The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 256 The Pirate Empire Kills Chickens and Scares Monkeys

The Yue Navy took advantage of it. Their ships were not only fast but also strong. They were all made of hard wood and fixed with iron nails. Iron cores were embedded in important parts such as the keel.Don't underestimate the role of iron nails. Huge iron nails fasten the thick wooden planks tightly together. Compared with those warships that rely on binding technology, their strength is not the same.The appearance of the reinforced keel is of great help to the head-on impact. The reinforced keel bears the main impact force instead of relying on overlapping ship planks to withstand the impact, making the navy of the Yue Kingdom more aggressive and powerful. Be fearless.

At this time, the effects of Sun Shao's establishment of Zhuya College and the establishment of two shipyards by Sheng Zhou came to the fore.Zhuya College has a team specializing in shipbuilding technology, led by Ge Heng, with more than 50 literate scholars and experienced shipbuilding engineers, and more than 100 seventeen-year-olds trained by Ge Heng. Eight-year-old young people, their task is to figure out how to improve the performance of the ship. Some of them specialize in anti-wind and wave performance, some specialize in speed improvement, and some specialize in combat performance. Turn ideas into model ships and experiment in the lab.

Zhuya Academy has a relatively satisfactory design, and will transfer to several shipyards for trial production. For warships, the trial production will be carried out at Nanhai Shipyard and Houguan Shipyard, and all costs will be borne by the government. The shipyards of the Zhou family and the Sheng family will carry out the work, and the cost will be shared between the public and the private. After the success, if the Zhou and Sheng families are willing to pay, and after signing a confidentiality agreement, these designs will be transferred to them, and they will produce them under the supervision of the government. If it is not cost-effective, Houguan Shipyard and Nanhai Shipyard will take over and make a sample ship for trial voyage in order to further accumulate experience.

The annual expenditure of this branch accounts for one-third of the entire Daoshu Academy, which is basically equivalent to half of Nanhai County's annual tax revenue.Not only do they spend a lot of money on trial production, but their salaries are also very high. In addition to the salary fixed according to the level of the Daoshu Academy, they have a generous dividend, which is linked to their technical ability and performance. Whose design invention is adopted more , The more you contribute, the more money you get.

The reinforced keel was made by general craftsman Ge Heng, and the continuous crossbow was made by Fufeng craftsman Ma Jun. They enjoyed enviable treatment because of the adoption of these two technologies. The keel is widely used, whether it is a merchant ship or Warships can be used, so Ge ​​Heng's annual benefits have already exceeded the prime minister's salary. Although the use of Liannu is smaller, it is of great significance because it is for military use, so Ma Jun has too much money now. Calculate.

They are well-known millionaires in Taoism Academy, a model of getting rich with their own wisdom.With their example, the shipbuilding technology of the Yue Kingdom has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years, and it has become a well-deserved leader in the Han Kingdom. Although Funan Kingdom can dominate the South China Sea, the gap between them and the Yue Kingdom Navy is not twice a year. year.In fact, let alone the Yue State Navy, even the technical level of the Wu State Yangtze River Navy is not comparable to that of the Funan Navy. The technical level of the Dahan Navy represented by the Wu State Navy has always been at the forefront of its contemporaries.

In the face of such a technological gap, it is not surprising that Fan Jinsheng's plan to win by taking advantage of numbers went bankrupt.

Cui Qian had the deepest understanding of Sun Shao's tactical theory of capturing the thief first and capturing the king first. He aimed at Fan Jinsheng's warship from the very beginning. Fan Jinsheng was famous for his bravery and liked to charge forward in every battle. It's pirates, or those warships of small countries that are not much stronger than pirates-they don't even deserve the name of sailors, but they are just commonly used merchant ships with some soldiers with weapons standing on them, so the battle situation is often one-sided, and the generals rush to kill In the front, on the one hand, it can boost morale, and on the other hand, it can build meritorious service. Fan Jinsheng's numerous military exploits are accumulated in this way.

