On the sea, the waves are rolling and the huge waves are emptying. From yesterday after dark to now, the wind has obviously strengthened a lot. The maritime army composed of the Ning Navy and the Royal Guards Hangzhou garrison started from the capture of Crescent Island until now.
, has successively captured six outlying islands located northwest of Taohua Island.
The total number of bandits and soldiers on these islands exceeds 8,000, almost as many as the number of officers and soldiers. However, they are scattered on seven islands and cannot fight on the sea, let alone rescue each other. Therefore, as predicted in the advance plan
Like this, they were defeated one by one within five or six hours. Under the powerful offensive of the officers and soldiers, once they were breached and landed on the island, their demise was basically declared.
In more than five hours, more than 8,000 pirates were wiped out, and the obstacles to the northwest of Taohua Island were cleared one by one. Although the losses of officers and soldiers were not small, during the battle to land on the island, more than 1,000 officers and soldiers were killed and injured, and the large ship also suffered heavy losses.
Six ships were capsized due to wind and waves, and nearly 700 soldiers on board died at sea. But overall, this loss was acceptable. The leapfrog tactic was gained after capturing the island called Neptune Island, which is the closest to Peach Blossom Island.
A complete success.
On the palace's dragon-headed ship, despite a night of fierce fighting, the leaders on the ship still showed no signs of fatigue. Especially the young prince Guo Kun's face shone with excitement. He personally led his men to capture two small ships.
On the island, the palace guards showed off their might, and the people led by Shen Tan and He Chao made great gestures and suffered almost no casualties. Guo Kun himself killed five pirate leaders, and at this moment, their heads were bloody and loaded into a cloth bag.
, hanging on the mast of the dragon-headed ship.
The outline of Peach Blossom Island has appeared on the sea in front. In the wind and rain, the huge island is like a monster lying on the sea. Everyone knows that that is the final goal, and that is also the hardest nut to crack.
Only by capturing Peach Blossom Island and killing Hai Dongqing can the bandit suppression be considered complete. Therefore, no one will slack off on this matter.
A military meeting was quickly held in the cabin of the Dragon Head Ship.
"Master Yan, young prince. Although you all already know the specific situation of the battle, I still have to report the battle situation last night. From dark last night to now, our army has successfully captured seven islands occupied by pirates and annihilated them.
We captured more than 8,500 pirates and cleared the obstacles around Peach Blossom Island. We also suffered losses, with a total loss of six warships and more than 2,000 casualties. Overall, we achieved the previously planned goal, and
The number of casualties is within expectations." Ning Navy Commander Song Yanping said loudly.
Although everyone here knew about this situation, when they heard the news again, everyone still smiled with relief.
"Okay, okay. The instructor was surprised that things went so smoothly. Lin Jue's plan really worked. He must be credited with this first major achievement." He vomited seven or eight times in one night due to seasickness, and his face looked pale at the moment.
He was still pale and solemn, but now he couldn't see the slightest bit of dejection.
"What Yan Zhifu said is true. Lin Jue's plan has indeed proven to be effective, but the plan is one thing. The key is the person who implements the plan. I think the young prince takes the greatest credit for this. If it hadn't been for the young prince leading the palace
The guards took the lead and boosted the morale of all the soldiers. I don’t think the war will go so smoothly." Song Yanping said with a smile.
No one could fail to hear this obvious flattery. Yan Zhengsheng smiled and said nothing. He knew the habits of these people. If the war fails, they will naturally shirk responsibility. Once the war goes well, they will start to grab the credit. Although Song Yanping's words were not meant for
Competing for one's own merit is no different from striving for merit. But at this moment, there is a war. Although Yan Zhengsheng has a straightforward temper, he also knows that it is not appropriate to say anything at this moment.
The little prince Guo Kun's face glowed red and he laughed loudly: "Commander Song has over-praised you. This is neither Lin Jue's nor my credit, but the credit of all the soldiers. As for the first credit, I think
Admiral Ning is the one. After all, you are the main force, and you have lost so many brothers."
Song Jiangong and He Chao quickly expressed humility that they could not say that, saying that everything was Ning Haijun's duty, and so on and so forth.
