Siege Towers and Ladders Aid the First Ascent

At dawn the next day, dazzling golden light appeared over the eastern sea.

Li Yi ordered the warships to weigh anchor and put out to sea. A hundred great vessels cut through the waves and headed toward Lurong in the morning glow.

Around noon, the Jiao Province fleet reached the waters off Lurong and began landing. On the eve of their arrival at shore, the fishermen along the coast abandoned their boats and fled barefoot.

Chu Qing's scouts and warhorses disembarked first, while the remaining battalions came ashore and assembled in sequence.

The coast lay five li from Lurong City. The scouts had to range ahead and clear the way.

Seeing that the Trap-Breaking Army had completely disembarked, Li Yi cupped his fists and asked, "Young General, should my naval troops also...?"

"Though our arrival was swift and fierce, we must guard against the Linyi army striking at our rear. The navy should remain aboard the ships. The supplies on those vessels are the foundation of this southern campaign and cannot be lost." Lan Yuan's expression was grave.

"Yes." Li Yi had already prepared himself for that answer.

"Have the general send men to unload ten Siege Engines. I estimate we'll need them to attack Lurong," Lan Yuan added.

"I'll make the arrangements at once." Li Yi nodded with cupped fists.

Gao Ling asked curiously, "I heard Lurong is small and poorly fortified. Do we really need Siege Engines? Why not do as we did when taking Bijing, Boyang, and send a few Cham spies to persuade them to surrender?"

Lan Yuan shook his head. "Times have changed. We could use prisoners to persuade Bijing because those prisoners had relatives inside the city. The Cham people here in Lurong won't be so obedient. Besides, the Linyi Kingdom has rebelled and