The fierce fighting lasted all night. Kunpeng's Tenth Army fired a total of nearly 400,000 feather arrows and more than 26,000 giant crossbows, directly burning and sinking 153 rebel warships, killing and injuring one enemy. More than a thousand people.
However, at dawn, Bao Xinyan immediately commanded the 300 elite warships that had rested all night to launch a counterattack against Nie Xianzang and others.
The huge hull set off rolling waves on the river. The rebels used the wind to attack the Kunpeng fleet, and in a blink of an eye they were fighting with the Zhenjiang navy.
Just like the previous day, Kuohai Navy's large-scale battleships rammed into the flywheel warships. The rebel light-armored sailors brandished daggers and spears and stabbed them. They joined forces one after another and charged into the group of Kunpeng soldiers with unparalleled ferocity.
Suddenly, the loud shouts of killing echoed across the river again.
This time, Bao Yuchun also sent out his own unique skill, the Jiao Soldier, to sneak attack the Kunpeng fleet.
The so-called "Dragon Soldiers" are a special force composed of some Kuohai veterans with excellent water skills. Not only were they superb in martial arts and fearless of death, they were also very good at sneaking in the water and could remain invisible underwater for a long time. They used powerful tools such as axes and hammers to drill through the bottom of warships and divert river water into the cabins, causing the enemy ships to sink.
More than two hundred Jiao soldiers approached the main battlefield in small boats, then turned over and slipped into the water one after another, and then quietly attached themselves to the bottom of the Kunpeng warship and began to drill through it.
In a short while, seven or eight flywheel battleships began to leak in their cabins, and there was not just one place, but dozens or dozens of places. Water poured into the river at the same time, and it was impossible to stop it.
The soldiers of Kunpeng's Tenth Army immediately reacted: Someone is causing trouble under the water! So without any hesitation, they all jumped into the water with daggers in their mouths, and fought fiercely with Bao Yuchun's dragon soldiers.
Hundreds of figures are chasing each other under the water, some are completely entangled, some are hanging in the water and stabbing each other, and some are grabbing each other's feet or strangling each other's neck, dragging them deeper. .
Soon, streams of bright red blood kept pouring out of the river, swirling downstream.
-
While fierce fighting broke out underwater, the fighting on the surface also entered a more brutal stage.
Bao Xinyan's warship took the lead, leading the headquarters fleet to continuously break through the two lines of defense of the Kunpeng Army and directly penetrate into the core area.
Nie Xianzang remained calm in the face of danger and immediately mobilized his reserves into the battlefield. He used more than 270 new warships that had been recharged for a long time to fight against Bao Xinyan's impact.
These two hundred or so new force ships are all from the Jinhe Fleet that was seized from Yin Chengyi not long ago. Those warships with obvious northern characteristics are large in size and have strong hulls. Although they are not as flexible and maneuverable as flywheel battleships, they are thicker and more resistant to collisions. They are easier to restrain in the collision battle of the broad sea navy. effect.
Amidst the rumbling impact, the northern ship remained motionless, barely shaking violently, and was as stable as a giant reef in the water. At the same time, the deck of the large ship suddenly opened, and thousands of light infantry temporarily seconded from the Second Fire Army came out waving their swords and jumped on the rebel warships to start an attack.
Hundreds of large ships on both sides of the enemy and ours were crowded together, as if they were connected into a small piece of land. Soldiers on both sides fought endlessly on this undulating and swaying land.
Archers and crossbowmen fired mercilessly at a close range of more than ten steps; long knives, short spears, sledgehammers, giant axes, and various weapons were fighting back and forth among the masts, stairs, and decks; blood was constantly spattering everywhere, and the wooden hull It was smashed, smashed and destroyed.
At the end of the fight, people didn't even have time to distinguish which side the ship they were on belonged to. They only knew where the enemy appeared and rushed there.
Throughout the morning, Zhenjiang Kunpeng's 10th Army finally withstood Bao Xinyan's fierce attack. Seeing that their momentum was exhausted, the rebels became more and more courageous as they fought, so they had no choice but to ring the gong and temporarily withdraw to the south bank.
Unexpectedly, they retreated, but Nie Xianzang refused to let go easily. One hundred and twenty flywheel battleships jumped out of the formation and approached Bao Yuchun's main formation in a sharp formation.
In order to protect his nephew Bao Xinyan, Bao Yuchun ordered the Furious Dragon to go into battle and led a 200-story ship to swoop into the center of the river, struggling to stop Kunpeng Navy from pursuing it.
A fierce battle broke out again.
The flywheel ship was as fast as a galloping horse on the river. In a blink of an eye, it rushed into Bao Yuchun's formation, rushing left and right, shuttling back and forth. The archers on the ship were skilled in shooting, and they aimed at the rebel sailors and killed them, causing considerable casualties to the opponent.
Bao Yuchun was the most famous water warfare general in Shengtang. How could he be trapped by this situation? He quickly ordered his warships to move forward while adjusting their angles and postures. Many large ships moved upon hearing the order, fighting sideways on the spot, like hills, trying their best to block the flying wheel battleship's route.
Soon, the outflanking turned into a close combat, and the soldiers from both sides once again fought for their lives face to face.
