When these fifty people first accepted the mission assigned by Cui Yuezhi, they never thought about coming back alive. When they heard what He Yan said, they were stunned for a moment.
After a while, someone asked, "Is this... feasible?"
"I will attract the attention of the Wutu people in front," He Yan said, "but your boats also need to be arranged according to my arrangement." She had never deployed troops on the water before, but she couldn't care less at the moment. However, He Yan looked at the distant sky. At the end of the sky, a ray of light appeared. It was almost dawn. Would there be wind today?
Will God be on their side?
But no matter what, fighting is their destiny.
"Pick up your knives and follow me," she said.
…
Daybreak finally broke, the last trace of darkness dissipated, and a red sun rose from the front of the canal, accompanied by clouds and mist. The golden light spread over the entire river surface, and Jiyang City was surrounded by a brilliant glow.
The soldiers on the city wall blew the horn. On the embankment, the Jiyang army was ready to go, and the ships were docked like dense black iron.
But in the distance, a dark color gradually appeared, and slowly, the dark color became larger and larger. At first, it was a flat line, and then the line became wider and longer, until it covered a large area of the canal. People could see clearly that they were all Utos' boats.
The Uto ship was very tall and large, with Uto soldiers standing on the bow, all wearing leather coats and armor, with small round hats made of black lambskin on their heads, and two red ribbons on the back of the hats. They were tall and strong, and before they got close, they laughed loudly, intimidating the Jiyang army on the other side.
"Commander-in-chief," a deputy soldier behind him said with a trembling voice, "Their troops..."
"At least 150,000." Xiao Jue said.
Twenty thousand versus one hundred and fifty thousand; this is no longer just a case of the few defeating the many; the disparity is so frightening that it makes people feel despair.
"Follow me on board." Xiao Jue was the first to step onto the small boat on the shore.
Compared with the ships of the Wutuo people, the ships of the Jiyang City Army are too small. The Wutuo soldiers came from the north of the canal, and the journey was long. The ships were built big and strong. I don’t know what kind of wood was used, but it must be very precious. In recent years, the Wei Dynasty was busy suppressing the chaos of the Western Qiang and the Southern Barbarians, which gave the Wutuo people an opportunity to take advantage of. Unknowingly, the wealth of the Wutuo Kingdom should not be underestimated. Its treasury is not necessarily inferior to that of the Wei Dynasty.
The Jiyang City Army followed Xiao Jue onto the ship, and the ship headed in the direction of the Wutuo Army.
The leader who led the troops to Jiyang this time was the Wutuo general Maka. Maka was not actually very tall, and even looked too short compared to the personal soldiers around him. He was not very old, and had just turned thirty, but he was already famous in Wutuo because of his military skills and his ability to sneak attack. Because he was the cousin of the king of Wutuo, the king gave him the 150,000-man army and asked him to fight the first battle in Wei.
Makha is determined to win Jiyang.
The spies lurking in Jiyang City have already found out the current situation of Jiyang City clearly. A vassal king's territory does not have many soldiers and horses, and it has been too peaceful and harmonious in recent years. It is actually a piece of cake to occupy such a city. The only thing that is a little difficult is the Jiyang Princess Mu Hongjin. This woman is very cunning, but she is just a woman. But these days, there seem to be more people in Jiyang City. It is heard that a swordsman in white is chasing the spies of the Utuo Kingdom. I don't know if the news leaked out. The civilians in Jiyang City have begun to evacuate. In order to avoid more trouble at night, they decided to act in advance.
"Is it Cui Yuezhi who is leading the troops this time?" Maka asked, "I heard that he was a brave general when he was young, but now he is older, I wonder if he is still willing to fight?"
The close associates around him burst into laughter and said, "It's not as good as the general's sword!"
Maka's hand touched the scabbard of the long sword at his waist, "If he really dies under my sword, it will be his honor!"
The laughter floated on the river and landed far away in the army of Jiyang City.
