Although they were far apart, the scene on the shore was clearly visible!

A dozen thieves were rushing towards the Wuteng, and they threw their torches aboard. The ship's freeboard, fence, towers, and gun mounts caught fire one after another, and the flames snaked up the cables like snakes, curling up.

The bamboo sails were also ignited, and flames surged on the Wu Teng like rapid waves!

At this moment, the sailors broke out. Each ship immediately broke through the waves and rushed to the shore in unison.

Military orders can no longer restrain them!

"Put down the oars!" the officer roared, but the sailors resolutely smashed the oars into the waves.[

"Don't go back!" The whip hit the sailors, but they stubbornly pulled the cable to change the direction of the sail!

"Let go of the steering wheel!" The captain drew out his knife and put it against the helmsman's neck, but the man roared, "Don't let go! That's Wu Teng... kill me!"

The entire water camp on the river erupted, with only a few officers left roaring, while more officers indulged their soldiers because they were also caught up in the frenzy. Someone rushed to Jin Shiqi and wailed, "General, you give the order

ah!"

Jin Shiqi was also in tears!

That's no ordinary ship, it's the Wu Teng.

Jin Shiqi remembered that when he first came to this world, he saw the big ship standing in the ice-covered military port, like a hill! He also remembered that on the last day of the battle of Juehua Island, the two big ships crossed the sea and suddenly appeared in the ice.

The sea is like a myth! Covered with white snow and ice, it is astounding on the coastline occupied by Jiannu, like a tenacious castle! He remembered that from Liaodong to Guangxi, the Longze and Wuteng traveled thousands of miles of sea territory one after another.

Like two big arks sailing towards the promised land.

He also knew that since the Xunzhou War broke out, this big ship had been standing in the river outside Guiping City day and night. He was the patron saint of Xunzhou and the overlord on this battlefield.

Like Longze, it is a totem in the hearts of sailors!

The fire snake was scurrying all the way and had already licked the tallest water camp flag. The big black magpie suddenly turned into a flame!

"I'm willing to give it up!" Jin Shiqi choked, feeling deeply guilty, remorseful, and remorseful. He didn't dare to look at the scene of the blazing fire.

"I can't bear to leave!" Jin Shiqi burst into tears. "Return, return quickly!"

…

It took two full hours, until dark, before the fire on Wattang Pier was extinguished.

After the sailors landed, Dongdian swarmed away with all the thieves in Wattang Town, not daring to fight against these furious men. Zhao Hongtang's Guangxi guards also sent dozens of riders to the dock to inspect. They were immediately attacked by a group of people.

The rocket exploded, and he never dared to show his face again.

But the dock was already in a mess.

The water camp's defense lines and barracks were still intact, and the large granary was not looted, but the ships suffered heavy damage.

All 12 large river ships, including the "Amano No. 1", were swept by the fire, and 9 of them sank. Those small and medium-sized ships were thin, and 18 of them sank. Several of the boats that were rescued were also burned.

It was very miserable. It was charred and floating in the river like a dead corpse.

The Wu Teng was even worse... It had completely rolled over on its side in the river, with only a round hull exposed on the water, like an old turtle that had been dormant.

But it's alive![

It was not burned, it was scuttled. At that time, the fire enveloped everything on the deck of the Wuteng. The sailors were forced to cut 16 holes at the waterline on both sides of the hull.

Big hole, let the river water pour into all its compartments. Let it sink into the river water.

When the fire was extinguished, Jin Shiqi led a thousand men and stood silently by the river, looking at the overturned ship. Everyone was scorched black, their hair was singed, and their faces were burned. "Let him sleep for a night.

." Jin Shiqi said loudly, "After daybreak, we will drag it out!"

"We're going to tow it back to the treasure port, give it a new mast, give it a new deck, and put 32 cannons on it!"

"The Wu Teng is only one and a half years old. It is a warship that wants to go down in history. How can it die here!"

"It will be covered with steel, riding on the colorful waves, and great military exploits are waiting for it!"

"You guys, go to sleep!"

That night, Jin Shiqi and nearly a thousand sailors were stationed on the pier, guarding the injured and sunken ships. Four of the eight intact "iron plate Tianye" were dispatched. Some went to the upper reaches to patrol Hu Fulong's movements.

, and some went to Jiangbei to report military information to various ministries.

Jin Shiqi sent a total of 20 groups of sailors to various ministries in Xunzhou to report the military situation to the governor, the commander-in-chief, the deputy commander-in-chief, and the troops in Guangdong and Guangxi.

They all carry a bloody emergency military report

"The main force of the Hu bandits headquarters gathered to cross the river and raid the defense line on the south bank. Zhao Hongtang of the Guangxi escort battalion conspired with the bandits and united with the Watang bandit soldiers to attack the Liuzhou water camp. The water camp suffered heavy losses, including all men and women injured, and most of the ships sank.

Shiqi led his troops to guard the granary at Watang Wharf and vowed to live or die with him to thank the emperor for his kindness."

…

The next day, June 20th, the seventh year of Tianqi.

Just as Jin Shiqi had detected and predicted, Hu Fulong's main force crossed the river.

After several months of hard fighting, Hu Fulong's main force was reduced to only more than 3,000 people. They made bamboo rafts, wooden rafts, and sheepskin bags, and forcibly crossed the Yujiang River in one day and one night.

At that time, there was only one large boat from Shuiying patrolling on the nearby river. It observed for a while, and then fired a few rockets towards the area where the thieves were most concentrated. Those rockets were fierce, but they all rushed into the river.

