Dominate the Country

"Chase, chase—"

"Chasing me——"

Yang Shijin was furious when the Qing army turned around. At that moment, people were asked to raise flags and tell Xu Youruo and Chen Dai behind them to stop arrogating and chase after them quickly.

The atmosphere on the big boat changed instantly. From the officers to the soldiers, there was no trace of elation on their faces to scare away the enemy, nor was it the nervous and solemn look before the battle, but a kind of urgency, an urgency that came from the top to the bottom. Even the gunners and sailors yelled at the east side.

"Commander." Zhu Xin's heart jumped twice. He didn't know whether he should take this risk, but seeing so many people around him and no one reminded Yang Shijin, he still took a step forward. He walked to Yang Shijin and said, "Let the crab boat go first."

"There are too many silt shoals between the Yangtze River Estuary and Zhoushan. Large ships such as Tingzhou and shuttle boats have to travel through deep water channels, but small boats like crab boats can travel freely." That means you can take shortcuts! There is also more room for maneuver during a firefight on the sea.

Their current location is not at the mouth of the Yangtze River. They have been sailing for two hours and are not far from Yangshan. On the water west of Yangshan, ships such as Crab Boat can completely traverse the water. "As long as the Qing army is involved, our army can arrive."

"Commander Renyi, I don't want the soldiers to suffer too many casualties. But Ci is not in charge of the troops. Victory is the most important thing."

"His Royal Highness Lu Gong hopes that the navy will win the battle, but he can't see through it."

Zhu Xi has been to Guangzhou, where such fast crab boats often appear outside the Pearl River Estuary and rob merchant ships. When there is no wind, raise the oar and when the wind rises, raise the sail. If necessary, use both the oar and the sail. It is a large speed crab with a long and narrow hull. There can be more than 20 oars on each side, and each oar is equipped with two strong men. It can walk on the water like flying. When being pursued by officers and soldiers, they would run away if they could, and if they couldn't escape, they would fire and resist arrest, which caused headaches for the officers and soldiers.

But except for the Pearl River Estuary, Zhu Xun had never seen such ships anywhere else. Unexpectedly, the Navy of the Han Dynasty also manufactured a large number of such fast boats here. Putting it in a waterway like the Yangtze River, it is indeed a sharp weapon.

Yang Shijin's heart was hit hard by Zhu Xun's words.

Compassion does not control troops, but victory is the most important thing! Chen Ming was eager to see the navy's victory... It was like a giant hammer cracking Yang Shijin's heart!

"That's all. I, Yang Shijin, can't help them anymore." Yang Shijin closed his eyes sadly.

He was just the leader of the group, and what made him a leader was his loyalty and caring for his brothers. But there are times on this battlefield where you have to risk your life to fight. If it was just him who made the decision, Yang Shijin would have led the entire fleet in pursuit, and would not have used the manpower of the Crab Boat to fill the gun holes. Zhu Xun gave him a hard push!

The flag order was issued. The sixteen crab boats that accompanied them were divided into four teams without any hesitation. The four team leaders all responded by shouting flags for a fight to the death.

The sails were fully spread one by one, and the oars and sails were used together, like four sharp arrows flying off the string. Soon, only the tail was left for Yang Shijin to see.

Crab boats often have a five-pound main gun on the bow, and the small guns on both sides are all two or three-pound sizes. Fishing nets are set up at each gun position for protection. The combat effectiveness is really not weak in the inland river. But to take it to the sea to compete with serious foreign warships is simply seeking death.

Yang Shijin didn't know how the officers and soldiers on the sixteen crab boats felt after receiving his order, nor did he know how many of these crab boats would be left when they completed their missions. In his heart, he only thought of Chai Da. Ji was so angry that he wanted to cut Chai Daji into pieces.

Even if he chases him to Zhoushan, he will chop down Daji! It’s a great time to chop down the firewood!

When people have no choice but to break through their own psychological bottom line, they always have to find a target to vent.

