Xia Pengze Lake
Pengze Lake, also known as Pengli, Pengli Ze, and so on, is located at the junction of three prefectures: Xia Jiangzhou, Yuzhang, and Poyang. It is the largest lake in Xia.
"General, the enemy fleet, the enemy fleet!"
On this day, a minor officer of the Xia army, standing on the lookout post of a massive tower ship, pointed towards the lake and reported loudly to Xia's General of Pacification, Min Wuyan.
"Send out three scout ships for further reconnaissance!" General of Pacification Min Wuyan ordered loudly, his eyes fixed on the lake.
The northern Hu tribes had galloped into the Central Plains, and years of continuous warfare had left the Central Plains and Jiangnan regions in disarray, with people displaced and unable to survive. They sold their wives and children, yet still could not make ends meet. Consequently, many uprisings erupted in Jiangnan. Among them, the most powerful rebel force was led by Chen Guo and Huang Chong, who occupied Pengze Lake with hundreds of thousands of troops. They established camps by the lake, using it as a natural defense. They engaged in both agriculture and warfare, cultivating land to store provisions, building boats and ships, and training in naval combat, all to resist the Xia dynasty.
To quell Chen Guo and Huang Chong's forces, the Xia dynasty appointed Min Wuyan to lead a force of fifty thousand elite soldiers on a punitive expedition. Including auxiliary troops from the prefectures and laborers, the army numbered two hundred thousand.
This was one of the primary reasons for Xia's eagerness to negotiate peace with Yan.
To repel foreign invaders, one must first pacify the internal situation. The Yan Hu were brutal and had advanced south to wage war against Xia. Yan's ultimate goal was to conquer Jiangnan and destroy Southern Xia. However, the Yan army suffered a major defeat at Niuzhu, making the immediate conquest of Southern Xia impossible. The Yan Hu subsequently shifted their focus to plundering.
Meanwhile, the Jiangnan rebel armies led by Chen Guo and Huang Chong harbored intense hatred for the Xia dynasty. They burned government offices, cities, temples, shrines, and the residences of powerful families. They killed officials, scholars, monks, Daoists, shamans, doctors, and diviners with whom they held grudges, believing that killing was "carrying out justice" and seizing wealth was "equal distribution."
Chen Guo and Huang Chong's rebel forces even raised the banner of rebellion, establishing the "Great Yu" state, appointing officials, and adopting titles, attire, and insignia largely similar to those of Xia. Chen Guo styled himself "Sage Emperor of Donglai," and Huang Chong was "Sage Prime Minister." Chen Guo's dragon boats were even equipped with dragon beds, dragon mats, and gilded chairs, mirroring the emperor of Xia. They also put forth the slogan, "Public ownership of the world, equality for all."
How could the Xia dynasty tolerate this? The Xia court, from the emperor down to his officials, was seething with anger and eager to crush Chen Guo and Huang Chong's forces. Thus, the Xia court ordered Min Wuyan to lead two hundred thousand naval and land troops on a punitive expedition, aiming to first eliminate Chen Guo, Huang Chong, and their rebel army. With their leaders gone, the other rebel forces in Jiangnan would naturally scatter like birds and beasts.
Min Wuyan, obeying the imperial edict, led two hundred thousand naval and land troops into the campaign. He defeated Chen Guo and Huang Chong's rebel forces multiple times, but their core strength remained intact. Consequently, both sides gathered their main forces, primarily naval fleets, for a decisive battle on Pengze Lake.
"Thump... thump... thump..."
"Wail... wail... wail..."
Chen Guo and Huang Chong's rebel forces, with over two hundred warships of various sizes, initiated the attack. The beating of drums was like thunder, and the sound of horns was incessant, as they advanced towards Min Wuyan's naval encampment.
Min Wuyan ordered his fleet to sail out of the encampment to meet the enemy.
