Chapter XXVIII. Conflict

"The Huai'an army stormed the quarry, and there were no people waiting for a detour..."At the watchtower, the deck near the collision corner, and the gun windows on both sides, many soldiers opened their throats, held up iron horns, and at the same time repeated Yu Tonghai's orders loudly.

Although the Qingqiu and Qifu two ships of the Yangtze River Fleet's Zhensu Detachment can only be regarded as middle-to-upper in size, they are the first few warships to be transformed from Arabian-style schooners. The commanders and sailors at all levels on the ship have already participated in countless battles to exterminate the Jiang bandits, and one by one they have long written their arrogance into their bone marrow.

According to their experience, the people who rushed over from behind to join in the fun were definitely not large caravans, let alone ordinary river bandits. The former has an instinctive instinct for danger and has absolutely no courage to drill into the center of the battlefield. And the latter, all the larger water thief gangs on the Yangtze River have been scared by the Huai'an sailors in the past two years. After seeing the banner of the Huai'an Army, I was afraid that it would be too late to flee from the wind, how could I have the courage to bite the tail of the dragon?

The only possibility left is that everyone encountered the sailors under the command of the Red Turban Princes on the other side. And this naval division has almost the same purpose as the Huai'an army, so he is unwilling to be robbed...

In fact, just as they expected, after hearing the order from the battleship, the oncoming ship not only did not pause in the slightest, but increased its speed even faster. While desperately closing the distance between them, he pulled up several scarlet battle flags in the air. In the center of each battle flag, the words "Hezhou" are clear.

"Admiral?" Zhang Shan, the deputy captain standing at the bow of the ship, turned his head to Yu Tonghai and asked for instructions with some hesitation. In the past two years, he has killed countless river bandits and water thieves, but he has never fired at the friendly troops of the red turbans. Suddenly encountered a special situation, and I didn't know how to deal with it for a while.

"Order the two ships of Qingqiu and Qifu to set up a combat formation..."Yu Tonghai frowned tightly and gritted his teeth, "Order the port gun commanders of each ship, if the incoming ship continues to approach, immediately send a cannon warning." Be sure to keep it at a distance of three hundred and fifty paces, and those who dare to come within three hundred paces will be sunk..."

"Yes..."Vice Captain Zhang Shan agreed, immediately raised the command flag in his hand, and quickly waved it towards the watchtower.

In the watchtower, the lookouts quickly pulled up one after another and lined up the cables along the main mast. At the same time, the low sound of the horn also sounded slowly, with a hint of excitement about the battle, "Woo woo, woo woo, woo woo..."

The Qingqiu ship under its feet immediately shook slightly, and immediately followed, and the slender hull began to turn rapidly, like a high wall, blocking the path of the enemy ship.

The Cong Ship House next to it also quickly followed, facing the bow of its own ship to the stern of the Qingqiu ship. The gun window was opened, and one swarthy gun after another was pushed out, aimed at the ships flagged with the state army in the distance.

"Boom, boom, boom...", "Boom, boom, boom..." Six solid shells, divided into two groups, flew out from the port side of the Qingqiu and Qifu No. 2 ships, swept over more than 300 steps of water, and neatly smashed in front of the Hezhou Army's naval division.

A huge column of water jumped, reflecting several seven-colored rainbows in midair. Where the water column fell, the nearby warships of the Hezhou Army avoided them like frightened barracudas. But far from the water column, more ships began to accelerate, as if the previous bombardment had not existed at all.

"Send a signal to the main fleet, saying that the Hezhou army is not coming with good intentions, and the Susu detachment is ready to open fire at any time..." Ask the ship to adjust its muzzle, aim at any of the enemy ships, and fire three more guns to warn. If the other party still does not listen to the dissuasion, he will sink it directly. ”

"Yes..."The deputy captain agreed loudly again, waving the signal flag and passing Yu Tonghai's order to the watchtower. Then taking advantage of the fact that the robe in the watchtower was playing the flag to deliver the news, he lowered his voice and admonished Yu Tonghai, "Admiral, they, they should be regarded as friendly troops." If you sink it directly"

"If you don't explain your intentions and refuse to stop the ship to avoid suspicion, what kind of friendly army is it?" Yu Tonghai glanced at him and said loudly.

Following Zhu Chongjiu's side, he made many great contributions on the battlefield in Shandong, and he finally found a suitable opportunity and expressed his request to the former to go to the water division for training. And his lord Zhu Chongjiu, I am afraid that it was also because of his loyalty and his father's experience of being a sailor master of ten thousand households, so he specially used the power of the chief manager to meet his wishes.

If he messes up when he comes out on a mission for the first time, he will not only ruin his own future, but also give him a beating in the face of the general. So, no matter what, he won't give the ship a chance.

"Boom, boom, boom..." Three more solid cannonballs flew out and smashed less than twenty paces in front of a medium-sized warship, splashing a huge splash of water in the shape of a zigzag. The waves that rose into the sky pushed the ship up and down. There were utensils and people on the deck who were thrown into the river, and the specific number was not clear in confusion. The entire ship had to come to a halt to rescue those who had fallen overboard.

