The Naval Showdown

A few days later, the naval forces of the Fire Tribe and the Tiger Tribe finally clashed. The first encounter took place on an open stretch of the Fish River. The Fire Tribe's fleet advanced down the Fish River, while the Tiger Tribe's fleet came up from downstream. The sails on both sides stretched out in the afternoon sun, resembling two different colored clouds colliding on the water. Leading the Fire Tribe's fleet was Yan himself, leading nearly a hundred large ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin (approximately 50,000 kg). The ships were tall and wide, and the bronze battering Chuantou on their bows gleamed darkly in the sunlight. The ships behind them lined up in a long row, and the oarsmen rowed in perfect unison. As the Chuantou cut through the water, they created two white Langhua. Leading the Tiger Tribe's fleet was Tong Dachui. There were quite a few ships, but far fewer of them were large enough to carry 100,000 jin. The rest were mostly ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin (approximately 25,000 kg) and 20,000 jin (approximately 10,000 kg). These ships were shorter and their formation was less organized.

As soon as the two fleets clashed, the Fire Tribe gained the upper hand. Their large ships rammed into the Tiger Tribe's small boats, causing them to tilt to the side and split open. Water rushed in through the cracks, and some sailors jumped into the water, some climbed onto the ships behind them, and some clung to the masts, shouting for help. Tong Dachui stood on the Chuantou of a massive ship with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin (50,000 kg), his face flushed red, the skin on his cheekbones taut, and the lines at the corners of his eyes furrowed. He pointed his bronze dagger forward and shouted to the fleet behind him, his voice hoarse with the fury of someone who had been suppressed and beaten. "Push forward! All of you, push forward! Anyone who retreats will be killed!" The fleet behind him gritted their teeth and pushed forward, but each ship that pushed forward was capsized, and every two that pushed forward were capsized. The Fire Tribe's fleet pressed them all the way down the Fish River, pushing for several days until they were only a few days' journey from the Tiger Tribe's main camp.

Now, apart from the more than 4,000 people left behind by the Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei Tribe, the Fire Tribe has sent all of its more than 20,000 elite troops forward. The fleet is lined up in several rows, and from the river, the sails are a continuous expanse, covering half of the river. The Tiger Tribe's 20,000 naval forces have lost several thousand men in the resistance, most of whom were soldiers from the Tiger Tribe's Great Elder's side. Seven or eight out of ten of those whose ships were sunk or who were surrounded and forced to surrender by the Fire Tribe's small boats were men led by Tong Dachui Hammer. Tong Dachui, who was in charge, was furious. He paced back and forth on the bow of the Chuantou, his boots thumping on the deck. His fingers were white from gripping the hilt of his sword, his knuckles cracking, and he was cursing. "That old bastard Hu Bashan, he led 10,000 men behind, and when the fighting started, he just cowered at the back watching the show. Our men were fighting desperately in front, and not a single one of his ships moved forward. So many of our ships have sunk, and he hasn't even lost an oar. Is he here to fight or to watch the show?"

A leader standing next to Tong Dachui approached, his face blackened and stained with soot, and blood seeping through strips of cloth wrapped around his arm. He lowered his voice and said, "Leader Dachui, the people from Hu Bashan have been hiding in the back. They only move when we charge in, and they retreat when we retreat. It's obvious they're conserving their strength. If this continues, we'll be wiped out, while they'll still be at full strength. Then they'll blame us for poor command, and we won't even have anyone to reason with."

After listening, Tong Dachui slammed his knife down onto the deck, the tip digging into the wood. The blade trembled twice. He gritted his teeth and spoke, his voice filled with a fierce determination born of being cornered. "I know. Hu Bashan never intended to use those ten thousand men my father fought for in the council hall. He's just going through the motions. Once we and the Fire Tribe are both badly wounded, he can go back and report that he fought, that he did his best, and that our Elder's men were incompetent." He paused, his fingers clenching and unclenching on the hilt of his knife. "We can't keep fighting like this. If we continue, we'll be wiped out. Retreat, retreat towards the main camp. Retreat there and join up with the garrison. Then we'll figure something out."

