Chapter 1126: The Renowned General Cao Wenzhao
Cao Wenzhao, leading two thousand five hundred Guanning Iron Cavalry, had just boarded the large sea vessels.
Coastal Regional Commander Chen Hongfan, acting on the orders of the Chongzhen Emperor, awaited Cao Wenzhao in Dengzhou. The moment Cao Wenzhao arrived, he boarded Chen Hongfan's ship, and the massive fleet set sail.
Chen Hongfan commanded a total of eight thousand soldiers.
Cao Wenzhao had two thousand five hundred Guanning Iron Cavalry under his command.
Combined, their forces numbered a formidable ten thousand.
This was, by no means, a small number.
However, their transport ships left much to be desired.
Chen Hongfan possessed no truly seaworthy large vessels; his entire fleet was dilapidated, neglected, and poorly maintained. As for naval cannons, there was no talk of them, and even if there were any, they lacked gunpowder and cannonballs.
This sorry state was entirely due to a chronic lack of military funds!
Without adequate funds, one could hardly dream of superior weaponry or equipment.
After leaving Dengzhou, this tattered fleet headed north, passing through the Bohai Strait, with Jinzhou (modern Dalian City) visible on the opposite shore.
At this time, Jinzhou had long since fallen into Qing hands, and its city walls were garrisoned entirely by Banner soldiers.
Cao Wenzhao stood at the prow, gazing into the distance at the Banner soldiers atop Jinzhou's walls, his emotions a tangled knot. "Alas," he murmured, "Jinzhou is clearly our Great Ming's territory. I truly wish I could disembark, charge in, and reclaim this city."
Chen Hongfan cautioned, "General Cao, you must be careful. Such a reckless landing and assault on the city would be no different from seeking death."
Cao Wenzhao nodded. He naturally understood the immense difficulty of assaulting a coastal city directly from ships, charging across a sandy beach. "I won't be foolish," he declared.
Chen Hongfan let out a soft sigh. "Even holding onto Pi Island won't be easy."
Cao Wenzhao chuckled, "This general, however, is confident we can defend Pi Island."
Chen Hongfan explained, "The key to defending Pi Island isn't land combat, but naval warfare. Once the Qing forces coerce the Joseon navy, Pi Island will be in grave danger..."
Cao Wenzhao responded, "Precisely because naval warfare is the key, I am confident."
Chen Hongfan stared blankly.
Chen Hongfan found himself utterly bewildered by the man before him. Was he mad? With these dilapidated ships of mine, fighting the Joseon navy? Did he truly believe they could win? Though Joseon was a small and weak nation, its navy was genuinely formidable.
Yet, Cao Wenzhao was renowned as a great general; he shouldn't be foolish, should he?
Chen Hongfan, cautiously probing, asked, "General Cao, where does your certainty come from?"
Cao Wenzhao replied, "Where does it come from? I, of course, came from Henan."
Chen Hongfan clarified, "No, I meant, what is the basis for your conviction of victory?"
Cao Wenzhao declared, "Justice will triumph over evil. Many of the films shown in Luoyang have taught me this."
Chen Hongfan was speechless.
Dreadful. This renowned general, he's a fool.
Chen Hongfan thought to himself: *The moment the battle turns unfavorable, I will immediately flee with my ship. That's settled.*
He didn't notice that his nephew, Cao Bianjiao, was quietly whispering to Cao Wenzhao, "Uncle! General Chen is asking what formidable trump card we possess. Why are you rambling so wildly? Can't you stay focused?"
Cao Wenzhao lowered his voice and chuckled conspiratorially, "We can't be too quick to tell him about the Heavenly Lord's navy. It's hard to say if this man is a friend or foe. What if he learns we have powerful immortal ships and secretly informs the Qing forces to be on guard? That's why I'm deliberately avoiding the point."
Cao Bianjiao gasped as if chilled by a frozen pear from the northeast. "Uncle! You mean sometimes you *pretend* not to grasp the point?"
Cao Wenzhao scoffed, "Other matters, perhaps I might miss the point, but anything concerning warfare? I've never been off target."
A short while later...
Chen Hongfan's fleet finally reached Pi Island.
