Chapter 625

After four hours, Liu Pan started to furrow his brows angrily. Why is the army not here yet? The twenty thousand troops were not ready yet but his navy was already ready.

Men! Go and execute the worthless trash in charge of this! Liu Pan was already ready to kill someone. The time he had spent waiting altogether was already more than four hours. It was easily more than half a day. Yet only a portion of the ground troops were here. How could Liu Pan not be angry?

In fact, it is only still safe because of the rebellion. Otherwise, someone with Hao Shaos ability would not give them such a long time to prepare.

Yes!

Military Advisor, please spare me! Two officers that were in charge of deploying the troops panicked. Liu Pan was already angry. Without a proper explanation, they can say goodbye to their heads.

Military Advisor, please quell your anger! It is not their fault. These are not wars.h.i.+ps! Liu Pans deputy general pleaded for his subordinates.

This d.a.m.n Cai Mao! Liu Pan said as his impression of the Cai Family dropped again. Had those thirty thousand troops at Fancheng be in his hands, he would not end up in this state. They would not be using fis.h.i.+ng boats to transport troops.

The Jingzhou Navy! The former overlords of the Yangtze River has been reduced to using fis.h.i.+ng boats! If the people knew about this, they would all become laughing stocks.

Military Advisor. There are a lot of new recruits in the army. Please wait a bit longer! In their army of fifty thousand, only fifteen thousand were veterans and elites. The rest were new recruits.

I can wait but can war wait? Liu Pan replied angrily. He wanted things done quickly. He wanted control of military power and obtain elite troops. Unfortunately, what he got was only new recruits. He didnt even have any s.h.i.+ps.

General. Fifteen thousand men have already crossed the river. The thirty thousand troops on the other side is also already ready. Isnt forty five thousand good enough? We dont need to worry about just five thousand men. Besides, it would not be good if we change generals now.

Hmph! They can be spared but must still be punished! Men! Give them twenty strokes each! Liu Pan waved his hand. This time, his deputy general could no longer say anything. Preventing the death penalty was the best he could do. Soon, these two officers were given twenty strokes with a large rod and were left groaning and bleeding.

We shall attack the naval barracks at the Yangtze River in a pincer attack! I want to be feasting at their naval barracks by sunset! If you fail, I will be seeing your heads! Liu Pan said to the two officers before storming off in a huff.

Understood! The two officers resisted the pain on their bodies and said their farewells to Liu Pan.

The Military Advisor was about to kill us. One officer said in fear.

If it was not because of the deputy general, we would have already been killed for delaying the military situation!

The Second Lord is too privileged and would not think like us. The fis.h.i.+ng boats were so small. How could we have gotten the job done in time? He is simply finding faults with us! One of them complained as he was almost killed. They were veterans who used to work under Cai Mao. If they had to compare, they would rather serve under Cai Mao instead.

Watch your tongue. The other officer reminded. Liu Pan was still nearby. If Liu Pan were to hear this, the two of them would definitely be killed. Cai Mao was already deprived of his position and one way of provoking your superior is to claim that his predecessor was much better. The new superior would not allow this or else they would have no face to lead the group. Besides that, Liu Pan was becoming more dissatisfied with the things left behind for him by Cai Mao. All the important personnel related to Cai Mao were replaced with his own men. So it was also normal for those who served under Cai Mao to have complaints.

Sunset is it? The officer looked at the sky and saw that the sun was setting. There was only about four hours left. Can we really do it by sunset? The officer asked with doubt.

What else can we do? The officer named Zhang shook his head bitterly. If we do not succeed, we will die. We have to do it no matter what!

We do not have all our soldiers here but we still have fifteen thousand men, of which several thousand were Wuling elites. With the pincer attack planned, we should be able to capture that naval base. Forty five thousand men attacking a base that only has five thousand men. If they still could not capture it, they all might as well kill themselves. The only real problem is the amount of time they had.

No need to worry about the time. Just wait for the Military Advisor to give his command.

Soon, the sounds of drums could be heard.

Prepare for battle!

