Chapter 105 The last hope was shattered, and they fought their way to the south bank! Cai Mao knelt down: Lord Xuande, I was wrong, I am willing to surrender!

The roar was like thunder, making the Jingzhou soldiers on the boat feel numb.

The mighty power, which was like that of a god descending from heaven, frightened them all, and no one dared to rush forward to kill him.

On the top deck.

Cai Mao's ship was shaken violently by the impact of the ship's ramming and he almost fell to the ground.

As he struggled to stand up and steady himself, he heard an extremely domineering roar from below.

He rushed forward a few steps, and when he looked out, he was shocked to see a fierce enemy general had boarded his flagship.

The sailors in brocade clothes rushed onto the ship like tigers and wolves out of a cage.

In a blink of an eye, several more ships rushed and collided with his flagship.

Hundreds of navy soldiers in brocade uniforms boarded the ship from all directions.

Cai Mao's face turned pale with horror, and he suddenly realized what was going on.

Fell into a trap!
The Jinfan bandits attacked with their entire army right away, not because they were ignorant of military tactics or naval warfare.

They are using their entire division as bait to lure you to divide your forces to encircle their rear, and then you can send your entire central army forward, or even send your flagship forward.

The Jinfan thieves are not afraid of your outflanking at all. Their target from the very beginning has been your flagship.

Those sailors in full armor and well-equipped, and those chariot ships covered with cowhide, are all well prepared, ready to raid your flagship.

As long as we capture the flagship and you, Cai Mao, your navy will be defeated without a fight no matter how strong it is!

"You are such a cunning thief!"

"Stop him, stop him!"

"Call the other warships to rescue the flagship!"

"Hurry, hurry up~~"

Cai Mao cursed with gritted teeth, drew his sword, and roared hoarsely and urgently.

The order was passed down and the signal flag was waved.

The Jiangling warships around turned around and moved closer to the flagship.

The disadvantage of the large size of Jingzhou’s military ships was revealed at this time.

Although a large ship has the advantage of being high above the ground, turning around is cumbersome and slow, and there is no time to get close to the flagship in a short period of time.

Gan Ning roared like a tiger, leaped forward, and slashed wildly at the Jingzhou watermen who were rushing over with the bloody spear in his hand.

Hand raised and halberd fell, hand raised and halberd fell...

The Jingzhou watermen were chopped down in large numbers by him like cutting vegetables and melons.

The soldiers in brocade uniforms who had boarded the warships from all sides also rushed forward, killing the enemy soldiers and causing them to fall into chaos.

Gan Ning was unstoppable all the way from the bottom deck to the top deck.

In the blood mist.

Cai Mao had already retreated to the stern of the ship, with only seven or eight personal guards left in front of him, trembling as they held swords in their hands to protect him.

"Kill him, kill this Jinfan thief for me—"

Cai Mao roared and roared angrily.

The guards had no choice but to muster up their courage, and rushed forward with a roar, attacking Gan Ning.

"You are courting death!"

Gan Ning snorted coldly, and the blood-red spear in his hand swung like a wheel.

Layer upon layer of halberd shadows whizzed out, and in an instant, all seven or eight bodyguards were chopped to the ground.

There was no one left to protect Cai Mao.

Gan Ning, holding a blood-red halberd in his hand, approached Cai Mao step by step like a killing god.

"You are Gan Xingba, right?"

"Liu Bei is only the lord of a county. What official position can he give you? Why do you have to work hard for him?"

"You have surrendered to my lord. I will recommend you to my lord and at least make you a county governor!"

Cai Mao was already scared and had no other options, so he hurriedly tried to bribe him.

Gan Ning continued to move forward and snorted coldly:

"Back then, your master treated me like a worn-out shoe, but now that death is imminent, you think of tempting me with money."

"Let alone the governor of a county, even if Liu Biao gave me the position of governor of a state, don't even think about letting me let you go!"

Cai Mao's heart was shocked, and a feeling of despair and anger enveloped his whole body.

He knew that the Jinfan thief in front of him was too resentful and it was too late to win him over now.

The only thing to do is to give it a try!

As soon as the thought came to his mind, Cai Mao made up his mind and took the initiative to rush towards Gan Ning with his sword.

"Unbelievable!"

Gan Ning snorted disdainfully and slashed out with the bloody spear in his hand like lightning.

"Crack!"

The tip of the halberd hit Cai Mao's sword-holding hand exactly.

Five fingers were cut off and fell to the ground in an instant with extremely smooth motion.

