Chapter Thirty-Two: The Mighty Waves of the Han River

  Art had just mounted his horse and departed when he suddenly saw Liang Xiao leading a crowd to break through the siege, gathering defeated troops. His heart was filled with surprise and joy, so he immediately turned around, got off his horse, and returned to the command platform. At this time, the Song army's warships were lined up front and back, going upstream against the current. The Yuan general Zhang Hongfan led a fleet of giant ships to block them with all his might. The naval commander Liu Zheng arranged his troops on both banks, firing cannons and attacking the Song army's two wings. For a time, the surface of the Han River was shaken by cannon fire, and flames shot up like swarms of locusts. Compared to the fierce battle on land, this was a completely different scene.

  The Song dynasty warships were about a thousand in number, but not large and sturdy vessels; rather, there were many small boats and light ships, which seemed to have been converted from fishing boats. The ships drew quite deep water, as if they were fully loaded with supplies. At first glance, this fleet did not seem like a naval force, and it would appear that one blow would cause them to collapse. However, the formation of their ships on the water was very unusual; sometimes they formed a wing-like shape, then changed into a fish-scale pattern, sometimes forming a square, sometimes a circle, advancing and retreating, attacking and defending, with endless variations.

  Zhang Hongfan led the army to attack several times, but the Song people always let him lead the vanguard into the formation, and then the two wings closed in, wrapping more than a dozen warships into the formation. The follow-up ships were all blocked outside. Next, the Song people's light boats and fast boats raised fire and arrows, and killed the trapped warships in the formation. This branch of the Song water army was like a huge whale, constantly opening its mouth and shaking its tongue, eating away at the Yuan water army. In the blink of an eye, they approached within ten zhang of the iron chain blocking the river.

  A burst of gongs and drums sounded, in the Song army formation, a white-clad man held a command flag high, a sturdy and robust Han to the left, a white-haired old man to the right, each leading dozens of miscellaneous Han men, holding giant axes, riding light boats to break through the water formation. They covered each other, braving the Yuan people's arrows and stones, drilling under the iron chain, swinging their axe heads with great force to chop and slash.

  Clashing of gold and iron, sparks flying everywhere. In the blink of an eye, all ten iron chains were broken, and the Han River was no longer blocked. The Song army's naval forces cheered in unison and charged forward at full speed, while the Xiangyang naval forces also flowed downstream, attacking the Yuan army from both inside and out.

  A Shi saw that things were going badly and hastily ordered Zhang Hongfan to lead the army back upstream, to resist the Xiangyang naval forces, and also ordered the mid-stream artillery platform to fire large cannons and strong crossbows.

  This Jiangxin battery and the iron chain across the river were both built by the Yuan army last year. Bayan occupied Xiangfan to the south, in order to block the Song people's water rescue, ordered the Yuan army to pull dozens of millions of kilograms of giant stones from the mountain, sank them into the Han River, and built a one-zhang high platform on top, with nine crossbow machines and eight large cannons. In front of the platform, seven giant stones were sunk, and ten giant chains were arranged in a row, forming a mighty water array. Even if the Song army had giant ships and whale boats, they would not be afraid of cannonballs and rocks, but due to physical limitations, they could not rush to the front of the platform either. Bayan made such arrangements, supposedly without any mistakes, the strength of the Song army's navy was above that of the Yuan army, but since last year, it has been repeatedly blocked by this formation and found it difficult to advance and rescue Xiangfan.

  The Yuan army stationed on the tower received the order from Ajutu, and triggered the crossbow cannon. For a moment, giant arrows and large stones flew together, and the Song army's vanguard ships were all crushed to pieces. The Yuan army saw this and cheered, their voices shaking heaven and earth.

  Liāo Xiāo tidied up the defeated troops, ordering them to guard the strategic points, in order to prevent the Song army inside the city from coming out to provide reinforcements. Suddenly, he heard a loud shout on the river, and didn't know what had happened. He guessed that Lü De would not dare to launch another attack after this battle, so he ordered the hundred officials to lead their respective troops, while he himself went with Yang Ji to the commander's platform to see A-Tu and report the recent battle situation.

  When they arrived, the Jiangxin battery was firing fiercely, and the Song army's warships were in disarray. Liang Xiao went up to the platform and saw Ah Shi, who had just received news of the battle and smiled wryly, patted him on the shoulder and said: "I know, thanks to you..." At this time, the battle was intense, and he couldn't say more. Suddenly, he saw the front section of the Song army retreat, and the formation changed into a single character, like a water snake moving, its mouth open and closed, changing unpredictably. Not only were the Yuan army's cannons and stones on both banks unable to reach, but also the forward battery was not easy to hit. Liang Xiao looked intently and frowned: "This is the Waterfowl Fish Dragon Formation." Ah Shi was taken aback and asked in surprise: "You recognize this formation?"

