At the moment when the entire surface of Lake Poyang seemed to burn like a mass of fire,
one massive louchuan on the left wing of Chen Youliang’s fleet suddenly changed course.
It was the flagship of Zhang Diyuan, the commander who had boasted that he would take Zhu Yuanzhang’s head.
Dozens of banners rippled above the ship.
Along its flanks, green and yellow trebuchets stood in rows—
the unmistakable mark of the Hongdu fleet.
From the high watchtower, Zhang Diyuan pointed to a single spot on the battlefield.
“There.
The white banner.
Zhu Yuanzhang’s flagship.”
At his shout, hundreds of oarsmen raised their oars in unison.
“Advance.
Break that ship, and it’s over.”
The enormous oars bit into the water,
splitting the color of Lake Poyang in two.
Zhang Diyuan’s flagship lurched forward like a colossal beast,
charging headlong.
Zhu Yuanzhang’s flagship, driven by the wind, drifted again toward the sandbank.
It had already suffered heavy damage in the fighting the day before.
The mast was bound together with layers of rope,
and the stern was riddled with arrow holes like a wasp’s nest.
A northern wind pressed against the hull from the side.
“The water’s shallow.
Fix the oars.
Turn the heading.”
It was already too late.
A dull jolt struck the keel.
The ship stopped.
A sandbank.
The entire deck shuddered, as if sinking.
“We’re stuck.
She’s lost mobility.”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s face hardened.
He was the center of hundreds of thousands of men.
If his banner wavered, the entire battlefield would waver with it.
Zhang Diyuan’s flagship loomed closer,
casting a vast shadow over the immobilized ship.
A crimson wall of louchuan bore down on the stranded flagship.
Zhang Diyuan braced his spear against the railing and leaned forward.
“Row harder.
Press in before they escape.”
A massive surge of water shoved the flagship from behind.
The towering louchuan, over thirty zhang high,
was about to crash down upon Zhu Yuanzhang’s ship.
Hundreds of arrows poured onto the deck.
“Lord Zhu—
at this rate, we’ll collide!”
At that moment, Li Xianzhang appeared.
A black-hulled ship flying the Azure Dragon banner cut through Lake Poyang at full speed.
“There.
We retrieve Lord Zhu.”
His fast ship forced its way between the larger vessels and slammed alongside the flagship.
The impact shattered part of the deck.
Li Xianzhang leapt over the railing and seized Zhu Yuanzhang by the arm.
“Lord Zhu.
Now.”
Without a second glance, Zhu Yuanzhang vaulted over the rail and threw himself across.
At that instant, smoke erupted from the Ming artillery ships.
BOOOOOM—
Three heavy cannon fired simultaneously into the flagship Zhu Yuanzhang had just abandoned.
The center of the hull lifted into the air and exploded apart.
The deck flipped,
and sailors were hurled skyward with water and debris.
The stern collapsed, unable to withstand the rupture.
“The ship His Lordship was on—
it’s gone.
Completely destroyed.”
Murmurs rippled through Li Xianzhang’s crew.
A moment later, and the center of the battlefield would have shifted.
From afar, above the wind rolling in from Nanchang,
Yun Dam watched in silence and slowly exhaled.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“…Heaven has not yet let go of him.”
Regret and cold judgment mingled in his voice.
“A moment later, and today would have ended.”
Lake Poyang spread wide in Yun Dam’s vision.
Deep within that expanse,
the pattern of the next opportunity had already taken shape.
What did not end today
was merely the prelude to tomorrow.
The wind would change.
The waterways would shift.
Yun Dam was already holding onto that change.
The Second Cannonade Aimed at Zhu Yuanzhang
The waters of Lake Poyang darkened again to ash-gray.
Through the mingled fog and gun smoke,
the massive warships of Chen Youliang’s fleet advanced slowly,
their dark-red gunports opening.
Their speed was deliberate.
Their resolve, absolute.
Their objective was singular.
Zhu Yuanzhang’s head.
No—
both sides were driving straight for the other’s command ship.
From Zhang Diyuan’s vessel, the commando signal flag was raised.
“The white banner.
That banner marks Zhu Yuanzhang’s flagship.”
The moment the words fell, the eyes on the deck changed.
Across hundreds of Ming warships on Lake Poyang,
identical white banners were raised.
The same shape.
The same length.
The same shade.
The white banners no longer marked a single ship.
They became a forest, covering the entire lake.
“…What is this.”
The commando leader’s eyes narrowed.
In that instant, the equation of the battlefield fractured.
Zhu Yuanzhang already understood.
The enemy was hunting him,
and that his death could overturn the war in a single stroke.
That was why he had issued the order:
every ship, the same banner.
Finding Zhu Yuanzhang’s flagship amid that forest
was like searching for a needle in a vast, moving field.
Then, through the smoke, Zhang Diyuan’s commandos saw one man.
A general in steel armor reinforced with beast hide
stood firm on the deck.
Even amid arrows and smoke, his center did not waver.
He held the banner high,
as though declaring that this was the heart of the battlefield.
“That face.
That man is Zhu Yuanzhang.”
That banner was different.
Only slightly shorter.
Only slightly heavier.
The way it caught the wind was different.
When the wind pulled, that banner resisted just a little longer.
The commandos knew.
The moment of recognition
was the most dangerous moment on a battlefield.
“Target confirmed.
