Chapter 31 In the fourth quarter, the battle between rivers and gorge breaks through land and water

After a whole winter of intense planning, in March when the ice melted and the snow melted, Qin's navy finally took shape. As soon as the battle in Hanoi was over, Bai Qi left 10,000 iron cavalry for Wei Xie, and he drove to Lantian non-stop, and rushed back to Xianyang by himself at night.After meeting the Empress Dowager Xuan, Bai Qi hurriedly married Jing Mei.This is the order of the Queen Mother: Bai Qi is not allowed to go anywhere if he is not married.Bai Qi and Jing Mei had no intention of getting married immediately, but Queen Mother Xuan made it clear: "The general has no family at thirty, and it is the king's crime. If Bai Qi didn't have Jing Mei's thoughts, I would let him wait until today." ? An orphan girl with a talented scholar, a powerful city in a country, but they are all wandering alone, teach me how to be the queen mother of this country? Get married tomorrow! I think this is also the last wish of the righteous man Jing, so I will make the decision." Bai Qi said to This childhood sweetheart junior sister was originally affectionate, but after all, she never made her marriage known. The teacher died suddenly, and she didn't understand what should be said about it, so she decided to talk about it slowly when she got along with Jingmei.Although Jing Mei loves Bai Qi very much, but because he is in a bad mood and never has the opportunity to get along with each other, she secretly makes up her mind to change into a man and take care of Bai Qi, and let the camera talk.Now that the Empress Dowager Xuan spoke quickly, the two of them blushed and remained silent, which can be regarded as acquiescing.Therefore, the Empress Dowager Xuan immediately took care of it herself, and in just half a day, Bai Qi's Daliang Zao Mansion was tidied up to a new look.That night, Empress Dowager Xuan took ten maids and ten official servants as dowry, and took Jingmei from the palace to Daliang Zao Mansion in a caravan full of red silk.When they arrived at the mansion, King Qin Zhao personally presided over the wedding ceremony, and almost all the ministers of the Qin State in Xianyang came to celebrate, which can be described as a unique wedding ceremony in the world.

Bai Qi has always felt uneasy about promotions and gifts that do not suit his status, and if it is a matter of title, he will definitely resign.But this is a wedding ceremony. According to ancient customs, it is normal for the Queen Mother to attend related celebrations of meritorious ministers. Although I just want to handle it quietly, it is really hard to shirk.If Wei Xun was in Xianyang, he would definitely be able to understand his difficulties and stand up for him for a while, but Wei Xun was busy in Hanoi, so he had no choice but to follow the trend.Jing Mei naturally knew Bai Qi's natural thoughts, but she just kept giving him winks: "Be patient, it's over."

One is the war in his heart, and the other is the unbearable continuous feast of banquets. On the day of the wedding, Bai Qi flew out of Xianyang and went straight to the Lantian Camp.At three o'clock in the morning, when the Empress Dowager Xuan came to welcome the newlyweds into the palace with a grand banquet in a Chinese chariot, there was only the simple and demure Jingmei alone.Jingmei only gave a salute, but before she could speak, the Empress Dowager Xuan laughed angrily and said, "It's outrageous to be in vain! Leave a bride behind and leave, right? Even though it's a national matter, what about my natal family?" Can you make it through? Jingmei, don't worry about it, I will send someone to chase him back and let you punish him, do you know?" Ding Dang said a series of personal words, and Jingmei actually laughed: "Don't be angry, Queen Mother. He's just that stubborn, but when there's a battle, he doesn't care about anything." The Empress Dowager Xuan laughed and said, "It's good to have such a thought. Don't be angry, let me be alone. I have been living in the palace with me for a few days." Jingmei laughed and said: "Bai Qi is a rough countryman, the house is a mess, how about allowing me to clean it up for two days before going to thank the Queen Mother?" The Queen Mother laughed: "The bride It’s a good thing to know that you are in charge! Is there a theory that doesn’t work? Hey, entering the palace is not to thank me, but to have fun with you and me, remember? Unless you come back in vain, you can come whenever you want.” After calling the leader of the maid and servant to give some advice, he got in the car and left.

Bai Qi entered the Lantian camp, and immediately began to plan for the attack on Chu.According to the pre-plan, the first thing Bai Qi did was to send a special flying cavalry envoy to Jiangzhou to receive and launch the built warship within one month, and conscript 3,000 sailors to wait to form an army.The second thing is to send Meng Ao temporarily to be the general of the navy, and immediately go to Nanzheng to recruit 20,000 Hanshui children to train into the navy.The two things were properly arranged, and Bai Qi asked Sima of the Chinese Army to move all the collected landscape maps of Chu State and related classics of counties and cities to the back tent, and then buried himself in figuring out the details of the attack on Chu.

