Chapter 475: The First Battle of the Navy

The vast Yangtze River flows thousands of miles and never returns.

When we reach the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the river surface begins to gradually widen. Although there are relatively narrow areas and the water flow is faster, it is much smoother than the upper reaches, and boats of all sizes can pass through freely.

Cai Mao and Zhang Yun stood on the deck of the main ship with their heads raised their heads and let the wind blow in the face. This time, after forced Liu Cong to surrender to Cao Cao by coercion and inducement, except for Liu Cong who was granted a free position by Cao Cao, the rest of the people were rewarded. In particular, Cai Mao was named Marquis of Hanyang Ting and promoted to the governor of the navy. It was a time of high spirits.

Zhang Yun felt a little bitter. He was Liu Biao's nephew and had a very good relationship with Liu Cong. He had helped Liu Cong take over Liu Biao's position in the past. Unexpectedly, Liu Cong was forced to surrender to Cao Cao without being on the throne of the governor of Jingzhou. Zhang Yun also felt resentful about the domineering of the Cai family and the Kuai family, but he did not show it and endured it. As the navy general of Jingzhou, Cai Mao's deputy, Zhang Yun knew that his status was not enough to launch a thunderous attack, so he decisively chose to stand on Cai Mao's side, thus gaining Cai Mao's trust, and being rewarded by Cao Cao, and being promoted to deputy governor of the navy.

This time, the two led 80,000 Jingzhou navy soldiers from Jiangling, advanced along with the infantry and marched straight to Xiakou. Cai Mao and Zhang Yun were still full of confidence. These 80,000 navy soldiers were the entire force of the Jingzhou navy. Although some soldiers were not trained enough and were not well-equipped enough, at least 50,000 navy soldiers were trained for a long time and were very familiar with the waterways from Jiangling to Xiakou, and they all knew the water flow, dark beaches, ports, etc.

In recent years, there have been some battles with the Jiangdong Navy. Although they have not taken advantage of it, Cai Mao still looked down on the Jiangdong Navy. They think this is a team that started with Chaohu Water Pirates. They are thieves at heart, and the leader is Jinfan thief Gan Ning. How capable can a water thief have? In terms of personal courage, it may be considered strong, but if it comes to commanding the navy battle on the river, how could it be my upright opponent of the Jingzhou Navy?

The wind is getting stronger and stronger, and the weather is very good. From a distance, you can see a red stone cliff in front of you protruding from the river. Cai Mao said to himself: "It's time to reach the Red Cliff..."

Zhang Yun continued: "General, the front army came to report that Zhou Yu had set up a water camp in Chibi and set up more than ten iron chains between Chibi and Xiakou. Judging from this situation, our army must defeat its navy at Chibi before we can continue moving forward."

Cai Mao smiled and said heroically: "Although the 50,000 Jinfan thieves' army is not small, our army attacked from the upstream and the river, and the number of people is superior. Are you still afraid that he will do something? Send the order and prepare for battle!"

At this time, a small school responsible for passing flags among the ships quickly came over and reported: "General, General Su, came to report that he encountered the interception troops of the Jiangdong Navy, and there were about 200 warships."

Cai Mao sneered and said, "I really mean that the thief is here. Notify General Su and surround him and destroy him!" After that, Cai Mao told another small school, "Notify the central army, speed up, and the whole army will come out!"

Zhang Yun was defeated by the Jiangdong Navy several years ago, and his navy was almost wiped out. With the support of Liu Biao, he had been rebuilt in the past two years. He was still frightened by the Jiangdong Navy and hurriedly persuaded him: "General, this battle is the first battle between the two armies. It is advisable to send someone to report to Lord Cao immediately. Moreover, the enemy is prepared and needs to be prevented from fraud. The entire army will drive. If there is a mistake, the responsibility will be great."

Cai Mao was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then said, "General Zhang's words are reasonable. You must be cautious in the first battle! Let General Su fight with the bandits first and then discuss the truth."

The Jingzhou navy vanguard, Su Fei stood on a tower ship, looking straight ahead with cold eyes. The appearance of more than 200 Jiangdong warships made him feel pressure. "What should come will come..." Su Fei gritted his teeth and said, "Send the order! Get ready for battle!"

As the messenger climbed on the mast waved the five-colored flags around, Su Fei's troops began to adjust their formations and lined up into fan shapes on the wide river surface. With Su Fei's main ship as the core, he slowly headed towards the Jiangdong navy.

To Su Fei's surprise, the Jiangdong navy on the opposite side seemed to be unprepared. When he saw his own fleet in an attacking formation, there was a panic, and the formation of the warship began to scatter. Su Fei could even see the soldiers on the Jiangdong warship running back and forth, like headless flies.

Su Fei's eyes flashed with contempt. He had fought with the Jiangdong naval army several times and had never gained the upper hand. Therefore, he was cautious in marching for fear of falling into a trap. But he did not expect that the Jiangdong naval army he was facing today was not as well-trained as usual. Could it be that there was a fraud?

Su Fei's eyes swept over the flag of the Jiangdong Navy. What he saw was the "Chaohu Camp" flag with black and yellow characters. He couldn't help but feel relaxed. It turned out that this navy was not the "Caisang Camp" that had always been against the Jingzhou Navy. They came from Chaohu, so they must be water thieves! The combat power of the water thieves... it should be like this!

Su Fei felt certain and his spirits were greatly increased. He saw that more than ten medium-sized warships lined up in front of the Jiangdong Navy showed signs of turning around and running away, fearing that he would lose his fighting opportunity and be escaped by the enemy, and then his first battle was gone.

"Send the order! The whole army raided!" Su Fei was full of confidence and issued an order loudly. As the flags of the commanders changed, the original arrangement was arranged in a fan shape, and the orderly fleet began to accelerate. Some anxious generals urged the sailors to speed up the rowing speed, and the warships rushed away one after another.

Gan Ning's main ship was hidden in the middle of the fleet. At this moment, he was holding a pergola with his forehand and carefully observed Su Fei's situation. The bright sunlight shone down directly. Gan Ning was wearing a navy uniform that was easy to move, and only wore thin leaf armor on his chest and abdomen to protect the key points. The bronze skin, a firm face, and a bulging muscles all showed the strength of his body and the firmness of his will.

After countless battles of all sizes and the influence of Zhou Yu over the years, Gan Ning has grown into a brave and resourceful general. "Whenever there is a calmness in the event of a major event, you should take action." This is what Zhou Yu often advises Gan Ning, and Gan Ning also regards it as his motto.

Today is the first battle between the two armies, and they can only win but not lose! This battle will allow Cao Cao to see the powerful combat power of the Jiangdong Navy, forcing him to stop advancing, and stationed in Wulin on the north bank of the Yangtze River, thus defeating Cao Cao's idea of ​​winning quickly! Gan Ning's fists began to clench slowly.

Seeing that Su Fei's troops began to accelerate the sprint, Gan Ning resolutely ordered: "Let the front army disperse to both sides, the central army prepares, wait for the enemy to enter the range, and launch a catapult cart!"
Chapter completed!