Artillery squad—converge immediately!”
Several artillery ships cut through the water toward a single point.
Gunports opened.
The metallic sounds of loading rang out.
One breath remained before firing.
Just then, Liu Bowen moved.
From the Ming central flagship,
he sensed the shift in the wind’s grain.
The motion of banners,
the spread of smoke,
the way mist parted,
the angle at which hulls drifted—
all aligned.
“…Do not come.
This wind is death.”
Liu Bowen shouted,
“Lord Zhu!
Change ships immediately!”
Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate.
He leapt at once onto the adjacent maneuver ship.
That single moment split the battlefield.
And then Lake Poyang roared.
BOOOOOM—
Dozens of cannon fired in unison.
The flagship Zhu Yuanzhang had stood upon was lifted and torn apart.
Flames and fragments scattered through the forest of white banners.
In the stench of burning wood, Zhu Yuanzhang realized—
Another heartbeat later,
and he would have died.
Again, he had come within a breath of death.
Too often for a battlefield,
a thought flickered through his mind.
From the wind blowing in from Nanchang,
Yun Dam watched and murmured softly,
“…Heaven has not yet cut his thread.
Not yet.”
It was confirmation
that this war would not end here.
Today’s cannon fire was not an ending.
It was a door.
And beyond that door,
a far greater board was already unfolding.
Engagement Record — Artillery, Tower Ships, and Assault Craft
Time of engagement: Second day, mid-morning to early afternoon.
Location: Central basin of Poyang Lake.
- Artillery Exchange
Ming artillery units under Yu Tonghai initiated fire from light cannon vessels positioned on both flanks.
Effective range was medium to short, adjusted continuously due to wind and surface current.
Observed effects:
– Direct hits caused structural damage to Chen Youliang’s lighter vessels.
– Against tower ships, artillery impact produced localized hull damage and deck disruption but did not immediately compromise buoyancy.
– Iron-plated sections absorbed kinetic force; secondary damage included loosened fittings and partial deck collapse.
Artillery fire successfully disrupted formation cohesion but did not halt overall advance of the tower fleet.
- Tower Ship Advance
Chen Youliang’s tower ships advanced with wind assistance from the north.
Average speed exceeded that of Ming heavy vessels.
Characteristics observed:
– Multi-deck platforms enabled simultaneous missile fire from elevated positions.
– Arrow and stone fire achieved extended range due to elevation and tailwind.
– High mass and draft reduced maneuverability but increased resistance to collision and artillery shock.
Operational effect:
– Ming light vessels were forced into evasive movement.
– Several Ming ships suffered loss of steering control due to deck saturation by missile fire.
Tower ships functioned as mobile firing platforms rather than ramming units.
- Assault Craft Deployment
Following artillery engagement, Chen Youliang deployed assault craft from rear formations.
Craft characteristics:
– Low freeboard, shallow draft.
– High maneuverability in reduced-depth waters.
– Equipped with grappling hooks, javelins, and close-combat boarding elements.
Tactical objective:
– Close with Ming command and artillery vessels.
– Neutralize firepower through boarding rather than destruction.
Engagement results:
– Multiple assault craft successfully penetrated gaps between larger ships.
– Boarding attempts were partially successful where Ming defensive fire was disrupted.
– Casualties were high among assault crews when exposed to concentrated counterfire.
- Command Vessel Incident
During artillery recoil maneuvering, Zhu Yuanzhang’s command vessel grounded on a sandbar.
Immediate effects:
– Loss of maneuverability.
– Increased exposure to concentrated assault.
Emergency evacuation conducted via adjacent light vessel.
Command vessel subsequently destroyed by enemy artillery fire.
Command continuity was maintained following evacuation.
- Tactical Assessment
– Artillery proved effective for disruption, insufficient alone for neutralizing tower ships.
– Tower ships dominated missile exchange but lacked flexibility in close-quarter engagements.
– Assault craft posed significant threat when environmental conditions favored approach.
Battle remained unresolved at end of observation period.
Both sides retained operational capacity.
Decision point deferred to subsequent maneuvers and environmental shifts.
Tactical & Weapon Notes
Fire Artillery Ships (???)
Small vessels mounting early cannon; used to break formations and create chaos rather than sink ships outright.
Gunpowder Smoke Screen
Cannon fire produced dense smoke that reduced visibility, disrupting command, signaling, and formation control.
Sandbar Grounding
A critical naval hazard where large ships become immobilized in shallow water, losing maneuverability and defensive alignment.
Boarding Assault Craft (???)
Fast, low-profile boats equipped with hooks, ropes, and short-range weapons, designed to latch onto enemy vessels.
Multi-Deck Tower Ships (??, 樓船)
Massive warships functioning as floating fortresses, with layered decks, reinforced sides, and missile superiority from height.
Wind Advantage in Naval Combat
Fighting with the wind increases speed, missile range, and ramming momentum while exhausting the opposing crews.
High-Angle Missile Fire
Elevated firing positions allowed arrows and stones to strike with greater range and penetrative force.
Flag Damage
Damage to command flags disrupted visual signaling but did not immediately indicate defeat unless command collapsed.
Decoy Withdrawal
Feigned retreat or scattered movement used to draw enemy focus while repositioning artillery or elite units.
Command Ship Survival
Preserving the commander’s life was more decisive than holding any single vessel; command continuity outweighed material loss.