Gao Junshan's army went down the Han River, and after crossing the Qianjiang River, he divided Cao Wenzhao's first brigade to take Chuyang.

Chuyang is located in the Jianghan Plain, between Zhongxiang and Wuchang, on the alluvial delta where the Yangtze River and the Han River meet.

It is the middle ground between Xiangyang and Wuchang, and the occupation of Xiangyang will connect Xiangyang and Wuchang, so its strategic position is very important. It is not necessary to seize the city, and Cao Wenzhao is the right person.

On the border of Chuyang, on the shore of the Han River, "Xiangyang No. 1" was moored next to a secluded small fishing village, and Gao Junshan personally sent Cao Wenzhao to the shore.

"General Cao, after taking Chuyang, you must divide your troops to guard the ferries and main roads on the banks of the Han River to ensure the smooth transportation of our army's Han River Basin." At the time of parting, Gao Junshan gave Cao Wenzhao a specific task.

Cao Wen Zhao led 50,000 elite soldiers, and he was full of confidence to complete such a task, he saluted to Gao Jun Mountain, and said: "With Wen Zhao, the Han Water Passage is foolproof!" ”

Gao Junshan placed great hopes on Cao Wenzhao, which is also the reason why Cao Wenzhao was placed at this critical juncture, only by keeping the waterway between Xiangyang and Wuchang unblocked, and after taking Wuchang, can the entire Huguang be included in his sphere of influence.

Cao Wenzhao temporarily placed his camp in a small fishing village, waiting for his follow-up, the people of the small fishing village did not know much about them, except for the old man, they all hid outside, Gao Junshan told Cao Wenzhao to appease the people of the small fishing village, and invite them back to the village before leaving.

Cao Wenzhao responded: "King Qin, you often say, 'The people are our food and clothing'. Now that they have fled the village because of us, I, Cao Wenzhao, will definitely invite them back before leaving. ”

After listening to Cao Wenzhao's answer, Gao Junshan was relieved, he returned to the big ship, and the fleet continued to sail eastward.

On the third day, the fleet was already approaching the confluence of the Yangtze River, that is, it was about to reach the destination of Wuchang, when the ship in front came with the news that three warships of the Ming Dynasty Navy Division were blocked at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

"Kill it!" Gao Junshan came to the command cabin and said firmly.

The "Xiangyang No. 1" raised its sails and headed for the mouth of the Yangtze River at full speed, reaching a speed of seven knots, which was the highest speed of the "Xiangyang No. 1", leaving the entire fleet far behind.

When the "Xiangyang No. 1" approached the mouth of the Yangtze River, Gao Junshan saw three ships lying across the river from a distance in the command cabin. These three intercepted Gao Junshan's fleet were the centipede ships of the Ming Court Sailors, Zhou Wenjiang had done it in the Ming Court Sailors, so he was very familiar with the ships of the Ming Court, he introduced to Gao Junshan: "King Qin, these three are centipede ships, I am very familiar with its performance, I have been the captain of the centipede ship for a period of time." ”

Gao Junshan said: "You can tell me about its performance." ”

Zhou Wenjiang said: "This is a large warship that imitates the Portuguese multi-oared boat. The centipede boat has a sharp and wide bottom, is not afraid of wind and waves, sails quickly, and can also use headwinds. The ship is equipped with a Franc machine gun weighing 1,000 catties, and is equipped with fireballs, rockets and other firearms. The ship is a multi-pulp fast warship, 30 zhang long, 6 zhang wide, the hull board thickness is more than 2 feet, the tree has five masts, and the stern has a three-story stern building, which is the place where the captain works and rests. Twelve small windows were opened on both sides of the hull, and copper cannons were built into them for close-range shooting. Under the mast of the ship, there are six symmetrical two-zhang long giant Hongyi iron cannons, and the cannonballs fired can "crack the stone city and shake dozens of miles", which is extremely powerful, and is the trump card for destroying the enemy's large warships. ”

Gao Junshan wrote lightly: "You said it is so miraculous, is it more powerful than our 'Xiangyang No. 1'?" ”

"Today it touched our 'Xiangyang No. 1', it is unlucky."

Gao Junshan asked: "Are you sure that one against three?" ”

Zhou Wenjiang is full of confidence: "I have commanded the navigation on the centipede ship, and I know the centipede ship very well, the ship's firepower configuration is far inferior to our 'Xiangyang No. 1', although our 'Xiangyang No. 1' is five zhang shorter than it, due to the reasonable design, the steering is very smooth, and the flexibility is much higher than that of the centipede ship." The Franc machine and Hongyi cannon we have equipped are larger than the centipede ship in terms of number and range, so we have already sunk the centipede ship before it can fire. ”

"So sure?"

What Zhou Wenjiang said is true, he has been a captain on a centipede ship, and he knows which part of this kind of ship is the weakest, and more importantly, he knows where the powder magazine of this kind of ship is, as long as the powder magazine is blown up, the centipede ship will definitely be on fire, and at that time, the enemy will be chaotic without a fight, let alone fight back, and it will be Amitabha Buddha to be able to leave the battlefield in self-preservation.

Zhou Wenjiang explained: "We have 62 cannons on our ship, while the Ccentipede has only 18 cannons on the ship, and it is true that it has the advantage of firepower against other warships, but it is now encountering our 'Xiangyang No. 1', if it does not run away quickly and wants to come to fight with us, it will be self-defeating." ”

"Okay, I'll leave it to you here!"

Zhou Wenjiang suggested: "King Qin can stay in the command cabin and watch the battle, because the command cabin is an ironclad cabin, and the enemy's artillery cannot penetrate here, so it is very safe." After all, the shells are not long-sighted, and when the two ships exchanged fire, both sides were under shelling, and the safety of King Qin came first. ”

Gao Junshan followed Zhou Wenjiang's advice.

On the river, three centipede boats rushed towards the "Xiangyang No. 1" in a line formation, although the "Xiangyang No. 1" did not have a centipede captain, but it was wider than it, so the stability was very good, and the rudder was carefully designed by the Chongwen College, the operation was simple and flexible, and it was easy to ferry the direction, under the calm command of Zhou Wenjiang, "Xiangyang No. 1" faced the first centipede ship at the best angle, and when the two ships entered the artillery range, Zhou Wenjiang ordered the starboard gun and the main battle gun to attack the centipede ship at the same time.

The fourteen starboard guns and six main battle guns on the third deck, and the fourteen starboard guns on the fourth deck, a total of thirty-four guns, let out an earth-shattering roar.

After the rumbling cannon sound, a cloud of black smoke rose from the starboard side of the "Xiangyang No. 1", and at the same time, only two of the several iron bullets fired by the centipede ship hit the hull of the ship, and the rest fell into the river, splashing its three-zhang high water column.

Gao Junshan stood in the porthole of the command cabin and saw through the smoke that the people on the centipede boat had become a mess, and some people had even begun to dive.

The first round of strikes had just ended, and the second round of shells began to pour down on the centipede ship again, Gao Junshan saw very clearly this time, and the shells that had been fired over fell one by one on the heads of the crowd on the deck of the centipede ship, and the enemy on the ship no longer fired back, and everyone was scrambling for their lives, because the centipede ship had begun to disintegrate.

The cunning enemy quietly outflanked the "Xiangyang No. 1" when the "Xiangyang No. 1" was entangled with the first centipede ship, and just as the first centipede ship was far away from the gunsmoke, the other two centipede ships were already approaching the "Xiangyang No. 1" on the left and right.