Chapter 808: The fleet with a total tonnage of 150,000 tons
went up to the command room on the stern deck, and Ying Hong finally met his old boss, but Xue Tu did not give them any chance to reminisce. When he saw people coming, he hurriedly took them to the sand table.
"The current position of the Eagle Guard is here. I want you to lead the troops to move north immediately after you return, and arrive at the southeastern border of Yashan County before tomorrow evening. Hidden troops here, waiting for my orders at any time, and responsible for guarding the south side of the mission's station. If the station sends a signal for help, you must immediately provide support.
But you can also rest assured that if the battle on the front line goes well, it is estimated that you will not be able to fight any big battles. The most likely thing is that the enemy will send a small group of people to lurk here to sabotage and attack our fleet and logistics, so you must strengthen your vigilance and never let the station lose anything. Do you understand?"
After explaining the battle plan, Xue Tu stared at Ying Hong and asked, and at the same time glanced at Yu Jiao next to him. Although Ying Hong was the commander, this unit was composed of soldiers from the fishing tribe after all, and Yu Jiao also had a great deal of invisible control over this unit.
"Don't worry, Marshal, although our Eagle Guard is newly established, it will definitely not drag the army down." Ying Hong immediately responded with a cupped hand.
Yu Jiao, who was standing next to him, immediately bowed his hands and said, "We, the Yu clan, will also give our full support. Please rest assured, Marshal Tu."
Yu Jiao certainly supported it, because Xue Tu did not arrange any tough battles for them, nor did he mean to use them as cannon fodder. The tasks assigned to them were all defense and vigilance, and the orders to guard the flanks of the mission's residence. Of course, he was very happy to accept such an arrangement, so he expressed his opinion on behalf of the Yu clan without hesitation.
"Well, in that case, then you should go back and prepare quickly, and don't delay the business. We will talk about reminiscing about the past at the celebration banquet." Xue Tu also nodded with satisfaction, secretly thinking that the chief of the Yu clan was sensible.
Of course, this must have something to do with the fact that he handed over the remaining two fishing boats to them today. Such a move can at least make them soberly aware that only by following the footsteps of the Han tribe can they develop better and live a better life.
Yu Jiao and Ying Hong got off the boat and went back after receiving the order. There were two boats when they came, and four when they went back. The crew members of the Yu clan were so happy.
On the fleet side, Shu Da also commanded the fleet of hundreds of ships to drop sails and anchor, and each found a place to stop and rest.
The army will rest at the entrance of the strait for one night, and then launch a formal landing operation in the early morning of tomorrow. However, before that, Shu Da also sent a two-masted sailboat to the mission station to contact Shouya and inform the army of the plan in advance, and also to confuse the enemies stationed on the coast of Yashan County.
So, when the sun gradually sank into the sea level, the two enemy troops hidden on the cliff outpost saw a two-masted sailboat flying the flag of the Han tribe suddenly sailing towards the estuary of Qingshui River, which surprised the two.
"Lao Qi, look, is that a ship of the Han tribe?" One of them asked his comrade beside him.
"Aren't you talking nonsense? As long as it's a ship, it must belong to the Han tribe. Now, apart from the Han tribe, who can build ships, and who would run here?" The sentry called Lao Qi was napping in a shack on a protruding platform on the cliff. Hearing his companion's call, he still replied with dissatisfaction, then sat up and looked towards the estuary. There was indeed a two-masted sailing ship heading towards the Qingshui River with full sails.
He scratched his hair and watched the sailing ship sail into the Qingshui River and gradually disappeared from his sight.
"Lao Qi, this is not right. The Han tribe hasn't sent a ship to the delegation for half a month, right? Why did they suddenly send a ship at this time?" The companion asked again.
"How do I know this? But this should be normal. I heard that it is winter in the Han tribe at this time. The water will freeze into ice and the ships can't leave. It's normal that they come less frequently." Lao Qi replied again, still not thinking there was anything wrong.
"Then I'll go back and report the news. The elder said that he should tell him if there's a boat coming." The other man got nervous again, and stood up and prepared to run back.
"Why are you worrying so much? It's just a boat. Even if it's full of soldiers, how many people can it hold? I think you just want to be lazy. I tell you, you can report the news, but come back quickly." Lao Qi said again with dissatisfaction, and then lay down in the shack again.