Zhu Xun quietly went to the rudder of the ship. Standing next to Yang Shijin, he felt 'hot'. Yang Shijin's eyes were ready to spit fire. Living under such a 'boss' is quite a pleasant thing. But in his heart, Zhu Xun was a little disdainful of people like Yang Shijin, and felt that Yang Shijin had not corrected his position.

He is now the commander of the Fuhan Army's inland water division, but he is not the original platoon leader. When he was the leader of the platoon, he could show loyalty to his brothers; when he became the commander, he could not show loyalty to his soldiers.

Yang Shijin didn't take Zhu Xi seriously at this time, and he didn't have the leisure and grace to get angry at Zhu Xi. The man stood upright on the bow of the ship, listening to the rumble of cannons coming from the front. He stood there for an hour. Seeing that the time was running towards five o'clock, the lookout soldiers on the mast suddenly raised their heads. He shouted: The boats in front have stopped!

"The Qing army's warship has lowered its sails!"

The shouts of the lookout soldiers have echoed in Yang Shijin's ears, but Yang Shijin himself can't recover. What's going on?

Qing warships lowered their sails?

How can a warship sail on the sea with its sails lowered? It can't even move, and the warship is just a pile of meat on the chopping board.

The distance between the two sides is getting closer and closer, and Zhu Xin, who is holding a telescope, can see clearly. Twenty or thirty Qing warships have indeed lowered their sails, and the sound of cannons has also been extinguished. Then, on the sea farther away, several ships that have never been seen before There were warships with lowered sails, big ships and small boats [fire ships], and at this time they were sailing east at full speed. It sailed far away, leaving only a small dot in the distance on the sea.

"The Qing army surrendered, Chai Daji surrendered..."

Two quarters of an hour later, the sun had already reached the sea surface. Under the last rays of the setting sun, thousands of Fu Han Army sailors cheered heartily. Only two of the sixteen fast crab boats suffered a little damage, and the battle ended with Chai Daji's order to surrender.

Yang Shijin was puzzled as to why Chai Daji chose to surrender, but the Qing army did surrender. Twenty-five of the thirty warships surrendered with Chai Daji, and forty-four of the fifty fire ships surrendered with him. So although the Qing military officer next to Chai Daji looked dissatisfied, Yang Shijin also smiled and did not blame him.

Shi Xinxiong surrendered with Chai Daji, but he did not say a soft word to Yang Shijin, nor did he show any weakness.

He was the most useful person in front of Chai Daji. Chai Daji only saw his fierce personality, but Shi Xinxiong boasted that he was Chai Daji's number one confidant. So when Chai Daji ordered to retreat, he retreated even if he didn't think it was appropriate; when Chai Daji ordered to surrender, he surrendered even if he didn't like it.

Shi Xinxiong and Chai Daji were "invited" by Yang Shijin to his large-sized Ting ship, along with a group of officers including Qianzong, garrison commanders, and Dusi officers from 25 warships.

The conditions on the ship were very simple, but Yang Shijin still went all out to prepare a "feast". There were bacon and canned food stored at the bottom of the ship, and all of them were prepared. There was no wine in the army, so tea was used instead.

The officers who came on board together were all hopeless about the prospects of the Qing Dynasty [South], or their hometowns had fallen into the hands of the Fu Han Army. When facing Yang Shijin, the group was polite, including Shi Xinxiong. Even though they were still dissatisfied and indignant in their hearts, they would not "seek death" to confront Yang Shijin.

At this banquet, no one said or asked what they really thought in their hearts. The atmosphere was peaceful. It started with a humble and harmonious atmosphere and ended with a lively atmosphere. After drinking, a group of Qing army surrendered military officers were sent to the "guest rooms" that were urgently cleaned up. Those were the original sleeping rooms for officers and sailors.

The sailors on the ship emptied the narrow planks and bedding in the original cabin, and used nails to tightly piece together "wide beds". Even Yang Shijin himself gave up his bedroom.

This room was two points more spacious than Chai Daji's original bedroom on the ship. Chai Daji lay on the quilt, and the burden on his shoulders was completely thrown off by him. The open window kept pouring in the cool night breeze, and Chai Daji felt that he was relaxed and comfortable all over.

