Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 263 Pulling out the cone
North and south of Wu County.

Without any half-hearted probing, the Han army committed its main force as soon as the battle began, and the fighting instantly became fierce.

Chen Dao personally beat the army's drums, and the general's banner was also raised high on the south bank of the Yangtze River. The black banner jingled fiercely in the wind, exuding a solemn killing intent.

"Prepare the rolling stones and logs!" came the Wu general's stern shout from the Iron Chain Pass wall.

At the same time, a dull rolling sound echoed from the wooden stockade wall.

Below the mountain pass, Zhang Gu, undaunted by the sound, took a deep breath, drew his ring-pommel sword, and swung it towards the Iron Chain Pass on the slope: "Advance!"

Behind him, the soldiers in the front row held up tall shields, while the soldiers in the back row raised their shields above their heads, forming a tortoise-shell shield formation.

With the shield formation in place, the soldiers within, upon receiving their commander's order, maintained their formation and slowly advanced towards the fortified wall.

At both ends of the Hengjiang Iron Chain in Wuxian County, giant cast iron pillars are firmly fixed to the rocks on both banks.

Thus, the Iron Chain Pass, which protects the Hengjiang Iron Chain, stands on a steep mountain ridge, with its walls built along the mountain slope, seemingly integrated with the mountain rocks.

There is only one narrow passage leading up the pass, which is barely wide enough for ten people to walk side by side at its widest point. It is a natural fortress that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Just as the Han army entered the range of the powerful bows.

Suddenly, a whistling sound of arrows being fired volleyed from the walls of the Iron Chain Pass.

"Fire!" As the rain of arrows fell, the voice of the traitor Fu Yi echoed above the fortified wall.

Upon receiving the order, the Wu soldiers on guard acted in unison.

Before long, huge logs and stones fell continuously from the wall, and then rolled faster and faster along the steep and smooth slope, crashing into the Han army climbing the slope.

A loud boom followed, and a cloud of smoke and dust rose.

"Raise the shields!" Zhang Gu looked up at the rolling stones and logs sweeping down, feeling the violent tremors beneath his feet, and roared the order with all his might.

"--boom!"

Just then, a boulder as thick as a millstone crashed down on the shield formation, instantly shattering three or four shields into pieces.

The soldiers in the front row fell down instantly, while the soldiers in the back row were knocked backward, shield and all, by the terrifying impact.

Several rows of Han soldiers fell in an instant.

The boulders and logs continued their relentless march, knocking down seven or eight more soldiers before being barely stopped by the shield formation behind them.

"Keep advancing!" Zhang Gu, fully armored and clad in helmet, shouted from the center of the formation, his voice trembling slightly.

The blood and flesh of the soldiers who were crushed and wounded splattered on the bodies and faces of the surrounding soldiers, but no one retreated, and the soldiers behind quickly filled the gaps.

Dozens of Han soldiers quickly fell, their blood staining the mountain path red, accompanied by screams and cries of agony.

Sun Shao stood on the gate wall, coldly looking down at the battle below.

"Do the Shu bandits really intend to launch a fierce attack at any cost?" Military Advisor Pei was utterly bewildered.

Sun Shao snorted coldly:
"Pass down the order to increase the frequency of dropping logs. Let's see how long they can hold out!"

Just then, the Han army's formation suddenly changed in the mountain path below.

Then, dozens of strange vehicles were pushed up from the rear by Han soldiers and laborers.

These vehicles were surrounded on three sides by thick wooden planks, which were covered with wet cowhides.

"What is that?" Pei Xuan squinted.

Sun Shao frowned as well: "It seems to be some kind of protective vehicle... Order the archers to concentrate their fire on those vehicles!"

Upon receiving the order, Wu Jun unleashed a hail of arrows at the vehicles, but most of the arrows were blocked by the wet cowhide and wooden planks, failing to cause any effective damage.

The vehicles were propelled by the Han army.

Slowly advance to the bottom of the gate wall.

Suddenly, the planks on the vehicle fell over, revealing sacks filled with sand inside.

The Han soldiers quickly piled up the sandbags, soon forming simple defensive fortifications under the gate wall.

"Damn it!" Fu Yi saw it clearly from the wall. "The Shu traitors are building fortifications!"

When the rolling stones and logs hit the bunkers, their speed was significantly reduced, and some smaller stones even slid directly to the sides, no longer able to inflict fatal damage on the Han army behind them.

The Han army continued climbing the hill.

Sun Shao slammed his fist into the wall.

at the same time.

At Wu Jun Wharf, which connects the north and south of the Yangtze River, the battle has also reached a fever pitch.

