Though Xiahou Zuo had no idea what those rafts were made of, since they had been inflated by breath, arrows should be able to puncture them.
So when the rafts had covered more than half the width of the Tuotuo River and entered the range of the Ning Army’s archers, Xiahou Zuo gave the order with a single command.
The Ning Army’s arrow formation on the bank released in unison. With a great rush of wind, a black mass of arrows flew outward in waves.
But the Yongzhou Army had clearly drilled for this countless times beforehand. Those who boarded the rafts all carried man-height shields, blocking the front of the rafts. Those shields had also been covered with a thick layer of hide — the arrows struck the surface and could not penetrate.
The Yongzhou Army’s coordination in using this method of river crossing was clearly the product of endless practice: their teamwork was seamless.
Yet they did have one thing to fear.
That was the Ning Army’s mounted crossbows and ranked crossbow arrays, which packed tremendous destructive force.
Han Feibao knew the Ning Army as if he had them memorized. His operatives embedded in the Spy Guard Army fed him a constant, unbroken stream of the Ning Army’s secrets.
The Ning Army’s troop dispositions, weaponry and equipment, food and supply stores — even what each commanding general excelled at and where they fell short — all of it was committed to his memory.
He had long since determined that the Ning Army’s mounted crossbows and ranked crossbow arrays would be the greatest obstacle. Those thick hides layered over the shields had been crafted specifically to counter the heavy crossbow bolts.
In the northwest, the one thing that was never in short supply was hide.
The Yongzhou Army’s leather armor was better and thicker than the Ning Army’s.
After all, the various hides the Ning Army needed to make their leather armor had to be purchased, whereas in the northwest, they were produced in abundance.
In preparation for his march into the Central Plains, Han Feibao had been making covert preparations all along, concealing it from his adoptive father, the Military Governor of Yongzhou.
These shields had been crafted by a special method and were by no means ordinary wooden shields.
They were woven from a variety of vine native to the northwest, then subjected to many complex processes — such as oil-soaking and sun-drying — rendering them extraordinarily tough.
These vine shields — not even a horse-cleaving broadsword capable of slicing through a charging horse could split them open.
So when Xiahou Zuo saw that even the ranked crossbow arrays were nearly ineffective, his expression had already begun to change.
The only thing still capable of inflicting casualties on the Yongzhou Army was the mounted crossbow. Massive heavy bolts the thickness of a man’s calf hammered across — even if they could not pierce clean through both man and shield as they once had, the enormous force behind them could still knock men tumbling into the river.
But no matter how well-equipped the Ning Army was, mounted crossbows were limited in number.
Against infantry and this kind of river crossing engagement, it was the ranked crossbow arrays that should have been delivering the greatest blow — and they were firing bolt after dense bolt now. Yet they simply could not punch through the enemy’s vine shields.
“Ha ha ha ha…”
Han Feibao, standing on the southern bank of the Tuotuo River watching this unfold, broke into a wide, delighted laugh.
“The military texts say — knowing oneself and one’s enemy ensures victory in every engagement.”
He raised a hand and pointed toward the Ning Army’s position: “The weapons Prince Ning Li Chi has exhausted his efforts to equip his forces with are of no particular use against our vine shields.”
He was not even worried about fire attack.
With such a thick layer of hide over the vine shields, the burning cloth bundles tied to arrow shafts could not set the hide alight.
With the vine shields protecting them, the Yongzhou Army’s soldiers were crossing the river with astonishing speed.
The men at the front of each raft knelt with all their strength, pressing their shields forward. The men at the back drove the paddles in rapid strokes. The rafts’ buoyancy was exceptional — on the windless, waveless surface of the water, their speed exceeded all expectation.
Whoosh!
A massive dark shape hurtled down onto the river surface, striking squarely on one raft and smashing it apart. The Yongzhou soldiers aboard fell into the water in every direction.
The catapults positioned behind the Ning Army’s lines began to show their power. Boulders flew one after another, crashing down violently onto the Yongzhou Army in the water.
