Chapter 40 Chapter 40 The Battle of Dongting

Thirty-eight large and small ships headed upstream from Wuchang to Yuezhou Prefecture. Before arriving at the majestic Chibi Mountain in the northeast of Jiayu, they passed through more than ten large towns along the river, including Hanyang, Jinri, Dongjiang, and Xintan. . Going southwest from here, the Yangtze River passes through Jiayu, Shitoukou Town, Honghumo, Tinglanji, Linxiang, Bailuoji, Daorenji, Chenglingji, Baling, and finally to Yuezhou Prefecture, before pouring into the vast expanse of blue waves. Inside Dongting Lake. The mainstream of the Yangtze River comes from the west, flows north of Dongting Lake, and connects to the main waterway leading to Dongting at Daorenji and Chenglingji, two large towns in the northwest of Yuezhou.Therefore, Yuezhou Mansion is tightly holding the throat of the Yangtze River to Dongting, and this time the Nujiao Gang's victory over Yuezhou Mansion is really the key to victory, Qi Tai can't just sit idly by.

Dongting is not only the largest lake in China, but also a gathering place for all the rivers in the south of the Yangtze River. If the supplies are to be transported to the capital, most of them have to pass through Dongting, and then go to Yuezhou Prefecture to enter the Yangtze River, or take the time-consuming Huarong River. There are many waterways, so Dongting is actually the heart hub of waterway transportation, connecting the east, west, north and south waterways, and it is a battleground for military strategists. Xu Yeyue and others were admiring the majestic scenery of Chibi Mountain, and when they were full of admiration, Han Bai and Feng Xinglie slipped out of the main cabin where they were discussing, and came to accompany the ladies.

Although it was sailing against the current, it was with the wind, so the boat was traveling very fast. From time to time along the way, it encountered warships carrying the flags of the Nujiao Gang or Wuchangfu, and there was an atmosphere of dense battle clouds. Feng Xinglie went to Gu Zixian's side, he asked about his health and caring.Xu Yeyue, Zhuang Qingshuang, Han Bicui, Han Ningzhi and others all showed envy. Han Bai sat between Han Bicui and Han Ningzhi at the stern, stretched his waist and said, "Hey! Master Han, Lin Yuan is envious of fish, if you don't want to retreat and make a net, do you want me to find old Qi? We will join hands with you to brew a happy future."

All the girls blushed and were coquettish. Gu Qianlian on Feng Xinglie's side laughed and scolded: "You kid doesn't deserve any shame, sister Cui don't spare him." Han Bailai said authentically: "What can Master Han do to me!" Han Bicui was so angry that she ignored him, and then laughed again. Han Ningzhi said earnestly with her innocent tone: "Uncle said that those who practiced superior martial arts would find it difficult to have children because of their refined energy. Sister Xian, you are so lucky!" The girls fell silent immediately. "Then what should I do!"

This sentence was originally the voice of all the girls except Gu Zixian, but Han Bai, who realized that the person who said this was actually a female voice, was ashamed and angry, and almost joined hands to beat Han Bai. Feng Xinglie shook his head and sighed: "Ah! Such a boy Bai, without Lao Fan, you will be unscrupulous." Looking at Xu Yeyue who was pouting in worry, Han Bai smiled and said, "Although Miss Han Wu's words are reasonable, she doesn't know that there are differences between those who practice high-level martial arts. Send and receive freely, otherwise, how could my Haoyueer, Haoshuanger, Master Han, etc. come out, and I can't make Qi... Hey! Nothing! In short, I am the first-rate expert in childbirth. Whoever wants to have a baby. Don’t believe me, I’ll ask Shuang’er, Yue’er, Fifth Miss, and the others in ten or eight days to see if I’m bragging. The head master and Xiao Lian are the most important to curry favor with me, and ask me to pass on my experience to your husband. Otherwise, don’t blame me for hiding my secrets.”