Sun Shao turned his gaze toward the dock, his expression grave: "The Shu bandits' main attack today is indeed the dock; they want to cut off our connection with Jiangbei."

Fu Yi said indignantly:
"Regardless, the docks can hold for at least three days, after which we can slowly retreat to the Iron Chain Pass. With this pass, we will surely..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Sun Shao remained silent, his face grim.

Pan Jun said something similar in front of Yanyu Pass.

As a result, the pass that was said to be able to hold out for a month and a half fell into the hands of the Shu people in just a few days.

Sun Shao took a deep breath and commanded:

"Fu Gongyi, you go to the dock to take command. You must defend the dock to the death. No matter how fierce the battle is, it must not be lost for at least five days. After five days, then retreat back to Tiesuo Pass!"

Fu Yi accepted the order and left.

Sun Shao remained standing on the Iron Chain Pass, overlooking the entire situation.

His gaze frequently swept towards the distant mountains and forests.

There was an ambush force of Han troops, numbering over two thousand, hidden there. These past few days, this ambush force had been like a sword hanging over his head, forcing him to divide his attention and divide his forces to defend against it.

The battle at the docks is becoming increasingly fierce.

Under Guan Xing's command, the Han army launched a fierce attack on the Wu army at the dock.

Guan Xing personally led the Tiger Warriors as the vanguard.

These elite Tiger Warriors, clad in heavy armor and wielding sharp blades, advanced in a tight formation.

Wu Jun set up multiple lines of defense near the dock, including trenches, antlers, and earthen walls.

But the Han army's offensive was like a tide, one wave subsiding only for another to rise.

"Mounts for filling trenches, move forward!" General Guan Xing shouted.

Dozens of trench-filling vehicles were pushed to the front lines.

These vehicles were equipped with thick planks that could be laid across trenches to clear a path for subsequent troops.

Wu Jun's arrows clattered against the trench-filling carts, but could not stop them from advancing.

"Advance the siege tower!" Guan Xing ordered again.

Ten towering well curbs, each a hundred feet high, were slowly pushed forward to the front line.

These behemoths were more than ten feet taller than the watchtowers of the Wu army, and the Han archers on them began to suppress the Wu army's positions with fire.

Arrows rained down from above.

Wu's soldiers had no choice but to raise their shields for protection, unable to effectively retaliate.

Guan Xing seized the opportunity and issued a series of orders:
"Move the sidecar!"

More than ten vans were pushed to the front line.

These vehicles are surrounded on three sides by double decks, filled with sand in the middle, and covered with wet cowhide, like mobile miniature fortresses.

In the past year, in several battles against Wei and Wu, the Han Dynasty not only captured countless weapons and armor, but also strategic materials such as cowhide, which were piled up in countless quantities. It can now be described as extremely extravagant.

Arrows were constantly being fired from the firing ports on the vehicle, causing continuous casualties to Wu's army.

Seeing this, Fu Yi hurriedly ordered his soldiers to bring out oil canisters, attempting to destroy the sidecars with fire.

However, the Han army was prepared. The soldiers on the chariot used wet blankets to extinguish the flames, while the crossbowmen behind the chariot provided cover fire.

The battle reached a stalemate.

Both sides are paying a price.

Just then, Zhao Guang led his Longxiang Lang and his troops out from the flank.

These elite soldiers, having rested and prepared for a long time, now charged like tigers descending a mountain, heading straight for the weak points in Wu's army lines.

"Stay calm! Stay calm!" Fu Yi shouted hoarsely.

General Zhao Guang, the Dragon General, took the lead. His spear, though only at 30% of his father's strength, moved like a dragon emerging from the sea, unstoppable, and felled several Wu soldiers in succession.

The soldiers behind him, like wolves and tigers, quickly tore through the Wu army's defenses.

"Take that watchtower!" Zhao Guang ordered, pointing to a tall watchtower in the Wu army's ranks.

Dozens of soldiers immediately rushed towards the watchtower.

The Wu army archers on the watchtower fired desperately, but the soldiers raised their shields for protection and charged forward regardless of casualties.

A soldier was shot in the thigh by an arrow.

He stumbled slightly, but was immediately helped up by his companions and continued on his way.

Another soldier raised his shield to block several arrows; the shield was already covered with arrow fletching, like a hedgehog.

Finally, the first batch of soldiers led by Wei Qi rushed to the watchtower.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the Wu army flag on the top of the watchtower was cut down, and a Han army flag was slowly raised.

"Victory!" A deafening cheer erupted from the Han army ranks.