"Why can I be lazy? Isn't that what the elder told me to do?" The other man muttered in a low voice, and then pushed Lao Qi's shoulder, "I'll be back in a while, don't fall asleep!"
"Oh, I know, you have to go quickly." Lao Qi waved his hand impatiently, without even opening his eyes.
The other man sighed and said no more, turned around and ran along the mountain wall path that was only one person wide to the rear of the corps station. He had to report the news to the elder as soon as possible.
Although Lao Qi was lazy, he would still do what he had to do, but his reconnaissance method was more comfortable. He twisted his body and adjusted himself to a comfortable angle so that he could lie down and see the estuary on the opposite side.
But he didn't see any other situation while waiting for his companions to come back. The two continued to follow the previous arrangement and took turns observing the estuary not far from the cliff until the next morning, but still didn't find any situation.
The ship that sailed to the mission's residence last night did not leave again, but this was no different from the past. Every time the Han tribe sent a ship to Zhudao, it would rest for a period of time. No matter how urgent it was, it would definitely wait until daytime to leave. Although the Han tribe had ships, they used them more carefully than anyone else.
Lao Qi cursed him as a coward in his heart, and then took the initiative to go back and get breakfast. Just as he was eating with his companions, he sighed with dissatisfaction.
"Alas, when will this kind of life end? You said that if you want to fight the Han tribe, just come and fight quickly. The procrastination will only make us suffer in this place where no one lives."
He complained to himself, but suddenly realized why his companions did not react at all, and they were already hungry but did not eat the breakfast he brought back.
"Hey, are you stupid?"
"Hush, Lao Qi, look over there, what is that? Is that the boat of the Han tribe? Oh my god, why are there so many?" Before Lao Qi finished asking, he heard his companions' extremely suppressed shouts. Obviously, no one could hear what they said here, but his companions still lowered their voices very nervously.
"Huh? The Han tribe sent another boat?" Lao Qi asked in confusion, and also poked his head out of the shack and looked towards the strait.
This look was not a big deal, and he almost fell off the cliff platform. He saw the dense shadows of boats in the distance, facing the rising sun and rushing towards here.
With a bang, the tortilla in his mouth suddenly fell off the cliff and finally fell into the sea.
At the entrance of the strait, countless sailboats rolled towards the Qingshui River estuary like waves. The dense sails blocked the rising sun that had just emerged from the sea. What is a forest of sails? What is a banner covering the sun? The scene in front of us is it.
"Oh my god!" Lao Qi got up in fear. He wanted to slap himself hard now. This damn crow mouth, why do you keep saying that the Han tribe should come quickly? I just complained a few words, but the Han tribe really came.
Hey, you don't have to give me face like that!
The two were terrified. Seeing the fleet of the Han tribe rolling over, the two did not forget their duties. They just looked at each other and immediately set off to run back together, wanting to report to the elders.
This is not to say that the two are very responsible, but facing the torrent of sailboats from the Han tribe, they simply don't have the courage to stay here. What if they are discovered?
On the Han tribe fleet side, after about 12 hours of rest, the fleet began to rush to the estuary at full speed and full sail at five in the morning, and finally arrived at the estuary at about six in the morning.
More than 300 large and small sailboats, with a total displacement of more than 120,000 tons, and a full load displacement of more than 150,000 tons. So many ships may not be very conspicuous on the sea, but it is different when they rush into the strait of only 20 to 30 kilometers. It can be described as full. So many ships are enough to block the entrance and exit of the entire strait. It is no wonder that the two sentinels were scared to tears.
What is the concept of a fleet with a total tonnage of 150,000 tons? The Indian Navy can also be ranked at the top of the world naval rankings, known as the overlord of the Indian Ocean, but even this overlord of the Indian Ocean has a total naval tonnage of only about 320,000 tons.
The more than 300 sailboats of the Han tribe, although they cannot be compared with modern warships in terms of combat effectiveness, and their displacement is only half of that of the Indian Navy, and 90% of them are civilian ships, and the number of professional warships is less than double digits, but this mixed military and civilian fleet is also enough to dominate the world's maritime power. In addition to the Han tribe, who else can produce 150,000 tons of ships?