Since about the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Central Plains has called Chu State and the small state in the south of the Yangtze River the "Southern State". "Poem·Xiaoya·April" has the chants of "Rolling Jianghan, the History of the Southern Kingdom".Later, the princes of the southern country were gradually eaten away by Chu State one by one, and when Wu Yue was destroyed, the south of Huai River was Chu State.In the vastness of China, except for Bashu in the southwest, which was occupied by the Qin State, the entire Jiangnan, Southeast, and Lingnan vast miles were all the territory of the Chu State.Although Chu State's actual control over Lingnan is very loose, it is a fact that everyone in Lingnan regards Chu State as their suzerain.In other words, the sum of all the land in the entire northern Huaxia Warring States is not much bigger than a Chu country!Therefore, for the warring states in the Central Plains to the north of the great river, capturing the land of Chu became a long-awaited dream.Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the princes of the Central Plains led by Jin, Qin, and Qi have fought against Chu many times, but they have never fought against Yunmengze and the north bank of the Yangtze River. Fierce battles have always only occurred in the north and south areas of the Huai River.In the middle of the Warring States period, Chu State expanded northward to the north of Huai River, directly bordering Wei State in Yingshui.If you go directly from Chen County in Yingshui (the northern fortress of Chu State and the last capital of Chu State) to Lingnan, it will be really wild and wild.Judging from hundreds of years of wars, in most periods, the military power of the Warring States in the Central Plains was still stronger than that of Chu, but why couldn't they seize the land of Chu, but instead, Chu went north step by step?

Before attacking Chu, what Bai Qi thought about the most was this problem. Since he had a dying talk with his teacher and read the military book presented by the teacher, Bai Qi's thinking on fighting has greatly broadened.Bai Qi was born in the army, and he reached the point of proficiency in the battlefield very early.For example, infantry and cavalry tactics, military camp scheduling, logistics planning, marching troops, setting up camps, long-distance raids, etc., he can change and create various unique tactics from the details that can be solved by a soldier.The weight of armor and weapons, the size of military camp tents, and the types of military food, he can find the best preparation that is most conducive to combat and most convenient for soldiers to move.Because of this, Bai Qi has repeatedly been able to offer insightful insights into the army's operations in the position of commander-in-chief.In particular, the Allied Forces of the Six Nations were defeated in the Battle of Hewai, and more than sixty cities of Wei were captured in the Battle of Hanoi. After these two battles with him as the commander, Bai Qi suddenly matured.Rereading the classics of the Art of War, he had a deep review of past wars.The fundamental point is that he really realized the truth that the victory and defeat of war is outside the battlefield, and he also understood why a military sage like Sun Wu, Wu Qi, Sima Rangju spent a lot of space on state affairs outside the battlefield, The mysteries of the people's livelihood and even the support of the people.It was also at this moment that Bai Qi began to plan a war against Chu.In order to think more solidly, he made some research with Wei Xie.

"Ranghou thinks that the Central Plains has a strong army, why can't it capture more than ten cities of Chu in a hundred years?" "Bai Qi, are you aiming at Chu State again?" Wei Xie laughed loudly, "My opinion is very simple: Chu has dangerous rivers and natural dangers, and there is no water army in the Central Plains, so it cannot be crossed by land! But?" Bai Qi said: "Even if the river is difficult to cross, the Huai River can always be crossed by force. Why is the land of Huaibei also in the hands of Chu State?" Wei Xun was stunned: "That's right! The land of Huaibei has been fought for more than a hundred years, but Chu State has occupied more than half of it, but why do you talk about it?"

"Bai Qi believes that there are two reasons: First, the Warring States of the Central Plains has a single method of warfare. For more than a hundred years, it has only been known to fight from the border between Huaibei and Chu. For long-term confrontation with troops, food and grass, even if one battle is defeated in several battles, it will not hurt its vitality. Therefore, although Chu State is weak, it can stand in Huaibei without retreating. It is a mistake in tactics and tactics." "That's right!" Wei Xun jumped at the table, "What about the second?"