"The Qingqiu ship aimed at the bow of the sand ship in front of the right, and prepared for a formal exchange of fire. Ten cannons were fired in turns, until the opponent stopped by himself, or was sunk..."Yu Tonghai grabbed the binoculars, and while observing the reaction of the Hezhou Army Naval Division, he continued to order, with a faint tremor in his voice.

"Qingqiu ship, aim at the sand ship in front of you, and prepare for a formal firefight... Ten guns on the port side" Deputy Captain Zhu Shan raised the signal flag and skillfully issued a series of commands.

The sailmen began to adjust their sails, and the sailors with arquebuses ran quickly across the two decks, the hull of the ship crouched behind the parapet and poked their weapons out of the firing holes. The port gunner chief carried a telescope, and while observing the distance and movement of the target, he reported a whole series of numbers, "One, two, and three seize the time to reset." Gun No. 4 and No. 5 adjusted a scale to the left, solid shells. No. 6 and No. 7 were fired orthographically, flowering shells. Eight, nine and ten, aim at the target mainsail and use a chain bomb. From the fourth gun, prepare ...... Open fire..."

"Gun No. 4 fires...", the commander of No. 4 shouted, and at the same time turned sideways to avoid the artillery's retreat route.

"Boom...", a six-pound solid bullet roared and flew towards the target, dragging a slender white trail in mid-air. Then he plunged headlong into the icy water, shaking the target ship up and down.

The shot missed, but the shot went straight to the bow of the target, and it was clearly no longer a warning. Almost all the ships in the entire fleet on the opposite side were taken aback by the appearance of the Qingqiu ship, and the speed of progress began to slow down in an instant.

"No. 5 guns fire...", the commander of No. 4 guns shouted at the top of his throat, not caring how to deal with the target. In the daily training of the Huai'an Army's sailors, there was no telling him, and the commander of the sub-artillery had the right to cease the war on his own. As long as the battle takes place, his task is to destroy the target as quickly as possible, and not to interfere with the judgment of the captain and gunner.

"Boom..."Another six-pound solid projectile shot into the target area, splashing a tall column of water.

Immediately after, the No. 6 and No. 7 guns fired one after another, smashing the front, rear, left and right of the target warship. No. 8, No. 9, and No. 10 were not willing to be lonely, and smashed three pairs of cannonballs dragging chains above the target. Two pairs missed, but the last pair brushed the main mast of the target and swept over, tearing the sails made of bamboo pieces to pieces.

"Boom, boom, boom..."The first, second, and third ship guns took advantage of the fire and spat fire at the target in turn. Although all of them were still missed, the movement of the enemy's entire fleet was completely stopped.

When the echo of the shelling slowly faded away, the wide water surface became unusually quiet in an instant. Except for the sound of the river wind and waves, there is no more human noise. All the warships of the state army stopped in place, and they no longer dared to continue to close the distance between them. On the masts of the ships on both sides of the enemy, the scarlet battle flags "huhula, huhula, huhulala" were blown out by the wind in two different rhythms, which were distinct.

"The Qifu ship is on guard in place, and the Qingqiu ship turns its head to face the opposing fleet, while continuing to order them to identify themselves and their intentions..."Yu Tonghai took a deep breath and continued to order loudly. The dark face was full of a knife-edge chill.

The deputy captain turned the order into a flag, and Qingqiu, the main ship of the Susu Squadron, immediately turned around slowly. Hiding the port side, which had just opened fire, behind him, and aimed the starboard naval guns, which were ready for fire, at the enemy diagonally. With a course of forty-five angles with the river, it was inserted into the ranks of the Hezhou Army Water Division.

When the distance between his own house and the opponent's fleet was shortened to a hundred paces away, a neat shout sounded from the Qingqiu ship again, but, this time, the content of the shout became a little aggressive, "The Huai'an army stormed Quarry, the opposite fleet, stopped approaching, and reported the identity and intention ......"

"The Huai'an army stormed Quarry Rock, the opposite flotilla, stopped approaching, and reported the identity and intention ......"

"The Huai'an army stormed Quarry Rock, the opposite flotilla, stopped approaching, and reported the identity and intention ......"

"Zhu Chongba, the governor of Hezhou, led the army across the river to beg for thieves. I don't know if your army has already taken a step, and I ask the Admiral to restrain his subordinates and not continue to increase the misunderstanding..."A three-zhang tall building ship slowly sailed out from the center of the Hezhou army's ship formation, and the voice of the response contained deep grief and indignation.

Through the window of the telescope, Yu Tonghai saw that Zhu Chongba, with a bronze face, was standing at the bow of the boat, his hand pressed on the hilt of his sword, and his waist was straight. Behind this person are Deng Yu, Tang He, the Wu family brothers, and a strange face that he has never seen before.

