Chapter 18 Chapter Eighteen

On July 2, at the end of the day, Deng Canglan was listening to reports from the ship supervisors and the artillery battalion general Gan Long who was cooperating with the battle. Suddenly, the golden drums of Wuyang City were beeping, and a fleet came out to challenge. This fleet is very small in number, only a dozen or so ships, all of which are fast ships.When the Dongping navy went out to fight, this fleet did not engage in the battle, and kept out of the range of the broadsides, but it did not retreat, but kept entanglement. It seems that the southern army was conscious that there was no artillery on board, and wanted to lead its own side to the front of their brigade, preparing to use quantity to make up for the lack of accuracy, and used catapults to launch mine bombing attacks.All the boat governors who were attacking thought so, so they didn't chase after him, and only confronted each other at sea.

Fu Yanshu did not attack this time, he stayed on Deng Canglan's ship to watch the battle, seeing this scene, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.Seeing his appearance, Deng Canglan smiled lightly and said, "Yan Shu, have you guessed their intentions?" Fu Yanshu bowed and saluted, "Deng Shuai, Yanshu thought that they must be planning to use snail boats to attack." The snail boats cannot go to sea, so the snail boats of the Dongping Navy did not bring them.But here is near the sea, and the snail boats of the Wuyang Navy can still sail over.Because the artillery fire on the Wuyangshui army ship is not comparable to that of the Dongping navy, in order to equalize this disadvantage, they must be preparing to attack with snail boats. The fleet on the water is nothing more than a feint attack.Deng Canglan nodded and said, "I think so too."

If the Wuyang navy wanted to use snail boats to attack, this time they fell into their own strategy.Deng Canglan was not in a hurry to attack just because he expected that the Wuyang Shui Army would have the advantage of Luozhou.It's like a fist that is retracted to strike a powerful punch, not to hit repeatedly, but no punch hits the real point.He said: "You immediately cooperate with General Gan and give them a big blow." This point has been expected for a long time, so Deng Canglan has already arranged countermeasures.If Wuyang City is attacked head-on by warships, the possibility of success is even greater.If you use a snail boat, you will never return.Fu Yanshu nodded knowingly, bowed again and said, "I obey."

Minglei, you are about to lose another move. You asked for it. Fu Yanshu thought, but felt a little sad.Xuan Minglei is also better than Luozhou, and he is likely to be in the attack array.If he died in this battle, he might not even get his body back.Although Fu Yanshu was somewhat sad in his heart, he still said in a deep voice: "Prepare for deep water mines." Just as Deng Canglan and Fu Yanshu expected, at a depth of two feet below the surface of the sea, Wuyang City's snail boat fleet was sneaking secretly, and Xuan Minglei was also on board one of them.It's just that they didn't want to attack as Deng and Fu estimated, but they were responsible for the second step of Zheng Sichu's plan to hide the truth.

The snail boats cannot stay under the water for too long, they have to come up to the surface to take a breath, so this time there are only two snail boats, and the snail boats are full of carefully selected soldiers.Therefore, although the number of people has been reduced by half, it can still reach the normal speed, and the number of people is reduced by half, and the voyage of stealth is doubled. Although the voyage has doubled, the time is still extremely tight.Although Xuan Minglei is used to using snail boats, his palms are still sweating.While looking ahead through the periscope, he gave orders in a deep voice.

Will Deng Shuai not guard against it?he thought.Luozhou is also the unique secret of the Republican Army, so how to deal with Luozhou is almost never considered by anyone.Generally speaking, to deal with snail boats, stakes are driven into the bottom of the river to stop their journey.But here is the bottom of the sea, and the area is extremely wide. It should be impossible for Deng Shuai to build wooden piles around the water camp.But he will definitely not be caught off guard. What countermeasures will he have? Just thinking about it, a few thin black lines suddenly appeared in the periscope.The periscope is made of crystal grindstone, and the clarity is not very high, but at least you can see outside.And here is the sea, the bottom of the water is much brighter than in the river, so you can see it more clearly, but these black lines are still very blurry.

what is this?Xuan Minglei was startled, and immediately issued an order to stop.He looks a bit bold, but in fact he is as careful as a hair, and he is extremely afraid of Deng Shuai and Fu Yanshu, so he is even more careful.He adjusted the periscope carefully, looking for an angle where he could see more clearly.It can be seen now that there are actually quite a lot of these black lines, densely packed, everywhere, stretching straight up from the bottom of the sea, and still shaking with the current. Is it seaweed? It did look like seaweed, but Xuan Minglei was still quite disturbed.If it's seaweed, it shouldn't come up so straight up.He gave another order to move forward at a slow speed, letting Luozhou approach at half speed, while opening his eyes wide, for fear of missing something.

It's getting closer.Although the periscope is not clear enough, it can still be seen that these black lines seem to be born from the bottom of the sea. It is such a straight line with no side branches, but the top is a round thing, almost floating on the surface of the water. There is no such strange seaweed in the world!Xuan Minglei figured it out instantly, this must be the underwater fortification laid down by Deng Shuai. Those were thin iron chains.The lower end is a weight, and the ball at the upper end must be a float.Wooden piles cannot be drilled on the bottom of the sea, but these iron chains with floats can be dropped at any time, and they are densely distributed in the sea.If Luo Zhou wanted to sail under the northern army's water camp, he would definitely touch these iron chains, and the people on the enemy ship would know immediately that someone was coming from the bottom of the water.

It really deserves to be Shuai Deng.Xuan Minglei clicked his tongue secretly.Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles.Deng Shuai implemented this sentence step by step, leaving no loopholes.It's just that in this way, Zheng Sichu's plan cannot be carried out, and is it necessary to give up all the previous attacks?He pondered for a while, and seeing that he hadn't given an order for a long time, a sailor who was leading the oars couldn't help but said, "Officer Xuan, aren't you moving forward?" The time that Luozhou can stay underwater is limited, and it will definitely surface after a while.If there is too much delay now, and I can't hold back at the bottom of the water, wouldn't I have to surface in the northern camp?At that time, it really became courting death.Xuan Minglei gritted his teeth, and was about to be ordered to move forward recklessly, but swallowed the words back on his lips.

