Dozens of flaming boats went down the river and rushed towards the large number of large boats crossing the river. The flames raised by the obviously greased firewood were extremely fierce. The flames were several feet high, like big fireballs rolling on the river.
They usually rush towards the boats crossing the river very quickly.
Without waiting for Yang Yiqing's order, all the ships, large and small, hurriedly evaded. However, under the circumstances of fast sailing in strong winds, it was not easy to evade flexibly. Moreover, the large ships that were temporarily built just for crossing the river did not consider too much maneuverability.
, the purpose of its construction is to carry more soldiers and provide better protection, so it is actually extremely heavy.
Under the influence of wind and current, the big ship has no way to avoid it. Whether it can avoid the oncoming fire ship can only rely on luck.
Most of the warships were lucky enough not to be hit by the fire ships. But that was because they were not too close to the shore. Under the influence of southwest wind and current, the direction of the fire ships was to rush towards the shore diagonally.
, so the closer the ship is to the ferry, the closer it is to the route of the fire ship.
Three large ships were crashed into by the fire ships. Although the soldiers on the ships hurriedly tried to resist the hitting fire ships with long poles and oars, it was of no avail. The fire on the small ships was too fierce, and the wind was from the southwest. The big ships were
Downwind, people could not get close to the side of the ship. They could not stand within two feet, otherwise they would be swallowed up by the flames and smoke and cooked alive.
Therefore, the soldiers could only symbolically hold long poles and try to push the boat away, but in the end they had to give up this idea.
Amidst the roar, the small boat hit the side of the big ship, sending up flames and smoke that filled the sky. After the impact, the small boat was like exploding fireworks, with burning firewood flying everywhere, and smoke and heat filled half of the big ship.
Within a short time, the big ship was set on fire. First the sails caught fire, then the planks of the ship's sides caught fire, and then half of the hull caught fire. The fire took advantage of the wind, and the wind took advantage of the power of the fire. It roared and burned more and more fiercely.
"Bang bang bang!" Continuous crashing sounds sounded. The fireworks rising from the river were like exploding fireworks splashing in all directions.
One after another, the boats hit the boats on the river. Some of them were just boats crossing the river. What was even more frightening was that the seven or eight boats were trapped on the water a hundred steps away from the shore, blocked by underwater obstacles.
They had no way to avoid or escape from the large ships that were blocked by them. They were all hit by the fire ships, and then quickly caught fire.
After the big ship caught fire, it was completely impossible to extinguish it. The only thing the soldiers on the big ship could do was to jump off the ship and escape. The soldiers jumped into the river with a splash. The river was full of churning water, floating and sinking heads, and shouted loudly.
The sound of shouting.
The rebel archers on the other side finally had a place to use, and arrows poured down like a downpour. The soldiers who fell into the water suffered heavy casualties and screamed in agony. The water on the river near the bank was quickly dyed black and red, and the scene was horrific.
.
Yang Yiqing was on the big ship at the rear, staring at everything in front of him with a dull expression.
Thick smoke from the fire was steaming, the ship was burning, and countless soldiers were shot and killed. There were screams, the sound of arrows piercing the sky, the roar of artillery, the whirring sound of flames fueled by the wind, and the crackling sound of masts breaking and collapsing.
sound……
All this made Yang Yiqing feel like he had entered a nightmare. Half an hour ago, he thought that crossing the river was about to be successful. He thought that everything was under control. But now, he realized that it was just his wishful thinking.
The rebels were obviously already prepared and waiting for them to come to their door. I thought that the so-called fire attack was nothing more than shooting with rockets, but I never expected that the other party would do something like this. They would take advantage of the obstacles on the water surface and cooperate with a large number of fire ships.
Arson, this strategy is actually not very subtle, but I never considered this from beginning to end.
Yang Yiqing wished he could slap himself in the face twice, and felt filled with regret. Zhang Yanling and the others were right. He wanted too much to win the initiative for the outer court, and wanted to take the credit. He ignored their words, and even
I thought they had ulterior motives. But reality slapped me in the face and made me completely sober.
Everything must be based on the success of counterinsurgency. How can I take this kind of thing too utilitarian? Yang Tinghe did write a letter asking him to take the initiative and strive for the initiative for the foreign court. But Yang Tinghe also said that the success of counterinsurgency is the first step.
First thing. I completely misunderstood what he meant and thought he was just saying polite words.
"Master Yang, please quickly order a retreat. It is best to stop the loss immediately while the loss is not big." The general beside him said loudly.
Yang Yiqing woke up with a start and shouted: "Retreat, retreat. Send the order to retreat immediately!"
The low horn sounded across the river, all the big ships lowered their sails, and the large and small ships slowly turned around. Under the intensive rain of arrows from the opposite bank, they began to retreat with difficulty. After once again paying the price of capsizing two large ships and eight small boats,
The attacking fleet finally got out of the opponent's range and returned defeated.
At the Lingzhou Ferry Pier, the dejected and frightened soldiers fled the ship and came to the shore. Exhausted, they slumped on the ground and panted. A large number of wounded soldiers were carried off the ship and lay on the ground on the dock. Some people were wailing.
Because many familiar brothers have been buried in the river.
