Chapter 309...
The success of this rod-patting move is to create an information gap.
These subordinates of Youzhou Liaodong County thought that the weapons on their ships were only used for attacking cities and walls, but in fact, these things were essentially used in close-range combat in naval battles. Before people could really close the distance with the enemy, they would be smashed to pieces by the enemy's "pendulum hammer".
Lu Lingju couldn't help but like this thing, but if the axle was not operated properly, there might be some problems in the repeated use of the rod.
But this is not a problem at all in the face of the destructiveness caused by its violent attacks!
Seeing that the Liaodong County pursuers, who thought they had an advantage in terms of human wave, were completely wiped out by the reckless charging of our warships, even the relatively stable Lu Yi and Taishi Ci could not help but feel a little excited at this moment.
However, despite this excitement, Lu Yi still remained observant.
He was listening to the noises coming from the defeated enemy army, and suddenly noticed a fleeting shout of "Lord" among the chaotic sounds.
He quickly shouted to the soldiers around him and the ginseng pickers who were stunned by the power of the poles: "Quick! Go over there and catch them! There are big fish!"
As soon as the three words "big fish" came out, Lu Lingju hurriedly raised the telescope handed to him by his subordinates and looked over there. He was shocked to see a figure swimming towards the distance holding a wooden board in the broken boat. The figure was obviously dressed differently from the others and was protected by his subordinates and supporters who had also fallen into the water.
After hearing Lu Yi's description of the "Lord of the Mansion", her eyes lit up.
This kind of title could never appear on a high-ranking official in Xi'anping County. It could only be the number one official in Liaodong County.
Gongsun Du!
Compared with the occupation of territory, the plunder of population is more likely to arouse Gongsun Du's vigilance and anger under the current special circumstances. This was a strategy they had formulated as early as when they came here.
But when this action really lured Gongsun Du out and he appeared on Lu Lingju's side, she couldn't help but hold the side of the boat tightly, her fingertips subconsciously contracted, and she wished she could jump directly into the water and follow these soldiers who were going to capture the "bandit leader" to bring Gongsun Du to her.
Lu Yi reminded her, "Don't forget Kong Ming's plan," which calmed her down a little.
It was no wonder that she was so excited. The Lu Su she captured last time was only the chief clerk of Xuzhou. The one she wanted to capture now was Gongsun Du, who was separatist in Liaodong and intended to become king.
However, Lu Yi was right. This overwhelming victory did not mean that their battle in Liaodong had come to an end.
Gongsun Du's appearance at this time can only mean that their plan to lure the snake out of its hole has been achieved one step ahead of schedule, and the subsequent actions are the highlight.
If Gongsun Du could not be convinced to admit that he was indeed inferior to them, it would be impossible to achieve efficient coordination by having Gongsun Du and Zhang Liao attack Gongsun Zan from both ends after taking Liaodong.
If there were any mistakes that allowed Gongsun Zan the opportunity to escape or even counterattack, then their surprise attack plan to sail to Liaodong would be meaningless!
They couldn't kill Gongsun Du directly.
Regardless of whether this man is really capable or not, at least during the five years since he took over as the prefect of Liaodong, he has gradually built up his own power here and has subordinates who are truly submissive to him.
Even if Gongsun Du was killed by them, they would never replace Gongsun Du directly and let Liaodong change its ownership without any unrest, so...
It is better to act according to Zhuge Liang's plan which has been approved by Qiao Yan.
But speaking of it, Lu Lingju couldn't help feeling a little proud when looking at the battle situation in front of him.
The plan proposed by Zhuge Liang was a good one, but it required the right person to execute it. The first achievement in the battle against Gongsun Du was indeed in her pocket!
When Gongsun Du was captured from the sea and brought onto the ship, what he saw was the girl looking him up and down with an unscrupulous gaze, as if she was gauging how much he was worth.
Gongsun Du: “…”
His growing prestige in Liaodong had made him no longer as nervous as when Dong Zhuo first gave him the appointment. Even the county residents had used auspicious signs to please him in order to demonstrate his legitimacy as the leader of the area. It had been a long time since he had been looked at with such presumptuous eyes.
