Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 23 The world is like a tide and people are like water

In the early morning of July 13, the 31st year of Shaoxing.

Liu Huai, wearing an iron crotch armor and holding a long sword, stood on the dock, looking at the morning star in the east, slightly dazed.

At this time, the moon had already set and the sun had not yet risen. It was the darkest moment of the day. Although it was near the end of summer, the east wind blowing across the river was a little cold, and Liu Huai's palms were sweating.

"This can be considered as participating in a historical copy." Liu Huai was nervous, but he couldn't help but have wild thoughts as he listened to the rushing river.

Liu Huai did not expect that after the big fuss in Jiangbei, the tension between the Song and Jin sides immediately broke, causing a series of butterfly effects.

The result was that Wei Sheng should have crossed the river to the north in early August according to history, but now it happened more than half a month earlier. It is not known whether it is a blessing or a curse.

However, it is foreseeable that the airflow generated by the flapping of the butterfly's wings will sooner or later turn into a strong wind, blowing the future into a completely different history from what Liu Huai knows.

Behind Liu Huai, more than 300 people who had gathered in response to Wei Sheng's orders had already lined up, sitting on the ground in silence, eating dry food and pickles.

Liu Huai's eyes passed over them, and in the light of the torch, he carefully looked at the three hundred soldiers.

Among them were refugees from the Central Plains who fled their hometowns because they could not survive, old soldiers from the Shenwu Left Army, armored soldiers trained by Wei Sheng in Chuzhou, and defeated soldiers who fled south after failed uprisings in the north.

There were a total of 312 people, each of whom was a brave soldier who had fought on the battlefield several times, and each of them volunteered to participate in this Northern Expedition that was destined to have slim chances of success.

Everyone is a death warrior.

In front of Liu Huai, Wei Sheng was leaning on a big knife that was said to be a gift from Han Shizhong, staring at the river, standing still like an iron tower.

Liu Huai followed Wei Sheng's gaze and looked towards the river in the east. He saw several beams of fire gradually emerging and becoming clearer and clearer.

"The ship is coming."

Wei Sheng turned around and waved his hand, and more than 300 soldiers stood up. The first 30 soldiers put on helmets and stood on both sides of the dock. The soldiers in the back holding spears, swords and shields stood in two rows under the command of the officers.

Two tall watercraft approached silently.

Liu Huai looked carefully in the dim light of the fire and was shocked to find that they were actually two fighting ships.

The "Wujing Zongyao" records that the fighting ship was about fifty steps long, with parapets on the sides for protection. Inside, sheds were built on the deck, and parapets on top of the sheds. This allowed naval forces to fight simultaneously on both decks, delivering a three-dimensional attack to the enemy. A large waterwheel, resembling a waterwheel, was placed at the rear of the ship. With just a few dozen sailors rowing inside, the fighting ship could move swiftly across the water, saving significant space compared to previous systems that often required nearly a hundred rowers.

Although these two fighting ships are not as tall and spacious as Li Gongzuo's tower ship, they can still be regarded as first-class giants on the river.

Liu Huai never expected that his father was so powerful. Not only did he hide a lot of soldiers, he even had warships!

But on second thought, Wei Sheng had been fighting in Huaidong for many years, and had been secretly colluded and preparing for war for twenty years after the Shaoxing Peace Agreement.

The heroes of the time have been planning something for more than 20 years. If it breaks out in one day, it would be strange if it doesn't cause earth-shattering events.

The east wind blew and the sails were spread wide. Although they were sailing against the current, the two fighting ships were moving at a very fast speed. The people on board were all excellent ship operators, and even in such a dark night, they accurately docked at the pier.

The sailors on board lowered the planks, and two men ran down from the deck and saluted respectfully in front of Wei Sheng.

"Second Master Wei."

"Commander Wei."

The people who came were Liu Daguan and Xiao Qi.