Come on, it's an adventure.If you retreat, all previous efforts will be wasted.Which step is more appropriate?He thought and thought, but couldn't make up his mind.Seeing that Xuan Minglei still didn't issue an order, the sailor said anxiously: "Officer Xuan, if you don't go in, the Deep Sharp will take credit for it." The snail boats of the Dongping Navy start with the character "Qian", while the snail boats of the Wuyang Navy start with the character "Shen".Xuan Minglei commanded the Shenfeng, and the other ship that set off together was the Shenrui, commanding Yue Zhen, the leader of the Luozhou team of the Wuyang Shui Army.The two snail boats set off together, and as long as one of them completes the mission, the trip will be considered a victory. Of course, the sailors of the two boats are also secretly competing.Seeing that Xuan Minglei did not give orders to move forward, the sailor was afraid that the Shenrui might have penetrated into the enemy's formation, and if he waited any longer, the Shenfeng would have to return in vain, so he felt a little anxious.Xuan Minglei said: "Wait a minute."

Let's take a look at the whereabouts of the Deep Sharp first.Even if Deng Shuai knew that there were snail boats sneaking under the water, if he didn't have effective means to deal with it, then it would be okay to try hard this time.Thinking of this, he turned the periscope to observe the whereabouts of the Deep Sharp.After scanning it once, looking from the bottom of the water, I can already see a deep shadow tens of feet away in front of me.Fortunately, the sky is very bright now, otherwise I would not be able to see clearly.The Deep Sharp has now entered the camp of the Northern Army. As expected, the iron chains with floats around them have been shaken by the Deep Sharp like branches in a strong wind.But these thin chains can't do any real damage to Luo Zhou, Yue Zhen may not have discovered it, or he may not care if he finds it. Just as he was thinking, the water wave suddenly sent out a strange fluctuation, and a large group of bubbles appeared at the place of the Deep Sharp.Xuan Minglei couldn't help being startled, and his heart sank for an instant. The Deep Sharp is under attack! He still doesn't know how the Deep Sharp, which was prowling under the sea, was attacked, but it is obvious that it has been caught in an accident.It looked like a thunderbolt exploded underwater.He blinked, and looked again, only to see that the bottom of the water was already covered with dust, and the original Deep Sharp had disappeared. There is no way to fight back!Xuan Minglei's heart sank to the bottom.Deng Shuai is worthy of being Deng Shuai, and he didn't leave a flaw at all.It is absolutely impossible to complete this task with a snail boat.He still didn't give up, fearing that he might be wrong, he was still watching carefully.At this time, the dust had settled down again. Looking over, the straight iron chains were still shaking, but the Deep Sharp had really disappeared.Looking up, I saw a lot of wooden fragments on the sea. The Deep Sharp was destroyed!The dozen or so sailors who descended from Yue Zhen on the snail boat were completely devoid of physiology.Xuan Minglei finally said dejectedly: "Mission failed, return." "Return?" The leading sailor also said that he had heard wrong.Xuan Minglei turned his head and said, "Go back, unless you live enough and want to die." At this time, Fu Yanshu was still carefully observing the movements of the iron-footed wooden goose in the Dongping navy formation. The iron-footed wooden goose was originally a tool used to test the depth of the river bed when the river was opened. Deng Canglan modified it to deal with the snail boats of the Wuyang navy, and spread the iron-footed wooden goose all over the bottom of the water army camp.Fu Yanshu was afraid that some of the enemy's snail boats would still slip through the net, so he commanded the sailors of various departments to patrol with small boats.Because it has been tested many times in advance, if it encounters an ordinary big fish, it will only shake slightly, but the snail boat is much bigger than any fish, and the wooden goose shakes much more, which is very obvious.After looking around for a while, there was still nothing unusual, so it was confirmed that there was really only one snail boat rushing in. After finishing his inspection, he went back to pay the order.After boarding Deng Canglan's ship, the fleet of the Wuyang Shui Army has also retreated, and the commanders of the ships who are attacking are paying orders.Fu Yanshu bowed to Deng Canglan and said, "Shuai Deng, Yanshu pays the order." Deng Canglan said: "Did the deep water thunder make a contribution?" Fu Yanshu said: "Yes." The deep water mine was also newly built under the order of Deng Canglan himself. At first Fu Yanshu was somewhat worried about it, but the actual combat proved that the deep water mine is indeed the nemesis of Luo Zhou.At the beginning, he was still a little puzzled when Deng Shuai ordered the development of this kind of war tool against Luozhou, because Luozhou was the unique secret of the Republican Army, and he could not use it against himself if he built deep-water mines?At that time, Deng Canglan said to him that everything in the world