Chapter 89: Naval Battle at Linchuan; Little Xieās Highlight Moment + Little Xieās Battlefield Displayā¦
Deploying ships north from Guangling was not difficult, as Guangling possessed its own naval force. The fleet assembled, numbering nearly a hundred vessels of various sizes. The Emperorās Dragon Boat, which had been anchored in Guangling, joined the expedition.
The ships entered the Fu River, a branch of the waters near Linchuan, which spanned nearly two li in width. On a rainy day in early summer, the rain formed a misty curtaināa god-given opportunity for a secret crossing.
The fleet was divided into three layers.
The outermost layer consisted of flat, narrow assault boats carrying light-armored soldiers.
The inner layer featured larger warships with arrow slits, all belonging to the “Fast Ship” class. The flagship commanded by Xie Qianli was one such vessel. A massive Dragon Flag hung from it, and standing on the deck was a man clad in silver armor and a silver-white qilin cloak. His heavy weapon, the Youlong Edge, glinted with a cold light.
The innermost layer was the Emperorās Dragon Boat, intended only for observing the battle. If there was no combat on the water, the Dragon Boat would carry the Emperor to land to assist in the pincer movement against Linchuan. Should they encounter enemy forces and engage in battle, the Dragon Boat would remain at the very rear, protected by a heavy contingent of the Longwu Army to facilitate a swift retreat with the Emperor at any time.
Rain cascaded along the imperial canopy. Lian Qing stood beside the Emperor, hand on his blade.
Prince Yong sat next to the Emperor, peeling melon seeds with a dissolute air. He and Xie Qianliās hawk were currently glaring at each other, neither finding the other agreeable.
“Coo, coo, coo. Come hereāIām just not giving it to you. Iāll just let you look,” Ying Dang teased.
“Screechā!” The hawk cried out in anger, nudging Ying Xi to demand justice.
Lian Qing, out of habit, trembled slightly in fear of the bird.
“Lian Qing,” the Emperor spoke.
“This subordinate is here!”
The Emperor lowered his eyes slightly, raindrops moistening the tips of his hair and eyelashes. “When I asked Minister Xie to lead the fleet just now, did you have something to say?”
Lian Qing rubbed his nose. “No.”
The Emperor was half-suspicious. Lian Qing quickly changed the subject, saying, “Your Majesty, let me tell you about the rebel, Xu Youyi.”
The Emperor was keen on state affairs. He had even extracted intelligence from the female assassin, let alone information regarding the opposing commander.
“Speak.”
“When Li Yilong first rose in rebellion in the fields of Yangzhou, this man surnamed Xu was his fellow townsman. As a child, his family was even poorer than Li Yilongās. He once received the favor of a meal from Li Yilong and has been risking his life for him ever since.”
“Once, when the government troops were surrounding the rebel Li, Xu Youyi gave his horse to Li while he stayed behind alone to cover the rear. He lost an eye, killed over a hundred men, and finally jumped into the river covered in bloodāyet he survived.”
“This man deeply possesses the rebel Liās trust. In Xindu, he serves as Liās personal bodyguard. Li highly values him and named him the head of the Twenty-four General Stars.”
Ying Xi shook his head and said indifferently, “It doesn’t sound right. Itās not as majestic as a proper official title. But this man is a man of honor; he repays kindness and is loyal and righteous. He truly lives up to his name.”
“He wasn’t called Xu Youyi before; he was Xu Youyiāmeaning ‘To Have Clothing’.”
“Li Yilong wasn’t called Li Yilong either; his original name was Li Yilongāmeaning ‘One Ridge of a Field’,” Lian Qing said vividly, trying his best to keep the Emperor from thinking of other things, a slight smile on his face. “Their names were all changed later because they felt their original names were too rustic.”
Lian Qing told this as a joke to amuse the Emperor.
But the Emperor fell silent because of it, filled with profound emotion. “One ridge of a field to have food. One piece of clothing to stay warm. In the end, it was Great Qin that failed the common people first. It is no wonder they rose in rebellion.”
Hearing the joke interpreted this way, Lian Qing felt a pang of sorrow.
However, Lian Qing spoke clearly: “The ones who failed them were the previous courts, not the current Your Majesty! Your Majesty has offered amnesty many times, but these people are ambitious and no longer willing to settle down for production.”
“Your Majesty lives frugally, yet the palace in Xindu houses dozens of consorts,” Lian Qing said firmly. “This subordinate does not think the current them are pitiful!”
Prince Yong shot Lian Qing a sideways glance.
The “vicious dog” wasn’t here, but he had left a “little dog” behind to curry favor. How irritating.
Only then was Ying Xi coaxed into a light laugh. He lifted his cool gaze and said slowly, “You are becoming more and more like Minister Xie.”
“Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty!”
The Duke of Britainās prestige shook Jiangbei; who wouldn’t want to be like Xie Qianli? Consequently, Lian Qing straightened his back even more.
