After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Sima Yao was escorted back to the central command warship by Wei Xuan, Zhao Kang, and the others.
"This is...?"
The Inspector-General, Prince Yan Cao Zhi, who usually paid no attention to military affairs, heard the commotion and came out wrapped in a cloak as well. He yawned as he looked at Sima Yao, who was tightly bound. "Well, if it isn't General Sima. What's going on here?"
"Your Highness Prince Yan!"
Zhao Kang clasped his fist. "Sima Yao mobilized troops without the Grand Commander's orders. Scouts along the route discovered it, and we rushed over in time to stop him."
"Still because of that Ziwu Valley business?"
Cao Zhi shook his head. "General Sima, tell me, why the hurry?"
"The Grand Commander is here!"
"Greetings, Grand Commander!"
Not long after, Chen Sanshi, dressed in white robes, arrived on the deck.
"Sima Yao, why aren't you kneeling yet!" Zhao Kang barked.
"Kneel?!"
Sima Yao roared, "Don't push your luck! If I weren't thinking we've all fought for our lives together and didn't want to take your lives, do you really think these scraps of chains could bind me? And you still want this old man to kneel?!"
"Kneel, General Sima," Cao Zhi advised. "Must you force the others to lay hands on you?"
"General Sima."
A green-jade long staff appeared in Song Guizhi's hand. "The army has its rules. You've offended them."
Bang!
Wind-aspect True Force surged. The staff came down, and she forcibly smashed Sima Yao to his knees.
"Grand Commander!"
Zhao Kang described what had happened in detail, then clasped his fist and asked, "Grand Commander, how should this man be dealt with?"
"He disobeyed military orders. How else should he be dealt with?"
Chen Sanshi said lightly, "Behead him."
At those words, quite a few people from the court side froze.
Sima Yao shouted even louder, "This old man is a cultivator of Heavenly Water Isle! What right do you have to behead me?!"
"Sima Yao!" Wei Xuan corrected sternly. "That was before! Since you chose to come to Eastern Divine Continent to serve the court and joined this campaign, you should put yourself in the right place! You are not some cultivator, you are the Left Route General of the court's southern expeditionary army!
"Not just you. Even this old man is the same. If I violate military orders, I should be dealt with according to the law!"
He was unlike many cultivators who only trained. He had once defended a lone city and knew how vital military discipline was.
"Grand Commander Chen!"
"Grand Commander!"
Sima Yao's two sons, Sima Chi and Sima Lan, rushed over after hearing the news and dropped to their knees with two heavy thuds.
"Grand Commander!"
"Our father has only just arrived and doesn't understand the army's rules!"
"Grand Commander Chen, please show mercy!"
No matter what they said, Chen Sanshi acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, clearly determined to insist on the execution.
Nearby, Wei Xuan and his wife were already preparing to act.
Seeing that it was real, Cui Zichen, Master of Seeking Immortals Tower, could no longer hold back. "Brother Chen, is this necessary?"
Qian Qiren of Guiyuan Sect followed. "Brother Sima is indeed in the wrong, but he was stopped in time and didn't cause serious consequences. Punishment is reasonable, but taking his life—aren't you being too harsh?"
"Harsh?"
On the deck at night, torchlight swayed in a dim yellow glow, and Chen Sanshi's expression couldn't be seen clearly. Only his voice, flat and without ripples, sounded. "In the army, is there anything more serious than disobeying military orders? Behead him."
"Damn it, he deserves to die!" Cao Zhi said. "He brought it on himself! But big brother, if you kill Sima Yao at a time like this, we won't have enough hands."
The two armies faced off, and the number of high-level commanders on both sides remained in a fragile balance. If one side suffered losses, it could come under tremendous pressure, and a full collapse was not impossible.
At Prince Yan's look, Cui Zichen, Qian Qiren, and other generals from sects and aristocratic families all used this as their excuse to plead for Sima Yao.
"Grand Commander, the decisive battle is imminent—beheading one of our own generals first will inevitably damage morale!"
"Yes, yes."
"Sima Yao can't be killed!"
"Big brother," Cao Zhi said, "since this man is still useful, how about this: put his life on the ledger first and let him atone through merit. After the war, we deal with him. How about it?"
Chen Sanshi seemed troubled. After pondering for a moment, he said coldly, "Sima Yao! Since so many have pleaded for you, and since the battle is indeed at hand, I'll give you a chance to atone through merit.