The long sword fell to the ground, and before Cai Mao could even let out a pig-slaughtering scream, Gan Ning kicked him again.

Cai Mao flew backwards and hit the wall of the ship heavily, causing his internal organs to be shattered and several ribs to be broken.

He fell to the ground, holding his severed fingers, and howled in agony.

"What a leader of Jingzhou military commanders, he is nothing but a straw bag with a false reputation."

"That old scoundrel Liu Biao, how could he not be defeated if he was favored by a loser like you!"

Gan Ning disdained the sarcasm and then shouted:
"Capture this fellow and hand him over to the lord for reward!"

The brocade-clad water soldiers who rushed up from behind captured Cai Mao, who was wailing in pain.

Gan Ning slashed at the flagpole with his sword, and the flag with the word "Cai" on it fell to the ground.

"Raise my flag for me!"

In a blink of an eye, a flag with the word "Gan" on it was raised on the flagship of the Jiangling navy.

When the surrounding Jingzhou warships saw this scene, the morale of the army collapsed instantly.

What does it mean when an enemy general's flag is raised on the flagship?
This means that their main general, Cai Mao, has been killed by the enemy!
The commander was dead, the flagship was captured, and the Jiangling navy, which had lost its commander, collapsed in an instant.

The rout begins.

All the ships turned around and rushed to the south bank, trying to escape the battlefield.

"It turns out that his tactic is to capture Cai Mao's flagship directly. Capture the leader first!"

"This Gan Xingba is truly a man of both courage and wisdom. No wonder the military advisor calls him the best water general in the world!"

"Okay, okay, Gan Xingba, I, Xu Sheng, am convinced by you now!"

Xu Sheng was amazed at the result and was completely convinced.

Afterwards, when he saw the enemy army was defeated, he pointed his sword and shouted:
"All ships, listen up! Charge forward, board the ships and engage in close combat. Do not let the enemy ships escape back to the south bank!"

The attack horn sounded again.

The Liu army soldiers, who were originally suppressed, suddenly reversed the situation and began to pursue the enemy relentlessly.

Most of the enemy ships were large ships such as tower ships and fighting ships, which made it difficult for them to turn around, and they were caught up by Liu Jun's warships before they had time to accelerate.

More than 4,000 naval officers and soldiers rushed onto the enemy ships like tigers and wolves, ruthlessly slashing at the panicked Jingzhou sailors with their swords.

One enemy warship after another was captured, one Jingzhou army flag after another was cut down, and the Han River was stained with blood.

South Bank Water Camp.

The soldiers who stayed behind in the camp were in an uproar and terrified.

Look upstairs.

The smiles on Liu Biao and Kuai Yue's faces gradually disappeared, their mouths opened wide, their eyes gradually widened, and their faces twisted into a moment of shock and astonishment.

"Cai...Cai Mao lost?"

Liu Biao's voice trembled as he squeezed out this question from between his teeth.

His eyes were so confused, as if he had just seen the most bizarre thing in his life.

Just a moment ago, he and Kuai Yue were full of confidence, thinking that the outcome was decided and that Cai Mao would accomplish the feat of annihilating Liu Bei's navy.

With the navy destroyed, Liu Bei will no longer be able to cross the Han River and threaten Xiangyang.

His position as governor was thus saved.

But in the blink of an eye, the situation suddenly changed. The navy, which had the advantage, collapsed and fled.

The sudden change was so bizarre and happened so quickly that Liu Biao had no time to react.

"Oh no, Degui has fallen into the trap!"

Kuai Yue, who was in shock, suddenly woke up and pointed forward:
"My lord, look! The flag on Degui's flagship has turned into the word 'Gan'!"

"His flagship was captured by the Jinfan thief. Our army is falling apart!"

Liu Biao was shocked and looked carefully. Sure enough, he saw that the "Gan" flag had been raised on Cai Mao's flagship.

"The Jinfan bandit's tactic must be to use the entire army to attack and lure Cai Degui into underestimating the enemy and charging forward."

"When the two armies were fighting, he attacked the flagship unexpectedly with his ships!"

"He uses the tactic of capturing the leader first!"

"I don't underestimate that Jinfan thief. Gan Ning is really an expert in naval warfare. His naval warfare ability is far superior to Degui's!"

After Kuai Yue revealed the secret, he fell to the ground and cried out in pain. His words could not hide his complaints against Liu Biao and Cai Mao for underestimating the enemy.

Liu Biao took a deep breath and staggered back half a step.

"This thief's ability in naval warfare is so amazing?"

"Why have all these strange people in Jingzhou joined the big-eared thief and become my enemy?"