"Secondly, the judgment of the overall situation is wrong. The Central Plains and Warring States have always regarded Chu as the Southern Barbarian, just as they have long regarded Qin as the Western Barbarian. They mistakenly believed that only Huaibei and Huainan are rich lands, and Hanshui, Jiangnan, Jiangdong, and Lingnan are all barbarians. The country is helpless even if it wins it with all its strength. At the same time, the envoys and merchants of the Chu State repeatedly publicized in the Central Plains that the barrenness and barrenness in the south of the Yangtze River are not as rich as the Central Plains. The only way for the Chu State to become rich and strong is to seize Huaibei, etc. It confuses the Central Plains and makes the Warring States of the Central Plains mistakenly believe that this is the case. This mistake is exactly the same as Zhang Yi’s mistake in judging Bashu in the past. Someone as sharp as Zhang Yi thinks that it is useless to seize the barren and barren land of Bashu, let alone ordinary people?”

Wei Xun was silent for a while, but he sighed after a long time: "If you can see the fire through the eyes, that's what it means! Bai Qi, I'm an old man from Chu, and I didn't expect to be outside this battlefield!" As he spoke, his eyes sparkled, "Since you have this thought, you will have a long-term plan, let's talk about it." Bai Qi walked to Wei Xun's study room under the "Nine Provinces Zhaoyu Map" and pointed out: "The world is so big, but the south of the Yangtze River is the last place to fight for. God-given location, the southwest of Qin State is just connected to Chu State, so we won the battle of Chu State." Half of the country's rivers and mountains are the greater foundation of Qin. If we can attack Chu and win, we must find another way: avoid the old battlefield in Huaibei, go straight down the river from Bashu to Yunmengze, seize the Jianghan foundation of Chu, and make Chu decline in one fell swoop."

Wei Xun let out a long sigh: "This way of fighting is the weakness of the Qin army. Our navy is weaker than Chu's navy!" Bai Qi pointed to the meandering river: "Although Chu's navy is strong, most of them are in the land of Wu and Yue. The Yunmengze boat division is just the old Chu army, and there has been no water battle for a long time, and its strength has been greatly reduced. Although our navy is just built However, the main purpose is to transport troops, not to enter Yunmengze to fight against the Chu State Navy. The main purpose of our army is to go down the river to the east, seize the city in Jianghan, and stand on land." "Okay!" Wei Xun clapped his hands, "You can write this plan immediately. This is nothing compared to the Central Plains Land War, but it will be a big fight. It's the same old saying: I'll hug your waist, just let go and do it That's right!" "How about the letter to the Queen Mother, King Qin, and Ranghou?" Wei Xie's eyes flashed, and he suddenly smiled and said: "Okay! I count this old man as one. With this old man from Chu, Chaoye's heart is at ease." The Empress Dowager Xuan and King Qin Zhao immediately approved the letter from the general minister, and added a special post to Bai Qi, "Da Liang made the general and led the two counties of Ba and Shu." If you are involved in military affairs, listen to Bai Qi's dispatch!" Then came Bai Qi's urgent military order: "Dispatch all the original warships to Jujiangzhou, and build 100 new warships, which will be completed in March in the coming spring!" After three days of thinking about it, Bai Qi had already drawn up a detailed strategy for attacking Chu—transporting troops by warships, going down the river and landing on the shore, and capturing the remaining three cities of Hanzhong County in Chu State, more than 20 cities in the northeast of Qianzhong County, and 20 cities in Jiangbei of Wu County. Yucheng!The strategy was determined, and Bai Qi immediately raised his account and issued an order: with Wang Lu as the former general of the army, and Wang Ling as the support of the Chinese army, he dispatched an army of 80,000 cavalry to march south from Wuguan, and stationed in the Yiling Mountains on the north bank of the Yangtze River, waiting for the water army to go east. Down. When the army set out, Bai Qi took a group of officers and a cavalry team of one hundred people from the main account of the Chinese army, and went straight to Nanzheng from the Ziwu Valley of Nanshan at night, and rushed to Jiangzhou before the twelfth lunar month.Although the road is rough and difficult, Bai Qi and his party are all mountain veterans who accompanied Sima Cuo to attack Bashu in the past. After crossing the Nanshan Mountain, it is full of spring again. Without the biting north wind of the Central Plains, they can walk freely. It will not wait for a month. Then I arrived in Jiangzhou, which happened to be the end of November. The Kuaima scout sent a military report: Meng Ao, who arrived in Nanzheng first, was very fast. He had already recruited 20,000 young men who were familiar with water skills on both sides of the Han River to intensify their training in water warfare and waited exclusively for the Berkshire warship owner to disembark.Bai Qi immediately ordered Meng Ao: After two months of training, the water army will immediately go to Wushan in the north of the Yangtze River to