"But though you may be spared from death, you will not be spared from punishment!
"Men, drive black-iron chains through his shoulder blades and hang him on the central command warship for public display for three days, as a warning to others!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve and left.
Wang Zhi and the others stepped forward with black-iron chains.
"You dare!" Sima Yao still tried to resist.
Cao Zhi reminded him, "General Sima, if you truly have a death wish, then refuse all you like."
Only then did Sima Yao stop fighting back, letting them drive the black-iron chains and iron spikes through his body, until he was hung high on a wooden post on the deck of the central command warship.
"Chen Sanshi, you envy the talented and fear the capable!"
"You refused my plan today—sooner or later you will suffer defeat!"
For three days straight, Sima Yao hung on the post for all to see. The entire army knew, and no one dared disobey military orders again.
At the same time.
The standoff between the two armies also reached its final stage.
The court's navy held the advantage and could drive straight in once preparations were complete.
With their soldiers and ships both inferior to the court's, the rebel army had only two choices next.
First: withdraw.
Completely give up control of the Luoxiao River and retreat northward.
But once they retreated, it would amount to abandoning the entire Central Plains and the eastern regions. Even the Zhengtong Emperor inside Yulu Continent's Youlan capital would have to retreat as well, all the way back to the northwest.
In other words...
These nearly two years of war would have been for nothing!
In the end, they could only turtle back within Northern Liang's borders.
With the court having Immortal Masters, the ancestral vein, and Emperor Longqing's seclusion nearing its end, retreating to Northern Liang would essentially be a slow death.
Second: retreat into the various tributaries.
But the Zhengtong Emperor's forces already lacked large warships. If they scattered and fled, they would only face pursuit and encirclement from both water and land, to be broken one by one.
It had already come to...
A moment of life and death!
Relevant battle reports were also transmitted upward, layer by layer, to all sides.
Chang'an capital.
Within Zhongjue Hall.
"Good!"
Prince of Qin was exhilarated. "Good plan, a fine plan of chaining the ships together! Even if that Chen Sanshi can turn rivers over and seas upside down, in the end he still will not be able to stir up much of a wave!"
Minister of Personnel Yin Mingchun said, "With the decisive battle at hand, our army has the Water-Repelling Grand Formation. We will be unstoppable and slaughter every last rebel!"
"General Lu Ji!"
Prince of Qin looked toward the burly figure in the corner who had not spoken the whole time, and could not help but praise him. "This time, General Nie's chained-ships plan is playing a huge role. Your contributions cannot be ignored."
"Your Highness flatters me."
Lu Ji said calmly, "In that situation, only chaining the ships together could respond. Even if Third Junior Brother had not said it, Young Lord Zhou himself would have thought of it."
"Eh! General Lu, that is not quite right!"
Prince of Qin stood up and said, "If Chibi is a great victory, the rewards that should be given will absolutely not be lacking for General Nie."
Lu Ji clasped his fist. "This subject bears guilt. How would I dare speak of merit?"
"General Lu!"
Prince of Qin patted his shoulder and consoled him. "You need not blame yourself for losing Liangzhou. Who could have imagined Chen Sanshi could turn Liangzhou into a lone city in such a short time? I will not blame you. On the contrary, loyal ministers are seen in times of danger. General Lu can be said to have inherited the loyal and valiant legacy of the Grand Commander's Office!
"Next, the capital will still need General Lu and the orthodox Northern Liang army under your command to guard it!"
"Heh heh, Your Highness, those words are mistaken."
Young Grand Secretary Yan Maoxing teased, "If Chibi is a great victory, the bandits will have lost all momentum. His Majesty will soon emerge from seclusion, and the realm will naturally be pacified. I fear there will be no need for General Lu and Immortal Master Shan and the others to take action."
"Young Lord Zhou truly has unmatched stratagems!"
Minister of Revenue Tian Guang sighed with emotion. "Facing a fierce bandit tide, not only did he not fear it, he even joined hands with Immortal Master Shan Liangcheng, striking proactively on two fronts and turning passive into active! Now that we look back, we truly were mediocrities at the time!"
"If not for Young Lord Zhou, we nearly delayed a great matter!"
"Next, we only need to wait quietly for the Chibi victory report!"
Youlan capital.
Within Taiji Hall.
Two cultivators rode a flying boat back to the court and personally reported the battle situation at the front.