is born and restrained by each other, and there cannot be one thing that dominates.If the snail boat is running across the bottom of the water, if it is invincible, it is actually not good for itself, because the enemy may also create this kind of battle equipment.It is better to be the first to own and plan for a rainy day than to dig a well when you are thirsty.This was said two years ago, but I didn't expect it to come true so soon. Now, probably the great rule is invincible in the world, and one person dominates.Fu Yanshu suddenly thought a little self-deprecatingly. Although he broke through an enemy attack, Deng Canglan was still a little displeased, and said in a deep voice, "Yan Shu, take away the enemy's dead bodies, send someone back, and let them be buried in the ground." Fu Yanshu didn't say anything, just said: "Yes." It was Deng Canglan's benevolence to return the enemy's dead bodies, but when Tan Wantong received the dead bodies sent by the envoys of the Northern Army, his eyes burst into flames.Suppressing the anger in his heart, he sent away the envoy of the northern army, and he returned to the camp. Now in the navy camp, the three main generals of the navy, Zheng Sichu, Xuan Minglei and Cui Wangxiang, have gathered together.This step has failed, but the strategy still needs to be implemented, and remedial measures must be devised as soon as possible.The water battalion of the Northern Army was guarded like an iron bucket, and the bottom of the water could not be reached. Could it be that only the airship team was used?It's just that the airship team has already used the airship to lure the enemy. If they use the airship now, it will definitely arouse Deng Canglan's suspicion.They thought for a long time, but they couldn't think of a perfect solution. Zheng Sichu's strategy is one step after another. If this step cannot be carried out, then the next step will not be carried out.They thought for a long time, but still didn't have a good idea.On the contrary, Xuan Minglei said that the northern army had mines that could explode underwater, and even if they used the snail boat team to attack hard, they would never return this time. "Probably the only way to make a snail boat out of iron." After Xuan Minglei finished speaking, he sighed like this.However, using iron to make snail boats is impossible with the current technology. Everyone knows that this is just an angry statement.After discussing until it was dark, Xuan Minglei suddenly clapped his hands and shouted: "If you can't sneak under the water, then do it from the surface!" Zheng Sichu said: "Why do you do it forcefully? If you didn't rush into their formation, their broadsides beat you like a sieve." "What if they were forced not to use the broadside?" Tan Wantong was surprised: "Why don't they use broadsides? We don't dare to get too close today. If we get close, they will definitely fire all kinds of guns." Xuan Minglei smiled and said, "That means you want to use battleships to attack. What if you want to challenge them one-on-one?" When these words came out, Zheng Sichu was also taken aback.In naval battles, of course there are also hand-to-hand battles, but that kind of situation is quite rare, and it is often when the battle is at its peak.Cui Wangxiang said: "Will they accept it?" "Fu Luzi is arrogant and arrogant, and Deng Shuai is also a bit hypocritical. I used a fast boat to charge the formation. They thought it was useless to use broadside guns, so they definitely didn't bother to use broadside guns. I just need to rush into their formation. It's not true." One has to fight them head-to-head." Tan Wantong was about to talk about how to do this, but Zheng Sichu murmured: "Perhaps, this is the best way right now. Brother Xuan, I will go with you tomorrow." Xuan Minglei grinned and said, "You go? Brother Zheng, it's not that I look down on you. If you go, you will only get in the way." Now Zheng Sichu is quite proficient in practicing on the springboard, but in fact, he doesn't get in the way too much.But he is the one who decides the overall plan, Tan Wantong also said: "Brother Zheng, you don't want to go, it's better for me and Brother Xuan to go." If you go one-on-one in this way, even if you don't die, there is a high possibility of being captured alive.Xuan Minglei said: "You don't have to go. If I go, he will think that I am desperate and want to put all my eggs in one basket. If you go, it will make Deng Shuai suspicious." Zheng Sichu knew that what Xuan Minglei said was also true.He nodded and said, "It's just, Brother Xuan, what if you are caught by them?" Xuan Minglei smiled again and said, "I won't be caught." Tan Wantong and Cui Wangxiang looked at Xuan Minglei with respect in their eyes.What Zheng Sichu meant was that if Xuan Minglei was captured alive, if he could not stand the torture and confessed his plan, then Wuyang City would really have no chance of winning.But Xuan Minglei said that he would rather die than be captured alive.It's just that the possibility of him escaping back is too slim, so he can be said to die without a doubt.Zheng Sichu couldn't help smiling wryly in his heart, and thought: I don't want to use dead men, but it seems that Brother Xuan still has to be a dead man. Xuan Minglei was still afraid