Yan Zhengsheng finally couldn't bear it anymore and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, now is not the time to discuss merits. Peach Blossom Island has not been captured yet. That is our real goal this time. We should immediately discuss how to capture Peach Blossom Island.
That’s the way.”
Guo Kun and Song Yanping coughed awkwardly, but they both understood that Yan Zhengsu was right. It was still too early to discuss merit at this moment.
Song Yanping took out a sea chart drawn based on Lin Jue's information and a map of Peach Blossom Island, spread it out in front of everyone, and gave instructions.
"Master Yan, young prince. Peach Blossom Island is only ten miles away. In half an hour, we will reach the northwest of Peach Blossom Island. If the information sent by Lin Jue from the island is not bad, then there should be four people who have landed on this island.
The pier on the east side must be excluded first because the sea area is narrow and it is under the threat of the small island to the east. The south side is windward and has to be detoured for more than ten miles, so it can only be excluded. I and I
Deputy Commander Wang has discussed that the best place to attack is the two piers in the north. They are leeward and the sea is open. After the success of the leapfrog tactic, we can attack when we advance, and we can quickly return to Neptune Island if we retreat. It can be said that
It is suitable for both advance and retreat. I wonder what the young prince and Lord Yan think?"
As the commander of Ning Haijun, Song Yanping is naturally not a general person. He clearly explained the pros and cons of choosing the landing site in a few words. This shows that he has done some homework beforehand.
"What Commander Song said is true. The pier in the north of the island should be the best choice for attack. The other piers can be eliminated. Just choose one of the two piers in the north of the island. I think the west side is better because of the terrain.
It is much more open and the cliffs are not that steep. Lin Jue has fewer arrow towers marked on this map and fewer soldiers and horses guarding them." Guo Kun pointed at the map.
"Young prince, let me tell you something. At this moment, except for the terrain as a reference, the garrison of troops is no longer enough. The news that we captured the northwest islands last night must have been known to Hai Dongqing, and now he must have
The troops and horses have been deployed. Lin Jue specially marked the vertical and horizontal passages on this map, which shows that the pirates can mobilize support at any time. In this case, no matter where we attack from, we may encounter all kinds of enemies.
The defense of the island bandit soldiers needs to be made clear. Don’t be misled by the number of bandit guards marked on this map." Wang Kai, deputy commander of the Ning Navy, said in a deep voice.
Guo Kun's face turned red and he looked a little embarrassed. But he had to admit that what Wang Kai said was correct and that he did not think carefully.
Song Yanping glanced at Wang Kai and sighed in his heart. His deputy's ability to lead the army was good, but he was a bit unsophisticated and deaf to what was happening outside the window. Even if he wanted to raise objections, he would not be so straightforward.
It is better to be more tactful. This will affect his perception in the eyes of the young prince.
"What Vice Ambassador Wang said is right, and what the Young Prince said is also correct. In fact, the location I want to attack is the dock on the west side of the North Island. My reasons are not only the terrain reasons mentioned by the Young Prince, but also
There is one reason, and that is the factor of sea conditions. You should have felt that the wind is intensifying, and the fleet has already capsized warships. In this case, we have to consider whether we can continue to attack. If we attack
The island is not going well, and if we are delayed, if the wind and waves get bigger, the entire army will be in danger of capsizing at sea. Choose the dock in the northwest, which is closest to Neptune Island. Once we find that something is wrong, we can quickly evacuate to Neptune Island.
Compared with other docks, the northwest dock can save eight miles to dozens of miles. This allows us to have no worries." Song Yanping said solemnly.
There was silence in the ship's hall. Song Yanping's words seemed a bit inappropriate to say at this time, but it was indeed a hidden worry in everyone's heart. After several large ships capsized last night, it fully demonstrated the danger of being on the sea hit by hurricanes. At this moment
The waves outside were rolling, and huge waves were surging like mountains. Everyone in the fleet was actually frightened. Especially the old ships, although they had been repaired, no one knew what would happen in the face of such stormy waves. If the army capsized
On the sea, that is really a joke.
He said in a solemn voice: "Commander Song, a war is imminent, so it is better not to say such things. It may not be appropriate to retreat before the battle begins. Although I am not the leader of the army, I also know that the leader of the army will
If the general does not have the determination to fight to the death, it may be difficult to win the war. Especially when we are facing another tough battle."