The Zhengtong Emperor sat upon the dragon throne. Listening to the gathered reports from all sides, his expression could not help but turn grave.
Defeat after defeat!
Now.
Their navy had been forced into a corner with no way back.
At most one more major battle, and it would be reduced to ashes and smoke!
The court erupted into an uproar.
Especially those sect-and-aristocratic officials who had placed their bets not long ago, all talking at once without end.
Why had they been willing to invest in the Prince of Jin proclaiming himself emperor? One of the most important reasons was not precisely because the Prince of Jin had the Northern Liang army under him, that invincible iron cavalry?
Especially White Robe.
Ever since he began leading troops, he had never once suffered defeat.
That was why these sects that had lain dormant for hundreds of years were willing, when the winds and clouds surged, to seize the chance and bring their whole clans to throw in their lot, ready to gamble everything.
From the Hongdu battle, to the King of Liang breaking formations at Qiantang Prefecture, successive great victories had proven their choice was not wrong, but how... once it reached Chibi, the situation became so deadlocked?
Luoxiao River!
The officials quickly analyzed the reason in their hearts.
Northern Liang iron cavalry conquered the world with cavalry, but they were not skilled at water warfare!
Moreover, everyone said White Robe's Five Elements belonged to fire. When he went into battle, flames coiled around him. In vast surging waters, naturally he could not bring his strength to bear and was constantly being suppressed.
By contrast.
The navy army of Chang'an capital came from the south of the river. It was originally the elite force under the Prince of Zhen'nan, the best at water warfare, and could be said to hold the advantage in timing, terrain, and men.
"What are we to do?"
"From the front-line situation, the Water-Repelling Grand Formation is almost impossible to crack."
"If we insist on a decisive battle... I'm afraid..."
"It will be a crushing defeat!"
Voices predicting doom were endless.
The Zhengtong Emperor Cao Huan himself, hair graying white, also wore a face full of worry. "Since all my beloved ministers believe there is no chance of victory, then speak of a better strategy."
The Grand Secretary, who was also Minister of War Ming Qingfeng, spoke up. "This minister believes that at this point, we can only choose to trust the King of Northern Liang!"
"Improper!"
An official in a crimson robe stepped forward. He was nearing sixty, yet his spirit was vigorous, with a short mustache. "This old minister believes we cannot continue fighting like this."
Shangguan Haichang.
This man was the sect master of the eastern region's number one sect, Danyang Sect.
Danyang Sect had stood for 1,000 years. In between it had experienced 3 dynastic changes. The sect's power had risen and fallen, yet it had always stood firm without toppling. Even when Great Sheng Founding Emperor Cao Xie rode forth to trample the martial world, it was among those least affected.
In this chaos across the realm, it was precisely Shangguan Haichang who took the lead, bringing the eastern great clans and aristocratic families to defect to the Prince of Jin. The grain, fodder, and manpower he brought could be said to be vast in quantity.
It could also be said that his words represented the meaning of the great aristocratic houses.
"Beloved minister Shangguan," Prince of Jin Cao Huan said, "what is your suggestion?"
"This minister believes," Shangguan Haichang said in a deep voice, "we should withdraw north!"
"Withdraw?"
"Yes!"
Shangguan Haichang continued, "Rather than letting the soldiers throw away their lives on the surface of the Luoxiao River, we should preserve our strength. We, together with the rest of the troops, should abandon the Central Plains and withdraw with the Northern Liang army back into Northern Liang territory, then plan slowly."
"This minister seconds!"
Officials from sects and aristocratic families all voiced agreement one after another.
Officials who had come out of Northern Liang, Fu Kejin and the others, were left speechless.
They truly could not afford to lose!
The new dynasty looked fierce, but in total it only had around 300,000 to 400,000, and it still had to be distributed across the various prefectures to garrison them. What it could actually mobilize was only a bit over 200,000.
If all of that was shattered at Chibi, then in the future, not to mention attacking cities and taking land, even self-preservation would likely become extremely difficult. With high probability, they would be steadily eaten away to nothing by the court army.
"What you say is extremely right, beloved ministers."
The Zhengtong Emperor nodded. "I will issue the edict at once."
As far as he knew, his twelfth younger brother, Yan Prince Cao Zhi, and Guiyuan Sect had been plotting some plan all along. As long as they could preserve their strength and wait until Guiyuan Sect made its move, it might not be impossible to deal with Father Emperor after he succeeded in Foundation Establishment.
But the prerequisite was...