But this time, he kicked the steel plate and became Cui Qian's first target.Although Cui Qian was fierce, he was not reckless. He also cherished the lives of his subordinates, and the sooner he captured Fan Jinsheng and destroyed the command system of the Funan Navy, the sooner the battle could be resolved and casualties reduced.It was precisely based on this idea that Cui Qian aimed at Fan Jinsheng when he started it. Although Fan Jinsheng was timid and wanted to drive this huge warship, he still did not escape Cui Qian's clutches. He suffered a severe blow and lost the ability to move.

The rest was about the three warships hidden behind the building boat. These warships, led by Cui Yan, surrounded Fan Jinsheng like three hungry wolves.Fan Jinsheng struggled to death, managed to stand still, brandished his saber, shouted loudly, and commanded the soldiers on board to organize and counterattack. If he could snatch a warship from the Yue State Navy, he still had a chance.

The crossbowmen rushed to the broken side, and shot desperately at the Yue navy who surrounded them, while the warriors with swords and shields stood ready, waiting for the two sides to approach, and jumped over the boat to fight. Fan Jinsheng himself Standing behind these sword and shield hands, ready to board the ship as soon as possible.

Cui Yan was not stupid either. He ordered the three warships to point their bows at Fan Jinsheng's ship and shoot continuously with the powerful crossbows on the bows.This is the continuous crossbow transformed by Ma Jun. The continuous crossbow has changed the problem of having to wait for the string to be wound up before shooting again after each shot. He stretched out his bulging muscles, turned the reel fast, and focused all his attention on winding the string. One soldier just adjusted the direction and focused on shooting, and the other soldier was responsible for stuffing boxes of arrows into the upper arrow holes. The crossbow bolts in the box are all pre-loaded. These improvements have greatly increased the shooting speed of the crossbow bolts. On average, one or two arrows can be shot per breath. One continuous crossbow is worth five or six old-style strong crossbows.

Fan Jinsheng's broken flagship was quickly paralyzed under the attack of three continuous crossbows, and the soldiers who couldn't escape were shot by the powerful crossbow arrows, and the screams were utterly heard.Fan Jinsheng had quick eyes and quick hands. When he saw the arrow rain, his first reaction was to hide in the cockpit. However, his personal guards were not so lucky. They quickly lost their combat effectiveness in the face of the attack from the Liannu.Although they held shields in their hands, these shields were still sloppy against ordinary bows and hand-held crossbows. Against the short-range shooting of this five-six crossbow, it was basically just psychological comfort.

The Funan navy used to deal with pirates or natives. They had never dealt with this kind of formal navy armed to the teeth. They followed them for half a month. Psychologically, they did not pay much attention to the Yue navy. Suddenly being hit with such high quality is a disaster for them.

Fan Jinsheng huddled in the cabin, watching the bulkhead being pierced by the crossbow arrows one after another, becoming like a hedgehog, listening to the screams outside, he was stunned, beads of sweat the size of beans slipped from his forehead, his hands and feet Cold, all ambition smashed to pieces.

The sound of the crossbow shooting disappeared at some point, and the cabin that had been shot into tatters was violently kicked open. A dozen triumphant Yue soldiers stood in front of him, laughing ferociously.Fan Jinsheng trembled and fell on the ground, his body was like sifting chaff.

"Take it!" Cui Yan hugged her arms, swayed her paws, looked down at Fan Jinsheng, her cheeks trembling with joy, taking down Fan Jinsheng, no matter what, she would not be able to get the title of a miscellaneous general, and it was expected that she would be promoted to three ranks In the matter, his family is still his own family, such a big credit, Cui Qian took care of him.

The Funan Navy, which was dizzy by the first wave of attacks by the Yue Kingdom Navy, saw the danger on the flagship, and all of them were scared out of their wits. If Fan Jinsheng was captured, even if they broke out, they would die.After being shocked, they all surrounded here regardless of their own danger.Cui Yan, who was proud of herself, was startled, and ordered someone to pick up Fan Jinsheng and jump on her warship, and then ordered to break through.The three warships walked side by side, and the three crossbows roared, pouring deadly sharp arrows on the heads of the Funan navy who rushed over.The two ships of the Funan navy were the fastest, rushed in front of them, and were about to block their way, but they were first hit by a rain of arrows, causing countless casualties, and then they were hit by the arrogant Yue warship.