that Zheng Sichu would stop him, so he said to Tan Wan, "Brother Tan, you go and recruit some people who dare to die. But you also have to explain to them that Deng Shuai is not a villain, and he probably won't tell them It's hard to stay." They all understood what Xuan Minglei meant.When Xuan Minglei felt that he couldn't escape and committed suicide in the enemy's formation, Deng Canglan, the other soldiers, would not stay in trouble and would let them back.But this actually means that Xuan Minglei himself has made the determination to die.Zheng Sichu felt an indescribable pain in his heart, stood up and said, "Brother Xuan..." Xuan Minglei said: "I've made up my mind, there's no need to say more, I'm going to rest early tonight, if you have anything to say, let's talk about it when I leave tomorrow." He had already chased away the guests with his words, Tan Wantong and Cui Wangxiang admired him even more, stood up together, bowed to him and said: "Brother Xuan, the nobles in the world, the king is the leader." Among the three masters of water and sky, Ji Cen had already died in battle.Originally, the three were headed by Tan Wantong, but now the two of them have made Xuan Minglei one of the three heroes, and they are willing to let Xuan Minglei be the head—as long as Xuan Minglei can come back. On July 3rd, Shen Shizheng. With the sound of a trumpet, more than ten warships of the Wuyang Shui Army sailed out of the port.The Dongping navy was used to this kind of harassment from Wuyang City. When soldiers came to block them, the Dongping navy also sent more than ten ships to fight. It must be the same as before, staying out of range and not daring to advance, just wanting to lure the enemy.As long as they don't enter and block the port, the Dongping navy will win.All the boat governors who attacked by the Dongping navy thought so.But this time it was a bit different. Although the Wuyang Shuijun stopped outside the range, a moon-level clipper was launched among them.On the sail of this fast boat, the word "to wait" is written on one side, and the word "Master" is written on the other side. "Waiting for Master"? Before the boat governors of the Dongping Navy understood the meaning of these four words, the fast boat was approaching, and a man on the deck was wearing soft armor and holding a sharp knife, and shouted loudly: "Xuan Minglei is here, just ask for help." Meet Deng Shuai!" Although the moon-class warship is fast, its hull is too small to hold a catapult at all.Seeing that Xuan Minglei wanted to see Deng Shuai, the governors of Zhuzhou asked Deng Canglan for orders to see if Xuan Minglei would be sunk.The reply came quickly, saying to let him in and see what he had to say. There are more than a dozen people on the moon-level warship, and it is basically used as a scout patrol in naval battles. It can't hold anything at all, and there is no need to worry that Xuan Minglei will risk his life to blow up the ship.After hearing the order, the governors of the boats made way for Xuan Minglei to pass. This man is here to die. Everyone thinks so.Xuan Minglei was originally a member of the Dongping Navy, and his reputation was not small. They all knew the relationship between Xuan Minglei and Deng Shuai.Perhaps, after Xuan Minglei rebelled, he felt that he had nowhere to go, so he came to plead guilty to Deng Shuai, and maybe he wanted to turn against him again.Among the ten governors of Dongping boat, seven or eight thought so, but Fu Yanshu didn't believe that Xuan Minglei would come to surrender at all. Although Xuan Minglei would not come to surrender, he really wanted to know the reason for Xuan Minglei's rebellion.There was no sign of Xuan Minglei's rebellion, and it was never heard that he had any contact with Zheng Zhao's family. Why was he willing to give up his bright future in the Republican Army and flee with the Zheng family.After reporting to Deng Canglan, Fu Yanshu greeted him in a snow-class warship. The Snow-class warship is a third-class warship, much taller than the Moon-class warship.Fu Yanshu waited until the warship approached Xuan Minglei's ship, walked to the bow by himself, and shouted loudly: "The anti-thief Xuan Minglei!" His voice was clear and clear, and he spoke loudly.Xuan Minglei looked up and saw Fu Yanshu wearing a white battle armor, shining brightly in the setting sun.Holding the knife in both hands, he cupped his hands and said, "Brother Fu." Although he and Fu Yanshu are from the same family, they have always been at odds, and they can't speak a few words when they meet, and Xuan Minglei always calls him "Fu Luzi" behind his back, Fu Yanshu also knows.Seeing that he is still polite now, Fu Yanshu returned the salute and said, "Xuan Minglei, what do you have to say?" Xuan Minglei said: "I want to see Deng Shuai, and I have something to say." Fu Yanshu snorted and said, "If you have anything to say, it's just as normal to tell me." Xuan Minglei laughed and said, "I have nothing to say to you, Fu Luzi. If you don't want me to see Deng Shuai, just hit him with a cannon. Xuan Minglei is here, and he will be a good man in twenty years. .” He had sounded like a rascal, Fu Yanshu felt annoyed, and thought: Do you really think I can't order the firing?At this distance, it is really not easy