Qian Feng's analysis of the battle situation is indeed correct, but he has nothing to investigate Tao Kan's strategy, which is normal, under the premise that the intelligence is not perfect, if he can still anticipate the enemy's opportunities in everything, it is simply not a famous general through the ages, but a demon, and Qian Shiyi is not a famous general or a staff officer.

Contrary to Qian Feng's consideration, Tao Kan was worried that the Chaisang naval army would attack first, and Wang Dunchi would fall behind him for a day or two. Because he knew that his army would be weaker than the Jin army in the surface battle, even if he could destroy Shen Chong and Wang Ying first, he would use the damaged ship to meet Wang Dun again in a day or two, and the chances of victory were really slim.

This is no better than on land, from Wuchang to Wuhu, thousands of miles away, I won a game first and then had plenty of time to rest and sail downstream, that was very fast.

Therefore, Tao Kan was on the north bank of the Yangtze River between Chaisang and Wuhu in advance, densely packed fortresses, and used wolf smoke as a signal to report the movements of the enemy army at any time. When he heard that countless big ships had come from Wuchang first, reunited with the Chaisang Navy, and went east together, Tao Shixing couldn't help but look up to the sky and smile: "This God bless me Huaye!" ”

He was fighting against Shen Chong in Wuhu at this time, but Shen Shiju was purely on the defensive, and the water and land coordinated each other, and the defense was extremely tight, as he said before, to stop Huazhou for Wang Dun for ten days, it seemed that it was completely possible. It's just that Tao Shixing didn't attack with all his might, and what he had to wait for was the main force of the Jin army and naval division on the Wuchang side.

If I don't destroy Wuchang's boat first, even if I defeat the enemy in front of me and take Jiankang directly, what's the use? Wang Dun will come to the aid in a few days, and how much will our army be able to get through? When Jiankang is completely undefended, where can it be easy? Deng Yueke is still guarding Stone City.

Immediately ordered, burned, and acted according to the plan.

Besides, Wang Dun joined Wang Ying, there were more than 20 building ships, hundreds of Mengchong and fighting ships, and more than 1,000 other boats and boats, which may even belong to the top three surface forces in the whole world.

However, this is not unprecedented, it is said that there are about 5,000 large and small boats on the Yangtze River, which have been accumulated one after another for nearly a century since the Jing and Yang struggles in the late Han Dynasty. After the Jin Dynasty destroyed Wu, the north and the south were unified, and it was no longer necessary to maintain such a strong surface force on the Yangtze River, and the warships were gradually destroyed.

However, it was more than enough to fight against the enemy Chinese.

Wang Dun originally had some confidence in Wang Ying and Shen Chong joining forces, and attacking back and forth to destroy the Chaohu Water Division, but Qian Feng persuaded him, not to mention Wang Ying and Shen Chong's ability, he may not be Tao Kan's opponent, even if the lion fights the rabbit, he should do his best. Only by joining forces to the east can there be a chance of victory, otherwise if the front army suffers a setback, resulting in Jiankang in danger, it will be too late to regret it.

In particular, the main force of Wuchang's naval division could influence the situation of the battle when it went east, but it had little effect on moving westward. You must know that the anointed places in Jingzhou are all in the north of the Yangtze River, although there is the Han River running through it, it is shallow and narrow after all, and it is inconvenient for the boat to gallop. The use of troops in Jingxiang must be coordinated by land and water, and although we have an absolute advantage on the water, the quality of the army is far inferior to that of the Chinese, and it is difficult to find a strategy for victory. It is better to take the whole division on the line, first break Tao Kan, and then take advantage of the momentum of victory to save Jingxiang, so that there is hope of recovering the lost territory and driving the Chinese army out of Jingzhou.

So Wang Dun first took the three building boats side by side as the guide, and used small boats as a guard, and the army marched down the river. From Chaisang to Misukou, thousands of miles away, there is no need to stay and camp, it will arrive in a few days, and the wolf smoke lit in Wuhu can also be seen clearly.

The message reported by Wolf Smoke is: The main force of the Chinese Boat Division has arrived, and it is fighting fiercely with our army, and our army has not yet shown defeat.

Wang Dun's position was in the middle of the whole army, sitting on the top of the ship, and he couldn't help laughing when he heard the news: "Tao Shi's line can't be Er'er, and even Shen Shiju can't be broken, but I can't even break it, but I have a hundred oars and thousands of sails, covering the sun?" ”

Qian Feng reminded him beside him: "Ming Gong should be careful not to underestimate the enemy, the ministers and Taoshi will act in such an unwise move, and there must be a plan or will set up an ambush between the wet beard and the spring valley to wait for me to come." ”

Wang Dun didn't care, but still smiled and said: "Above the river, as far as the eye can see, how to set up an ambush?" And the disparity between the crowd is huge, even if he turns around in time and rebels with the whole division, I am not afraid. After a pause, he said: "Although Tao Shixing is a southerner, he is not familiar with the boats on the river, and it is not known. ”

The southerners are good at boating, but not all southerners can ride boats or even operate boats, and there is no necessary connection between commanding naval forces and personal water nature. Wang Dun lived in Chaisang, then migrated to Wuchang, and controlled the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, he has always held the navy firmly in his own hands, even if Tao Kan and Zhou visited the west to seek Du Zeng and other rogues, they did not have the direct command of the water ships. Perhaps because of this, Tao Kan misestimated his strength.