"Bah!"

A Funan warship directly opposite groaned twice, the bow of the ship was knocked open a big hole, and the sea surged in. The soldiers on the ship didn't bother to attack Cui Yan and the others who passed by, some screamed and went Blocking the hole, some threw their weapons in despair, jumped into the sea with a plop, and swam desperately to the shore.

Cui Yan laughed wildly, and ordered two burly soldiers to hold the dejected Fan Jinsheng in front of him. Another Funan warship, braving the rain of arrows, had just rushed to the front, and the crossbowman was about to shoot. Trembling with fright, the long arrow shot out of the string and hit the half-dead Fan Jinsheng's thigh. Fan Jinsheng let out a cry of pain. The human shields are the generals of their own side, and they are all dumbfounded.

They were stupid, and the Yue State Navy was not stupid. They jumped on the boat, swung their knives and slashed wildly, killing all the soldiers with weapons, and then jumped back to their own boat with satisfaction.These soldiers are equipped with well-equipped swords and shields, and wear solid half-body armor. Unlike the Funan Navy, which is half-cultivated and half-battled, they do not farm. Their tasks throughout the year are not only combat but also training. Funan soldiers who are not as strong as their opponents are not like killing chickens.

Holding Fan Jinsheng, Cui Yan swaggered past the Funan navy with three warships. Those Funan warships were hot on their heels, but their speed was not comparable to that of the Vietnam warships. The strength of breastfeeding can't shorten the distance between them. Second, he is concerned about Fan Jinsheng's life. He holds a bow and crossbow but dare not shoot randomly. For a while, he is extremely aggrieved. More than a dozen warships follow Cui Yan, but they can only watch helplessly. Looking at Cui Yan's flamboyant back, he also had to guard against Liannu's attack.

When Cui Yan was playing happily, Cui Qian was also high-spirited. He commanded the Lou Chuan to take the lead and galloped in the formation of the Funan Navy. Every time the ship was shot down, it either knocked the Funan warship to the side, capsized and disintegrated, or hit water piles soaring into the sky, and rushed to kill at least three Funan warships by him. The hull of the boat was flooded by him, and there were countless people who were knocked over by him and couldn't take care of themselves.

More than 20 medium-sized warships followed behind the building boats, killing those distressed Funan navy divisions. When encountering those warships that were still fighting and trying to restore their combat status, they rushed up in groups of threes and twos. There was a shower of arrows, and then he jumped up and slashed and slashed.The standard configuration of the Funan Navy is 100 warships per day, one commander, one helmsman, one drummer, 67 paddlers, and 30 fighters. There are some shortages on each ship, most of which are twenty Soldiers left and right, these 20 people have to face the rapid shooting of Liannu first, and then they have to face the slashing and killing of the wolf-like navy of Yue State. Although they are also very brave, they are different in terms of equipment and training level far.What's more terrible is that although the number of warships of the Yue State Navy is at a disadvantage, they rely on their own speed. In every local battlefield, they use more to bully the less, usually at least two warships against a Funan Warships, one ship shoots, and the other ship prepares to jump into hand-to-hand combat. Once the battle is not going well, that one will follow, bullying the few with more.

The Funan Marine Division was beaten and retreated steadily, unable to fight back.

Cui Qian rushed all the way, and quickly broke through the battle formation of the Funan Navy. While ordering the building to turn, he glanced at the battlefield behind him, showing a smug smile.Right here, the watchman on the watchtower shouted loudly: "General, General Zhuge and General Wei request to join the battle!"

Cui Qian didn't look back: "Let them guard the exit and run away a Funan monkey. I take them as a question. They don't need to come here."

"Here." The flag soldiers quickly waved the colored flags and sent out Cui Qian's order.After a while, the lookout shouted again: "General, the latter general requests to join the battle!"

"Fuck your mother, didn't I give an order to let them guard." Cui Qian, who was observing the battlefield, became angry and cursed.