for the broadside to hit Xuan Minglei, but he is already in the formation of our own army, and the collision will smash him to pieces, it is a bit invincible.He turned his head and said to the messenger behind him: "Ask Shuai Deng for instructions, Xuan Minglei will definitely see him." The flag was sent out, but only a moment later, the response came: "Let him come over." Deng Shuai also wanted to ask him why he rebelled.Fu Yanshu thought to himself, knowing that when he asked him, Xuan Minglei would not say anything.Xuan Minglei said that he has a donkey temper, but in fact Xuan Minglei himself has an even worse donkey temper, and has a bit of a desperado habit.Anyway, now that our own side has surrounded him, he can't get out even if he lives or dies.So he ordered to make way for Xuan Minglei to come in. Seeing Fu Yanshu get out of the way, Xuan Minglei laughed again, and said loudly: "Fu Luzi, how is little junior sister?" Fu Yanshu was even more annoyed when he heard that he was talking about junior sister, so he ignored him and stepped off the bow.Xuan Minglei didn't think it was disobedient, so he sailed the boat into the formation. I didn't expect it to be so easy.At the beginning he said that Deng Shuai was a bit of hypocrisy, but in fact he admired Deng Canglan very much, and now he is even more so.But getting in is easy and getting out is hard, Xuan Minglei turned his head and said to the sailor behind him who was paddling his oars: "Work harder, don't let people underestimate you!" These sailors were all carefully selected, each of them was powerful and courageous, but now that they entered the enemy's ten thousand army formation, they were also a little bit weak in fright.Hearing what Xuan Minglei said, these people thought: Officer Xuan is not afraid, we are just soldiers, what are we afraid of.After thinking about it, everyone tried their best. This warship was already fast, but now it is even faster. In front is Deng Canglan's ship, Yaoguang.The Yaoguang is a gigantic ship, more than forty feet long and twenty feet wide. Compared with Xuan Minglei's moon-class battleship, such a colossus is almost in the sky and the other in the ground.Xuan Minglei let his boat approach the Yaoguang before stopping.The deck of the Yaoguang is more than two feet high out of the water. Looking at it from Xuan Minglei's side, it's the same as looking up at it, almost the same as looking at the top of the city from the bottom of the city. Deng Canglan stepped onto the bow.Looking at the proud disciple below, Deng Canglan felt a strange feeling in his heart. Xuan Minglei and Fu Yanshu, two disciples with completely different personalities, were the two he admired the most in his life.He even wanted to recruit Xuan Minglei as his son-in-law, but now it's impossible.He said loudly: "Ming Lei, don't come here unharmed." Xuan Minglei also saw Deng Canglan stepping onto the bow.Looking up, Deng Canglan looked aloof, yet so peaceful.Xuan Minglei bowed deeply while holding the saber, and said loudly, "Master." To others, he can be arrogant and show no manners, but to Deng Canglan, he never dared to lose half of his manners.Even though he is now an enemy, in Wuyang City, when he mentioned Deng Canglan, he always referred to him as "Deng Shuai".Deng Canglan looked at Xuan Minglei, sighed slightly, and said, "Minglei, why did you rebel against the Republic?" Xuan Minglei said: "Master, Minglei never rebelled, it was the great rule that deviated from the republic." The patriarchy deviates from the republic?Deng Canglan didn't speak.No one knew what the republic looked like before, but it is also a fact that the republic has been thriving over the years under the great rule.Although it is not a paradise on earth, it is true that the national power of the republic is far greater than that of the former empire, and the people live and work in peace and contentment far more than in the empire.It's just that Deng Canglan didn't want to talk about it, he just said: "Everyone sticks to his words, the benevolent sees benevolence, and the wise sees wisdom. Minglei, come back, I guarantee you will be fine." Deng Shuai still wants to recall himself to his subordinates until now!Xuan Minglei almost shed tears.He couldn't believe the words of others, but he knew that if Deng Canglan said it, there would be no mistakes.Even if he committed a heinous crime, if Deng Shuai wanted to protect himself, he would definitely be fine.However, Deng Shuai didn't know that it was impossible for him to turn back.He smiled and said loudly: "Thank you, Master, for your kindness, but Minglei has something to hide, so I can't obey." Deng Canglan snorted and shouted, "What's the unspeakable secret?" "Excuse me, I haven't been able to tell you yet." Seeing that he was still unwilling to turn around, Deng Canglan felt more and more sad.What secret does Xuan Minglei have, that he is determined to follow Wuyang City to the end?he does not know.Maybe, everyone has secrets, don't you also have secrets?But even if he can understand, but Xuan Minglei said so, he can't say anything more, just said: "Minglei, you have made up your mind?" Holding a sharp knife in his hand, Xuan Minglei suddenly cut off the cable at the bow of the boat, and said loudly: "Minglei has made up his