"Great General, look quickly!" shouted a general of the Xia army from a tower ship.
From the rebel army's formation, a warship suddenly emerged. After leaving the main fleet, it did not head towards the Xia army but stopped on the river between the two armies. Then, with a gong sound, hundreds of axemen swarmed out, dragging over two hundred captured officers and soldiers onto the deck. They were then beheaded one by one and thrown into the lake.
This act was a sacrifice to the sea god and intended to boost the army's morale, though the methods were extremely brutal. However, sacrificing captured soldiers to the sea god and boosting morale signified that there was no turning back, no room for maneuver, and it was a fight to the death!
The more than two hundred officers and soldiers cruelly beheaded fell into the water, their bodies creating a series of splashing sounds. They bobbed in the water, and their blood instantly dyed the lake red, adding a touch of tragic grandeur to the impending decisive battle.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
"Brothers of the Great Yu Army, all we seek is food to fill our bellies and clothes to cover our bodies. We merely desire to be fed and clothed. Yet, this dog court oppresses us to such an extent, repeatedly threatening us and seeking to kill us!"
"Brothers of the Great Yu Army, our parents, wives, and children are all behind us. If we die, they will suffer immensely. Since that is the case, why not fight to the death with these dog officials!"
"Fight them to the death!"
"Fight to the last drop of blood, fight to the last drop of blood!"
"Kill the officials! Kill the officials! Kill the officials!"
The sight of blood, coupled with the highly provocative shouts, immediately drove the rebel soldiers to the brink of madness. With red eyes, they raised their various weapons high and roared, vowing to fight the Xia army to the death.
"Dong... dong... dong..."
"Wuu... wuu... wuu..."
The drums and horns of the rebel army sounded loudly. Countless warships slowly sailed towards the Xia army. The sabers, spears, and halberds on the ships glinted in the sunlight with a truly bloodthirsty gleam.
"An eye for an eye, and blood for blood!" Min Wuyan ordered with a livid face.
Upon receiving the order, the Xia army brought out hundreds of captured rebel soldiers. Most of them were commoners, clad in rags, with sallow and emaciated faces.
The Xia army forced the hundreds of captured rebels onto the deck of the battlefield. These men knew they were doomed, but they could do nothing but offer their necks for slaughter.
"Execute!"
After a Xia general shouted the order, the Xia soldiers disemboweled and beheaded them, displaying their heads as a warning. Their bodies were then also cast into the water.
Just then, the wind and clouds over Pengze Lake changed dramatically. It had been sunny moments ago, but now it was overcast and a chilling wind began to blow, foreshadowing the blood and brutality of the decisive battle.
"Engage the enemy!" Min Wuyan, with a slight flicker of regret in his eyes as he looked at the hundreds of floating corpses, drew the long sword at his waist, raised it high above his head, and shouted the order.
"Beat the drums! Beat the drums!"
"Advance!"
"Those who retreat shall be executed!"
"These rebels are in chaos. Today, we are acting under imperial decree to suppress them! Merit shall be rewarded, and offenses shall be punished!"
"Kill the rebels! Kill the rebels! Kill the rebels!"
The Xia army's drums and horns also sounded loudly. The blood had also stimulated the Xia officers and soldiers. Various sized ships sailed out towards the rebel warships.
The trebuchets on the over twenty tower ships launched the first attack. Each ship had three large trebuchets, positioned at the bow, middle, and stern. The Xia strongmen placed fireballs onto the trebuchets, ignited them, and launched them towards the rebel ships.
Dozens of fireballs flew through the air, trailing long, thick plumes of black smoke, crashing towards the rebel ships. Those that landed in the water created splashes, while those that hit the ships shattered wooden hulls and sent wood splinters flying. Ships that caught fire billowed with thick smoke.
Although the rebel warships were more numerous and larger than the Xia army's battleships, and they had made some preparations, they could still not withstand the dense barrage of fireballs. Moreover, when these giant fireballs struck the larger ships, the resulting burning wood caused a chain reaction. When they hit smaller boats, the swaying vessels quickly sank into the water.
The vanguard of the rebel army, fifty large Meng Chong warships, suffered minor losses. They charged towards the Xia army, braving the rain of fireballs from the Xia forces.
The rebel sailors inside the cabins rowed desperately. They all understood that the faster they moved, the greater their chances of defeating the Xia navy and surviving.
"Plop! Plop! Plop!"
As the Meng Chong warships sped forward, "water ghosts" leaped into the water from both sides, attempting to sabotage enemy water ghosts or sink Xia warships.
"Beat the drums! Attack!"
At this moment, a strong wind picked up on the lake, bringing large waves. Even the tower ships, as massive as mountains, were tossed about by the waves. However, Min Wuyan, the commander of the Xia navy, stood on the bow of his ship as steady as a rock. He raised his sword high and shouted the order.
The attack drums sounded, each beat more urgent than the last, urging the Xia warships to advance. Countless ships, large and small, rushed out from the main formation to meet the rebel Meng Chong warships.
"Kill the rebels! Kill the rebels! Kill the rebels!"
"Set fire! Set fire! Hurry and set fire!"
