When Zuo Rong left Pengcheng, in addition to the more than 10,000 soldiers accompanying him, there were more than 100,000 men and women. At that time, he really wanted to take these people to a safe place to avoid being poisoned by Cao's army. As a result, after arriving in Guangling, Seeing the wealth and prosperity there, he got greedy and killed Zhao Yu, the prefect of Guangling, on the spot. After doing this, Zuo Rong no longer cared about the ordinary people who came to Guangling with him. He and Fan Neng The two of them fled to the south of the Yangtze River with the stolen property and beauties.
Most of these soldiers from Pengcheng had never even been on a boat, let alone on this wide river. The entire fleet consisted of more than 500 ships of various sizes, some of which were larger merchant ships, and most of which were just small fishing boats. The wind on the river was strong and the boat was swaying unsteadily. Many people could not stand firmly. What's more, they had begun to vomit. These boatmen who were kidnapped were all kind-hearted people. Otherwise, if they were When they rebelled, they had already thrown Zuo Rong and his men into the river to feed the fish.
At the forefront of the fleet is a merchant ship, which is also the largest ship in the entire fleet. The original owner of this merchant ship must also be wealthy. The main cabin is fully equipped and decorated gorgeously. Zuo Rong is lying on a low couch. On the top, there is a young woman wearing makeup in her arms, and she is raising and lowering her hands there, stroking her to her heart's content.
The young woman's name was Cuiping, and she was originally a concubine of Zhao Yu. Zuo Rong loved her beauty and enchantment and kept her with him. Although Cuiping was unwilling to do so, he had no choice but to bow to her due to the situation. Zuo Rong's I don't know where my hand touched. Cuiping's face turned pink and she groaned.
Suddenly, the cabin door was pushed open in a hurry, and Fan Neng stumbled in. A slap happened to hit him, and although the merchant ship was big, it couldn't help but shake violently. Fan Neng was unsteady on his feet, staggered, and his hands were hurried. With one hand, he pressed it on Cuiping's high and fat buttocks. Cuiping was suddenly attacked and couldn't help but exclaimed "Ah".
Although Zuo Rong knew that Fan Neng was not deliberately taking advantage of others, he couldn't help but frowned and scolded: "What are you doing in such a hurry?"
Fan Neng finally stood up, laughed awkwardly, and said, "Sir, there is a fleet of ships on the river blocking our way. It seems to be a warship."
"Warships?" Zuo Rong pondered, "I, a big man, only have two naval armies, one in Jingzhou and one in Yangzhou. I heard that Yangzhou's navy has long been in disrepair. Who can still organize a fleet at this time?" It's the navy from Jingzhou. Come on, take me to the bow of the ship to have a look."
Fan Neng agreed, turned around, held on to the bulkhead, and walked out of the cabin step by step. Only then did Zuo Rong kiss Cuiping on the face and said: "Baby, lie here obediently. I'll go there, sir." Come as soon as you go."
Cuiping twisted her waist like a water snake and said coquettishly: "Then master, please come back quickly, don't keep me waiting for a long time."
Zuo Rong had already gotten up, but he was even more miserable than Fan Neng. He almost squatted and found his way out of the cabin. Cuiping grew up by the river since he was a child. Sitting in this swaying cabin, he didn't feel any discomfort at all. It looked like Looking at Zuo Rong's clumsy and fat back like a duck, he spat fiercely and cursed: "If your foot slips, you will fall into the river and drown you!" Zuo Rong was concentrating on dealing with the swaying merchant ships. , lest you accidentally fall into the river and hear Cuiping mumbling something behind you.
After finally climbing onto the bow, he saw that there were indeed more than thirty large and small warships on the south side of the river, forming a half-moon formation, blocking his fleet in the middle of the river. Although there were more than 500 ships on his side,
, but in front of those warships, they were like a group of ants facing a few elephants. As long as the opponent rushed over with full sail, they would all be sunk in the blink of an eye.
Facing the merchant ship Zhe Rong is a huge building ship. The deck alone is four stories high. There are large rocks like millstones hanging on the bow and sides of the ship. I don't know what they are used for.
.I also saw a sailor on the mast of the ship holding two triangular flags, one red and one green, waving it up and down this way.
Zuo Rong was shocked by the majesty of the ship, but also felt baffled by the movements of the sailors on the mast. He turned around and asked the merchant sailor beside him: "Do you know what he is doing there?"
The sailors on the merchant ships traveled all year round and were well-informed. He raised his head and said, "Sir, that is a commonly used flag language in the navy. On the river, the wind is high and violent, and it is not easy for warships to communicate with each other."
, often use semaphore to give orders and convey information.”
Zuo Rong said "Oh" and asked again: "Then do you know what he said?"
The sailor shook his head and said: "The villain only knows that this is the flag language of the army, but he does not understand the meaning of this flag language."
It turned out that since Liu Xin asked Mi Zhu to set up refugee camps in Wujun and Jiangxia, many people who fled from Xuzhou got the news and flocked there. However, from Xuzhou to Jiangxia, you need to pass through the jurisdiction of Yuan Shu, where interrogation is very strict, and refugees
The common people were often bullied by local officials and soldiers. Therefore, most of the common people chose to go directly to Wu County from Guangling via the Yangtze River.