Hearing his ivory-incapable mouth, the girls blushed even more, but they were overjoyed because they knew that he possessed a demon seed and was proficient in dual cultivation, so it was not bragging. Xu Yeyue blushed and said: "How can Xiao Lian flatter you, can't her husband do it?" Zhuang Qingshuang reprimanded: "Yue'er! You are so close to Zhu Zhechi, you speak so harshly." Gu Qianlian stomped her feet and said, "Sister Cui, hurry up and complain to Lao Qi, Han Bai is molesting you." Han Baixi said: "If Xiaolian believes in Yue'er's words and doesn't come to please me, it will be terrible. The reason why Xinglie did this is because both he and the princess are proficient in dual cultivation and know the way to send and receive energy. After leaving Xiaolian, it is up to me, an expert in childbirth, to guide Xinglie."

Although all the girls were embarrassed, they all believed what he said was reasonable, and no one dared to argue with him for a while, but of course no one asked him for advice. Han Bai was even more triumphant, and said to Han Bicui who was beside him: "Master! Call Brother Bai to listen." Han Bicui saw that the sharp-tongued Gu Qianlian did not dare to take the risk of offending him, and when she felt at a loss what to do, Qi Changzheng came out and laughed loudly: "My virtuous wife, for our children, quickly call Brother Bai! " Han Bicui finally found someone to vent her anger on, stomped her feet and akimbo, and said angrily, "Get out of here!"

Qi Changzheng came to Han Bicui's side, squeezed into her chair, grabbed Han Bai's shoulder again, and said viciously: "Hurry up and announce your childbirth witchcraft to the world! Then I won't hold you accountable for molesting your child." The great sin of my virtuous wife." Feng Xinglie lost his voice: "So you kid is hiding and eavesdropping!" Han Bai pretended to be alarmed and said: "Talk about something slowly. But because it involves a lot of details, including posture, luck, breathing, strength, strength, and time cooperation..." Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by the wild laughter of Feng Qi and the others, and the girls were so ashamed that they wanted to dig a hole in the ground to avoid these unsavory words.

Qi Changzheng choked up tears, and laughed, saying: "This kid is really interesting. You'd better organize it again and make a list in detail, and let me stick it on the bedside, otherwise I'm afraid I'll forget it." This time, even all the girls bent over laughing, coquettish and unyielding, full of hilarious atmosphere. After arguing for a while, Han Bai stood up, pretending to be solemn and said: "Xinglie, Long March, why don't we find a place to hold a childbirth meeting, alas! Is there any situation in the world that is more delicate than ours?" It's even more touching when all the wives have bowel movements!"

Two days later, the fleet merged with the warships staying in Yuezhou, increased to 70, and sailed to Dongting, taking advantage of the dark night, sailed towards Xiaonujiao. Received the news on the way, Qi Tai set up his navy with 300 boats, big and small, and headed for Yuezhou Prefecture. Zhai Yushi took time off and was not moved by the news at all, sticking to the original strategy. Sure enough, in the early morning of the next day, when Qi Tai received another message, he changed his course and headed towards Xiao Nujiao. So far, everyone has been amazed by Zhai Yushi's wisdom in anticipating enemies like a god.