"General...general, it's the rear general." The watchman was startled and said nervously.

Cui Qian was stunned for a moment, then realized that he had arrived across the sea.He can command Zhuge Zhi and Wei Wen, but he has no right to command Yue Hai, but at this moment, he doesn't care so much, he just thinks a little and shouts loudly: "Let him also guard."

"General, this is the post-general!" Ling Banner reminded kindly.

"Don't care what the general is, even if the king comes, let him guard." Cui Qian became angry, and kicked on the pillar of the watchtower, shaking the watchtower, knocking the lookout soldiers and The flag soldier turned pale with fright: "Send the order! If you talk nonsense again, I will kill you alive."

The flag soldiers dared not say any more, and sent out the order as required.

The Lou Chuan drew a white arc across the sea, turned around, and rushed towards the Funan Navy, whose formation had been disrupted.

Yue Hai looked at the semaphore from Cui Qianlou's boat, and spit out: "This reminder sign, you actually have to eat alone, and the eight thousand Funan navy masters didn't give me a little bit, so why did I come all the way here just to see it?" How does he have a big meal?" However, even though he said that, he still guarded the exit of Jin'ou Island with Zhuge Zhi and Wei Wen honestly, not letting a Funan Navy master slip through the net.Although he was dissatisfied with Cui Qian's eating alone, he believed that since Cui Qian dared to say that, he must be sure of it, and he couldn't just cause a dispute because of the meritorious service.

He thought so, and Zhuge Zhi and Wei Wen didn't dare to disagree. As a result, when Cui Qian's more than 3000 sailors were fighting with [-] Funan sailors, nearly [-] Yue Kingdom sailors were watching the battle.Of course they were very aggrieved, but the pirates couldn't see their aggrievedness. What the pirates saw was the arrogance and strength of Yue's navy.In war, of course, the most exciting thing is to bully the few with the more. Cui Qian clearly does not have the advantage in numbers, and there is no way to be blocked here, so he can only fight hard. Now that reinforcements are here, there is no reason not to step forward to help ?But they clearly saw the Yue State Navy watching the fun. If Cui Qian hadn't beaten the Funan Navy to the brim, they almost thought that the generals of the Yue State Navy were at odds.

But now they understand that Cui Qian has the confidence to speak big words. With the 3000 men in his hand, he defeated the Eight Thousand Funan Navy Division, and it was a complete victory, so why do you need reinforcements?Let them guard the exit and prevent a Funan warship from escaping. This is the best choice.

Eight thousand Funan naval forces were wiped out in World War I. Although the pirates had seen the result, they still couldn't believe it. Thinking of Cui Qian's expression before the battle, they all felt murderous.Cui Qian is not a humble gentleman, he is also a pirate who licks blood with his blade, and pirates are no strangers to how to deal with betrayed people.

Daotiao's face was pale, he was trying hard to recall every word he said, every look in his eyes, whether there was something that would make people guess that he had a different intention.The one-eyed eagle's one-eyed twitched like a bead, and a smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. At that time, he dared to fight. Cui Qian could doubt anyone, but he would not doubt him.Of course, he is indeed the most "loyal" to Cui Qian among these pirates, and he will be even more loyal to Cui Qian in the future-after this battle, there is no doubt that the Yue State Navy will dominate the sea.

When night fell, the hustle and bustle of Jin'ou Island quieted down, eight thousand Funan naval forces were wiped out, and all one hundred and three warships and 73 supply ships fell into the hands of Cui Qian, except for the ten who had been beaten into planks. Three warships and 51 seriously damaged warships, Cui Qian seized a total of 39 basically intact warships, 530 people of the Funan Navy killed 180 people, seriously injured 700 people, and the rest He was captured alive together with the main general Fan Jinsheng.

This battle is brilliant.

Cui Qian then went to sea in person and invited the later general to enter the camp across the sea.As soon as they met, Cui Qian laughed loudly and said, "Old Yue, why are you here?"

