Liu Qi built a water fort in Linxiang and trained the navy. In a few days, the warships were repaired and the bows, crossbows and arrows were fully equipped.
On this day, he was discussing countermeasures with several generals who had fought against the Dongting pirates before, when Xu Shu suddenly came to report that Zhou Buyi and his mother were imprisoned on Shenlong Island and were temporarily safe.
Although Liu Xian had great confidence in his nephew, he was still relieved upon hearing the news and sighed, "If I hadn't taken them to Xiangyang to let Buyi study and make progress, they wouldn't have suffered such a great crime."
Xu Shu said: "Your nephew was able to mediate in the bandits' den without any harm, which shows that he is calm and wise. This boy will become a great man in the future. We need to find a way to rescue him."
Liu Xian said helplessly: "The enemy army is powerful, and the Shenlong Island is impregnable. It is extremely difficult to rescue people."
Xu Shu smiled and said, "I have a plan that can save him and his son. I just need to know Zhou Buyi's birth date."
"Really?" Liu Xian was excited and stood up quickly and said, "If we can save Bu Yi, what does a mere eight characters matter?"
Liu Qi was a little curious and asked, "What's your plan, sir?"
Xu Shu said, "To be honest, I have had dealings with the master of the Dongting Dragon King Temple. I have heard that the pirates often go to the temple to burn incense in order to pray for a smooth voyage. I can take the master's men to the island to investigate the truth."
Liu Xian was surprised and said, "The thieves are violent and capricious. Yuanzhi doesn't need to take risks for this."
Xu Shu waved his hand and said with a smile: "Don't worry, my dear. I used to fight with swordsmen in the martial arts world and often interacted with the heroes of the green forest. I know some ways to deal with them. This time I am going to rescue your nephew and also to teach the bandits. If I can persuade them to surrender and avoid a massacre, why not do it?"
Liu Qi nodded and said, "Since you have a plan, you may as well go there, but remember to protect yourself first and don't act too hastily."
Xu Shu clasped his fists and said, "It is our job to seek talents for the lord and save the people from disaster. The war ahead will require more help from the general. Only by suppressing the bandits and eliminating their arrogance can we persuade them to surrender. Otherwise, the bandits will be too arrogant and it will be difficult to succeed."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Now that the navy has completed its training, I am just trying to see the enemy's strength and fight head-on. Leave it to us."
Xu Shu took the order and retreated with Liu Xianxian. He asked about Zhou Buyi's news and went to the Dragon King Temple to see what happened.
Liu Qi summoned Gan Ning and several naval captains and ordered 5,000 naval troops to march towards Wangyue Island. If they could capture this important place, they could go straight to the enemy's lair, Shenlong Island.
There is a small island five miles past the lake mouth. Gan Ning had already led his troops to build a camp and port here. From afar, an isolated island can be seen on the lake, which is Wangyue Island.
Gan Ning led the navy to set out, and the enemy army also learned the news. Zhou Xiong immediately gathered the navy and set out. Nearly a thousand large and small ships swarmed in, and thousands of sails passed by with a huge momentum.
On top of a large ship, a black flag fluttered in the wind. On the flag was an embroidered dragon head and water pattern, which looked quite majestic.
Although the bandit army had many ships, they were still no match for the officers and soldiers. The ships were of different sizes, with awnings made of bamboo strips. There were also many fishing boats among the small boats, but they were all skilled in technology and shuttled among them.
The navy of Jingzhou was mainly composed of three types of ships: tower ships, sailing ships and warships. They were equipped with shields and arrow towers and were well-equipped. Dragon boats shuttled between them to deliver messages.
Gan Ning watched from the bow for a moment and said, "This Lin Wen is indeed quite capable. The enemy soldiers are not only skilled in sailing, but also have a good method in their movements. Those large ships must be the spiritual dragon ships that Yang Ling mentioned."
Liu Qi's eyes also fell on those large ships at this time. The entire ship was wrapped with wooden poles and bamboo strips. There was a notch every other step with archers standing on it, making it look like a city tower.
The most eye-catching thing is the waterwheel-like wheels installed at the bow and stern. When the boat is moving, the wooden wheels rotate rapidly, creating waves of water.
As the ship passed by, waves rolled, leaving a groove several feet deep on the water surface. It took a while for the lake water to surge in and smooth it out, which shows how powerful the wheel is.
"It turns out to be a modified ship. This Lin Wen is quite interesting."
Liu Qi looked at these large ships and nodded slightly. Using water wheels to generate power is more advantageous than sails and oars.
Huang Zhong stroked his beard and said, "Such a large ship can be launched and retracted freely. If it can be used in our navy, wouldn't it be a great help?"
Gan Ning laughed loudly upon hearing this and said, "In that case, I must catch this son of a bitch Lin Wen."
The two dragons of Dongting Lake have been running rampant here for decades. There are many fleets, and each fleet is led by a Lingjiao ship. The other small boats roam around and can provide support at any time.
There were loud drum beats on the opposite ship, and the bandits were waving flags and shouting in protest. The Jingzhou navy was defeated here many times, and it was almost impossible to set foot on Wangyue Island.
A captain said: "The bandits have ambushes in the water, called 'ghost sharks'. When the two armies are fighting, they drill through the bottom of the ship from underwater. I don't know how many official ships have sunk in this area."
As soon as the officers and soldiers' large ship reaches the lake, the "ghost sharks" hiding in the dark will come out. Each of them is an extremely good swimmer. Not only can they move as nimbly as fish underwater, some can even hide in the water for three to five days.
The Lingjiao ship and the Guisha are the two secret killing weapons of the Dongting thieves. The large ship can fight on the water surface, and the Guisha can harass under the water. As long as the bottom of the ship is pierced and the large ship sinks, the navy will be helpless.
Gan Ning laughed and said, "I've used this trick a long time ago. If the thieves dare to come, I'll send them to the lake to feed the turtles."
Before setting out, Gan Ning selected two hundred soldiers who were familiar with water from the Jinfan Army and prepared them on the boat. He wanted to build those large ships, but he didn't expect that the other side also had water monsters. This was really a match made in heaven.
While they were discussing those ships, the enemy army could no longer hold back and sent out two Lingjiao ships to rush over, with small boats surrounding them to protect them, like a school of fish following a big fish.
Gan Ning stood on the bow with a sword. With a wave of his hand, the two fleets on the left and right made a detour to encircle the enemy, and he led the tower ship forward to meet the enemy.
The Jingzhou navy's ships had only two floors, with sailors steering the boats in the lower cabin, and archers and sailors standing on the second floor. They were fully equipped with bows and crossbows, but in Liu Qi's opinion they were still too small and could not compete with the Eastern Wu navy at all.
According to what Gan Ning knew, the Eastern Wu had built five-story ships known as fighting ships, but they were hidden deep in Poyang Lake and unknown to outsiders.
Although the bandit army has many ships, their quality is inferior to that of the official ships, especially in terms of weapons and equipment. As long as the fleet approaches, when they board the ships for hand-to-hand combat, the excellent armor and weapons, as well as the powerful bows and crossbows, will become the bandit army's nightmare.
The only regret is that the repeating crossbow has not yet been developed. If this thing is installed on a warship, it will be a weapon of mass destruction.
Gan Ning stood at the bow with his sword across his body, as steady as a rock on the ups and downs of the boat, waiting for the fleet to encircle him from both sides while he faced the enemy in the center.
The main target of this battle was still the Lingjiao ship. The big ship was coming against the wind and waves, splashing water, and it was not easy to change direction. As long as the Lingjiao ship was trapped, the other small boats would not be a problem.