The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 523 Standing atop the First Peak of Wu Mountain (Part Four)
Just as the sounds of battle were rising in Yangzhou, the palace guards protecting Li Xingyun feigned a rout to lure the enemy deeper into their territory. Suddenly, the imposter Li appeared and assassinated Zhang Hao. Xu Wen, on the watchtower, was filled with doubt and uncertainty, caught between a rock and a hard place—all within these few short hours.

North of the Yangtze River, three armies, comprising over 300,000 troops including the Imperial Guard and local auxiliary forces, simultaneously received the imperial edict from Bianjing and then marched south across the river.

Wang Yanzhang, who was stationed in Jiangling, personally led his thousand warships down the Yangtze River. However, he was not in a hurry to enter the Dongting Lake area to fight the Chu army's navy. Instead, he relied on his absolute numerical and qualitative advantage to sail straight down the river and aim his sword at Ezhou (now Wuhan).

Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, where the river narrows, Ezhou has historically been a strategic point for building pontoon bridges and controlling the north and south. More importantly, as the western connecting point between the Huaihe River defense line and the Yangtze River defense line, Ezhou is also the most important crossroads for protecting Huainan and the hinterland of Jiangnan, making it extremely strategically mobile.

Even if the Northern Army cannot break through the city immediately, as long as it can blockade the waters of Ezhou, it will be like choking the throat of the Yangtze River. This will not only completely cut off the waterway for Wu to go up the Yangtze River to aid Chu, but also open up a smooth route for Wang Zongkan's central army to converge from Yingzhou. The strategic significance is extraordinary.

After nearly a year of standoff between the North and the South, the Southern Tang was well aware of this. Since the Northern army had no control over Ezhou, it was impossible for them to plot against Changsha. Therefore, the main force of the Southern Tang's Yangtze River navy was almost entirely concentrated in the waters around Ezhou, ready for battle.

Therefore, although the Northern army's southward advance was swift as lightning, for the Southern Tang, it was nothing more than a situation of waiting in comfort and facing the enemy head-on.

So naturally, not to mention that the Northern Dynasty's western route army of more than 700 warships sailed down the river and entered Ezhou as if it were empty land, nor to mention that Hanyang, the "satellite city" that was across the river from Ezhou and formed a flank with it, was also besieged by the local auxiliary forces of the Northern Dynasty from the direction of Fuzhou and Anzhou.

After the main force of the Northern Army's navy advanced to the waters north of Ezhou, the first battle between the North and the South, and possibly the largest naval battle in the entire southern campaign, broke out suddenly along the Parrot Island line north of Ezhou.

Parrot Island is a river island shaped like a river island, and it is also the military port center of the Ezhou naval defense system. Together with Hanyang City on the north bank of the river, Lushan Mountain to the west of Ezhou, and Ezhou City which is adjacent to Parrot Island, they complement each other and form a natural water fortress.

The Southern Tang navy then took advantage of the island's terrain to build a water-based military port spanning the entire river.

A continuous line of large warships stretched out like a city wall, blocking the river. Behind these large warships, however, lay a large number of agile and maneuverable smaller warships and small boats, ready to break through the gaps between the giant ships at any time to harass and engage in boarding combat.

Even more insidiously, beneath the surface of the river in front of the Southern Tang warships, numerous hidden stakes and iron chains were pre-installed to delay and disrupt the charge of the Northern army's large warships. Large catapults were also deployed on the islands to bombard the Northern army fleet from a distance once it entered their range.

This is what is meant by "danger at every step".

Although Wang Yanzhang was the governor-general of the western route army, he did not directly command the naval battles.

Therefore, Wang Xiancheng, the naval commander, and Shi Hongzhao, the naval commander, commanded the newly integrated Jingnan and Shuzhong naval forces to deploy more than 700 warships of various sizes, according to the advantages and disadvantages of the ship types, and then used light boats to explore and locate the hidden stakes.

