Chapter 23 3. Chain counting company warships

The north of Wulin Water Village is far away from Yunmeng Lake. A Changning River winds through the valley beside the village and flows into the mighty Yangtze River. On this day, Sima Yi invited Jiang Gan to take a walk along the Changning River in his spare time.Several personal guards followed behind them not far or near to protect them. During this period of time, Jiang Gan was in a very depressed mood. From the last time he went to the Chibi Dazhai on the south bank to lobby and test, it can be seen that Zhou Yu and Lu Su had no intention of surrendering Cao.He wanted to achieve Li Shiqi's feat with his penetrating tongue, but it might not be easy to achieve.And Cao Ying's many literati and military generals spoke sarcasticly to him behind his back, which made him upset again.Fortunately, Sima Yi asked him to go out for a walk at this moment, which made his mood gradually improve under the influence of the mountains and rivers.

Looking at the flat, wide, green river, Jiang Gan said to Sima Yi with a smile: "Mr. Sima, you probably don't know that Jiang actually likes 'running water' like springs, rivers, and rivers the most, and doesn't like deep pools. Still water like a lake. Jiang has always believed that the inspiration of this water is vividly reflected in their purity, clarity, openness, abundance, smoothness, and rhythm. Jiang also feels that if a person's state of mind can also As vibrant as this bubbling water, it should be indescribably contented. Sima Jun, how about you?" "Well...Mr. Jiang, I am exactly the opposite of you. I like the still water like Yuantan Lake the most, and I don't like the 'living water' like Quanxi Jianghe." Sima Yi smiled leisurely, "I always think that the mystery of this water , is invisibly and silently embodied in their deepness, magnificence, tolerance, clarity, calmness, and implicitness. When they are quiet, they are actually silently accumulating their own depth and breadth, which seem to be inconspicuous ; when they move, they will suddenly set off monstrous waves, making anyone who dares to despise his existence can't help but be dumbfounded and amazed!"

Jiang Gan heard the majestic atmosphere hidden in Sima Yi's words, turned his face to look at Sima Yi, and smiled: "Maybe this is Mr. Sima referring to himself as 'Yuantan Lake'? It seems that Mr. Sima is also a An expert with a secret ambition. By the way, Jiang has a cousin named Jiang Ji. Like you, he also likes still water rather than "running water". " "Where, where! Why is Yi 'secretly harboring great ambitions'? Today, with Mr. Jiang, you are only talking about water and things." Sima Yi waved his hands and smiled. That cousin Jiang Ji is quite interested, and I hope to get to know each other by fate in the future."

While the two of them were talking, they saw an old buffalo lazily lying on the open area on the river bank, above the lush greenery.It seemed to have heard the voice of people here, so it turned its head and glanced at them faintly, and then continued to bury its head and gnaw on the green grass around it, looking calm and undisturbed.A spotless white crane stands tall and graceful on the body of the buffalo. While gently pecking the mosquitoes and flies on its body with its long beak, it raises its neck and walks slowly and vividly—two completely different animals. The solid and honest aura, a lofty and elegant demeanor, highlighting each other like a relief, makes people feel an inexplicable shock and admiration.

"The cow and the crane are having fun together. This is a rare scene in a peaceful and prosperous age." Jiang Gan couldn't help clapping his hands and sighing when he saw it. Sima Yi also nodded slowly, and said: "Yes, yes, Niu and He are having fun together, He Qing and Haiyan—it's a pity that Yang Jun and Yang Shilang are not here. If he uses that brilliant brush to draw this scene for everyone's attention Appreciate, how wonderful it would be!" Jiang Gan chuckled: "It doesn't matter, Jiang will be able to tell this scene to Yang Shilang vividly and vividly when he arrives in Xudu in the future, so that he can easily describe it. This is an auspicious omen of peace in the world! I really don't know how happy Your Majesty will be to see you with the high ministers!"