Fu Yi's face turned deathly pale.

Guan Xing seized the opportunity and ordered the entire army to advance.

The Han army surged towards the Wu army's position like a tide, and quickly broke through the outermost defensive line of the dock.

At this critical moment, General Sun Shao, the General Who Guards the West, finally sent several hundred reinforcements from Tiesuo Pass. The arrival of these fresh troops temporarily stabilized the battle, and the Han army's offensive was barely halted.

From the iron chain gate, Sun Shao naturally saw the collapse of the watchtower at the dock.

"General, the docks are under great pressure. Should we send reinforcements?" asked Pei Xuan, the military advisor.

Sun Shao shook his head, his gaze drifting further into the distance to the misty, silent mountains. "The Shu bandits still have two thousand men hidden in those mountains; they haven't made a move yet..."

Pei Xuan followed Sun Shao's gaze, and after thinking for a while, he spoke:
"Logically speaking, the people from Shu would have been traveling in the mountains for more than ten days."

"They must be at their last gasp now, perhaps... the opening for our Great Wu?"

“No need,” Sun Shao refused decisively.

"If Fu Yi can hold the dock for five days, there is still hope."

"If we cannot... we will hold the Iron Chain Pass."

"Pass down the order: no one is to attack without my command."

"Especially towards the mountains and forests."

"The Shu bandits are cunning and treacherous; we must be on guard!"

Sun Shao had indeed intended to win a small victory before sending news of the crushing defeat at Yanyu to Sun Quan, but news of the defeat had already been relayed to Wuchang by Pan Jun.

In this way, he didn't have too many concerns.

His only objective now is to hold this iron chain pass at all costs and wait for reinforcements from downstream.

He stopped looking at the fighting in the direction of the dock, and stopped looking at the unsettling mountain forest. Instead, he focused his attention on the small group of Han soldiers attacking from the front.

...

...

Upstream.

Twenty miles.

The river is swift.

Eight enormous wooden rafts filled the river, moving slowly and steadily through the fog.

Chen Hu stood at the front of the lead raft, holding onto the railing, his eyes piercing.

Although the general of the warship was young, he was already tanned dark from years of service in the navy. He raised his hand to signal, and the drummers and horn players next to him immediately beat the drums and blew the horns to issue orders to the rafts behind.

"Attention all rafts, maintain distance!" Chen Hu's voice was calm and firm.

The raft moved slowly forward in the river, its bow cutting through the water with a dull thud. On the raft, more than a hundred strong naval soldiers rowed oars, controlling the raft's direction with difficulty and precision.

"General, the area where the Wu people have laid out iron spikes is only half a mile ahead!" Chen Hu's adjutant reported loudly.

Chen Hu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the river:
"Order all rafts to slow down and maintain formation!"

The drums and horns resounded once more across the river and sky, and the eight giant rafts slowly adjusted their speed and direction.

The first raft was the first to enter the iron cone area.

The soldiers on the raft all stared intently at the water, holding their breath.

Suddenly, the raft jolted violently.

A muffled thud, like a ship hitting a reef, came from the bottom of the river.

"It's hit the cone!" Deputy General Chen Hu exclaimed.

Chen Hu's expression remained unchanged as he spoke in a deep voice: "Continue forward!"

The raft continued to drift downstream.

After drifting for less than ten steps, the river water behind the raft suddenly became turbid, with mud and sand churning up.

If someone were to sink into the water, they would see the enormous iron spike hooked onto the crossbeam at the bottom of the raft, along with the large stone base and a large amount of silt from the riverbed, being pulled up by the action.

"It worked!" the lieutenant exclaimed in delight.

Chen Hu's lips curled up slightly.

This is precisely the brilliance of the strategy devised by His Majesty, the Chancellor, and the Grand Commander.

The weight of a single iron cone is astonishing, and it is buried deep in the riverbed, covered by silt. If it is removed using a winch alone, it would take an unknown amount of time.

However, with the enormous buoyancy and weight of this giant raft, a single raft could probably carry out dozens or even hundreds of iron spikes.

The reason is actually quite simple.

These giant rafts have a very deep draft, and their bottoms are just right to hit the iron spikes that are slanting towards the bottom of the rafts. They are also extremely heavy, so once they hit the iron spikes, the spikes will penetrate several feet into the wood and be firmly embedded in the rafts.

The raft floats on the water, and the upward force generated by buoyancy far exceeds the resistance generated by the iron cone, the stone base, and the mud and sand burying the iron cone.