  Liang Xiao nodded and said: "This formation is in line with the five elements, and its shape follows the pattern of water birds snakes and fish. The changes at the forefront are especially mysterious, like a fish mouth snake kiss, water bird beak, each part swallowing the enemy's soldiers and horses, and then using the belly of the formation to annihilate them. I saw this change in my book "Five Elements Explaining Soldiers" before, but I never really saw anyone use it. I remember that there was a note in the book: 'This formation changes slowly, not suitable for land battles, suitable for fighting against the current.'"

  This remark contained the great wisdom of the ancient sages, but it was not easy to understand. However, when Liang Xiao explained the changes in the formation, he didn't miss a single detail. He couldn't help but ask: "Is there a way to break through it?"

  Li Shuo watched the Yuan army's formation and shook his head, saying: "This formation is unpredictable, we can't fight it head-on. We have to go around its back to break through. Now that our naval forces have retreated upstream, it's hard to circle around with the current. Fortunately, there's the Jiangxin Stone Pier, which should be able to withstand them." Before he finished speaking, suddenly twenty fast ships flew out of the Song army's naval formation, scattered in a fan shape, and rushed towards the pier, as if they wanted to forcibly board it. The Yuan army saw this and fired cannons wildly, sinking two ships in an instant.

  In an instant, more than half of the twenty fast ships were destroyed. Liang Xiao suddenly felt something was off and frowned, saying: "Good fellow, openly repairing the plank road, secretly crossing at Chen Cang?" Ah Shi didn't understand the allusion behind these words and asked strangely: "What do you mean?" Liang Xiao pointed to the rear of the fast ships and said: "Look over there!"

  He looked closely and saw a large ship with a catapult on board, quietly following the fast boat from behind. Taking advantage of the fast boat's distraction of the enemy, it quickly approached the stone platform. A man in white clothes held a bamboo pole and rushed out from the cabin, who was the same man in white who had commanded the army to change formation earlier. His movements were as swift as lightning, jumping five feet high towards the catapult. As soon as he landed, five Song soldiers simultaneously triggered the machine, and the man in white transformed into an arrow, shooting towards the stone platform in the middle of the river. In that instant, Liang Xiao recognized his face and shouted: "It's him!"

  This white-clad man was Yun Shu. He borrowed the power of the trebuchet to soar into the air. The Yuan army did not expect him to use this move and were shocked, shouting in unison. The Yuan warships guarded the tower, with soldiers drawing their bows, originally prepared to prevent the Song people's fast ships from landing on the tower. At this moment, seeing the situation, they shot arrows like rain towards Yun Shu.

  Yun Shu's body was in the air, dancing with the bamboo pole, its momentum like a three-zhang-square-large shield, densely layered, brushing away arrows and falling into the river. The power of the crossbow was ultimately too weak, Yun Shu used his light skill, but still couldn't reach far, being disturbed by the arrows, his momentum suddenly slowed down, falling towards the center of the river. At this point, the water flow was blocked by a huge stone, becoming extremely turbulent, and as soon as someone fell into the water, they were immediately swept away downstream. The Song army saw their efforts fail, and all cried out in surprise, while the Yuan army cheered and shouted, shaking the great river.

  The moment he fell into the water, Yun Shu's hand holding the bamboo pole suddenly stretched out flatly, with his arm length, not long or short, just right to reach the edge of the stone platform. In an instant, Yun Shu's inner strength burst forth, and with a "poof" sound, the bamboo pole bent under force, and Yun Shu used the pole's elasticity to propel himself into a somersault, flipping his body up, hovering in mid-air for a moment before landing on top of the platform. Before he even landed, two swift strokes of the pole sent two Yuan soldiers flying. On the platform, apart from the artillerymen, there were also two teams of ten guards each, who upon seeing this, drew their swords and spears to fight Yun Shu.

  Yun Shu let out a loud shout, swung his pole and charged forward, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep. Although it was just a bamboo stick, in his hands it was no different from a long spear or halberd, killing until the white clothes were all stained with blood. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, more than half of the defenders on the stone platform had been killed. The Song army was no longer threatened by the cannon stones and advanced upstream in a "water snake formation".

  Zhang Hongfan saw the situation and hastily ordered the ships to come and seize the artillery platform. Arrows and stones were shot towards the platform, but unexpectedly, the large arrows and stones on the platform had become a barrier for Yun Shu. He hid behind them, and whenever someone climbed onto the platform, he would rush out and kill them. This happened several times, and the Song army's naval forces arrived at the stone platform, while the Xiangyang naval forces also launched a fierce attack. The Yuan army was attacked from both front and back, and for a time, they were trapped in a desperate battle.