Xiao Jue stood at the bow, watching more and more Utopian warships appear in the distance. After a moment, he curled his lips and said, "Idiot."
"What?" The deputy soldier was puzzled.
"All the Wutuo warships are connected end to end. It seems that they are afraid of dying not fast enough." Xiao Jue stood up and walked inside. He grabbed the cloak in Chi Wu's hand and tied it on. He sneered: "Try to stay on the water for a while. There are people rushing to die. Why stop them?"
…
At the same time, He Yan also boarded the boat filled with anointing oil.
The plaster and dry wood on the ship were covered with thick linen, and it looked like an ordinary warship of the Jeyang City Army, with a military flag on it. The fifty people were divided into ten groups of five.
He Yan and Mu Yi were on the same boat. She said to the others, "Follow me from a distance, don't get close." She took out a piece of paper from her arms, picked up a charcoal pencil and drew a picture on the ground, "Look at this."
There were several boats drawn on the picture, and the one in the middle was circled by He Yan: "I will use this boat to attract the attention of the Wutuo people. The rest of your boats should be arranged according to the direction I drew. When the time comes, listen to my instructions. When I send a signal, you must burn the boats and jump into the water."
"Can you do it, Miss He?" one of them said worriedly, "Why don't we do it instead?"
It was too dangerous to be a bait for the Utos. If they were not careful, they would lose their lives. Although no one wanted to die, they could not watch a girl take the lead and go to the dangerous place alone.
"Don't worry, I have my own arrangements." He Yan tightened the whip at his waist and walked towards the boat first, "The governor is already on board, let's set off too!"
The ships met in the canal in front of the city gate.
The Jiyang City Army looked as small as an ant against the backdrop of countless Wutuo warships. However, the young man standing at the front of the bow was dressed in black armor, his posture was as straight as a sword, he was as beautiful as a spring willow, but holding a long sword, his momentum was as cold as a sharp sword. The morning glow fell on him, giving off a myriad of brilliance, so awe-inspiring that it was impossible to look at him closely.
This was a strange man. Maka was slightly stunned and asked the people around him hesitantly: "This is not Cui Yuezhi, who is this person?"
Cui Yuezhi is a fat man, not a handsome man. But if Cui Yuezhi is not here, where did this man come from? Is he a new star in Jiyang City in recent years? But the secret letter sent back by the Wutu spy never mentioned this person. Since he is not an outstanding person, why would Mu Hongjin hand over the city army, which is already small, to him?
"I've never seen this person." The subordinate beside him said hesitantly, "Maybe Cui Yuezhi is no longer capable, and there is no one in Jiyang City, so Mu Hongjin just randomly found someone to take his place. This person is so young, it's obvious at first glance that he is no match for the general!"
Maka said nothing. As a general, he had a good idea of whether the other party was just a show-off or a capable man. He was puzzled by the unusual appearance of this man, but he did not have time to think about it. He slowly drew out the long sword from his waist, pointed it at the front, and shouted, "Warriors, follow me!"
For a moment, the sound of fighting and shouting shook the sky.
The Wutu people also knew that once they reached the shore, there would be nothing to stop them. Jiyang City was as fragile as paper, and 20,000 people were not enough for them to chop at will. In order to protect civilians, the Jiyang City Army could only fight more on the water.
Fighting on the water was no big deal, as their ships were large and sturdy, and killing people on board would only cause the ship to shake slightly.
The encounter between a large ship and a small boat was like the encounter between a large fish and a small fish, brutal and fierce. The large ship almost smashed the small boat, but the small boat was agile and knew the reefs hidden in the waterway, so it cleverly avoided them. The two armies fought on the ship.
To catch a thief, you must first catch the leader. Maka's target was the young man in black armor and holding a sword. When the two ships were close, he stood at the bow and looked at the man at the bow of the opposite ship.
"Governor!" someone shouted from the side.
Maka narrowed his eyes and said, "Captain? Who are you?"
"Xiao Huaijin."