That they could live to that time.
So if victory was impossible, preserving strength became a strategy they had no choice but to select. It was better than having the entire army wiped out.
The imperial edict from Youlan capital was quickly delivered to the army.
On the central command warship.
After White Robe and the many generals listened to the edict, their expressions each differed.
At present.
It truly was a situation where they had to face a final choice.
Either withdraw quickly and curl back into Northern Liang.
Or keep fighting, which meant there would no longer be any retreat at all.
"Otherwise..."
Guiyuan Sect cultivator Qian Qiren said, "Brother Chen, should we withdraw first? And you do not need to bear any psychological burden. After all, the other side has a second-tier formation that can handle a Foundation Establishment cultivator. That has already far exceeded our upper limit."
"Fellow Daoist Qian has a point."
Cui Zichen took out several sealed letters and said, "Starting a few days ago, Zhou Rong has already begun mobilizing more of the navy to block each tributary. If we withdraw now, we might still make it. If we drag on any longer, we truly will not be able to leave even if we want to."
"Are you all joking?"
Wang Zhi said without hesitation, "Our Northern Liang iron cavalry has survived nine deaths and one life, finally marching south from the northern border and entering the passes. The grain and provisions consumed were beyond counting. If we retreat back now, would this year not have been fought for nothing?"
"Do not forget one thing."
Second Senior Brother Cheng Wei said, "If we drag on like this, that old emperor is about to emerge from seclusion!"
"How could we not understand what you are saying? But there is no other way."
Cui Zichen said, "Even if withdrawing means a slow death afterward, it is still better than dying here all at once. Living one more day is still one more day of variables. Perhaps we can welcome a turning point."
"Brother Chen."
Qian Qiren put more weight into his tone. "Withdraw. Wait some more time, and my Guiyuan Sect can also send formation masters here. Why knowingly meet the strong with the weak and still smash head-on? Is that not the same as striking a stone with an egg?"
Under the expectant gazes of everyone.
Chen Sanshi finally made his decision. "Not a single step back."
"Notify the entire army!"
"Be ready at all times to fight the enemy in a decisive battle!"
Not a single step back, prepare for a decisive battle.
The moment those words left his mouth.
The cabin fell silent for a long while.
This was...
To act willfully to the end!
"Big Brother, big brother."
Yan Prince Cao Zhi moved close and lowered his voice. "Listen to me? The battlefield situation changes in an instant, different every day. You should understand that better than I do.
"Before, we indeed needed to race Father Emperor for time.
"But now, we do not necessarily have to be so desperate.
"Little Brother can tell you: if we wait a bit longer, Guiyuan Sect may be of great help to us.
"So why must you risk your life yourself?"
"Your Highness need not say more. My mind is decided."
Chen Sanshi did not give anyone else a chance to speak. "Anyone who speaks of retreat again will be killed without mercy."
With that, he left alone.
"If the Grand Commander says fight, then we fight. What is there to fear?!"
Zhao Kang looked contemptuously at Cui Zichen and the others, then left with the Northern Liang generals as well.
Inside the cabin, only the court faction remained.
"Is he... is he defying the edict?"
A general from an aristocratic family was a little dazed.
This time.
It was clearly the court that issued an imperial edict ordering a withdrawal.
An imperial edict!
So why did they still have to discuss it with White Robe, even the imperial edict had to be discussed with him?
And Chen Sanshi openly defied the edict, completely ignoring the court's military orders.
And yet...
The court truly had no way around it!
The title "King of Northern Liang" was not just talk. The Northern Liang army under him truly listened only to the king's command and not to imperial edicts.
If Chen Sanshi insisted on not leaving, no one could move the Northern Liang army.
They could move only the court's own troops away, but that would mean falling out with the Northern Liang army, and it would likewise bring no benefit to what came next.
If White Robe did not leave.
Everyone could only stay and accompany him!
"This..."
Qian Qiren, deeply wary of the other side's formation, looked around and said, "Can you not think of another way to persuade him?"
"You cannot persuade him."
Yan Prince Cao Zhi sat down in the command seat, lifted a purple clay kettle and took a swig, then looked out at the pitch-black night beyond the cabin, helplessly saying, "If my big brother wants to stake his life, we can only stake our lives with him.
"And it might even be that...
"He is using some stratagem again, only he did not tell us."
"Let it be so."
Everyone fell silent again. After a few breaths,
Cui Zichen finally said with resolve, "Then make preparations. Fight to the death."
