A line of ships, large and small, moved slowly in the Han River. The flags on the bows of the ships and the big Chinese character Cai were trembling in the wind.
Cai Mao was sitting in the royal chamber, casting his dark gaze to the north through the porthole. Cai Mao was going to lead Cai's soldiers, bypassing Xiangyang, and ambush in the Bishui area, waiting for the opportunity to come.
In Cai Mao's plan, Jiangling was a huge colosseum, specially used for Cao Cao and Sun Quan to fight.
For Sun Quan, Jiangling has naturally been wanted for many years. Similarly, for Cao Cao, Jiangling will not be allowed to fall into Sun Quan's hands so easily.
Therefore, under this premise, Cai Mao's plan can be regarded as a model.
According to Cai Mao's knowledge, Lei Bo defected to Cao Cao and gathered knights and thieves in Yunmengze. Therefore, when Lei Bo attacked Jiangling, Cai Mao used internal forces to cooperate and caused Jiangling to fall.
Once Jiangling falls, Xiangyang will be shaken. Even if Liu Biao refuses to send troops to rescue Jiangling, there will be no good results. This will inevitably cause the Jiangling faction headed by Kuai to be extremely dissatisfied. When the time comes, Cai Mao joins Cao's army and approaches the gates of Xiangyang City, instigating Xiangyang City.
To rebel, the old thief Liu Biao was alienated from both inside and outside. Even though he had great power, he could not hold on for a few days!
If this is all, Cai Mao cannot guarantee that he can still secure most of the interests in Xiangyang, north of Jing Dynasty, under Cao Cao's rule. Very simply, if Xiangyang and Jiangling are both controlled by Cao Cao, it means that Cai's use will be of little use.
…
On the other hand, Cai Mao also seduced Sun Quan to march into Jiangling. Of course, using seduction may be inappropriate. Cai Mao just "happened" to let Sun Quan know that Jiangling was going to change drastically at the right time. Faced with the temptation of Jiangling,
, Sun Quan is also very likely to be willing to send troops to test, and then Jiangling City is first besieged by Zhou Yu and then attacked by Lei Bo. As Zhang Yunzhi can predict, it will be difficult to defend. There is an 80 to 90% chance that Jiangling will eventually fall.
Fall into the hands of Sun Quan!
Cao Jun would certainly not watch Jiangling being occupied by Sun Quan, so it was only natural that he would continue to send troops to attack Jiangling in order to expel Sun Quan's forces from the Jingzhou area.
In this way, Cai Mao not only dealt with Liu Biao and his son, but also led Cao Cao and Sun Quan to fight in the Jiangling area, showing his importance and having more time to integrate the Xiangyang area in northern Jingbei, and at the same time, he also attacked the Jiangling area.
The Kuai family, which has always been at odds with him, can be said to have accomplished multiple things with one stone.
It's a pity that the Cavalry General seems unwilling to move, otherwise, there will be follow-up calculations...
Cai Mao took a deep breath. The cool breeze blowing on the water was somewhat comfortable.
The technology of the building ships in the Han Dynasty was already very mature. There were multi-layered superstructures on the decks and cabins under the deck for the oars. The soldiers on the decks of the building ships held swords and engaged the enemy at hand-to-hand combat.
War. There is a half-height parapet on the side of the ship to protect it from enemy arrows.
Within the parapet on the deck, a second-story building, called a hut, was set up. There were also parapets around the hut. The soldiers on the hut held spears to assist the soldiers on the first floor in engaging in boarding battles.
There is a third-story building above the hut, called the flying hut, which usually uses crossbowmen to provide long-distance firepower.
The highest level is the royal cabin, which is equivalent to the driving room and command room of a modern ship.
People always like to go to higher places, so the highest noble room naturally belongs to Cai Mao's space.
If you want to reap the benefits, there are naturally risks...
The building boat that Cai Mao is currently riding on and some of the surrounding ships were secretly built by the Cai family in Caizhou, and they are also important tools used to transfer Cai family personnel.
Caizhou has water on three sides and land on one side, so once it is blocked on land, it will be difficult to escape, so it is better to take the waterway. Of course, Jingzhou also has naval forces, but Jingzhou's naval forces are used to defend Jiangdong. If
It is said that Liu Biao dared to really use the navy. Haha, whether he can catch up is another matter. Just because these Jingzhou navy left the water stronghold, the Jiangdong navy will definitely take advantage of the opportunity and attack on land and water.