While they were deliberating, suddenly the boat in front of them sent a message with a flag, saying that there were countless small boats rowing on the river, and the boats were not many people, and they seemed to be full of firewood and grass.

Qian Feng immediately reacted: "The enemy wants to set fire!" ”

Using fireships to burn enemy ships is also a habitual skill in surface warfare, and the Wuchang Boat Division will naturally not be left without countermeasures. Wang Dunnai said: "Shiyi, don't panic, the front army will be able to resist and now I am upstream, and the enemy is downstream, is it easy to set fire?" ”

The history of Chinese sails did not exceed the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period at the latest, and in the Three Kingdoms period, because of the separation between the north and the south, the scale and frequency of water operations were greatly enhanced, which made the use of sails basically perfect. But in any case, sailing on the river, the current is the main driving force, followed by the direction of the wind, you counterattack from the downstream, even if the boat is small, no matter how skilled the sail is, it is not as good as the opponent who goes downstream.

If the place is changed, the Wuchang army is downstream, and the Chinese put down the fireboat from the upstream, and the wind and water are smooth, I am afraid it will not be easy to defend, what can the fireboat from the downstream help?

If you really go down the water, there is no need for sailors, oarsmen, and helmsmen in the fireboat, and one or two people are ready to light the fire. However, because of the fact that the Chinese ship came against the current, all the above-mentioned people in the Chinese ship were fully manned, and there were as many as six or seven people in one boat, and the number of fire-burning things such as firewood and grass could be piled up, which naturally decreased, in other words, the power was not enough at all.

The Jin army had already taken precautions, and even if there were sailors on the bow of the ship, each holding two zhang long bamboo tips in order to resist the fireboat. Theoretically, it is possible to hold on until the enemy ship burns and sinks on its own, without damaging your own troops. Besides, are those on your ship all death squads? When the fire starts, you will always abandon the boat and throw yourself into the water, right? At that time, there was no one to rock, even if the sails and rudder were fixed, it would be impossible to follow the huge Jin boat and a large number of Jin army sailors?

Therefore, the Jin soldiers did not panic, each in his own position, and performed his own duties. Sure enough, the boat on the opposite side was about fifty or sixty paces away from him, and when the bow and arrows on the Jin boat were ready to shoot the Chinese soldiers, they first rose into thick smoke, and then burst into flames. Immediately, the Chinese soldiers plunged into the water one after another.

Uncontrolled, the wind could not withstand the current, and the speed of the boats immediately slowed down, and some of them were either sideways or simply swirling in the water. Judging from the current state, it seems that the Jin ship took the initiative to move closer to the flames.

The generals raised their flags, and the sailors shouted in unison, each holding up his long tips and struggling to resist the enemy ship. The enemy ship can't move, no, it should be said that it was held back by Jin Zhou, and slowly fell back.

With a "whew", a fireboat finally burned and slowly sank into the water, the fire gradually extinguished, and the smoke became heavier, and the soldiers on board cheered. Immediately after that, the second and third were destroyed, and the fireships were destroyed one after another, which would cause the shouts of the Jin soldiers every time, although it was expected, it was also very good for boosting morale after all.

The flag of the front ship was raised, Wang Dun wanted to look up to the sky and laugh, laughing at Tao Kan, or trying his best to be clumsy, but in order to show that everything was under control, it was necessary to show the general's demeanor, but in the end he still held back and only smiled slightly. Qian Feng reminded: "The smoke and flames are obstructing the sky, and it is difficult to see enemy ships on the opposite side, so we must prevent the Chinese from taking the opportunity to attack." ”

Wang Dun said with a smile: "Shiyi is too worried, the direction of the wind at this time, if it is not straight to me, then my ship is fascinated by smoke, how can the Chinese ship be outside?" ”

Qian Feng replied: "Maybe Tao Shixing is planning exactly like this, to take advantage of the smoke and the difficulty of using bows and arrows, to break into our formation and try hand-to-hand combat." ”

Wang Dun bowed his head and said: "Maybe so, but there is nothing to worry about, I happen to completely destroy Huakou here, so as to return to Wuchang and go to the aid of Jingxiang ......" After all, he is not so confident about his brother's combat level.