Maka thought the name sounded familiar, but he was usually very arrogant, and other people's names were just names to him, and he would forget them after hearing them for a moment. And no one expected Xiao Huaijin to appear in this place, so he could only say, "I've never heard of him!"
However, one of his men beside him asked doubtfully: "Xiao Huaijin, is he General Feng Yun of the Wei Dynasty?"
General Feng Yun?
Maka was startled and looked at the person in front of him. As long as he mentioned General Feng Yun, the commander of the right army, even if he was arrogant and didn't take the Wei army seriously, he knew who he was. Xiao Huaijin had never lost a battle, and his bravery was enough to shock Wu Tuo even if they had never fought.
"Are you General Feng Yun of the Great Wei?" he said.
Xiao Jue looked at him calmly and said coldly, "That's right."
Maka suddenly held the sword in front of him, and his relaxed expression suddenly disappeared.
Although he didn't know if it was true, Maka believed it 90% when it came from the mouth of the young man in front of him! This man was already extraordinary, and if he wasn't really such a person, how could Mu Hongjin be willing to hand over the Jiyang City Army to him and let Xiao Huaijin command it? He didn't even use his confidant Cui Yuezhi.
There was no mention of this in the letter sent back by the Uto spy!
Maka was furious, and in his anxiety, he was also eager to try. Xiao Huaijin was indeed not a simple man, but he only had 20,000 people.
Twenty thousand men against a hundred and fifty thousand. No matter how you look at it, he doesn't look like the winner. What about brave generals? Just relying on these few weak soldiers and generals? These few pitiful little ships?
If he led the Wutuo people to defeat Xiao Huaijin, he would be the one who defeated General Feng Yun of the Wei Dynasty, and he would be bathed in glory for the rest of his life in the Wutuo Kingdom.
Suddenly, Maka's blood boiled, and he shouted, "Warriors, kill them all! Occupy their cities, seize their wealth, and enjoy their women! Kill!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The deafening shouts of killing rang out, echoing throughout the canal. The Uto people were cunning, cruel, and bloodthirsty, and at this moment, they were provoked by Maka's words and rushed forward with their swords drawn.
Hand-to-hand combat, bloody battle.
The shouts and screams reached He Yan's ears. He Yan looked into the distance and saw two groups of soldiers standing together on the river.
Mu Yi asked: "Commander Xiao has already taken action, we should get closer to them now."
He Yan shook his head and looked up at the sky.
At this moment, the sky was clear, without a single cloud, and without a single breath of wind. Her heart gradually sank. The astronomical observatory had said that there might be no wind today, or there might be wind, but even if there was wind, it would not be at this time. But... with such a celestial phenomenon, would there really be wind?
Will God really stand on the side of Jiyang City?
She looked at the Uto warship in the distance. The Uto warship was huge and heavy, and it was particularly famous above the canal. She was stunned as she looked at it, and after a moment, a smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
Mu Yi asked, "What's wrong? Miss He, what are you laughing at?"
"I laugh at the stupidity of the Wutuo people." She said, "Look at the bows and sterns of those boats, they are all connected together."
Wutuo is not a water town like Jiyang, and the soldiers are not good at water. Therefore, all the large ships are linked together end to end with iron chains. The people of Wutuo probably think that this can save a lot of effort and prevent any one of the ships from falling behind the team. At a glance, it looks like a fleet.
When sea merchants were transporting goods, this method of connecting the ends was a common method, but it was a bit cumbersome to use here. Especially today, they also wanted to use the method of fire attack.
Mu Yi's eyes lit up: "We just need to set fire to one of their ships and that will be enough." But soon, he became worried again: "Their large ships are strung together, and once the small boats go in, it will be like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth. I'm afraid that before we can burn down the ship, we will be surrounded by the Wutuo people."
"Nothing." He Yan invited the others to board the boat and said, "You stay where I indicated on the map. I'll bring a boat and lead them over."
"Bring it here?" Mu Yi asked, "How do we bring it here?"