Gently letting go of the binoculars, Yu Tonghai raised an iron horn again, "The Huai'an Navy Division was ordered to seize the Taiping and Jiqing Mansions, and the military order has been issued and cannot be changed." Please return to the garrison with the state army and do not cause a conflict between the two sides. ”

"The Huai'an Navy Division was ordered to seize the Taiping and Jiqing Second Road" watchtowers, the decks near the collision corners, and the gun windows on both sides, the officers and men of the Huai'an Army Navy opened their throats and repeatedly announced the orders of their captains. All the faces are full of hearty pleasure.

As low-ranking officers and soldiers, they don't have so many concepts of allies and like-minded people in their eyes. Sooner or later, the whole world is under the management of Mr. Zhu, and anyone who dares to lead troops to fight deserves to be beaten to pieces. And they are the long knives and sharp swords in the hands of Chief Zhu, who are eager to drink the blood of the enemy army all the time.

"Zhu Chongba, the governor of Hezhou, ask to bring his brothers to help your army..."Listening to the arrogant shouts on the other side, Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, then turned his anger into strength and raised the iron horn steadily.

This is the best opportunity to cross the river, losing this opportunity, and the state army will always be trapped in the Huai'an army and the Tianwan regime, slowly waiting for the fate to come, and there is no longer the possibility of winning the championship... Therefore, even if he was humiliated, he had to let his team set foot on the south bank of the Yangtze River, instead of turning around.

"The Huai'an Navy Division was ordered to seize the Taiping and Jiqing Second Roads. I didn't receive an order from the chief of my family, and I didn't dare to accept the kindness of your army. Please lead the fleet back and don't cause misunderstanding..."The response from the other side came from more than a hundred paces away, unruly and cold, without giving any possibility of negotiation.

"Under Zhu Chongba, I asked to meet with the commander of your army and explain my intention to him in person..."Zhu Chongba took another breath, and a few dark clouds faintly appeared on his bronze face.

Just now, he observed through the telescope that on the main fleet in front of him, there were big flags with the characters "Zhu" and "Hu". This shows that in the fleet, there must be Zhu Qiang, the commander of the naval division, and Hu Dahai, the commander of the Huai'an Second Army. No matter who he can meet, he will hopefully convince the other party and give the Hezhou Army a chance to help.

And as long as he can set foot on the riverbank, even if he just waved the flag and shouted for the Huai'an Army, with Zhu Chongjiu's personality, it is impossible to ignore the merits of the Hezhou Army. In this way, the Hezhou army will have the opportunity to gain a foothold on the south bank, and then look for a new direction for a breakthrough.

He has a very quick mind and a very clear vision. However, who would have expected that Yu Tonghai on the opposite battleship was a master who did not enter the oil and salt. Soon, he opened his throat and responded: "General Hu, the pioneer of my family, is commanding the fleet to fight against the Tartar defenders, and he has no time to meet with General Manager Zhu. Please ask General Manager Zhu to retreat to the north of the Yangtze River for the time being, and then consider the possibility of a meeting when our army has conquered Quarry Rock..."

"This commander, Zhu Chongba, once fought side by side with your army. May I ask which general is on the other side and what position does he hold in the Red Turban Army? Zhu Yuanzhang was so angry that his lips turned black, and his eyes were boiling with anger.

"The Huai'an army attacked Quarry Rock and didn't need any assistance, please ask General Manager Zhu to lead the troops back to Jiangbei to avoid accidental injury..." Yu Tonghai, who was on the other side, refused to answer his words head-on at all, but ordered someone to silently push the muzzle of the gun out of the porthole again......

"My lord, the distance is only more than eighty steps. The last general asked to capture him for the lord..."A general of Hezhou with a rusty face stepped forward suddenly, knelt in front of Zhu Chongba and asked loudly.

"Take him down, and then negotiate with Hu Dahai... Although the warships of the Huai'an army are large, they are far less numerous than our ships, and they are not as flexible as our army..."Deng Yu, Tang He and others couldn't bear it anymore, and their lips trembled and begged.

"The Ma River is relatively narrow, as long as our army's arsonist ships can seize the advantageous position upstream, they can lock in the victory in one fell swoop..." The last general has been playing on this water for twenty years, and it is impossible to miss..."

"My lord, don't miss the opportunity..."

"Lord, if you can fight, you can speak peacefully..."

Several staff members dressed as civilians also spoke one after another. They all believed that the Hezhou army could not continue to retreat, otherwise it would definitely make the brothers under his command disheartened.

Listening to everyone's indignant words, Zhu Yuanzhang's bronzed face turned from black to red, and then slowly turned from red to purple. The eyes of the two copper bells were full of cold light. The hand on the hilt of the sword trembled, trembled, slowly pulled outward, and slowly pushed inward. This was repeated more than a dozen times, but in the end, the entire sword was ripped off and thrown heavily on the deck, "Retreat..."

"Lord!" All the civil and military officers screamed, and the green tendons on their foreheads jumped wildly.

"Retreat, I ordered the retreat, didn't you hear?" Zhu Chongba gritted his teeth and repeated loudly. A line of black blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.

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