Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 139 Ferry
Da da!

On the official road four miles southeast of Qiantang City, the sound of dense horse hooves could be heard.

Due to the war, the once bustling official road had long been deserted of pedestrians. Only some wild birds pecked at food by the roadside, and occasionally a few small animals would jump out from the fields and then disappear again.

As the sound of horse hooves got closer, a cavalry unit in iron armor swept across the official road like a gust of wind, stirring up clouds of dust and scaring away birds and beasts.

The number of cavalry was between 500 and 550, and the commander was Xu Sheng.

Due to the scarcity of war horses, Xu Sheng's troops had a maximum strength of only 600 people. Their role in large-scale combat was limited, and they could only carry out local harassment of the enemy.

However, it can play an important role in small-scale combat and the performance of some special tasks.

After several fierce battles, the cavalry had been reduced to 430 men, and its combat effectiveness had been greatly weakened.

In order to restore his combat effectiveness, Yan Yi did not hesitate to incorporate the only one hundred remaining personal guards and cavalrymen around him into the team, making up a total of five hundred to carry out an important combat mission.

After leaving Qiantang City, Xu Sheng's troops separated from Yan Yi's central army and began to march alone, rushing to Zheyang Ferry, five miles southeast of Qiantang.

Zheyang Ferry is located in the lower reaches of Qiantang River. It is an important waterway node connecting the north and the south. Civilians, merchants, soldiers, messengers, etc. often cross the river here. Controlling this ferry can effectively control the north-south traffic of Qiantang River, which has extremely high military value.

Qiantang River is the Qiantang River of later generations. It is named after Qiantang County, through which it flows. It is also known as the "Zhejiang River" and the "Rakshasa River". It is the largest river in Wujun and Kuaiji, and flows into the East China Sea through Qiantang Bay.

However, as early as two days ago, when Yan Yi led his troops south, he ordered the entire army to rename Qiantang County and Qiantang River to Qiantang County and Qiantang River respectively, to show his determination to capture Qiantang.

This can also be regarded as a kind of recollection of Yan Yi's previous life. With the power he holds now, once Qiantang is captured, it will not be difficult to change a mere place name.

If the name Hangzhou was not so different from Qiantang, it would easily cause rejection from the surrounding counties and would be difficult to pass with Emperor Xian. He even wanted to directly change the name of Qiantang to Hangzhou.

Although Xu Sheng and others felt a little strange about Yan Yi's action, they did not think much about it. After all, the estuary of Qiantang River was called Qiantangkou, and the word Qiantang did not seem abrupt.

It's your territory and you have the final say. It's His Majesty and the central government who should worry about it. Why should they worry about this?

The cavalry marched very quickly. After only a quarter of an hour, Xu Sheng led his troops to Zheyang Ferry.

At this time, Zheyang Ferry had been controlled by Yan Yi's army.

Xu Sheng reined in his horse in front of the ferry and looked up. He saw the river rushing in front of him with great momentum. The Qiantang River was like a giant dragon winding across the earth.

On the north bank of the Yangtze River, a water fortress covering several acres stood by the river. Surrounding it were walls four or five meters high. Its fortifications included arrow towers, corner towers, and several beacon towers. Its scale rivaled that of some medium-sized fortresses.

"Open the gate quickly!"

A cavalryman rode forward, holding his spear and shouting.

The defenders were very familiar with the elite troops under their lord's command, and quickly opened the gate of the village.

Xu Sheng rode his horse through the village gate and asked the hurriedly approaching military commander Du Jun, "How are the boats being prepared?"

Du Jun bowed and clasped his fists, saying, "When I captured this stronghold, I still had five fighting ships, eleven warships and maotu ships, and seventy-six river craft and boats, more than enough for Sima to cross the river."

Doujian is an important medium-sized warship. Its hull size is second only to that of a tower ship. It is also the main warship in naval battles. It has both offensive and defensive capabilities and is suitable for close combat and boarding battles. A parapet is installed on the side of the ship, with oar holes opened under the wall. A shed is built five feet inside the side of the ship, and a parapet is built on the shed. The battle grids are arranged in layers and can accommodate hundreds of people.

A 鉨鉟 is a small to medium-sized warship used for rapid assaults. "鉨" refers to the protective covering of the hull, such as cowhide, while "鉟" refers to the sturdiness and heaviness of the vessel. Known for its maneuverability and defensive capabilities, it typically accommodates 20 to 30 men.

A Maotu is similar to a battleship, but differs in the details of its hull structure. It is lighter and has a shallower draft than a battleship, making it suitable for sailing in narrow waters.