Wei Chang had originally wanted to jump off the boat to see his father and brother, but Wei Sheng simply waved his hand and shooed him back like a fly. "Get on board!"

At the command, fifty crossbowmen carrying divine arm bows were divided into two teams and sat down on the roofs of the two steamships, hiding their bodies under the cover of the parapet.

Unarmored swordsmen, spearmen, and armored soldiers followed closely behind, sitting cross-legged on the deck.

"Put the food and supplies in the oxcarts at the dock first." Liu Daguan's skinny face was filled with excitement, and his beard trembled as he said to Wei Sheng, "There will be ships coming to transport them later. We guarantee that not a single straw will be missing."

Wei Sheng patted Liu Daguan's shoulder, and the leaves on his armor rustled. "I'm confident you can handle the situation. You and Jiao'er will stay here. Once everything is settled, we'll meet up in Lianshui."

After saying this, without paying any attention to the other two's reactions, Wei Sheng turned around and called out Xiao Qi's name: "Xiao En, although you are not my general, since Chief Zhang sent you here, you should obey my orders. Do you agree with this or not?!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao En… or Xiao Qi… immediately bowed, “Of course. The chieftain also gave me instructions before I left. All matters should be handled in accordance with Second Master Wei’s leadership.”

"That's good."

Wei Sheng nodded with a smile, called out to Liu Huai, and then led his horse onto the boat.

Liu Huai also grasped the reins of the warhorse beside him and was about to board another fighting ship when Wei Jiao grabbed his arm from the side, his face pale.

"Just now when the soldiers boarded the ship, I carefully counted them and there were 313 of them! Little sister..."

Liu Huai's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He quickly grabbed Wei Jiao's sleeve and said, "Brother, the arrow is on the string and must be released. The army can't stop fighting just for my little sister. I promise to protect her, don't worry..."

The arrow was indeed on the string. In just two words, Wei Sheng's lightning-fast gaze shot over. Liu Huai did not dare to delay and immediately led his horse aboard.

Just as he calmed his warhorse down, Liu Huai felt a shock under his feet. The fighting ship quickly sailed out of the port, the sails were raised, and it drifted downstream towards the rising sun.

Liu Huai stroked the horse's mane and looked back in the light of the torch, but he only saw a sea of heads. How could he find his little sister?

"What kind of trouble is this little girl causing?!"

Just as Liu Huai was feeling uneasy, Wang Xian, who was about fifty miles downstream at Lianshui Port, was also feeling anxious.

Behind him, three hundred Jin Kingdom regular soldiers, who had been fully replenished, stood solemnly.

Behind them were more than 700 signed-up soldiers who served as laborers, in addition to ox carts, war horses, baggage, and so on, spread out and filling the entire dock.

"This dock is so small, how long will it take to transport the entire army?"

After Wang Xian frowned and complained three times, County Magistrate Li, who was standing by with his hands clasped, finally spoke helplessly: "General Wang, the ferry crossing inside Lianshui County is much larger. You are worried about leaks, so you have to come to the ferry outside the city. Who can you blame?"

Wang Xian glanced at Magistrate Li, suppressed his anger, and changed the subject: "Is that Mr. Zhang, that idiot, reliable?"

County Magistrate Li was completely helpless. "General Wang, you only give us one day. How much can we actually accomplish? Wouldn't it take time to requisition supplies and ships, and to coerce and bribe those merchants? Can we even carefully select ships?"

After complaining a few times, seeing Wang Xian remain silent, County Magistrate Li calmed down considerably. "Only Zhang Tong and a few close associates know about this. Everyone else, let alone the ordinary porters, even the ship owner doesn't know what to do... If the news leaked to them, they would definitely not dare to come."

Wang Xian was speechless and could only stand there, waiting anxiously.

More than half an hour later, when the sky in the east began to turn pale, two fleets emerged from the morning river mist, speeding from upstream and downstream respectively.

(End of this chapter)