The flames soaring into the sky reflected the river surface red, and the surrounding soldiers could clearly see the sailors jumping from the ship. In the fierce fire, there were even screams.
The surrounding warships had already taken out their bamboo dragons and sprayed water on the burning ships.
Duan Shao's face turned pale.
Not long ago, he was excited that the Flying Cicada Ninja burned down the Chu people's granary. The excitement had not passed, but his grain ship was probably in the fire. Looking at the two ships falling apart in the fire, Duan Shao's mind went blank and he didn't know what to do at this time.
There were shouts, screams, and shouts, and the river was very lively.
Some of the Dong Qi ships tried their best to put out the fire, while others rescued fallen soldiers in the river.
It was not until Shentu Luo came to his side that Duan Shao came back to his senses, stared at Shen Tuluo, and immediately asked: "Grand Governor, those...those two ships are definitely not grain ships!"
Shen Tuluo didn't speak, but just said: "Your Highness, don't be anxious, go to the cabin first!"
Duan Shao looked at the two sinking ships, turned around, and went into the cabin. He knew that there were sailors all around. Shen Tuluo had some things that he couldn't say clearly in front of everyone. After entering the cabin, he said hurriedly: "Big Governor...!"
"Your Highness, the Chu people's revenge came so quickly." Shen Tuluo's face was also livid: "Those two ships... are both grain ships, and our grain has been destroyed!"
Duan Shao felt that his legs were weak and he was about to collapse. He stretched out his hands to hold the table to support his body and closed his eyes. But he quickly said: "Grand Governor, this must not be known to the soldiers...!" But as soon as the words came out of his mouth, he felt weak. , but he already understood in his heart that it was impossible to hide the destruction of the grain ship.
Not to mention that many of the soldiers knew that the food was on that ship. Even if no one else knew it, when it was time to eat and there was no food available, the soldiers would immediately understand that it was the food ship that was burned.
"Chu people are so despicable." Duan Shao sat down slowly, his face pale, as if he had forgotten that he also sent people to burn Huize's granary: "Their granary was destroyed, so they must have been furious, so they sent people to burn it down. Our grain ship.”
Although Shentu Luo was the most famous navy general in the world, the destruction of the grain ship obviously dealt him an unprecedented heavy blow.
A clever woman cannot make a meal without rice. Even if Shen Tuluo has unparalleled military strategies, how can he control the sailors without food
"How do they know that those two ships are grain ships?" Shen Tuluo looked coldly: "Why did they focus on those two ships?"
Duan Shao immediately realized that something was wrong and asked: "Yes, they... how did they know that it was a grain ship?" He reached out and grabbed Shentu Luo's arm: "Grand Governor, is there... any food stored on other ships?"
Shentu Luo shook his head: "Although there is some food on my ship, a dozen people may be able to last for ten days and a half, but thousands of soldiers can only make a drop in the bucket and are useless."
"Then... what should we do?" Duan Shao was anxious: "In a few hours, it will be meal time. We... where will we find food?"
Shentu Luo sighed: "Lu Zheng is leading another fleet up the Huai River. If we can meet them in time, there will be some food there, but I know very well that there is not much food there. Even if we join them, Suddenly there are two thousand more people to eat, and it won't last for more than a few days."
"Then... let's go upriver to meet up with Lu Zheng immediately. How many days can we last?" Duan Shao immediately said: "Grand Governor, hurry up and give the order, we... we can't delay!"
Duan Shao knew very well that once the soldiers knew that the grain ship had been destroyed, the already low morale would completely collapse in an instant. Even if there was no mutiny, the navy would disappear in an instant.
Shentu Luo shook his head slightly and said: "Your Highness, once we meet up with Lu Zheng, it will only cause the navy to collapse faster. According to my estimation, Lu Zheng can still hold on for about ten days. As long as he can hold on, the Huai River will be If it is still under our control, the Chu people’s food routes will not be able to be cleared.”
"Then... what should we do?" Duan Shao sighed: "If there is no grain of rice left, are we just waiting to starve to death here?"
"We can only abandon the ship and go ashore." Shen Tuluo said, "Maybe there is still a glimmer of hope."
"Ashore?" Duan Shao was startled: "Where are we going?"
Shentu Luo said: "On the south bank of the Huai River, the Chu people have taken precautions, and the people have moved back. Even if we go to the south bank, we will not get any supplements. Instead, we are very likely to fall into the trap of the Chu people. So for today The only solution is to go north to meet Linghu in Puyang."
"Puyang?" Duan Shao frowned and said, "Grand Governor, there are soldiers and horses of the Qinhuai Army moving on the north bank. If we land on the beach, won't we have to confront the Qinhuai Army head-on?"
"Detour around Xuzhou." Shentu Luo said: "The Chu army is now in control of Linzi, and they certainly dare not divide their troops in Xuzhou now. Your Highness can lead the soldiers to detour around Xuzhou and turn to Puyang. Prime Minister Linghu has led the army to defend Xuzhou, and now there is no need to worry about food and grass. Once His Highness reunites with Linghu, he will be safe."
Duan Shao frowned and said: "Grand Governor, if you ask me to lead the troops there, then... won't you go?"
Shen Tuluo shook his head and said: "If I go with you, are these warships going to be abandoned? If you want to burn these ships, I can't bear it. Moreover, the navy is the main force of our restoration of Qi Dynasty. I must save these ships no matter what." After a pause, he continued: "I will leave some loyal and reliable sailors. They are not many. They fish for food on the river and can barely hold the boat out of the Huaihe River."