secretly station and wait!After everything was settled, Bai Qi and Chen Zhuang came to the riverside shipyard to inspect the warships.This Jiangzhou is stuck at the intersection of Baishui and Jiangshui. The water surface is deep and wide, and the rocks form the shore. It is actually a good natural shipyard.The two boarded the cloud cart on the south bank shipyard and looked at it. They saw a forest of masts and boats on the riverside, and boats of all sizes went in a row. It was really spectacular. "How many warships are there?" Bai Qi swiped his big hand towards the middle of the river, as if he wanted to take over all the warships. "There are 200 large warships and 300 small warships, not counting Wuyue, and more than a hundred more than the old Chu warships." "How much can the grain and supply ship be requisitioned?" "There are more than 800 government cargo ships, and more than 1,000 merchant ships are requisitioned, and 2,000 cargo ships can be used to transport food, grass and supplies." Chen Zhuang was originally a general in the army. Also very excited. Bai Qi waved his hand: "Okay! Go down and look at those big guys. Water battles rely on boats, but don't be careless." "Hi!" Chen Zhuang responded like a general, "The general knows the army well, if he can even master the navy, he will be invincible in the world!" Bai Qi laughed and said, "Why can't I master water warfare? It has something to do with fighting, and I have to understand it.” While talking, the two got off the cloud car and entered the shipyard, and began to board the large warships one by one for inspection. The first thing to look at is the building boat.This building ship is the largest warship. There are two or three floors on the ship. On each floor, parapets are arranged, battle grids are built, banners are erected, and large battle boxes and rackets are installed. The top floor is the general's golden drum orders and strong bows. Hard crossbowmen, the ship's side deck can carry chariots and horses, dozens of oarsmen, and nearly a dozen soldiers.Building ships can not only attack enemy ships from a long distance with battle paddles and poles, but also "plow and sink" enemy ships by virtue of their own gravity, which is extremely powerful!Because Lou Chuan was a handsome ship and the leader of warships, the later generals of the navy were called "General Lou Chuan".This kind of building boat was first built in the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn Period, and the commander was the famous Wu Zixu.At that time, the building boats could only accommodate more than two hundred soldiers and oarsmen.By the middle of the Warring States period, this kind of building ship technology had spread to countries along the water. Chu, Qi, Wei, and Qin all had yards for building large-scale ship building. up.In the state of Qin, Jiangzhou in Berkshire was the main place to build buildings and boats. And then there is the rush. "The outside is narrow and long, and it is called "Mengchong", which is used to collide with enemy ships!" This is what the ancients said about "Mengchong".After all, this is a warship with a long and narrow hull and fast speed, used in frontal conflicts. In addition to these two large warships, there are three types of attack warships that can accommodate dozens of soldiers, mainly fighting ships, Xiandeng, and Chima.During the Spring and Autumn Period, warships were called "Jian" or "Jian", and the name "Ship" appeared in the Warring States Period. The interpretation of this kind of "threshold" ship in "Shiming" is: "The upper and lower heavy boards are called sills. The four sides are boarded with arrow stones, and the inside is like a prison sill." It is because this kind of ship has two layers of thick boards. The completed wooden village can resist flying arrows and rocks from enemy ships, so it has become the main battleship for water battles and charges. Xiandeng and Chima are lighter warships. "Military march is the first to board the day before, and board it to the enemy's line." In other words, first boarding is a kind of attack ship that rushes to board the enemy's ship or rush to the beach.Chima is a light and fast boat. "A lightly ill person is called a red horse boat. Its body is red, and it is as fast as a war horse!" That is to say, this kind of fast boat has a light and fast hull, and its hull is painted bright red. It is specially used as a fast attack force for the fleet. The rest are special purpose vessels.One is a scout ship for reconnaissance of the enemy. "More than five hundred dendrobiums and there are huts called scouts to see the enemy's advance and retreat." Dendrobium is a measuring tool in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The weight is measured by dendrobium, which should be the displacement.If one dendrobium is calculated at three hundred catties, five hundred dendrobiums are equal to one hundred and fifty thousand catties, roughly equivalent to a ship of five or six tons later.As an enemy situation observation ship, it is often used by the commander, and it must be relatively tall, so naturally it will not be a small boat.In actual combat, this large scout ship is actually the command ship of the scout battalion, and the actual scout ship is called a "boat".A boat is a light boat with a displacement of less than 200 hu, except for sailors, it can take