-
The Battle of Dajiang was fought from early morning to dusk. The rebels charged in groups six times, but were all repelled by the Kunpeng fleet; Nie Xianzang organized four interspersed attacks, but they were all blocked by Bao Yuchun.
The men and horses on both sides were killed to the point of exhaustion, and the entire river turned dark red and turbid.
After the sun completely set, Li Jiangyao received news from the front line: Nie Xianzang believed that the time had come and requested the governor's permission to launch a general offensive!
Li Jiangyao thought for a moment, then turned to ask Xu Youchang next to him: "What do you think?"
"I think it's almost done." Xu Youchang responded: "After two days and one night of fierce fighting, the enemy has almost exhausted all its impact, and Xian Zeng and the others are almost on the verge of exhaustion. It's time to use a decisive blow, a battle It’s settled.”
Li Jiangyao thought for a while, shook his head and said: "No, Bao Yuchun is an old master. His grasp of the preservation of combat power is far better than we imagined. In my opinion, the enemy's remaining power is still there, and we have to delay it further." Just put it off for a while.”
Xu Youchang couldn't help but frown: "Still delaying? I'm worried that the Tenth Army may not be able to hold on."
"You have to hold on even if you can't hold on," Li Jiangyao said firmly: "The enemy's warships are slightly more numerous than ours, and they are all directly under the command of Bao Yuchun's uncle and nephew all year round. Regardless of morale or endurance, , should not be underestimated. I know that the Tenth Army is working hard, but if the enemy is not exhausted, the general offensive will not be able to work wonders."
Xu Youchang hesitated for a moment, but was finally persuaded by Li Jiangyao and nodded: "You are right. Bao Yuchun's brilliance is not a result of bragging, but the result of hard work on the battlefield. A duel between equal numbers of troops, This is a dangerous gamble, whoever can really defeat the opponent will be the final winner."
Seeing that he agreed with his opinion, Li Jiangyao turned around and ordered the messenger: "Go and tell Nie Xianzang that the time for a general attack has not yet come! Let their Tenth Army show me their desperate courage and continue to organize the attack! At least three more enemies will be consumed. An hour!"
"Yes!" the ordering soldier responded loudly, turned around and ran away.
Not long after, the sound of war drums came again from the distant river, and the shouts of killing could be heard in the sky. The soldiers of Kunpeng's Tenth Army broke through their limits and launched a new offensive against the rebel fleet on the other side.
"Damn it! Are the Zhenjiang Army crazy?!" Bao Xinyan couldn't help but cursed angrily: "Aren't they tired after fighting for so long? Why are they still here!"
Bao Yuchun's face also showed unprecedented solemnity.
He couldn't understand why the other party was so tenacious and tenacious even though it had fewer ships than his own and it was a new army that had only recently been established. Moreover, their desperate and persistent fighting method has no chance of winning at all. Could it be...
Are they determined to die together?
Bao Yuchun couldn't help but hesitate. At present, he still has a reserve team in his hand, which is an elite penetration force composed of 300 warships. From the battle to seize Jiangxin Island until now, they have not been sent to the battlefield by Bao Yuchun. The purpose is It must be used in the final decisive moment.
But now it seems that it may not be possible without them.
Nie Xianzang's unreasonable repeated attacks not only exhausted the rebel fleet to the limit, but also provoked Bao Yuchun's dignity to a great extent. As the number one person in water warfare in the Shengtang Dynasty, he has never been forced to this point by anyone, and there is no reason to be angry with a young man from the Navy Department of the Yanwu Hall!
Bao Yuchun sneered and asked, "Yan'er, do you think the opponent still has some strength left?"
Bao Xinyan said angrily: "There is nothing left to spare! Nie Xianzang is an unreasonable lunatic! This approach of clearly intending to die together is simply embarrassing to the imperial martial arts hall. How can you teach such a bad martial arts student?"
Hearing what his nephew said, Bao Yuchun felt more and more that it was time to dispatch the reserve team to decide the outcome in a battle. He pondered for a moment and said loudly: "The madman is not scary. As long as he is beaten thoroughly and hurts, he will naturally wake up. Yan'er, let the tiger shark attack!"
"Tiger Shark" is the elite reserve force for penetration. It has 200 battleships and 100 large sterns. It is the decisive force in Bao Yuchun's hands.
After hearing this, Bao Xinyan suddenly became energetic, agreed, turned around and left.
He climbed up to the lookout post on the mast, ordered his men to blow the horn, and at the same time sent out a light signal in the direction of the rear array.
Not long after, a horn echoed in the distance, and three hundred warships suddenly emerged from the darkness and moved quickly towards Jiangbei!
At this time, Nie Xianzang's fleet had just crossed the center of the river and was pressing full force against the rebels. The Tiger Shark warship suddenly sprang out from the side, immediately attracting the attention of Kunpeng's officers and men.
"General! The enemy's new warships! They are all intact. They may be Bao Yuchun's reserve team!"
After hearing this, Nie Xianzang quickly held his hand on the railing and observed carefully. Under the illumination of stars and torches, those menacing warships indeed looked unscathed and high in fighting spirit.
Nie Xianzang couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Daduhu was really powerful. He could tell in advance that Bao Yuchun was hiding a backhand. If a general attack was launched early, just this new force might cause the entire plan to fail.
Thinking of this, he waved his sword and shouted loudly: "Brothers, that is the last hope of the rebels. Beat me hard!"