At this moment, Xia cavalry commander Zhai Biao and guerrilla general Wang Maocai, each leading over a hundred Feijiao warships, had already outflanked the enemy. Zhai Biao and Wang Maocai led the charge, standing at the bow of the first Feijiao warship, waving their weapons and shouting orders.
Hundreds of archers on the ships had ignited the oil on their arrowheads. They nocked their arrows and waited for the Feijiao warships to approach the enemy's large ships before unleashing their volleys.
These hundreds of archers were elite, hand-picked warriors, each with a determined expression and a readiness to die.
"Kill the officials! Kill the officials! Kill the officials!"
"Attack! Attack! Attack!"
"Do not let the officials approach our large ships!"
A series of urgent drumbeats and horn calls sounded within the rebel formation. Countless fast boats rushed out from both flanks.
Many of the rebel medium and small warships had large logs tied to their bows, specifically designed to ram these fire ships and prevent them from approaching the larger vessels.
At the same time, stones, arrowheads, and other projectiles rained down upon these deadly Feijiao warships.
With a loud "Bang!", three rebel fast boats, which skimmed over the water like flying dragons, simultaneously collided with three Feijiao warships. The Feijiao warships were immediately capsized. The ignited oil and straw on board poured into the water, making a hissing sound. The Xia soldiers on board were thrown into the water, struggling and flailing, many sinking to the bottom of the lake.
Countless medium and small ships of the navy swarmed forward, engaging the rebel navy ships. Both sides used boarding, grappling hooks, pushing poles, and ramming poles, engaging in desperate close-quarters combat.
Zhai Biao and Wang Maocai led their troops, fighting the charging rebel soldiers while also maneuvering around these ships to speed towards the Meng Chong warships.
The two sides became entangled, their roars shaking the heavens. Neither side yielded an inch. In moments, the battlefield was strewn with corpses, and rivers of blood flowed, staining the greenish-blue lake water. Limbs and bodies bobbed in the water.
The battle on the water was fierce, and the battle underwater was equally so.
Water ghosts, generally referring to those exceptionally skilled in swimming, dove into the water after being deployed. Holding short blades, they strained their eyes to spot and engage enemy water ghosts underwater.
Seeing underwater was extremely difficult. Water ghosts relied more on their senses, detecting the opponent's location through ripples in the water.
A particularly fierce rebel water ghost, agile as a fish in the water, fatally stabbed three Xia water ghosts underwater. However, he had expended all his strength, and his breath was running out. He needed to surface for air.
No matter how skilled a water ghost was, or how long they could hold their breath, they eventually needed to surface to breathe.
As the rebel water ghost prepared to surface, a Xia water ghost broke through the water and lunged towards the rebel water ghost with a sharp short blade.
The rebel water ghost, with no other choice, turned back to fight, intending to deal with the Xia water ghost before surfacing to breathe.
But this Xia water ghost was not only an excellent swimmer but also skilled in combat, moving with extreme agility underwater. The rebel water ghost found himself locked in an indecisive struggle with him.
However, the rebel water ghost was in urgent need of air, while the Xia water ghost had just submerged. The longer the struggle lasted, the more disadvantageous it became for the rebel water ghost.
Finally, the rebel water ghost felt an unbearable tightness in his chest, his lungs feeling as if they would explode. He abandoned the Xia water ghost and swam towards the surface.
The Xia water ghost was reluctant to let him go and desperately struggled with the rebel water ghost. The rebel water ghost could no longer afford to worry about anything else. He would rather take a few wounds than not surface for air.
The Xia water ghost, however, had perceived the rebel water ghost's perilous situation and desperately entangled him, preventing him from surfacing to breathe. One desperately fled, the other desperately pursued; they fought fiercely underwater.
The rebel water ghost seemed to feel several wounds on his body, but in the bone-chilling cold of the lake, he felt no pain. Suddenly, he felt a lightness and naturally floated to the surface. He lay on his back, taking a deep breath, and felt immense relief. Looking down, he discovered that his lower body was gone.
The fierce battle between the Xia and rebel armies began with extreme ferocity, both above and below the water.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Kill one rebel, and your rank shall be promoted by one level!"
"Kill the officials! Kill the officials! Great rewards! Great rewards!"
At this point, the rebel Meng Chong warships on the water had been scattered. Xia soldiers threw grappling hooks and ropes, hooking onto the Meng Chong warships. Countless Xia soldiers swarmed aboard, engaging in close-quarters combat with the rebels or leaping directly onto the decks to fight them.
With the sound of a gong, numerous rebel soldiers, armed with long spears, thrust and stabbed at the Xia soldiers attempting to climb onto their warships, throwing many of them overboard.
The two sides became entangled, fighting desperately, neither willing to retreat an inch.
The Xia and rebel armies fought from Mao Shi to Si Shi, a fierce battle lasting several hours. The Xia soldiers were well-trained and their weapons were superior. The rebels, though suffering heavy casualties due to their superior numbers, fought the Xia army to a standstill.
The Xia and rebel armies engaged in fierce battles in and around Pengze Lake for over a month, with no decisive victor. It was only until the arrival of reinforcements from the Xia court that the rebel army was defeated.
This defeat caused the rebel army to flee for thousands of miles, never to rise again.