one or two people.In addition to actual combat to detect the enemy, this kind of small boat is also a quick tool for temporarily getting on and off the big ship. After inspecting the shipyard, Bai Qi's heart skipped a beat.Prior to this, he set the role of this water army mainly in the two aspects of transporting troops and transporting supplies, but enabling the infantry and cavalry army to avoid endless difficult climbing over mountains and ridges, and the supply of grain and grass can be continuously delivered, the Qin army will have Eighty-nine percent chance of winning.And these two points are precisely the critical links for long-distance raid-style mountain warfare.Only one fleet can cross the mountains and reach the battlefield with great power, which is naturally the most rare for elite soldiers like the Qin army.To be able to do this, Bai Qi is already satisfied.But now, seeing these more than a thousand extremely well-built warships of all kinds, Bai Qi suddenly had a bold idea. "Chen Xiang, what are the skills of Jiangzhou sailors?" Bai Qi asked abruptly. "I didn't say anything!" Chen Zhuang pointed at the river, "Jiangzhou sailors are the best in the world! The water surface of Chu State is all in the lower reaches of the river, and the water flow is wide and stable. Even though Yunmengze's big lake is like the sea, after all, there are few rapids and rapids. The Jiangzhou sailors It’s different, going down the river all the year round, the Wushan Grand Canyon is hundreds of miles long, with countless dangerous shoals, and the channel is mysterious and changeable, just like the gate of life and death. Jiangzhou sailors can get on a boat and go out of the river, all of them are very good at it!” "All these three thousand sailors have crossed the river?" "Every boss at the helm has been out of the river! Only 20 to 30% of the oarsmen have never been out, and they were checked one by one when they were recruited." "Okay! But with such sailors, Qin's navy is ready to wait." Bai Qi was very excited, "Immediately, in the name of the general on behalf of King Qin, all shipbuilders and steering sailors will be given the title of knight-builder, and the rest of the sailors will be given ten gold , in order to demonstrate his devotion to the army, and after the war, he will be rewarded according to his merits." "The general made a clear decision!" Chen Zhuang clapped his hands happily, "Most of these sailors make a living by selling salt and fish, so it's a shame to answer the call hastily. If everyone rewards each other, the family sailors will feel at ease and their morale will be improved." It soared." "Okay, let's do it." "Hi!" Chen Zhuang puffed out his chest and strode away. Suddenly, it was the new year, but on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, Bai Qi and Chen Zhuang brought ten carts and three hundred pigs and sheep to the shipyard to reward the craftsmen who built the warships and the soldiers stationed in the riverside barracks. Three thousand sailors.The craftsmen and sailors never dreamed that the mighty General Bai Qi would come to reward them at the end of the new year. Cheers resounded on both sides of the river, and many old craftsmen and sailors burst into tears Eyes full, repeating: "What happened in the past, what's going on now! You have a title, and the general gives you wine for the New Year, so easy and comfortable!" The strong and strong sailors were full of excitement, and everyone's face was flushed from drinking, Aoao screaming to fight immediately. "Father and brothers!" Bai Qi shouted loudly while standing on the high berth, "Stop work for three days, and have a good New Year! After the New Year's Eve, we will go to the east of the river to make meritorious service for the country——!" "Never stop work—" Thousands of people roared in unison, "Get into the water! Get on the boat! Get out of the river!" With tears in his eyes, Bai Qi bowed deeply on the slipway to the end. As a result, the riverside shipyard at the New Year's Eve turned into a large construction site with noisy lights, and also a lively place where the people of Jiangzhou poured out their hearts to serve the country.It has been more than 30 years since Bashu and Shu belonged to Qin, but ordinary people are still unfamiliar with Qin.In this battle against Chu, Jiangzhou became the heartland of the Qin State for the first time. The general came to Bajun in person, and the people knew from the actual contact what kind of law Qin State's reward farming war is, and it is true. It is much better to reach the state of Qin's law in the land than Ba ​​Wang's ruthless exploitation back then.Just talking about the fact that the craftsman and sailor bestowed the title moved the Ba people a lot.Generations of ancestors for thousands of years, has there ever been a government that rewarded the common people because they "give up their careers and follow the country"?Besides, when it comes to raising military rations, the government still only buys surplus rations, and rewards are given to those who sell more surplus rations.Such a government, how can the common people not be grateful? The new year is a slack season, and as soon as the news spread that craftsmen and sailors in the shipyard would not stop working, thousands of people flocked to the banks of the two rivers, bringing in countless