Even though he was being dragged onto the boat and looked like a drowned dog, it did not change his perception of himself.
But now he was the prisoner, and no matter how much dissatisfaction he had, he could not express it directly to the other party. The most he could do was look at Lu Lingju, Lu Yi and Taishi Ci beside them, and wonder if he could manipulate them to escape if these people wanted to go ashore and occupy Liaodong.
The advantage in naval battles does not mean that they can still do the same on land!
First of all, they did not have enough horses, and the cavalry from Youzhou could compete with those from Liang and Bing states.
But as soon as Lu Lingju opened his mouth, Gongsun Du was a little surprised.
She didn't mean to ask him to surrender, but after retracting her presumptuous gaze, she said: "Gongsun Taishou, I don't think you would want others to know that you were defeated so badly by us? And you were defeated by us young people. If this news gets to Tadun in Liaodong and Gongsun Zan further west, it probably won't be a good thing for you."
This is certainly not a good thing!
The law of the jungle in the north is also followed in Youzhou.
If it weren't for the increasingly powerful force that Gongsun Du had accumulated in Liaodong County, Gongsun Zan, who defeated Liu Yu and took the position of Mu of Youzhou, would probably have been eager to clear Gongsun Du, a guy with the same surname but different clan, out of Youzhou.
Gongsun Du looked at Lü Lingju's expression and asked, "What do you mean?"
"It's nothing special. After all, Governor Gongsun has seen us. We just need to take away some of the people. Since you want to stop us, we can only fight back."
The result of the counterattack was that Gongsun Du was captured on the spot.
Lu Lingju spread her hands, as if she was only forced to act, "Since Governor Gongsun is already in our hands, instead of killing you, it would be better for both of us to win."
"We can ignore the obstruction made by Gongsun Taishou, or we can release Gongsun Taishou and ensure that the results of the battles in Dashi and Xi'anping will not be heard by people who should not hear about it, but we need more manpower. Since Gongsun Taishou is here, it will be much easier."
The words "it's easy" did not make Gongsun Du feel relieved at all. Instead, he felt an extremely ominous premonition.
The next moment he heard Lu Lingju say, "It's still too inefficient to rely on us to hijack you. Why don't you ask Governor Gongsun to issue an order to transfer the horses and soldiers around Xi'anping to us, and then we will release you."
"As for how much to give as a fair trade chip, that is for Governor Gongsun to decide."
Lu Lingju's eyes clearly revealed one meaning. It was Gongsun Du's own carelessness that caused him to run into the opponent's iron wall. It was definitely not fair, but at least they had to be considered polite robbers and allowed Gongsun Du to redeem himself.
When Gongsun Du heard this, he felt extremely confused.
I was angry at the other party's nonchalant tone!
But after hearing what Lu Lingju said, he was more certain than before that these people who suddenly attacked Liaodong and attacked the territory he occupied were still more likely to be Yuan Shao's men, even because of their distinctive features such as female generals and young people.
Qiao Yan had just entered Luoyang, so logically he had no shortage of manpower. It would indeed be much easier to transport the population from Liaodong to Qingzhou Donglai than to the territory controlled by Qiao Yan, so there was the possibility of round-trip transportation.
In addition, the one who would still have a need for war horses at this time would obviously not be Qiao Yan, who was rumored to have a large number of Dayuan BMWs in his hands, but Yuan Shao, whose horse-producing land in Youzhou had been occupied by Gongsun Zan and who was clearly at a disadvantage in terms of war horse resources!
Having already formed some firm convictions, Gongsun Du became even more convinced of his own judgment.
But if he took his subordinates to sit face to face with the other party at this moment, he might be able to talk to the other party about "fairness". However, in the current situation, there was sea water flowing down his temples, and he was not in a state where he could negotiate normally with others.
The fishermen on Zhangzidao and Guangludao had no choice but to submit, and of course he had no choice but to do the same.
