webnovelfull Chapter 1150 Taking Over the Naval Forces: The Turmoil Subsides
Chapter 1150 Taking Over the Naval Forces: The Turmoil Subsides
Kuai Yue's voice trembled, his fingertips gripping his sleeves tightly until his knuckles turned white: "Huang Zu! What are you all standing there for? Quickly order the ships to be on high alert! Protect... protect our lord!"
Before he finished speaking, the thousand elite soldiers were already on high alert, drawing their weapons with a "whoosh," and a barrier of swords flashed and clashed around Liu Biao. Their feet clattered rhythmically on the planks of the pier, tightly surrounding Liu Biao in the center, their wary eyes scanning the surroundings like hawks, even their breathing exuding a tense killing intent.
Liu Biao was shielded within the human wall, his face a mixture of pale and ashen. The panic he had just felt had subsided slightly, but he still couldn't help trembling. He looked at the Jiangdong soldiers gradually surrounding Ma Chao, and then at the faint sounds of battle coming from the river. His lips trembled, and he couldn't speak. He could only subconsciously move closer to Kuai Yue.
Huang Zu's eyes were already bloodshot, the veins on the back of his hand that had drawn his sword bulged, and his roar echoed across the pier: "Brothers! Protect our lord! Anyone who dares to take a step forward, chop him up!" He pointed his blade forward, staring intently at Ma Chao, like a trapped beast driven to the brink of despair, waiting for a command to pounce and fight to the death.
Ma Chao looked at the formation of a thousand elite soldiers, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and suddenly swung his hand down.
"Fire arrows!"
At a command, the ambushing troops on both sides launched their attack simultaneously, unleashing a torrent of arrows that whistled through the air, densely covering the pier. The thousand elite soldiers raised their shields to parry, but they couldn't withstand the dense rain of arrows. Shields clattered and thudded as men fell, their screams echoing across the battlefield. In moments, the once orderly human wall crumbled, corpses littering the ground. Less than half the soldiers remained, all wounded, their eyes filled with terror.
"Kill!" Taishi Ci and Pang De each led a squad of elite soldiers, like two sharp blades plunging straight into the enemy ranks. Taishi Ci's spear flew, and no one could stop him in his path, felling several men in the blink of an eye; Pang De wielded his broadsword with fierce force, and wherever the blade passed, blood and flesh flew, forcefully cleaving a path through the crowd.
Seeing this, Cai Mao and Huang Zu knew they were no match, but they could only grit their teeth and fight back. Cai Mao swung his sword to protect himself, but Pang De's blade struck him so hard that his arm went numb and his sword almost slipped from his grasp. Huang Zu, on the other hand, wielded his spear to fight Tai Shi Ci. Although his spear technique was fierce, it was far less swift than Tai Shi Ci's, and after a few rounds he was at a disadvantage, with several wounds already on his body.
On the river, Cai Zhong and Cai He saw the fighting on the shore and were so anxious that they stamped their feet on the bow of their boat. They wanted to lead their troops to charge over, but they saw that Gan Ning had already led 10,000 naval troops to wait in formation, with warships lined up end to end and cannons aimed at their fleet.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Cai Zhong roared from the bow of the ship, his voice trembling with fear. "Release my lord immediately, or we will lead our army to crush your Moling!"
Gan Ning stood at the bow of the flagship and laughed loudly: "You think you, the Jingxiang navy? A few months ago at Xiakou, you were so scared that you didn't even dare to raise the sails? Now you dare to shout here!"
Although Cai Zhong and Cai He did not recognize Gan Ning, they were intimidated by his imposing presence and dared not make a move—firstly, the enemy's navy was on high alert, and a direct confrontation would not yield any advantage; secondly, Liu Biao was still on the shore, and they were hesitant to act rashly. They could only pace back and forth on the river, anxiously pacing about.
The fighting on the shore was nearing its end. Cai Mao was slashed in the shoulder by Pang De, blood gushing out. He screamed and fell to the ground, his life hanging in the balance. Huang Zu was caught off guard by Taishi Ci, who thrust his spear straight into his chest. The spear tip pierced through his back. Huang Zu's eyes widened, blood gushing from his mouth, and he died on the spot.
