Live History Broadcast: Opening Ceremony Spoilers - Our Ancestor Was Enraged

Chapter 648 Huai River Naval Battle

"At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, it was a turbulent stage. If you had the guts, you could go for it. The Chaohu Navy at that time submitted to Zhu Yuanzhang. Later, there was the Battle of Poyang Lake. After establishing the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang still valued the navy."

"In the early Ming Dynasty, historical records show that the court built warships, trained the navy, and the crew used firearms, which shows that the navy and warships at that time were quite powerful."

"As for the Huai River navy, with Sheng Yong joining, he probably felt confident, as the navy and the troops he brought with him had both land and water forces."

"On the other hand, the Yan army didn't have much of a navy, which may be one of the reasons why Zhu Di later vigorously developed shipping."

During the Song Dynasty, Emperor Renzong Zhao Zhen took a sip of tea, shook his head and sighed, "Some people use their ships to fight, while others use them to escape. It's truly a world of difference."

Feeling melancholy, Zhao Zhen thought of Zhao's attack on Zhao Gou later and fell silent again. Why couldn't his Song Dynasty produce an emperor who was both accomplished in civil administration and military affairs and lived a long life?

"Therefore, in dealing with the Prince of Yan, Sheng Yong's strategy was twofold: firstly, his troops would camp in front of Xuyi County, allowing them to engage the Yan army directly."

"On the other hand, the Huai River naval force, which the Yan army was not good at, was deployed to its south. This formation looked quite impressive and seemed to have presented Judy with a difficult problem."

Historical records describe this period as follows: "Sheng Yong led tens of thousands of cavalry and infantry, along with a thousand warships, arrayed themselves on the south bank..."

"Let's look at the Yan King's side. The Yan army did not have a navy or warships before, but when they captured Sizhou, Judy received the first supplies from the Sizhou garrison commander."

"Whether it was the prestige of the Prince of Yan or the feeling that there were no prerequisites for following their current boss, the garrison commander of Sizhou, being a wise man, surrendered!"

Zhu Yunwen retorted indignantly: "Kid, at least hold out for one more round!"

"Thus, the small warships in Sizhou changed hands, although other vessels, such as grain ships, were still no match for the Huai River navy."

"But it doesn't matter, because Judy can't afford to lose in this race where he has to win with fewer troops! And he's already figured out a way to defeat the enemy."

In another timeline during the early years of the Hongwu reign, Prince Qin, Zhu Shuang, marveled and ruffled the hair of young Zhu Di, exclaiming in surprise, "Fourth Prince, you've got quite a head!"

Young Zhu Di forcefully pushed away his mischievous hand and said angrily, "I'm definitely better looking than you, Second Brother!"

Zhu Shuang: You brat, you're really getting cocky now that I said you're fat.

Seeing the two brothers start arguing again, Zhu Biao was both amused and exasperated. Old Zhu snorted coldly, "Alright, both of you, be quiet."

......

"On the north bank of the Huai River, the two armies were facing each other. First of all, it was definitely not feasible for Judy to engage the Huai River Navy in a direct naval battle. His side consisted of small boats, which could not be compared with regular warships, and the firearms and cannons they were equipped with would be difficult to use against them."

"If this road doesn't work, we'll try another. Anyway, he's the one in charge here in Sizhou. As the saying goes, old tricks never fail, as long as they work."

"Zhu Di has started directing the script again, making laborers and auxiliary soldiers build ships and conduct naval warfare training in front of the Huai River navy, very openly, as if he was afraid the other side wouldn't know what the Yan army was doing!"

"But behind the scenes, Zhu Di sent Zhu Gaoxu, Qiu Fu and other generals with a small cavalry and a small fleet of warships to secretly travel dozens of miles under the cover of night. Then, the next night, they used these small boats to transport the cavalry and horses across the river."

"That's right, Prince Yan, Zhu Di, was going to circle around again, and his small team actually managed to circle around to Sheng Yong's back."

Zhu Yunwen: Seriously? Sheng Yong, are you even capable?!

……