Fortunately, the other party had no intention of detaining him as a hostage for a long time, so he still had a chance to settle accounts with the other party after he escaped.
It's not the time for him to fail completely yet!
The worst that can happen is that you can give the other party some benefits first.
He tightened his face and squeezed out a sentence, "Okay, let my two subordinates take my handwritten letter to the nearby city to mobilize supplies and manpower."
No matter how Gongsun Du thought about it, he felt that if he just gave away the war horses and soldiers he had accumulated with great difficulty to the other side for nothing, it would be like cutting a knife into his flesh.
But if he is not willing to hand it over, I am afraid this group of people will not let him go.
His current position was not entirely due to his subordinates, so he thought about it and came up with a good idea.
In the letter that he asked his subordinates to take back to mobilize horses and men, he wrote the number of horses and men as slightly more than what these ships could carry.
Lu Yi glanced at the number on the letter and felt that the Liaodong governor was really not convinced by their sudden attack and was actually playing this kind of trick at this time.
But his decision was not surprising to them and was obviously exactly what they wanted.
Gongsun Du's clever trick saved them a lot of trouble.
"After we take over the first batch of soldiers and horses, we will release Gongsun Du." After walking away from Gongsun Du, Lu Yi said to Lu Lingju, "Send a message to Kong Ming. Since Gongsun Du's men are here, we can withdraw the troops from the Da clan. Send some warships back to Zhangzi Island to meet them. This will be a good opportunity to give Gongsun Du another surprise."
Lu Lingju immediately ordered someone to detach a small boat, which suddenly left the fleet in a corner that Gongsun Du had not noticed and headed west. The other boats returned to Xi'anping with Gongsun Du, the hostage.
When they slowly entered the mouth of the Yalu River and went north along the river to arrive at the city of Xi'an, Gongsun Du's subordinates had already sent the news to the city that the Lord had been captured and they needed to take out "resources" in exchange.
The generals defending the city had high hopes that Gongsun Du would defeat the enemy, but they were just as disappointed when they learned of his defeat.
But when he saw the warships that had destroyed the city twice appear in front of him, he had no time to feel frustrated or blame Gongsun Du. He could only follow Gongsun Du's instructions and take out the prepared ransom chips.
Horses are not very convenient to transport when the enemy comes by boat and runs away after the robbery. But now they are driven out of the stable and kept safely in a separate compartment in the cabin.
Gongsun Du's heart was bleeding when he saw this scene.
With a bitter face, he watched as the strong soldiers in the city who had taken off their armor were driven onto the warships one by one, and the civilians who could not fit on the ships were sent off. He felt that the scene before him was a great humiliation for him.
Fortunately, those "thugs" knew not to let him show up at this time, so he didn't bring the embarrassment of being captured to everyone.
"Grandmaster Gongsun is really generous. Not only did he send the soldiers, he also sent their families as well." Taishi Ci suddenly spoke, interrupting Gongsun Du's inner complaints and curses.
In order to ensure that he could successfully escape the clutches of the devil, Gongsun Du could only reply: "Isn't this to prevent these soldiers from refusing to board the ship and causing unnecessary unrest? If so, it would be of no benefit to either of us."
He faced Taishi Ci's playful gaze with a calm look, and almost swore to heaven that he was indeed sincere in this matter.
Only when he broke into a cold sweat did he hear the other party say, "That's right. Go ahead and get the remaining horses and people on board when we come next time."
Gongsun Du breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been pardoned.
But after realizing what Taishi Ci meant, he began to wonder if there was something wrong with his ears.
They just let him go?
Although he also hoped so, he had actually prepared a plan in his mind, just waiting to use it to convince the other party when the deal was halfway done. Now it was of no use at all!
No matter whether the other party has defeated him and his subordinates repeatedly, and is a little proud of the benefits he has already obtained, as long as he can get him back to his original safe state, it will be fine.
Gongsun Du stepped on the ground again, and still felt his legs and feet a little weak.
In the previous battle at sea, the racket almost passed directly in front of him, almost breaking his head into pieces, making him feel a lingering fear belatedly.