mind, and the rope is like this." After the cable was cut, it slipped into the sea.Looking at the half-cut rope at the bow, Deng Canglan felt that the last ties between him and this disciple had also been severed by him.He said coldly: "Then, Minglei, what exactly is your intention in coming here?" Xuan Minglei hugged the knife and said, "I want to fight." Deng Canglan was a little surprised, and said, "A battle? How do you want to fight?" "Ming Lei is willing to fight head-to-head with Brother Fu, fight hand-to-hand, and die with no regrets." Fu Yanshu was on the nearby warship, and he had already heard Xuan Minglei's challenge.He was furious in his heart, and thought: So you are a broken pot, relying on your sword skills, do you want to fight me? The two of them were under Deng Canglan's sect, during military exercises, he won more than he lost, but he also knew that Xuan Minglei had profound attainments in swordsmanship and fists.If we only talk about sword skills, probably even Deng Shuai may not be his opponent.However, there is a saying in the art of war that a general does not show the courage of a man.The generals of both sides have very few opportunities to decide the outcome with courage, especially when the enemy is at a disadvantage and proposes a one-on-one fight, it would be foolish to agree.Sure enough, Deng Canglan was also a little displeased, and said in a deep voice: "Minglei, don't you forget how brave you are for a general? Even if you can beat Yanshu with a bare blade, so what?" Xuan Minglei laughed loudly and said: "It's not for what, but if you can't overwhelm brother Fu, Minglei will die like this, and he will feel unwilling." Hearing this, Fu Yanshu felt even more annoyed, thinking: It seems that you think that you are actually above me, but I am bullying others. Do you really think I am afraid of you?Although Xuan Minglei's swordsmanship is excellent, individual combat is also a compulsory course for generals. Fu Yanshu's own swordsmanship is also quite good, not much inferior to Xuan Minglei's.Hearing what Xuan Minglei said, he was so angry that he almost asked Deng Canglan for orders to continue.Unexpectedly, before he could speak, a loud shout came from a warship next to him: "Bravely rebel! Deng Shuai, the last general Lidong begged for his life, and vowed to kill this beast!" Yu Lidong, the boat governor of the Split Wind.This person is famous for his bravery in the Dongping Navy. When Xuan Minglei was still training in the Dongping Navy, he once had a sword fight with him. At that time, the two ended in a tie.Just because he had fought against Xuan Minglei before, he knew that the enemy could beat him in hand-to-hand combat, so he asked for orders to fight.Xuan Minglei heard Yu Lidong's request to fight, but he was crying in his heart, thinking: What do you want to kill from the diagonal stab?I was only advancing with retreat, and if Deng Shuai refused, I would resign. When he came out, he spoke impassionedly, and this trip was indeed a disaster, but Xuan Minglei was not a desperado after all.He had decided that Deng Canglan would have a peaceful mind, and would not insist on taking his own life in such a matter, as long as he prevented him from capturing him alive.Anyway, now that the mission has been completed, if you say a few polite words to freeze Deng Shuai and let him let him go, this trip will be regarded as a complete success.Unexpectedly, Yu Lidong jumped out and threw a horizontal bar. Before he could speak, Deng Canglan laughed loudly: "General Yu is very good at fighting, so let's go and learn from each other. Click it as soon as possible." Deng Shuai is trying to capture me! Xuan Minglei's heart is bright.Although Deng Canglan was peaceful in heart, he did not indulge himself unprincipled.It would be easy for all the generals to gather and capture him alive, but Deng Canglan couldn't say that.But Yu Lidong asked for his order on his own, and he just took advantage of the situation and agreed.I'm afraid that even if he repelled Yu Lidong, someone will come forward next, and he must be exhausted and captured alive. Master is not so hypocritical. Xuan Minglei was already crying secretly, but he said: "Brother Yu wants to give advice, that's of course good. However, Brother Yu rushed too fast, I'm afraid that the success of capturing Xuan Minglei alive will be passed on to the latecomers." Yu Lidong's nature is like a raging fire. Hearing Xuan Minglei say that he is sure to lose, he was even more annoyed, and shouted: "I can't catch you, so go back!" Fu Yanshu knew what the master meant, but Yu Lidong said it first, and he was also complaining in his heart, scolding: "Yu Lidong, what are you talking about?" He was about to say that even if Yu Lidong lost, he would Step up to the challenge.My own reputation is trivial, capturing Xuan Minglei is enough to comfort my master, but Deng Canglan said: "Minglei, if General Yu can't keep you, then go." Fu Yanshu was stunned when he heard it, and thought: Deng Shuai is still soft-hearted!To kill Xuan Minglei was really effortless, all the boats around him had to shoot ten thousand arrows at once, and they didn't even need to use broadsides if they had to shoot him riddled with holes.He knew that Deng Canglan saw Xuan Minglei's arrogance, and