At the same time.
The punishment of chains piercing the body and hanging for three days in public finally ended.
Wang Zhi and the others removed the dark iron chains.
"Thud!"
Sima Yao, his whole body riddled with bloody holes, slammed heavily onto the deck.
Using dark iron chains and iron spikes to pierce the body's crucial apertures and pass through the body, this kind of punishment, even for a True Force Realm martial artist, was a torment of pain that was hard to endure.
He lay prone on the deck, hair in disarray, face smeared with blood and grime. Though he had been hung only three days, he looked as if he had aged thirty years, incomparably weathered.
"Father!"
The two brothers, Sima Chi and Sima Lan, hurried forward to support him.
Wei Xuan tossed over a porcelain bottle and said, "Brother Sima, the body-piercing punishment is indeed painful, but it is ultimately only flesh wounds and did not damage anything vital. For martial cultivators like us, it will recover quickly. We are about to decide life and death with the enemy. The Grand Commander has given you a chance to redeem merit with merit, so cherish it well."
This scene.
The soldiers on the surrounding comings-and-goings ships all saw it clearly.
The Jiangnan navy army.
On the central command warship.
"Young Lord Zhou."
Yan Hongyuan rushed over and reported, "The three armies have completed their preparations. We only need to choose a suitable time, and we can launch the whole army, striving to wipe out the rebels in one drumbeat!"
"This time, they either withdraw or die!"
Prince Qi looked somewhat excited as he spoke. "I told you, where in this world is there anyone invincible with no weaknesses? That hunter Chen Sanshi's weakness is that he is simply not skilled at water warfare!"
Amid the surging excitement and fighting intent...
Zhou Rong, who was savoring the freshness of Luoxiao River's prized fish, slowly set down his chopsticks and asked, "Has anything abnormal happened among the enemy?"
"Abnormal?" Yan Hongyuan recalled carefully. "Nothing abnormal. But there is a man in the rebel army called Sima Yao, a general above Martial Saint. It seems he had a dispute with Chen Sanshi while discussing strategy, then tried to mobilize troops on his own and got discovered. In a fit of rage, Chen Sanshi used dark iron chains to pierce his body and hung him up for public display for 3 days. He was quite ruthless."
"A dispute?" Zhou Rong pressed. "What exactly was the dispute about?"
"That I don't know," Yan Hongyuan said.
Both sides had spies among the other.
But their ranks were often not very high. They could only learn the enemy army's general movements, and it was unlikely they would know what the highest decision-makers were discussing.
"Good news!"
"Heavenly good news!"
As everyone was deliberating, General Zhang Jingwu strode into the cabin with a sealed letter in hand, unable to suppress the joy on his face.
Prince Qi teased, "General Zhang has seen countless battles. What kind of good news could make you this happy? Don't tell me the rebels are preparing to lay down their arms and surrender?"
"Yes!"
Zhang Jingwu paused, then explained, "But not the whole army—just one person. Sima Yao, that general above Martial Saint among the rebels, is quite dissatisfied with Chen Sanshi and is preparing to bring his troops over in surrender! This is his handwritten letter. Young Lord Zhou and everyone, take a look!"
"Truly?!"
Prince Qi and the others all brightened with delight.
All in all, the two sides' high-end combat strength was not far apart.
At this moment, if a general above Martial Saint defected, it was absolutely favorable news—let alone that Sima Yao also stated in the letter that he would bring his own 22,000 troops and many ships of all sizes!
The rebel army was already at a disadvantage. If this happened on top of it, it would be adding frost on snow. When the decisive battle came, they would surely collapse at a touch!
"Ten days from now."
Prince Qi read the letter's contents and informed them, "Sima Yao says that if we are willing to accept him, he will come over at midnight 10 days from now. He only hopes that after things are done, we can introduce the Sima clan to Shengyun Sect."
"It seems White Robe truly can't hold on anymore."
Zhang Jingwu said, "Otherwise, such an important subordinate wouldn't run over to surrender!"
"This man..."
Zhou Rong read the handwriting again and again, and said unhurriedly, "Is he reliable?"
"He should be reliable!"
Zhang Jingwu emphasized, "A few days ago, the dispute was heard with our own ears by several of our agents. They say the central command warship was shouting so fiercely it was practically about to come to blows.
"Then the punishment of chains piercing bone—every rebel soldier could see it. In such circumstances, it's entirely possible to foster resentment and, in anger, defect to the enemy."
