Water Margin people

Chapter 1609: Iron Chain Across the River

After crossing the river, Saladin looked back at the Qi army. Without stopping, he ordered the army to head west.

"You're leaving now? You're such a wimp!"

Li Kui slammed his pair of axes in dissatisfaction. He had just listened to the conversation between Sun Lei and Saladin. He thought that Saladin would never swallow this humiliation and there would definitely be a bloody battle this time. But Saladin just left without saying a word.

"What do you know? This is called the demeanor of a great general. People like you who always shout for war and killing will never be great."

  Lu Zhishen looked at Li Kui and said, how can a general be angered by the other party's words?

"That's too much! I definitely can't stand it!"

Li Kui said with a hum while holding the axe.

"So you can only be a fool after all!"

Sun Lei looked at Li Kui and said.

"Ha ha!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Isn't Li Kui just a fool?

The army continued to move south along the river.

The next day, a fleet appeared on the river, sailing upstream, and on the ships was the flag of the Qi navy.

"His Majesty!"

Ruan Xiaoqi stood at the bow, waving his hands and shouting.

"It's Xiao Qi!"

Sun Lei looked at Ruan Xiaoqi who was waving and said with a smile.

The fleet soon docked, and Ruan Xiaoqi and a group of soldiers got off the ship to welcome Sun Lei's army.

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

Ruan Xiaoqi bowed to Sun Lei excitedly.

"Xiao Qi, I didn't expect it to be you!"

Sun Lei looked at Ruan Xiaoqi and said with a smile that he thought it would be someone else coming.

"I'm in Zhu Luo now. I don't have anything else to do. My second and fifth brothers are coming with their fleets, so I wanted to come along. Xiao Qi has been missing His Majesty for a long time!"

Ruan Xiaoqi said with a smile.

"Okay, stop being cheesy!"

Sun Lei waved his hands quickly. It was unbearable to hear this rude man flattering him. What did he mean by missing him? It was easy to cause misunderstanding.

"Have you conquered the Persian Gulf?"

Sun Lei looked at Ruan Xiaoqi and asked.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We have taken over the entire bay, and all the ports have been hoisted with the flags of our Qi State! I didn't expect that the foreign tribes here are so resistant to attack!"

"Your Majesty, we seem to have conquered the Arab Sea and the Red Sea as well. There are many ports over there. I guarantee that the Arabs won't be able to get to sea with even a sampan!"

Ruan Xiaoqi said excitedly that the Arabs were not good at naval battles, and their ships were extremely simple and could not withstand a single blow.

"It's up to you. This is something your navy should consider. Remember, I just want victory, and there must not be too many casualties or losses!"

Sun Lei waved his hand and said that he was going back to the Central Plains. He didn't know when he would come back next time. How could he keep asking him about the frontline? This should be a question that the generals on the front line should think about.

"I understand, little brother!"

When Ruan Xiaoqi got the answer, he immediately bowed in delight.

The army quickly boarded the ship, turned around and headed towards the Persian Gulf.

All this was seen by the Arab scouts hiding on the other side of the river, who quickly returned to Baghdad.

"What? How can the Qi fleet be so fast?"

Muktafi was horrified. It had not been long since the defeat of Isfahan, but the Persian Gulf had been completely lost. Now the Qi fleet was even more arrogant and sailed upstream. "Caliph, this won't work. Our fleet is no match for Qi. We might as well block the river!"

Someone immediately suggested that their navy and fleet had been destroyed, and the cavalry had no way to fight on water, while the enemy could attack everywhere along the sea and rivers.

"Block the river? With what? Why don't you go and see how wide the river is!"

Someone immediately objected that although the two rivers in the Mesopotamian region were not the longest and widest rivers in the world, they could not be blocked by human power.

"I once heard a story from the East. There were two countries at war, and they also relied on a wide river to defend themselves. In order to guard against enemy ships, they collected iron from the entire city, melted it into several iron chains, and strung them across the river, making it impossible for ships to pass!"

A Arab with a white beard suddenly spoke.

  All the Arabs looked at the old man. They didn't dare to think of this method. How long and thick would the chain be to cross the river and block the giant ship?

"Is there really such a thing?"

Muktafi asked, looking at the old man.

"Sir, my ancestors moved here from Suiye City. They once did business with people from the Central Plains and have some knowledge of the Central Plains. It is said that this happened thousands of years ago."

The old man spoke.

"Oh, did that really stop the enemy?"

Saladin asked.

"No, it is said that someone tied a giant torch over ten feet long and filled with sesame oil to the front of the warship. When the ship was blocked, the torch was lit. Although the iron chain was thick, it could not withstand the high temperature of the flames. It melted and sank to the bottom of the river after a while."

The old man shook his head and said that this was an oriental story he had heard from his elders. He had only listened to it as a story before, but when the time came, he found that the story might not necessarily be false.

"It's broken! The chain is melted!"

Some people were discouraged again. A plan that was broken was not very feasible.

"Why not just leave it at that? We still have some ships. As long as we patrol quickly, it won't be that easy for the enemy to melt the chain!"

"Yes, let's do it this way. Otherwise, do we have to give up Baghdad?"

"I will never leave!"

A group of nobles spoke up and said that their families had lived in this city for generations and were absolutely unwilling to give it up.

"Saladin, what do you think?"

Muktafi looked at Saladin and asked, he was also unwilling to give up Baghdad, this was the capital of their Abbasid Kingdom that had not been easy to establish, once they gave up they would perish.

Everyone was looking at Saladin, the Sword of Truth, who was known as the smartest and most determined leader in the Caliphate.

"If you don't want to give up this place, then the Iron Chain Across the River is a good idea. The huge warships of Qi can't get in, but we can still deal with the smaller ones!"

"As for the solution, it's also simple. The iron chain can be loosened a little and placed close to the water surface. With water around, no matter how big the fire is, it won't burn the iron chain!"

Saladin thought for a moment and came up with a solution.

"That's it! Go collect all the iron in the city and have the blacksmiths work overnight!"

Muktafi gave orders to several generals.

Everyone's tense faces finally relaxed a little. Now that they had come up with a solution, they no longer had to worry about their safety.

"Qi is coming aggressively, do you have any good ideas?"

Muktafi looked at Saladin and asked, he had no way to deal with Qi. The battle of Isfahan had proved that their cavalry was no match for Qi, and now the navy was the same, this battle could not be fought at all.

"Method?"

Saladin smiled bitterly. If he had a better idea, he would not be sitting here. Not only was Qi unwilling to negotiate peace, it also threatened to conquer here.

"Does Qi really want to be our enemy?"

Muktafi gritted his teeth.