  Ah Su did not expect that among the Song people, there would be such a person, and he was very surprised in his heart. However, with Shi Tai's fall, apart from fighting to the death to intercept them, there was no other way. He ordered the flag to wave and the drums to thunder, to assist the naval army's prestige. At this time, he suddenly heard Yang Jue exclaim: "Liang Ge!" Ah Su slightly hesitated, following his gaze, saw Liang Xiao riding a war horse, galloping along the riverbank. Ah Su wondered: "What does he want to do?" Yang Jue said: "That white-clothed person is our sworn enemy, he plotted to intercept our grain convoy and killed our brothers!"

  "Ah, I see," Ah Shu said with a frown. As he spoke, Liang Xiao galloped his horse out of the hundred-yard range and suddenly turned around, riding straight up to the high slope on the riverbank. The crowd didn't know what he was doing, but then they saw him rein in his horse and turn around, charging down from the slope. When he reached the riverbank, he urged his horse forward with a loud whip crack. His horse let out a pained whinny as it launched itself into the air, clearing the heads of the troops below before landing with a splash in the Han River.

  Since ancient times, famous horses have not come from "Dawan" or "Yuezhi". These two countries are now in the Jinzhou area. The "Historical Records" says: "Foreign countries say that there are three multitudes under heaven, China has a multitude of people, Daqin (ancient Rome) has a multitude of treasures, and Yuezhi (Jinzhou area) has a multitude of horses." This means that China has the most people, Daqin has the most treasures, but Yuezhi has the most good horses. The heavenly horses, such as the "Sweat Blood Horse" and the "Rouge Horse", all come from Jinzhou. Liang Xiao's mount is not one in ten thousand, but one in a thousand. Moreover, with the momentum of a galloping horse, it easily crossed over ten zhang (a unit of measurement) of river water and landed on a Yuan army warship. The ship was pressed down by the horse's weight and almost capsized. The sailors on board were thrown off balance and stumbled about. Liang Xiao's horse did not stop, and with a burst of speed, it leapt onto another warship. In an instant, he used the Song-Yuan warships as his foothold, riding his horse with ease, as if walking on flat ground, approaching the stone pier in the middle of the river. The Song-Yuan naval forces saw this and were shocked and delighted, shouting out in unison.

  Yun Shu Zheng was fighting fiercely with the Yuan army, and with a swing of his bamboo spear, he pierced two Yuan soldiers through the neck and strung them together. Suddenly, he heard a loud shout, turned around, and saw a black shape in front of him. A warhorse was charging towards him. He quickly turned around, and with one thrust of his spear, he pierced the horse's belly. The warhorse let out a sad neigh and fell to the ground like a shooting star.

  Liang Xiao used his hand to push off the horse's back, leaping off the saddle, holding a long spear, and pounced on Yun Shu in mid-air. Yun Shu swung her pole swiftly, stabbing at Liang Xiao, who flipped his body to dodge, shaking out the flower spear in his hand, drawing out a spear flower, prying open the bamboo pole, and stabbed it towards Yun Shu.

  Yun Shu saw the newcomer's gun technique was wonderful, and his heart slightly chilled. He fixed his eyes on him, and couldn't help but shout in surprise and anger: "Good thief! You've come at a good time!" He blocked the newcomer's spear with his pole, and quickly counterattacked. The two enemies faced each other, their faces red with rage, and for a moment they both showed off their skills, engaging in a fierce battle on the stone platform.

  Zhang Hongfan saw Yun Shou's exceptional encounter with his opponent, disregarding Liang Xiao's life or death, and hastily ordered the Yuan army to fire arrows, determined to retake the stone platform. The two men on the platform had no choice but to turn around and dodge. Alu hastily transmitted the order, instructing Zhang Hongfan not to fire arrows. Zhang Hongfan was perplexed, but had to obey orders. Those two men saw the arrows stop momentarily, and immediately rushed up to fight again. They only saw the shadows of spears overlapping, gun flowers dancing wildly, advancing and retreating in an instant, swift as lightning. The Song and Yuan armies watched with dizzy eyes, shouting loudly to cheer on their own side.

  After fighting for twenty or thirty rounds, Yun Shu's long and powerful spear was unable to be fully utilized on the stone platform; Liang Xiao's flower gun was agile and quick, gradually gaining the upper hand, forcing Yun Shu to retreat repeatedly.

  Yun Shu rushed to occupy the Jiangxin stone platform, and Jing Fei took over his command of the troops. However, only Yun Shu deeply understood the changes in the "Water Fowl Dragon Formation". Fortunately, they had practiced well, and Jing Fei followed the established order, barely managing to cope. But after being attacked by the Yuan army several times, their formation became somewhat disordered. Fang Lan sailed a light boat close to the stone platform and shouted from afar: "Shu-er, hurry back! Your Shixiong can't hold on!"