Before the words fell, a loud noise was heard in front of him, like thunder falling to the ground, and at the same time, a huge column of water soared, almost ten zhang high. Wang Dun couldn't help frowning, and asked left and right: "What is this?" Then there was another loud bang, and then there was a great bang, and the columns of water rose from time to time between the boats, and the columns of water, which were only heard but not formed, must have erupted from under the boats!

The Jin army was incomprehensible, and the array was immediately chaotic, and he vaguely saw that several water columns were still wrapped in ropes, wooden planks, and even human ...... Wang Dun couldn't help but be shocked, and hurriedly ordered: "Stop the boat!" "Although I don't know what happened, it will definitely not be a natural disaster, but an ambush by the Chinese! At this time, only by stopping the ship and reorganizing the train can we hope to minimize the loss.

But at the same time, he also felt as if the thunder was getting closer and closer...... Soon there was a loud bang, from his side, and it was estimated that the farthest distance was only six or seven feet. Even though the boat shook violently, Wang Dun instinctively straightened his knees from the bed, exerted force on his legs, and barely stood firmly, but Qian Feng next to him stumbled, fell to the ground, and then rolled over the trend, so he didn't slip off the top of the boat.

This building ship, three floors up and down, although the height of the floor is small, more than two feet from the deck, if Qian Shiyi falls, he will be seriously injured, if he falls into the water, it is estimated that when he panics, no one will have time to save him......

Although Tao Kan halted the development of gunboats, at the same time he was attracted by the emperor's backup plan.

Comparing the Chinese and Jin naval divisions, the Chinese side is definitely lagging behind, both the number of ships and the quality of the sailors, they are far inferior to the enemy, because the materials are relatively abundant, and the scale of several building ships can barely overwhelm the enemy's equal warships.

In surface warfare, only looking at strength, there are not too many tricks to say such as setting up ambushes, copying, surrounding, etc., and trying to rely on the personal command ability of the main general to reverse the trend of strength and weakness, which is purely a fool's dream. From this, the only thing that can make up for the difference in strength between the two sides is the power of the equipment Tao Kannaisi, which kind of equipment in our army is stronger than the enemy? Although the clapper is effective, it is a pity that only the building ship can be installed, and the number is limited, so it cannot have much impact on the battle situation; Only gunpowder, perhaps, available.

The ships are all made of wood, and the fire prevention technology in these years is very backward, the water surface is fighting, arson is originally one of the main tactics, when Sun and Liu Yu broke the Cao, isn't it the fire attack that they rely on? But our army is in the lower reaches after all, and it is difficult for fireships to be effective, and relying purely on rockets may not be able to take too much advantage.

However, the map that the emperor gave to Peng Xiao as a backup plan seemed to be a little interesting...... The key is that it's low cost and easy to manufacture!

So what exactly is a map? The name that Pei Gai marked on the map was "Mine".

The earliest record of related mines was in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, in the book "Wu Bian" written by Tang Shunzhi, and the name at that time was "underwater mines". The structure is very simple, that is, a large wooden box is used to hold gunpowder, and it is equipped with a firing and ignition device, and a long rope is drawn; When the wooden box is placed in the water, there are three iron anchors under it, so that it cannot drift away from the water, and the long rope is connected to the shore, waiting for the enemy ship to come, and the soldiers lurking on the shore will pull the long rope and fire it, so that the "underwater mine" will explode.

The only difficulty of this thing lies in the mechanical lighter, but fortunately, it is a gadget after all, and it is enough to send one or two craftsmen to develop it, and it will not waste too much manpower and material resources. It's just that with the technical level of these years, although the trial production was barely successful, when it was actually used, the firing rate was less than 60%......

Fortunately, there is also a plan, the original historical record is slightly later than the "underwater mine", called the "underwater dragon king cannon", which is actually a primitive time bomb. This thing is made of wrought iron as the shell, the incense stick is placed in the mouth, the outer beef belly is separated from the water to avoid moisture, and the sheep intestine is used to maintain air circulation, so that the incense stick is not extinguished; Then it is placed on a raft, and a stone is tied to it, and it sinks into the water, and floats to the enemy ship in the dark night, and the incense stick burns out and the fire is fired, and it can explode.

Tao Kan combined the strengths of the two things, calculated the speed of the enemy ship in advance, and placed more than 100 "underwater mines" and more than 300 "underwater dragon king cannons" in a suitable position near the mouth of the water.

It is quite difficult to ensure that most of the firing ropes may be hung on the enemy ship, resulting in early ignition and explosion; How long the incense stick is used in the "Underwater Dragon King Cannon" also needs to be carefully calculated, and there can be no mistakes, so Tao Kan specially transferred Si Tianjian Yu Xi to Chaohu Lake to be a person who can calculate in the world, no more than Yu Zhongning.

As for the fireboat, it was completely a trick to make the Jin soldiers pay all their attention to the front, and ignore the underwater download sinking and floating mines, especially the "underwater dragon king cannon", but there is still half of the sheep intestine always exposed on the water!