, nothing was gained. After symbolically assuming responsibility, the boat returned to Wattang Town to report the news.

Hu Fulong was worried for a whole day and night, but the legendary "enemy Jin Shiqi" did not appear. His three thousand elite soldiers successfully crossed the river, carrying ten days of food and grass.

For Hu Fulong, ten days of food and grass was enough.

In the next two days and nights, Hu Fulong launched seven consecutive attacks on the defense lines of officers and soldiers on the south bank.

At that time, the battle goal of the officers and soldiers on the south bank was to besiege the scattered bandits in the Longmu River area, so all the troops were "side by side and hand in hand", forming a crescent formation with a total length of nearly a hundred miles. Although Jin Shiqi issued an early warning one day in advance,

But the commander-in-chief needs time to confirm the information, time to think, time to issue orders again, and need to break camp and re-arrange... I'm afraid a month is not enough.

But Hu Fulong's movements were too fast. They ran day and night, avoiding when they were strong, attacking when they were weak, and chasing after them when they were defeated until they were all killed!

Hu Fulong was like a sharp blade, inserting into Ji Yuanxian's painstakingly prepared defense line. Then he rushed out and tore a hole in it. He rushed in again to block the retreat of the officers and soldiers, once again ducked to avoid the sharp edge, and once again attacked Ji Yuanxian in a night attack.

Xian's Chinese army camp. The bandit soldiers in the encirclement on the south bank also heard the news and cooperated in interception and killing operations, and merged into Hu Fulong's main force one by one.

In just two days, the situation on the south bank turned around. The officers and soldiers were routed hundreds of miles away and evacuated to Wattang Town. Nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses gathered in a small area with a radius of several miles, which was very lively.[

Three days later, Commander-in-Chief Ji Yuanxian was also forced to withdraw to Wattang Town, and the Chinese army was stationed in the small temple in the south of the town.

…

The seventh year of the Apocalypse, June 24th.

In the evening, a majestic ship broke through the waves and quietly appeared on the river outside Wattang Town.

The big ship raised its unique golden sails, and there were more than a dozen beautiful flags flying on the front and rear masts. Even though it was far away, you could still see the phosphorescent light shining on the deck, which was the most exquisite.

The armor was reflecting the brilliance of the sun. In addition, there were 6 small boats, chasing the big ship hard to protect it.

That big ship was the Longze, which temporarily served as the ship for the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.

At this very moment, Shang Zhouzuo, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, arrived in the small town of Watang.

As soon as Shang Zhouzuo stepped off the gangplank, he immediately walked to the other side of the pier. 200 pacesetters and accompanying civil and military officials hurriedly chased after him. They saw that Governor Shang Zhouzuo had stopped and was looking sadly not far away.

Wu Tenghao.

Three days ago, the sailors worked together to drag the Wu Teng out of the river and were repairing it on the shore. The scene was so sad. The nearly ten-foot-long body of the Wu Teng was scorched black everywhere, as if it had been cut across by a flaming blade.

Passed by. The deck, mast, sail rigging, poop, rigging, gun mounts...all the superstructure were burned to the ground.

This large ship of the same class as the Longze was stranded on the shore like a stubborn rock, supported by crude logs. The sailors were busy filling the holes in the hull. A sailor general rushed over to see the governor. He

He also said that General Jin was settling important matters in the town, so he would summon him back.

However, Shang Zhouzuo grabbed the boss and pointed at the remnants of the Wu Teng and asked: "Is it repaired well?"

"The injury is serious, but the bones are still good." The general explained: We can only temporarily patch up the loopholes. Please don't mind if the work is a bit rough. General Jin is recruiting soldiers and dragging it to the treasure port.

After a major overhaul, it will be a good boat again in a month or two.

Shang Zhouzuo felt at ease. He called his entourage and went to the Chinese army to meet the commander-in-chief Ji Yuanxian.

"My lord, my lord!" the general manager shouted, "please wait a moment and let General Jin escort you!"

"What? Are there any thieves here?"

"There are no thieves, but there are broken troops... Soldiers and horses from all departments have gathered and are making a fuss in front of the general barracks!"

Shang Zhouzuo's heart sank, thinking that now that he was defeated, his army would naturally become disorganized, and trouble would arise among the various troops. "Okay, I want to see it!" He said, throwing up his sleeves and leaving. The servants used a soft chair.

After the governor was carried away, the 200 pacesetters and guards held wooden signs, flags, festival flags, killing sticks, carried firecrackers and swords on their backs, and beat gongs and drums all the way to the south of the town.

The town was indeed in a miserable state.

Most of the indigenous people fled. Those lying, squatting, and lying in the streets and alleys were all stragglers from various tribes. The long smoke was mixed with bursts of putrid odor, and the hunting bonfires hid bursts of mourning. Facing the

Shang Zhouzuo felt heartbroken and guilty at this tragic scene of war and chaos. He originally thought that the battle was 90% won, but he never thought that the situation would turn out to be so tragic!

Not far from the dock, there were more soldiers on the road. "It's the governor!" someone shouted. The soldiers began to gather, and they just followed Shang Zhouzuo's team closely. The governor's pacesetters immediately became vigilant and marched all the way.

He scolded them and drove them away. After a few steps, those people followed behind.

Going further, more and more remnants of the defeated armies from various departments in Guangdong and Guangxi gathered, surging around the governor like a big "tide".
To be continued...