The Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Tan, intercepted Guo Jia's...

Chapter 124 Replicating the Thunder Chariot

On the west bank of the river, Sun Ce's army camp.

The soldiers listlessly chopped down the sparse trees and laboriously dragged them along the riverbank.

Many more people, carrying buckets, repeatedly filled and poured water into the river, their expressions numb.

The shadow of the epidemic and the reality of water shortages have dampened the team's morale.

Sun Ce stood in front of the camp, watching all of this.

Cheng Pu stood beside him and whispered, "Wei Xu's spies just passed by."

Sun Ce nodded and loudly rebuked several slow-moving soldiers: "Haven't you eaten? Hurry up! Do you want to die of thirst?!"

Several black dots appeared on the river surface in the distance, followed by more.

Gan Ning's naval warships, taking advantage of the wind, are rapidly approaching.

Many soldiers who were fetching water were terrified upon seeing this.

"It's the Qingzhou navy! The Qingzhou navy is here!"

"Run!"

Sun Ce, who had been patiently waiting, couldn't help but sneer when he saw that Gan Ning had indeed fallen for the trap.

It's time to collect some interest for Jiang Qin and Zhou Yu.

He immediately shouted:

"What's the panic? Calm down, everyone. Don't drop your weapons. The rest of you, retreat immediately."

However, many arrows had already been fired, and many people were riddled with holes.

Those who weren't crushed to death by the ancestors' blessing ran away in terror.

Some people were even empty-handed, not even knowing where they had thrown their weapons.

Sun Ce was also very anxious when he saw this.

You can run away, but how can you launch a counterattack if you lose your weapon?

"No one is allowed to throw away their weapons! Anyone who dares to throw away a weapon will be killed without mercy!"

Those who didn't throw away their weapons felt lucky, while those who did were deeply troubled by it.

Those who fell behind immediately ran back and picked up their weapons.

Those who were ahead were caught in a dilemma.

Running back means death, not taking a weapon also means death, since we're going to die anyway, we might as well grab a weapon first.

For a moment, the retreating soldiers were thrown into chaos.

Gan Ning stood at the bow of the boat, watching Sun Ce's army "fleeing in a sorry state" on the shore, and sneered inwardly.

I just taught them a lesson yesterday, and I didn't expect them to dare to come again today.

They really don't learn from their mistakes.

But they must have been extremely thirsty.

My lord's plan is truly insidious!

But if you want a drink of water, you'll have to ask me if I agree!

"General, something's not right. They fled in a panic, but they didn't lose many weapons."

The lieutenant gave a reminder.

Gan Ning squinted, but the feeling of victory in sight overshadowed his vigilance.

"Whether he's right or wrong, get ashore and smash all that junk! Crossbows ready, trebuchets ready, listen to my command!"

The boat docked and the sampans were lowered.

Squads of Qingzhou naval soldiers jumped ashore and began to destroy the crudely made rafts and pick up the weapons scattered on the ground.

Just then, a sharp whistle rang out from the reeds on both sides of the river!

The next moment, a dense barrage of crossbow bolts shot out from the reeds like locusts!

Their target was the Qingzhou navy that had landed and the decks of the ships on the river!

Thud! Thud! Thud! The sounds of arrows piercing flesh, the thud of arrows striking the ship's planks, and the screams of those struck by arrows rang out instantly!

"Ambush! Back to the ship! Back to the ship now!" Gan Ning roared, his eyes bloodshot. "Thunderbolts! Aim at the reeds and smash them!"

The trebuchet drivers on the boat frantically operated the machine, but in their haste, the stones they fired were inaccurate. Only a few landed in the reeds, while most hit open ground or the river, splashing up huge sprays of water.

Meanwhile, under Song Xian's command, Lü Bu's crossbow bolts rained down relentlessly. Caught off guard, the Qingzhou navy that had landed fell in droves.

"Kill!" Sun Ce saw that the time was right, drew his sword and turned around. The soldiers who had just been "running away" immediately stopped and roared as they charged back.

The naval forces on shore were caught in a pincer attack and suffered heavy casualties.

Gan Ning's eyes were bloodshot; he knew he had fallen into a trap.