That night, the fleet joined forces with Shangguan Ying's 22 warships among the islands southwest of Xiaonujiao, took advantage of the islands' dangerous shoals to hide, and waited for Qi Tai's navy to step into the trap. These more than ten large and small islands are the most convenient and quick waterway to the Little Nujiao.If it came from the Huarong River via the Leigong Gorge, it would take at least half a month longer, how could Qi Tai afford this time loss. When Han Bo and others boarded the largest Yanju Island, they saw artillery hidden in the dense forest along the coast, ready for battle. When I came to the highest Yanxiang Cliff, my vision widened, and Dongting Lake stretched endlessly to the southwest. In the mist, stars were hidden in the sky, covering the glimmering lake. Shangguan Ying smiled and said: "This trip is all about Yue'er's father, not only did we get four more powerful giant cannons that can shoot without smoke, but also brought a batch of more than 30 underwater mines, Bao Keling Qi Tai couldn't finish eating and walked around." Han Bai and Zhuang Qingshuang heard the thunder in the water, remembered that the boat was sunk by the jealous Xu Yeyue that night, and looked at her together by coincidence. Xu Yeyue pouted her mouth in disdain first, so she said in an angry tone: "What are you looking at? What's the big deal, I just blew up the boat of a couple of thieves!" Xuan covered her mouth and laughed again, He bowed to Zhuang Qingshuang apologetically. When everyone was puzzled, Fan Liangji said hesitantly: "Little Baier, as long as you have a way to hide on Qitai's boat and find a wild woman to fool around with, I guarantee that Yue'er will blow up Qitai's flagship." Amid Xu Yeyue's non-compliance, everyone finally understood. Ling Zhantian said: "Based on the speed of Qitai's formation, we should be able to arrive here at the third watch, but they will enter the area of ​​the Dongting Eighteen Islands after four dawns. Go to the tent and rest!" After saying this, he led the crowd down the mountain. Everyone was nervous and excited, how could they sleep, chatting outside the tent. Shangguan Ying, Zhai Yushi, Qi Changzheng and other leaders of the Nujiao Gang, along with the guardians of Xieyi Sect, Wuzhu, Laojie from Shancheng, Zhao Yi and others, all returned to their assigned combat positions, ready to deal with the upcoming battle. battle. Gu Zixian said: "I don't know if the eldest brother is back, doesn't he live on one of the islands here?" Feng Xinglie said: "This is the case, but Xiao Nujiao always wants him to sit in the town, so he went there." Han Bicui sighed: "If I hadn't actually seen Big Brother make a move, I would never have believed that the Rain-Fuying Sword is so powerful." Fan Liangji, who was puffing, sat on a boulder with his legs crossed and swayed, "Qi boy calls him uncle, but the chief sect calls Lao Lang his elder brother. How should this generation be counted?" Han Bicui said angrily, "Okay! From now on, I'll call Daxia Lang the Uncle, and the old man Fan Bo." Fan Liang was hit badly, and said with a smile: "Why is Cui Mei so serious, you should call me Brother Fan just like Brother Bai." Han Bicui said angrily, "Who ever called Brother Bai!" Immediately provoked roars of laughter. Gu Qianlian smiled bitterly: "I just called!" Han Bicui knew at the beginning that she had been tricked, but she hated her mistakes. Han Bai leaned against Han Ningzhi's fragrant shoulder, salivated and smiled at the female sect leader: "This sentence is not unfair, do you have the chief sect?" Han Bicui was even more powerless to fight back, but her brows were filled with joy, and she bowed her head in embarrassment. Everyone knew what was going on. After playing around for a while, Han Ningzhi first fell asleep in Han Bai's arms, and Han Bai and Xiaoju took her into the tent.At this time, a boat sailed from Xiaonujiao, and Fan Bao sent Xiaolinglong, Hongxiu, Chu Hongyu, Yiji, Cuibi and other girls. It turned out that they couldn't bear the pain of lovesickness, and they were so entangled that they couldn't help it. , only Fan Bao transported them to this island. At this moment, they don't need to sleep anymore, and when they were playing, the news came that more than fifty warships from the Qitai Navy's vanguard team had appeared in sight, and the speed of returning the ships was not slowing down, and they were coming with full sail. Zhai Yushi made a judgment, guessing that the enemy was going to enter the lake area of ​​Shiba Island in the dark to ensure the safety of the waterway, and quickly ordered all the warships to sail to another small island farther away to hide, and at the same time tear down all the old accounts on the island, and the personnel Hide in the jungle. He had anticipated that the enemy might have such a move, and he also knew that in the dark, the enemy would not dare to take the risk to land, so he would not be able to see the arrangement on the island. The atmosphere became tense. Han Bai