Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 242 Advancing by Land and Water

The towering flames and deafening explosions on Poyang Lake were not merely a final judgment for the navy, but also the turning point in the decisive battle of Poyang Lake. The flames that illuminated half the sky, the thick, acrid smoke carried by the wind, and the faintly audible, chilling sounds of chaos, were like the cruelest proclamation, instantly shattering the last vestiges of fighting spirit of the Southern Dynasty army still resisting on the west and south banks of Poyang Lake.

Outside Xingzi County, the forward command post of Xingqi Army.

Clad in heavy armor, Dian Xiong stood atop a makeshift watchtower. As the southeast wind began to blow and the firelight flickered faintly on the lake, his muscles tensed like iron. When the fire spread and completely ignited the southeastern night sky, the scorching heat even faintly felt, a terrifying glint flashed in the eyes of this peerless warrior.

"Heaven has helped us! Your Majesty's strategy is divinely brilliant!" Dian Xiong's voice boomed like thunder, echoing in the silent early morning air, startling the generals around him who were equally stunned by the fire on the lake. "Issue my orders!"

He whirled around, facing his generals, slamming his heavy iron halberd to the ground: "All troops! Switch from a feigned attack to a full-scale assault! Target—Xingzi County, and that bastard Luo Heng's central camp! Crush them!"

"roar--!"

The pent-up fighting spirit of the past few days, combined with the boiling morale fueled by the naval victory, erupted with a deafening roar! The various units of the Xingqi Army, previously locked in a stalemate with the Southern Dynasty's frontline troops, suddenly bared their sharp fangs. A volley of crossbow bolts rained down like a torrential downpour, instantly suppressing any counterattacks from the enemy on the city walls and in the camp. Then, the elite soldiers of the Trapped Camp, clad in heavy armor and wielding large shields and sharp blades, led by Dian Xiong himself, unleashed a deafening roar, like a torrent of steel bursting its banks, launching a relentless assault on the weak points of the Xingzi city walls and the heavily fortified enemy gates!

The Southern Dynasty defenders on the city walls and in their camp had long been captivated by the hellish scene on the lake behind them. The firelight illuminated their pale, desperate faces; many soldiers even dropped their weapons, kneeling in prayer or looking around blankly. When the Xingqi Army's destructive offensive truly arrived, their last remaining will to resist vanished instantly.

"Run! The online army is finished!"

"Fire! The fire is coming!"

"General! We can't hold on any longer!"

Collapse spread rapidly, like a plague. Luo Heng tried desperately to quell the unrest, killing a few fleeing soldiers, but this only led to greater chaos. The city gates of Xingzi County were smashed open by the combined attack from both inside and outside, and by Dian Xiong himself wielding his halberd. Seeing that all was lost, Luo Heng, with only a few hundred cavalrymen under the desperate protection of his personal guards, led a hasty breakout southwards, abandoning even his main camp.

With a single shot, the key point guarding the southern bank of Poyang Lake changed hands, leaving the entire defensive line of the Southern Dynasty army on the western bank of the lake wide open and its flanks completely exposed.

Almost simultaneously, north of Hukou, the main force of the Xingqi Army, commanded by Chen Wei, was...

Chen Wei received the precise report from Shen Qing's rocket relay and observation post regarding the change in wind direction earlier than Dian Xiong. He did not rush to commit all his main forces to a strong attack, but instead used his elite troops as the vanguard. At the moment when the lake caught fire and the enemy's shore defenses showed obvious signs of wavering and chaos due to the dramatic changes in the rear, he decisively launched a multi-point assault.

The Southern Dynasty army, which had initially relied on naval support and the complex lakeside terrain for defense, now found its rear waters ablaze with fire. The explosions of burning warships were clearly audible, and thick smoke drifted in with the wind, choking the soldiers and causing them to cough and tear at the eyes. Morale had completely collapsed. The Xingqi Army's assault force encountered almost no resistance, easily tearing open several breaches and capturing key water fortresses and artillery positions. Immediately afterward, Chen Wei led his main force, surging in through the openings like mercury spilling onto the ground, sweeping through the Southern Dynasty army's land camps north of the lake mouth.

