Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2560 The Battle of the Bohai Sea is in full swing; the Jin army suffers a major defeat in Qingnan.

Of the 100,000-strong navy of the Great Jin Dynasty, Qi Jiguang left 30,000 behind. This was partly to defend the northern coastline of Qinghai, and partly to guard against the navy of the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, this was not only to guard against the Li Tang navy, but also to guard against the Qing-Han navy launching a surprise attack and outflanking their rear.

He himself led the remaining 70,000 naval troops and stormed into the Bohai Sea, heading straight for the Youzhou naval stronghold.

Of course, the infantry and cavalry that Xue Rengui assigned to him were naturally on naval warships.

Even if the Youzhou navy wanted to hide, they had nowhere to hide.

If they were to evade the attack and allow those hundreds of thousands of troops to land in Youzhou, it would be no laughing matter. If they did that, it would be tantamount to handing Qin Zheng's life over to Qi Jiguang.

Therefore, this is not a question of whether or not we can win, but rather a question of having no choice but to fight even if we don't want to.

The Youzhou navy, with its back to the main naval camp and 20,000 infantrymen on the shore, relied on the main naval camp for defense.

It is said that there are 20,000 infantrymen, but in reality, Sima Cuo only had 30,000 naval troops who were truly capable of fighting.

After all, those 20,000 infantrymen were just for show.

These were all new recruits temporarily conscripted for this great battle.

These 20,000 soldiers, though equipped with weapons, lacked even basic armor. This armor wasn't iron armor, but rather paper or cloth armor. In this world, even the Jin army only had the privilege of equipping its elite troops with iron armor.

The Youzhou naval stronghold has been diligently managed for over a decade since the establishment of the Youzhou Navy, and its defensive capabilities are quite formidable.

However, even the most fortified stronghold is still just a camp, and its defensive capabilities cannot truly compare to those strategic passes and fortified cities.

Given the severe shortage of troops, Sima Cuo faced considerable difficulties in his campaign.

However, this battle also fully demonstrated the tenacity of Sima Cuo, the commander of the Youzhou navy. He fought against 70,000 naval forces with 30,000 men and held out for a whole month, leaving Qi Jiguang with no way to deal with him.

Towards the end of the battle, Qi Jiguang was also driven to desperation.

During the Southern War, the navy was at a complete disadvantage, and it was understandable that they suffered continuous losses at that time.

However, how could Qi Jiguang not be anxious and frustrated when such a battle for wealth had to be fought to this extent?
Therefore, as the battle progressed, Qi Jiguang launched a relentless offensive regardless of the cost.

They deployed their elite rattan armor naval infantry, and after several days of continuous fighting, countless corpses floated in the seas surrounding the Youzhou naval stronghold.

In particular, Qi Jiguang later began to emulate Wang Jian's style and started to compete with the Youzhou navy in terms of national strength.

They loaded their warships with large amounts of oil and used it to directly attack the warships and main camp of the Youzhou navy.

How could Sima Cuo possibly exchange for Qi Jiguang's territory? How could Youzhou possibly be exchanged for the Great Jin Dynasty?

Every warship of the Youzhou navy that is destroyed is one less warship available.

However, even if all of the Jin army's warships were sunk here, if they really wanted to replenish them, the Jin army's current national strength would allow them to be sunk one after another like dumplings being dropped into boiling water over the next year. Under Qi Jiguang's ruthless tactics, even though Sima Cuo had the support of the naval stronghold, after a month and a half of fighting, Qi Jiguang finally managed to break through the stronghold.

Of the 30,000 naval troops and 20,000 infantry, 20,000 were killed in battle, and the remaining 30,000 were mostly captured by Qi Jiguang. Sima Cuo, the commander of the Youzhou navy, was also defeated and killed in this battle, personally beheaded by Qi Jiguang at the Youzhou naval camp.

However, Qi Jiguang's navy also suffered a loss of 20,000 men.

Qi Jiguang's navy was superior in both quantity and quality to the Youzhou navy, and its warships were also far superior to those of Youzhou. However, given the casualty ratio, Sima Cuo's defeat was undoubtedly a glorious one.

However, although the casualties were considerable, Qi Jiguang did not see it as a problem, since he had already achieved his goal.

After defeating the Youzhou navy, the entire Bohai Sea fell completely under his control.

For Youzhou, this is their only coastal area. If they lose the Bohai Sea, their Youzhou navy will have nowhere to go.

Therefore, Sima Cuo refused to let go until the very last moment.

On the one hand, it was indeed because if he couldn't hold the position, allowing Qi Jiguang's troops to land would be a catastrophic disaster for Youzhou.

On the other hand, if he were to cede Bohai, his navy would be completely rendered useless.

After all, if he really ceded Bohai Sea, he would only have two choices: either leave Bohai Sea or go ashore.

If he leaves Bohai, it would be tantamount to betraying the Qin government and completely losing control of Youzhou.

Moreover, if he leaves Bohai, where can he go?
If he lands on land, he has not fought at sea, so how can he possibly fight against the Jin army's cavalry after landing?
Not only did Sima Cuo not expect his navy to fight on land, but Qi Jiguang also did not plan to send his navy to fight on land.

Therefore, after the Battle of Bohai Sea ended, the next step was to deal with the infantry.

After losing 20,000 men, Qi Jiguang still had 50,000 naval troops left. He left 30,000 naval troops to control the entire Bohai Sea, while the remaining 20,000 returned to Qingzhou to join Han Shizhong's 30,000 troops.

After all, with the Youzhou navy gone, the only remaining enemy for the navy was Liu Bei's Qinghan navy.

For Youzhou, the navy was no longer needed for combat; its only purpose was to transport supplies by sea. As for actual fighting, that would be handled by the Jin army's infantry and cavalry.

At this time, the situation in Youzhou was hardly better than that in Jizhou before.

The previous situation in Jizhou was bad because of internal turmoil. After the three-year epidemic ended, there was no sufficient time for them to recover and rebuild.

As for Youzhou, that's the reason for the war between the Tang Dynasty and the Manchus.

In that battle, the Li Tang dynasty seized a large amount of territory, leaving Youzhou with only so much money, food, and population.

Even if Qin Zheng works hard to rebuild after the three-year pandemic ends, the foundation is already there. He only has so many cards to play. Even if he develops further, what can he possibly achieve?

Just as Qi Jiguang officially landed in Youzhou, preparing to make his move, news of the Qingnan battle situation came in once again.

During this period, the war in southern Qingzhou was also in full swing. The Qing-Han forces were on the verge of collapse. However, in the end, Liu Bei made a last-ditch effort and took a big bite out of Guo Ziyi.