An hour later, all the Qiaoqi troops led by Chen Shen entered the Triangle City, and the 300,000 Huainan surrender troops also performed their duties under the coordination of Qian Gan.
Although this important town in Huaibei has changed hands, the order in the city is still the same as before, and it is even more solemn than usual.
At this moment, all the generals gathered in the hall of the city lord's palace.
Chen Shen sat in the middle, and the chief seat on the right hand side of the seat was occupied by Qian Qian.
"After three days of repairs, I plan to send my troops south and attack the hinterland of the King of Huainan. The generals can discuss with me if they have any good strategies to drive away the enemy."
As soon as Chen Shen finished speaking, Qian Gan stood up, clasped his fists, and said respectfully: "Commander Chen doesn't know something. After his subordinates attacked the Triangle City on the orders of the King of Huainan, they transferred all the warships and passenger ships back to the south of the Huaijiang River. "
"Even the fishermen's small fishing boats were smashed and burned. Therefore, if Chen Shuai wants to go south within three days, he may not be able to do so..."
"Huh?" The young man on the throne could not help but frown: "Humph, what a waste of time."
"That old guy Xia Chunqiu has thought of no way out for you. Once the Triangle City falls, the city-breaking army will have no ships available and will not be able to cross the river by boat in the short term. He can use this time to calmly deploy and deal with it."
Chen Shen revealed the Huainan King's intentions with one sentence.
You know, when Qian Qian and others acted under orders before, they only felt something was strange, but they could never grasp the true intention of Xia Chunqiu's actions.
Qian Gan couldn't help but secretly praise: "Chen is handsome and wise!"
Lu Menglong, the former deputy commander of the Huainan Army who was also present at the meeting, couldn't help but be moved when he heard this, with mixed feelings in his heart: "Alas! I didn't expect that King Huainan had such intentions."
"By doing this, he is effectively cutting off our army's retreat!"
If before this, Lu Menglong and other generals who surrendered to Daxia still felt a little guilty towards the King of Huainan, then now, this feeling of guilt has gradually faded into nothingness...
After a brief silence, Chen Shen asked again: "Are there any gryphon beasts in the city? I remember that there seems to be more than one gryphon transport yard in Triangle City, right?"
"This... to be honest with you, Commander-in-Chief, when my subordinates attacked Triangle City, those gryphon beasts entered the battle in the form of city defense forces. As a result, they all died." Qian Qian couldn't help but say this. He touched his nose and seemed a little embarrassed.
"Oh my, I'm really wrong with this question. Triangle City was captured, and the gryphon beasts tamed by Daxia's beast tamers will naturally not escape their fate."
Chen Shen thought secretly in his heart, but remained calm on his face: "How long will it take to build a ship that can handle 350,000 troops crossing the river now?"
Qian Qian was not good at this and couldn't help but turn his attention to Lu Menglong.
Before the latter served as his adjutant, he was one of the admirals of the Huainan Ninth Route Navy, so he should know a lot about this aspect.
After meeting Qian Qian's gaze, Lu Menglong realized something in his heart and hurriedly stood up and clasped his fists: "Report to the Commander-in-Chief, if we build an ordinary ship, gather all the shipwrights in the city, and let the soldiers add strength, we should be able to complete it within a month."
"But……"
At the end of the sentence, Lu Menglong secretly glanced at the young man above the throne and hesitated to speak.
"But what?"
Chen Shen waved his hand gently: "Remember, your current identity is the deputy commander of our Daxia Southern Expedition mixed army. You are one of our own. If you have anything to say, it doesn't matter!"
As soon as these words came out, Lu Menglong couldn't help but feel warm in his heart: Marshal Chen was not biased at all just because I surrendered.
As a result, the old man, who was already in his sixties, became a little bolder and replied respectfully: "I believe that when the army crosses the river by boat, it will be intercepted by the warships of the Huainan Army on the Huaijiang River."
"If we just build an ordinary ferry and engage in water battles, our army will definitely suffer heavy losses."
Chen Shen nodded with interest.
These words at least show that Vice Commander Lu is really thinking about Chen Shen's army.
That’s a good place to start: “Oh? So what do you think it should be?”
"My subordinates believe that sharpening the sword will not waste time cutting firewood. We should invest four times the time and rush out a batch of boats with strong hulls and rich pockets within three to five months, which can be used by soldiers to shoot arrows at the enemy or attack the enemy."
A warship that dodges arrows."
"It's best to have a few heavy main ships that can carry Xuanjing cannons, so that we can maintain water and fight without worries!"
"Well, what General Lu said is absolutely true!" Chen Shen nodded frequently.
As a newcomer to Lu Menglong, his first suggestion was accepted by the coach, which made him feel more and more attached to the "Chen Family Army".
However, Chen Shen's next words made Lu Menglong feel even more confused: "Then I will build a battleship as you said. However, you don't need a batch, just one!"
"One, one ship?"
"Yes! Just one, a very large one, which can carry 300,000 troops and 30,000 war horses, and is shaped like a fortress!" Chen Shen's eyes were filled with anticipation.
"hiss--"
As soon as he said this, everyone in the hall was shocked.
Fortunately for the Knights and the Blood Guards, they were not familiar with water warfare and were not very clear about the size of a warship capable of carrying an army of 300,000 people, but they instinctively let out bursts of exclamation.
As for the former Huainan Army generals who attended the meeting, they all expressed the view that "this is absolutely impossible."
"Isn't this... maybe this is inappropriate?"
Lu Menglong gritted his teeth and decided to give some harsh advice: "The commander-in-chief may not be familiar with water warfare, so he feels that the wider the battleship, the better."
"But in fact, if the warship is too large, it will be too cumbersome, which is not conducive to turning the rudder and moving quickly. Moreover, the target on the river and sea is also huge, and it will easily become a target for enemy warships to shoot."
"Well, I understand very well what you said."
At this time, Chen Shen said with a slight smile on his face: "Let me ask you: from Triangle City to the adjacent beach grabbing spot in Huainan, is there any narrow place on the way?"
Lu Menglong was stunned for a moment, and then answered truthfully: "Triangle City is located in the central basin of the Huaijiang River. It is a vast area of 3,800 miles from south to north. Except for some small islands, there is no place with narrow rapids."
"Very good. Let me ask you again: If I can destroy all enemy ships within sight outside their effective range, then what's wrong with my giant battleship crossing the Huai River?"
"This...if the commander can really do what you said, the giant battleship will be invincible." Lu Menglong said this, but he had another thought in his heart.
He was questioning whether what Chen Shuai said could really become reality?
If there were hundreds of enemy warships approaching from all directions in the vast Huaijiang River as far as the eye could see, how could Chen Shen defeat them with one force without letting others enter the shooting range?
If a giant battleship is besieged and has difficulty turning the rudder and cannot dodge, they will become a living target and will only be beaten!
Not only him, but also the other generals who had recently surrendered couldn't help but frowned after hearing what Chen Shen said, thinking that this guy was out of his mind...