The Wutuo people had no need to chase after just one ship. It might have been possible before, but now with so many ships tied together, they would probably just keep targeting Xiao Jue's Jiyang Army.
"I have my own way." He Yan said.
As soon as the words fell, a man's voice came over, "Ah He."
He Yan turned around and was slightly startled when he saw Chu Zhao.
"You asked Cui Jiao to go to the palace to get the clothes that His Highness was wearing. It's not safe outside, so I asked Cui Jiao to go back to Cui's palace first and bring them to you." Chu Zhao smiled and said, "Luckily, she made it in time."
"Brother Chu, why are you still in Jiyang City?" He Yan asked, "It's not safe here. You should have left with the evacuated people."
This man doesn't even have the ability to protect himself. If...if someone from Wutu enters the city, he will probably be in great danger.
"Even His Highness has stayed in the palace and has not left, so how can I abandon my comrades? Jiyang is also the land of the Wei Dynasty. Ah He can protect the people of Jiyang. Although I am not as good as Ah He, I will not escape alone. I will stand by my friends."
"But you don't have any martial arts skills," He Yan thought for a moment, "Forget it, just wait a minute."
She jumped off the boat and walked towards a tent on the shore. After a moment, she jumped out again with something that looked like a piece of clothing in her hand, which she stuffed into Chu Zhao's hand.
"I bought this at the embroidery shop in Jiyang before. The material is shark gauze. I heard from the clothing shop assistant that it is impervious to swords and guns, water and fire. Although I don't know if it's true, but if you wear it, it can be used to resist some danger if something happens." He Yan sighed in her heart. She originally wore this dress inside her armor, thinking that it was better than nothing. If it really was a treasure, she could just wear two sets of armor.
But now seeing Chu Zhaowen standing there so weakly that he could be blown down by a gust of wind, she thought it would be better to give him the clothes. Although this man didn't know whether he was an enemy or a friend, he was also loyal because he asked Cui Jiao to return to Cui's house first and he didn't leave alone.
Chu Zhao was stunned. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the girl turned around and got on the boat with the others. Her back looked very elegant, but she was quickly drowned out by the people around her.
The boat gradually sailed away from the shore and headed towards the center of the river where the shouts and screams were the loudest. There, there were flashes of swords and shadows, and flames of war.
The little boat was like a moth caught in a flame, swaying and moving without looking back.
Chu Zhao looked down at his hands. The clothes in his hands seemed to have just been taken off a woman. They were still warm. She was really careless, but... He slowly lifted the clothes. The hem of the clothes was long. It was a dress for a woman.
He was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and laughed.
…
The people in the city hid in their houses with their doors and windows tightly closed. The young were held in the arms of the old, staring at the doors of the houses, as if staring at all their hopes.
Time passed slowly.
There was no one on the street. Jiyang City, which was usually bustling, was as quiet as a dead city today. In the palace, Mu Hongjin sat in the hall and looked out the door.
The windows were wide open, the willow branches were as gentle as ever, the sky was clear and there was no wind today.
She lowered her eyes, and her fingertips gradually dug into the soft backrest of the high seat.
There is no wind today.
…
The soldiers hiding in the dark beside the gourd were as silent as stones. The archers were lying in wait for the Utos to come ashore and then launch an ambush.
Cui Yuezhi stood behind the tree, his face always wearing a friendly smile, but today he was unusually heavy. There was no need to fight the 150,000 Wutuo people. Once they entered the city, the old and young left in the city would have no way to survive. If they hurried faster, the people who were still fleeing on the road would also face a disaster.
He brought this part of the Jiyang City Army here to prevent them from going ashore and entering the city, becoming the last line of defense in front of the city gate. However, if Xiao Jue could not eliminate the main force of the Wutuo people, most of the Wutuo people would come here, and with these people, they would definitely not be able to stop the evil wolves going into the city.
The only way is to catch all these Wutuo people in one fell swoop, as He Yan said the night before, and then the remaining ones who escaped through here, and then they will have a chance to stop them. But the art of fire attack... can it really be used?
