The Princess moved forward to meet them, with the Qing Que and Chengqian cruising on the flanks. Only great ships like these three had the confidence to surround six ships. The six oncoming ships slowed their speed and drew very close to the Princess, but still didn’t respond to the Princess’s inquiry. Standing on the deck were all rough-clothed men who looked extremely flustered.
Seeing Yun Ye nod, Liu Renyuan had the Eight-Ox Crossbows—without fire oil or gunpowder—shoot out their thick bolts. Four crossbow bolts flew across a hundred meters of sea and embedded themselves in the gunwales. This accurate shooting standard caused a wave of panic on the opposite ships.
A loud-voiced sailor took an iron megaphone and loudly ordered the opposite ships to stop and submit to inspection, or else face a deadly attack. At the same time, the Qing Que and Chengqian also made their moves, each launching probing attacks.
Yun Ye found this very strange. In these waters, it was impossible for Goguryeo ships or vessels from other countries to appear, especially warships. Dengzhou had a Great Tang naval force, and the Emperor had brought a full five hundred warships on this campaign. If foreign warships still appeared near Dengzhou, there would be no need for the Emperor to punish anyone—Gao Luxing of the Dengzhou naval forces should commit suicide in apology.
Looking at the warships’ style, they were standard Great Tang design, and the warships were also very new—they must have been built by that fellow Yan Lide. To build these warships, the common people of Bashu had even rebelled. The price was extremely heavy, and the Emperor would certainly value these warships greatly. How could they possibly be sailed around by unrelated people?
His own banner hung high on the mast. In these waters, there were probably few who didn’t recognize the cloud-character commander’s flag wreathed in waves. If these people were Tang people, they should have come forward to pay respects long ago. On the great sea, the Lingnan naval forces were supreme—this was an honor fought for. When other naval forces encountered the Lingnan naval forces, they should naturally yield and give way three times. What was the purpose of this dawdling behavior?
Great suspicion arose in Yun Ye’s heart. Seeing one of the warships seemingly trying to slip through the gaps between the three great ships, he decisively ordered the destruction of this warship as a warning to others.
Before the Princess could open fire, the opposing warship struck first. Eight-Ox Crossbow bolts whistled through the air—their target was actually the sails. Yun Ye heard the sound of canvas tearing overhead and couldn’t help but exchange a startled glance with Liu Renyuan. This was definitely the Great Tang naval forces. Those with Eight-Ox Crossbows were definitely Great Tang naval forces, not to mention the fire oil on the crossbow bolts—only the naval forces had this stuff.
The sailor standing in the watchtower immediately twisted open the muddy water on the mast. The turbid muddy water spread down along the canvas, and the burning flames gradually extinguished. However, those huge holes in the canvas were like mocking mouths.
Not only was Yun Ye angry, the sailors on the ship were also furious. They had always been the ones burning others’ sails—today someone had actually burned their own sails. This was simply an utter humiliation. Even when fighting the great battle with the Goguryeo naval forces, such a situation had never occurred. Liu Renyuan struck the bronze gong at hand, and immediately crossbow bolts flew from the Princess like a swarm of locusts. The helmsman, following Liu Renyuan’s orders, steered the warship directly toward that small fleet. The huge ramming stones at the bow and stern were also released and began swinging continuously. Liu Renyuan intended to tear the opponent to shreds.
On the ship that had just opened fire on the Princess, the wooden structures on the deck had vanished without a trace. Four large holes had been breached in the gunwales, seawater was pouring in, the mast had toppled to one side, and the entire ship tilted along with it. Seeing it was about to sink into the sea, the rough-clothed men on the ship jumped into the sea one after another to escape. Even so, the Princess still didn’t spare that ship. The ramming stone only swung back and forth twice, and the entire ship became tattered wooden planks floating unsteadily on the great sea.
Under the intimidation of the Chengqian and Qing Que, the remaining five ships carefully huddled together. The sails on the ships had been lowered according to orders. Seeing the scene was under control, Yun Ye lowered a small boat and had sailors go fish out those who had fallen into the water. From their cries for help, Yun Ye discovered these people were actually all from Chang’an.
After disarming these people, Yun Ye saw the ashen-faced Lai Chuanfeng quickly jump aboard the Princess and whisper a sentence in Yun Ye’s ear.
“The one who ordered the attack was Duke of Yun, Zhang Liang. He’s now on the ship.”
Liu Renyuan’s legs went weak with fright. His knees buckled and he nearly sat on the ground. Yun Ye’s mind also couldn’t turn around for a long time. His personal grudge with Zhang Liang was one thing, but attacking a comrade on the battlefield—whether by national law, human sentiment, or military discipline, not a single aspect could justify it. If it were someone else, he could still argue, but encountering Zhang Liang, even with ten thousand mouths he couldn’t explain clearly. The fact that he and Zhang Liang had an unresolvable personal grudge was enough to pin the crime of attacking friendly forces out of private resentment firmly on him.
After hesitating for a long time, Yun Ye saw murderous light flash in Liu Renyuan’s eyes. Liu Renyuan made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand on his neck, suggesting they might as well go all the way and thoroughly send Zhang Liang and those people on his ship into the sea.
It wouldn’t work. If anyone said his subordinates didn’t include people from the Bai Qi Si, Yun Ye wouldn’t believe it. The current situation still had room for negotiation. If he killed Zhang Liang, after the incident came to light, no one would be able to save him.