Iron spikes and stone bases weighing several thousand or ten thousand kilograms are nothing compared to solid timber rafts weighing hundreds of thousands or even millions of kilograms.

With the added force of the water flow, these iron spikes were like uprooted tree stumps, dragged up from the riverbed along with large amounts of mud and sand.

"The second raft has also struck the cone!" the observation post shouted.

Chen Hu looked up and saw that behind the second raft, turbid waves were also rising, and another iron spike was being carried out.

Immediately afterwards, the third, fourth, and eight other giant rafts plowed deep trenches into the riverbed like plowshares, bringing up all the iron spikes that the Wu people had carefully laid out along their path.

Some of the iron spikes were buried too deep, causing the rafts to change direction abruptly after being hit. Whenever this happened, Chen Hu would order the formation to be adjusted so that several rafts could travel side by side to prevent them from running aground.

"General!" The lieutenant exclaimed in admiration as he watched the iron spikes being dragged out of the river.

"The Wu people probably never dreamed that their painstakingly constructed river defenses would be so easily breached by the Han navy!"

Chen Hu shook his head: "It is not my ability, but all thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom. If Your Majesty had not proposed the strategy of using wooden rafts to break through iron spikes, our Han navy would probably still be clearing away iron spikes and unable to move forward."

He gazed at the ever-deep, bottomless river, and his reverence for the emperor deepened even further.

This young emperor always came up with unexpected yet extremely effective methods, which made people admire him.

About an hour later, the fog on the river gradually dissipated.

Sunlight shone through the clouds onto the river.

The eight rafts have successfully passed through the area where the iron spikes were most concentrated and the waterway was the narrowest, and have entered the wide waters.

The river water was murky.

Various debris floats on the river surface and is brought up from the riverbed.

"Reporting to the general, we haven't encountered any iron spikes for half a mile!" the lieutenant reported excitedly.

Chen Hu let out a long sigh of relief, only then realizing that his back was soaked with sweat. Although he appeared calm, he was nervous inside.
If this plan fails, the Han navy will likely be trapped at Yanyu Pass, unable to move an inch. In that case, all subsequent strategies to defeat the enemy will become empty talk.

"Send the order: the junks will go first!" Commander Chen Hu ordered, "Large warships will follow closely behind!"

The order has been given.

The Han army's warships, which had been waiting in the rear for a long time, sped downstream along the newly opened waterway.

Wuxian County, on the river defense command platform.

Pan Jun gazed upstream.

The anxiety of the past few days had made his eyes sunken and added a few more strands of white hair to his temples.

Since the fall of Yanyu Pass, he has not had a single peaceful night's sleep.

"Taichang, the river fog is starting to dissipate," a subordinate whispered from the side.

Pan Jun nodded slightly, but his gaze never left the river.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

Dozens of black dots finally appeared on the surface of the river upstream and quickly expanded.

"A Shu-made Mengchong!" exclaimed a sharp-eyed officer.

Pan Jun, however, was not alarmed; on the contrary, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As he had predicted, although the Shu people had cleared out some of the river cones, their large warships still dared not risk sailing downstream.

These small junks were merely there to test the waters or to bluff.

"Order all warships to anchor in the harbor, remain in their positions, and not engage in battle!" Pan Jun immediately roused himself and gave the order in a deep voice.

"Once half of the barges have reached the lower reaches of the harbor, order the warships to attack and make sure to sink all of them!"

"Yes!" The messenger quickly left.

Pan Jun gripped the hilt of his sword, pondering his next move.

He had anticipated that the Han army would send out junks first, so he deliberately moored all the large warships in the harbor.

Once the mongoose reaches the downstream area, he can send out larger ships without being threatened by the mongoose's ramming horn. Instead, he can use his superior numbers to annihilate these smaller ships one by one.

"The Grand Master of Ceremonies' calculations are brilliant!" the subordinate beside him flattered.

"If the Shu people think that they can draw our attention with these feints on the shore and then rely on these junks to break through my Iron Chain Pass, they are sorely mistaken!"

Pan Jun did not answer, his gaze remaining fixed on the river upstream.

The number of Sichuanese men's boats is increasing.

The river water suddenly became murky.

Looking at the murky river, for some reason, he suddenly felt a little uneasy.

"What is that?" a soldier asked in surprise.

Pan Jun was startled by the sound, pulling himself out of his unease. He followed the soldier's gesture and stared intently, his pupils suddenly contracting.

After that, hundreds of mongooses could be seen.

Upstream on the great river, several objects that looked even larger than multi-story ships suddenly drifted downstream... resembling ships but not quite.

(End of this chapter)