The Southern Tang army would not allow the Northern army to survey the positions at their leisure, so they immediately launched arrows from their warships and islands to disperse the Northern army's engineers.

However, the Northern Army's large warships and fighting vessels had already advanced to a certain distance, and the ballistae and light catapults on board had begun to fire suppressive fire. Although the accuracy was affected by the distance and the river current, the dense barrage of crossbow bolts and stone projectiles still effectively interfered with the Southern Tang Army's blocking action, buying time for the advancing light boat fleet to operate.

Once the obstacle area pre-set by the Southern Tang was roughly identified, the Northern Army fleet immediately dispatched a Mengchong filled with engineers armed with axes, chisels, saws, and hammers. Under the strong cover of the main fleet, the engineers quickly approached the marked obstacle points, and then jumped into the water to either chop down wooden stakes or melt iron chains with oil.

This was originally a strategic preparation by the Southern Tang army to delay the Northern army and then inflict as much damage as possible. Therefore, the Southern Tang army's arrows and cannonballs were thrown around like water, causing huge casualties to the Northern army's cleanup operation.

Countless light boats were sunk, and the water surface was stained with blood. But the Northern army did not retreat; they simply worked hard to dig a passage, as if clearing the obstacles was the key to victory and that they could immediately crush the Southern Tang navy.

On the river, arrows filled the sky, crisscrossing back and forth, while cannonballs crashed down, creating bursts of water. Although both sides' long-range weapons were limited in accuracy due to factors such as distance, wind speed, and river waves, they were all desperately pouring fire at each other.

For a time, the only sounds on the hundreds of meters of river surface were the trembling of bowstrings, the sound of boulders breaking the wind, and the screams of soldiers being hit by arrows and falling into the water. The sounds were incessant, as if it had become a battlefield.

After the main passage was roughly cleared, Wang Yanzhang, who had been waiting for a long time, solemnly ordered the central army to issue the order for the warships to move forward.

Seeing the enemy's main force pressing forward, the Southern Tang army immediately hurled cannonballs from the walls of Parrot Island and Ezhou towards the Northern army's warships. These warships were often as large as castles, so the hit rate of the cannonballs was quite high. However, the walls of Ezhou were still far away, so after a few rounds of hurling, they stopped wasting stones.

Even so, the Northern army's warships continued to be struck by boulders, sending wood chips flying, but this level of damage was far from enough to cause fatal losses to these waterborne overlords.

When the Northern Army's fleet finally closed in on the main force of the Southern Tang's fleet, almost to the point of close combat, the Southern Tang naval commander-in-chief also issued an order to attack.

After all, no matter what, we cannot allow the Northern Army to get close to the water fortress easily. We must take the initiative to engage in battle and use the flexibility of our own warships and small boats to fight them off.

As the horns sounded, a large number of small warships from the Southern Tang Dynasty swarmed out from between the giant warships, like a school of agile fish, trying to get close to the bulky warships and engage in their specialty of boarding maneuvers.

The Southern Tang warships also began to adjust their positions, and archers behind crossbow windows fired arrows wildly, trying to suppress the activities on the decks of the Northern army ships.

However, to the surprise of the Southern Tang navy, the enemy warship stopped on its own after closing in, adjusted its sails, and with the oarsmen working together, it moved like a moving mountain, exposing the entire side of the ship to them.

How delightful it is that the Northern Army is so understanding!
The Southern Tang soldiers, already skilled in naval warfare, were overjoyed and rushed forward, intending to use their most familiar naval tactics to end the battle in one fell swoop—

Then they saw that the thick tarpaulins that had been covering the warships of the Northern Army, which had been erected behind the battlements, were suddenly ripped off.

At this point, many of the Southern Tang soldiers belatedly realized why the crossbow windows on the Northern army's ships were so large. They were dark and looked like big holes, and suddenly revealed iron lumps that gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster. At a glance, there were at least twenty such iron lumps on one side of a Northern army warship, all menacingly facing the main warship of the Southern Tang.