he still couldn't bear to think of what happened to him under his sect.Thinking of this, Fu Yanshu's heart softened a little, and he thought: Actually, didn't I also soften my heart that time at sea?If Lidong can fight too hard, let him go, anyway, he just lives a few more days. Xuanming's talent for thunder and water warfare is indeed rare.But no matter how powerful he is, he is still only one person. Now that the Dongping navy has firmly suppressed the Wuyang navy, whether Xuan Minglei lives or dies has nothing to do with the overall situation of the battle.Thinking of this, he stopped talking, just stood on the bow of the boat, watching Yu Lidong going to fight Xuan Minglei. Yu Lidong's ship is also a snow-class battleship, much larger than Xuan Minglei's ship.He didn't want to take advantage of this, and changed to a moon-class warship that was comparable to Xuan Minglei's ship.The two boats gradually approached, Xuan Minglei saw Yu Lidong standing on the bow of the boat with a long knife in his hand, and thought to himself: "Old Yu is not small, so he is not easy to deal with."You can't kill him, otherwise they will share the same hatred and must kill me to vent their anger.Having made up his mind, he held a sword in his hand, put his feet firmly on the deck, and quietly watched Yu Lidong approach. The two warships were getting closer.It was the first time that this was a one-on-one battle on the water, but the surrounding warships calmed down, and they all watched intently.At this time, the ships of the Wuyang City Navy's attacking ships were still confronting the Dongping Navy, and Tan Wan was standing on the same boat. He couldn't see what was going on in the opponent's formation here, and he was already very anxious, so he whispered to Zheng Sichu who was beside him. : "Brother Zheng, is Brother Xuan okay?" Zheng Sichu couldn't guess what happened to Xuan Minglei in the opponent's formation, so he just whispered: "Wait and see." Xuan Minglei is naturally more ominous than ominous, but he is not really going to fight the opponent to the death.He knew that Xuan Minglei seemed rough and bold, but he was actually extremely delicate, otherwise Deng Canglan wouldn't appreciate him so much.Xuan Minglei's trip is to complete a part of his plan, and he can come out as long as it is completed.Based on the relationship between Xuan Minglei and Deng Canglan, Deng Canglan is very likely to let him retreat unscathed.It's just a calculation, it should have come out now, but I don't know why it hasn't come out yet.Although he said to wait and see what happened, he was anxious, and it was not under Tan Wantong. At this moment, there was a thunderous cheer from the Dongping navy formation.Hearing the cheers, Zheng Sichu's face changed, and he said in a low voice: "That's bad! Brother Xuan, I'm afraid something is wrong!" The enemy is cheering, Xuan Minglei is in trouble.A dark cloud also appeared on Tan Wantong's face, and he murmured, "I wonder if Brother Xuan has completed the task." Xuan Minglei's life was 90% out of ten.But as long as he completes the task, his death in battle is worth it.They were discussing, when a sailor shouted, "They're back! They're back!" Zheng Sichu and Tan Wantong took a step forward at the same time, and saw that the fast boat galloped out of the naval formation on the opposite side.Looking from a distance, it was impossible to see whether Xuan Minglei was still on the boat.Maybe, Xuan Minglei was dead, or captured alive, but these sailors were released by Deng Canglan?They all had this idea, but a sharp-eyed sailor shouted, "Officer Xuan is on board! He's on board!" The boat was approaching, this time Tan Wantong and Zheng Sichu had also seen that Xuan Minglei was still on board.Xuan Minglei leaned on the mast, originally he was wearing dark soft armor, but this time the soft armor turned red, dripping with blood.Tan Wantong was impatient, and shouted: "Receive the Xuan staff officer, come over and return to the army immediately!" When Xuan Minglei came up to him, his face was as white as paper, and even his lips lost all blood.As soon as they boarded their big boat, the Wuyang City Navy turned around and went back.The Dongping navy did not pursue, but also returned to the team.Both Tan Wantong and Zheng Sichu were worried about Xuan Minglei, as soon as he was picked up on the boat, they both went up to greet him and shouted, "Brother Xuan!" Xuan Minglei could barely stand up, and had to be supported by two sailors, one on the left and one on the right.Seeing Zheng Sichu and Tan Wantong, he smiled lightly and said, "Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life." Comrade Tan Wan said: "Go and treat him quickly!" But when he looked closely, he saw that the wound on Xuan Minglei's shoulder had already been bandaged.Xuan Minglei said: "Skin injuries, it's okay." On the way back, Xuan Minglei passed out.The sailor general who went with him told them about it, but it was Yu Lidong who challenged Xuan Minglei.The two fought hand-to-hand on the deck. Although Yu Lidong didn't know Xuan Minglei's Zhanying Dao and Zhan Tiequan, his sword skills were extremely good, and his strength was even higher than Xuan Minglei's.After repeated attacks, Xuan Minglei was defeated, and after a long