and the others hid in a large artificially dug cave at a condescending height, with fake trees and creeping plants such as rattan thorns in disguise. The granite paved at the entrance of the cave formed a solid platform on which stood one of the mighty cannons made by the ghost king. The muzzle was aimed at the widest waterway among them. Ordinary artillery can't hit that far at all. But if a Shenwu cannon is placed on each of the islands on both sides, then the entire waterway is within range. Han Ningzhi thought it was fun, and went to Han Bo's ear and said: "These cannons are really scary, they are taller than me!" Both Yi Ji and Cui Bi tensed up, huddled behind Han Bai, watching the more than a dozen gunners of the Angry Horse busily adjusting the direction of the muzzle and carrying the gunpowder. The enemy ships sailed slowly, entered the waters of Shibadao, spread out, searched for the shadows of the warships of the Nujiao Gang, and observed the islands at the same time. The gunners stopped working, and everyone held their breath for fear of making any noise and spoiling the plan. After inspecting for nearly an hour, Dili obviously found no doubts. Ten ships passed through the islands and set up defenses around the eighteenth islands. . Han Bo seriously said: "The enemy has been tricked!" Gu Qianlian said: "Qi Tai is really insidious, he actually wants to attack the little Nu Jiao before dawn." Fan Liangji whispered: "But we are more insidious than him, and set up a death trap to frame him." Han Ningzhi, Xiaoju, Yiji, Hongxiu, Cuibi, Song Mei, etc. were all exhaling nervously, which was extremely ear-piercing in the cave. Feng Xinglie whispered: "Here we come!" In the denser and thicker fog, lights appeared in the distance, gradually approaching. The enemy ships guarding the Shibadao Lake area also lit up their lights at this time to indicate the position of the waterway for their warships. Han Bai felt that Han Ningzhi beside him was trembling, and hurriedly reached out to hug her tightly. Xu Yeyue leaned on his back, hugged his waist, and said excitedly: "It's so exciting!" Han Bai stretched out his other hand to hug Cuibi who was behind him, and asked, "Are you afraid?" It was the first time for Cui Bi to be so intimate with Han Bai, and she nodded shyly and happily. In fact, including Han Bai, everyone was nervous.This battle is related to the control of the Yangtze River, Dongting, Wuchang, Yuechuan, and Huangchuan. The Nujiao Gang must win and never lose, otherwise everything will be over. The fog is getting thicker. Han Bai didn't know anything about water warfare, so he asked Feng Xinglie, "Is the hall good or bad for us?" Feng Xinglie was born in Xieyimen who started in waterways, of course he knew the answer, he said in a deep voice: "Of course it is beneficial and harmless, firstly, they are not familiar with the situation, secondly, there are dangerous beaches and reefs everywhere, when something happened, the ships collided with each other, and they couldn't be turned off. If you turn off the lights, you can imagine the consequences in that situation." Looking back, seeing Han Bai and all the girls huddled together, he couldn't help laughing and said, "Xiao Bai, you are so beautiful and blessed." Xu Yeyue turned her lips back and said, "Didn't Xiao Linglong and Sister Xiaolian let you enjoy the beauty and happiness too?" She also made a cute little grimace at him. Feng Xinglie looked at Xiao Linglong and Gu Qianlian who were holding his arms firmly, nodded and said: "I was so nervous that I almost forgot." Everyone wanted to laugh, but they didn't dare to laugh out loud, and it was very hard to endure it. At this time, the five fighting ships that opened the way slowly sailed into the waterway where the muzzles were aligned. Gu Zixian said in a hoarse voice: "Zhai Yushi is really powerful. He cleverly created various situations, forcing Qi Tai to step into the trap, and he was complacent, thinking that he could make an immortal achievement." While speaking, the enemy ships galloped into the waters in groups of five and more than a dozen groups, with great momentum. Since the waters of the eighteen islands are distributed in the lake area for a distance of more than 20 miles, the leading warship has not yet crossed the halfway line of the lake area. Qi Tai is indeed coming here in full force. If the average number of people per ship is 200, the total force will reach 60,000. In addition, the fire smoke on the ship and the attacking weapons displayed by the catapult machine will really destroy the enemy. The power of the Angry Dragon Gang. Fan Liangji suddenly lost his voice: "Not good!" Everyone looked down and saw the remaining more than a hundred warships stopped outside the outermost island, and they were divided into three groups. Feng Xinglie smiled and said: "Qi Tai just be careful! If it were anyone else, they would never be so stupid as to drive the whole army into such a dangerous place. They must pass through in batches, so that