.

The river was also turbid, as if it was mixed with countless ghosts.

Perhaps because of the pain, Zhou Yu felt unprecedented anxiety and powerlessness at this moment.

He stood on the ship, staring at the turbulent river in front of him, his heart full of desire for victory and uncertainty about the future.

Zhou Yu knew that he didn't have much time to waste.

This expedition was a key step for the survival of Jiangdong.

However, when he received a letter from Chaisang and learned that Sun Quan did not support him as firmly as expected, he was both surprised and helpless.

He knew that this moment would come eventually, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.

It's not impossible to withdraw the army now.

Perhaps it also meets the needs of "everyone" and the wishes of "the people".

No one likes war, and Zhou Yu is no exception. If you can get benefits at the negotiation table, there is no need to start a war. Only when you can't reach an agreement at the negotiation table will a bloody conflict break out.

Zhou Yu came from Jiangdong on purpose, dragging his sick body, is it just for a simple victory or two, and then he can return to Chaisang and wait for Sun Quan to deprive him of his military power?

In the letter sent from Chaisang, although Sun Quan has not yet issued the final order to withdraw troops, Zhou Yu has already noticed that Sun Quan is not still hesitating about whether to withdraw troops, but is trying to use withdrawal to exchange and balance more interests.

Zhou Yu has no idea how many times he has advised Sun Quan to focus on long-term interests instead of just focusing on the present...

But it still has no effect.

Or, Sun Quan thinks it is more important to focus on the present. If you can't get through the present, can there be a future?

However, no matter how much Sun Quan focuses on the present, if he can't seize Sichuan and Shu, then Jiangdong will definitely have no future.

Once the dispute north of the Yangtze River is settled, it will be impossible for Sun Quan to easily divide the Central Plains north of the Yangtze River and rule it. Once the upper reaches of the Yangtze River are attacked by both land and water, the foundation of the Sun family in Jiangdong will also face a catastrophe. These are Zhou Yu's sincere words, but Sun Quan has always been skeptical, thinking that Zhou Yu is fooling him?

If Sun Quan really trusts Zhou Yu, he will not go back on his word now and throw the promise made when he went out to the sky.

The more Zhou Yu thinks of these, the more he misses Sun Ce in the past.

Although Sun Ce is stupid and too straightforward, at least he is not like Sun Quan...

Zhou Yu sighed slightly and focused his attention on the battle situation in front of him.

The progress of the Sichuan-Shu army is almost changing with each passing day.

Earlier, the intelligence Zhou Yu received still said that the Sichuan-Shu navy could fall into the water during training, but now they can fight back and forth with the Jiangdong navy. Before the battle, Zhou Yu confirmed again that the ships of the Sichuan Navy were backward and much fewer than those of Jiangdong, but after the battle, he found that the latest artillery was installed on these Sichuan ships!

If possible, Zhou Yu also wanted to seize a ship of the Sichuan Navy to see what the artillery was like and how it worked...

Under Zhou Yu's order, the Jiangdong Navy did not stop at all, divided into three groups, and directly pursued and pressed the Sichuan Navy.

Zhou Yu's building ship was also three-story, equipped with more than 500 soldiers and soldiers. In front of him and on both sides, there were 30 to 40 medium-sized fighting ships, each equipped with 100 to 200 soldiers.

The sun in the sky has begun to set in the west, and the golden light is all over the river. It seems that people have an illusion that the Jiangdong Navy is not chasing the Sichuan Army, but the sun in the sky.

And Zhou Yu, standing on the building ship, is the Kuafu chasing the sun.

The Sichuan Navy is running in front, and the Jiangdong Navy is chasing behind.

Behind the camp of the Sichuan Navy, a warning smoke rose. It looked like the Jiangdong Navy had won a great victory.

So the Jiangdong Navy was full of fighting spirit...

That was impossible.

Human physical strength was limited.

From fighting in the early morning to now, there has been almost no time to rest and eat throughout the whole day. Even if there is, it is just to fill in the battle. Now most of the soldiers, whether they are the Sichuan-Shu Army or the Jiangdong Army, are relatively tired. Yes, it's just that the Jiangdong navy is indeed relatively elite. Even in its current tired state, its tactical movements are still relatively accurate and there is no deformation.

Zhou Yu looked at it with a little emotion in his heart.

It is these ordinary Jiangdong naval soldiers who are the foundation of the entire Jiangdong!

Not those Jiangdong nobles!

Sun Quan and Sun Zhongmou, if they don’t have the right names, they must have the right words...

Instead of relying on these Jiangdong soldiers, but seeking skinship with the Jiangdong gentry, isn't it putting the cart before the horse?

I hope this battle will be successful.

Or maybe...

On the surface, Zhou Yu's thoughts seemed to be quite calm, and the various orders for commanding the navy were correct. It seemed that everything was fine. However, in fact, not only Zhou Yu himself, but also the guards around Zhou Yu were not aware of it. At this moment, Zhou Yu was actually emotionally affected by the urgent letter sent by Chai Sang.

This is a terrible thing, and normally it shouldn't happen to Zhou Yu.