Have we already requested for reinforcements? The only ones guarding the naval base were Hao Shaos deputy general and five thousand men. Hao Shao had already taken five thousand men with him to save Xinye so the people here were powerless to defend themselves.

Reporting to the deputy general. We have already requested reinforcements from Shouchun, Lujiang, Yiyang, and Zaoyang! They did not request for reinforcements from only one place. These places had Yangzhous veterans and Wei Yans Yiyang Troops. As long as one place send reinforcements, they would be able to defend this place.

Deputy general. Why did you not request reinforcements from the General? One scout asked. The deputy general had requested reinforcements from everywhere except Hao Shao at Xinye.

Let us not interrupt the General with anything else. The deputy general shook his head. Hao Shao would be able to send help the fastest but when he thought of the rebels at Xinye he did not want to disturb Hao Shao. If Hao Shao were to return, they would not be able to keep Xinye and may eventually be unable to defend the naval barracks anyway.

Pa.s.s down my orders. We will meet the enemy head on! Not willing to be outdone, the soldiers all readied their bows.

When the Jingzhou Navy attacked, they were fought back with ballista, causing many casualties. On the other hand, the Yangzhou Army did relatively well as they were protected by cement walls. Soon there were many corpses from both sides floating at the Yangtze River.

This tortoise sh.e.l.l is really tough! Liu Pan watched the battle unfold from atop his flags.h.i.+p. He realized that he has underestimated this stronghold.

The front is strong. But what about the back? Twenty thousand troops led by his subordinates suddenly appeared from behind.

Kill, kill, kill! These soldiers were mostly new recruits but they could still fight. On top of that, several thousand were elites. With the elites leading the way, the morale of the new recruits were high. It was no wonder as their generals had told them that this stronghold only had five thousand men guarding it while all of them together were at least fifty thousand men.

With ten times the number, the enemy would become a joke. They would even get plenty of merits for this. Why would they not be motivated?

Kill, kill, kill! The soldiers shouted as they started to attack from the back.

Deputy general! Not good! Enemies have appeared at our rear! One messenger reported.

From the rear? The deputy generals eyes grew wide. Could it be Xinyes rebels? He asked as that was the direction of Xinye.

No. It is Jingzhous troops!

Jingzhous troops! The deputy general laughed bitterly at Jingzhous plan of attack. He really should have thought of this. The front of this naval barracks was fortified with cement and it could be said to be impregnable. Unfortunately, the back of it had no such fortifications and was mostly made of wood. Originally, the back was guarded by Xinye. On top of that, the five thousand men that Hao Shao had taken away with him could be used to guard the river, preventing enemies from disembarking. But now, they were unable to deal with this. The deputy general did not dare to dispatch people to watch the back as they may not be able to defend an attack from the front.

Jingzhou would definitely exploit this weakness. Before this, the deputy general was hoping that the enemy would not notice this and would not dare to send troops. But it would seem that the enemy has infiltrated Yangzhou really well.

Officer Hu. Take two thousand men with you to the North and stop the enemy! The deputy general ordered.

Deputy general. If I take two thousand men with me, what about this side? The naval barracks had five thousand men. Five hundred men were originally guarding the North while the remaining four thousand five hundred were guarding the South. If they were to send two thousand troops to the North, the South would lack troops.

Go! I will be able to deal with things here! The deputy general replied.

Understood! Officer Hu replied and left thinking that the deputy general had an idea. He quickly took two thousand men with him to the North gate.

Meanwhile, the deputy general smiled bitterly. He did not have any ideas at all. His only idea was to struggle to the death. If the wall falls, they would not last long either. Pa.s.s down my orders. Kill! The deputy general took out his sword and charged towards the enemy.

It would be great if these elites were mine! Liu Pan watched the Yangzhou Army soldiers and drooled. All of them were elites. Originally there were only the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and the Formation Breaker. But they slowly gained other elites like the Urban Army, the Black Flag Army and the White Horses. The only place that could rival Yangzhou with the number of elites was Cao Cao.

Liu Pan wanted these elites. He had people go and scout them from Yangzhou but it was no use. These troops did not betray Yangzhou when Zhang Xiu, Liu Bei and Sun Ce attacked Yangzhou together. They were not about to betray Yangzhou now.