The Ling family martial cultivator Ling Qia added, "This Sima Yao is not from Dongsheng Divine Continent. Like us, he comes from Heavenly Water Isle. Psychologically speaking, he would not truly see himself as a subject.
"If Chen Sanshi had truly killed him, that would be one thing. But to hang him up like that and humiliate him—who could endure it?"
"Exactly."
A Shengyun Sect cultivator said, "And accepting a surrendering general is also a signal. It might even draw more people to surrender. Winning the great battle without spilling blood is not impossible.
"On the other hand,
"If we refuse, it may instead stir the enemy's fighting spirit and force them into a cornered-beast struggle, causing us unnecessary losses."
"Young Lord Zhou."
Prince Qi said solemnly, "I don't think there's anything to hesitate over. We should accept Sima Yao's surrender, integrate his troops that very day, then ride the favorable current upstream and crush the rebels outright!"
Zhou Rong stared at the letter and did not speak for a long time, until after more than 10 breaths, he suddenly let out a cold laugh, as if he had realized something.
This scene
left Prince Qi and the others looking at one another in confusion.
"Young Lord Zhou, why are you laughing?"
"Could it be you think we shouldn't take this man in?"
"No!"
Zhou Rong slapped the table and rose. "We will arrange it exactly as His Highness says.
"Order Sima Yao to lead his men over under cover of night at midnight 10 days from now.
"Then our army will pour out in full force and fight the enemy to the death!"
Ten days of time
passed in a flash.
At midnight.
The wind was calm and the waves were still.
Within the New Dynasty's water stockade, a force quietly broke away under cover of darkness, leaving the stockade and slowly sailing toward the direction of the Jiangnan navy army!
On a mengchong warship.
Sima Yao stood holding his blade. Unlike his earlier shouting when he quarreled with White Robe, he now wore a face as still as water as he stared at the surface ahead.
"Father!"
Sima Chi came to his side. "Everything is arranged. 22,000 men in total, 2 large ships, and dozens of medium and small warships. The commanders and soldiers under us are also acting as ordered."
"Mm."
Sima Yao said in a deep voice, "Tonight will be very dangerous. I won't be able to look after you. Take care of yourselves."
"Father, rest assured. Your child will never cling to life and fear death. It's just..."
Sima Lan paused, then said in confusion, "It's just—are we really going to risk our lives for this man? Is it worth it?"
"Whether it's worth it or not depends on the moment."
Sima Yao said calmly. "Given our clan's current situation, if we endure tonight, we can welcome a true turning point."
As father and sons were speaking,
a narrow skiff slowly approached on the river ahead, drawing near their fleet.
Under the night, they could only see a figure atop it speaking in a restrained voice: "Are you General Sima Yao?"
"Exactly!"
Sima Yao immediately said, "I am Sima Yao. I have led my own 20,000 troops here to seek refuge with Young Lord Zhou Rong!"
"So it truly is General Sima!"
As they drew closer, the firelight revealed the newcomer to be a robust, long-bearded middle-aged general. He cupped his hands and said, "I am Zhang Jingwu. I have been ordered to come welcome General Sima. General Sima, please follow me—Young Lord Zhou has been awaiting you for quite some time."
The Jiangnan navy.
In the black of night, one massive warship after another stood arrayed with iron chains linked end to end, heavy and solemn—like ancient waterborne behemoths awakened from a primeval age. Compared to them, any living creature seemed insignificant.
On a "Feiyun" tower ship.
Supreme Commander Zhou Rong came outside the cabin and stood on the deck with his hands clasped behind his back. Feeling the icy night wind, he abruptly asked, "General Nie, do you think we can break the enemy tonight?"
"It all feels a bit too smooth."
Nie Yuan put on a thoughtful look. "Of course, if Young Lord Zhou thinks there's no problem, then there must be no problem."
"Heh."
Zhou Rong glanced at him. "So, General Nie thinks something is off?"
Nie Yuan racked his brain and said, "But I can't figure out what. Maybe I'm just being overly cautious."
In the darkness, Zhou Rong's gaze—sharp as an arrow—slowly moved off Nie Yuan. Behind his back, his hands were pinching a jade thumb ring, ready to flick it away at any moment.
After about 8 minutes.
Zhang Jingwu's small boat led a mengchong warship into view. Behind it, there were densely packed warships of all sizes—crowded with men.