But it happened now, because the current Zhou Yu is not the Zhou Yu in the "normal state".

The side effects of the golden elixir will not only destroy Zhou Yu's body, but also destroy Zhou Yu's brain...

The most fatal point is that Zhou Yu was so smart before that the people around Zhou Yu, whose brains were in a state of "atrophy" for a long time, simply did not consider that Zhou Yu was actually out of luck now, and thought that Zhou Yu had something else. Wonderful hand.

When Kuafu chased the sun, he also led the entire tribe forward.

…

…

On the other side, Zhuge Liang stood in the flying house holding the railing, looking at the Jiangdong ships catching up in the distance.

Zhuge Liang's current strategy is a bit risky.

There are not too many examples in history of what was originally intended to be a strategic retreat, but ended up being a major rout.

For example, Napoleon...

[A certain little man was so angry that he jumped up and down. He didn’t mention so many other people’s examples, but he blamed me? 】

Because of the poor communication, during the retreat, even if one person shouts like that, it may cause widespread emotional panic, and then trigger a large-scale collapse of order. In that case, it will be the Immortal City. There is no way to turn the tide.

And what Zhuge Liang wants is not just to retreat, but also to counterattack during the retreat!

Xu Huang's previous hesitation was also based on this point.

But in the end Xu Huang decided to trust Zhuge Liang, and Zhuge Liang was willing to trust his soldiers.

However, mere words of trust cannot have such a significant effect. In fact, during the entire army's retreat, on Xu Huanglou's ship, on the side where Zhuge Liang was, flags and war drums were constantly shouting to Signals are passing around.

"Hold on!" 』

"wait! 』

This is the message conveyed by the constant waving of the flag.

The beating of the war drum seemed to have penetrated into the blood of all Sichuan and Sichuan soldiers, ringing and beating together with their hearts.

"Work on it, work on it!" Jiang Dongjun is catching up! 』

The guard pointed at the Jiangdong navy, "We are about to engage in battle. Let's go into the cabin to engage in battle!" 』

Zhuge Liang did not immediately answer whether it was good or bad, but asked: "Have the wartime extra meals been distributed to the soldiers?" 』

"It's all posted!" "The guard replied, "Are you hungry? Do you want me to get a copy? 』

Zhuge Liang smiled and waved his hands, "I'm not hungry." 』

This is Zhuge Liang's meticulousness.

He had made sufficient preparations before the war.

This preparation is not just about weapons, swords, guns, bows and armor.

It's not a formal meal, and it's not very big. It's similar to three-mix powder with a lot of salt, and you can eat it after mixing it with water.

As for whether it's hygienic or not, the big man doesn't have any hygiene monsters at the moment.

The guards on the side urged Zhuge Liang to enter the cabin.

Zhuge Liang turned his head, squinted at the still dazzling sun, then looked back and smiled, "Help me prepare my armor!" 』

"Engage!" The sword and the gun have no eyesight! ” The guard disagreed a little, “It’s safer to stay in the cabin! 』

Zhuge Liang shook his head, "Take the armor." 』

In this battle, he must be present in person.

The guards had no choice but to take the armor and help Zhuge Liang put it on from head to toe.

Zhuge Liang is not as thin as he was in history. After putting on the armor, he looks the same, quite heroic.

When Zhuge Liang was wearing a suit of armor and came in front of Xu Huang, Xu Huang also smiled and said: "This suit is really good." But you have to stay away from the side of the ship to be careful of the ship shaking. 』

Zhuge Liang smiled and cupped his hands to express his gratitude.

"Now……"

Xu Huang looked at the Jiangdong navy chasing after him in the distance, "Is it right here?" 』

Zhuge Liang looked at the mountains and rivers to the left and right and nodded, "Not the best, but not bad either!" 』

"Then right here!" 』

Xu Huang did not hesitate and immediately gave the order, "The whole army has full left rudder, lower the sails, and turn around!" 』

After the command flag was sounded, the Sichuan-Shu army, which was originally retreating westward, began to turn around and formed a triangular formation with the tower ship as the base and the fighting ship and Mengchong on both sides. This is an offensive and defensive assault formation. The thick formation can ensure the penetration of the opponent's battle formation, and the unfolded two wings can ensure the killing area.

The Sichuan-Shu soldiers adjusted their breathing and checked their equipment.

The rowers in the cabin endured the sultry heat and the smell of sweat and blood. According to the command, they either stepped on the wheelbarrow or rowed the long oars.

The sword and shield soldiers on the deck clenched the weapons in their hands and tied the swords and their palms with cloth strips to prevent them from unconsciously letting go and falling under the collision and shaking of the warship.

The crossbowmen leaned their bodies against the parapet and tried to pull the crossbows, checking that the arrows, fire pots and other items were in convenient and familiar positions.

Some soldiers also drew some water from the river and splashed it all over the deck of the ship to wet anything flammable first.

Cruel wars make people grow up quickly.

It makes ignorant children understand the sorrow of life and death, makes ignorant teenagers know the suffering of hunger, makes young people taste the pain of disability, and makes old people bury their black hair in sorrow.