Without the protection of the navy and unified command, these land strongholds offered little resistance and fell one after another. Xingqi Army controlled all the key locations on the north bank of the lake and established direct contact with Shen Qing's navy, which was clearing out the remaining enemy forces inside the lake. The coordinated land and sea operations were now in place.

The Jinghai Navy is stationed in Poyang Lake.

The fire was still spreading, but it had passed its most intense stage. Countless charred wrecks and struggling human bodies floated on the lake. Shen Qing commanded the fleet, methodically dividing, surrounding, and annihilating the remaining Southern Dynasty ships that had managed to escape the flames and were attempting to flee to various harbors or the southern shore. Small warships chased after the stragglers like hunting dogs, while large warships ruthlessly destroyed any enemy vessels that still showed any signs of organized resistance with their crossbows and cannons.

Zhou Jun's flagship ultimately succumbed, surrounded by several Xingqi warships, suffering extensive damage and taking on water. Surrounded by the black dragon flags of Xingqi and the approaching enemy ships, Zhou Jun gave a bitter laugh, rejected his subordinates' pleas for surrender, straightened his clothes, bowed towards Jinling, and then plunged into the still-burning lake, sacrificing himself for his Southern Dynasty. With their commander dead, the already crumbling Southern Dynasty navy collapsed even further; aside from a few ships escaping to remote harbors or landing on the beach, the main force was completely annihilated.

The outcome is decided.

By daybreak, the fighting in the Poyang Lake area had largely subsided. The once formidable Southern Dynasty's land and naval camps, with their towering masts and billowing banners, were now nothing but ruins. Charred planks, tattered canvases, and countless corpses floated on the lake, turning the water an eerie dark brown. Smoke rose from the camps along the shore, and the black banners of the Xingqi Army fluttered high above the ruins.

Shen Qing dispatched a fast boat to report the victory to Chen Xing. At the same time, the navy began clearing the waterway, rescuing enemy soldiers who had fallen into the water, and preparing to transport the army for the next step of cross-lake or along the south bank of the lake.

After conquering Xingzi and defeating Luo Heng's main force, Dian Xiong immediately divided his troops to sweep away the surrounding defeated soldiers. He personally led his elite cavalry eastward along the south bank to rapidly pursue and expand the victory. His army advanced directly towards Duchang, another important stronghold of the Southern Ming army on the east bank of Poyang Lake.

After securing the north bank of the lake, Chen Wei not only purged the remaining enemy forces but also began constructing pontoon bridges and requisitioning ships. In coordination with Shen Qing's navy, he planned the next step: a combined land and water advance to directly attack the vast hinterland east of Poyang Lake and south of the Yangtze River, cutting off Nanjing's connection with the remaining forces in the south.

Thus, the decisive Battle of Poyang Lake ended in a complete and utter victory for the Xingqi army, both by land and sea. The last organized strategic mobile force of the Southern Dynasty, the last remaining asset upon which Prince Xiao Jingyan of Chu relied for resistance, was crushed to dust in the torrent of fire and steel. From then on, the road to Jinling was wide open, and no force could stop the Xingqi army's advance.

Upon receiving the news of the complete victory at the Flying Tiger Pass camp, Chen Xing did not show excessive excitement. He calmly listened to the report, walked to a large map, picked up a vermilion pen, and heavily circled the three characters "Poyang Lake".

Then, without hesitation, the brush moved eastward, crossing Poyang Lake, passing Wankou and Wuhu, and finally, firmly landing on that capital city, a place where tigers crouch and dragons coil, bearing the last vestiges of the Southern Dynasties' fortunes—

Jinling.

"Issue the order to the entire army," Chen Xing's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the force of a decisive victory, "Rest for a day, take stock of the spoils, and reward the troops. Tomorrow, advance by land and sea towards Nanjing!"

The day of conquering Nanjing is just around the corner.