  Yun Shu was shocked by the words, and quickly stabbed several bamboo poles. With great force, he pushed back Liang Xiao, suddenly grabbed one end of a bamboo pole, and sprang into the air. The tip of the pole touched the ground, and the bamboo pole bent downward. With a humming sound, Yun Shu used the elasticity of the bamboo pole to propel himself, flying out more than ten zhang away, and landing on Fang Lan's boat. Liang Xiao had no bamboo pole, and was unable to shoot himself out, so he could only watch as Yun Shu sailed into the Song army's naval formation. He quickly turned around, wanting to use a cannon to attack. But unexpectedly, Yun Shu had already used his internal energy to destroy the mechanism of the cannons, and there was no time to repair them in the chaos.

  Yun Shu returned to the main army and changed formation. The Song army's fleet vanguard split into two groups, forming a "double-headed turtle array", bypassing the Jiangxin stone platform, slowly advancing upwards. Liang Xiao wanted to charge onto the Song army ships several times, but Fang Lan had already taken precautions, ordering people to shoot arrows and crossbows, Liang Xiao was unable to advance, and could only hide behind the pile of arrows and stones.

  The Song army's drumming sound was like thunder, shaking the stone platform, and the two armies merged into one, transforming into a "rhinoceros elephant formation", with a sharp vanguard and solid wings. The subtle changes were like a white rhino crossing the water, leaving no trace, and can be said to be the most powerful transformation of the "Water Fowl Fish Dragon Formation". The Yuan army was suddenly defeated by this formation, and the Song army charged up the two-mile waterway in one breath, meeting with the Xiangyang water army at one place.

  Lü De saw from the city wall, overjoyed and issued an order to take advantage of the victory and launch a counterattack, intending to annihilate this branch of the Yuan army's naval force and completely break through the siege on the southern front. In an instant, the drums sounded loudly, and the Song people turned defense into offense, charging straight down from upstream, the Yuan army could not withstand it, and immediately retreated downstream in defeat.

  Ah Su saw the situation was critical, and ordered Liu Zheng to launch a cannon attack from both banks, but the effect was minimal. He immediately sent a report to Bai Yan. Upon hearing the news, Bai Yan led Ali Haiya's army in a strong attack on Xiangyang from two directions on land, and also ordered Shi Tianze to lead the upstream naval force to intercept the Song army downstream, thus restraining the Xiangfan water troops.

  Lü De ordered the Song army to strictly defend the city walls and set up crossbows along the wall, attacking Shi Tianze's naval forces from both sides. They also formed an array on the floating bridge between the two cities, using crossbows to attack the enemy. In this battle, the Song army used the "flying fire gun" and "shaking heaven thunder", which made the Yuan army tremble with fear. The "flying fire gun" was loaded with gunpowder and ignited, shooting over 10 zhang (about 33 meters) away, capable of piercing fine iron armor; the "shaking heaven thunder" was filled with **, ignited and thrown out, turning everything within half a mu (about 0.0667 hectares) into dust. The sound of explosions echoed across the Yangtze River, as hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides fought to the death in Xiangyang.

  Shi Tianze's naval forces were attacked on three sides by the Song people, and a ship was hit by a thunderclap, instantly shattering and sinking. He had no choice but to retreat upstream, and the Xiangfan naval forces, without any worries about their rear, launched a swift attack downstream, causing Zhang Hongfan's troops to be defeated like water, scattering in all directions.

  Just as the defeat was certain, a loud noise came from the Jiangxin battery, and a huge arrow fell into the Song army's water array, sinking a ship. The Yuan army's morale suddenly rose, and they turned their heads to see Liang Xiao exerting his strength, holding onto a crossbow machine, and firing another huge arrow, piercing a Song boat.

  Liang Xiao took advantage of the intense battle between the two sides to inspect the damage to the cannons. He found that one of the key components was severely damaged, but there was not enough time to repair the others. Liang Xiao had a deep understanding of mechanics and immediately picked up his sword to cut through the rivets and repair one of the cannons. He then reloaded it with arrows and fired again. Zhang Hongfan saw this and quickly dispatched dozens of soldiers on boats to arrive at the platform and assist Liang Xiao in firing the cannon.

  Yun Shu repeatedly used his skills, carrying the precious sword, changing the formation, wanting to rush up to the stone platform. Liang Xiao pretended not to know, letting him get close, firing the crossbow cannon, hitting the ship and shattering it into pieces, Yun Shu and others fell into the water one after another. Liang Xiao ordered the firing of cannons again, Yun Shu hastily dove into the water, but was hit by a cannonball on his back, instantly spitting out fresh blood. Fang Lan led the ships to desperately rush up and rescue him. Yun Shu's injuries were not light, so he could only return to the formation, Liang Xiao seeing him escape from death, sighed in his heart, what a pity.