Chen Guo and Huang Chong's rebel forces deployed fifty massive junks as their vanguard, leading the charge. These fifty junks were linked together by iron chains, allowing rebel soldiers to jump from one to another or form formations.
The junks, chained together, possessed significant advantages.
Naval warfare primarily involved ramming, boarding, and archery. The weapons of naval combat included ballistae, boarding poles, arrows, and trebuchets. Therefore, the fifty massive junks, linked together like a mountain, were unstoppable in their charge. However, their sole weakness was their vulnerability to fire attacks.
Fire attacks, however, were subject to factors like wind direction and distance. To prevent Xia's fire attacks, Chen Guo and Huang Chong's rebel forces had implemented numerous countermeasures. For instance, their sails were made of leather, coated with water. While less effective than ordinary sails, it made them difficult to ignite with fire arrows. The iron chains connecting the warships were also designed with quick-release mechanisms, allowing for rapid separation if a section was set ablaze. However, the effectiveness of these measures depended on the intensity of the battle. If fire arrows rained down and ignited all fifty junks simultaneously, separation would be difficult, and if separated, they would be rendered useless.
Seeing the fifty junks charging headlong, Min Wuyan ordered, "Command the Valiant Cavalry Lieutenant Zhai Biao to lead one hundred Flying Flood Dragon warships. Advance to the left, seize the windward position, and attack the enemy's rear flank. Command the Guerrilla General Wang Maocai to lead one hundred Flying Falcon warships. Advance to the right, also seize the windward position, and attack the enemy's rear flank. Prepare plenty of fire arrows, fire caltrops, and incendiary oil. The rest will face the enemy head-on!"
The Flying Flood Dragon warship was a small vessel, capable of carrying ten to twenty soldiers. It was a paddle-driven vehicle ship. Although it carried few soldiers, it excelled in maneuverability, agility, and speed, earning it the nickname "light cavalry of the water."
Following Min Wuyan's order, signal flags were waved by the messengers. Under the command of the two Xia generals, over two hundred Flying Flood Dragon warships flanked the rebel fleet to the left and right. Min Wuyan, leading the main fleet, surged towards the rebel battle line.
The weather was clear, with not a cloud in the sky and a gentle breeze. Small waves rippled on the lake, providing excellent visibility. Thus, the rebel scout ships spotted the Xia navy flanking them from the left, center, and right from a distance. They either dispatched warships to engage the enemy or ordered divers to swim underwater to sink the Xia vessels.
"Wail..."
At this moment, as both sides were at the point of drawing swords, after a blast of a horn, a swift boat from the rebel side sped forward. A rebel soldier stood at the bow and shouted, "Where is General Min? Our Emperor has words for you."
"Sail over!" Min Wuyan ordered upon hearing this.
"Great General, be cautious! It might be a ruse by the enemy!" a Xia general hurriedly advised.
"Petty thieves, what do I have to fear?" Min Wuyan replied coldly, placing his bow and arrows on his back.
Thus, a swift boat from the rebel side emerged, carrying a middle-aged man in yellow robes, flanked by guards holding large shields. Min Wuyan also steered a swift boat to meet him. The two vessels stopped about fifty zhang apart on the lake.
This distance was close enough for a surprise archery attack, but both sides were prepared. They both held sturdy shields, protecting their respective commanders.
Courtesy before conflict. When the opposing side wishes to speak, it is generally not permissible to launch a surprise attack. Doing so would be considered faithless and unrighteous, or a sign of weakness, and would affect troop morale. Therefore, Min Wuyan had no intention of launching a surprise attack. Of course, this excluded those who disregarded honor and righteousness on the battlefield, like Zhou Fugui...
When both sides are on the verge of a life-or-death struggle, what talk of righteousness can there be? At least, that was Zhou Fugui's belief.
Of course, Min Wuyan's intention in doing so was also to buy some time, as the warships flanking on both sides were moving rapidly.
