With the approximate whereabouts of the King of Chu and his retinue known, Lin Tian was no longer in a hurry.
He ordered the capital of Chu to be secured, and simultaneously dispatched men to rendezvous with the various armies blocking the waterways.
Following this, he quietly waited for news within the Chu capital.
He trusted that his soldiers would bring the King of Chu back unharmed.
Therefore, he decided to wait here.
Unbeknownst to the King of Chu, he was living a life of leisure after escaping the capital.
He feasted and frolicked on the ship, untroubled, but the limited space made him restless.
Thus, he said to his personal guards:
"Speed up, let's leave this place. Once we land and find a safe haven, this king will not be stingy with your rewards!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
These personal guards, still loyal to the King of Chu, believed he could restore his kingdom.
Therefore, they followed him wholeheartedly, and after he spoke of rewards, they already began to fantasize about their future prosperity.
Before their capital fell, they had not known true wealth. Now, escaping with their king, they considered themselves true loyal retainers, deserving of fortune.
However, their dreams were far from reality.
Not long after their ship had traveled, they sensed something was amiss.
In the waters ahead, they saw ships lined up, blocking the waterway.
This situation made the guards uneasy.
"Your Majesty, something has happened! The waters ahead seem to be blocked!"
"Blocked? Since when did Chu block its waterways? Who are the people blocking our path?"
"We don't know for sure, but it seems we must confront them to pass!"
Although the King of Chu had been indulging himself, they were, in fact, fleeing for their lives.
Consequently, the King of Chu's personal guards were fearful, afraid of encountering other Chu soldiers, and even more so of the Qin army.
If they encountered the Qin army, they would be in grave danger.
This was something the King of Chu understood.
However, he did not believe that Lin Tian's army would have already taken notice of the waterways before reaching the capital.
Therefore, he calmly stated:
"These are likely just bandits from Chu, taking advantage of the chaos to rob our citizens!"
"They won't have much fighting strength. Our ships can simply break through. They won't be able to stop us!"
"And remember to bring out your crossbows. Those common bandits cannot withstand our military-grade crossbows!"
Military crossbows were a great weapon against bandits.
A volley of shots would surely inflict heavy casualties.
Thus, the King of Chu believed that as long as his soldiers were armed with crossbows, even the most daring bandits would not be able to block their path.
However, this time, the King of Chu's prediction was wrong.
The ones who appeared here were not Chu bandits at all, but the army left by Lin Tian.
These troops were initially stationed there to prevent any Chu officials from escaping by water.
The soldiers guarding there were unsure if such an event would actually occur.
However, as soon as the King of Chu's ship approached and they brought out their crossbows, the situation changed dramatically.
"General, we have a situation. Those ships have brought out military-grade crossbows!"
"Military-grade crossbows? Are there many of them?"
"We can't see their numbers clearly, but there are five large ships, and many people moving on deck!"
"Five large ships? It seems we've hit the jackpot this time, we've found a big fish!"
Upon hearing of five large ships, the Qin general guarding the riverbank immediately became excited.
Five large ships, equipped with military crossbows, clearly indicated individuals of high status.
Capturing such important figures would be an immense contribution.
Therefore, the general immediately issued an order:
"Pass down the order, seal off the riverbank, prepare for full battle, and make sure to stop them!"
"Yes!"
Although the Qin soldiers were not adept at naval warfare, upon hearing the order, they immediately entered a state of combat readiness.
Soldiers who could swim boarded the ships, ready to charge at any moment.
On the shore, powerful ballistae were set up, their bolts aimed directly at the King of Chu's ships.
As the King of Chu's ships drew closer, they did not hesitate to give the order to attack.
"All soldiers, hear my command, attack!"
As the word "attack" was uttered, countless powerful bolts flew out, heading straight for the King of Chu's ships.
In an instant, terrified shouts erupted from the King of Chu's ships:
"No! It's an ambush! We've been ambushed!"
"The Qin army! It's the Qin army here! We've encountered the Qin army!"
"Retreat! Quickly retreat! The Qin army is here! The Qin army is blocking the river!"
As the countless bolts rained down, these men naturally realized something was wrong.
Especially since many of the bolts flew dozens of feet, striking their ships and killing their soldiers.
Such powerful crossbows were clearly beyond the capabilities of common bandits.
Only the Qin crossbow, with its immense range and destructive power, could be responsible.
Therefore, the soldiers' first reaction was to retreat and escape.
However, they were on the water, not on land. Retreat was not as simple as turning around.
Not to mention, they had been sailing downstream. Trying to go upstream now was virtually impossible.
Consequently, the Qin army quickly closed in on them.
This proximity caused the Chu soldiers to panic even more.
The King of Chu, in particular, could no longer remain seated.
After narrowly escaping the capital and preparing to find a safe place to rebuild his strength, he now encountered the Qin army. This felt like a clear indication that he was on a path to ruin.
Therefore, the King of Chu frantically commanded:
"Kill them! Kill those approaching Qin soldiers!"
"Our army cannot retreat, and there is no path to retreat. Have our soldiers take up their weapons and charge forward!"
"The number of Qin soldiers should not be large. As long as we charge fast enough, we can break through, and then the world will be our oyster!"
The King of Chu's words inspired many of his personal guards, who found his reasoning sound.
Thus, they no longer hesitated and charged forward.
...