"Young Lord Zhou, they're here!"
Zhou Rong called out loudly, "Are you General Sima?"
"Exactly!"
Sima Yao cupped his hands and said, "I have arrived here tonight as Young Lord Zhou required. I ask Young Lord Zhou to accept me!"
"General Sima!"
Zhou Rong asked again, "The rebel court is in urgent need of men right now, and the treatment Guiyuan Sect offers you would not be bad either. Why insist on coming to me?"
"Isn't it written clearly in the letter?"
Sima Yao said indignantly, "Chen Sanshi is jealous of talent and ability, afraid I'll steal his credit. It would be one thing if he refused to use my strategy, but he even hung me up for public display for 3 days—how can that be tolerated?!
"Today I have come to seek refuge with Young Lord Zhou, and I have only 2 requests!
"First, that I can be accepted by Shengyun Sect.
"Second, that I personally chop off Chen Sanshi's dog head!"
"Reasonable and fair!"
Zhou Rong forced out a smile and said, "In that case, I'll trouble General Sima to join forces with us wholeheartedly and wipe out the rebels together!"
"Young Lord Zhou, wait—I've got it!"
Nie Yuan suddenly leaned in and whispered.
"Oh?"
Zhou Rong looked at him, raising an eyebrow slightly. "It seems General Nie is not useless after all."
As he spoke, he silently slid the jade thumb ring—originally prepared to be thrown—back onto his thumb.
"So that means..."
Third Senior Brother Nie Yuan suddenly realized. "Young Lord Zhou already knew something was wrong—then why did you still—"
"General Nie will see at a glance."
Zhou Rong said lightly.
The two of them kept talking.
Not far away, Sima Yao seemed to be getting impatient. "Young Lord Zhou, why are you still not letting us pass?"
At this moment,
they were still blocked in front of the great ships with iron chains linked end to end, unable to enter the battle formation.
Zhou Rong answered, "General Sima, there's no need for you to enter my army."
"What does Young Lord Zhou mean by that?!"
Sima Yao shouted, "Since I'm already considered a Great Sheng general, shouldn't I merge with the main army?"
"General Sima, our navy's formation has long since been completed with iron chains linked end to end. It truly isn't convenient to add more ships into it. If we re-form the formation, it will inevitably waste a great deal of time!
"If Chen Sanshi's side notices something abnormal, it may cost us the chance to strike."
Zhou Rong's voice rang out. "Why not have General Sima directly lead your men to turn your bows around and open the way as the vanguard for our army? We will surely catch the rebels off guard!
"Rest assured!
"After this battle, not only will the court reward General Sima heavily, Shengyun Sect will also certainly hold General Sima in high regard!
"How about it?!"
Turn the ships around!
Even for the smallest warship, turning around took a great deal of time. Combined with sails and the like, it meant they could only move in a set direction.
Which was to say...
once Sima Yao and his men turned around, they could only advance in the direction of returning toward the rebel water stockade, and could no longer face the Jiangnan navy's battle formation head-on.
"General Sima, what are you still standing there for?!"
Zhou Rong's tone gradually turned icy. "Since you've made up your mind to abandon darkness for the light, shouldn't you show some sincerity? Or could it be that General Sima's surrender to my Great Sheng court is false, and your true intent is to feign surrender and throw our formation into chaos?!"
"Young Lord Zhou, what are you saying?! This old man will turn the ships around at once!"
As Sima Yao spoke, he turned toward the warships behind him—yet he did not truly give the order to turn. Instead, he suddenly raised his voice and roared, "Light it! Kill the enemy!"
"Boom—"
With that command,
they saw blazing flames erupt on every warship—large and small—that Sima Yao had brought, and they charged straight toward the Jiangnan navy's gigantic tower ships to ram them.
Seeing this,
Prince Qi and the others were horrified.
"A feigned surrender!"
"Sima Yao is feigning surrender!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Quick!"
Just before the fire ships slammed in, the foremost "Feiyun," "Gaihai," and other tower ships of the court navy flared with spiritual light, then activated the Water-Repelling Grand Formation. One arc-shaped water wall after another rose up in front.
The fire ships under Sima Yao's command slammed into it. The flames went out in an instant—"sizzle, sizzle," thick smoke billowing up—and under the tremendous impact, the ships themselves began to break apart.
If these fires couldn't be lit from the inside, they would have no effect at all.