fish, bacon, and rice balls one by one. With all kinds of mountain fruit wine, teams of musicians guard the two sides of the bank day and night.The craftsmen and sailors in the shipyard were even more steamy, and everyone put down their shirts and sweated profusely and worked hard!In less than three to five days, before the New Year's Eve was over, all the warships were successfully launched, and three thousand sailors boarded the boats to practice immediately. In early February, Bai Qi boarded the largest building ship, and led more than 600 warships and more than 2,000 grain and supply ships down the river.On the narrow and swift river, there are forests of masts and masts, and the fleet stretches for more than a hundred miles, which is really unprecedentedly magnificent. After traveling for three days, the fleet arrived at the section of Chijia Mountain Canyon.This Chijia Mountain is the fortress pass in the east of Berkshire, and the pass at the top of the mountain is the Han Pass.Hanguan was originally a western fortress built by Chu State. After Qin State won the land of Fangling, Chu State gave up the defense of the Yangtze River in the Three Gorges section, and Hanguan became the eastern fortress of Ba County of Qin State.Even so, due to the lack of naval forces, Qin's control over the Grand Canyon of the Yangtze River is useless. Except for the castles in the north bank basin, the castles along the canyons are actually still under the control of the Chu State's naval forces that haunt the river gorge from time to time.This time, the fleet of the Qin State sailed eastward, and the Chu State's navy had already retreated below Yiling, but the section of the canyon was also calm.Meng Ao led an army of 30,000 sailors who have been stationed here for a month, and the wharf under Jiangguan has been widened, deepened and repaired.On this day, Meng Ao saw the big flag with the word "white" waving in the wind from the top of the mountain, so he immediately ordered the small boat to launch into the water to meet it in person. When the ship approached the building, the sailors led it up the high gangway, and from the top of the five or six zhang building overlooking the surging river and the continuous stream of flags, Meng Ao was so surprised that he kept shouting: "Amazing! Amazing!" Qi Qi walked down from the command platform and said with a smile: "What's the big deal? Can't a dry tiger turn into a flood dragon?" Meng Ao repeatedly praised: "Being better and better! With such a fleet, Chu's navy is just a bird!" Bai Qi laughed loudly for the first time: "Okay! This time it depends on your prestige as the commander of the navy." Meng Ao was gearing up: "You just said how to fight? I will let the people of Chu try the Great Qin Navy That's awesome!" "Come here." Bai Qi pulled Meng Ao into the command cabin, but there was a wall-sized "Picture of the Passage along the River" nailed to the cabin, pointing to the location of the pass, Bai Qi said: "Xun Within a few days, you must form a fleet of 30,000 sailors into a fleet of warships in the defense pass, and have to practice on the river for two or three days. Then the first battle is against the Yiling navy, annihilating the Yiling navy. After the infantry conquered Yiling Pass and the cities on both sides of the river gorge, you left 20% of your navy to seal off the river gorge, and then immediately led your navy to the east, approaching Yunmengkou to threaten Yingdu. This is the first time for our army Water battle, what are your chances of winning?" Meng Ao is also a thoughtful and prudent general, but at this moment he nodded decisively: "The chances of winning are 80%! I have found out clearly: the Yiling navy only has more than a hundred small and medium-sized warships, the navy has 8,000 troops, and the guards of the Guancheng are 20,000. There are no follow-up reinforcements in Baili. The 30,000 sailors I recruited in Nanzheng are all fisherman's children, and all of them are walking on flat ground on the boat. As long as the sailors in Jiangzhou are good, they will be quick and correct. I use 300 ships The warship entrusts him to board, is there a reason not to win?" "Jiangzhou sailors and ship repair craftsmen are the best in the world." Bai Qi praised, and then told the story of Jiangzhou, which made Meng Ao feel emotional again and again.Bai Qi paused for a moment, then pointed to Datu and said, "From tomorrow onwards, this is your flagship. I will rush to the Buqi camp immediately, and surprise Yiling Pass in advance, so that the Yiling navy will lose its foundation on land!" "Is the grain and grass base of our army stationed in Yiling?" Bai Qi started: "This matter will be done by the supply battalion. The 20% of the navy you left behind is to ensure that the grain and grass base is safe. After the grain and grass base is set up, only 500 cargo ships will be left to transport grain, and the remaining 1,000 Empty ships will transport troops eastward!" "Hi!" Meng Ao took the order, "I'll go back to Hanguan Pass and send troops down the river immediately!" Then he went. In a short while, the flags of the building ships were flying and horns were continuous, and a row of large ships slowly approached the Hanguan Wharf.Bai Qi left the follow-up military affairs handed over by Yiying and Meng Ao to the Sima of the Chinese Army, and he brought a group