Fortunately, it's all over now.
He looked towards the group of warships sailing away, and a sinister look flashed across his face.
"Mobilize the troops! Send a batch of warships from the surrounding areas. They thought they could take so many things from me, Gongsun Du, and still get away with it. What kind of people are they? I must teach them a lesson!"
Liu Yi, his subordinate who came with him and also his trusted general, wanted to stop Gongsun Du's action.
After all, he felt that if those people were really Yuan Shao's generals, it would not be difficult to provide supply support to the attacking team. Gongsun Du might be able to give him a relief, but it would also cause him greater trouble.
But when he saw Gongsun Du's angry expression, he knew that it might be difficult to persuade this governor who had already held absolute power in Liaodong County to change his mind.
He simply asked, "In your opinion, how should we deal with the pole?"
If we fail to come up with an effective response to that naval weapon, it is still unknown whether we can actually turn the tables even though we say we will give the other side a hard time.
Liu Yi continued, "Although the time we have to prepare for this battle may be enough for the enemy to travel back and forth from Xi'anping to Donglai, the structure of the pole is not just a wooden stick and a boulder. It may not be so easy to equip our ship with the enemy's killer move."
After all, Liu Yi had participated in battles with Gongsun Du, and he had a good eye for details related to the battle. Gongsun Du had to realize that what Liu Yi said was indeed a fact.
He thought for a moment and replied, "Look, whether it's the hook or the pole the other side uses, they actually need to act at a slightly closer distance. What if we attack directly from a long distance?"
Gongsun Du pointed to the nearby Xi'an Ping city wall and said, "Have people install enough catapults here, and when they come to pick up the people and horses that have not been taken away, have people give them a surprise. Now, immediately send someone to buy enough stones."
He must fight a decisive battle to turn the tables!
But what Gongsun Du did not know was that he thought that Lu Lingju and his fleet were going to send the first batch of spoils back to Qingzhou, but in fact they only placed the soldiers on Zhangzi Island and provided them with enough food. Sima Yi continued to guard them, and then handed the war horses to Zhuge Liang and others who met them here after receiving the news, and then turned the ships around and sailed back to Xi'anping.
Not to mention whether Xi'an Ping was sufficiently prepared to deal with these powerful enemies with long-range attacks, Lu Lingju and others had no intention of launching an attack in the same way as before.
Before the catapult was improved, it was not easy to achieve high accuracy. That is why, when the tower ship suddenly advanced towards Xi'anping again, before the catapult on the city wall launched an attack, the Shenbi bow on the ship launched a long-range attack first.
Gongsun Du had no idea at what point the news leaked, causing the troops who were supposed to receive the spoils to not come into the range of the catapults without defense, but to take action first.
What he didn't expect was that the attacks fired by these divine arm bows were like rockets!
White cloth wrapped in grease, sulfur and liquor was wrapped around the tip of the arrow and ignited before it was fired. Then, with the terrifying power of the God's Arm Bow, it was thrown high and smashed into the city.
It was summer, and although Xi'an was built by the water, so the air didn't seem particularly hot and stuffy, the dry nature of summer was still evident here.
A huge fire broke out in the city immediately.
The first siege when the walls were smashed with poles, and the second naval battle when the ships were smashed with poles, made Gongsun Du never think that since these enemy troops came from the same place, if the Da family could be hit by fire attack, then this side could of course be hit by fire as well.
Even though many people in the city had been kidnapped by Lu Lingju and her gang, or had been given away after Gongsun Du redeemed them, there were still many people living in the city.
Once the fire broke out and the whole city was filled with shouts to put out the fire, no one could focus on the catapults.
When one small warship after another moved along the moat, forming a mobile siege, the catapults could no longer achieve the results that Gongsun Du hoped for.
Amid the sounds of firefighting in the city, he saw a whistling arrow from a ship approaching the top of the city wall, directly shooting the soldier who was operating the catapult beside him to death on the spot. Lü Lingju, who was holding a bow and arrow, looked at him and said with a smile, "It is rude not to reciprocate, Governor Gongsun, I think we have to make another deal."
