Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

The enormous warship sailed on the Yangtze River, heading straight for Hangzhou. On board, Tang He looked around and saw more than two thousand fully armed elite soldiers.

These were all brave warriors, each carrying a flintlock musket from Huangzhou Prefecture, with a long saber at their waist for close combat, and wearing leather armor, fully armed.

Such an army must have astonishing combat power.

What's even more terrifying is the cannons on this large ship; the entire ship is equipped with a total of thirty-six heavy cannons.

It can be said that such a large ship would be enough to easily destroy a city built along the river, and behind the ship were six Mengchong and two horse boats.

The Mengchong was similar to a modern frigate, about one-sixth the size of a Fujian ship, but it could accommodate 300 elite soldiers and be equipped with five cannons.

In addition to these, there were two horse-drawn ships, which were used to transport provisions and horses; they were supply ships.

The two ships could provide the fleet with supplies for about two months, thus ensuring that the entire fleet could drift on the water for two months, giving Chen Jie ample time to return.

"What a huge ship!"

Tang He stood on the spacious deck of the Fujian-style ship, which was large enough for horses to run on, and said excitedly, "This ship is too huge. It seems like one ship can cut off the entire river."

This was the first time Tang He had ever seen such a large ship; they didn't have any ships like this under their command.

Liu Bowen also saw the enormous thing in front of him. Although he had prepared himself mentally and knew that Huangzhou Prefecture had a strong shipbuilding capacity, he did not expect that the ship could be so huge.

Faced with such a massive ship, he even felt insignificant.

Tang He said, "I heard that this ship is not the best one under Chen Jiu Si's command. It is said that they are developing a kind of iron-hulled ship, and that ship does not need to be propelled by human power. It will be started by a strange machine that can whistle and emit black smoke. It is said that it will be able to cross the ocean."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen said, "Iron-skinned boats. If such a monster truly exists, then we would have almost no chance of fighting it on the water."

Tang He said, "However, this is just their idea. It hasn't been successfully developed yet. Even if it is successfully developed and put into service, it will probably take at least ten years. In ten years, the world will have changed. So, this ship should be Chen Jiu Si's most powerful ship at present."

Liu Bowen said, "Such a giant ship is truly terrifying. If we were to fight Chen Jiu Si in the water, I'm afraid we would have little chance of winning."

After saying this, Tang He suddenly looked at Liu Bowen and asked, "Mr. Liu, have you thought about your escape route?"

Liu Bowen was startled, realizing he had misspoke. He knew that if his words reached Zhu Chongba's ears, it would be a disaster. Trouble comes from the mouth.

Liu Bowen then looked at Tang He and said, "General Tang, I didn't mean anything by what I said just now. Please don't take it to heart."

Tang He laughed and said, "What kind of person do you take me for, Mr. Liu? I would never gossip like that."

Liu Bowen quickly thanked him, and Tang He waved his hand, saying, "I dare not, I dare not."

As the two were talking, they saw Chen Jie and his men board the ship. At this moment, the two looked at the two people behind Chen Jie. Liu Bowen was surprised to see one of them, a blind man wearing sunglasses. He immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother."

Yuan Sanjia heard the voice and said, "Bowen, it's been a long time. I heard you're not happy with the King of Wu, and the King of Wu is very suspicious of you?"

"If you're really having a hard time, come to your senior brother's place. With your senior brother here, you'll surely be able to realize your ambitions."

Yuan Sanjia spoke like a kind elder.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen's face turned pale, while Tang He, standing to the side, looked at him with eyes full of inquiry, as if asking, "You told your senior brother about this, didn't you?"

He had no idea that his senior was playing tricks on him.

Liu Bowen was almost in tears. He really hadn't checked the almanac before coming to Huangzhou Prefecture.

This was a setup.

Seeing Liu Bowen's expression, Chen Jie knew that going too far was counterproductive, so he smiled and said, "Let me introduce you. This is the world-renowned third-ranked scholar on the Heavenly Ranking, Mr. Yuan Sanjia."

Tang He clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Mr. Yuan."

Yuan Sanjia smiled but didn't say anything, while Liu Bowen's face was full of bitterness.

Meanwhile, Chen Jie said, "Let me introduce this gentleman as well. He is Zhang Dingbian, the commander-in-chief of the Huangzhou Prefecture army!"

Zhang Dingbian clasped his hands in a fist salute to Tang He, and Tang He's eyes lit up. As a soldier, he naturally respected soldiers the most, and among soldiers, he admired two people the most: one was his second brother, Xu Da, and the other was Zhang Dingbian.