"Catapults! Aim at the crossbow bolts and unleash a barrage! Suppress them! Brothers on shore, retrieve the wounded and get them onto the boats! Archers, provide cover fire and hold off the pursuers!"

The order was quickly relayed.

The trebuchets on the ship finally adjusted, and the stones whistled as they crashed into the reeds, from which faint screams could be heard. The density of crossbow bolts noticeably decreased.

The naval personnel on the shore desperately dragged the corpses or wounded of their comrades onto sampans or swam directly towards the large ships.

The archers on the ship desperately fired arrows at the approaching Sun Ce army. As the arrows rained down, soldiers of Lü Bu's army fell to the ground, constantly struck by arrows.

Sun Ce's army was slowed down by the rain of arrows.

Gan Ning took the opportunity to direct the ships to increase the distance between them.

On the river, several badly damaged boats lay slowly sinking. Several trebuchets, which had not yet been retrieved, lay overturned in the shallow water near the bank, and were seized by Sun Ce's soldiers who rushed up to the river, cheering.

"We lost 273 brothers, 105 were seriously wounded, and countless others were slightly wounded. Six of our trebuchets were stolen."

The deputy general reported to Gan Ning.

Gan Ning slammed his fist on the gunwale.

He looked at the distant riverbank, where Sun Ce's troops were clearing the battlefield and towing away the trebuchets.

"We've lost." Gan Ning gritted his teeth. "The blockade has been broken. Retreat to Langya immediately to assist General Zilong in defending the city. Report the situation here in detail to the lord and General Zhao."

"promise."

……

Wei Xu's eyes gleamed as he looked at the six Thunderbolt Carts that were being towed back.

Although the appearance is somewhat damaged, the main structure is still intact.

"Excellent! Excellent! General Song's plan is brilliant!" He circled the trebuchet. "This thing can launch such huge rocks with astonishing power! No wonder that brat Yuan Tan has been able to achieve such great feats."

Song Xian's face showed little joy:

"General, although we won this battle, we also lost nearly two thousand soldiers. Sun Ce's troops... seem to be weaker than expected."

"Sun Ce? What use is a defeated army from Jiangdong? He's nothing but bait."

Wei Xu didn't care; he was more concerned about the spoils.

"Quickly select one of the intact ones and immediately escort it to Xiapi to be presented to Marquis Wen and Master Gongtai! The remaining five should be carefully repaired, and manpower should be allocated for their operation. With such a powerful weapon, how can Langya not be breached?"

He walked to the map and pointed to Langya:

"Order the entire army to rest for three days. Once the trebuchets are repaired, march on Langya! Sun Ce's troops will remain the vanguard, but they must wait until the rear physicians confirm that the epidemic in their camps is under control before they can return to their posts. General Song, you will lead the main force of 40,000 to garrison the outskirts of Dancheng, guarding the direction of Linzi, and watching the river, so as not to give the Qingzhou navy another chance."

Song Xian cupped his hands in greeting: "Yes. As for Sun Ce..."

"Let him stay in Dancheng to recuperate!" Wei Xu waved his hand impatiently. "We'll attack the city again once his men are alright. With siege weapons at our disposal, we won't be short of time."

"promise."

……

Sun Ce listened to the news that Cheng Pu had gathered.

"Wei Xu was overjoyed to receive the trebuchets and has already ordered one to be sent back to Xiapi. The remaining five are being repaired and are prepared for use in the attack on Langya. He told us to continue resting in Dancheng, but in reality, he was worried that we might be infected with the plague and bring bad luck," Cheng Pu said.

Sun Ce wiped his sword, a cold smile playing on his lips:

"Perfect. Let him attack. Langya City is high, and Zhao Yun is good at defending it... He'll have a headache while Wei Xu does. We can focus on recovering."

Zhou Tai said in a muffled voice, "It's just a pity about those brothers who died in battle."

Sun Ce claimed to be the vanguard, but in reality, many of his soldiers were defeated soldiers from Jiangdong whom he later recruited.

Lü Bu's move was aimed at weakening Sun Ce's strength.

Sun Ce paused for a moment, then said, "It's alright! I will take back the lives of these brothers with interest in the future."