Yang Yiqing got off the boat and stood on the dock as if he was lost. All the soldiers looked at him, with mixed emotions in their eyes. It was ridicule, anger, contempt, and pity. Yang Yiqing no longer had the heart to suck it.
"How many men and horses have we lost?" Yang Yiqing asked the general beside him.
"Sir, preliminary statistics show that eleven large ships and eighteen small boats and rafts have been lost. More than 700 brothers have been injured. About... a thousand brothers are missing or killed in battle..." Someone next to him said in a deep voice.
Report.
Yang Yiqing was heartbroken. He had been preparing for half a month, and a battle that he was full of ambitions and full of expectations had ended up like this. Now, his prestige was ruined and he became a laughing stock.
"Mr. Yang, what's going on? Didn't you swear before the war that you would definitely win? How could this happen? Oh my, our family warned you before the war, but you just didn't listen. Now it's great, you've come back from a disastrous defeat. This
But what should we do?" Gu Dayong walked over quickly, waving his arms and complained loudly.
Yang Yiqing was even more angry and guilty in his heart, and said loudly: "Soldiers, Yang is incompetent and should not have risked crossing the river to fight. He has killed so many soldiers and let down the great trust of the court. I really feel guilty. Cao Xiong learned from his mistakes.
Yang should be cautious beforehand. Yang is ashamed of the court and you. I alone bear the responsibility for the defeat of this battle. At this point, Yang can only die to thank the world and comfort today's war.
The heroic spirits of the dead soldiers."
After Yang Yiqing said this, he suddenly reached out and took out the sword from his waist, and wiped it off his neck.
Everyone was shocked. With quick eyesight and quick hands, the general beside him grabbed Yang Yiqing's arm and pulled him back.
"No, Sir. Victory or defeat is a common thing for military officers. The rebels are extremely cunning. Mr. Yang has tried his best. This battle is not his fault alone. This plan of crossing the river is agreed upon by all of us. Everyone must bear the responsibility.
We need to share the responsibility together. Our losses are not big, so why is this?"
"Yes, the plan to cross the river is necessary. We can't just ignore it. Mr. Yang has already built a big ship, and we almost succeeded. We just didn't expect that the rebels would be so cunning. If you commit suicide because of this, who will be responsible for quelling the rebellion?
But, sir, please cheer up, our tens of thousands of soldiers and horses have only scratched the surface of our wounds. It’s not like this.”
All the generals tried to persuade him.
Yang Yiqing sighed and lowered his sword. He felt a little regretful in his heart. Just now, he was so excited that he actually had the idea of suicide to apologize. In fact, there was no need. The army of nearly 50,000 people only lost 2,000 people, and suffered some minor injuries in the first battle.
It was just a setback, but it was nothing. After all, I had never led a soldier before, so I couldn't bear it for a while.
"Hey, Master Yang, what are you doing? Our family just said a few words, why did you wipe your neck? If you died, wouldn't others say that our family stimulated you? Master Yang, even if you die
So what? Leave this mess behind
Who will bear the child? It is better to think carefully about how to fight in the future. For the important matter of countering the rebellion, the emperor and the court are waiting for the good news of our triumphant victory. Even if you die, you have to put down the rebellion first, right?" Gu Dayong
He smacked his lips and said angrily.
Yang Yiqing's face was ashen and he said in a deep voice: "Eunuch Gu, don't worry, Yang will definitely quell the rebellion. Just now Yang was impulsive."
Gu Dayong said: "This is just a sentence. However, our family still has to report to the court about the defeat in this battle. Our responsibility is to report it truthfully. I hope Mr. Yang will understand."
Yang Yiqing waved his hand and said: "Eunuch Gu is telling the truth. Yang doesn't care. Eunuch Gu, if there is nothing else, I will sort out the post-war affairs and discuss the follow-up battle."
Gu Dayong said: "Okay, do you want our family to avoid it? Okay, our family is too lazy to get involved in your affairs. Don't make another disastrous failure. Then our family will be responsible for it. Out of sight, out of sight. Take your leave.
.”
Yang Yiqing's face was ashen with anger, but he could not refute. Gu Dayong turned around and left, but saw a general galloping towards him on horseback above the pier, shouting: "Master Yang, good news, good news."
Gu Dayong stopped and wanted to hear the good news.
The person who came was Shi Yong, and Yang Yiqing looked extremely ugly.
Shi Yong dismounted from his saddle and came panting to Yang Yiqing, saying loudly: "Master Yang, I have great news."
Yang Yiqing said coldly: "Shi Yong, you want to ridicule me, but you don't have to do this. I did not listen to your suggestions, which led to today's defeat, but you don't have to rush to humiliate me when I am defeated.
official."
Shi Yong was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand and said: "No, Mr. Yang, this is really good news. Chief Zhang Houye led 3,000 cavalry to attack Ningxia City. He captured Ningxia City early this morning and is now arresting him.
King Anhua and his remnants of rebellion have wiped out the remaining enemies. Isn't this good news for the world?"
Everyone stared blankly at Shi Yong with an incredulous expression. The tens of thousands of soldiers on the dock were speechless like clay sculptures. Everyone stared at Shi Yong and made a gasping sound.