Most of the Southern Tang soldiers were stunned, not knowing what this was. Only a few officers suddenly realized why the Northern army's warships had a deeper draft and were slower than their own.
The next moment, they got the answer.

"boom!!!"

"boom!!!"

"boom!!!"

A series of thunderous explosions erupted, instantly drowning out all the roar of the river on the battlefield.

Flames and smoke spewed from the cannons as several warships fired simultaneously, unleashing countless cannonballs that whistled through the river's mist and rain, crashing into the Southern Tang fleet in a brutal manner never before seen in naval warfare of this era.

A major warship of the Southern Tang Dynasty was attempting to cross over and attack the Northern army with crossbow bolts from its side, but it inadvertently exposed its massive silhouette to the muzzle of its cannons.

A cannonball struck it directly near the waterline. Suddenly, wood chips exploded, oarsmen screamed in agony, a huge hole appeared instantly, river water rushed in, the hull rocked violently, and the soldiers on board were thrown about, screams erupting everywhere.

This was just the beginning. Because the main fleets of both sides were so close, the Union gunners did not need to use rangefinding and aiming at all. They moved quickly, loading explosives, filling shells, and then lighting the fuses.

More cannonballs followed, and countless Southern Tang warships were blasted through their decks and shattered by the shells. Some were even broken in two by a single shot, spinning and sinking out of control.

Close-range artillery fire is incredibly powerful, often capable of severely damaging or even destroying a medium-sized warship with a single shot.

But these shells weren't even the most terrifying. After the first round of shells was fired, the second round of ammunition consisted of thunderbolts coated with sulfur and lime.

As soon as these cannons entered the Southern Tang fleet, even if they landed in the water, they would immediately explode in flames, splashing lime everywhere. It was secondary that the Southern Tang's main fleet of naval personnel were blinded by the cannon fire; the most important thing was that many of the Southern Tang's warships caught fire directly after being bombarded by these thunderbolts, with flames rising everywhere and lime filling the air, which could not be extinguished at all.

The Southern Tang navy was completely stunned.

The anticipated close-quarters combat did not materialize; instead, they were met with an unprecedented and devastating bombardment. The attacking fleet seemed to have run into an invisible wall of fire, suffering heavy losses in an instant.

The countless Southern Tang sailors who had taken the cannonballs head-on were filled with fear and dread. Regardless of whether their ships had been hit, everyone's first thought was to jump off the deck, fall into the river, and struggle to swim towards the water fortress or other small boats to escape. But the Northern army clearly had no intention of showing mercy. The archers on the warships and fighting ships took the opportunity to shoot indiscriminately at the Southern Tang soldiers struggling in the river from their elevated positions.

Arrows rained down, instantly turning the river surface crimson. The Southern Tang warships, which had miraculously escaped sinking, panicked and turned their rudders backward, attempting to escape back to their naval base to save their main force.

However, this move disrupted their own rear formation.

Having never experienced such a bombardment by firearms, the Southern Tang navy's entire river defense system collapsed within moments. Panic quickly spread for miles within the Southern Tang navy and could not be contained. Many ships, in a state of panic, began to disregard orders and attempt to evade capture on their own.

Seizing the opportunity, Shi Hongzhao and Wang Xiancheng immediately ordered the entire army to advance.

The morale of the Northern Army's navy soared, and they launched a general offensive. After the Southern Tang navy voluntarily surrendered its main fleet of warships to be bombarded, the remaining small and medium-sized warships could not withstand the onslaught, the battle lines collapsed, and the remaining ships either surrendered or fled.

At almost the same time, tens of thousands of elite infantry and cavalry led by Yu Zhong were already ready on the north bank of the river.