A soldier from Jiyang City was lying in the grass, with a bow and arrow on his back. The long grass obscured his face, which pricked it and made it itch slightly, but he remained motionless, not even trying to grab it.
It wasn't just the man who was motionless. The weeds in front of him, the small flowers blooming on the roadside, the calm water surface, the feather-soft dandelions... all were motionless.
There is no wind today.
Cui Yue's heart gradually sank. Today was windless and the weather was bad. With only less than 20,000 soldiers under Xiao Jue, they would not be able to fight against the Wutuo people without fire attack. They were ambushed here, and they might become the prey of the Wutuo people in the end.
But how come there is no wind?
Xiao Jue's martial arts master, the swordsman in white who looked very powerful, said to him very firmly: "Don't worry, it will be windy today."
The people at the Observatory said that there was a 50% chance of wind today and a 50% chance of no wind, and it was impossible to tell for sure. However, Liu Buwang said, "Arrange an ambush, there will definitely be wind today."
They heard that Yunlin layman Liu Buwang could consult with a planchette, so they believed him without a doubt. Or maybe, they were deceiving themselves and hoped that he was telling the truth, so they believed what he said. But now, it seems that there is no wind.
By the way, where is Liu Buwang?
Cui Yuezhi then remembered that it seemed that since he woke up early this morning, when he left Cui Mansion and came to the tent in the martial arts field, he had not seen Liu Buwang.
…
The water surface was slightly rippling, not from the wind, but from the movement of the fish swimming in the water.
On the bank, where the spring grass was lush, the peach blossoms were red, the willows were green, and there was a man sitting on the ground in the deep forest among the strange rocks, with a guqin in front of him. The man was dressed in white, his robe was neat and dust-free, his appearance was particularly elegant, and he had a sword on his waist, like a chivalrous hero.
Liu Buwang looked up at the sky.
The sunlight shines through the trees, casting a golden shadow. It doesn't feel hot, but just the right amount of warmth. It's a vibrant spring day, and every new leaf of green carries the spirit of spring, falling into the gentle waterside village.
The sounds of fighting in the distance form a sharp contrast with the tranquility here, and the not-so-distant place is clearly divided.
The wind has not come yet, but Liu Buwang knows that the wind will definitely come, whether it is earlier or later.
Many years ago, the situation was hopeless, but after many years of reading the spirit writing, a ray of hope was found. He didn't know who the two shadows were at first, but now it seems that they are most likely his apprentice He Yan and the young and heroic commander of the right army, Xiao Huaijin.
These two were generals who had fought on the battlefield for many years and had saved many lives without being noticed. This was merit. God would not treat people with merit too harshly and they would be blessed wherever they went. Perhaps it was because of their righteousness and brightness that the dead chess game of Jiyang City had a little more hope.
These two people are the ones who can turn a dead chess situation into a living one.
Although we cannot see the end, we may see a glimmer of hope. Since there is hope, it means the road is not dead. So the wind will definitely come, although it may not come too early, but the wind will definitely come.
What he needs to do is to seize that opportunity and help these two people to completely turn this game around.
The sounds of fighting in the distance seemed to be getting closer. This was not an illusion. Liu Buwang looked forward and saw several large ships... heading this way.
The Wutuo people were not fools and would not be held back by Xiao Jue. When their main force was fighting against the Jiyang City army led by Xiao Jue, another team secretly went ashore in the chaos. As long as they went ashore and controlled the entire Jiyang City, victory in the naval battle would only be a matter of time before it was won.
Cui Yuezhi's troops were at Huluzui, some distance away from here. They thought they were the first line of defense, but in fact they were not. Liu Buwang was the first line of defense.
He was the best among the seven disciples of Taoist Yunji in the art of Qimen Dunjia. In recent years, he rarely used this art because it was very exhausting and damaging to the body. He was no longer the young man he was back then. Although he was dressed in white, his hair had already turned slightly white.
However, he will always stay here and guard her city.
Liu Buwang plucked the strings of the zither.