At the same time.
In the Tang Dynasty court, civil and military officials were arguing endlessly about the verdict on Prince Chen Longxiang's "bloodbath in Jinling City."
By order of Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, the super warship of the Tang Navy, which had been sailing down the Yangtze River to the Jiangyin area, was finally intercepted by the pursuing Tang Navy fleet on the waterway not far from the former dynasty's naval camp.
Two medium-sized warships and eight ordinary warships of the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet surrounded the Miewo ship in a goose-shaped formation. The fleet was commanded by Tang Ziyi, the former deputy general of the Tiger Warriors' New Army and the Earl of Jingyuan of the Tang Dynasty.
"Report—"
"Reporting to the Deputy Commander—"
On the deck of the Zhenyuan, a naval vessel of the Tang Dynasty, a messenger rushed in to report: "His Highness Prince Jin's warship, the Miewo, has been spotted ahead. The Shenji Battalion requests permission to open fire and intercept the Miewo."
Um?
Upon hearing this, Marquis Jingyuan, Tang Ziyi, raised an eyebrow and began to think rapidly.
In fact, without the need for a messenger's report, Tang Ziyi, the Earl of Jingyuan of the Tang Dynasty, who was standing on the deck of the Zhenyuan and closely watching the Yangtze River waterway with a monocular telescope, had already seen everything that was happening on the Yangtze River waterway through the view of the monocular telescope.
When the warships of the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet surrounded the warship "Destroy the Japanese Pirates" carried by Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, Tang Ziyi's heart began to pound with anxiety.
To be fair, when Tang Ziyi, the Vice Admiral of the Tang Navy and Earl of Jingyuan, received the imperial edict from Chen Huai'an of Zhaowu, ordering him to take full charge of leading the Tang Navy to intercept the fleeing Prince Chen Longxiang, Tang Ziyi's inner thought was to refuse.
However, the emperor's decree was difficult to disobey;
Tang Ziyi, a former general who had surrendered to the previous dynasty and was later granted the title of Earl in the new dynasty for his "military merits," had no choice but to accept the imperial edict with a heavy heart. He led the remaining Tang naval fleet stationed in Jinling City to launch a full-scale attack to pursue Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, who was "intending to rebel."
Throughout the pursuit along the river, Marquis Jingyuan Tang Ziyi kept praying in his heart—that the ship carrying Prince Jin Chen Longxiang, the Exterminator of the Japanese, would go faster, even faster, and please don't let this Commander catch up with it!
For Tang Ziyi, the Earl of Jingyuan, who was ennobled by the new dynasty as a former general who had surrendered to the previous dynasty, the thing he feared most was getting involved in the factional struggles and court infighting of the new dynasty.
After all, his status as a "former general who surrendered from the previous dynasty" already made him feel inferior in the court of the new dynasty. He was too busy keeping a low profile to actively participate in the factional struggles (the struggle for imperial power) of the new dynasty.
In any case, Prince Jin, Chen Longxiang, is the biological brother of the current emperor, Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an. Even if Prince Jin has caused a major upheaval, it is still an internal matter of the Tang Dynasty royal family. What is it of him to interfere?
In the end, whether Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an or Prince Jin Chen Longxiang won, the Tang Dynasty's empire still belonged to the Chen family.
If I, a former general who surrendered from the previous dynasty, were to participate in this, and Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an were to ultimately prevail, then that would be my duty.
If Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin succeeds in his rebellion, then his entire clan will be in grave danger!
Regardless of the outcome, there is no benefit of promotion or advancement for him as an "outsider";
But if anything goes wrong, he'll be risking the lives of his entire clan!
No matter how you look at it, this deal doesn't seem like a good deal for Marquis Jingyuan, Tang Ziyi.
Therefore, when he heard the messenger's report that the naval fleet had intercepted Prince Chen Longxiang's "treasure ship," Marquis Tang Ziyi of Jingyuan was immediately caught in a dilemma.
Fighting is not an option, nor is not fighting.
On the deck of the Zhenyuan, a ship of the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet, just as Marquis Jingyuan Tang Ziyi was caught in a dilemma, a short and shrill sound of something breaking through the air made Tang Ziyi's expression freeze, and he finally made a painful decision.
call out--
boom!
A cannonball fired by the warship "Destroy the Japanese" struck the deck of the naval warship "Zhenyuan" squarely, and the naval officers and soldiers who could not dodge in time were immediately blown to pieces.
Even Tang Ziyi, the Vice Admiral of the Navy and Earl of Jingyuan, who was a little further away from the center of the explosion, was tackled by his personal guards who were eager to protect their lord, and he looked extremely disheveled.
When Tang Ziyi pushed aside his personal guards and stood once again on the deck of the Zhenyuan, a ship of the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet, his eyes were filled with resentment.
Tang Ziyi can die, but he cannot die in such an unclear and ambiguous way.
Clang!
The next moment, Tang Ziyi drew his ring-pommel sword from his waist, the blade pointing directly at the Japanese pirate destroyer warship hundreds of feet away on the river, and shouted sharply: "Men, relay my orders—"
"The entire Tang Dynasty naval fleet is at your disposal. Target: the 'Destroy the Japanese' warship. Divine Machine Battalion's red-coated cannons, fire freely! Fire!"
"fire--"
The orders of Tang Ziyi, the deputy admiral of the Tang Dynasty Navy, were conveyed by the signalmen on each ship of the naval fleet through the triangular command flags in their hands.