"Mr. Jiang always takes the river to be clean and the sea to be peaceful, and the world to be peaceful. He is really a rare and benevolent gentleman!" Sima Yi was moved when he heard the words, and couldn't help but admire deeply. "How can I deserve such praise from you! Oh... I just read a few sage books, and I know a little bit of the truth of 'the world is safe, the people are happy; the world is chaotic, the people are miserable; in troubled times, a rich man is like a dog of peace' That's all..." Jiang Gan cast his eyes on the surface of the Changning River, and sighed deeply, "Jiang is different from Zhou Gongjin and Lu Zijing. Ten thousand bones are dry'! The six counties and eighty-one counties in Jiangdong were originally a land of prosperity, but they were dragged into the war by these two ambitious guys..."

When the two of them were stopping to chat, they suddenly heard a string of songs floating in the air: "Bamboo rafts are in the middle of the river, and the green hills are on both sides of the bank. A pole is rowed ten feet away, and you can see the top of the smoke house!" Jiang Gan looked around and saw eight or nine bamboo rafts carrying more than a dozen fishermen rushing along the flat, wide and swift river. Among them, three bamboo rafts were connected side by side by ropes, and there were two fishermen on them. There are three or four fishermen running steadily between the three bamboo rafts tied in a row, running back and forth freely, throwing fish shuttles, or casting fishing nets, and they are very busy. .

"Oh! They tied the three bamboo rafts side by side with ropes. They are really flat and stable. They are very convenient to come and go! The waves can't shake them..." Sima Yi lost his voice in surprise. "Sima Jun, Sima Jun, you... what did you just say?" Jiang Gan suddenly seemed to have a flash of light in his mind, as if he had heard some extremely precious information, he turned his head and asked Sima Yi repeatedly, "You...you Repeat what you just said..." Sima Yi's expression seemed a little bewildered. He looked at Jiang Gan and said hesitantly, "Oh... Yi just said that these fishermen are really smart. They tied the three bamboo rafts together side by side with ropes. They are really flat and stable. , it is very convenient to run around on it, and the waves can't touch them... What? Am I wrong?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Jiang Gan burst into laughter, slapped his palms, kicked his feet, and jumped up to a height of more than three feet, "Ah! It's really enlightened and wise, blessed to the soul! At this moment, Jiang suddenly thought of a way to completely solve the big disadvantages of northern soldiers who are not suitable for sailing and not familiar with water warfare!" "Ah, really?" Sima Yi also asked in surprise, "What method did you think of?" Jiang Gan glanced at him with complacency, turned his head and ran back: "Follow me back to the camp of the Chinese army—I will explain it to you in detail in front of the prime minister!"

"Okay! Okay!" Sima Yi also ran after his back, with an inexplicable look of joy in his eyes. "Mr. Jiang actually has a good plan to solve the great disadvantages of my northern Qingxu soldiers who are not suitable for sailing and not familiar with water warfare?" Cao Cao's face was full of surprise, "You come quickly!" Jiang Gan seemed to have picked up some rare treasure out of thin air, his face flushed with excitement, and he cupped his hands and said, "My lord, in Jiang's opinion, the wind on the river is high and the waves are rough, and the soldiers in the north are indeed not used to boating. Under such turbulence, it is really unbearable to fight. If large and small boats are matched, or 20 ships are formed in a row, or 30 ships are formed in a row. The horse goes forward without swaying or swaying, as if walking on flat ground, it is naturally extremely stable, isn't it wonderful?"