"Grand Governor, Lu Zheng's navy is still there, and Chu's grain routes are still in our hands. Why don't we negotiate with the Chu people?" Duan Shao sneered: "Although they burned our grain ships, Their own granaries were also burned down by us."
Shen Tuluo shook his head and said: "Since the people of Chu have succeeded, they know that we cannot survive. Even if we go to negotiate, they will not accept it."
At this moment, when he suddenly heard a noise coming from outside, Shentu Luo frowned, got up and walked out of the cabin. Duan Shao also knew that something happened outside the cabin, so he followed him out. When he came out of the cabin, he saw someone on the deck. A group of people were fighting together. After Shen Tuluo came out, he shouted in a deep voice: "Stop!"
Only then did everyone separate, many of them were disheveled and their faces were stained.
"There is a clear order in the army that those who fight in private will be punished with thirty military sticks, but you actually regard military law as nothing?" Shen Tuluo pressed his hand on the handle of his saber, his face gloomy.
All the soldiers lowered their heads. Most of the two burned ships over there had sunk into the water. The soldiers who put out the fire obviously knew that there was nothing they could do to save the fire, so they stopped putting out the fire and just rescued the soldiers who fell into the river.
Duan Shao also frowned and said, "Why the private fight?"
A man came forward and said with cupped hands: "Your Highness, Grand Governor, they said that what was destroyed was a grain ship. If we hold on any longer, we will starve to death. These cowards have the intention of defecting, so...!" He did not finish his words. , someone behind him immediately said: "Your Highness, the Governor, he is slanderous. We have no intention of defecting. We are just saying that the grain ship has been destroyed. We are worried... Worried that there will be no food to eat next, so we just said one more thing and they will slander us." It’s rebellion!”
After this person finished speaking, many people spoke up one after another, and the two sides suddenly started arguing again, but Duan Shao and Shen Tuluo were present, so no one dared to make a move.
Duan Shao's heart sank at this time. He had previously expected that something would happen if the grain ship was destroyed. He didn't expect that what he was most worried about would come true. Although these soldiers were not in trouble yet, since they dared to talk about the grain ship blatantly, Moreover, the number of people was large, and it was obvious that the military morale was in chaos.
"You are all warriors of Da Qi, deeply blessed by the country. Now, in the time of national crisis, you are killing each other." Duan Shao said coldly: "Don't you have any desire to restore the country?"
All the soldiers were silent, but at this moment, they heard another exclamation: "It's on fire, it's on fire!" It came from Shen Tuluo's main warship.
Shen Tuluo's expression changed suddenly and he rushed to the side of the ship. Without thinking, he jumped off the side of the ship and landed on the boat. He shouted sternly: "Get over here quickly!"
The sailors hurriedly rowed to the warship.
Duan Shao had already seen the figures moving on the warship, and vaguely saw the firelight coming from the side window of the cabin. He knew that the fire was burning from the bilge, and he was shocked.
He originally thought that the Chu people burned the grain ship and fled immediately, but he didn't expect that the group still stayed.
Just now, two grain ships caught fire, and everyone's attention was drawn to them. The Chu people must have taken this opportunity to burn the main warship directly.
He felt a chill in his heart. He didn't know how many people the Chu State had sent this time. But from what Fang Yan could see, apart from the officers and soldiers of the Dong Qi Navy, where could the Chu State assassins be seen
Shen Tuluo boarded the warship, but the fire in the bottom cabin was still not extinguished. Thick smoke came out of the cabin. The officers and soldiers were quickly spraying water into the cabin to extinguish the fire. He clenched his hands and his face was ashen.
If it were a head-on fight with the enemy on the water, Shentu Luo would have nothing to fear. Under his command, the Donghai Navy was beaten to such a state that the entire army was almost annihilated. However, in the face of these insidious tricks of the Chu people, he could not think of anything. A better way to deal with it, he was feeling annoyed. The grain ship had just been burned, so he should have been wary of the enemy continuing to set fire to other warships. However, the two burned ships were grain ships, which made him mistakenly believe that the other party's purpose was just Just a grain ship.
Fortunately, the fire was discovered in time and the fire did not completely burn out. But even so, the warship was seriously damaged. After the fire was extinguished, Shentu Luo entered the cabin to check. The smoke was still not cleared. Many places in the cabin had been damaged. Burnt and dilapidated.
"Where did the fire start?" Shen Tuluo asked with a cold face.
"It seems... it seems to be the bilge!" someone said next to him.
"Where are the guards?" Shentu Luo said angrily: "Who can enter the cabin and set fire to it?"
There were soldiers guarding the entrance to the cabin at the front and rear. Shen Tuluo really couldn't figure out how the other party sneaked into the cabin.
Suddenly they heard the sound of footsteps, and the two people rushed over and reported: "Grand Governor, the bilge... the bilge is filled with water, someone... someone destroyed the bilge!"
Shen Tuluo immediately went down to the bilge and saw soldiers blocking the hole with planks of wood. There was a huge hole in the corner of the bilge. At this time, water poured in from the hole, and inside the bilge, The thick smoke was so thick that people couldn't keep their eyes open. Shentuluo even smelled the smell of fuel. He glanced around and saw that the ship deck in the bottom cabin was even more severely burned. Many places had been burned to charcoal. He understood instantly and murmured: "They set the fire from the bottom of the cabin!"