Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1204 The Water Ghost Enters the Water

Yan Jin and the other two only stayed in Shanglin Mansion for half a day before they learned that Lin Feng had already left. Without lingering, they immediately followed the Jinjiang River downstream.

After passing Meijin County, Ye Haishan and his disciples took a boat and headed west along the Fengze River. They had already passed Yongning Prefecture and were wondering which direction to go next.

Shuqin from Kunyu Mountain got into a fight with Elder Puliu Duan of the Wuli Xinmen sect and chased after him all the way towards the coast.

The leader of the Wunianliu sect, Hetian Yuan, also left Fu'an Prefecture and headed towards Fu'ning Prefecture in the southern border region of Dazong. He wanted to find out how several of his disciples had disappeared.

In short, the entire hidden sect was in chaos, all because of Lin Feng, which gradually formed a storm.

Atsumi Akiyama was captured by the Zhenxi Army and imprisoned in the prison of Funing Prefecture.

The entire pirate army in the south of Dazong was leaderless. The more than 13,000 soldiers were pursued all the way back into Ganqing Prefecture by Hu Jincai's 3,600 cavalry and 12,000 Zhenxi Army infantry.

From then on, the vast plains between Funing Prefecture and Ganqing Prefecture were swept away and wiped out by the Zhenxi Army, and the pirates no longer ravaged the area.

There were several battles during this period, but the more than 3,000 cavalry of the Zhenxi Army moved through the open fields as if they were in an empty land. The pirates could not resist them at all and could only defend the city and no longer go out to fight.

General Hu Jincai set up camp thirty miles from Ganqing Prefecture City, but did not attack the city; he only did so to prevent the pirates from continuing their invasion.

As the battle has progressed to this point, everyone knows that whoever attacks the city will suffer greater losses, unless they have an absolute advantage in numbers and tactics.

After Lin Feng returned, Hu Jincai no longer made decisions to attack the city on his own. Instead, he fortified his camp and awaited Lin Feng's orders.

Similarly, Cheng Liang's five thousand cavalry crossed the Jiliu River and, together with Luo Shidong's Zhennan Army, began to clear out the pirates around Nantai Prefecture.

Luo Shidong's Zhennan Army still had 25,000 men, bringing the total strength of both sides to 30,000. This immediately reversed the Zhennan Army's decline, forcing the 20,000 pirates into the city of Nantai Prefecture, where they dared not engage in battle.

The war situation in the entire southern territory of Dazong was under control, but a stalemate ensued, with neither side daring to start a war.

The Zhenxi No. 2 was fully loaded with war supplies and sailed downstream at a rapid pace.

In just one day, they passed through the western part of the capital city without stopping for a moment. They crossed the capital city of Kancheng and Xuncheng overnight and headed straight for the southern part of the capital city.

The journey from Shanglin Prefecture to Jingnan Prefecture was nearly 3,000 kilometers by water. The Zhenxi No. 2 warship took less than three days to reach the towering city walls of Jingnan Prefecture.

And to the east of Jingnan Prefecture lies the majestic Yufu Mountain.

At dusk, the Zhenxi No. 2 warship anchored at the dock outside Jingnan Prefecture.

Although the Jingnan Prefecture garrison at the dock no longer forcibly inspected the Zhenxi Army's ships, they remained on high alert and maintained strict vigilance.

Captain Cao Chuhang was confident. After returning to Shanglin Prefecture, he reported to the logistics department of the Zhenxi Army, replenishing weapons and ammunition, and also replenishing the cannons on the ship, bringing the total to sixteen cannons on both sides.

The key point is that the eight cannons added this time are more advanced weapons that have been continuously improved, with significant improvements in both range and accuracy.

The firearms research institute led by Xi Niang further modified the cannon shells, increasing their explosive power.

The new shells were first deployed to the Zhenxi No. 2 warship.

Cao Chuhang was overjoyed and couldn't stop smiling.

Facing the large number of armed soldiers at the Jingnanfu dock once again, Cao Chuhang grinned with a disdainful expression, eager to test the power of the new type of artillery shells.