Seeing that their commander was either dead or wounded, the surviving soldiers had long lost their will to fight and dropped their weapons, kneeling down to beg for mercy.
Ma Chao walked up to Liu Biao with his sword. Liu Biao was already pale and slumped on the ground, trembling all over.
"Liu Jingzhou," Ma Chao said coldly, "now that things have come to this, why don't you surrender?"
Liu Biao gazed at the corpses strewn across the ground, then at the immobilized fleet on the river, and the last glimmer of hope in his eyes vanished. He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, "I...I surrender..."
Ma Chao laughed loudly and waved to Pang De: "Take Liu Jingzhou to rest, and don't neglect him."
Pang De stepped forward and half-supported, half-carried the limp Liu Biao into the city. Kuai Yue, seeing this, wanted to follow, but Ma Chao stopped him: "Hey, Mr. Kuai, don't be in such a hurry." Ma Chao pointed to the river, "I would appreciate it if you could make the trip to the other side and appease those naval forces—their master has already surrendered, and it would be a disservice to our Jiangdong to keep the brothers on edge."
Kuai Yue's heart sank, but he dared not disobey. He could only follow Han Dang onto a small boat and row towards the river where the two armies were facing each other.
The small boat stopped between Liu Biao's fleet and the Jiangdong navy. Kuai Yue, holding onto the gunwale, shouted to his own fleet, "Cai Zhong, Cai He, listen up! Our lord has surrendered to Jiangdong. Lay down your weapons immediately and stop fighting!"
Cai Zhong and Cai He, who were already in a dilemma at the bow of the ship, were overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately shouted to their soldiers, "Did you all hear that? Our lord has surrendered! Lay down your weapons and surrender!"
The sailors on the ship were already intimidated by Gan Ning's Jiangdong navy. Hearing their commander speak, most of them breathed a sigh of relief, lowered their weapons, and showed expressions of relief on their faces.
Just then, a roar suddenly erupted from the crowd: "Wait!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Huang Zu's son, Huang She, stepping forward with a long sword, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Kuai Yue: "Why should you be the one to persuade me to surrender? Where is my father? Where is he?!"
Kuai Yue's expression changed slightly, knowing that the matter could not be concealed, and he forced himself to say, "General Huang... unfortunately perished in the chaos of battle."
"What?!" Huang She was struck dumb, his eyes wide with rage. He brandished his sword at the Jiangdong navy. "My father died a tragic death, and you dare to persuade me to surrender? Brothers, my father treated us well. Today, follow me to kill him and avenge him!"
The soldiers on the ship were mostly former subordinates of Huang Zu. Upon hearing this, they were filled with righteous indignation. Many of them raised their weapons again, their eyes burning with the flames of revenge. Their previous cowardice vanished, and they responded one after another: "Kill! Avenge the general!"
Cai Zhong and Cai He were horrified at the sight—if Huang She really led his men to charge, Liu Biao on the shore would surely be in grave danger, and they, who were allies of Liu Biao, would also be implicated. The two exchanged a glance, instantly making up their minds. Taking advantage of Huang She turning around to rally his soldiers, they secretly drew their short swords and stabbed him from behind!
With two sharp "thuds," the short knives pierced Huang She's back simultaneously. Huang She whirled around, staring at the two men in disbelief, blood gushing from his mouth. Filled with endless resentment, he collapsed onto the deck, dead.
The soldiers on the ship were stunned by this sudden turn of events. Their hands, which were holding weapons, froze in mid-air, and they didn't know what to do.
Cai Zhong and Cai He drew their swords and shouted sternly, "Huang She was an insubordinate who plotted rebellion and has been killed by us! Now that our lord has surrendered, anyone who dares to make a move is an enemy of our lord!"
After hearing these words, the already panicked soldiers completely lost their will to fight. Their weapons clattered to the ground, and no one dared to resist anymore.
Kuai Yue gazed at Huang She's corpse on the deck, his heart filled with mixed emotions—Huang She and his son had followed Liu Biao here, achieving nothing, yet ending up like this; it was truly lamentable. He turned to Han Dang and whispered, "That's enough, let them dock."
