On the second day after Qin surrendered, Li Bing led the Bashu Army to Guanzhong. When he learned that the imperial court had surrendered, Li Bing was completely stunned and almost shouted, "I am about to fight to the death, why did your Majesty surrender first!"
After Li Mu and Lu Buwei sent people to talk to Li Bing, Li Bing could only hand over military power and accept Zhao's recruitment.
In September, Zhao Jun completely controlled Guanzhong. Li Mu ordered Pang Nuan and Le Cheng to divide their troops into two groups, go all the way south to take over the three counties of Bashu in Hanzhong, and attack the Jingxiang region of Chu from Wuguan Road.
At this time, the news that Zhao Kuo defeated Chen Ying, Lian Po defeated the Chu army, and killed the Chu general Jing Yang has spread to Guanzhong. It is no longer possible to form effective resistance in various parts of the Chu state, and most areas can still spread the word.
Zhao Jun only needed to quell a small number of resisting forces, maintain local order, avoid chaos, and wait for the imperial court to send officials to settle in.
On the other side, after the King of Chu learned that the frontline army was defeated, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood and fled to Jiangdong with the prince and his guards overnight.
Jianghuai could no longer be defended. Zhao State now only sent some infantry to defeat Chu's 300,000-strong army. When Zhao State freed up its hands from Qin State and sent out cavalry, the vast Jianghuai area would be even less likely to stop Zhao State.
Moreover, after the nobles of the Chu State learned that the front line was defeated, they all became young men and began to kneel down and lick the Zhao State. The Qu family, once one of the three major clans of the Chu State, even shamelessly defected to the Zhao State. I have forgotten Qu Yuan’s earnest teachings.
Perhaps it was precisely because of Qu Yuan's lesson that the Qu family understood the decay of Chu State better than other clans, so they surrendered to Zhao State without hesitation.
Fortunately, Chu State has been vigorously developing Jiangdong since more than ten years ago. Now the people in Jiangdong are prosperous, every family has surplus food, and the people are attached to it, and it has become the sub-center of Chu State.
What's more important is the natural danger of the Yangtze River.
Facing Zhao's cavalry, it seemed that only the wide Yangtze River could bring a sense of security to the King of Chu.
But he overlooked one thing: Zhao State also had a naval army.
To be precise, the Navy!
In fact, Zhao's navy has little combat experience. After so many years of being an army, the only few battles it has done have been on land...if fighting against the giant Kun and the waves are not counted...
This cannot be blamed on the navy. Before the advent of the great voyage, all countries in the world were land hegemons, and the Zhao navy could not encounter enemies at sea.
Except for the Maurya Dynasty, the Seleucid Kingdom, and the countries along the Mediterranean Sea, barbarians in other regions had only developed into the canoe age at this time.
Although theoretically, a canoe can also cross the Pacific Ocean by following the ocean current...
But that's just theory.
At least Yuan Hua has been sailing at sea for so many years and has never seen such a fierce man.
Not to mention crossing the Pacific Ocean and daring to paddle a canoe on the sea, Yuan Hua respected him as a man.
As for the Mauryan Dynasty, the Seleucid Kingdom, and the countries along the Mediterranean Sea, although they highlighted the skill of offshore navigation, they were mainly for trade and transporting troops and food. There was basically no navy in the country, and the focus was on land power.
The same applies to the State of Zhao.
There is no way, people live on land, not in the sea!
In fact, the strength of the Chu navy was not very good either.
The peak naval forces in the Central Plains during the pre-Qin period were Wu and Yue. After Chu destroyed Yue, although it obtained Yue's technology, it did not pay much attention to it.
During this period, the south was a barbaric land, and the Central Plains was the real essence.
If you want to go north to fight for hegemony, you need infantry and chariots, not warships.
Moreover, after the Yue State was destroyed, the Chu State had no enemies left in the south. There was no need to develop warships at all. With this money, it was better to build two chariots.
In comparison, at least Zhao's warships are the most advanced in the world, and their soldiers are all young and strong, much stronger than the old, weak, sick and disabled soldiers of the Chu army.
After Huang Xie arrived in Jiangdong, he first raised food and grass and recruited soldiers.
When they learned that Jingyang had died in battle and that the army had only escaped with less than 50,000 soldiers, it was too late to curse.
He quickly ordered the destruction of all shipyards north of the Yangtze River in Chu State, and brought all the craftsmen and built ships to Jiangdong.
The warships that were piled up at the dock and were about to rot were also pulled out and repaired overnight to increase their strength.
At the same time, they recruited naval forces aggressively and arranged for soldiers to patrol the Yangtze River day and night to prevent Zhao's army from crossing the river.