Since I cant have them, I will destroy them! Liu Pan said malevolently. Both sides seemed evenly matched but Liu Pan could tell that the Yangzhou Navy was at its end. They only had five thousand men initially while Liu Pan had fifty thousand men. Even if ten of his were to die just to kill one of Yangzhous soldiers, it would be worth it.

Brothers! Once we capture this naval barracks, Xinye would not be far off! Once we capture Xinye, you can do what you want! This message was given to both the Jingzhous naval troops and land troops.

Military Advisor. Xinye was once our territory! The common people are innocent! Capturing Xinye is enough, do we need to do this? It goes against Heaven and Earth! One officer opposed. He believed they reduce needless slaughter and looting. After all, Jingzhou was the most cultured place under the skies. They were civilized, and benevolent as the Lumen Academy was there. Even if most people do not attend school, they would still be influenced with compa.s.sion, duty, propriety and integrity.

As the saying goes, etiquette comes after one has enough to eat. Jingzhou had enough to eat so the people could think about things like reputation. This is also why the soldier felt disturbed since Xinye was once Jingzhous territory.

Are you the Military Advisor? Liu Pan glared at the officer. Do I need you to teach me about war?

This one doesnt dare!

Then shut up and implement my orders! This is the first time. If anyone dares to disobey me again, I will behead them!

Liu Pan did not have much of a choice but to do this. Most of Jingzhous elites were dead while the rest were under the Huang Family and the Cai Family. Although he was given the right to recruit soldiers by Liu Biao, he would need time to train them. It was something that he could do if he had the time but he did not have it. The war between Jingzhou and Yangzhou demanded immediate action. Yangzhou already occupied Jiangxia and even Jiangling.

Had Jingzhou not chosen to block the river, even Jingzhou would be attacked right now. However, blocking the river could not be done forever. They would not be able to do anything once Yangzhou form an actual plan of attack.

To train elites quickly, Liu Pan had to allow looting. This could stimulate the troops bloodthirstiness and greed. The common people will be used as sacrifices to get the troops used to killing. Xinye will become Liu Pans training grounds. There would be hundreds and thousands of people within Xinye that could be used for training.

Jingzhous troops become more aggressive with benefits right in front of them.

Deputy general! We cannot hold out much longer! They have already fought back seven waves of enemies at the North gate. Though most of the corpses there belonged to the enemy, it was more apparent as to the number of allied troops that decreased.

Gather the troops! The deputy general gasped for breath.

They then started to count the number of soldiers they had left. Less than a thousand men were left out of the two thousand and five hundred men at the North gate. Yet not even two hours had pa.s.s. At this rate, the naval barracks would fall before sunset.

Deputy general. Let us run!

Run? Run where? The deputy general shook his head. Both gates were blocked so they could not leave at all.

Deputy general! Let us break out from the North gate! Have the soldiers cover your escape!

If I leave, what about the naval barracks? The deputy general asked.

Deputy general. Live to fight another day. Let us give the naval barracks to them. We can always return and fight once the reinforcements is here!

You guys go! The deputy general stood up. I have already promised the General that I will guard this naval barracks with my life!

Sir!

No need to say anymore. You guys leave! Take as many as you can with you! The naval barracks could no longer hold. Even the reinforcements from the nearest location, Yiyang, would take another day to arrive.

We will not leave! If there were those that wanted to escape, there naturally will be those that refused to escape.

Er Gouzi. Didnt your wife just give birth to a child? Leave. Do not let your child be without a father!

Xiao Li, your brother is already in the Hall of Heroes. You should leave an offspring behind first.

In the end, only four hundred would stay behind as the main force. Three hundred injured soldiers that could no longer run way will instead cover for the three hundred escaping through the North gate.

It is almost sunset. At the North gate, two of Jingzhous officers were anxious. They were at the advantage but they could not be happy. This is because their orders were to capture the naval barracks by sunset. Failure to accomplish this task would mean their life.