Song Yanping smiled and said: "Master Yan is teaching you a lesson, but is Master Yan willing to see a victory turn into a defeat? If the wind and waves really intensify and the ship cannot withstand it, do we still have to attack by force? This is against the weather.
Unless I quit without fighting, I would be responsible for the lives of these more than ten thousand brothers. In fact, I am also responsible for Hangzhou, Master Yan and the prince. We can fight to the death, even if we die in the sea, but the consequences of Ning Haijun’s destruction will be
Mr. Yan can’t help but understand.”
Yan Zhengsun pondered for a long time, nodded slightly and said nothing. The young prince Guo Kun would not have any objections. In fact, Song Yanping understood the thoughts of Yan Zhengsu and the young prince. He knew that the prefect and Prince Liang and his son
The reason why they agreed to Lin Jue's suggestion was to take a gamble. One was for their political achievements before leaving office, and the other was to change some unfavorable situations. What they hoped for was a victory, whether it was a big victory or a small one.
To win, they only need one victory. They never want to turn the victory they have already obtained into a miserable defeat. So they are never willing to lose everything.
"Then it's decided to attack the dock in the northwest. You all have no objections," said the young prince Guo Kun in a deep voice.
Wang Kai opened his mouth, but suddenly he saw Song Yanping's stern eyes, so he quickly shut his mouth.
"With fifteen warships as the vanguard, they rushed to the pier to seize the beach. The subsequent ships used this as a springboard to gain a foothold on the beach, and then waited for an opportunity to attack the top of the cliff. There is nothing fancy here. I hope Lin Jue
If you can help us, maybe you can create some chaos on the top of the cliff. Although with their little manpower, I'm afraid they can't do it." Song Yanping said solemnly.
"He can't do it. The so-called internal and external strategy is to make him do something. Didn't he say that he could seize control of the dock? He only sent information once and then became silent. Now that we are here, he
But I don’t know where it is.” The young prince Guo Kun said solemnly.
Yan Zhengzhen frowned and glanced at Guo Kun and said: "The requirements of the young prince are quite harsh. It is not easy for Lin Jue to survive in the dragon's pond and the tiger's den. The information provided is also very important. Without his information, how could we have been so successful? More
Not to mention that the whole plan was his plan. What I am most worried about now is his safety. If there is no news about him, it is more likely that something has happened to him. If he died on the island, hey, that would be really... hey!
"
"Prefect, please don't worry. Lin Jue is quite capable. When he went to Guishan Island, no one thought he would come back alive. Didn't he come back alive and well? I believe he will be fine. Besides, everyone, everyone
We are all doing things with our heads up, so there is no need to talk about personal life and death." Song Yanping said.
"Huh, we did it with our heads high because we knew we would gain something. What did he do with his heads high? How can they be compared? Speaking of which, the reason why he did this was not because of what happened on Guishan Island.
Future troubles? Both my family and the prince are responsible for this matter. If he dies on the island, my family will be uneasy for the rest of his life." Yan said solemnly.
Everyone was speechless, but there was no way to refute the solemn words. Speaking of Lin Jue's desperate effort this time, the palace had the greatest responsibility. Lin Jue helped the palace resolve such a big crisis, but in the end when he was chased by pirates, the palace did not
He was not given the protection he deserved. The young prince said those words just now, which sounded really chilling.
"My lords, Peach Blossom Island has arrived!" The soldiers shouted from outside the cabin, breaking the embarrassment in the cabin. Everyone looked out the long window of the cabin, and saw that in the wind and rain, Peach Blossom Island was standing there.
A dragon is standing in front of it like a dragon. On the high cliff, the figures of the bandit soldiers running back and forth are clearly visible. The huge waves hit the rocks on the cliff, spraying like clouds, and the majestic momentum is breathtaking.
Song Yanping raised his hands and said solemnly to Guo Kun and Yan: "Young prince, Lord Yan, I am humble enough to order an attack on the island."
Guo Kun shouted: "I and the two thousand guards of the palace are willing to be dispatched by the Song commander."
Yan Zhengsun also said in a deep voice: "One thousand and eight hundred soldiers from Hangzhou are waiting for your orders."