Shen Shikui, stationed on Pi Island, had long been awaiting them and quickly came to the beach to greet them.
Upon seeing Cao Wenzhao, Shen Shikui couldn't help but exclaim with delight, "General Cao, with a renowned commander like you arriving as reinforcement, my heart is much more at ease!"
"General Shen, you flatter me," Cao Wenzhao replied, clasping his fists. "This general possesses little skill; with merely two thousand five hundred Guanning Iron Cavalry, what we can achieve is quite limited. This battle's true crux lies with the navy."
At the mention of the navy, Shen Shikui's features twisted, all scrunched up in the middle of his face, a tight, troubled knot. It was a picture of utter despair. "My men," he began, "observe from the island's northern shore daily, gazing towards Tieshan Commandery on the opposite side... The Qing army is gathering in vast numbers on that shore, tens of thousands strong, alongside five thousand Joseon soldiers... Furthermore, the Joseon fleet is steadily being assembled, with over a dozen large turtle ships already arrived along the opposing coastline, and more vessels continuously approaching."
Upon hearing the words "turtle ship," Chen Hongfan visibly flinched.
Turtle ships were Joseon's most potent warships. Back when the Japanese pirates invaded Joseon, the armored ships led by Kurushima Michifusa were utterly routed by Joseon's turtle ships.
These vessels were entirely clad in armor, impenetrable to swords and spears, much like a turtle's shell.
Moreover, the turtle-like armor featured openings through which soldiers concealed within the hull could thrust long spears upwards, impaling enemy sailors attempting to board.
In those days, the Japanese warriors suffered terribly from this tactic.
Those fearless Japanese warriors, howling fiercely, would swing across on ropes to board the turtle ships. But just as their feet found purchase, a flurry of spears would erupt from beneath the deck, stabbing wildly upwards. Who could withstand such a brutal assault? The Japanese warriors suffered heavy casualties instantly, utterly helpless against the turtle ships.
Chen Hongfan's heart sank even further.
Yet, when Cao Wenzhao heard the words "turtle ship," not a trace of fear appeared on his face. Instead, he simply laughed. "It's fine," he said. "Let them prepare thoroughly. Once they've fully gathered, we'll round them all up in one swoop. That'll save us the trouble of chasing them down like scattered bandits later."
Chen Hongfan remained silent.
Shen Shikui countered, "Rounding them all up is beyond my wildest dreams. If we can just hold onto Pi Island this time, it will be a miracle."
Cao Wenzhao strode confidently into the interior of Pi Island.
At that moment, Pi Island supposedly housed twelve thousand defenders. Of course, this was merely a nominal count; many were not warriors but rather family members of the garrison, or civilian laborers working on the ships.
Shen Shikui's truly usable troops amounted to at most seven thousand men.
The eight thousand men brought by Chen Hongfan were unreliable, always ready to flee at a moment's notice.
Cao Wenzhao calculated: adding his two thousand five hundred Guanning Iron Cavalry, the forces capable of directly confronting the enemy totaled less than ten thousand.
These ten thousand men only needed to establish defenses along the beach, holding back any enemy landing parties that slipped through... The naval engagement, however, could be entirely entrusted to the Gao Family Village navy.
"General Shen," Cao Wenzhao requested, "would you be so kind as to walk the beach with this general? I wish to examine it thoroughly and determine where best to deploy our forces."
Shen Shikui nodded. "Please, follow me."
As the group walked along the beach, barely a few steps taken, Cao Wenzhao suddenly seemed to spot something. With a lunge forward, he exclaimed, "Turtle..."
Shen Shikui started, "Enemy turtle ships?"
To their astonishment, Cao Wenzhao flopped onto the sand with a splash, raising a large sea turtle in both hands. He laughed, "Bianjiao, take this back. I wonder if the Heavenly Lord would enjoy eating it?"
The others burst out laughing. "Bah! Put down that sea turtle, it doesn't taste good! Besides, sea turtles are intelligent creatures; eating them will bring bad karma!"
Shen Shikui and Chen Hongfan thought in unison: *It's over, it's truly over! The renowned General Cao Wenzhao, he must be a general renowned only in name.*
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