Send another wave of troops. I will personally lead them! One of the officer gritted his teeth and decided to personally lead the attack.

Have you gone mad? Besieging was the most dangerous work. Anything that falls from the walls could kill. Even falling off the walls could kill. This is not counting any potential injury.

What else can we do? If we do not capture the naval barracks, we are both dead!

There is no other choice then! They would die either way so the two officers prepared themselves to charge ahead.

Look over there! One of the suddenly pointed. The North gates suddenly opened.

Do they want to surrender?

How could that be? Liu Pan had asked them to surrender before, promising them promotion and wealth since he wanted elites. However, they rejected the offer. As a result, Liu Pan attacked with full force and ordered that none of them were spared.

Kill! The Yangzhou Army that left the gates charged out towards Jingzhous troops without any formation.

Have they gone mad? If they still had the walls, they could stand against Jingzhous human wave attacks. Instead, they chose to charge out which would certainly cause the naval barracks to fall.

No matter! We just need to capture the naval barracks to live! The other officer replied, focusing on survival.

Thats right! All soldiers, attack! Break into the naval barracks! Even without orders, Jingzhous troops advanced. Both sides quickly encountered each other outside the walls.

The Jingzhou land troops initially had twenty thousand men. Even after sustaining losses, they still had at least sixteen thousand men. On the other hand, Yangzhou had less than a thousand men so they were quickly surrounded.

Yangzhous troops could only rely on their elites to fight and for a moment, seemed evenly matched. However, they were quickly overwhelmed. None of them were any kind of warriors so they were quickly swallowed up.

Change direction! Charge out! The Yangzhou Army was like an awl. One officer carrying the banner shouted and changed direction. The rest of the soldiers followed as they tried to charge out from a different direction.

Hm? They are trying to break out? The two Jingzhou officers could tell what was going on as Yangzhous troops were charging out through a weak point in their formation.

Want to run? Impossible! One of the officers wanted to lead his guards with him and attack Yangzhous soldiers but he was stopped by the other officer.

Sigh. No need to go!

What are you doing? They are escaping! The officer said anxiously.

Let them run!

Hm?

Our objective is not them! There is no need to waste troops on them! The North gate of the naval barracks had closed again but now there were less people guarding it.

Thats right! Now that the defenses were weaker, it would be easier to capture it.

Pa.s.s down my orders! No need to chase the enemy! Attack the naval barracks! The Jingzhou troops turned back towards the naval barracks and ignored Yangzhous fleeing troops.

Dai Yun, one of the escaping soldiers, gasped for breath after cutting his way out. His body was covered in sweat and blood. When he fought together with Hao Shao to stop Liu Bei, he was a mere 100-man general. Now he was a 1000-man commander. Dai Yun himself had already obtained the approval of many and Hao Shao was going to recommend him work as a 10,000-man commander under Huang Zhong. None of them expected this to happen.

Deputy general Huang! Dai Yun watched the fires burn behind him. The naval barracks could no longer be defended and its defenses only grew weaker after they escaped. The naval barracks falling would become inevitable so Dai Yun called out to the deputy general, Huang Xin, that sacrificed himself to bring up the rear. Based on Huang Xins character, he would die guarding the naval barracks.

Dai Yun knelt down and put his head on the ground. Deputy general Huang. Take care of yourself!

Deputy general Huang. Take care of yourself! The other surviving soldiers also did the same and said their farewells.

After wiping away his tears, Dai Yun addressed the troops. Let us go find the General! We must take revenge!

Yes! Let us find the General and take revenge! Those who are only slightly injured will advance by themselves! The severely injured will advance in pairs, together with the ones not injured. We are going to Xinye! Dai Yun said as he counted the remaining number of troops. There were about three hundred men left. The other seven hundred soldiers that charged out with him were dead or lost within the enemy formation.

After advancing towards Xinye for some time, they started to hear a rumbling sound. Dai Yuns eyes grew wide as he thought that Jingzhous troops was chasing them down to kill them all. A heavy cavalry approaching from the horizon.

Enemy attack! Dai Yun shouted. The three hundred soldiers once again grouped together to prepare for an enemy attack.