But even knowing the outcome would be this, Sima Yao still had to give such orders. If he truly turned his ships around, it would not only mean exposing his back to the enemy—it would also mean actually crashing into his own water stockade.
On the deck.
Watching clusters of flames flare up and then die out, Zhou Rong threw his head back and laughed. Then, as if praising, yet also as if mocking, he said, "Good plan, good plan! What a fine bitter flesh ruse!"
"Bitter flesh ruse?!"
Prince Qi, Ling Qia, and the Shengyun Sect cultivators all looked at the chaos before them, their hearts still pounding with lingering dread.
"A feigned surrender?!"
"Young Lord Zhou knew all along they were faking it?!"
"Sima Yao!"
Prince Qi cursed aloud, "I even spoke up for you! You've got a bright future right in front of you, and you won't take it—you insist on walking the rebel road all the way to death. Then go die!"
"Good thing Young Lord Zhou leads with caution!"
Yan Hongyuan said with lingering fear, "Otherwise, we really would've let Chen Sanshi's treacherous scheme succeed!"
"Wooo—"
The sound of cutting through waves came.
From both sides of Sima's fleet, a large number of small warships surged out—Zhou Rong had clearly prepared long ago.
"Hmph!"
With his plot exposed, Sima Yao did not grow angry.
The Heavenly Demon Breathing Method unfolded.
In the blazing firelight, his body suddenly swelled. His bones warped with a rapid "crack-crack," splitting his robes. Beastlike muscles pressed tight against his originally oversized armor, and he fully transformed into a demonic shape.
"Zhou Rong, you brat!"
When Sima Yao spoke, even his voice carried a bloody stench, like a beast forcing out human words. "How did you see through this bitter flesh ruse of mine?!"
"Zhou did not see through it—only acted out of caution!"
Zhou Rong said calmly. "After all, everything was too coincidental, and too smooth."
It was a chained scheme!
Chen Sanshi had first used a Heavenly Book formation to force them into iron chains linked end to end!
In that situation, even if Nie Yuan had not proposed it, Zhou Rong still would have chosen iron chains linked end to end, because that was the only solution!
Now it seemed, it had been the White Robe's open scheme!
Even if Zhou Rong knew that once the ships were chained together, they might be unable to respond when faced with fire attacks, he still had to do it—otherwise there was no way to bring the great ships' advantage into play.
After that, he kept putting himself in the other side's shoes.
If he were Chen Sanshi, how would he light that fire from the inside?
And then, on the eve of the decisive battle,
Sima Yao would lead his men to surrender!
Of course.
Even so, Zhou Rong still didn't dare be fully certain it was a feigned surrender, so he still gave Sima Yao a chance.
If the other side was willing to turn their ships around and act as the vanguard, then it was true submission. Otherwise, it was a feigned surrender.
Now it seemed.
Just as expected.
"Rumble rumble rumble!"
The sounds of explosions and of water and fire colliding continued without pause.
Zhou Rong suddenly drew the sword at his waist. "Pass my order—the entire army charges straight for the rebel water stockade!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
On one warship after another, thunderous war drums began to pound. In the firelight, battle flags of every color whipped and danced.
With the Water-Repelling Grand Formation's support, the court's Jiangnan navy—400,000 strong—became cities that could sail upon the water. With an indescribable pressure, they advanced, grinding every obstacle ahead into powder!
"Break out!"
"Notify our army to retreat!!!"
In his demonlike form, Sima Yao dealt with the attacks while issuing orders.
All his subordinates abandoned the clumsy medium warships and boarded the smallest, most agile haihu boats or zouge skiffs, retreating along the original route.
But even so, their losses were disastrous!
Not to mention casualties—just the warships they had brought were all lost, utterly wiped out!
On a winter's cold night.
On the Luoxiao River.
The court's 400,000-strong navy pressed the pursuit with the momentum of victory.
And the rebels could only abandon all their stockades—on water and on land—retreating relentlessly to the rear. Along the way they lost grain, supplies, and especially countless warships, and their casualties could not even be clearly tallied.
The court pursued for a full day and night.
A great victory at Chibi!
"Young Lord Zhou!"
Zhang Jingwu reported, "The enemy originally planned to ambush us, so they had preparations. After Sima Yao sent word in advance, they immediately turned their ships around, abandoned the water stockade, and retreated."
"Where is Chen Sanshi?"
Zhou Rong asked. "Last night's melee—why didn't I see his figure?"