When the three armies attacked Huangzhou Prefecture, Zhang Dingbian commanded 100,000 troops to set up the Small Heavenly Star Array in Huangzhou Prefecture.

This grand formation blocked the Holy Lord who had reached the fourth level of the Melting God realm, Tang Bao of the Tang Clan, and Tong Wei of the Whale Shark Gang, creating a military legend. It can be said that Tang could not disobey anyone but Zhang Dingbian.

Tang He then clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, General Zhang."

Zhang Dingbian then laughed and said, "I have long heard of General Tang's formidable strength, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Jie said, "Alright, enough with the formalities. The situation at the front is urgent. Brother Chongba and I are brothers; if he's in trouble, I'm in trouble too."

"Pass the order: Set sail!"

At a command, the ships set sail in a mighty procession, heading down the Yangtze River straight for Hangzhou.

In Hangzhou, Zhang Shicheng had already received news of Chen Jiu Si's descent down the river, and immediately inquired with his strategist Tang Ziyue.

Tang Ziyue said, "The best course of action now is probably for us to attack Wushan first and take down Zhu Chongba. Only then can we cut off the chance for Chen Jiu Si and Zhu Chongba to join forces. If the two of them join forces, we will be at a disadvantage."

After listening to Tang Ziyue's words, Zhang Shicheng thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense."

After saying this, Zhang Shicheng said to his general Lü Zhen, "Gather the troops and we will attack Wushan."

Lü Zhen was defeated by Tang He when he last defended Yangzhou, but he escaped. He should have been punished, but Zhang Shicheng didn't have many famous generals left.

His troops also need someone to lead them, so let Lü Zhen atone for his mistakes and continue to hold an important position in the army.

Lü Zhen immediately took stock of his troops and led a full army of 120,000 to attack Wushan.

Of course, the main army was just an auxiliary force; the most important person was Zhang Shicheng. Zhang Shicheng's military strength was the guarantee of victory in this great battle.

Thus, Zhang Shicheng directly led Lü Zhen and an army of 120,000 to attack Wushan.

Upon learning the news, Zhu Chongba immediately summoned Xu Da to discuss what to do. Xu Da said, "I have already joined forces with Liu Bowen to form the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation on Wushan. Even if Zhang Shicheng and his men attack the mountain, they will not be able to take it down in a short time."

"Chen Jiu Si has already set off. According to our scouts, they should be able to reach Hangzhou in three days at the earliest."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongba said, "Then I'll trouble you, Second Brother, to guard the place for three days."

"promise."

Zhang Shicheng led his army to the foot of Wu Mountain. He glanced at the mountain and then said, "Listen up, you people on the mountain! I am Zhang Shicheng, the King of Wu. I have come here today to punish the rebels. This has nothing to do with you. If you know what's good for you, leave quickly. If you don't, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

Zhang Shicheng's words reached the mountain, and the garrison there trembled with fear.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out: "Zhang Shicheng, what audacity you, a false king, have to challenge me here? Retreat at once, lest you die here!" Zhang Shicheng looked at the newcomer and said, "Oh, it's Xu Da. You are a good general, but unfortunately you followed the wrong lord. Why don't you come and join me? I will appoint you as a king of equal rank!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Da said, "Zhang Shicheng, you are a false king. How dare you say you will grant me the title of king? Do you really have no shame at all?"

Zhang Shicheng squinted and said, "I am a false king, hehe. If I am a false king, then your Zhu Chongba is the real king. But his kingship was bestowed by Bao Qian. We are all from the righteous army, yet you are willing to be the court's lackeys. Let me ask you, do you have any respect for the brothers who died fighting against Bao Qian?"

"Is there a problem with me saying you are rebels against the king?"

When Zhang Shicheng's voice rang out, Xu Da's expression turned slightly grim. Indeed, they had received rewards from the imperial court, and Zhang Shicheng's words were like rubbing salt into a wound.

Xu Da said, "Zhang Shicheng, how can we not need your lectures? I advise you to retreat quickly today, and we may meet again in the future. If you do not listen, this day next year will be your death anniversary."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shicheng laughed and said, "My death anniversary? What a boastful tone! In that case, there's nothing more to say."

"Lü Zhen!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Lü Zhen immediately clasped his hands in greeting and stepped forward. Zhang Shicheng pointed at Xu Da and said, "He is the number one general under Zhu Chongba, and you are the number one general under me."

"Since that's the case, let's have a contest and see if you can break through Wushan's defenses today."

"Yes, sir!"

Lu Zhen gave a speech and immediately ordered his men to beat the drums and attack the mountain.