At that moment, within the curtain of rain, a faint red light shot up from the distant water into the gray sky. The arc of light was eerie and beautiful, like a long red line drawn out of thin air between heaven and earth. The sight was exceptionally grand, yet it left people bewildered; it both looked and didn’t look like a natural phenomenon.
Prince Yong stopped peeling melon seeds.
His blade had been confiscated by Xie Qianli; he looked around unhappily, planning to find a soldier to snatch a blade from.
The confusion of the Longwu Army lasted only a heartbeat.
Then, Lian Qing raised his head and suddenly shouted: “āPrepare for battle!!!”
On the other side of the river mist, looking as far as the eye could see, the silhouettes of the enemy fleet had appeared, looming like mountains.
Horns sounded everywhere across the river.
Blades were unsheathed, and arrows were notched!
The best-case scenario previously estimated by the court was to secretly cross the Fu River, land, and ambush Xu Youyi. However, things had gone against their wishes.
The secret crossing immediately turned into a forced crossing!
The flagship signaled with flags. There was mist on the river, making it impossible to see the enemy’s true strength, so two scout ships were sent deep to test the waters.
The two ships rowed quickly, their sails bulging as they approached. They saw the enemy ships lined up in battle formation across the river.
The scout ships signaled back to the flagship!
Before the scout ships could return, they encountered the enemyās lookout vessels. The two sides engaged in close combat, arrows flying like rain over the water as both sides realized they had met a formidable opponent. The two groups of men began to fight right then and there.
The crew of the Longwu Army leaped onto the enemy ships first, their combat power fierce and their military sabers swift.
The soldiers rowing the lookout ships were hacked into the water. Southern soldiers were naturally gifted swimmers; after being struck and falling into the water, those soldiers gritted their teeth and reached for the edge of the boat, pulling hard on the ankles of the Longwu soldiers to drag them down with them before they died.
Splashes rose around the two ships, and before long, the crews of both sides had all perished. The water around the hulls turned blood-red, only to be washed away by the heavy pitter-patter of the rain.
On the other side of the rain curtain, Xu Youyi watched the battle with his single eye. The deck swayed, and his rough thumb rubbed the hilt of his great saber.
This team of his came from Xindu and was the most powerful army under his Eldest Brother.
His Eldest Brother had been in rebellion in Jiangnan for ten years. It wasn’t as if the imperial army hadn’t tried to suppress them; they had once crushed the navy sent by Emperor Yuantai, gathering in Jiangnan with great joy. Yet this time, the young Ying Xi had fought them to the point where they were almost surrounded at the gates of Xindu.
Eldest Brother had already prepared a counter-strategy.
Since he had discovered the enemy’s movements, he might as well go all out and bite off a piece of the little Emperorās flesh in this battle!!!
Xu Youyi boldly unsheathed his saber and stabbed the tip into the deck. For some reason, across the river mist, he saw his younger selfāthe boy who had fainted from cold and hunger and nearly died in the fields of Eldest Brotherās family.
Taxes were heavy, the people suffered, and when stomach pain reached its zenith, one would feel cold. The grain they grew was transported to the court.
Xu Youyiās single eye flickered, and he pursed his lips tightlyā
“Kings, dukes, generals, and ministersāare they born with a monopoly on their status??”
“General Xu,” a deputy general reported loudly from behind, “The battle has begun in Linchuan! Lujiang has also started fighting! The Jiangbei Army knew they would encounter us; that man surnamed Xie wants to stall you!”
Xu Youyi laughed loudly.
Rain flowed down his cheek. This man in his forties looked at the dense formation of ships in the distance and said heroically, “Brothers! Warships, charge!”
“Overturn the heavens, equalize the fields! Overturn the heavens, equalize the fields!”
The Jiangnan Armyās warships were deployed in full force, thousands of soldiers shouting in unison. Ships charged toward the center of the Fu River.
The flagship of the Jiangbei Army flew its battle flag high. The flagship had two levels; standing on the second level, one could see almost the entire battle situation.
When the distance between the two fleets reached the range of bowshots, the Jiangbei ships, which had been charging rapidly, seemed to hit the brakes suddenly, floating on the water.
The silver-armored general standing tall on the flagship’s deck gave a brief order: “Maintain distance, retreat slowly, and release arrows.”
“Yes!”
In the sound of the rain, flag signals were sent silently but densely. The Longwu Army’s warships revealed their arrow slits, and volleys of arrows were fired. The sound on the river was like the crackle of thunder.
This was a command style completely different from Xie Mengās passionate intensity.
The Jiangbei land army far surpassed the navy. The Longwu Army possessed superior military equipmentāstrong bows and heavy crossbows with a range exceeding that of the rebels.
As the distance widened, without even contacting the enemy ships, the enemy soldiers began to dwindle. The rebel vanguard continuously fell into the river after being struck by arrows; nearly a thousand rebels were killed in this “kiting” process.