Then, while Huang Xie sent people to meet the King of Chu, he also sent envoys to Qi State in an attempt to gain a chance of survival.
At this time, all the armies of Zhao State were fighting on the front line, and the country was empty. As long as Qi State sent troops, they could reach Handan without any effort.
Then he was scolded by the King of Qi and expelled from the country.
Qi State can indeed attack Handan if it sends troops at this time, but when Zhao State withdraws its troops, Qi State will probably be the first to be destroyed.
When the time comes, will Chu be able to save Qi or what?
"Send an order to Yuan Hua to lead the navy into the Yangtze River, control the Yangtze River waterway, and prepare to assist Zhao's army in crossing the river." Zhao Kuo ordered.
"Brothers, come to life!" Yuan Hua shouted excitedly after receiving the order.
This was the Navy's first water battle in the true sense. Although it was not at sea, but only fought in an inland river, it was still an event worth remembering and being happy about.
It broke the record of Zhao State Navy never having a water battle!
"Check all the warships, weapons, and food. Don't miss anything. We will set off in an hour." Yuan Hua said excitedly.
He is so naive. If he doesn't go to the battlefield, he will doubt whether Zhao State has a navy.
Zhao State spends so much money on the navy every year. As a result, they watch the army fight and perform meritorious service all day long, and they can't do anything by themselves.
Although such a life is quite comfortable, with fish, meat and wages, there is no danger to one's life.
But the money is very hot for them, and they also want to be granted a title or even a fief.
They stay at the base every day and occasionally go to Yingzhou or Southeast Asia to do missions. They have very little credit. When will they get high-level titles?
"General, what's your job? Don't go to Yingzhou to collect silver again." A thousand-man general said unhappily. This is the most tasks they have accepted in recent years.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! At first, I was quite happy to see the boatloads of silver, but then I became completely numb.
Sailing on the sea is particularly boring. Sometimes they even hope to meet and fight with giant kuns for fun.
"Not this time, this time we are going to fight against the Chu army!" Yuan Hua said loudly.
"Fight! General, you told me earlier, we will pack our things right away and we can set off in half an hour." The soldiers heard this and shouted excitedly.
They have been waiting for this day for too long. Sometimes, they all suspect that they are only a navy in name but actually a maritime transport brigade of Zhao State.
Half an hour later, thirty warships left the base in a mighty manner. After entering the Yellow Sea, they turned around and headed south.
A few days later, Zhao Jun arrived at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
"General, a Chu army ship was found at the mouth of the river." the sentry reported.
"Just hit it!" Yuan Hua ordered without hesitation when he saw that the Chu army's ships were on the same level as the warships that Zhao purchased from Yue more than ten years ago.
The importance of water warfare and warships even exceeds the ability of the general. Especially in such a situation where there is a shift, if a head-on collision occurs, no matter how powerful the opponent's general is, there will be no room for him to show off.
Following Yuan Hua's order, the soldiers in the cabin stepped on the pedals hard, and the paddles on the bottom of the boat rotated rapidly, pushing the warship towards the Chu army's ship at a high speed.
"What is that!" The Chu soldiers looked at the approaching behemoth and shouted in horror, "Quick, run!"
But it's too late!
When the Chu army entered the Zhao army's field of vision, it was impossible to escape.
boom!
The two warships collided with each other, and the Chu army's warship was knocked over directly. A huge hole appeared in the hull, sawdust flew everywhere, and a soldier was knocked out and fell into the water.
Zhao Jun's warship was shaken suddenly, but it quickly returned to calm, and the copper-clad hull was intact.
"Vulnerable!" Yuan Hua said coldly.
After Zhao obtained Yue's technology, he immediately recruited talents, invested funds, vigorously researched and developed, and continuously carried out technological innovation to improve the performance of warships.
The Chu State is better off. It has been so many years since it destroyed the Yue State, but it has not made any progress in technology. It still uses the old broken ships. It deserves to be defeated by the Zhao State.
"Rescue them." Yuan Hua waited for a while, until the Chu army was exhausted, and then ordered the rescue.
"Where is your navy camp?" Yuan Hua walked up to a soldier and asked.
"I...I don't know." The soldier shook his head and said.
"Throw it down." Yuan Hua said coldly.
Plop!
The soldier who had just been rescued was thrown directly into the sea again by Zhao Jun. No matter how he shouted, Zhao Jun turned a blind eye.
Soon, the exhausted soldiers completely sank into the sea.
This scene completely shocked the remaining Chu army.
"Tell me, where is your navy camp?" Yuan Hua pointed at another soldier and said.
"In...in Jinling and Pengze." The soldier said tremblingly.