How can Liu Biao keep guard?
If Liu Biao just used some fast ships to catch up, with the combat power of Cai's building ships, he would not be afraid at all. He would not even need to fight consecutively. He could directly crush them and crush those ships to pieces. What's more, Liu Biao
I definitely don’t feel confident about sending Gan Ning out. After all, if Gan Ning stays away from Xiangyang and Wenpin makes some moves, Liu Biao, Liu Cong and the younger one will definitely not be able to control him!
Gan Ning could only stay in Xiangyang and check and balance with Wenpin so that Liu Biao would feel at ease. Therefore, Cai Mao, who was in the building and ship, felt that he should be quite safe and there would be no pursuers coming to kill him.
However, it is also possible that northern Jingzhou will also be infected with the flames of war and Xiangyang will be destroyed...
Cai Mao does not deny this.
But for Cai Mao, Jingzhou was originally the foundation of the Cai family, and Liu Biao was just an outsider. Even Cai Mao married his girl to Liu Biao and supported Liu Biao all the way to a high position. But now Liu Biao dislikes the Cai family and comes to suppress him, even
Still thinking about uprooting the Cai family, how can Cai Mao swallow his breath?
No matter how much help he provided to Liu Biao before, Cai Hao now hates it. When the Liu family and Cai family cooperated before, Cai Hao rarely calculated what Cai family provided, but now when the Liu and Cai families begin to break up, watching
Those lists that were pulled out one after another made Cai Hao's heart burn with anger, which was difficult to suppress.
Liu Biao, Liu Jingsheng, damn old man!
It was difficult for Cai Mao to tell whether his anger towards Liu Biao was really because he was not getting the rewards he deserved for his efforts, or whether it was because he had been deprived of his power...
There are some things that you don't care about when you have them, but when you lose them, you will be filled with hatred, regret, and unreasonable anger, and then you will eventually find an excuse for yourself to vent your anger.
All because of Liu Biao!
all of them……
"Report! Someone is found on the mountain bank!!" Cai's soldiers on the mast who were on the lookout shouted loudly.
After hearing this, Cai Mao turned out of the palace and asked, "Where are you?"
Cai Hao looked in the direction pointed by the soldiers on the mast, and indeed saw some flags and figures on the cliffs on the shore in the distance, and his heart jumped.
There should be no Liu Biao soldiers stationed at this place, so why did so many people suddenly come out?
As we got closer, the flags of the generals on the cliff were gradually identifiable. On the white background with red edges were black characters, Liu.
"Liu? Who could it be?" Cai Hao thought in his mind, obviously it couldn't be Liu Biao and Liu Cong, and then a name popped up, "Liu Pan?"
"Master, what should I do? Do you want to stop the boat?" Cai Mao's men asked.
Cai Hao looked at the cliff in the distance, and then snorted, "Send the order! The boat goes first and check if there are any iron chains blocking the river under the water! Turn the ship's rudder! Slow down! Stay away from the side of the cliff!" If Gan Ning really comes after him,
Cai Mao will still be a little scared and worried, just Liu Pan, hum...
Following Cai Mao's order, the Cai family boat following the building accelerated forward, grabbed the lead, and then stretched out a long hook from the side of the ship to the water. If there was an iron chain sinking in the water, it would be hooked.
The pole is pulled up, and a giant ax is also equipped on the stern, specially used to deal with this kind of iron chain blocking the river.
Iron chains are generally made of cast iron, and the quality is naturally not as good as steel. Of course, in the Han Dynasty, no one was willing to use steel to make iron chains, including the guy who spent money...
Therefore, such river-blocking iron chains, let alone giant axes, may break if they block more ships and exert too much effort. Therefore, most of the time, river-blocking iron chains are placed in three or four intervals.
Completely blocked, but used to delay and destroy the opponent's ship formation.
Sure enough, Cai's cockroach hooked up an iron chain, then immediately stopped at the edge of the iron chain and began to destroy it.
Liu's soldiers on the cliff began to shoot with crossbows. Although they also shot down some Cai's soldiers on the stern, the wind on the water made the arrows float easily, and a shield was erected on the other stern to cover it.
Most of the vital points were blocked, so although some of Cai's soldiers were shot and fell into the river, there was no way to completely prevent them from destroying the iron chain blocking the river.
"Haha..." Cai Hao looked at it and sneered, "Sure enough, this is the trick..."