the enemy can only attack one group at most." Fan Liangji gritted his teeth and said: "That's even worse. How do we know which group of ships has Qi Tai in it? You see, each group has several giant ships of the Louchuan class, and there is no special flag raised, alas! Zhai Yushi has a headache." Even Gu Zixian lost confidence in Zhai Yushi this trip. At this time, the first group of more than 60 boats had safely arrived outside the waters of Shibadao, and the other two groups sailed over at the same time. Xu Yeyue whispered: "Qi Tai can't hold his breath anymore, he must be afraid of dawn." Han Bai cheered up and said, "It would be great if Qitai was on one of these hundreds of ships. I really don't like him." More than 80 warships all sailed into the lake island area in an instant. When the two leading ships passed by the small island in the center, the last group also began to sail over. Everyone was overjoyed, they all felt that Xu Yeyue was extremely clever, and what he said made sense, now it was less than two hours before dawn, if Qi Tai didn't hurry up, it would be too late to reach Little Nujiao before sunrise. The only flaw is that it is unclear which one is Qitai's handsome ship. Capture the thief first and capture the king first. If you can sink the opponent's flagship first, it will cause an irreparable blow to the enemy's morale and command. "boom!" While everyone was stunned, a firework signal arrow shot up into the sky from a huge enemy ship, and a blood-red awn flower exploded in the sky, and then fell like raindrops. Eye-catching, but also very weird. The horn sounded. At the entrance of the cave, more than a dozen gunners from the Angry Dragon Gang quickly lit the torches. With a sound of "Boom!", the artillery shell drew a dazzling line of fire in the night sky like a falling star, and threw it towards the outermost enemy ship. At the same time, the islands also flashed with flames, and the artillery boomed, and the shells rained down on the enemy ships trapped among the islands. The way to advance and retreat in front of and behind the enemy ship in the middle. The sound of explosions is endless. More than a dozen enemy ships from the bow and stern were hit by fire and burned, and the enemy ships had nowhere to hide. Xu Yeyue and others covered their ears. Gu Qianlian jumped up and shouted: "Hurry up! Qi Tai's thief ship has deployed undercover agents, which is really powerful." The enemy ships were in a mess, rushing to break through, some hit the rocks and dangerous shoals, and some collided with each other. Rockets and boulders from catapults rained down from the islands to the warships near the shore. "Boom! Boom!" Dozens of warships passing through the island and lake area also caught fire and exploded strangely. It seems that they were hit by underwater mines launched from the bottom of the water. The warships that had been hit at the beginning of the battle began to sink into the lake, and the enemies jumped into the water one after another to escape. The sound of cannons was endless, and the firepower began to concentrate on Qitai's flagship and the dozen or so escorting ships. Zhai Yushi specially transported and captured more than forty cannons from Yuezhou Mansion and Huangzhou Mansion, together with four Shenwu cannons and more than ten cannons of his own, they exerted terrifying power here. The combined fleets of Nujiao Gang, Xieyimen and Shancheng sailed out one after another, encircling and annihilating the enemies passing through the lake island area. The sound of cannons shook the sky, and the flames pierced the air, and the enemy ships were shot one after another, and they were routed. Han Bai shouted in excitement, and when he saw Feng Xinglie was silent, he wondered, "What are you doing, Xinglie! We won the battle." Feng Xinglie came to him, put his shoulders on his shoulder and sighed: "Most of these people are innocent, they were only harmed by Tianming Cult!" Han Bai was stunned for a while, then nodded dejectedly and said: "You are right, but now either you die or I die, no one can do anything." All the girls fell silent, thinking about their conversation. More than half of the enemy ships in the predicament caught fire and sank, and other warships rushed to the beach one after another. Feng Xinglie took the Zhanger Red Spear, laughed and said: "I am a bit of a woman, as Yu Shi said, there is absolutely no humanity to talk about in war, let's go!" Han Bai pulled out the eagle knife, turned his head and said to the women: "Wars are different from ordinary martial arts contests. It should be a matter for our men. Good wives... Hey! I am speaking on behalf of Xinglie and Long March. Please stay here and wait." A glorious moment for us to return home in triumph." Xu Yeyue nodded obediently and said: "Yue'er was terrified of killing people in Wuchang that night, all husbands go early and return early, hey! I also speak on behalf of all good wives." Watched by the girls, the two disappeared outside the cave entrance.