After learning about this situation, Mi Zhu went to Gan Ning and asked him to arrange for the navy to be responsible for receiving these fleeing people. Jiangbei was no longer under Liu Xin's control. Suddenly sending a large number of warships there would probably cause unnecessary chaos.
Misunderstanding, there is no order from Liu Xin
Naturally, Gan Ning would not agree to mobilize navy warships to pick up the refugees. However, unable to withstand Mi Zhu's repeated requests, Gan Ning still selected some clever soldiers and brought some money to the north of the Yangtze River to pay the merchant ships and fishing boats along the river.
Let them carry the fleeing people across the river.
Because most of the people who fled from the north had no access to water, Gan Ning also dispatched a group of sentinel boats to patrol the river just in case, ready to rescue people who were not afraid of falling into the water. By this time, most of the people who had fled had been drowned.
They took over the Yangtze River and made proper arrangements. Later, I heard that Cao's army had begun to retreat, and some people who fled halfway returned to their hometowns. Therefore, there have been fewer and fewer people fleeing from Jiangbei recently.
During this period, those merchant ships and fishing boats helped carry the fleeing people across the river and made a lot of profits. One trip was often worth half a month's income. Although the number of people crossing the river was decreasing day by day, such
It takes many years for business to come back, so they still gathered in large numbers by the river, hoping to have the opportunity to make a few more deals. As a result, it was all in Zuo Rong's favor. He spent almost no effort and was detained until five hundred
Multiple ships.
As the number of people crossing the river dwindled, Gan Ning not only reduced the intensity of patrols, but also withdrew many of the navy soldiers sent to the north of the river. However, this did not mean that he relaxed his vigilance. Therefore, when Zuo Rong's fleet had just
Not long after leaving Jiangbei, he was spotted by a sentinel boat patrolling the river and immediately reported it to Gan Ning. Gan Ning heard that hundreds of ships were crossing the river, and he was surprised.
Dare to neglect, they also mobilized nearly forty warships to greet them, and asked the sailors to wave flags to communicate with the incoming ships. Because every time a ship carrying fleeing people came from the other side, there would be naval forces sent out on the ship.
The accompanying soldiers can not only take care of these people who are not accustomed to water, but also make timely and convenient contact with the navy to accommodate these people more appropriately.
When he found that there was no response to the flag message sent out by his side, Gan Ning became alert. As the distance between the two sides got closer, he could already see the figures of soldiers in armor on the opposite ship, and he immediately ordered to prepare for battle.
Zuo Rong was guessing what the flag waved by the sailor meant when he suddenly heard a shrill horn sound coming from the opposite side. When he looked again, the large and small warships on the opposite side suddenly appeared on the empty deck.
Countless crossbowmen were picking up their bows and arrows one by one. The cold light on the arrow clusters was particularly dazzling under the sunlight. Zuo Rong was shocked and shouted: "Don't shoot the arrows, we are here to surrender to Lord Mi."
!”
Hearing Zuo Rong's shout, Fan Neng also hurriedly led the accompanying soldiers to shout together. Although there were more than ten thousand soldiers on these more than 500 ships, few of them knew how to swim. The most important weapon in a naval battle is
It's just bows and arrows. These soldiers from Pengcheng are standing on the boat, holding a knife and gun in one hand, and they must hold the side of the boat with one hand, otherwise they will fall down immediately if they hit the head. They can't even lift their shields now, and they can't even lift their shields now.
Not to mention bow shooting. The opposite side is a specially built warship. There are arrow stacks all around the ship. You can block the arrows fired from the enemy ship without a shield. If there is a fight, you will know who will win without fighting.
Lost.
Fortunately, it is winter now. Although the wind on the river is strong, it is blowing from the northwest. The shouts were carried by the wind and could be heard clearly on the boat on the opposite side. Gan Ning gently raised the sword in his hand.
, made a gesture. The sailor climbing on the mast had been watching Gan Ning's movements, and upon seeing this, he immediately waved the small flag in his hand. Soon, another trumpet sounded, and the bows and arrows in the hands of the soldiers on the warship were slowly released.
After landing, a speedboat sped away from the fleet and headed straight for the merchant ship that Zuo Rong was riding.
Zuo Rong knew that it was the messenger sent by the opposite fleet, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he realize that his whole body was soaked in cold sweat. Indeed, if the other party had ordered an attack, he would have been buried in the belly of the fish by now.
Although the incoming ship was traveling against the wind, its speed was extremely fast. In a blink of an eye, it was already in front of the merchant ship. Before the sailors on the merchant ship put down the gangplank, a strong man wearing leather armor was seen on the incoming ship, swinging a flying grab, "
With a "swipe" sound, he put it on the side of the ship. The man held the steel knife in his mouth and grasped the rope with both hands. Like an ape, he rushed onto the merchant ship in twos and twos. When the soldiers on the merchant ship reacted, they came
There were already five or six big men on the boat, holding sharp blades and climbing over the flying grapple.
The strong man took a quick glance at the boat and clearly saw that Zuo Rong was the leader of the fleet. He rushed towards him, waved the steel knife in his hand, and shouted in a deep voice: "This is a captain of the Han Dynasty Navy."
Huang Gai, who are you? Recruit them from the truth!"