A chariot is a small warship that can be used for combat, reconnaissance, and transportation. It has excellent speed and maneuverability. It is not suitable for boarding battles and long-term combat, but it has inherent advantages in landing battles.

Jiangbo is a pure transport ship that transports both troops and supplies.

After hearing this, Xu Sheng ordered, "Prepare boats immediately for our troops to cross the river!"

Du Jun clasped his fists in response, clamped his legs around the horse's belly, and led Xu Sheng hurriedly towards the ferry.

Hundreds of riders galloped along the main road within the village for six or seven hundred steps before arriving at the center of the ferry. In the center of an open space, two or three hundred steps long and wide, lay a giant stone turtle, its back supporting a stone tablet over ten feet tall. The front of the tablet bore three large, ancient, and solemn characters: "Zheyang Ferry." The back was inscribed with dense, small, official script, recording the construction details of this century-old ferry.

On both sides of the open space are four rows of barracks and stables for the soldiers, as well as two granaries.

Another seven or eight hundred steps further, the main structure of the ferry reached its point: a sturdy pier constructed of huge stones and timber, extending straight into the river, large enough to accommodate a dozen warships simultaneously. Ten arrow towers and two beacon towers stood on either side of the pier, silently guarding the waters.

Near the river bank, dozens of warships of various sizes were docked in an orderly manner. The hulls were tall, the masts were like a forest, and the flags were fluttering in the river breeze.

Two fighting ships and more than ten small boats with sails hoisted were patrolling back and forth on the river in the distance.

From these rigorous defensive facilities, we can see the huge impact that Zhu Zhi's defeat brought to Qiantang. If it weren't for this great defeat, the forts, camps and water strongholds several miles around Qiantang would never have been so easily captured by Yan Yi's army.

At this moment, hundreds of people wearing coarse linen clothes were gathered around the dock, looking timidly at the fierce cavalry in front of them.

Du Jun instructed his soldiers to carry half-foot-wide boarding planks to the dock. He pointed at the common people and introduced them, saying, "These are the locals who live nearby. Most of them are fishermen and boatmen who make a living on the river. Since the army is short of boatmen, I have summoned them here."

Xu Sheng naturally knew what his so-called "summoning" meant. It was nothing more than using violence to force these people to work.

Unlike the people of Yuncheng and Rencheng, who harbored deep hatred for Qian Tong and Zou Ta, the people of Qiantang, while facing hardship, were at least not enslaved like livestock, and their lives and property were protected to a certain extent. Consequently, they retained a sense of belonging to the Qiantang government and viewed the Yan Yi army attacking Qiantang as invaders, displaying clear resistance and rejection.

Xu Sheng had clearly sensed this during the march. He spoke a few words to appease the people, then turned to Du Jun and gave him a serious warning: "You are well aware of the Young Lord's military laws. You are forbidden from plundering or harming the people. Your daily labor wages must be paid in full. After this battle is over, you will immediately send people back to their respective villages."

Xu Sheng was fully aware of the importance of this matter and did not dare to be careless at all. He had to know that if it was not handled properly, it would incite civil unrest and have extremely serious negative impacts on the entire army's operations.

Du Jun also knew this and said solemnly, "Don't worry, Sima. I have sent someone to report this matter to the shogunate. I believe someone will come to deal with it today."

Xu Sheng was still worried and gave him a few more instructions.

At this time, the soldiers under Du Jun had already fixed the boarding boards on the sides of the warships on both sides of the dock and began to direct the people to board the ships.

The people lined up in two rows and walked obediently towards the warship.

Most of them will enter the bottom cabin of the warship to serve as rowers and operate the oars.

The few who are good at ship handling serve as helmsmen, sailors and helmsmen on the deck, steering the warship.

Dozens of defenders, armed with weapons, boarded the warships closely behind the civilians to keep watch and prevent any accidents.

After these defenders boarded the ship, hundreds of cavalrymen led their horses and carefully boarded the warship.

The warships transporting Xu Sheng's troops consisted of four fighting ships and ten river ships, which were considered the largest group of warships in the water fort.

The full capacity of the fourteen warships was about 1,500 people, more than enough to transport 500 cavalry, but due to the presence of war horses, the deck still seemed quite crowded.

Xu Sheng boarded a fighting ship that was twenty meters long and four meters wide. The soldiers around him intentionally left a spacious area for him.

He stood on the sturdy deck, his hands on the side, and looked out. He saw the vast expanse of the river, the water and the sky blending into one, as if merging with the distant horizon. The river surged, waves piled up one after another, like a huge army galloping on, making a deafening roar.

