Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2644 Qi Jiguang's Secret Plan, Li Shimin Attacks the Ferry Crossing

The General Huan and General Fan mentioned by Qi Jiguang were Huan Wen, a surrendered general from Yangzhou, and Zhang Hongfan, a surrendered general from Qinghai.

The Southern War had ended almost ten years ago, and Huan Wen had surrendered almost ten years ago as well. After nearly ten years of fighting, although he was a surrendered general, he had long since integrated into the Jin Dynasty's system.

As for Zhang Hongfan, although he only surrendered last year, it is undeniable that he is indeed a talented person.

Among the entire Yangtze River Navy and the Southern Navy combined, Qi Jiguang couldn't find many who were more capable than him.

Therefore, although this person had not been surrendered for long and did not hold a high position in the Jin Dynasty, Qi Jiguang still had to use him when the time came.

However, he was simply made Huan Wen's deputy.

"Grand Commander, the 20,000-strong navy is returning. Along the way, we fear that Li Tang's Li Shunchen may invade!" Zhang Hongfan said worriedly.

Equipping a 20,000-strong navy with double the number of warships would not strengthen its combat power, but rather hinder it.

The number of troops deployed to each warship to maximize its combat effectiveness is a matter of careful consideration. Too many or too few troops will negatively impact its combat effectiveness.

At this point, the true target of the Li Tang navy was not Qi Jiguang, but rather several groups of people.

The 20,000-strong navy on its return journey had little chance of winning against the entire Li Tang navy.

"It doesn't matter!"

"I will follow you!" Qi Jiguang shook his head and said!
Of course, when he said he was following Huan Wen and his group, he certainly didn't mean following them back to the homeland of the Great Jin. Huan Wen and Zhang Hongfan wouldn't dare to have such a thought either; they would simply stay far behind for a period of time.

If Yi Sun-sin truly intended to target Huan Wen and his forces, rather than the troops at the ferry crossing, then Qi Jiguang was confident that he could provide support within a certain timeframe.

Similarly, if Li Tang's target remains the Jin army at the ferry crossing as they intend, then Qi Jiguang must ensure that he returns to provide reinforcements within a certain timeframe.

Therefore, Qi Jiguang's troops needed to weigh the distances between the ferry crossing and Huan Wen's position.

A slight misstep could result in losing everything.

"By the way, I have a secret brocade pouch that can be opened half a day after entering the sea!"

As he spoke, Qi Jiguang actually recognized a brocade pouch for Huan Wen.

Although Huan Wen didn't understand when Qi Jiguang had started playing this game like those strategists, the higher the rank, the more powerful he was, especially since this was more than just one rank higher.

Therefore, he could only solemnly put the item into his pocket.

After Huan Wen and his large fleet departed, Li Shimin quickly received the news. They began to consider whether to target the Jin army at the ferry crossing or intercept Lü Fan's forces.

Some generals were eager to take action against Huan Wen.

After all, this target has fewer people but more ships. If they use all their naval forces and have a sufficient numerical advantage, they still have a high chance of defeating the enemy.

By eliminating this portion of the army, the main force of the Jin army's infantry and cavalry would not advance. In this way, although Qi Jiguang still posed a threat to the Li Tang dynasty, it would not escalate to the point of destroying the country.

As long as the main infantry and cavalry forces behind him cannot advance, Qi Jiguang will lack the ability to launch an offensive. Perhaps he has the ability to wreak havoc in their coastal areas, but he will be unable to push further inland.

Therefore, no matter how much destruction is caused, it is still better than letting the main force of 100,000 Jin infantry and cavalry come up to continuously attack cities and seize territory.

Not to mention, Li Shimin and his 10,000 Xuanjia Iron Cavalry are right here!

This army is no pushover!
If Qi Jiguang had been even slightly slow after landing, and had been captured, the situation would have changed dramatically in an instant.

As for Qi Jiguang wanting to turn his warships back to the mainland and bring the main force up with him, that was simply impossible!

One hundred thousand people, is that something that can be pulled away in one go?

If Qi Jiguang really brought all of them up, even if their naval forces were insufficient, they would still have to fight a decisive battle against the enemy.

With so many people crammed onto the enemy warships, it goes without saying that in a naval battle where both sides exchange long-range firepower, the side with more casualties will suffer heavy losses.

If Qi Jiguang really dared to pull so many people on the battlefield, it meant that if their catapults and ballistae could land on the enemy's warships, they could basically kill people.

They might even have resorted to a suicidal attack at that point.

Even at the cost of losing warships, we must ram and sink the enemy's warships. If we lose one ship, we lose a thousand men, but the enemy loses three or four thousand. The Li Tang side can laugh themselves to sleep.

A naval force that falls into the water can swim back to its warship, but if infantry and cavalry fall into the water, it's truly over.

Otherwise, why didn't Qi Jiguang bring his infantry and cavalry with him when he set off in the first place?
Instead, they planned to establish a bridgehead before covering the landing of the main infantry and cavalry forces.
However, Li Shimin did not want to target Huan Wen, but instead planned to launch a pincer attack on the Jin army at the ferry crossing by land and water as originally intended.

Compared to the former, the latter has a higher tolerance for error.

Qi Jiguang led his warships to stay a certain distance behind Huan Wen and his men. Even if Yi Sun-sin moved quickly, once he launched an attack, he would not be able to end the battle in a short time.

Once Qi Jiguang presses forward and surrounds them from both sides, if Yi Sun-sin manages to escape in time, it will be difficult for him to escape again.

Li Shimin could even boldly guess that the Jin Dynasty was definitely prepared at this time.

Li Shimin never forgot that the Great Jin Dynasty still had a navy on its homeland, but it did not directly participate in the war in order to protect the crossing points and logistics routes.

However, if Yi Sun-sin's entire army were to appear and be unable to escape in a short time, the navy located in the waters near Qingzhou and Youzhou would certainly attack immediately.

After all, the Li Tang navy was still alive, which was why they could threaten their crossing points and logistical routes. If the Li Tang navy were gone, how could they possibly do that?
If the positions of the two sides were reversed, Li Shimin, as the party with stronger national power, would not mind choosing a risky approach.

But now, as the weaker nation, they are more inclined to adopt a less forgiving approach. Being weak, they cannot afford the losses that come with taking risks.

After making the decision, Li Shimin directly divided the Li Tang navy into two parts. Yi Sun-sin led 40,000 men to prepare to block Qi Jiguang from returning to the ferry crossing.

As for Kuki Yoshitaka, he led the remaining 10,000 naval troops to surround the ferry crossing and cooperate with Li Shimin's army to annihilate the Jin naval forces stationed at the crossing.