A big stone fell from his heart.

Yang Shijin personally brought a pot of water to the room, and the two sat down on a stool on the side. Yang Shijin looked at Chai Daji with some hesitation, but Chai Daji's eyes did not dodge, but were frank.

"Haha, I dare not hope so." Yang Shijin said that Chai Daji had made great contributions this time, and Chen Ming would definitely reward him. In the future, they would be colleagues, and they hoped to take care of each other in the future. Chai Daji laughed and said, "Chai has also gone through life and death several times, and the desire to stand out has long faded.

I just hope to meet His Majesty Lu Gong, and then I can retire.

When Quzhou Prefecture [Zhezhong] is captured by the army, it will be just right to return to Jiangshan, my hometown, and be an idle person in the countryside, and I will be satisfied."

Yang Shijin listened to Chai Daji's words and felt that they were sincere? This made him unbelievable. Was his ears wrong, or was he really easy to deceive? He was also dizzy after walking out of the room. At present, the Fu Han Army can really be said to have a decisive situation. Sitting on the south of the Yangtze River and connecting Huguang, as long as Jiangxi is taken, the army will enter Nanling, and it will be easy to take Guangdong and Guangxi. Half of the country has been settled, and a bright future is in front of him!

Why would Chai Daji not want to be an official and not get involved? Is he loyal to the Qing Dynasty?

"If this is the case, he will surrender."

Chen Dai and Xu Youruo are also on this large Ting ship, and there are some captains. Well, Chen Ming asked to call it, and he can't call the head or the ship officer. If this Ting ship exploded at this time, the entire Fu Han Army Navy would suffer heavy losses.

Outsiders don't know the burden in Chai Daji's heart, so even many Qing army officers are surprised and suspicious of his "surrender", and Yang Shijin, Chen Dai and others feel abrupt and weird. Always look at the surrendering Qing army with a vigilant eye!

The fleet anchored at Xiaoyangshan that day. The next morning, the sun rose from the sea in the east, and the rays of light shone on the warships. The trumpet sounded, and the huge fleet was divided into two in the vigilant and suspicious eyes of the indigenous people of Xiaoyangshan. One group continued to fly the flag of the Qing Dynasty and took a large number of fire ships to Chongming; the other group was mainly composed of warships of the Fu Han Army, and they were full of sails and headed straight for Zhoushan!

Yang Shijin did not go to Zhoushan. He was on the boat before Chai Daji. The sailors and gunners were mixed. There were also dozens of small sampans, which opened their sails and shot towards the estuary like arrows.

He just didn't feel at ease. Chai Daji surrendered too lightly and easily. Although Yang Shijin racked his brains last night and asked the officers and soldiers of the Marine Battalion to be vigilant all night, he also found something wrong with the surrendered Qing officers and soldiers. Even thinking of Chai Daji's surrender as a conspiracy, he couldn't think of any tricks that the Qing army could use to turn the tables under this situation.

But he just didn't feel at ease.

So he handed over the task of attacking Zhoushan to Chen Dai and Xu Youruo, and personally led the "fleet" back to Wusongkou.

Last night, he sent someone to send the news of Chai Daji's surrender back to Pudong by speedboat. He didn't know whether the news had reached Chen Ming at this time. Yang Shijin stood on the deck of the big silk ship, his face as calm as a mirror, his heart surging like a tide.

Chai Daji, who was in the cabin, very rarely took out the "Collected Works of Zheng Banqiao" that he had used as a model, and lay on the bed to read it leisurely. He really made up his mind to quit the army. In the night talk with Yang Shijin last night, he sincerely recommended Shi Xinxiong to Yang Shijin, but he was self-deprecating. But the more he thought about it, the lighter he felt.

Books like "Collected Works of Zheng Banqiao" used to be used for decoration, but now Chai Daji also had the heart to read it carefully. "Maybe I will have to work hard on it in the future." Chai Daji studied literature in his childhood, and later gave up literature to study martial arts, and even passed the military imperial examination. But he did not have no accumulation in literature and writing.