"Why, why~~"

Liu Biao gnashed his teeth, looked up to the sky and cried out in grief and confusion.

A trace of shame flashed across Kuai Yue's eyes, and he let out a sigh.

Of course he knew why such extraordinary people as Gan Ning all turned to Liu Bei.

Wasn't it because his Cai and Kuai clans controlled the military and political power in Jingzhou, preventing the talented people from these small clans and humble families from being able to display their talents and make important contributions? In the end, they all became resentful and turned to Liu Bei's side.

But how can I tell the truth if it is not in my own interest?

"Ah~~"

"Degui was too arrogant after all and looked down on Gan Ning."

"If he had listened to my advice and not underestimated Gan Ning, he would not have rushed in so carelessly and would not have fallen into Gan Ning's trap."

"Degui is too conceited and has caused great trouble for the lord."

Kuai Yue could only shake his head and sigh, putting all the blame for the defeat on Cai Mao.

Liu Biao was already full of resentment towards Cai Mao, and now when Kuai Yue pointed this out to him, his resentment immediately flared up.

"Cai Mao, you incompetent and arrogant fool, you killed me, you killed me——"

Liu Biao hit the watchtower with his fists and cursed in anger and disappointment.

Even as he was cursing, hundreds of naval warships had been defeated and fled to the water camp.

Behind him, Liu Jun's navy was chasing them with great momentum.

"My lord, the Jiangling navy is finished. Our army's morale has completely collapsed."

"We can't hold the water camp anymore. Let's withdraw our troops quickly and return to Xiangyang to make further plans!"

Kuai Yue calmed down and tried hard to persuade him.

Liu Biao gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with unwillingness, and his fists clenched until they bled.

After struggling for a while, he could only sigh helplessly:
"The situation is hopeless, the situation is hopeless, let's retreat back to Xiangyang..."

Inside the water camp, the Jingzhou army, which was suffering from floods and droughts, abandoned the camp and fled towards Xiangyang like ants whose nests had been breached.

...

As the sun was setting in the west, a new battle flag was raised over the water camp on the south bank.

The warship docked, and Liu Bei, accompanied by Xiao Fang, finally set foot on the land on the south bank of the Han River.

In the distance to the south, the outline of Xiangyang City is vaguely visible.

"We have finally reached the south bank, and are only one step away from Xiangyang City..."

Liu Bei was in high spirits and felt filled with emotion.

At this time.

Generals Gan Ning and Xu Sheng came up together to report to Liu Bei.

"My lord, I have followed your promise and marched to the south bank, capturing the enemy general Cai Mao alive. I am reporting to you now!"

Gan Ning, his body covered in blood, stepped forward and bowed deeply.

Liu Bei hurried forward to help him up, patted his shoulder and praised him with satisfaction:

"The people recommended by the military advisor are indeed all extraordinary talents. The military advisor's evaluation is good. Xingba, you are truly the best water general in the world!"

The young man was very proud to receive such high praise from Liu Bei.

Then he turned around, waved his hand, and shouted:
"Come here, drag Cai Mao up here and hand him over to the lord for punishment!"

Several soldiers in brocade uniforms dragged up Cai Mao, who was covered in blood and dirt.

Liu Bei put away the smile on his face, looked down at the broken body with a stern gaze, and said coldly:

"Cai Mao, what else do you have to say now!"

Cai Mao endured the severe pain and raised his head tremblingly.

The moment he saw Liu Bei, his whole body trembled and endless shame and anger enveloped his body.

As a famous figure of the time, the chief military general of Jingzhou, and the head of the Cai family, what a high status and position he had.

Now, he had suffered such a tragic defeat and was standing humiliatingly before Liu Bei, a mat weaver and shoe seller, as a prisoner.

Cai Mao's heart was filled with humiliation, grief and indignation. He felt so uncomfortable that he couldn't utter a word for a while.

"Brother, why waste your time talking to him? Just chop him up!"

Zhang Fei beside him shouted impatiently.

The words "Just kill him" were like a thunderclap, instantly shattering Cai Mao's pride and self-esteem.

After gritting his teeth secretly, Cai Mao's knees softened and he fell to his knees at Liu Bei's feet.

"After today's defeat, Mao finally realized that Lord Xuande is the true wise leader. Mao is convinced from the bottom of his heart."

"Mao is willing to surrender to Lord Xuande and help him seize Jingzhou. Please forgive me and give me a chance to make amends!"

Cai Mao begged for mercy humbly and knocked his forehead to the ground without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)