  Zhang Hongfan took the opportunity to stabilize his troops, gather the defeated army and launch a counterattack. The Song and Yuan navies clashed in a fierce battle on the Yangtze River. Liang Xiao repaired all the crossbows and cannons, directing them to fire, and seventeen cannons fired simultaneously, causing the Song army's warships to collapse in disarray. The Yuan soldiers were mysteriously stirred up, and every time they fired a round of arrows, they shouted loudly to boost their morale.

  Lü De saw that things were going badly and ordered the naval forces to retreat upstream. Zhang Hongfan pursued them to below Xiangyang City, only then did he recall his troops and withdraw.

  This fierce battle, from dawn till sunset, both sides fought on water and land, with victories and defeats, several reversals, the Yuan army's losses were unprecedented since the siege of Xiangyang. The Qigai Menggu cavalry and Zhang Hongfan's Han people navy, known as the two strongest forces in the Yuan army, were defeated today, three thousand men of the Qigai Menggu army died in Xiangyang city. Although the Song people also suffered losses, Yun Shu cut off the iron chain blocking the river with a thousand ships and broke through the siege, sending countless clothes, food, and equipment into Xiangyang, gaining much more than losing. In comparison, it was still the Yuan army that lost.

  Since Bohai took over the military commander's seal, the Song army in Xiangyang had been defeated one after another, and morale was low. Today, they finally got a chance to vent their frustrations. As Zhang Hongfan retreated, the city of Xiangyang erupted in jubilation. Lü De didn't even have time to remove his armor before rushing out of the city to welcome them. When he saw Jing Fei, he grabbed him and laughed loudly: "Great! We've been waiting for you for so long, and finally, you're here! Whose subordinate are you? You're amazing!" Jing Fei bowed and replied: "We're not official government troops, but a militia recruited by Lord Li Tingzhi." Lü De was taken aback, furrowed his brow, and said: "No wonder there were fishing boats in your fleet. Alas! Fan Wenhut and Xia Gui led an army of 100,000 elite soldiers and thousands of warships to provide reinforcements multiple times, but they didn't achieve anything. Last time they came to reinforce us, they lost the battle and fled without a fight, leaving me to lead the troops in a precarious situation, and we were nearly annihilated by A Tu!" He sighed and asked: "What's the situation like in the rear?" Before Jing Fei could respond, Yun Shu suddenly sneered: "There's a poem that proves the situation in the rear." Lü De was curious: "What poem? Tell me about it."

  Yun Shu chanted: "Xiangyang has been besieged for four years, with no fishing songs or woodcutting songs to be heard. I ask you, how are things now? Gold is being worn away, grain is being worn away. The 'Taizhi' dance is not being performed, but ugliness and evil are multiplying! The vermilion gates buy vermilion beauties every day, what about military affairs? What about the people's livelihood?" This poem thoroughly exposed the situation of the powerful and wealthy ignoring the danger on the front lines, indulging in a life of luxury and pleasure. After Yun Shu finished chanting, Lu De and below, all the Song army officers and soldiers showed expressions of sorrow, anger, and despair. Jing Fei saw that things were not going well, and angrily said: "Yun Shu, this crooked poem is just the complaint of a poor scholar, what's the point of relying on it? How can you bring it here to disturb the army's morale?" Yun Shu lightly snorted, turned his head away.

  Lü De shook his head and said, "Never mind, these things are not to be asked, you don't need to resent." He looked at the group of heroes and said, "You have achieved tens of millions of merits with a force of several thousand people, it's shocking, admirable, respectable and admirable! The old folks of Xiangyang are grateful!" He was about to bow down when Jing Fei rushed up to support him, his voice trembling as he said, "General Lü defended Xiangyang, using the two cities to resist the 200,000-strong Yuan army, that's what's truly admirable." Lü De also pretended to be modest, and took advantage of the situation to stand up, laughing loudly, and ordered a celebratory banquet to be set up. The righteous army brought a lot of clothes, armor, rice, and grain this time, and all the people in the city were delighted. Fireworks were set off in the city, and everyone was jubilant.

  At this time, the Golden Tent was shaken by wailing. The Yuan army exchanged the corpses of Song soldiers for the bodies of He Zhong and others, and more than 2,000 Qinchao Han people hugged their mangled corpses, crying like children. Liang Xiao couldn't bear to watch, left the Golden Tent, thought of Ah Xue, was about to go to Ali Haiya's camp to visit, when suddenly A Zhu's personal soldiers rushed over, ordering him to go to the commander's tent.