“Pass the order!”
Han Feibao called out loudly: “Anyone who hesitates dies. Tell the soldiers to pick up the pace. The Ning Army’s catapults are few in number — there is no need to fear them.”
At that moment, on the opposite bank, Xiahou Zuo’s expression had grown increasingly grim.
In all his years of commanding troops, this was the most formidable enemy he had ever faced. Their vine shields were the perfect counter to the Ning Army’s most devastating arrow formations.
From this alone, one could see: in order to deal with the Ning Army, Han Feibao had not been idle these past few years.
There might be still more that the enemy had up their sleeve. The Yongzhou Army might well have further tricks yet to come.
“Use fire arrows!”
Xiahou Zuo issued the order.
Though he knew the chances of fire arrows stopping the enemy were not great, it was, relatively speaking, the best option he could think of at that moment.
On the Ning Army’s side, wave after wave of fire arrows soared into the sky, falling like a rain of fire.
One could see a number of Yongzhou soldiers taking arrows on the river’s surface, wailing as they tumbled into the water.
But the Yongzhou Army’s rafts were simply too numerous. They had come fully prepared, ready to win in a single decisive blow.
On the southern bank.
Han Feibao was in excellent spirits — extraordinarily excellent spirits.
The man known as the Holy Master sat behind him, while soldiers held a large parasol above to shield this Holy Master from the sun.
“Holy Master.”
Han Feibao turned and said to the Holy Master: “The Ning Army cannot stop our great forces from crossing the river. Within half an hour, our troops will charge up onto the opposite bank. Their weapons cannot break open our vine shields. Even in the close-quarters combat the Ning Army prides itself on, they will gain no advantage either.”
The Holy Master nodded, appearing as composed as ever — though a flicker of joy would occasionally pass through his eyes.
He had every reason to feel a measure of pride. All of this had been conceived by him.
In order to deal with the Ning Army, he had devised many methods. What Son of Heaven’s Mandate, what Child of Destiny — all of it had to be firmly stamped down.
“Holy Master.”
Han Feibao suddenly caught sight of a fleet of ships coming in from downstream. Though still distant, the fleet was massive in scale, and the sight of it was imposing.
Han Feibao pointed downstream: “Those are our ships.”
The Holy Master took the spotting scope and looked downstream. Those ships flew the Yongzhou Army’s banners. At the head of the formation were the Dachu warships they had gathered in Liangzhou.
“Prince Ning Li Chi excels most at calculating and scheming. This time, he will lose precisely because of his calculating nature.”
Han Feibao laughed heartily.
The fleet from Cradle Town had indeed been bait.
And to win this battle, that bait was not just a single layer — it was a chain of interlocking lures.
When Gui Yuanshu had been hiding aboard the fleet, he had discovered that the enemy was forcing large numbers of common people to put on Yongzhou Army uniforms and impersonate soldiers.
So he immediately sent the intelligence back, reporting it in person to Prince Ning Li Chi.
Li Chi personally led the Ning Army fleet onto the Tuotuo River to intercept, and since he already knew those soldiers were fakes, it was not in Li Chi’s nature to cut them down. Li Chi ordered that the focus be on boarding and seizing the ships — all that was needed was to get the people aboard to surrender.
Yet what Gui Yuanshu had seen was also precisely what the enemy had wanted him to see.
That night, Gui Yuanshu had watched as the common people aboard the ships were called below deck, with boat after boat of people queuing up to collect what were said to be quilts.
At the time, Zheng Shunshun had even remarked how unexpected it was — that these people could manage such hollow compassion.
But this had been the enemy’s scheme all along. After the common people were brought below the ships, they were driven away to another location.
The true Yongzhou elite fighting soldiers, carrying their quilts, had climbed back aboard the ships.
Han Feibao looked at the Holy Master and said: “Yan Lu, trained personally by you, Holy Master, truly has some talent. His chain of interlocking stratagems has borne fruit.”