Under the cover of the navy, tens of thousands of elite troops boarded countless pre-prepared boats and sampans and took advantage of the fact that the main force of the Southern Tang navy was severely damaged by the Northern army fleet and had no time to spare, and began to forcefully cross the Yangtze River.

The defenders on Parrot Island were already preoccupied with the main battle on the river, and their fortifications along the riverbanks were being bombarded by artillery fire and defeated ships, causing their morale to waver. Therefore, Yu Zhong's landing force encountered almost no strong resistance and successfully stormed the beach.

As soon as the infantrymen landed, they immediately formed ranks and launched a fierce attack on the Southern Tang water fortress in the heart of the island.

The Southern Tang garrison, artisans, and sailors on the island were caught off guard and had no chance to withstand the onslaught of the Bianjing imperial guards.

In an instant, the water fortress, berths, and the heavy catapults that were just meant to bombard Ezhou City fell directly into the hands of the Northern Army.

The loss of Parrot Island meant that the Southern Tang's Yangtze River naval base was destroyed by the Northern Army in just a few hours, and the remaining ships lost their most important foundation.

Many ships that had not yet participated in the battle were completely bewildered. Most of them surrendered, while a small number fled downstream to Fan Port.

How could Wang Yanzhang be content with merely taking over Parrot Island? After Yu Zhong took control of the Jiangxin Water Fortress, he did not linger. Instead, he ordered Yu Zhong's troops to continue south under the astonished noses of the Ezhou garrison, and launched a direct and fierce attack on Lushan, a strategic stronghold west of Ezhou.

Once Lushan is captured, the Northern Army will gain a foothold on the south bank of the Yangtze River. This will not only allow them to directly threaten the flank of Ezhou City, but also form a three-dimensional encirclement of Ezhou with the auxiliary forces attacking Hanyang City on the north bank and the navy on the river.

As for when Yu Zhong will be able to capture Lushan, Wang Yanzhang ordered Wang Xiancheng to garrison the Yingwuzhou water fortress, while also ordering Shi Hongzhao to lead the main force across the Yangtze River, directly across the north bank, to join forces with the auxiliary troops from Fuzhou and Anzhou to attack Hanyang.

The troops from Fuzhou and Anzhou already numbered 20,000. Now, with the addition of tens of thousands of Imperial Guards under Wang Yanzhang's command, the encirclement by the army, the setting up of siege ladders and battering rams, and the bombardment of the city gates by the accompanying siege cannons, it was only a matter of time before Hanyang was captured.

Therefore, seeing that the situation was hopeless, the defenders of Hanyang immediately surrendered.

Thus, on the very first day of the southern expedition, the Southern Tang navy suffered a crushing defeat, losing its naval base and Hanyang, which was strategically located in conjunction with Ezhou. That afternoon, the Ezhou garrison was terrified and dared not leave the city to offer aid, forced to watch helplessly as Lushan fell to the new ruler.

Thus, the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were completely cut off, the main force of the Wu Kingdom would be locked in Jiangdong, while the northern army's western route could freely choose to advance westward to Dongting Lake or eastward to Poyang Lake, thus seizing the strategic initiative.

While the western army had already swept through the three key locations of Parrot Island, Lushan, and Hanyang with overwhelming force, the central army of 30,000 men under the command of Wang Zongkan did not rush to achieve quick success. Instead, they steadily cleared obstacles and consolidated the battle line.

After the central army marched south from Yingzhou along the Ying River to Guangzhou, the outer strongholds such as Gushi and Nancheng, which guarded Guangzhou and controlled the tributaries of the Huai River, were quickly wiped out by the combined efforts of the main force of the Northern Army and local auxiliary forces.

Only then did Wang Zongkan leisurely and methodically approach the city of Guangzhou.

Guangzhou is located upstream of Shouzhou and is also an important town on the south bank of the Huai River. Although it is more than 400 li away from Shouzhou, it seems to have little effect on Shouzhou.