  Liang Xiao rode his horse to the central military tent, where he saw more than a dozen lamas sitting cross-legged in front of the tent, turning prayer wheels and reciting scriptures. Dozens of lamps were burning strange oil, emitting an unusual fragrance. Liang Xiao had seen such rituals before and knew they were holding a ceremony to help the deceased spirits ascend. He couldn't help but think: "Is there really a soul after death? If Father and San Gouzi are in heaven, can they hear me speak and see me fight?" But thinking about ghosts and gods was futile, so he sighed and walked into the tent with a gloomy expression.

  The tent was very large, and two giant candles made of cow fat were lit, but it was still dim. The people inside the tent sat cross-legged, and at a glance, they were all high-ranking officials and generals. When everyone saw Liang Xiao come in, they couldn't help but turn their heads. Liang Xiao paid his respects, and Bo Yan nodded and said: "You sit behind Lan Ya Huo." Liang Xiao turned to look, and Lan Ya was sitting at the far left end, next to her sat an old man with blue eyes and a black beard, wearing a white turban and a long white robe. When Lan Ya saw him looking over, she had a cold expression. Liang Xiao also didn't make a sound, and sat down cross-legged.

  The crowd was silent, and the atmosphere in the tent was very heavy. After a while, Bayan slowly said: "Now that the iron chain is broken, the reinforcements have entered the city, and the wings of Xiangyang City are also hard, don't you have anything to say?" Alu came out and said: "It's all my fault for commanding incorrectly, please punish me, General." Bayan coldly hummed: "Zhang Hongfan lost with a reason! The other side set up a strange array, you haven't seen it before, can't break it. What about the Qinchu Army? That group of blue-eyed monkeys, how have they been spoiled by you? Their necks are stiff from being puffed up, can't bow down? That Hetai Wulan, a thousand-man commander, was also blinded by greed, didn't think and directly charged into Xiangyang. If Xiangyang City is so easy to attack, why do we need to spend so much effort besieging it? Who does he think he is, Genghis Khan?"

  Arutai was sweating profusely and didn't dare to speak. Shi Tianze stood up: "General, let me say a few words. Although the Imperial Guard is arrogant, it's also an advantage. Whenever they encounter that kind of momentum, naturally the three armies will be intimidated and defeated without a fight. Arutai, you're going along with them, not wanting to lose this cavalry's ferocity." Bayan nodded after a brief pause: "You make sense too! Arutai, get up!" Arutai sighed and sat back in his original position.

  Bayan said, "The Han people's military strategy says 'arrogant soldiers will surely be defeated'. Although it is not foolproof, there is indeed some truth to it. Soldiers can be proud, but generals must remain calm. Soldiers charge forward and kill the enemy with an unstoppable momentum, but generals need to carefully consider and find opportunities to defeat the enemy in the chaos." Al-Temur nodded in agreement. Bayan asked again, "How many Qinchao soldiers are left?"

  "According to Liang Xiao's report, there are 2,130 people," said Ah Shi Dao. "Now that the army has gathered, your troops are getting more and more numerous, but also more and more divided. As the saying goes, you can't spin wool while killing a cow! Today's defeat is just like that. If you personally lead the army, where would you lose? Hmm, do you have a suitable candidate to lead these monkeys?" Ah Shi wanted to speak but hesitated.

  "Who can lead them?" The tent was silent, and Shi Tianze coughed and said in a low voice, "The Qinchao army is proud of their achievements and has always excluded outsiders. Not to mention the colored-eye generals, even ordinary Mongolian generals cannot make them submit. Unless it's a great general like Da Yuan Shuai or A'erde, who are Mongolian heroes, they can't control them." A'erde added, "The Qinchao army is indeed arrogant, but they admire the strong and value loyalty. If someone can subdue them with their abilities and also have saved their lives, it will be easy to lead them, like an arm moving at will."

  Everyone was stunned, and they all turned their eyes to Liang Xiao. A Shi Teng stood up abruptly and shouted: "I recommend Liang Xiao as the commander-in-chief of the Qinchao Army!" Liang Xiao was taken aback, and the tent erupted in a commotion. General Alahan shouted: "How can this be? He's only been here for a month!" Liu Zheng also said: "He lacks experience, although he achieved great merit today, he should be rewarded accordingly, but becoming an army commander is still not suitable."

  Shi Tianze also nodded in agreement, "That's right, he's too young and can't take on such a heavy responsibility." For the time being, except for A-Tu and Ali Haiya, almost everyone said it was impossible. The reason was very simple: all the generals had gone through countless battles to achieve their current status, while Liang Xiao was just a newcomer, not even qualified to hold their horses or shoes, let alone become the commander of the Yuan army's most elite cavalry? Wouldn't that be like a fish jumping over the dragon gate and sitting on an equal footing with these senior ministers and generals?

