Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 177 Navy
Every warship of the Kuaiji Army was equipped with a clepsydra, which divided a day and night into one hundred ke, and each ke was divided into one hundred ke minutes.

Forty ke fen is approximately five minutes in later generations.

The fleeing members of the Zhou clan cried out in fear. At Zhou Ang's command, they reluctantly threw the supplies they carried into the sea in an attempt to speed up the boat.

Even a small catapult on the deck was dismantled by the soldiers and thrown into the sea.

The ship's speed began to increase slowly, but it was still slower than the enemy ship.

A military officer on the boat glanced at the Zhou clan members around him from time to time, with a hesitant look on his face.

Zhou Ang saw through his intention and calmly pressed the hilt of the knife with his right hand.

Their eyes met for a moment in the firelight, then separated again.

The military marquis lowered his voice and said, "Lord Zhou, if we are caught up by the enemy ship, everyone will die!"

Zhou Ang stared at him with a sharp gaze and said in a deep voice, "I would rather die in battle than commit such a beastly act. If you dare to do this, even if you return to Qiantang alive, the young master will never let you go!"

The general gritted his teeth and shouted to the soldiers beside him, "Keep demolishing! Tear down the sheds too! Then go to the cabin and throw away all the extra stuff."

After a while, the enemy ship approached dozens of steps closer.

Just as everyone was in despair, a row of huge black shadows suddenly appeared on the sea ahead, like a moving mountain, crushing the waves and approaching. Then, countless flames came into view.

In the light of the fire, the mountain slowly revealed its true appearance, which turned out to be a huge fleet consisting of two or three hundred warships!
The military marquis' face showed an ecstatic look of having survived a disaster, and he shouted, "It's the Qiantang Navy! The young master has sent people to help us!"

Zhou Ang let out a long sigh and slowly loosened the handle of the knife with his right hand.

The crowd around was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into deafening cheers, and looked towards the warships that were crossing with their own ship.

This was a fleet consisting of fifty battleships and two hundred warships. The massive ships were arranged together, forming a faint array. Like a giant standing on the sea, its imposing presence seemed to suppress even the might of the sea.

The smile on Wei Xiao's face froze. The joy of the chase just now was matched by fear at this moment. He frantically shouted, "Turn rudder quickly! Retreat to Yongxing!"

However, how easy is it to change the course of the ship in such a hurry?

As soon as the fifteen warships turned sideways, countless huge rocks and rockets blocked out the moonlight and flew over in an overwhelming manner, covering the sea area within a radius of hundreds of meters.

After the dazzling flash of fire, the fifteen warships of the Kuaiji Army were instantly in dire straits. Some were shattered by the impact of huge rocks, while others were transformed into fireballs by the dense rocket fire and slowly swallowed by the sea.

Quan Rou, dressed in black armor, stood on the spacious deck of her ship, the Blue Bird. She yawned and said calmly, "Return."

The fleet slowly turned around and escorted the Zhou clan members towards Qiantang.

That morning, the news of the Zhou family's defection spread back to Shanyin, instantly causing an uproar in the city.

One by one, the officials hurried towards Shanyinguan Temple.

After half a month of careful nursing, Wang Lang's condition gradually improved, his complexion also recovered a lot, and he has begun to resume his duties.

Unexpectedly, before he could even sit down, a blow came crashing down on him. Wang Lang was completely stunned. Stars flashed before his eyes, his ears buzzed, and his chest, which had recovered from the illness, began to ache again.

"Daming, I regard you as my soulmate, why do you betray me!"

Wang Lang's voice was filled with grief, indignation and confusion. The wolf hair brush in his hand snapped in two, and the splashed ink spread on the document, just like his broken heart at the moment.

Zhou Xin's governing philosophy was almost identical to his own: "use virtue to educate the people and rule the world with propriety." Zhou Xin's act of abandoning Danyang for the people deeply moved him, making him regard him as a rare confidant.

In his heart, Zhou Xin was like a ray of light, illuminating his way forward and allowing him to see what benevolent governance was.

But now, the light has disappeared!
Wang Lang, like a grouchy, abandoned woman, yelled at Shang Sheng, who was standing below him, "Send someone to check immediately! See if there are any more members of the Zhou clan in Shanyin. Arrest them immediately! Arrest them!"

"Yes!" Shang Sheng said tremblingly, "Master, you have just recovered. Please don't be angry."

Wang Lang acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He took two breaths, and then a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He asked grimly, "What's the current situation with Zhong Xiang's people?"

Shang Sheng quickly said, "There's been no activity from the Yu clan, and their members are still the same as before."

Wang Lang thought for a moment and said worriedly, "Send someone to keep a close eye on the Yu family. If there's any unusual movement, report it to me immediately!"

He turned his gaze to Xu Jing and said with a somewhat complaining tone, "Wen Xiu, why didn't you bring Daming and Zhongxiang back with you that day?"

Xu Jing complained, "Your Majesty, I have done my best. I nearly knelt before Yan Yi and begged him to release them. But that fellow, obsessed with money, insisted on a ransom of 100 million coins per person. If I had to pay such a huge ransom, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to raise enough money for next year's spring planting. I have no choice but to offer the two Pinghai ships in exchange for Lord Shang. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can send someone to Qiantang to redeem Lord Yu."

Shang Sheng couldn't help but cast a grateful glance at Xu Jing upon hearing this, secretly feeling that Xu Jun was still reliable at the critical moment! He was even willing to bear the blame for selling Ping Hai in order to redeem me.

He faced Wang Lang, knelt on the ground with a thud, and kowtowed, saying, "Lord, this incident is all due to my defeat and capture. It has nothing to do with Lord Xu. If you wish to punish someone, please punish me alone!"

Wang Lang sighed and said, "I know Wen Xiang has done his best. I don't blame him. You can get up first."

He has always looked down on military affairs and has little concept of technological monopoly. Although he was a little angry about Xu Jing using Pinghai to exchange for Shang Sheng, he cared more about redeeming Shang Sheng.

If none of the three were redeemed, not only would it be difficult to appease the people, but his reputation would also be damaged.

Thinking of Xu Jing's exorbitant demand for 100 million yuan, Wang Lang felt a surge of anger rising from his head. He said hatefully, "This boy always puts profit first and is greedy by nature. The world is truly in decline and there is no kindness or righteousness left!"

Xu Jing glanced at Wang Lang and said indignantly, "Your Excellency is absolutely right. If such people are allowed to run rampant in the world, it will be a misfortune for the world. In my opinion, we should take advantage of Wu Jing's attack on Wucheng to raise a large army to attack Qiantang. With the manpower of Kuaiji, we can recruit tens of thousands of men in a short time. Once the entire army is assembled, we can advance by land and sea and take Qiantang with lightning speed. We can decide the outcome in one battle!"

Wang Lang was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "The autumn harvest is approaching. How can I allow the people to suffer further inflicted by war? Let's put this matter aside for now and discuss it later. Wen Xiang, you've just been appointed Gongcao and are very busy. I'm considering sending Yuan Jin back to Qiantang to try to redeem Zhongxiang. What do you think?"

Yuan Jin was referring to Wu Xiu, the chief clerk of Kuaiji, who was Wang Lang's confidant.

"Your Excellency is considerate of the people's efforts. You are truly a benevolent ruler." Xu Jing said respectfully, "Yuan Jin possesses the talent of Su and Zhang, ten times greater than mine. He is fully capable of shouldering this important responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lang showed a satisfied smile on his face.

After Zhou's defection, rescuing Yu Fan became urgent. If Yu Fan abandoned him again, he would lose all face.

(End of this chapter)