battle, Yu Lidong was stabbed in the shoulder, but Xuan Minglei also grabbed Yu Lidong's back and put the knife on the back of Lidong's neck.With this knife, Yu Lidong was going to be decapitated, but Xuan Minglei sighed and said: "The love of fellow robes will never be forgotten. Who will come next?" At this time, he was seriously injured, even if he was an ordinary The sailor's response to the battle could have cost him his life.Seeing that Xuan Minglei let Yu Lidong go, even though everyone knew that he was retreating to advance in exchange for his own life, all the generals of the Dongping Navy were also moved by his bravery and treated him as a "comrade in the same robe". My love, I will never forget it." This sentence also has a lot of sympathy, and no one wants to come forward.It was Yu Lidong who also took out Jinchuang medicine and applied it on Xuan Minglei, and then went back to ask Deng Canglan for the crime of defeat.The result was that although Xuan Minglei was dying in an instant, the Dongping Navy still let him out. After hearing what the sailor said, both Zheng Sichu and Tan Wantong were deeply moved.If Dongping Wuyang's hostile stance was not taken into account, Deng Canglan's men were truly worthless, and all of them were elite soldiers worthy of respect.After returning home, Zheng Sichu, Tan Wantong and Cui Wangxiang thanked Xuan Minglei for giving up his life to complete the task that night. The three of them stayed with him all night outside the house where he was recuperating and never left.In the middle of the night, Xuan Minglei woke up.As soon as he woke up, the three rushed to see him. Xuan Minglei was seriously injured, but he was in good spirits, as long as they went back to rest. 离开了宣鸣雷住处，郑司楚和谈晚同崔王祥走在一处。一出门，谈晚同便叹道：“真是君子可欺之以方。郑兄，我怎么越来越有种对邓帅的不忍之心了。” 如果不是邓沧澜的大度，宣鸣雷完成任务的可能性几乎没有，生还的指望更是微乎其微。郑司楚苦笑道：“两军交战，无所不用其极，想当滥好人，就是把脑袋送给对方。” 崔王祥道：“是啊。谈兄，不要忘了阿纪的事。” 纪岑在海上伏击补给船，傅雁书动手时也丝毫没有留情，纪岑尸骨不还。谈晚同道：“是。只是这战事，唉，我怎么觉得越来越觉得毫无意义。” 郑司楚不禁苦笑。的确，他也觉得这战事毫无意义。从个人的人品来说，邓沧澜以降北军将领，只怕全都是豪勇仁义的战将。就在几年前，东平水军和五羊水军若有交流，双方将领亦是言谈甚欢，可一旦敌对了，又都是毫不留情地要取对方性命。 这就是战争吗？he thought.不知为什么，又想起老师曾对他说过的那句话：将者，不失仁者之心。 要保持仁者之心，可真是难。he thought. 由于宣鸣雷的努力，郑司楚所定瞒天过海之计第二步也顺利完成了。到了七月五日凌晨，从北面海上来了一艘大渔船，被东平水军截住。 傅雁书听得这艘大渔船自称是五羊城的，亲自过来盘查。他心思细密，察颜观色，见船上的十几个人个个身体黝黑，手上遍是老茧，却不是握惯武器生出的老茧。他盘查了一阵，见并没有可疑之处，便问道：“老乡，你们为何现在才回来？难道不知五羊城已有战事？” 那些渔民互相看了看，一个老者上前道：“长官，我们真个不知。一个月前出海，看到有个地方海蟹多得都叠了起来，就想多捉些回来好卖大价钱。你看看，好犀利！船上都快装不下了。” 船舱里也真个装满了海蟹，并无他物。傅雁书心想：战事真是无意义，害得这些老实巴交的渔民也要血本无归。只是身为军官，执行的是封海之命，就算他同情这些渔民也无计可施，便道：“老乡，眼下不成，不能回五羊城了。你们北上吧，去刺桐港卸货，那边还没事。” 一听要去刺桐港，那些渔民都叫了起来，说刺桐港还有十几天路程，海蟹运到这儿已经不容易，在船上再呆十几天非全臭了不可。那老者也苦着脸道：“长官，你们打仗归打仗，我们打渔的靠海吃饭，要是这船蟹死光了，今年下半年怎么活？还求你发发善心，让我们过去吧。” 傅雁书听他们说得可怜，心头已有些松动，暗想：这些渔民也没什么可疑，真要他们去刺桐港，只怕这一船蟹真个要死得七七八八。只是不管怎么说，军命难违，他想了想道：“这样吧，此事我也不好自专，还去请示一下元帅再说。” 那老者见他说要请示元帅，苦着脸道：“长官，你不好做主吗？那去请示吧。多呆一阵，这蟹要多死几只了。”有些渔民脾气不好，更在骂骂咧咧。 傅雁书忖道：这一时半会儿的，会多死几只蟹？只是邓沧澜治军严整，向来秋毫无犯，他更是个模范军官，虽然这些渔民说话不好听，他仍是和颜悦色。上了邓沧澜的座舰，他向邓沧澜禀报此事，邓沧澜沉吟半晌，道：“真是渔民？” 傅雁书道：“应该是。我问了问，他们说得头头是道，不是老于船上真正的渔民，是答不上来的。” 邓沧澜想了想，又道：“纵是渔民，也难免会是细作。既然封了海，就不能放出一个漏洞。” 傅雁书心下一凛，忖道：邓帅说得是。就算他们真是渔民，现在战事连绵，也只能狠狠心了。但要狠心让这些渔民血本无归，他仍是有点不忍心，便道：“邓帅，能不能……” 邓沧澜道：“什么？” 傅雁书道：“邓帅，我想我军在海上反正也要补给，就不妨向这些渔民将这些海蟹收买下来，也好给军中弟兄们改善一下伙食，如此岂非一举两得？” 买些海蟹充作军粮，虽然有点异想天开，倒也不是不可行。邓沧澜笑道：“这样便是最好。你去吧，不用太苛刻了，价钱上给他们多一点也无妨，他们出海捕鱼亦不容易。” 傅雁书见这事完满解决，大感快慰，便回到渔船上。此时那老者还在等着，见他回来，便上前道：“长官，能让我们过去吗？” 傅雁书道：“元帅有令，封海之际，一律不得放行。” 一听不得放行，这些渔民又鼓噪起来，傅雁书伸手止住他们的鼓噪道：“我们也知道诸位老乡辛苦，所以就干脆将你们一船之蟹都买下来。老乡，请你报个价吧。” 这话一出，这些渔民全都不说了，看着那老者。那老者看了看傅雁书，显然也不曾想到傅雁书有这提议。半晌，忽然一口痰吐在甲板上，骂道：“你们吃得起吗？” 傅雁书听他出言不逊，不由一楞，心想：你这人脾气真够坏的，大概以为我要压价买你的蟹。他陪着笑道：“老乡，您误会了，我是说由您开价，您说多少就是多少。” 谁知他说得客气，那老者更为恼怒，指着傅雁书道：“丢你妈！你们这些北佬，来我们五羊城舞刀弄枪，还想吃老子的蟹？老子就是死也不卖给你们！” 傅雁书见自己一番好心反被这老者一顿破口大骂，不由觉得委屈。只是他仍是赔着笑道：“若老乡不卖，那也无妨，去刺桐港发卖便是。” 老者听了更是跳脚骂道：“刺桐刺桐，运到刺桐，一船臭蟹卖给谁去？”他转身对别的渔民道，“把船卸了，全丢到海里，就当放生了，也不给丢他妈的北佬吃！” 这老者脾气如此之坏，傅雁书当真始料未及。待见他们果然把一船海蟹卸进了海里，看着那些肥肥大大的海蟹八爪爬挲，全都没入海水，周围水兵不由暗咽口水，心道：打上来也不容易，能卖给我们有多好。可是这些渔民死也不卖，东平水军治军又是严厉，谁也不敢阻止。等这些渔民卸完了蟹，那老者还在骂骂咧咧，说道：“叫你吃！叫你吃！长官，你要跟我们一块儿去刺桐港不成？” 对这些渔民的强项，傅雁书心中实是颇为恼怒。但他深知军令森严，自己也不能真个把他们如何，只是陪着笑道：“老乡，那请自便。但请不要回五羊城，否则就不要怪我军不客气。” 丢完了蟹，那些渔民骂骂咧咧地掉头北去，定然暂居闽榕省去了。傅雁书要防的是这些渔民是五羊城派出的耳目，回去定要报信，见他们既然转道北上，便概不留难。 这件事只算得一个小插曲，但就算邓沧澜和傅雁书，也猜不出这其实是郑司楚计策中至关重要的第三步。 第一步，是反间计，借秦融之口来欺敌，让东平水军将押舱沙包搬上甲板，全力防御空中攻势，第二步便是宣鸣雷的冲阵。本来郑司楚计划是用螺舟潜入东平水军脚下，在邓沧澜的中军下定位，但邓沧澜用铁脚木鹅守住了阵势，螺舟无法进入，所以宣鸣雷只得孤注一掷。他真正的用意，正是在邓沧澜的座舰前砍断的那根缆绳。 看去只是平平常常的缆绳，其实水底系着的是一块足有数百斤重的极大米糕。米糕为蟹类喜食，渔民捕蟹就都用米糕为饵，郑司楚小时住五羊城，也曾经带块米糕去海边钓蟹玩。用线丢一块米糕下去，捞下来就是好几只海蟹。宣鸣雷将米糕沉到了邓沧澜座舰之下，正是为的是引诱海蟹过来。只是近海的海蟹越来越少，因此郑司楚早在那一回伏击队出发之后就已着手此事，交待了一批渔民出海捕蟹，要他们尽量多在海上逗留，非要七月之后方归。因为他算定，邓沧澜在六月底应该能够抵达五羊城，这个时间一定要拿捏住，不能早也不能晚。 海蟹是为了定位。因为接下来的第四步，乃是最关键和最艰难的一步。在东平水军未至之时，海面如此宽广，谁也说不清他们会在何方海域扎营，只有等他们到了扎下了营，才能实行下一步。七月五日晚开始，每天入暮，五羊水军开始了连番攻击。这次的攻击目的只是吸引北军注意力，不让他们注意身下，但攻击仍是扎扎实实。就在水面激战的同时，五羊城螺舟队尽数出发，在水底潜行到东平水军阵前。 这是最难的一步。五羊城地气和暖，竹子生得又粗又大，郑司楚已经准备了大量粗竹，将竹节打通，外面再缠以带胶布匹防裂，成了无数水管。这些管子由螺舟队拖至海底，再由水鬼队铺设成长长一根。因为五羊城紧贴大海，渔业极为发达，陈虚心当初曾将螺舟改良，建成一种螺屋。这种螺屋下设出水口，渔民可在水底出入，相当于在水底设了个换气的点，这样大大增加捕捞效率。郑司楚在展示厅看到这螺屋时，便想到了可用于此计，这样水鬼在水下作业，就可以直接在水下换气，不必浮出水面。但饶是如此，此行仍是既危险又艰难。从七月五日开始，距东平水军大阵三百步外开始铺设，水鬼队全力出动，至七月八日，铺到了东平水军阵下。 接下来就越发艰难，因为不论是螺舟和螺屋，被东平水军的铁脚木鹅挡住，都不能进入，水鬼队只有从阵外换气，然后轻身游过去。这一趟真是艰辛无比，数百水鬼队脚绑重物，在海底拖着竹管潜行，又不能被上面的东平水军发觉，不然深水雷就要投下来了。直到七月十五日，才铺成了五条通道。本来郑司楚想铺七条，但水鬼队损失实在太大，有气憋不上来，活活溺死海底的，这十天作业，五百水鬼队竟然损失了一百余人，而且时间也将要来不及了。海面上这等交战，本来只为吸引对方注意力，可战事却不由人控制，越打越激烈，海面战舰还不能随意脱身，结果虽然互有伤亡，但五羊水军的损失要大得多。 七月十五日，郑司楚决定，就以这五条通道对接，接下来便等着天时相助，发动最后一波攻势了。 这也是决战的时刻。