  Ah Shi smiled faintly, waiting for the commotion in the tent to subside. He raised his voice and said: "Alright! You all say it's impossible. I ask you, who can break through the heavy encirclement of 3,000 Jurchen soldiers with just six riders? Who can rally them again when they are on the verge of defeat? Who can recognize the formation of the Song army's naval fleet today?" He said this in one breath, glanced at Lan Ya, and smiled slightly. "Who else can shoot down a string of pearls from 100 paces away?" Lan Ya glanced at Liang Xiao, her eyes flashing with anger, and a bright red flush rose to her pale face.

  The people inside the tent were silent, looking at each other in dismay. Ah Su said again: "If someone thinks they have achieved two of these, I will take back my previous words." But there was still no sound from within the tent. Ah Su's eyes gleamed as he looked around at everyone and said: "The Han people have a saying: 'Those who achieve great things do not quibble over trivial matters.' We want to defeat the Song people, so we should not be bound by conventional methods. The merits are all established in the past, you have been through hundreds of battles, didn't you also suffer a defeat today? When I was the commander of the Wanfu army, I was the same age as him, were my merits less than yours?"

  The generals fell silent. Bohai's thick eyebrows furrowed, and he suddenly said, "A-Tu is right! I agree with him!" He turned to face the crowd and shouted, "Liangelo, listen to my orders!" Liangelo stood up straight. Bohai said, "I appoint you as the temporary commander of the Qinchao Army's Wanfu Division. If you lead well and achieve great military success, I will petition the Emperor to officially appoint you as the Commander-in-Chief of the Qinchao Army." Liangelo was stubborn by nature, and the crowd rose up in opposition, stirring his pride. He bowed his head and responded loudly.

  Bayan fell silent for a moment, then said: "Now the Song people have added their strength to the war, our army is not suitable for a long battle. Do you have any way to break the city?" Ali Haiya said: "It's better to wait until the 'Huihui cannon' is made and then launch a strong attack." Bayan's eyes turned to the blue-eyed old man and said: "Zhamaluding, how many more days will it take to build the big cannon?" Zhamaluding said: "I'm not very clear about this. My teacher, the wise king of fire, Nasir al-Din, drew out the design after that, but he didn't make it either. But according to him, this is the most terrifying siege catapult, with the longest range and the greatest power. No matter how strong the city wall is, it can be destroyed in an instant."

  "Are you absolutely sure?" Bayan asked, furrowing his brow. Zamaluding shook his head and said, "This weapon has never appeared on earth before, its power is only described in the teacher's words." Bayan was hesitant, frowning in deep thought.

  Liang Xiao gave a faint cold smile, suddenly stood up and said loudly: "I don't believe there's such a powerful stone cannon in the world. Any mechanism has its way of being broken. Rather than building an unprecedented weapon, it's better to think of an ingenious plan." Bo Yan raised his eyebrows and said in a deep voice: "Go on!" Liang Xiao said: "Today I was observing Xiangyang and Fancheng from the stone platform, and I realized that when we attack one city, we are actually fighting against the soldiers of both cities." Shi Tianze chimed in: "Are you talking about the floating bridge between the two cities?"

  Li Xiangdao said, "That's right, the two cities' Song army used a pontoon bridge to support each other. As the saying goes: 'Killing one fierce tiger is easy, but it's hard to knock down two sick cows.' " Bayan nodded and said, "You've just arrived, yet you can see the key to attacking the city. It's not easy. Everyone understands this principle, and we've sent a naval force to attack several times, but the Song army's defense is tight, and we haven't succeeded." Li Xiangdao asked, "If the navy can't get close, can't they send water ghosts to launch a sneak attack?" Shi Tianze frowned and said, "It's easy to say, but how many people can swim that far without being discovered by the Song people?" Ali Haiya pondered for a moment and then said, "Now that you mention it, I remember a method. Commander-in-Chief, do you recall when His Majesty conquered Dali and crossed the Lancang River?" Bayan smiled and said, "You're talking about using sheepskin rafts to cross the river? I understand! You and Liu Zheng try it." Li Xiangdao listened, feeling somewhat perplexed.

  Bo Yan again handed over some military affairs, and then ordered everyone to go down. Liang Xiao rode his horse back to the camp, just out of the gate, when he heard someone say: "Liang Xiao, stop!" Liang Xiao turned his head to look, and saw Lan Ya riding her horse, angrily rushing towards him, causing Liang Xiao's eyebrows to furrow deeply. Lan Ya stopped her horse in front of him, looking angry, and shouted loudly: "What makes you look down on people?" Liang Xiao asked strangely: "How did I look down on people?" Lan Ya angrily said: "You looked down on the 'Huihui cannon' designed by my teacher Nasuradin!"