Because the iron chain blocking the river in front had not yet been completely removed, Cai Mao's building boat also began to slow down. The oar was extended from the cabin, fighting against the current, and stopped outside the boundary of the cliff.
Obviously, once all the iron chains blocking the river are destroyed, you can naturally go down the river. So what if Liu Pan on the cliff occupies a favorable location? Of course Cai Mao can't hit Liu Pan, and Liu Pan can't hit Cai Hao either.
.
The two sides seemed to be at a stalemate.
On a slope on the shore, dozens of Liu's soldiers were busy, and beside these soldiers were three crossbow carts that had been set up. This kind of crossbow was originally used for defense at the head of Xiangyang City.
I don’t know when the cart was dismantled and transported here. Not far behind the ballista, you can see more than a dozen jars and jars.
In the crossbow cart, a huge spear-like crossbow has been placed in the arrow trough. At the tail of the huge spear crossbow, there is also a long hemp rope, which is stacked on top of the crossbow like a coiled snake.
Beside the car.
On the cliff, it is naturally far away from the Cai Mao Tower boat, but here, it is much closer.
Crossbow carts are not a rare thing. The main reason is that they are expensive. The other reason is that the spare parts are easy to break and often require maintenance. The slow rate of fire is also a problem, so generally crossbow carts are used to defend the city. Even if you want to
To hit the target, it is also required that the target is relatively large and not fast, and now, Cai Hao's building ships just meet this requirement.
The rumble of war drums sounded over the cliff. Cai Hao was startled at first. He subconsciously looked up and saw only some red flags waving, with no other changes. While he was doubting, he suddenly heard the startled screams of his men.
Screaming: "No! Ballista! It's a ballista!"
The branches and other things that originally covered the firing range of the ballistae had been moved away amidst the sound of drums, exposing the sharp and barbed spear crossbow arrows. Immediately following the orders, the three ballistae vehicles were launched one after another.
Launched!
The spear and the hemp rope were drawn long across the water!
Under such circumstances, the accuracy cannot be guaranteed to be precise, but the cross-sectional area of Cai Mao's ship is too large, so all three crossbow arrows pierced the hull of the ship, one was lower and two were higher.
Some.
The huge crossbow bolt pierced the hull of the ship, sending sawdust flying across the board, making a heartbreaking sound. Cai Jun's soldiers on the ship felt as if their bones were rubbing against each other, and they couldn't help but feel frightened. Fortunately, it was the hull of the ship that was hit.
, otherwise with just the wooden shield in this hand, in front of such a huge crossbow arrow, wouldn't it be almost like paper?
"Quick! Cut the rope!" Cai Mao shouted loudly.
Whether you want to drag the building ship over, or pull the building ship to tilt and capsize, you must pass these ropes, so Cai Mao, who has sufficient experience in water warfare, immediately issued the order.
There were ropes attached to the back of those spear-like crossbow bolts. After they were shot into the building, they were quickly stretched straight. Then, black shadows quickly slid down the ropes from the high slope on the opposite bank.
, then getting faster and faster, and then with a "pop" sound, it hit the side plate of the building ship and was smashed to pieces!
"Cut the rope! That's kerosene!" Cai Mao's voice became shrill and shrill, "Bring the sand and earth! Quickly bring the sand and earth to extinguish the oil fire!"
Because the earthen jars that hit along the rope contained kerosene, which is often seen in city defenses! As the earthen jars burst, the kerosene splashed everywhere, and most of it was stained on the building ships, and a small amount fell on it.
In the river, different colors appear!
Crossbow bolts were projected one after another, and then ropes were connected one after another. The sound of crackling earthen jars was like the grin of death. With the subsequent rockets projected, some kerosene was ignited, and then quickly
began to spread.
Thick smoke is billowing and flames are blazing!
In the inland river, the building boat is like an overlord-level existence. Ordinary small boats and sterns cannot compete with the building boat. However, no matter how powerful the building boat is, it is also made of wood. As the kerosene becomes more and more contaminated,
In the end, even the surface of the water began to burn. Although the ropes on the crossbow bolts were also burned, the entire ship had turned into a huge torch, and then the oarsmen in the cabin also fled one after another, without their oars.
The building boat held by his hands went down the river and collided with Cai's stern in front of the building boat, which was then crushed and cracked.
When Cai's soldiers were panicking, although Cai Mao's order was correct, it had little effect. One was that the Cai's soldiers on the building ship had not entered combat status at all, and the other was that although there was sand and soil on the ship, it was not available everywhere.
