449: Chapter 247 Tie Xiaosheng (Please Subscribe) 449: Chapter 247 Tie Xiaosheng (Please Subscribe) Shenxiu River, located at the boundary between Xiushui County and Xunyang County.
The bright moon hung in the night sky like a silver plate, with a hint of chill, moonlight scattered across the river’s surface, illuminating scores of miles of river and making it shimmer.
Then, a breeze blew, causing the rippling waves on the lake to glitter, creating layers upon layers of ripples.
This should have been a serene and tranquil sight, one to long for.
However, the relentless rain of arrows across the river, the thunderous sound of war drums, thousands of torches, and hundreds of large boats crisscrossing the river destroyed the tranquility here.
No fewer than six hundred large boats gathered here, a majestic array with intertwined arrows and drums that reached the skies.
Tens of thousands of brave warriors fiercely fought aboard these boats, engaged in a desperate struggle, battling with intense ferocity; the river surged with flames as a dozen vessels burned fiercely, surrounded by innumerable fragments of wood and scattered corpses.
Below the river surface, most of the fish were frightened by the sound of the war drums and darted away in all directions; there were also some ferocious Water Beasts and Demons attracted by the scent of blood, lurking beneath the water waiting for food.
Dragon Head Ren Daoheng of Seventeen Linked Wharves currently stood atop the upper deck of a large boat, gazing into the distance at the battlefield in front of him.
This boat was originally a military Five-toothed Giant Ship, grand in posture with the capacity to carry 18,000 dan, but was decommissioned due to ‘age-related disrepair’ and was purchased by the Seventeen Linked Wharves to be converted into a civilian boat.
But now, this so-called ‘civilian boat’ bore no resemblance to a merchant vessel any longer.
The twenty Scorpion Crossbows and ten Eight-Armed Giant Crossbows on board, along with nearly three hundred Crossbowmen, continued to pour volleys of arrows downstream.
The boat even housed two small Catapults, which, due to both sides having battled for nearly three hours, had run out of stones and had to cease operation.
Ren Daoheng’s expression was as dark and deep as water, with an unforeseen solemnity.
At the age of forty, Ren Daoheng had thick hair and a hawk-like nose, with sharply arched brows and a stature reaching seven feet tall, large-boned and imposing, his presence both awe-inspiring and chillingly austere.
Behind his ears, there were some scales, but he was not a Half-demon; this was a sign of Ren Daoheng mastering a particular Martial Arts to an advanced level.
Behind Ren Daoheng stood a thin scholar in his forties.
This man, named Wen Xiwen, was the strategist of Seventeen Linked Wharves, known in the Jianghu as ‘White Paper Fan.’
Wen Xiwen had a dignified appearance and a refined, Er Ya demeanor.
He was now holding a Qiankun sword talisman with furrowed brows, saying, “Dragon Leader, we cannot keep fighting .
Xiushui County has sent a message; they have discovered the Iron Banner Gang’s main forces near Ghost Cry Gorge.”
“It is estimated that in a short while, these 3,500 elite Iron Banner members will be taking boats northbound.
If we cannot crush them by tomorrow morning, our Seventeen Linked Wharves will have no chance of victory.”
Ren Daoheng’s gaze sharpened, but he remained silent.
How could he not be aware of the current situation?
Though the Iron Banner Gang Headquarters elite only numbered 3,500, by scattering them across various large boats, the Iron Banner could elevate nearly all opposing vessels to a combat strength close to that of the State Military Navy.
At that point, the situation’s balance of power would surely be reversed.
Ren Daoheng had always envied the mobilization power of the Iron Banner Gang.
At its peak, Seventeen Linked Wharves occupied the major waterways of Jiangnan County and Xunyang County, reaching over 9,000 formal gang members, with an additional 500 affiliated private boat owners.
But in several naval engagements with the Iron Banner Gang, they always found themselves with inferior troop numbers.
It was the same today.
Ren Daoheng still remembered the shock he felt as the night fell, and Tie Xiaosheng led 373 large ships, swarming downriver like an impenetrable cloud.
After pondering for a while, Ren Daoheng turned to his strategist Wen Xiwen.
“Has the Commander of the Naval Camp sent any reply?
If he agrees to help us, I am willing to offer 500,000 taels of Demon Silver as a reward.”
Wen Xiwen, however, shook his head with a grave expression.
Why would the Jiangnan County Navy Camp, which reported directly to the governor, stick its neck out for Seventeen Linked Wharves?
If it were an official business, that would be one thing, but this was a private endeavor by the Governor of Xiushui County.
The governor commanded the Jiangnan County Navy Camp to clear up after Sikong Chan and prevent issues from arising from the Iron Banner Gang, not to take the brunt of the battle for them.
The worst-case scenario had already unfolded, with the Iron Banner Gang boasting 400 ships, 4,000 gang members, and 40,000 laborers, an overwhelming force that even made the Jiangnan County Navy Camp cautious in direct engagements.
500,000 taels of Demon Silver was too little; the sum might not even cover the Jiangnan County Navy Camp’s compensation and battle losses once the dust settled.
The problem was that after several major battles, Seventeen Linked Wharves was nearly bankrupt.
And the Navy Camp’s Commander wasn’t interested in deferred payment.
Seeing the look on Wen Xiwen’s face, Ren Daoheng inwardly sighed, “You are the strategist, do you have any plans?”
“Your subordinate is incompetent, with no solution in sight!” Wen Xiwen gazed towards the waterway ahead.
“I previously thought that the Iron Banner Gang only had the Iron Madman, but today I realized they also have a Tie Xiaosheng.
His aptitude in naval combat is no less than that of the Iron Madman.”
The Iron Banner Gang’s strategy involved using sunken ships and great fires to block the advance of Seventeen Linked Wharves.
Their core members were few, lacking in elite combat strength, so they absolutely avoided close-quarter combat, merely using arrows to hold back the enemy.
If the Seventeen Linked Wharves’ men boarded their ships, they would decisively abandon them, positioning large ships sideways or igniting great fires, or proactively sinking them, preventing the navy of Seventeen Linked Wharves from advancing downstream.
Tie Xiaosheng had also chosen a superb battlefield – the river’s current here flowed gently, significantly reducing their advantage of moving downstream.