As soon as he said this, there was an uproar in the big tent.All the counselors and generals were all moved, and all of them whispered to each other and talked a lot. When Cao Cao heard it, the melancholy look on his brows disappeared: "Well...Mr. Jiang's plan sounds very clever..." Suddenly, his heart moved secretly. After all, this plan was only Jiang Gan's. It is speculative, and it is still unknown what the effect will be after its implementation.So, he changed his mind slightly, and said solemnly: "However, the important thing in the military plan is to be pragmatic-General Yu, Lord Mao, General Wen, you and the others gather the warships together in the water village, everything is as Mr. Jiang said , how about trying it out first?" "Your subordinates obey!" Yu Jin, Mao Jie, and Wen Pin did not dare to hesitate after hearing this, and after saluting to Cao Cao, they hurried to Shuizhai to adjust the boat and come here to test Jiang Gan's "boat-connecting strategy" on the spot. Cao Cao then took Jiang Gan, Jia Xu, Xia Houyuan, Cao Chun, Sima Yi, etc. to the watchtower to watch how they tried this strategy. The four walls in the water village are so high that the wind and waves cannot penetrate, so the water surface is quite calm.Cao Jun's warship sailed smoothly and did not shake violently.However, as soon as they left the gate of the village, they were swayed by waves one after another, ups and downs. The northern soldiers who were walking with the boat suddenly yelled, and they could only hold on to the side of the boat as they stumbled, trying desperately to maintain their balance.Immediately afterwards, their internal organs seemed to be shaken and turned around, and they all shifted—all of them vomited, and all their energy disappeared with this long period of vomiting... Cao Cao saw all this clearly in his eyes, and immediately frowned tightly.Unexpectedly, after two or three months of training, the northern soldiers are still so unfit for boating and water warfare. At this time, Yu Jin ordered the more than ten warships in the front row to gradually move together, throwing thick ropes between the ships to connect each other, tying one to the other, and tying the other to this.The soldiers above endured the pain of stomach upset, while firmly tying the ropes, while pulling each other closer... Finally, more than ten warships were tightly connected shoulder to shoulder, like a row of slightly floating fortresses, which seemed Majestic and steady, with extraordinary momentum!The northern soldiers on the boat who had been vomiting before suddenly felt the shaking of the boat gradually became lighter, and their feet seemed to be on solid flat ground again, miraculously gradually alleviating the embarrassment, the body's reaction It also gradually calmed down. "Prime Minister! It's a success! It's a success!" Mao Jie, who had been observing carefully, was the first to notice it, and hurriedly turned around and shouted to Cao Cao on the watchtower!The sailors on the more than ten warships in a row also raised their spears high and shouted in unison!They jumped excitedly, shouted, hugged each other, and were overjoyed like children. Cao Cao's high-hanging heart finally fell firmly to the ground amidst everyone's cheers and applause.With a happy face, he said to Jiang Gan with a smile: "Mr. Jiang really has an extraordinary plan, and solved the urgent need of our Southern Expedition Army in one fell swoop. The truth will be reported to His Majesty, and you will be awarded the Marquis of Tinghou to show your extraordinary achievements!" Jiang Gan even beamed with joy, and hastily bowed to thank him: "Thank you, Prime Minister, for your kindness." Everyone looked at him with jealousy.This Jiang Gan, without the strength to restrain a chicken, has no skills in his body, but with only a three-inch tongue, he has won another honor for himself. It is really lucky. Only Jia Xu's voice pierced through the commotion like a needle of ice, and he rang out clearly: "My lord, the strategy of linking the boats is really ingenious. If the enemy attacks it with fire arrows, our ships will not be able to disperse, and people will not be able to disperse." If you want to run away, it’s hard to take care of both the beginning and the end, so what will you do?” As soon as he said this, there was a dead silence in the arena, so quiet that even a hair could be heard falling on the floor. "This... well, if the ships want to guard against fire attacks, they are not helpless. You just need to cover the hull with raw cowhide, and prepare more water fetching devices and fire extinguishers to prevent it." Jiang Gan's brain also Turning fast enough, he answered immediately. Cao Cao held his beard in his hand and smiled slightly: "Mr. Jiang's words are also feasible, but they are missing at the end, but they are still somewhat inaccurate. In fact, the truth is also a little bit better than the art of attacking fire. Although Wenhe has Foresight, but also ignored this point. Anyone who uses fire to attack must rely on wind power. Now in the middle of winter, there is only west wind and north wind. How can there be east wind and south wind? Our army is located in the northwest direction, and the other soldiers are on the south bank of the great river. If we use fire to attack, our army will charge back and attack with burning boats, wouldn't they burn their soldiers themselves?" Jia Xu bowed his head and thought for a while when he heard the words, and felt that there were no flaws in what Cao Cao said just now, so he stopped talking.The other advisers and generals also nodded in agreement. But Sima Yi said at this moment: "My lord, Yi has a foolish trick to improve this boat-connecting strategy. Now that the boats are connected by ropes, their strength is limited, and they are easily worn down by the ups and downs of the warships on both sides. —It’s better to connect them with iron chains, which will be stronger!” Cao Cao stroked his beard slowly and said, "Yes."