Hanchuan Ferry, Qin Navy Navy Camp.
The vast river surface stretches as far as the eye can see.
Under the river wind, the waves rolled and water birds flapped their wings and flew away.
The terrain here is not complicated, the water flow is not too fast, the water area is extremely wide, the Qin army camps stretch for dozens of miles, and busy soldiers can be seen at any time.
Xiao Yuan was walking in the camp, followed by a Qin official, who was pointing here and there, and kept introducing:
"Your Majesty, please take a look at the large warship our army has built this time. It is about 18 feet long and 2 feet 9 feet wide. It uses 46 oars and can carry more than 400 soldiers. Both sides of the ship's wings can deploy bows and crossbows to fire. "
Most of the warships at that time had two floors. The lower floor was used by the sailors for paddling and was well protected. The upper floor was where the crossbowmen stood and shot arrows.
A water battle near the river, with strong bows and crossbows.
And building a warship requires a lot of wood. Fortunately, there are mountains and forests nearby, so it is convenient for the soldiers to cut down the wood.
And this official is a talent in this field and is mainly responsible for supervising the construction of warships.
Listening to his explanation, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but ask: "Does such a huge thing seem bulky?"
"No, no, no, the warship looks huge, but in fact it is more stable on the river. As long as the sailors cooperate tacitly, the ship can sail very lightly and the speed will definitely not be low." The official explained quickly.
"Yes." Xiao Yuan nodded and said: "The so-called water is not thick, so why can we carry a big boat? Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Kang."
"I'm scared." The official quickly lowered his body and extended his hand again: "Your Majesty, please come this way."
He explained all the way, and Xiao Yuan watched all the way. After a while, he arrived at the riverside.
Here, Yan Qi is training the navy, and there are shouts and shouts everywhere.
There are also many soldiers who just ran off the warship. As soon as they landed, they hugged their halberds, bent over and vomited, and their faces were pale and ugly.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Yuan could not help but shout: "Yan Qi!"
The latter was directing something. When he heard the shouting, he realized that Xiao Yuan was here. He quickly stopped what he was doing, walked quickly over, clasped his fists and bent down and said: "Your Majesty."
"What's going on?" Xiao Yuan frowned slightly and gestured to the riverside.
Yan Qi looked sideways and understood immediately, and explained: "Most of our soldiers are northern infantry. They fight on land and are extremely brave. However, when they go to the Yangtze River, many of them suffer from seasickness."
This batch of training is not the original Xuan Army troops. The Xuan Army is good at water warfare, but there are not many troops. To cross the Yangtze River, the soldiers of various ministries must take warships. Otherwise, the original Xuan Army troops alone will not be able to fight on the water. Don't go there.
After listening to what he said, Xiao Yuan's frown deepened.
Across the Yangtze River, on the south bank, is the naval camp of Wu Jun.
Veteran general Pei Zong was also standing by the river with a group of generals, looking out.
The water area at Hanchuan Ferry is so wide that you can't see the other side at all, and the horizon you can see is still river water.
The river wind blew the generals' cloaks flying behind them.
Pei Zong couldn't help but said: "Yesterday I took a fast boat to visit the camp and observed the Qin army's camp. It was quite exquisite and should not be underestimated."
Upon hearing this, the deputy general received: "The commander of the navy of the Qin army is the famous general Yan Qi. He is responsible for the deployment of warships and the training of the navy."
"Yan Qi, the former commander-in-chief, fought dozens of large and small battles, and even launched many cross-river battles with the Chu army. It was difficult to deal with." Pei Zong shook his head.
Another partial general said: "I have heard, general, that the Qin army is not only training its navy, but also building large warships, and each of them is much taller than our army and can carry hundreds of soldiers. "
Pei Zong glanced at him and said: "Don't worry about these. No matter how tall the warship is, it is also related to the fighting strength of the soldiers. Although the Qin army is brave, the infantry in the north are not used to water warfare and are prone to serious diseases. This is our biggest advantage."
"No matter how capable Yan Qi is, it is impossible to train a powerful navy in a short period of time. To be honest, our army is not as good as the Qin soldiers in infantry combat, but the water battle along the river is the best in the world."
When the generals heard this, they couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Pei Zong is right, the Wu Army Navy, fighting on land and fighting on the water, is not a force at all.
Naturally, the navy cannot conquer the world, but by guarding the Yangtze River, the Wu army has always been able to survive.
the next day.
Xiao Yuan was behind the handsome case directly above, holding a bamboo slip in his hand and looking at something.
Not long after, Jia You walked in quickly. After bowing his hands and saluting, he said in a slightly excited tone: "Your Majesty, I just got my reward. Cui Ji is here."
Xiao Yuan's heart moved: "A counselor under King Chu?"
"Exactly." Jia You said quickly: "Cui Ji is a wise man. When he was young, he was a classmate of Wei Chen. Now that he has come across the river, he must have something important to do."
Hearing this, Xiao Yuan quickly put down the bamboo slips, stood up and walked away quickly: "Hurry up and follow me."
After a while, the two sides met.
Cui Ji had already taken off his Chu official uniform and was now dressed in casual clothes, waiting to be received alone.
Although Xiao Yuan didn't know him, he was not stupid. Seeing him as a scribe, he naturally knew who was coming without Jia You reminding him.
He walked forward quickly, and before Cui Ji could speak, he smiled heartily and took the lead in cupping his hands and saying: "I don't know if Mr. Cui comes here, he is not welcomed from afar, but sometimes he is not welcomed from afar."
Unexpectedly, the King of Qin actually welcomed him out in person. Cui Ji was a little dazed and quickly returned the greeting: "I have met His Highness the King of Qin."
When he straightened up, before he could take the next step, Xiao Yuan was already smiling and stepped forward to hold his wrist: "I have admired Mr. Sir's reputation for a long time, and I wish I could meet you. When Mr. Sir comes here today, he will definitely meet me. The king drank heavily."
Not to mention how cordial he behaved, he was like an old friend whom he hadn't seen for many years. Cui Ji was flattered and said hurriedly: "His Royal Highness, King Qin, has defeated Cui Ji."
"Hey? Sir, what are you talking about? Let's go have a drink and let's chat while eating. I also have many questions that I would like to ask, sir." Xiao Yuan was very happy, at least on the surface.
In this way, Xiao Yuan welcomed Cui Ji into the military camp with extremely high etiquette, and then ordered the sergeant to serve wine and food.
In the tent, he is in the main seat directly above. Jia You and Cui Ji are on one side and at the bottom. Each has a case in front of him.
After the food and wine were served, Xiao Yuan also opened the topic and said tentatively: "Sir, you must have been entrusted by the King of Chu to cross the river today, right?"
"No." Cui Ji raised his hand and said directly: "Your Highness doesn't know something. Lord Chu is a mediocre ruler with a narrow mind. He is not as talented and broad-minded as Your Highness. I have offered you many good suggestions, but they have not been adopted. Instead, I have been thrown into death row." , It doesn’t matter if you are such a foolish king and you can’t help him, I got angry and left.”
"Oh?" Xiao Yuan's heart moved, he immediately put down his wine glass, raised his hand and said, "Sir, if you don't give up on your great talent, I dare you to invite me to join you in this great cause!"
King Qin's attitude made Cui Ji very happy. He first took a sip of wine, smacked his lips, and then put down his glass and said, "May I ask, Your Highness, do you have any doubts about leading the army to the south this time and the war has come to this point?"
(End of chapter)