of military officials and a centurion to the pier in a fighting ship, abandoned the boat and landed, and did not stop Speeding away to the northeast mountains. Three days later, at night, when the spring breeze was expected to be steep and the clouds were covering the moon, 30,000 elite infantry soldiers of the Qin Army quietly crossed the Yangtze River in the gorge in more than a hundred large cargo ships, landed in a hurry, and detoured behind the Yiling Pass on the south bank overnight.Yiling Castle was originally surrounded by mountains on three sides and controlled the river on the other, locked the Jiangxia Gorge on the west, and controlled Yunmeng on the east.Even so, Yiling's defense was extremely lax.The fundamental reason is that Yiling is a fortress on the water, and it seems that there is not one family that can compete with Chu's navy in water warfare.Although it is bordered by Hanshui Fangling in Qin State, Qin State has never had a navy, and it has just finished fighting Hanoi in the Central Plains. How can it kill Yiling?Even if they are killed, they are fish and turtles in the river. How can they compete with the Chu State Navy?Coupled with the successive accidents in Yingdu, the generals in the army were all inquiring about the situation of the ministers of their own tribes, but no one had thought of the war.In fact, the general of the navy had already received a report from the scouts: the fleet of the Qin army came out of Jiangdong, and they only said "explore again" and laughed it off. Just before dawn, the mountains on three sides of Yiling Pass suddenly burst into flames, and countless rockets that penetrated the fire oil also poured into the city from the three sides of the mountains like a storm.Before the meal time, Yiling became a sea of ​​flames!Just when the whole city was fleeing in panic, there was a loud noise of killing from all sides, and the infantry attacked under the pass city on the side of the river.Accompanied by the dense rain of arrows, the fierce boulder battle slammed open the city gate in a short while, knocking down several large holes in the city wall, and the overwhelming Qin army rushed into the city like a tide.The 20,000 defenders in the city haven't fought a battle for many years, and now they are fleeing for their lives in chaos, the institutional system is gone, the generals and soldiers don't know each other, and they didn't have a decent resistance, and they all collapsed in an hour. soldier. Bai flew his horse into the city and immediately ordered to put out the fire. At the same time, he gathered more than 10,000 surrendered troops to camp in the mountain behind the city.Early the next morning, all the soldiers of the Chu army were dismissed and returned home.Yiling was originally a fortress, and there were only about 20,000 common people in the city. Once the defenders left, and the Qin army was not stationed in the city, the common people in the city were unexpectedly quiet. As soon as the Yiling Pass was lost, the navy in the river panicked, and all the more than a hundred warships gathered in the center of the river, ready to go east at any time.It can be seen that one day, the Qin army only camped on the bank and yelled at them, inciting them to go ashore to fight, but there was not even a shadow of a navy ship in the river.A group of naval generals became arrogant again, thinking that it was just a small group of Qin army's surprise attack that succeeded, so they flew to report to Lingyin's residence in Yingdu, and at the same time wanted to consume the Qin army, waiting for the reinforcements to arrive and regain Yiling in a battle. .But after waiting in the middle of the river for ten days, there was no news from Yingdu.General Zhaoyang of the Yiling navy was originally a descendant of the Zhao family, and his mind must be that the Zhao family in Yingdu was in danger, otherwise the old Lingyin would not be able to ignore such important matters. With this in mind, he immediately ordered the navy to go east Yingdu.But just as the fleet weighed anchor, a large fleet of warships poured out of the river gorge, their masts fluttering like a forest of flags, and their horns shook the valley. come. "Raise the sails and paddle—! Sail the boat down the current—!" The general hissed and shouted. The Yiling navy originally formed a water camp, and all the more than a hundred warships broke down in the middle of the river, and the bows of the ships turned into a huge square water camp.Even if the anchor is lifted and the ship is sailed, it must be started one by one according to the position of the warship.Just when the fleet was more than halfway into operation, the light warships of the Qin State that were rushing down the current had already outflanked them from both sides of the river.Jiangzhou sailors are used to navigating the dangerous shoals and rapids. Qin's fighting ships, Xiandeng, and Chima were fast and steady on the riverside, and in a short while they all intercepted the Yiling navy who had just sailed downstream. The largest building boat slowly came from the upper reaches of the river, and Meng Ao on the top of the building shouted an order: "All shout: the Chu army surrenders! The Qin army will not kill!" So the two largest warships, Louchuan and Xun, rushed All the soldiers shouted loudly: "Chu army surrenders—! Qin army does not