  Liang Xiao said coldly, "I speak directly, but it's not like I'm being arrogant or anything." Lan Ya's eyebrows stood on end, her face flushed red with anger, and she shouted, "Fine! You look down on my teacher, I challenge you to a contest!" Liang Xiao laughed and said, "What do you want to compete in? Horse riding and martial arts?" Lan Ya snorted and said, "That's your strong suit! I'm no match for you. But let me ask you, are you familiar with Euclid's geometry? Do you know astrology? Do you know hydraulics? Do you know mechanics? Can you use a sandbox to demonstrate the magic square?"

  Liang Xiao's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and aside from water conservancy and mechanics, he had never heard of the others. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "What are you talking about?" Lan Ya sneered, "You don't know, do you? These are all subjects that our teacher excels in. With your ignorance, you can't even begin to comprehend his greatness. Nasir al-Din's extraordinary wisdom has spread like wildfire throughout the world, while you're just a slave of the Yuan dynasty emperor."

  Nasr al-Din is the greatest sage of our time, and Lanya has the utmost respect for him. She will not tolerate anyone speaking lightly of him. In her anger, she speaks sharply, saying: "What can you do besides fighting and killing, bullying women? Go ahead and shoot me with your bow and arrow, I'm not afraid of you!"

  Liang Xiao was taken aback, recalling the events of the day, and felt a slight sense of shame. He slowly relaxed his fists and said, "You are a Hui Muslim scholar?" Lan Ya replied, "What if I am?" Liang Xiao asked, "I've heard that you people are skilled in mathematics, can design ingenious mechanisms, know the movements of the stars, change the course of great rivers, and build immortal houses. Is that true?" Lan Ya was slightly surprised, nodded her head, and said, "You also know about it?" Liang Xiao gave a faint cold smile, raised his voice, and said, "Fine, I accept your challenge! As a student of Nasir al-Din, I'll compete with you in astronomy, mechanics, and hydraulics! Choose any field of study that involves calculations." Lan Ya was taken aback, curled her lip, and smiled coldly, saying, "You're asking for humiliation."

  Li Xue smiled and said, "Alright, follow me." He rode his horse and left. Lan Ya felt uneasy but thought that she had provoked him first and couldn't back down now, so she followed closely behind Li Xue to a large tent. Li Xue entered the tent, and Lan Ya hesitated for a moment before following him in. As soon as she lifted the curtain, she heard a woman speaking in Mandarin say, "Brother, you're back!" Lan Ya was naturally clever and knew many languages, so she looked around and saw a girl with whip marks on her face sitting up in bed. She also saw Li Xue push aside two women of different ethnicities and take the girl's hand, saying, "Ah Xue, I haven't come to see you for two days, I've really missed you." Before he finished speaking, Ah Xue had already thrown herself into his arms and started crying loudly. Li Xue was flustered and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" Ah Xue sobbed, "I heard the sounds of killing during the day, and I was so worried!" She cried until she was heartbroken, and Li Xue also couldn't help but get teary-eyed, sighing, "Silly girl, don't cry." He glanced over and saw Lan Ya standing there, startled: "He had been so focused on Ah Xue that he forgot she was there." Ah Xue also looked up, wiping away tears, and asked, "Brother, who is she?"

  Liang Xiao Dao said, "She's come to compete with me in arithmetic." Ah Xue was shocked and stared at Lan Ya, saying, "You want to compete with Brother in math? Brother is the smartest person under heaven, no one can compare." Lan Ya was extremely displeased and coldly laughed, saying, "Liang Xiao, do all the people in your family exaggerate?" Liang Xiao suppressed his annoyance and smiled, saying, "Do you know the Han people's counting method?" Lan Ya coldly laughed, saying, "I have some knowledge of it."

  Liang Xiao laughed and said, "Not bad, you even know the basics." He drew out his treasured sword and swiftly carved three math problems on the ground. One was the "Seven Planets Linked Calculation", involving astronomy; one was the "Yu the Great's Water Control Chart", involving water conservancy; the third question was "Lu Ban Under the Tree Asking", with Lu Ban asking under a large tree with a circumference of five zhang and a height of six zhang, how to cut down this big tree to make the largest cloud ladder for attacking cities. This question involved mechanical dimensions (equivalent to modern mathematics' limit problems).

  These three questions are subtle and profound, complex and unparalleled. Lanya looked at them for a few lines, her expression changed greatly, she squatted down, picked up a sharp stone, drew squares, circles, triangles, and angles on the ground, wrote down strange symbols such as "12……57", thinking and calculating while doing so. Liang Xiao knew that as a Huihui star scholar, Lanya's attainments in mathematics must be extraordinary, so he intentionally made it difficult for her, these three questions are extremely difficult. Lanya calculated the first question for several steps, but soon fell into deep thought.