Chapter 95: Burning of Red Cliff (Fine Adjustment)

To reach Yangzhou, Gaoyou Lake is a shortcut.

Gaoyou Lake is a large lake near Yangzhou. By crossing this lake by water, one can avoid the detour through Taizhou and directly attack the city of Yangzhou.

His Royal Highness Prince Yan suddenly changed his mind and decided to take this route. When several generals in the army heard this, they looked at each other and became a little hesitant.

This time, the imperial court mobilized a large force, requesting the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Qin to lead their troops all the way to the front. Clearly, this wasn't just to deal with the mob in several prefectures east of Huainan, but also to demonstrate the court's authority and quell popular unrest. Furthermore, naval power would be required to sail through Gaoyou Lake. The Tianshui navy was primarily deployed along the southeastern coast to defend against Japanese pirates and, aside from maritime trade with foreign nations, there weren't many warships left in the surrounding waters.

"The five ships on Gaoyou Lake can only carry 10,000 men at most." A general knelt on one knee and presented the Canal Transport Department's defense map with both hands. "Even so, we can only carry enough food and fodder for three days."

Wen Yao thought about it and suggested: "In fact, if the court does not have enough ships, we can rent the canal shipping ships from the Chamber of Commerce. Chu--" Chu Yutang is super rich. Boss Chu is in the canal shipping business. Boss Chu has many big ships.

"No need." Zhao Xuanxu's thick eyebrows jumped when he heard the word "Chu" and he rejected it without thinking.

He sat at the head of the table, knees apart, one hand resting on his forehead. Gao Shaoshan handed him the defense map. He took it, glanced at it casually, and then threw it on the ground and stood up, his sleeves hanging at his sides. With a somewhat harsh tone, he ordered Gao Shaoshan, "Take 8,000 men to Taizhou and attack the city within five days. If you run out of food and fodder, go to the Supervisory Office and get a list of names and confiscate their property."

This requires attacking two places at the same time.

It sounded almost too aggressive, but Gao Shaoshan never questioned Zhao Xuanxu's words and immediately nodded in agreement.

Okay, okay, you just do it as soon as you say it. That's great execution.

The Prince of Yan ordered a boat to take a shortcut. The Grand Canal Transport Office dared not disobey, so they provided the boats and then sent an urgent report to Bianliang. Ten thousand soldiers followed Zhao Xuanxu, abandoning their horses and boarding the boats, sailing across Gaoyou Lake. Second only to Taihu Lake, Gaoyou Lake is immensely vast, its waves shimmering, and its vast expanse abounding with breathtaking scenery.

Wen Yao stood at the bow, his hair smeared all over his face by the fierce wind blowing across the lake. The saying "a thousand miles to Jiangling in a day" was indeed true. They sailed with the wind, and since they boarded the boat this morning, they could already see the distant lakeshore.

Suddenly, the lake shore in front moved.

Wen Yao was stunned. He looked over carefully and saw that the river bank in front was getting closer and closer, from long to shorter, and then turned into some thin boats in the near distance.

What I saw earlier was not the lake shore, but a row of boats.

Wen Yao: "Boat?"

Looking closer, you can see that these boats are not big, just ordinary fishermen's fishing boats.

Zhao Xuanxu suddenly pulled her over to the side of the boat and turned to look behind. Sure enough, not only in front, but also from behind, left, and right, nearly fifty fishing boats had suddenly appeared, surrounding the five warships from all directions.

Wen Yao's eyes flickered as she watched a group of men emerge from the boat closest to her. They were all dressed in shorts, headscarves draped around their heads, and held bows and arrows, their sword feathers gleaming with oil, pointed firmly in her direction. Someone held a candle and flicked it at the arrow's tip, causing it to suddenly become engulfed in flames, blazing and blazing as it flew towards her.

Wen Yao raised her hand and drew her Xingyi Sword, wielding it with her sword energy and cutting down four or five arrows in a row. She looked at the boats, feeling strange after the unexpected incident. She asked, "How did they know we were going by water?"