The original Sichuan-Shu navy soldiers who were unskilled, unintelligent, and even did not know how to cooperate have been gradually eliminated in the battle, and the remaining ones have gradually become experienced navy soldiers. Even if the warship is turning and the center of gravity of the entire ship is shifted, these Sichuan-Shu navy soldiers are still making various preparations in an orderly manner.

The surging river water goes east and never returns.

The blazing sun sets in the west.

Xu Huang stared at the approaching Jiangdong warship, slowly raised his hand, then waved it fiercely and ordered: "All troops are ready! Meet the Jiangdong navy! '

The messenger responded loudly, waved the colorful flag in his hand, and issued an order.

The drummer on the building ship beat the cowhide drum, and the majestic war drum sound once again echoed on the river.

Zhou Yu saw the movement of the Sichuan-Shu army and heard the deep war drum sound, but he was relieved.

It is not so easy to turn to meet the enemy in the upstream. If there is a slight deformation of the movement or a loss of coordination, the dense warship group may hit itself. At that time, there is no need for the Jiangdong army to rush up to attack, and the Sichuan-Shu navy will collapse first!

"Speed ​​up, speed up! Archers and crossbowmen are ready! Shieldmen are ready! ”

Zhou Yu issued a series of combat orders, and then waited for the Sichuan-Shu navy to reveal its own flaws!

Undoubtedly, Zhou Yu's thinking and prediction of water battles and the Sichuan-Shu navy have become a weight in the current battle, but Zhou Yu has forgotten some things under the lingering pain, or he can't be so thorough.

Water battles actually have some similarities with cavalry battles.

Cavalry charging requires speed, and warships fighting also require speed.

Interpenetration requires speed, and collision requires even more speed.

In the traditional surface warfare of the Han Dynasty, shooting, ramming and boarding are undoubtedly the three sets of water warfare for ships fighting on the surface, and everyone who uses them says they are good.

Shooting and boarding mostly depend on the individual ability and bravery of the soldiers, but ramming tests the strength and structure of the ship itself. Large ships have the advantage of size and have thicker shipboards, which can directly crush small ships. Therefore, how to use your own large ships to crush the opponent's small ships while not being entangled by the opponent's small ships is a test of the command ability of every naval general.

At the same time, ramming is also a tactic that is more efficient and more lethal than shooting and boarding, so each building ship can be said to be a mobile battle fortress, and also a small city that can actively ram people. How to use the building ship well has become a key point in the battle between the two sides.

For the building ship, if you want to have a better collision effect, you must have a certain speed.

If there is no speed, it means being hit in place instead of hitting people.

If you want to have a certain speed, you must have enough acceleration time and acceleration distance, otherwise, no matter how good the ship is, it will be difficult to reach a higher speed, and then it will definitely suffer when facing a faster opponent.

From upstream to downstream, there is a bonus of water flow, but when the warship is turning, the speed is slowed down, so the bonus of water flow is not much for the Sichuan Army, and when the Sichuan Army turns, it is very challenging to operate the ship. Once the helmsman makes a mistake, a chain reaction will occur.

Therefore, Zhou Yu was very happy to see the Sichuan Army's warships turn in battle.

And seeing that the opponent's warships turned together, the probability of error was obviously greater, which made Zhou Yu almost immediately issue an order to strike the Sichuan Army while the Sichuan Army turned and the speed had not yet increased!

The formation of the Jiangdong Army was that the Mengchong boat rushed to the front.

The speed of Mengchong would undoubtedly be much faster than the building ship. These Meng Chong were not intended for ramming, because even if they were equipped with ramming horns, they were no match for the tower ships, and ramming might not cause much damage to the enemy. At the same time, there were not many soldiers on the Meng Chong, and they might not gain any advantage in archery and boarding. Therefore, the purpose of these Meng Chong was to rush into the enemy group, disrupt the enemy's formation, find the right time to send some water ghosts, and cooperate with the front line.

After the Meng Chong in Jiangdong, the main battleships were the ones in the battle.

Learning from the Sichuan-Shu Army's approach, the battleships in the front row of Jiangdong also installed metal rams, and tried to give the Sichuan-Shu Navy a little shock. On the battleships, the Jiangdong Navy soldiers were preparing to draw their bows and crossbows.

Just like land battles, about a hundred steps is the best distance for shooting.

At the same time, the speed of warships is not as fast as that of war horses, so when the two sides are staggered, they can often shoot several rounds of arrows, and there is still a certain amount of preparation time. Therefore, the configuration of bows and crossbows equipped in the navy is often half and half, and even the number of powerful crossbows is more.

All of this was as Zhou Yu expected, and there was no big difference, but soon, Zhou Yu found something wrong...

The speed of the Jiangdong Navy was also not fast!

Then Zhou Yu suddenly remembered, and his body shook!

He neglected it!

This was originally the most basic and simplest problem, but he neglected it!

It's like a chess player who was about to make a brilliant move, but because of a slip of his hand, the chess piece fell on the chessboard...