Yes, the fire was so fast that it was too late...
The sails on the building boat were quickly ignited by sparks and flames, and then burned over a larger area. The raging fire swallowed half of the building boat. Under the billowing black smoke, Cai Mao was choked and coughed repeatedly, and he couldn't speak.
It's not easy to ask for help, let alone give orders.
Some of Cai's soldiers were so uncomfortable from the smoke that they were knocked off the building ship, but they were transferred into the sea of fire and had to get under the water, but the armor on their bodies dragged the soldiers' movements. Some escaped from the flames, but
There are also many that have sunk into the water forever.
For Cai Hao, if it were a head-on confrontation, Liu Pan was not a threat at all. Even if it was a non-water battle and he went ashore to fight in formation, Cai Hao would have a certain advantage. However, now, he is at a disadvantage and even in danger.
Instead, he became Cai Mao.
Although the flames were raging, it was not possible to burn the building and ship to ashes in an instant. Under such circumstances, some of Cai's soldiers were dumbfounded and panicked, while other Cai's soldiers who reacted faster launched their weapons.
In order to save themselves, without waiting for Cai Mao to issue any specific orders, he immediately rowed the warship and quickly approached Cai Mao's tower ship. More than a dozen warships surrounded it, some used wet mud to attack the kerosene flames on the tower ship, and some used wet mud to attack the kerosene flames on the tower ship.
Then he rushed to the other side and pulled his fallen companions onto his boat.
There was chaos on the water surface for a while, and then they formed a mess, and they got stuck on the iron rope at the bottom of the cliff. They collided with each other, and even a boat was knocked over directly. The Cai family on the boat looked like dumplings thrown randomly into the pot.
Splashing water, floating and rolling in the fire and water.
Liu Pan on the cliff gave a loud order, and all the crossbowmen stood on the edge of the cliff, shooting downwards desperately. Waves of arrows and crossbow bolts flew out, trying to shoot at the huddled Cai fleet.
.
Cai's soldiers were busy rescuing the people on the boat. Although warships rushed up to protect them, they were still caught off guard by the arrows. People kept being shot and fell into the water, causing blood-red splashes. Cai's soldiers were trying to save them.
While rescuing people and putting out the fire, there was no way to defend against attacks from above the cliff. With support from both sides, he looked in dire straits.
Originally, in water battles, the strongest attack power was the tower ship. Not only because the tower ship was large and could directly collide with and crush the opponent, but also because there were more warriors on the tower ship, which could organize an effective attack. Ordinary battles
Although ships, such as sterns, are flexible and have soldiers, at least half of these soldiers are responsible for rowing. In fact, less than half, maybe even only one-third, of the soldiers can actually take up weapons to attack at any time. But now
, Cai's biggest advantage turned into a weakness. Although he had a huge body, he was unable to attack and could only be beaten passively.
Cai Mao was rescued on another boat. Looking at the building that he had spent so much effort, time and money to build, it became a huge torch, and his heart bleeds.
However, after all, Cai Mao had been immersed in the army for many years. He immediately ordered some warships to dock, go to suppress the opponent's ballista position and attack the cliff. At the same time, he ordered the ship to be abandoned, and sent people to disconnect the last two iron chains and rebuild them.
Open waterways.
The two sides fought together on the river bank.
The destructive power of the ballista is undoubtedly huge. These crossbow arrows, with their roar, often make a hole in the ship when they hit it, and a big hole in the human body when they hit it. If they happen to hit the bottom of the ship, they will even cause river water to pour into the cabin.
This is undoubtedly a huge disaster for a small ship without a watertight compartment, and may even cause the entire ship to lose its combat capability.
The crossbowmen on the cliff also brought huge trouble to Cai's soldiers. Almost every rain of arrows would lead to a decrease in Cai's soldiers, and every one of these Cai's soldiers died, one less, and they would not be able to gain anything in the short term.
In addition, it also means that it is even more difficult for Cai Mao to control the northern part of Jingzhou and to retake Xiangyang.
After landing on the shore, Cai's soldiers also showed their original strength and rushed into the ballista position. Although the ballista had a strong attack power, its rate of fire was slow. Once Cai's soldiers got close to it, it could not exert any power.
In the blink of an eye, Cai's soldiers killed Liu's soldiers, smashed the ballista, and set fire to it. Liu Pan, who was on the cliff, saw this and was not willing to fight. He took advantage of Cai's soldiers who could not climb up for a while.