kill—!" Immediately afterwards, the soldiers on the other warships also shouted in unison, and the sound shook the canyon. Seeing that the general situation was clearly inescapable, Zhaoyang burst out laughing: "Chu is weak, but the navy is invincible! Meng Ao, you dare to let me put up a battle?!" On the top of the building Meng Ao on board smiled coldly, and immediately ordered loudly: "The fleet retreats with an arrow! Wait for the Yiling Navy to form a water battle!" In an instant, the encirclement of Qin's black fleet retreated in unison. Opened the deep water area in the middle of the river.Zhaoyang yelled: "Hundred boats in the water array! Unfold!" But seeing the more than a hundred warships of the Yiling Navy slowly unfurling, all bows facing outwards, they formed a huge circular array in the middle of the river. A mountain like a jungle of swords and guns slowly pressed down downstream, and with the sound of killing, the rain of arrows suddenly poured on the Qin army fleet. Meng Ao issued an order in a loud voice: "Horn: Fighting ships intercept and kill the downstream! Climb the guerrilla wings of the red horse first! The building and boats charge down with all their strength!" There was a blast of horns, and the fleet of the Qin Army set up their shields and quickly approached the circular formation in the center of the river.With a sharp whistling, the Lianbow rockets soaked in fierce fire oil on the high-rise ship directly nailed the cabin of the yellow ship array's canvas mast.The deck wars rumbled huge stones down on the enemy ships.At the same time, the sturdy and tall Rachong also splashed a rain of arrows and crashed into the yellow water array with the momentum of Mount Tai!The Yiling naval forces are all small and medium warships. After being hit by this huge monster, the rear team of the ships involuntarily drifted away.At this time, the building boats were also rumbling, and every time they met a boat, the huge racket rod would rumble down from a high place, and the yellow boat was suddenly smashed so that its mast was broken and shook violently.At this moment, the sailors on the red horse clippers who boarded first on both sides roared and jumped onto the enemy ship to fight violently.More than half of the Yiling navy immediately fell into chaos. The battleship fighting method in the downstream was strange: Dozens of warships lay across the river, all of them anchored, and they just shot the powerful arrows head-on!According to the method of water warfare, the upstream warship has a great momentum advantage when going down the current. On a warship powered by sails and oarsmen, it is difficult for the downstream warship to resist the rush of the upstream warship.But the Qin army's warship dropped anchor inexplicably, clearly in a deadly battle posture. Zhaoyang roared loudly: "Let's go down the river!" More than 20 fast boats moved forward, set up their shields, drummed their sails, and charged with all their strength, trying to break through the blockade and take their way down the river.At this moment, the leader of the battleship whistled, and a group of shirtless sailors leaped into the water like flying fish, and suddenly sank into the river.Zhaoyang yelled: "Beware of scuttling the boat! Flying fish go into the water!" The emergency sailors called "Flying fish" were about to go into the water, but the arrow rain on the opposite side blocked the river with great force, and the flying fishes were unable to move for a long time. At this moment, they saw the bubbles in the river tumbling, the water swirling, and the Chu army panicked: "It's not good! The water has entered the water!" It is overwhelming.In just a moment, the warships that were going forward had tilted into the water one after another, and the soldiers of the Chu army shouted in panic.The guerrilla warships of the Qin army took advantage of the situation to attack the remaining Chu warships. In about two or three hours, the Yiling navy was wiped out in a sea of ​​fire. As soon as the Battle of Yiling was over, the Qin army immediately blocked the exit of the Xiajiang River, and then 20,000 infantry troops went up the river and entered the Xiajiang Gorge on large ships, and captured the fortresses on both sides of the Xiajiang River.The two sides of the Xiajiang River were originally the hometown of the Qu clan in Chu State, that is, the hometown of Qu Yuan.Later, the Qu family became a big family in the Chu state, and they were sealed in the plump area of ​​Dongting County, leaving only a few old Qu family members here.Because the Xiajiang River was barren and barren, no rich family was willing to confer the land, so it became the "king land" of the government.Because it is official land, the government should send troops to defend it.However, the state of Chu is vast, and there are many deserted and dangerous cities like this, so they only stationed an army in Yiling.Except for Qu's old city sister, most of the castles in the precipitous terrain in the Xiajiang River have no garrisons.It was said to be an occupation, but the Qin army hardly fought. They took over these castles one by one within ten days, and took down the entire upper reaches of the Yangtze River. At the end of March, when the Yangtze River is full of spring water, more than 2,000 warships of Baiqi's army marched eastward, approaching Yingdu.