When Shi Xinxiong came to him with a lunch box, he looked at Chai Daji's carefree and relaxed look, and felt that he was really confused.

"Sir, what do you think?"

Shi Xinxiong had met Yang Shijin and knew that Chai Daji had recommended him to Yang Shijin. If nothing unexpected happened, his future would be absolutely guaranteed. But what about Chai Daji himself?

Chai Daji did not put down the scroll in his hand, but just looked up and smiled slightly.

...

Outside Wusongkou at this time.

Yawosa [part of Changxing Island] There was a sound of cannons on the water. Large sampans and long dragon boats, as well as a few fast crab boats, took advantage of the first light after dawn and rushed out of Wusongkou early.

The battle has been going on for the third day!

The main fleet of the Fu Han Army did not return, and the figure of Chai Daji's Qing Army did not appear.

As soon as the sun jumped out of the sea, Luo Daliang, who stayed behind in Wusong, led these inland warships and rushed to Yawosha with great momentum. The day before yesterday, they were really caught off guard by Huang Zhenggang. The few warships left outside could not resist the large forces of the Qing army at all, and the main force of the remaining navy was blocked in the Huangpu River.

Of course, they were not completely useless in the Huangpu River. From the afternoon of the day before yesterday to yesterday, the Qing army sent large-scale silk-carrying ships, shuttle ships and other main transfer ships to rush into the Huangpu River several times, breaking through the artillery positions along the Huangpu River, intending to continue to rush in, but they were all driven back. In the Huangpu River, the Qing army lost a total of three large silk-carrying ships, a large shuttle ship, and two large watercrafts. In addition to the damage caused by the artillery fire outside the river, the price paid by the Qing army in the past two days was very heavy.

The Fu Han army also suffered damage, with fourteen cannons damaged, more than 200 gunners and logistics troops killed or injured, and three crab boats and a dragon boat sunk in the Huangpu River. Eleven large sampans were damaged and retreated to deeper waters for repairs.

The Qing warships were anchored on the surface of Yawosha for the past two nights. Huang Zhenggang also sent some small boats to patrol the Huangpu River estuary at night, and the Fu Han army launched floating rafts and underwater dragon king cannons from the Huangpu River. Even yesterday morning and this morning, when Luo Daliang led the fleet to rush out, large sampans and dragon boats were pierced through the side of the boat by the floating rafts he released.

Yesterday, Luo Daliang failed to rush out of Wusongkou, and the Qing army's reinforcements came quickly and blocked him back. Today, he broke out of Wusongkou relatively smoothly and killed all the way to Yawosha.

Although by the time they broke through the blockade of the Qing warships at Wusongkou and rushed to the surface of Yawosha, the Qing warships anchored there had already set sail and were ready to go.

"Morale should be boosted, not let down!" Luo Daliang did not turn around and run away immediately when facing the main force of the Qing navy, but led the remaining fast crab boats bravely into its ranks, leaving the long dragon boats and large sampans to fight around on the periphery. Chen Ming on the shore was still very satisfied with his bravery.

Losing a few ships and some sailors is not terrible.

This courage is more important.

Just like the name of the TV series in the previous life, Swords of Light!

No matter how many shortcomings Luo Daliang had, at least he dared to set his sights on Huang Zhenggang, who was absolutely superior in strength. Even if he suffered some losses, how could Chen Ming blame him?

This time the army swept southern Jiangsu, entered northern Zhejiang, captured Hangzhou and Ningbo, and a large number of ship materials were in his hands. If the ship sank, just rebuild it!

"Your Highness, Commander Yang has sailed past Chuansha with the surrendered Qing warships."

At 3:20 pm, the Fu Han Navy had retreated into the Huangpu River again. The Qing Army continued to bombard the Fu Han Army's artillery positions on the shore. Chen Ming received this news.

"Click." The pocket watch closed, and Chen Ming was calculating frantically in his mind...