Rain washed over the armor plates of the Longwu Army. The bright silver became even more eye-catching.
Only then did Xu Youyiās single eye twitch. Looking at the young but veteran commander of the opposing flagship, he saw a cold god of death.
Jiangnan had much water, and the soldiersā quality was naturally superior, yet he had lost many men without even a fight.
Xu Youyi forced himself to remain calm. After thinking, he stood on the deck and shouted with a thunderous voice: “āFull speed ahead, shorten the distance! Let’s see how far back they can retreat!”
The rebel navy rowed with all their might, their chants rhythmic and the white waves churning. They pushed forward against the rain of arrows.
The Longwu warships wanted to retreat further but stopped in the middle of the water.
Initially, retreating to the very endāeven landing on shoreāwould have made the land battle even more advantageous. However, the Dragon Boat was anchored on the riverbank behind the Longwu Army. The Emperorās safety was tied to the battle.
The flagship ordered: “Cluster the fleet, engage in the center of the river.”
The outer ships, originally in a “swallow-wing” formation, merged into a dense “V” shape, acting like a heavy shield to block the enemy ships.
The boats crowded together like dumplings in a pot. The planks were like floating islands, forming large areas of solid ground.
After boarding, the Longwu Army engaged the enemy. Having experienced many battles, the soldiersā coordination was already peerless. Crossbows provided cover, silver spears broke shields, and shield-and-saber units supported. Enemy soldiers fell into the water one after another, and the river was suddenly filled with crimson waves.
The Longwu Army fought until their eyes were red with bloodlust.
But on this Fu River, for every rebel killed, it seemed they could hear the rebelās cry before death:
“Overturn the heavens, equalize the fields!”
“Overturn the heavens, equalize the fields!”
On the deck of the Jiangnan flagship, Xu Youyi brandished his saber and shouted, “Disperse! Row backward, scatter the attack, and each of you grip one enemy ship tightly…”
In an instant, the Jiangnan navyās ship formation scattered like flower petals.
The floating islands on the water vanished. At this moment, large waves surged on the river, bringing intense turbulence.
The Longwu soldiers tried to stand firm on the decks, but the river tide seemed to be working against them on purpose. The ships swayed up and down. Many Longwu soldiers were already locking their brows, gripping their blades, only to be hacked by rebels jumping aboard and kicked into the water!
“Overturn the heavens, equalize the fields!”
“Overturn the heavens, equalize the fields!”
“…”
Ying Xi stood up, rain splashing across his face.
Prince Yong stood up with him, and Lian Qing stood behind the Emperor.
“What are they shouting?”
Lian Qing: “I can’t hear clearly, they are too far away!”
The ship formations had scattered. Aside from two escort frigates, the grand battle was directly ahead of the Dragon Boat.
The water was wide, and Ying Xi faced the enemy flagship from a distance. The vastness of the river made him feel somewhat uneasy.
A bad premonition rose within him; he felt as if the other side would dispatch ships to suddenly appear before his eyes.
Ying Xi suppressed this panic.
On his shoulder, the hawk warily spread its wings.
Prince Yong brushed off the melon seed shells from his body, his casual attitude vanishing. “Little dog, give me a blade.”
Facing the naval battlefield, Lian Qing also no longer had any mood for jokes. He said solemnly: “āBring a war blade for His Highness!”
Prince Yong shook out the mĆ²dÄo, flicking away a curtain of water.
Prince Yong blocked the way in front of the Emperor. “If you dare roll over here for a decapitation strike, Iāll take your head off first.”
Sure enough, the enemy warships were getting closer!
The escort frigates began to fire arrows rapidly. The shield units surrounded the Emperor to protect him. Lian Qing stood at the bow: “Protect the Emperor!”
A dense rain of arrows was released!
But the two or three fast ships approaching suddenly slowed down.
Everyone on the Dragon Boat watched as the distance to the enemy ships went from shortening to stagnating. Then, although all the enemy ships were scattered across the water, they seemed to trigger some mechanism and collectively fled in the opposite directionā
And in a place Ying Xi could not hear, the shouting on the enemy ships was thunderous.
Only then did the various enemy units realize that a large ship of the Jiangbei Army had overturned several small boats entangling it and had long since wove through the water to charge directly into the area where Xu Youyi was located.
Everyone on that large ship had shed their heavy armor, throwing it into the water as they bared their blades. They tossed aside every object on the boat and rowed with all their might.
A trail of white waves pierced toward the enemy general like a winding snake.
The enemyās escort frigates obstructed them, and the rebels boarded one after another.
The heavy Youlong Edge smashed through two rows of soldiers. Xu Youyi and Xie Qianliās gazes met across the bows of their ships.
The enemy forces became increasingly frantic:
“General Xu!”
“Save General Xu!!!”
Recommended Reads
![[ABO] After Accidental Marking, I Became Everyone’s Darling](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ABO-225x300.jpeg)
