Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2694 First Battle Against a Formidable Enemy: Annihilation of the Enemy Navy

January of the fifth year of the Qianyuan era.

After several months of preparations, Qi Jiguang's naval forces arrived silently in the waters of the Kushan Empire in the first month of the new year.

The Kushan Empire, at present, is also an imperial-level power.

However, water-based activities are indeed a weakness for them.

This was determined by geopolitics. Previously, their main enemies were to the west and northwest. Even after the addition of the Yuan Mongols, their direction was still to the north.

And what lies to their south?

This is why they currently lack sufficient water resources.

Otherwise, the Southern Chu, which had fallen on hard times and fled to Southeast Asia, wouldn't have dared to provoke such a behemoth so easily after disguising themselves as pirates.

However, although the enemy's naval forces were insufficient, Qi Jiguang's primary objective was still to destroy the enemy's navy, just as he had done in the battle against the Li Tang dynasty, prioritizing the elimination of the enemy's navy.

The navy is one of the few military branches that could potentially wipe out several years' or even more than a decade's worth of resources in a single battle.

If an army is defeated on land, it may be able to be reorganized, or even recruit new soldiers. Even if the fighting strength is insufficient, they can still go to the battlefield and if they survive, they will be considered veterans.

But the navy is different; the training cycle for its soldiers is a completely different matter.

Moreover, once a navy's warships are destroyed, and the losses are significant, they cannot be replenished in a short period of time.

Secondly, in response to the Kushan invasion, the Great Jin Dynasty chose to primarily transport grain by sea.

To secure their supply lines, what would be a more efficient way to wipe out the enemy's entire navy?

Qi Jiguang's plan was to disguise himself as a pirate to lure out a portion of the enemy's navy, and then concentrate his superior forces to annihilate the enemy, thus achieving the effect of dividing and defeating them.

The plan was immediately put into action. A "decoy" fleet consisting of more than twenty small and medium-sized warships was carefully disguised.

To be even more precise, these were not disguises, but real pirate ships.

Thanks to Guan Zhong's clever tactics, it wasn't difficult for Qi Jiguang to find a few pirate ships!
This pirate fleet brazenly appeared at a small port in the Kushan Empire, plundered several unsuspecting small merchant ships, and even attempted to storm the port.

Upon receiving the news, the nearby naval base was enraged by the pirate's arrogant behavior and immediately dispatched ships to intercept him.

"Send the order! Attack! Crush these sea worms!" the Kushan general roared, ordering almost a third of the main warships in the harbor to come out and rush towards the pirate fleet with overwhelming force.

Upon seeing the Kushan fleet approaching, the pirates, true to form, turned tail and fled, displaying the utter disarray of a rabble encountering a regular army.

This further strengthened the Kushan generals' determination to pursue, and the two fleets sailed one after the other towards the designated open sea area.

When the Kushan fleet had pursued for dozens of miles and entered the battlefield pre-planned by Qi Jiguang, the pirate fleet that was "fleeing in a sorry state" suddenly lowered its tattered flag and raised a brand-new, majestic black battle flag of the Great Jin Dynasty!

At the same time, the sharp sound of horns pierced through the sea breeze.

The next moment, like a huge island suddenly rising from the sea, Qi Jiguang's main fleet, consisting of a small number of treasure towers, was supplemented by hundreds of huge tower ships, warships, and countless speedboats and other warships of various sizes.

They even replicated the main warships of the Li Tang navy, the tortoise ships and ironclad ships.

In the battle against the Li Tang navy, they sank so many ships and captured some. Since they already had finished products, there were certainly ways to replicate them step by step.

The crossbows of this era actually had destructive mechanisms. Even if they were captured, improper disassembly could directly cause internal damage.

Therefore, although the crossbow may not look big, it was a technologically advanced device that was used for a long time in feudal society.

But with such a large warship, it would be very difficult to do this.

The Great Jin navy, from behind the horizon on both sides and from the hidden islands and reefs, charged in a well-organized formation, closing in like giant pincers! The sails that blotted out the sky instantly enveloped the pursuing Kushan fleet.

"This……"

"This person is from the Jin Dynasty!"

Upon seeing that flag, the Kushan Empire's generals were stunned; an unexpected enemy had appeared.

While the southern expedition was not a secret among the high-ranking officials of the Great Jin Dynasty, it had not yet become common knowledge. Therefore, it was not so easy for the Kushan Empire to find out.

The Kushan generals roared at the top of their lungs, trying to direct the fleet to turn and break out.

There was simply no way to fight them; these dark, menacing warships were almost ten times their size.

How to fight this?
Naval warfare involves far fewer maneuvers than land-based warfare!
The number of warships—that has a huge impact!

However, by then it was too late for him to run!
Qi Jiguang's fleet held an absolutely advantageous position, giving the Kushans no chance to regroup.

A dense barrage of rockets and ballistae rained down first, setting fire to the sails and decks of the Kushan warships.

Immediately afterwards, a portion of the Jin army's warships, like a persistent leech, used their massive iron hooks to bite the hulls of the Kushan warships and forcibly pull them closer.

The rattan armor troops, used exclusively by the navy for boarding maneuvers, leaped onto the enemy ships' decks like wolves and tigers under the cover of bows and crossbows, engaging in brutal boarding battles.

The battle was a foregone conclusion; the Kushan warships, divided and surrounded, fought independently and descended into chaos.

Their soldiers may have been brave and fierce, but their resistance quickly crumbled in the face of the Jin army's superior equipment, tight battle formations, and overwhelming numerical superiority.

One after another, warships were set on fire, rammed and sunk, or completely taken over by the rattan armor army.

The main force of the Kushan navy, which the enemy had deployed, was completely annihilated within just two hours.

The flagship was captured, the commander was killed in battle, and only a few small fast ships managed to escape, but it was too late to change the overall situation.

"Pass down the order: leave some people behind to clean up the mess!"

"The rest of you, launch a full-scale attack! Target: the enemy's naval base!" Qi Jiguang gazed into the distance, his tone filled with iron will.

They wiped out nearly a third of the Kushan Empire's naval mobile force in one fell swoop. If they could deal with the remaining part, the Kushan Empire's largest naval force would be completely finished.

As for the remaining issues, they are no longer significant enough to cause a stir and can be dealt with gradually.

With Qi Jiguang's great victory over the Kushan navy, the first battle of the Jin Dynasty's southern expedition was finally launched.