Lao Qi and another sentry were so scared that they rolled and crawled back to the front-line corps camp, shouting as they ran.
"I want to see the elders, the Han tribe is attacking! The Han tribe is attacking! Let me see the elders!"
At this time, Qi Yun, the commander-in-chief of the two front-line corps, was watching the soldiers practicing spears and archery. Hearing someone shouting, he immediately frowned. He glanced at his brother, Elder Qi, beside him, and both of them frowned and looked unfriendly.
Qi Yun is the brother of Elder Qi. In the clan, he has the highest prestige besides Elder Qi, so he was specially sent to serve as the commander-in-chief of the front-line corps. When he heard someone shouting, he immediately shouted to his subordinates in shock and anger.
"Bring the people up to me."
After a while, two sentinels were brought in front of him and Elder Qi
. The two saw that they were both young and strong men from their own clan, and they were immediately angry. "What happened? Aren't you two supposed to be on guard over the cliff? Even if you found something, only one of you should come back to report it. Why did you run back together? What happened?"
"Elder, second clan leader, it's bad. The Han tribe is coming. There are so many large sailboats coming, countless, densely packed, covering the entire sea surface. They are about to reach the estuary and are heading towards the embassy's station!"
"What?! The Han tribe is coming?!" Elder Qi was so scared that he trembled and almost forgot to breathe. He felt his legs shaking uncontrollably.
Qi Yun, who was standing by, was not much better, but he was better than Elder Qi after all. His elder brother was appointed as the elder in charge of equipment manufacturing because he was good at making equipment. He usually didn't manage the affairs of the clan. Unlike Qi Yun, although he was the second patriarch, he controlled all the affairs of the clan. In terms of courage, he was much better than his elder brother who was an elder.
He hurriedly ordered, "Go and gather all the clans who are training outside to the camp as soon as possible, close the camp gate, put on armor and prepare for battle.
Brother, you should go back quickly, I will send a few people to take you back. You must be with the commander-in-chief at this time. I will tell you as soon as there is news. You must also find a way to help me get support. The life and death of these young men in our clan depends on you."
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand without waiting for Elder Qi to refute, and immediately several direct descendants of the clan forcibly took Elder Qi away and fled on horseback from the other side of the forest.
Looking at the 4,000 warriors who were quickly rushing to the camp to gather, Qiyun took a deep breath. He had quite a few men, and their weapons and armor were quite good. He also had the advantage of the terrain, so he was not without the strength to fight.
He calmed his mind, asked all the soldiers to wait in the camp first, and then called a few trusted relatives and children, and took the two sentries with him, and quietly moved to the estuary of the mission's station. He wanted to see with his own eyes how many people the Han tribe had come.
At the mouth of the Qingshui River in the strait, the soldiers on the ship that arrived first last night had already met up with Shouya, and were now standing on the cliff on the other side of the estuary as port dispatchers. Several soldiers around him were waving flags and signaling to guide the order of ships entering the port.
On the other side of the Fubo flagship, Xue Tu and Shu Da also quickly dispatched warships to enter the port in batches through the guidance of flag signals.
According to the battle plan, the first batch would send the main force of the Tiger Guards, with a total strength of nearly 4,000, to gain a foothold on the west bank of the Qingshui River, and then send the Cavalry Guards and war horses, and finally the soldiers from other guards to land.
On the other side, Qi Yun and five or six personal soldiers quietly hid behind a large rock on the top of the mountain. Looking down, they saw countless ships densely gathered at the estuary. However, they didn't know how many people were on them and whether the Han tribe was going to fight.
At this time, the fleet in the strait suddenly moved. More than 20 three-masted sea ships suddenly broke away from the formation, raised their sails and headed towards the inland river of Zhudao at full speed.
Looking at the river section near the mission's residence, Qiyun and his companions were immediately frightened, because on the west bank near them, more than a dozen floating piers were suddenly built. There were hundreds of eight-meter-long sampans neatly arranged on the shore. Each tightly connected sampan was covered with thick wooden boards. In the water on both sides of the pier, some human figures could be vaguely seen soaking in the water. Those thinly dressed figures swam in the water together, jointly maintaining the state of the floating bridge.
Qiyun looked at the scene in front of him, and his eyes suddenly flashed. He knew where the weakness of the Han tribe was!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