An indescribable shock welled up in Xu Sheng's heart. He didn't have this feeling when he looked at the Qiantang River from afar. Now that he boarded the boat to cross the river and stood on the vast river, he realized his own insignificance.

The river surface in front of the Zheyang Ferry is as wide as four or five hundred meters!
This is just the narrower section of the Qiantang River; the widest part can even reach thousands of meters.

It's easy to understand why rivers like the Yangtze and Qiantang Rivers became such a formidable barrier during war. Such vast rivers were impossible to bridge, requiring only boats to cross them. Even without enemy forces blocking the way, sailing from one end of the river to the other took nearly a quarter of an hour.

"Raise the sails! Set sail!"

As the powerful commands echoed on the river, the boatmen in the bottom cabin began to row hard. Fourteen warships slowly left the dock, broke through the river water, stirred up layers of ripples, and sailed towards the vast river.

Xu Sheng's body swayed a little with the shaking of the boat, but he quickly regained his balance.

Looking at the magnificent Qiantang River, a sense of heroism involuntarily surged in his heart, as if thousands of hot blood were boiling in his chest, making him want to shout out loud.

Just over two months ago, he was just an unknown child from a poor family, busy with trivial matters, with a bleak future. But now, he has someone worth following for a lifetime, holds a prominent position, and can display his ambitions and talents. Making great achievements is no longer just a wish, but gradually becoming a reality.

Thinking of this, Xu Sheng couldn't help but clench his fists, and his eyes, gazing out at the river, revealed an unprecedented determination.
A quarter of an hour later, the warship arrived at the south bank. Five hundred elite cavalrymen disembarked one after another, quickly lined up, and galloped towards the southeast.

At the same time, in the direction of Yongxing, twelve miles away from Xu Sheng's troops, Zhou Xin, riding a strong chestnut horse, was leading 4,000 troops towards Gulingdu in the northeast direction.

There are three large ferry crossings in the lower reaches of the Qiantang River: Yupu Ferry near Fuchun, Zheyang Ferry south of Qiantang, and Guling Ferry northeast of Yongxing.

Yupu Ferry and Guling Ferry are currently controlled by Wang Lang's army, while Zheyang Ferry is occupied by Yan Yi's army.

Of the two ferry crossings controlled by Wang Lang's army, Yupu Ferry is farther away from Qiantang and has many strongholds along the way, while Guling Ferry is very close to Qiantang, only five or six miles away and has fewer strongholds along the way.

In contrast, Guling Ferry naturally became Zhou Xin's preferred route. He did not intend to engage Yan Yi's army in the open plains south of the Qiantang River. Instead, he was eager to cross the river and build camps on both sides of Guling Ferry, establishing a bridgehead for subsequent troops to cross the river and at the same time preventing Yan Yi's army from attacking the city at any time.

There was another underlying reason that prompted him to make such a deployment, and that was his concern about the combat effectiveness of his own army.

This concern comes from two aspects.

First, Wang Lang, having just arrived in Kuaiji, was eager to achieve political success and spent most of the treasury funds on civilian matters, resulting in the military equipment not being replaced when it should have been retired. Furthermore, Wang Lang prioritized civil affairs over military affairs, and lacked capable generals. Consequently, military discipline and training were unsatisfactory. Although the army was the largest among the various factions in Jiangdong, its combat effectiveness was lackluster.

The second is Zhou Xin’s concern for the generals under his command.

When he abandoned Danyang, he disbanded his troops along with him. With the exception of a few family generals who had served him for years, most of his generals had deserted him. The generals accompanying him now were mostly not his own, and many had only just met him yesterday. They knew nothing about each other, no different from strangers.

Under such circumstances, Zhou Xin had no confidence in going head-on with Yan Yi's army that defeated Zhu Zhi with only 4,000 troops. The only good opportunity he had in mind was to take advantage of the terrain, or launch a surprise attack when Yan Yi's army was attacking the city, or wait for the main force to arrive.

Therefore, Guling Ferry is very important to him at this time.

Under his constant urging, the army moved at a very fast speed and was expected to reach Guling Ferry in another hour.

Zhou Xin's tense expression gradually relaxed. At this rate, the entire army would surely reach Gulingdu smoothly. By then, relying on the Gulingdu water fort, they could attack when advancing and defend when retreating, and the situation would be very favorable for them.

Da da!

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from afar. Several scouts came galloping, raising a large amount of dust.

Zhou Xin was slightly startled, and a sense of alarm rose in his heart. How could such a big commotion be caused by just a few scouts?

Before he could think about it, the ground suddenly shook, and then a ghostly cavalry broke through the dust and rushed towards his army like a flash of lightning!
(End of this chapter)