Zhao Xuanxu was a dictator, and he made sure that the decision was carried out immediately. The secret letter from the Canal Transport Department reporting to the court via carrier pigeon might not even have reached Bianliang City by now. How did these people know this information?

Qianying came from behind and, together with the secret guards, used swords to continuously shoot down the rain of arrows.

Zhao Xuanxu's eyelashes fluttered as he ordered, "Raise the sails to full capacity, board the nearest ship, and leave no one alive."

The soldiers nearby immediately responded, and with sails fully drawn, the five magnificent ships, their massive hulls breaking through the waves and creating a strong undercurrent, quickly rammed the vessel in front. The people on the opposing ship saw what the imperial troops were planning and quickly retreated.

Wen Yao watched as rockets rained down on the ship. The arrows were specially crafted, with oil bladders underneath. Once they landed on the ship, the grease soaked the rockets and they immediately caught fire. Fortunately, with so many people on board, the fire was small and manageable.

She looked up at the canvas and felt that if the canvas was set on fire, it would be a big trouble if they could not go ashore before dark.

Wen Yao pressed Zhao Xuanxu's arm, signaling him to let go. He took two steps forward and leaped several feet into the air. He perched on one foot on the long rope holding the sail, wielding his sword to cut down the rockets. Jiang Qiaosheng followed suit, stepping onto the mast. Seeing this, Xue Ke and Qian Ying exchanged a glance, leaving two of them to protect Zhao Xuanxu. Then, with the remaining secret guards, they flew over to the other ships, clinging to the masts and securing the sails.

The wind on the lake grew stronger, and the tower ship narrowly avoided a collision with several smaller boats. Arrows weren't the only thing on the other side. A spiral staircase was erected, and the archers on the boats quickly leaped to the front row. A hail of arrows rained down on the boats ahead, instantly piercing the hearts of the several people standing on them like hedgehogs.

Seeing the situation was bad, the boats behind him changed direction and tried to run. Wen Yao turned and stepped on the mast, floating across a distance of hundreds of meters and landing precisely on a boat. He turned and knocked out the man who was stabbing him with a knife. Then he quickly pressed the acupoint of another person and grabbed them with one hand and carried them back to the boat.

"Leave them alive for questioning." Wen Yao let go of the men and watched them being pinned to the ground. "They've been lying in ambush for us, waiting for us to come. They're playing the same game as the Red Cliffs."

The two men's acupuncture points were sealed, and they couldn't move or speak. Before they were taken away, Wen Yao looked them over carefully, pointing to the thick calluses on their fingers: "Have you ever served in the military?"

The scene of dense rain of fire all over the sky just now is not something that ordinary people can experience when hunting.

The man's body was untied and he spat out a mouthful of saliva: "I'm your mother's soldier. You can kill me or cut me up as you please! You bunch of bastards! Don't even think about getting any answers out of me!"

Zhao Xuanxu suddenly raised his foot and stepped directly on the man's leg bone. A crisp sound of bone cracking was then heard, which could be clearly heard in the surroundings.

Jiang Qiaosheng smiled, but didn't know when he took out a knife from his hand and stretched out his hand to dig out the man's tongue: "I'm talking to you nicely, why are you so dirty?"

Wen Yao pulled her away. "Judging from his appearance, he must have been a soldier before. And with only a few ships, it's obviously impossible to stop us. He was sent here to die, so he won't know much. There's no need to kill him. If we can't get anything out of him, just let him go ashore."

As soon as Zhao Xuanxu raised his hand, Qianying immediately came up.

"Go through the Supervisory Commission and inform Gao Shaoshan that there are spies inside." Zhao Xuanxu said, "I'll give him full authority and tell him to adapt to the situation."

Qianying nodded quickly: "Yes."

The enemy's attempt to burn Red Cliffs failed. After this surprise attack, the boats soon reached the shore. They unloaded their horses, sorted out their provisions, and rested for a while by the shore of Gaoyou Lake for over 10,000 people.