"Yes, your life has been saved." Yuan Hua nodded and walked to the next soldier, "How many warships and soldiers does the Chu Navy have?"
"General...General, this little one really doesn't know. He was recruited only ten days ago. Because he knows water, he was assigned to the navy. The other little ones really don't know." Hearing this, the soldier puffed.
Kneeling on the ground with a cry.
"Does anyone know? If anyone knows, everyone will survive. If no one knows, they will all be thrown away to feed the fish." Yuan Hua's cold gaze swept across everyone's faces.
Soon, the Chu soldiers' eyes focused on one person.
If anyone knows, it must be the captain who is a centurion general.
"Tell me." Yuan Hua pointed at the hundred generals and said.
"... General, there are more than 40 large boats in Jinling Water Village, fishing boats cannot be counted, and more than 30,000 sailors. Pengze Water Village, small... I have never been to it. There were only less than ten warships in the past.
And some older soldiers. Now...it's unclear now." The Hundred Man General said as he knelt on the ground.
"Send the order, the fleet enters the river, goes upstream, and prepares to attack the Jinling Water Village of Chu State." Yuan Hua ordered, then looked at the captured Chu army, and said fiercely, "I will spare your lives first. If you find out what you are doing,
If you say it's false, I will kill you again when the time comes and take you all away and lock you up."
"General, another Chu warship has been spotted ahead." Not long after, the sentry came to report again.
"It seems that the Chu army did not block the entrance to the sea, but arranged warships to patrol the lower reaches of the river." Yuan Hua said solemnly, "But it was of no use. They just ran into it."
Soon, another Chu army warship was smashed by the Zhao army.
In this way, Zhao Jun drove the warship and rammed it all the way. Because the speed difference was too big, Chu Jun couldn't even escape.
After the Chu army patrolling the shore discovered it, they quickly reported it.
But Zhao Jun's speed was too fast. As soon as the news reached Chu Jun's camp, Zhao Jun's warships had already arrived in a mighty manner.
"Why are Zhao Jun's warships so tall?" The soldiers of the Chu Army stood on the deck and looked at Zhao Jun's warships, which were taller than a three-story building and exuded a metallic luster. Everyone was stunned.
In front of the Zhao army's warships, the Chu army's warships served as fishing boats.
"Zhao Jun's warships seem to be made of bronze." I don't know who said this.
"Fart, how could copper float on the water? It must have been painted by Zhao Guo. How much paint does it take to paint such a big warship? It's a waste of time and money." The person next to him retorted, causing others to nod in praise.
"Crash directly into it and knock over all the ships outside the water village!" Yuan Hua ordered. After several simple battles, he already had some insights into water warfare.
As long as one's own warship is one level stronger than the enemy's warship, then any tactic is not as effective as directly ramming it.
"After we go back, we will discuss with those old men to see if we can reinforce the warship. If it doesn't work, I will pay for it myself." Yuan Hua thought in his mind.
He is also a wealthy owner now, and he has too much money to spend. He still has shares in the Yingzhou silver mine.
If spending money can solve the problem, he doesn't mind spending more money.
Compared with growing into a famous general at the commander level, he feels that it is easier to make breakthroughs in technology.
As long as his own warships are faster, stronger and stronger than the enemy's warships, Yuan Hua does not feel that he will lose even if he is weaker than the opponent's general.
"Run quickly, turn around quickly!" Seeing the Zhao army's warship rushing towards them, the Chu army shouted in panic.
"I want to run away now, but it's too late!" Zhao Jun showed a ferocious smile, controlled the rudder, and crashed into the Chu army's warship.
Boom boom boom...
The sound of collision continued, and the Chu soldiers were knocked into the water and swam hard towards the camp. The warship, which was smashed into a big hole, slowly sank into the river.
"Get close to the Chu army's camp and fire rockets!" Yuan Hua ordered after sinking all the Chu army's warships outside the camp.
Zhao Jun stood on the deck, lit the cotton soaked in grease on the arrowhead, and aimed at the Chu army's camp.
The Chu army's camps were basically made of wood and could easily be ignited by rockets.
Faced with Zhao Jun's attack and the burning camp, the Chu army panicked for a moment and hurriedly summoned people to put out the fire. Only when rockets continued to fall from the sky did they realize that if Zhao Jun was not dealt with, even if the fire was extinguished, it would be ignited again.
"Fire arrows, fire arrows at Zhao Jun immediately!" Xiong Hui, the navy general, shouted. He was completely shocked by the scene where Zhao Jun had just rammed and sunk nearly ten Chu Jun ships.
He did not dare to go out of the stronghold to fight, so he could only use bows and arrows to attack from a distance.