Having made up his mind, Yun Ye said quietly to Liu Renyuan: “Go change into a sailor’s clothes. From now on, I’m the captain.”
Liu Renyuan chuckled and said: “Commander, you’ve got it wrong. You should change clothes and go to the Qing Que. I’m still the captain of the Princess. The strategy of sacrificing the chariot to save the general is always done this way—whoever heard of sacrificing the general to save the chariot?”
“Get lost quickly. I finally mustered the thought to protect you all—I don’t know how much courage that took. If you still don’t leave, once the Assistant Military Commissioner from Zhang Liang’s ship comes over, you won’t be able to leave.” Yun Ye said irritably to Liu Renyuan.
“Commander, it’s very strange. There’s no Assistant Military Commissioner on their ship. This subordinate counted heads and even counted Zhang Liang, but didn’t discover any Assistant Military Commissioner. Not only is there no Assistant Military Commissioner, there’s also no Army Supervisor, Chief of Staff, Deputy General, or Registrar—not a single one of these subordinate officials has been seen. Zhang Liang sits in his chair without saying a word.”
Lai Chuanfeng carefully informed Yun Ye of his doubts. Yun Ye and Liu Renyuan exchanged glances, both filled with deep astonishment. When the army moved, especially for military officers of Zhang Liang’s level, there must be a special figure like an Assistant Military Commissioner at their side. Without the Assistant Military Commissioner’s seal, army movements were considered rebellion. As long as the number of people deployed once exceeded the number of personal guards, the Assistant Military Commissioner had the authority to stop it. Zhang Liang’s status was Duke, and he possessed three hundred personal guards. Now he had controlled six warships—who knew how many men he had used. In any case, Yun Ye’s Princess had three hundred seventy men.
At this point, Yun Ye decided to go ask Zhang Liang what exactly was going on. As long as there was no Assistant Military Commissioner on his ship, this was good—calling it a private fight between two men with their personal guards wouldn’t be a big deal.
After boarding Zhang Liang’s command ship, Yun Ye saw Zhang Liang sitting silently in his chair. This fellow had aged terribly now. In just a few years, his hair had turned completely white, and he wore common cloth clothing. Seeing Yun Ye approach, his two hands gripped the armrests tightly and in a hoarse voice he asked: “Did the Emperor send you to capture me?”
Having served as an official for many years, Yun Ye had still mastered the skill of concealing his thoughts beneath a pleasant exterior. He sighed without speaking. Though monstrous waves surged in his heart, he still pretended to be calm and found a chair to sit down.
Zhang Liang seemed to be reminiscing, or perhaps talking to himself. Looking at the sea surface, he said in a low voice: “I used to wonder why I didn’t see your shadow during the Eastern Campaign, why fierce wolves and tigers like the Lingnan naval forces weren’t included in the expeditionary force. When I saw your banner appear on my inevitable route, I finally understood—the Emperor placed you at the rear to monitor me. Indeed, when it comes to naval warfare, probably only you could keep watch over this old man. How laughable—the dignified Emperor even told me something about how you had gone to the distant seas and wouldn’t return for a while. Yet as soon as you return, you’ve blocked me just right. With these three terrifying warships, Marquis Yun, His Majesty has treated you well indeed.”
“These three warships were successfully built in Lingnan. One is called Chengqian, one is called Qing Que, and another is called Princess. These three great ships represent Great Tang’s highest shipbuilding craft and weapons technology. Duke of Yun, warships like yours are no match for these new weapons.”
Yun Ye didn’t speak of his mission, but instead discussed the warships. His tone was sincere, and he didn’t treat Zhang Liang like a prisoner, which couldn’t help but warm Zhang Liang’s heart.
“Ha ha ha, I can’t compare to a young person like you. In my day, naval warfare still relied on crossbow bolts and boarding. In water combat, bows and arrows come first, and boarding is the key to victory. But looking at your battle tactics just now, it seems you don’t rely on boarding at all yet can easily destroy a warship of superior combat strength. It appears this old man has fallen behind the times. Marquis Yun, this old man would like to see your new ship—may I?”
Zhang Liang must have gotten into extremely serious trouble, and His Majesty the Emperor was currently pursuing him. This was the situation Yun Ye understood from Zhang Liang’s words. After Lai Chuanfeng learned the details from the mouths of those rough-clothed men, the truth of the entire matter would surface. Yun Ye’s heart felt like it held a hundred little cats, clawing at his heart and lungs with curiosity.
“Since Duke of Yun has the interest, this subordinate naturally accompanies you. Being able to show off one’s achievements before a senior is this junior’s honor. When I brag shamelessly later, I ask Duke of Yun’s indulgence. Please!” Yun Ye formally invited the guest with clasped hands. Zhang Liang pointed at Yun Ye and laughed heartily, then took the lead in boarding the Princess. He didn’t look like a prisoner at all, but more like a superior officer coming aboard to inspect.
Regarding the data and layout of the Princess, Yun Ye could be said to know it by heart. From the deck timber to the keel, then to the watertight compartments, and finally to the improvements in various weapons—Zhang Liang personally tested the maneuverability of the wheel rudder, looked at the small houses on deck that sheltered the Eight-Ox Crossbows, and also examined the crew’s cabins. He didn’t miss a single spot and offered many highly constructive opinions. Yun Ye specially called over a secretary to record all of Zhang Liang’s suggestions one by one. After all, he was a fierce naval general, and his suggestions regarding warships all hit the mark.