"Your Majesty is afraid that you may make a mistake." Yue Hai said with a faint smile, stepped forward and bowed his hands to Cui Qian, "Sent me from a long distance to come for reinforcements, but now it seems that Your Majesty underestimated the ability of his General Zuo."

"Oh, Lao Yue, you are not being kind. If it reaches the king's ears, even if the king doesn't blame me, those servants don't have to drown me with the impeachment memorial?" Cui Qian squeezed his eyes and said affectionately. Holding Yue Hai's hand: "How about I invite you to drink your favorite Daqin wine?"

"You want to bribe me?" Yue Hai rolled his eyes and said, "You are awesome, let me watch the enemy's formation for you? Is it easy for me to come here from such a long distance? Your grandma eats meat, so you have to leave me a mouthful of soup. It’s good for you to eat it all by yourself. You only worry about Shi Yushi? Believe it or not, I will write a memorial to impeach you right away.”

"Hahaha..." Cui Qian felt relieved when he saw Yue Hai swearing.He put his arms around Yue Hai's shoulders, and shook vigorously: "When will your brother learn to be like us pirates? It's a good idea. Lao Yue, let me tell you, I don't want to eat alone, I have a reason. "

"The reason for your grandma is that she wants to eat alone." Yue Hai scolded angrily with a face full of tigers.

"Wrong." Cui Qian withdrew his smile, lowered his voice, looked at the pirates in the distance who were shorter than usual, and said, "You know, we only have [-] sailors, but from here to In South China, there are [-] to [-] pirates, large and small, overt or covert. If we can’t defeat the many with less and cleanly kill the Funan Navy, will we be able to keep them down? This battle is not only about annihilating Funan Sailors, you need to be refreshed, not only to surprise old man Fan Man, but more importantly, to break the courage of these pirates. Only in this way, they can follow us obediently, even if it is me They dare not underestimate a ship of the Yue State Navy."

"Whatever you say makes sense." Yue Hai is a smart man, and he understood Cui Qian's intention as soon as he heard it. He was beating someone from the Funan Navy, but his real intention was to shock the hearts of the pirates. Cui Qian said so Do it right. "In that case, I will be corrupt. How are you going to bribe me?"

"Hahaha..." Cui Qian laughed loudly: "It's really not easy. You are not greedy for money, and you are not lecherous. I can only give you some wine from Xiyi. It's reserved just for you."

"Fart, I still want to deceive Lao Tzu." Yue Hai couldn't help laughing: "You think I don't know, you don't like wine at all. In this case, I will do you a favor and empty your wine cellar later , make room for the wine."

"You idiot, do you want to rob?" Cui Qian pretended to be angry.

"I don't want to?" Yue Hai frowned, "Oh, I planned to help you cover up one thing or two, so it's just me being sentimental."

"Don't—ah!" Cui Qian begged immediately after hearing this: "You are about to rely on my brother's wonderful pen, how can you abandon my brother and me?"

"That depends on how you behave." Yue Hai flicked Cui Qian's hand away, and let out a dark smile.Cui Qian's face suddenly turned bitter.

……

Lin Yi, Shi Bao walked into Fan Xun's room slowly, looked up at Fan Xun who was learning to write Chinese characters, and said with a wry smile: "Brother Zhong Rong, you don't have to come to me every day to make a solemn statement. , Protest strongly? I have said it all, the news has been sent back to Temucheng, but the reply has not yet arrived, it is estimated..."

Shi Bao raised his hand and interrupted Fan Xun's words: "I'm not here today to strongly protest, I'm here to make a solemn statement."

Fan Xun shook his head, thinking, is there any difference?

"On behalf of our Yue State, I solemnly declare that in view of Funan Navy's pressing and continuous provocations, our Yue State Navy has fought back vigorously, and has wiped out your [-] Funan Navy and captured the leader Fan Jinsheng alive."

Before Shi Bao finished speaking, the writing brush in Fan Xun's hand had dropped on the desk, and the ink quickly stained a large piece, and even Fan Xun's sleeve was blackened.Fan Xun stood up slowly, his face was pale, and he said word by word: "What did you say?"

(End of this chapter)