However, this place controls the Ru River passage and is an important forward base for the Northern Army to advance through Huainan, detour through Shouzhou and directly threaten the heartland of Wu. If Guang Prefecture is lost, the Ru River passage will be opened, and the army can go straight to Huang Prefecture.

At that time, on the one hand, it can form a pincer movement with the western army to attack Chu from the east and west; on the other hand, it can directly take Qizhou and cooperate with the eastern army to block the horizontal support channel between Wu and Chu via the Huai River and the Yangtze River.

In addition, if the central army can gain a foothold in Qizhou, it can also seize Wankou to the east, allowing the central army to achieve its strategic objective of surrounding Jinling (Nanjing) with four armies first.

Of course, Wang Zongkan was well-versed in military strategy, proceeding steadily and cautiously, and was not in a hurry to launch a surprise attack. After the army surrounded the city, they felled trees to build fortifications, manufactured siege weapons, and adopted a posture of long-term siege.

But behind the scenes, provisions and weapons from the Central Plains were being transported to the city via the Ru River. There were even a small number of light cannons that were being rushed to the front lines by the Ministry of Works and the drought demon, ready to be used.

Compared to the western and central routes, the situation on the eastern front was the most straightforward.

After besieging Shouzhou for half a year, He Gui, the commander of the Eastern Route Army, immediately led 20,000 Eastern Route Army soldiers to launch a frontal assault on Shouzhou, a key town in Huainan, upon receiving Xiao Yan's imperial edict.

Meanwhile, the Northern Army soldiers braved a hail of arrows and stones, relentlessly scaling ladders and launching a fierce attack. The Wu troops on the city walls, well aware that Shouzhou was Yangzhou's bulwark, also put up an exceptionally tenacious resistance.

Therefore, all day long, the sounds of battle shook the city of Shouzhou. Siege ladders and battering rams repeatedly fell but advanced, and soldiers scaled the city walls, engaging in a brutal tug-of-war with the defenders. Corpses piled up like mountains beneath the city walls.

However, the purpose of the Eastern Route Army was not to conquer Shouzhou as quickly as possible, but to use itself as bait to attract and exhaust the main force of Huainan under this fortified city, so that Wu would not be able to attend to other matters.

Moreover, in addition to the main force, the Eastern Route Army also had 30,000 auxiliary troops from the Sizhou and Xuzhou directions to support the main force.

The 30,000 auxiliary troops were divided equally in two.

One force advanced eastward along the Huai River, tasked with capturing or controlling key locations along the river such as Xiacai Town, establishing a defensive line to monitor the movements of the Wu navy in the downstream directions of Haozhou and Chuzhou, and preventing them from sailing upstream to support Shouzhou.

The other force was responsible for besieging Zhengyang Pass to the west of Shouzhou, and for constructing fortifications.

Zhengyang Pass is the vital land route for the Huaihe River to the north. By stationing 15,000 troops here, we can protect the supply lines of the eastern army coming from the Huaihe River direction and intercept any Wu troops coming north from the Huaihe River hinterland, such as Luzhou and Yangzhou, to aid Shouzhou.

The Eastern Route Army thus became a shackle, turning Shouzhou into an isolated city with tens of thousands of troops at any cost, rendering it unable to move and leaving it only to await its final fate.

Of course, after today, everyone in the world will be able to clearly foresee this fate.

On the second day of the second month of the first year of Hongwu's reign, the day the dragon raises its head, the emperor issued an edict, and the royal army marched south.

Thus, the royal army marched forth in a mighty force, launching a three-pronged attack: one route broke through the river's defenses with overwhelming force, another steadily advanced towards Huaixi, and the third employed an iron-clad encirclement strategy to pin down the isolated city.

The royal army entered as if it were an empty field. The river defense system that the Southern Tang had painstakingly built was riddled with holes in a single day before the royal army arrived.

The sky tilted to the southeast, and war raged across the river; the deed was done.

(End of this chapter)