Xu Da watched Lü Zhen mobilize his troops, a hint of disdain flashing across his face as he said, "This Lü Zhen is nothing more than a frontline soldier."

Chang Yuchun chimed in from the side, "Even he wouldn't be a match for him in a direct charge."

Chang Yuchun then said, "I will lead the charge and confront Lü Zhen!"

As the two sides were about to clash, Lü Zhen led an army of 130,000 to attack the city. The 130,000 troops were arrayed in formation, like a flood.

At this moment, even the high Wu Mountain trembled under the footsteps of 130,000 people.

There were 130,000 people, 260,000 feet pounding the earth, shaking the very ground.

At this moment, Lü Zhen shouted: "Attack!"

The army immediately launched an attack. Seeing this, Xu Da drew his sword and shouted, "Defend!"

At this moment, Lü Zhen shouted, "Beat the drums!"

Boom boom boom!
The thunderous drumbeats greatly encouraged the 130,000-strong charge. At this moment, the front row of the 130,000-strong force consisted of shield bearers, the middle row of spearmen, and the rear row of archers.

The army gradually approached the summit of Wushan Mountain.

At this moment, Xu Da stretched out his hand and said, "Rolling logs and boulders!"

With a bang, the logs and stones immediately rolled down, tumbling and rumbling wildly.

When the soldiers in the first row saw this, they were shocked and quickly raised their shields to block. However, the huge rock weighed a thousand pounds and rolled down the mountain. The force of gravity instantly crushed the brave soldiers in the front row into mincemeat.

At the same time, it's like bowling; it clears out a lane in one go.

Then came the second big rock. Fighting from such a high vantage point was just so exhilarating.

Upon seeing this, Lü Zhen roared angrily and immediately ordered the archers to fire in unison!

woohoo...

Tens of thousands of arrows soared into the sky, instantly blotting out the sun and killing a large number of soldiers on the mountaintop.

Seeing this, Xu Da said, "Shieldbearer."

The shield bearers immediately stepped forward, and their protection reduced casualties. Xu Da continued, "Keep dropping the rolling logs and boulders! Archers, return fire!"

At a command, stones began to roll down madly, and archers rained down arrows as if they were free.

Screams erupted one after another.

The two sides clashed immediately, turning the place into a giant meat grinder.

However, Lü Zhen was at a disadvantage throughout the battle because Xu Da's army had the advantage of being on higher ground. Whether it was rolling logs and boulders, shield bearers' defense, or even archers' barrage of fire, they were all more effective than Lü Zhen and his men.

Therefore, Lü Zhen was at a disadvantage from the very beginning of the battle.

The casualty ratio was approximately one to three; for every one person Zhu Chongba lost, three would die on the other side.

Seeing such a high casualty ratio, Lü Zhen glanced at Zhang Shicheng and saw that Zhang Shicheng's face had turned black. At this moment, he was also helpless. If this continued, he would probably kill him first after leaving the battlefield.

Lu Zhen thought for a moment, then roared, "Give me my knife! The rest of you, charge with me!"

Lu Zhen picked up his broadsword and charged straight up the mountain. At that moment, a fierce man also charged up the mountain, leading a group of men.

It was Chang Yuchun.

At this moment, Chang Yuchun rushed down and started fighting with Lü Zhen.

Both were at the Furnace Realm level, and they suddenly clashed, fighting fiercely and evenly, until the sky darkened.

However, Lü Zhen was no match for Chang Yuchun and was slashed in the shoulder by Chang Yuchun. At this time, Zhang Shicheng's army had also suffered heavy casualties. If this continued, Zhang Shicheng's army would probably be wiped out here today.

Seeing this, Zhang Shicheng angrily said, "A bunch of useless trash."

He then took a sudden step forward, and the next moment he drew the Tiger Soul Blade from behind him. With his strength as a fourth-level Fusion God, he slashed the mountaintop with the blade.

This strike was devastating, unstoppable, and all enemies and allies in its path were pulverized.

boom!
The entire mountainside shifted, and a large ditch was carved out of it.

Everyone in the room gasped at what they saw. Was this something that could be done by human beings?
Xu Da also took a deep breath. Faced with such power, even the strongest military force was like a joke and simply couldn't withstand it.

However, Xu Da knew he had to hold on, so he roared, "Contract the battle lines and retreat to defend!"

At this moment, Zhang Shicheng raised the Tiger Soul Blade, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and roared, "Xu Da, I gave you a chance. Since you are not convinced, then die!"

With that, Zhang Shicheng swung his sword again, this time with ferocious power. The force transformed into a giant lava tiger, charging towards the mountaintop—kill! (End of Chapter)