Yan Lu had once said: though many within the Ning Army’s Spy Guard had been turned as his operatives, fooling the Ning Army was by no means easy.
To lead the Ning Army into the trap, every element — including timing — had to be factored in precisely.
For instance, the stratagem of swapping in real soldiers: it had to be carried out at night. And he was certain that even if Ning Army agents had infiltrated Cradle Town, they would seize the opportunity to withdraw that same night.
Because he had first ordered the river patrol boats to be reinforced. If Ning Army agents were concealed within the fleet and knew escape had become difficult, they would act.
And at that moment, Yan Lu arranged for people aboard each ship to come down and collect their bedding — this was his gift to the Ning Army agents: a window to escape.
Each move, each counter, each exchange — all within Yan Lu’s calculations.
And he calculated with perfect precision. He had reinforced the patrol forces, and Gui Yuanshu and Zheng Shunshun had been compelled to find a way to withdraw.
It was precisely during the moment when the people from each ship were brought below that Gui Yuanshu and Zheng Shunshun slipped away in the confusion.
Han Feibao’s words finally drew a clear and visible smile from the Holy Master. Yan Lu was indeed one of the outstanding disciples he had personally cultivated.
Of course, he would not acknowledge that Yan Lu was his disciple — only a chess piece. He regarded everyone in this world as a chess piece, including Han Feibao standing before him now, already beginning to look pleased with himself — he too was one of his pieces.
The Yongzhou Army’s fleet had advanced. A vast, dark mass of it.
When the Ning Army on the northern bank saw this, they were all shaken. The enemy’s fleet had come up — which meant Prince Ning had run into trouble on his end as well…
All those fierce and battle-hardened Yongzhou soldiers concealed on those ships, and the Ning Army believing them to be ordinary common folk — once the fighting broke out, they would take a terrible beating.
Xiahou Zuo’s complexion had begun to pale slightly.
Holding back the raft crossing had already taken every effort he had. Now with the enemy’s fleet coming up to coordinate — the two forces working in tandem — they could not hold.
Several of the Dachu warships were at the very front. Though worn and old from years of neglect, they were still warships — faster and larger than the rest.
Those vessels led the advance toward the northern bank. With their high sides and comparatively solid hulls, the Yongzhou archers aboard could suppress the Ning Army on the bank from above.
The ships drew closer and closer. Xiahou Zuo sent orders for all the heavy crossbows to turn and take aim at those warships.
But at that very moment, those warships suddenly veered course — and charged straight toward the Yongzhou Army currently in the middle of crossing the river.
On the lead warship, Li Chi raised his hand: “Change the flags!”
The Yongzhou Army’s banners came down from the masts. Ning Army battle flags, blazing crimson, were swiftly hauled up high.
The Ning Army soldiers aboard began firing down from their elevated position, sending arrows raining onto the Yongzhou soldiers on the rafts. This sudden and unexpected turn of events instantly threw the Yongzhou Army into complete confusion.
The fleet came roaring in and drove straight into the rafts at full speed.
The rafts were far too light — with their excellent buoyancy, the moment a warship struck one, even if the raft itself did not capsize, there was no way the men aboard could keep their footing.
Against the fleet, the rafts were utterly helpless.
Every vessel plowed into the Yongzhou Army soldiers who were crossing the river. And especially once the Fengbo warships at the rear arrived and joined in, the situation reversed in an instant.
The Ning Army aboard their warships dealing with the Yongzhou Army on the rafts — it was complete and utter dominance.
Standing at that moment on the southern bank, Han Feibao’s expression had grown extraordinarily grim. His eyes were full of disbelief.
He felt that all of this had to be an illusion — a hallucination.
How could Prince Ning Li Chi have seen through that chain of interlocking stratagems?
But watching his soldiers being slaughtered on the rafts — watching blood dye the river red — he knew: what he had believed would be a one-strike decisive victory in this river crossing had already been defeated.
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