As dusk settled over Moling City, Ma Chao led his men through the city gates. Soldiers stood guard like pines on both sides of the street, and although the common people were blocked at the alley entrances, they couldn't help but peek out to look at the army that had just quelled the turmoil—the silver-armored general at the head of the group was tall and imposing, with an undiminished sharpness between his brows; he was none other than Ma Chao, who had been rumored to have come from Xiliang.
The news had already reached the Sun residence. Outside the vermilion gate, the old lady, dressed in a plain white dress, stood on the stone steps, supported by Sun Shangxiang. The autumn wind ruffled the silver strands at her temples, and her eyes, which had once witnessed Sun Ce's youthful spirit, now gazed at the rising dust in the distance, her eyes churning with unfathomable emotions.
Ma Chao dismounted in front of the mansion gate. He took two quick steps and stopped in front of the old lady. He knelt down on one knee with a thud, his voice filled with suppressed grief: "Aunt! Bo Fu died unjustly, and it has been several years since then. I, as his sworn brother, have only come to Jiangdong today to seek justice for him. I, Ma Chao, am too late, and I deserve to die!"
The old lady gazed at him—the man before her still vaguely resembled the one who rode alongside Sun Ce in the past, only his eyes held a touch of hardship, and the arrogance of his youth had settled into an imposing presence that commanded respect. Her throat tightened, and as she reached out to help him up, her fingertips trembled slightly: "Your Highness, please rise. How can I, a mere woman, accept such a grand gesture?"
The address of "King Liang" sounded distant, causing Ma Chao to kneel slightly. When he looked up, he saw the redness in the old lady's eyes, which she concealed with indifference. His heart sank, knowing how much unspeakable sorrow was hidden behind that polite address.
“Mother!” Sun Shangxiang couldn’t help but speak up, gently shaking the old lady’s arm. “How can you say that? Brother Mengqi came for my elder brother…”
The old lady patted her daughter's hand, smiled sadly, and glanced over Ma Chao's shoulder, looking towards the twilight in the distance: "The King of Liang has personally come to investigate the cause of Bo Fu's death. What can I say but gratitude?"
Ma Chao silently rose. He knew all too well that since Zhou Yu's falling out with Sun Quan, this old lady had likely been pondering this matter countless times. She might have guessed the suspicious circumstances surrounding Sun Ce's death, or even vaguely knew some of the inside story, but she was unwilling to believe it, much less uncover that bloody truth herself. After all, Sun Quan was her own flesh and blood, and Sun Ce was also her beloved son. Both were her flesh and blood; to truly investigate to the end, regardless of the outcome, would be torn from her own flesh.
"Don't worry, Aunt," Ma Chao said in a deep voice, with an undeniable certainty, "I came to Jiangdong only to seek justice for Bo Fu. No matter who is involved, Ma Chao will investigate to the end."
The old lady's eyelids trembled, and as she turned around, the hem of her robe brushed against the moss on the stone steps: "Come inside, I have prepared some light tea."
Sun Shangxiang glanced apologetically at Ma Chao, quickly followed her mother, and whispered words of comfort. Ma Chao watched their retreating figures, then looked at Liu Biao and the others being held captive behind him, his fingertips tapping lightly on the hilt of his sword. He knew that taking Jiangdong was not difficult; the real challenge lay in dealing with the internal affairs of Jiangdong, the struggle hidden behind the old lady's coldness, and the reckoning concerning the feud between the Sun brothers.
Cheng Pu stepped forward and patted Ma Chao's arm, saying in a deep voice, "Your Majesty need not worry. The old lady has suffered all these years. The sudden death of Prince Bofu and the suspicious circumstances surrounding Lord Sun Quan's ascension to the throne have left her caught in the middle, and her heart has long been worn down to the point of being as bark as an old tree."
Ma Chao's brows gradually relaxed, and his gaze towards the Sun residence held a hint of understanding. He turned to Cheng Pu and the other two, cupping his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Generals. I have no intention of causing trouble in Jiangdong, but Brother Bofu and I have a life-or-death bond, and I cannot stand idly by while he suffers injustice."