"General Min, greetings!" Chen Guo, the leader of the rebel forces and the so-called emperor of the Great Yu state, on the rebel swift boat, was the first to bow to Min Wuyan.
Chen Guo had proclaimed himself emperor. Among his subordinates, within his own territory, he could be arrogant and domineering. However, he now faced Min Wuyan and his army of two hundred thousand.
Although Min Wuyan was young, he had achieved countless victories in both his battles against the Yan Hu and his suppression of rebels. He was unstoppable, the new generation of brave and formidable generals of Xia after Zhang Huchen, hailed as the God of War of Xia. His elite troops, numbering over ten thousand, were known as the "Victorious Army." Now, Min Wuyan had been ordered to come and suppress the rebellion, so Chen Guo dared not be presumptuous.
Although Chen Guo and Huang Chong commanded a nominal million troops, they were a motley crew, with few elite soldiers among them; most were ordinary impoverished commoners.
Min Wuyan did not reply, merely raising his hand slightly in a gesture of acknowledgment.
Chen Guo felt a moment of awkwardness and irritation. Min Wuyan remained silent, merely looking at him, waiting to hear what he had to say.
"General Min Wuyan, renowned throughout the world, it is truly my great fortune to meet you today!" After a moment, Chen Guo finally spoke.
Chen Guo was burly and had a booming voice. Min Wuyan, on the other hand, was young, heroic, and stood tall. Compared to each other, Chen Guo seemed to be at a disadvantage, at least in terms of age.
"You, Chen Guo, are also renowned throughout the world..." Min Wuyan replied with a slight smile, "disrupting the peace of mind of the empire's subjects, preventing me from leading my army north!"
"General Min, that is a misguided statement!" Chen Guo said, shaking his head. "Your inability to lead the army north and recover our lost territories is due to a foolish emperor and treacherous ministers above, and corrupt and cruel officials below. What does this have to do with Chen Guo?"
Min Wuyan was momentarily speechless. Chen Guo's words held some truth. When the superiors are not ambitious, the subordinates naturally emulate them. This is the principle of "as above, so below." However, internal strife indeed prevented them from wholeheartedly launching a northern expedition to reclaim lost territories.
This was also one of the reasons Min Wuyan led his army to suppress the rebellion.
Seeing Min Wuyan's reaction, Chen Guo felt a flicker of delight and continued, "Chen Guo was once a scholar, educated in classics and history since childhood. How could I not know the principles of loyalty to the sovereign and serving the nation? However, I was forced by villains and unfortunately had my face tattooed and was banished to Jiangzhou. Yet, even in this dire state, some people still will not let us go. In the past, all Chen Guo sought was sustenance for a day, but I was persecuted by cruel officials. Having no other choice, Chen Guo became an outlaw. We gathered to champion the cause of the good and punish the wicked, to assist the country and bring peace to the people, to uphold justice, and to eradicate evil and rule on behalf of the people! Public ownership of the world, equality for all! General Min, you are a loyal and brave general, renowned far and wide. However, with a foolish emperor and treacherous ministers at court, you will find it difficult to achieve anything. Why not abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and join me in pursuing great endeavors?"
"Silence!" Min Wuyan roared in fury, pointing at Chen Guo. "You rebels, how dare you speak of loyalty to the sovereign and serving the nation? How dare you speak of eradicating evil and ruling on behalf of the people? The Duchang massacre, where over twenty thousand households were lost, men killed and women abducted, and Duchang itself was plundered, its houses and fertile fields burned in countless numbers—was that also eradicating evil and ruling on behalf of the people? Your other atrocities are too numerous to count and utterly appalling! You, Chen Guo, have usurped the throne, taken women of good families as concubines, seized civilian wealth—is this also eradicating evil and ruling on behalf of the people? Hmph, it is merely for your own selfish gain. You, Chen Guo and your followers, are not saviors of the people, but rather destroyers of the people!"
Chen Guo's face turned red with anger.