Wen Yao pulled out some dried meat and a water bag from her bag. She looked at Zhao Xuanxu, who was standing nearby, staring intently in one direction. Following his gaze, she could vaguely see the outline of a city.

"That's Gaoyou City." Wen Yao leaned over and asked, "What's going on?"

She leaned over, and Zhao Xuanxu immediately raised his hand to wrap around her wrist as usual. The coldness in his eyes instantly disappeared, and a soft emotion softened. "I've heard that Gaoyou's glutinous rice, lotus root and fish soup noodles are delicious. When we get back from Yangzhou, we'll slowly return and go to Gaoyou for a stroll."

Wen Yao looked at him with a smile.

She'd always found it strange how Zhao Xuanxu loved to feed her. She was a big eater, but she'd eaten the most since being with him. Every day, she'd find something new, tasting everything from the air and the water. Zhao Xuanxu seemed terrified she'd go hungry, while he, on the other hand, was a picky eater, not one to indulge in gluttony. These past few days on the march, he'd only nibble on Wen Yao's roasted pheasant, leaving everything else untouched.

"Okay." Wen Yao seized the opportunity, twisted the dried meat in his hand and stuffed it into his mouth: "After the disaster relief food is distributed and everyone has a good life and nothing to do, we will go shopping."

But now the situation has become a little complicated.

They had originally come to fight the refugees and mobs, a common practice, like suppressing a raging beast. The Tianshui imperial family's policy of keeping the people ignorant was as clear as it had been in other dynasties. The common people were illiterate and couldn't stir up much trouble. But this definitely didn't include the refugees who were gathering information and laying ambushes.

The ability is a bit beyond the limit.

Wen Yao didn't believe that there was no expert guiding him.

Gaoyou City was eighty miles from Yangzhou City. Leaving the flat mudflats surrounding Gaoyou Lake, towering valleys flanked the official road. Wen Yao reined in his horse and gazed toward the lush forests that rose high on the slopes on either side. Without drawing his Xingyi Sword, he patted Jiang Qiaosheng and leaped to his feet. The two of them, one on each side, vanished into the nearby tall grass, concealing their figures as they swiftly headed up the hillside.

Zhao Xuanxu sat on his horse, his expression unchanged, quietly waiting. About five breaths later, screams emanated from the hillside. The ambushed men hadn't anticipated the sudden appearance of a swarm of people, who were quickly dispatched. In a panic, someone whipped out a dagger and cut the ropes binding the boulders. Instantly, the valley roared, shaking the earth. Countless boulders tumbled down the slope, crashing down into the valley.

Mud and dust flew everywhere, blinding the eyes. If they had just walked onto this path, the people on it would have been crushed to dust by these boulders. Now the path ahead was completely blocked, littered with broken wood and rocks, leaving no place for horses' hooves to rest.

Qianying quickly led his men forward, dismounted, picked up stones and threw them to the side, clearing a path in a short time.

Zhao Xuanxu's dark hair hung down behind him as he stared intently at the spot where Wen Yao had vanished. A moment later, Wen Yao emerged from behind the hillside, clutching a man who looked like a small leader. He flew to Zhao Xuanxu's side, threw him to the ground, and gestured for Qianying to take him down for questioning, just like the previous man.

Jiang Qiaosheng, however, hadn't come down yet. Her actions were peculiar; she wasn't unreliable, but she certainly wasn't. Xue Ke was worried, and he couldn't help but wait with his sword in hand. After waiting for a while, he couldn't help but head up the mountain to see what was going on.

At this time, Jiang Qiaosheng suddenly emerged from the treetops.

Unlike Wen Yao, her expression turned ugly, vicious, gritting her teeth and exuding murderous intent. She flew down from the mountain, also holding something in her hand, but it wasn't a living person, but a bloody human head.

"Gurgle."

There was a dull thud. Jiang Qiaosheng hurled the head to the ground. Before anyone could react, she immediately jumped up and pointed at the head she had nearly ripped off, cursing profusely. She was truly annoyed and furious. "Why is he everywhere I go? I can't get rid of him! Feng Jimin! I'm going to kill him sooner or later!"