The power of this arrow was like a thunderbolt striking Gongsun Du's mind.
No, this is totally wrong!
This performance is so similar to that of a person in the rumor, so similar that one can't help but suspect that the other person has learned the essence of the skill from that person.
It was none other than Grand Marshal Qiao Yan!
The smell of strong liquor that was igniting the city at the moment undoubtedly contributed to his inference.
But at this time, it didn't seem to mean much to Gongsun Du to confirm whether this person was Yuan Shao's subordinate or Qiao Yan's subordinate.
Because he has put himself in danger again!
Since the enemy had already had two siege experiences, it did not seem to be a difficult task to break through the barrier of Xi'an Ping city wall for the third time.
The phrase "let's talk about a deal" certainly seemed like she still had no intention of killing him, but was giving him a chance to buy his freedom. However, it was not difficult for Gongsun Du to guess that because of his uncooperativeness this time, Lu Lingju would most likely not let him reach an exchange so easily.
But if his roots in Liaodong were completely dug out, even if he managed to save his life today, he would end up being rebelled against by the disobedient forces in Liaodong tomorrow, or being ambushed by Gongsun Zan and Tadun.
So he couldn't surrender at this time, he had to escape!
Even if he might have to pay the price of killing the remaining defenders in the city of Xi'anping, he had to escape from here.
When he returned to the inland, no matter how advanced and powerful the weapons on those warships were, the advantage was still on the side of him, the local tyrant of Liaodong!
Gongsun Du did manage to escape successfully.
But when he escaped to a distance and no longer heard the sound of pursuers, he looked back towards Xi'anping, and saw the still extinguished fire accompanied by black smoke, which appeared particularly clear in the air.
He also saw that Liu Yi, who had been protecting him as he rushed out of the city, had disappeared, probably having been intercepted by the siege team over there.
This situation couldn't help but make him feel a little sad.
But this was not the time for him to indulge in such thoughts, nor was it the time for him to worry about why Qiao Yan sent a team to Liaodong.
He needed to return to Xiangping as soon as possible, dispatch the cavalry troops in the rear, and use his strengths to counter the opponent's weaknesses.
This is his effective way to get back at his own game!
But what he didn't know was that the cunning opponents he encountered had previously only fought along the coastline to guard against his move. However, the situation was different now. They could change their strategy because they already had a batch of war horses.
A batch of war horses might not be enough for large-scale combat, but it would definitely be enough to intercept him and return to Xiangping.
Zhuge Liang, who had already completed the handover of supplies with Lu Lingju, led his men to abandon their boats and disembark from the Liaodong coastline north of Zhangzi Island. When Lu Lingju, Lu Yi and others arrived at the city of Xi'anping, they were intercepted on their way back to Xiangping.
Gongsun Du, who was eager to return to Xiangping, was in a state of panic when he came and panic when he returned. He suddenly met an opponent who had a clear grasp of his actions, and was knocked down in this attack halfway.
This time was not like the Battle of Xi'an Ping. There was no brave subordinate who could rescue him. His opponent tied him up in front of him without giving him any face.
Gongsun Du's face turned green.
Because he discovered that the leader of the team that captured him was still a young boy. At most, he appeared calm and composed at this moment. He looked a little older than his actual age, but definitely not more than twenty years old.
The young man who claimed to be named Zhuge Liang spoke slowly, proving that Gongsun Du's judgment before leaving Xi'an Ping was not wrong, and the other party was indeed under Qiao Yan's command.
He was the one who was evaluated as "Wolong" by Qiao Yan!
Having said that, Gongsun Du still couldn't be happy at all.
This means that after five years of savings in Liaodong, he still lost again and again to these kids.
What a ridiculous thing this is!
Zhuge Liang still gave him some dignity, but after he was brought back to Xi'an, Lu Lingju didn't mind giving him a heart-wrenching experience.
She circled around the tightly bound Gongsun Du twice, her face showing a mixture of regret and emotion, "Gongsun Taishou, how did you fall into our hands again?"
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