Upon receiving the report, Zhao Chuanzhi, the prefect of Jingnan Prefecture, immediately led a group of civil and military officials out of the city gate and onto the dock.

After giving Cao Chuhang some instructions, Lin Feng, along with Ye Liangcai, Qiao Jushan, and two hundred guards and cavalry, disembarked and, accompanied by Zhao Chuanzhi, entered the city of Jingnan Prefecture.

Zhao Chuan ordered a grand banquet to be held in the main hall of his mansion to welcome Lin Feng and his entourage.

The main hall of the Zhao residence was very spacious and brightly lit. Forty or fifty people were seated on both sides with two people at each low table, leaving a wide passageway in the middle.

At one end of the hall was a three-foot-high platform with two low tables on it. Lin Feng sat in the main seat, with Zhao Chuanzhi accompanying him on the left and right.

Delicacies, fine wines, and fragrant teas were served to each low table in a continuous stream.

Hundreds of servants and maids flitted about the hall like butterflies.

The scene was lively and festive.

Wei Nanji, the commander of the Jingnan garrison, sat in the first seat below the high platform with a gloomy face, glancing at Lin Feng on the platform from time to time.

He thought to himself, since Lin Feng dared to bring only two hundred men into the city, this was a good opportunity to get rid of him.

The last time Lin Feng bombarded Jingnan City, Wei Nanji lost face in the army. As a result, he even made a special trip to Grand Tutor Wan Quan's manor to ask for advice on how to deal with it.

There's no need to think of any other way; this is the perfect opportunity to take action.

Ignoring the warning from Prefect Zhao Chuanzhi, Wei Nanji secretly arranged for 500 axemen and 300 archers to ambush around Zhao's residence, waiting for his order to rush in and chop Lin Feng into mincemeat.

The only thing Wei Nanji is wary of now is the Zhenxi No. 2 warship at the dock outside the city.

The cannons on the ship made him uneasy. If he made a move against Lin Feng, they would bombard Jingnan Prefecture City with a barrage of shells, and the losses would be extremely heavy.

The devastation was so severe that it was impossible to explain to Prefect Zhao Chuanzhi, let alone to Yuquan Temple.

Jingnan Prefecture was the base of Yuquan Temple. The reason why neither the Taisho Emperor nor the pirates touched this city was because Yuquan Temple was backing it.

Wei Nanji was well aware of the power of Yuquan Temple. Eliminating him, the garrison leader, would be as easy as playing a game, requiring no effort at all.

They originally intended to take advantage of Lin Feng's entry into the city to send troops to control the warships.

Unexpectedly, after Lin Feng disembarked, the huge warship stopped forty feet from the shore in the middle of the river, leaving him temporarily helpless.

Following Lin Feng's instructions, Captain Cao Chuhang of the Zhenxi No. 2 ship anchored in the middle of the river after sailing the warship away from the dock, keeping a watchful eye on any activity on the shore.

Soldiers were lying on the ship's side, observing the unusual surroundings.

Inside the cabin, there were sailors who were specifically tasked with monitoring underwater activity.

The Zhenxi Army's warships have been equipped with copper listening tubes according to Lin Feng's design.

This type of receiver can be connected from the ship's cabin to the command room, and the captain's orders can be quickly transmitted to all parts of the ship through the receiver.

Some people would stand guard by the receiver, waiting to receive the captain's orders and relay reports from all parts of the warship.

With this receiver, the sound is so clear that it's as if the two people are right next to each other's ears.

Similarly, such megaphones were also installed in several important parts of the hull, so that if any unusual noises were heard from the hull, the people on board would hear them immediately.

At that moment, a sailor who was listening in suddenly heard a series of banging sounds coming from the bottom of the ship.

The sailors quickly reported the unusual situation to the captain through a megaphone.

Cao Chuhang was sitting in the command room, drinking porridge.

Upon receiving the report, the order was immediately given: "There is an anomaly at the bottom of the ship; a water monster has entered the water."