Immediately after receiving the deputy commander's order, all ships opened fire indiscriminately on the Japanese destroyer warships within the encirclement.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Boom, boom, boom!
In an instant, cannonballs rained down on the Yangtze River and onto the decks of warships like hailstones along the Jiangyin section of the waterway. Columns of water rose up in all directions, making the entire Yangtze River waterway turbulent and unpredictable.
On the deck of the Great Tang Navy's destroyer of the Japanese pirates, facing the water columns rising from all sides of the river, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, who was commanding the battle from the deck, remained calm and unmoved.
At this moment, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, who was not yet twenty, was as mature and calm as a seasoned general who had long been indifferent to life and death.
His face, with its bluish stubble on his chin, revealed a firm and resolute gaze.
Clang!
Immediately afterwards, Chen Longxiang also drew the Longquan sword that was tied to his waist. It was the Longquan sword that his elder brother, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, had personally bestowed upon him when he went to conquer the Goguryeo Peninsula.
He pointed the blade of his Longquan sword forward, directly at the Zhenyuan warship where Tang Ziyi, the Vice Admiral of the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet and Earl of Jingyuan, was stationed. With a blank expression, he issued his command: "Men, relay my orders—"
"Target: the Zhenyuan warship directly ahead. Full speed ahead! Break through the Zhenyuan's blockade and head towards the Yangtze River estuary!"
At this moment, the young Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin finally made up his mind to raise an army to fight against the Tang Dynasty and against his elder brother, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an.
From this day forward, he will fight for his own flesh and blood, and for his own dignity.
Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, was the place where Chen Longxiang, the first prince of the Tang Dynasty and the Prince of Jin, rose to power.
In fact, since the "bloodbath in Nanjing" yesterday, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin has not had a proper rest. What should have been a joyous New Year's Eve reunion for the whole family has turned into this mess, and Chen Longxiang still cannot figure it out.
Last night, while the warship was still sailing on the Yangtze River, Su Wan'er had subtly mentioned to him that it was his elder brother, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, who wanted to kill his family of three.
At that time, Chen Longxiang still didn't believe it!
He couldn't believe that his elder brother, who had doted on him since childhood, had just promised him yesterday that he would let his family live out their remaining years in peace on the Goguryeo Peninsula, far away from the strife of the Tang Dynasty court.
He actually went back on his word and ordered Marquis Wuping, Luo Yucheng, to secretly harm Su Wan'er and the child in her womb.
It wasn't until Su Wan'er suggested that he test-fire the red cannons carried by the Mie Wa warship at the pursuing Tang Dynasty naval fleet that Chen Longxiang finally believed that the mastermind behind all of this was none other than his elder brother, Chen Huai'an.
Otherwise, how could the pursuing Tang Dynasty naval fleet possibly fire upon its own brother, the First Prince of the Tang Dynasty and the younger brother of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an?
Without the Emperor's approval, even if Tang Ziyi had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to kill a prince like himself!
Having figured out the pros and cons, Chen Longxiang had no more reservations and was determined to fight his elder brother, Chen Huai'an, on the battlefield.
Soon, under Chen Longxiang's command, the warship "Destroy the Japanese" fired its cannons and charged fiercely at the Tang Dynasty's "Zhenyuan" navy ship blocking its way, displaying a reckless attitude.
boom--
A deafening crash resounded, shaking the heavens and earth.
The super warship "Destroy the Japanese Pirates," braving the wind and waves, rammed head-on into the deck of the "Zhenyuan." The enormous impact sent the "Zhenyuan," carrying Tang Ziyi, flying off the river and spinning uncontrollably.
boom--
Immediately afterwards, another loud collision occurred as the bow deck of the Exterminate the Japanese Wolves slammed into the Zhenyuan once again.
This time, the Zhenyuan, which was blocking the river and obstructing the anti-Japanese warships, was directly rammed and sent flying several meters away.
Without stopping, the Miewo ship took advantage of the moment when the Zhenyuan ship was dazed and confused after being rammed, and the other ships of the Tang Dynasty navy were hesitant to fire at the Miewo ship, and continued to sail down the river at full speed.
After the Zhenyuan warship finally managed to come to a stop on the river and avoid capsizing, the instigator, the Miewo warship, had already fled on the river, leaving only a few Tang Dynasty naval warships looking at each other, at a loss.
In the end, Tang Ziyi could only shake his head as he watched the departing "Destroy the Japanese" warship, saying helplessly, "The 'Destroy the Japanese' warship is tall and sturdy, far beyond the capabilities of our navy's secondary ships."
"Although our Great Tang Navy's ten ships fought desperately, they still could not stop the 'Destroyer of Japanese Pirates' from fleeing eastward;"
"This battle was not due to the lack of bravery of our Tang Dynasty's naval officers and soldiers, but rather to the vast disparity in weaponry and equipment between the two sides!"
Immediately, Tang Ziyi issued the order to retreat: "Men, pass down the order that all ships in the naval fleet turn around on the spot and return to the Nanjing naval base to report!"
As soon as he finished speaking, watching the Exterminate the Japanese Warship disappear into the Yangtze River, Tang Ziyi, the deputy admiral of the Tang Dynasty Navy, murmured to himself: Your Highness Prince Jin, may you have a safe journey!
When we meet again, we will face life and death, and determine who is superior!
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