Just as Tong Dachui was considering retreating to the Tiger Tribe's main camp to make further plans, Yan launched the final attack with the Fire Tribe's navy. Yan stood at the Chuantou, pulled a wooden tablet from his robes, and glanced at it. It recorded the locations of the battles and the losses suffered by both sides over the past few days. He marked two spots on it with a bone needle, then spoke to his guard beside him, his voice low but clear. "The Tiger Tribe wants to retreat, but we can't let them. If they retreat to their main camp, it'll be much harder to fight them. Their main camp has walls and guards; it will take us a lot of effort to chase them there. If we don't strike hard now, they'll be difficult to deal with once they retreat to the Tiger Tribe's main camp." He put away the bone needle and shouted to his left and right, "Yingmu, you take 8,000 naval troops and press towards Hu Bashan. Tie them up and don't let them join up with Tong Dachui! Shibang, you come with me and take the rest of the men to press towards Tong Dachui. Today, we'll scatter his fleet!"

Yingmu responded from another boat, took the dagger from his belt and gripped it tightly. He shouted to the fleet behind him, his voice booming, "Follow me! Press towards Hu Bashan!" He led eight thousand naval troops toward Hu Bashan's fleet. The fleet was lined up in several rows, the oarsmen rowing swiftly, the Chuantou cutting through the water and creating white Langhua. However, Hu Bashan had already prepared to preserve his strength. As soon as his fleet saw Yingmu's men approaching, Chuantou turned their bows and slid downstream along the Fish River. In a flash, they led their fleet down the Fish River toward the Tiger Tribe's main camp. Yingmu's men chased for a while, catching up with a few small boats that had fallen behind and forcing the people on board to surrender. But they couldn't catch up with the main force. Hu Bashan was fast, and his fleet was well-organized. Yingmu stopped after a while, had his men count the captured boats, put the prisoners on board, and then turned Chuantou.

Yan and Shibang led the remaining 10,000-plus men of the Fire Tribe towards Tong Dachui. Tong Dachui's fleet had already suffered heavy casualties; their ships were scattered and their formation was in disarray. The Fire Tribe's large ships charged, capsizing the leading ships. Those behind tried to turn around but were surrounded by the Fire Tribe's smaller boats. Sailors were forced to jump into the water at knifepoint. Several ships in the middle tried to break through to the sides but were intercepted by Shibang and his men. Shibang stood at the Chuantou, pointed his bronze spear forward, and shouted to the left and right in a loud, rapid voice. "Sink them! Don't let them escape!" The Fire Tribe's fleet rammed into Tong Dachui's fleet, scattering them in pieces. Some ships capsized, their hulls facing upwards; others were breached and slowly sank. Some sailors jumped into the water and swam to shore, while others surrendered.

Tong Dachui stood at the Chuantou, watching his fleet being scattered. His face turned from flushed to ashen, his fingers clenched white on the hilt of his sword, and his lips pressed into a thin line. It felt as if a Shitou was sinking in his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. He shouted to his left and right, "Move north! Retreat north! Save as many ships as you can!" He led the remaining ships northward.

Yingmu, having returned, launched another attack on Tong Dachui's navy from the rear. His fleet pressed in from downstream, ramming the Chuantou that were heading towards the shore. Tong Dachui 'Tong Dachui navy began to completely collapse. Ships still in the water were rammed from behind; some capsized, some were leaked, and some sailors simply threw down their swords and surrendered. In the end, Tong Dachui broke through the encirclement with only a little over a thousand sailors. Standing on the Chuantou, Tong Dachui glanced back at the river surface behind him, littered with broken planks and overturned ships. The skin on his cheekbones was taut, and his lips were cracked. He sheathed his sword, clenched and unclenched his fingers on the hilt, and then shouted into the cabin, "To headquarters, quickly!" The ship then sailed downstream with the current.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Yan led his fleet downstream along the Fish River, heading towards the Tiger Tribe's main camp. The Fire Tribe's fleet regrouped, their sails billowing again in the afternoon sun, the white sails making a series of short, sharp flapping sounds as they unfurled in the wind. Yan stood at the Chuantou, took out a wooden tablet from his robes, glanced at it, and saw that it recorded the losses and spoils of the battle. He made a few marks on it with a bone needle, then put it away. He turned to the Shibang beside him and spoke in a low but clear voice, "Tong Dachui has run back, and Hu Bashan has also run back. They've both headed for their main camp. There are still garrison troops at the Tiger Tribe's main camp, plus the remnants they brought back. We can't just charge in when we get there; we need to assess their defenses first before we make a move."

Shibang nodded, rested the bronze spear in his hand against the gunwale, and said, "Alright, once we get there, send scouts to find out where their ships are moored, how well the stockade is built, and where the sentry posts are. Once we have a clear picture, then we can attack." Yan nodded to him, and the fleet continued downstream along the Fish River.