gnovel Chapter 67 Fierce Battle
Chapter 67 Fierce Battle
Chapter 69 Fierce Battle
Looking down from the air, four ships are interlocked on the yellowish-brown sea.
The southernmost canal boat broke its mast, half of its sail fell off, and several people were lost.
Chaos erupted on the ship, and people were bobbing up and down on the sea, shouting for help. They quickly withdrew from the battle.
Another canal boat was very close to them and went straight over to try to rescue their companion who had fallen into the water. They were all neighbors and relatives, and if they didn't help someone in distress, they would be criticized and how would they face others when they got back?
Sun Chong's canal ship was further north, and it had already encountered the rapidly southward-moving Wind-Drilling Sea Loach; a battle was imminent.
In fact, they might still have a chance to turn the tide; it all depends on whether they can remain calm and collected. However, judging from the battle situation, the outlook is not very optimistic. Li Fu stood at the stern of the ship and personally took the helm.
The sea bream veered aside, giving way to the canal boat, and then sailed alongside it.
Shao Shuyi stood outside the cabin door and personally beat the drum.
Wu Heizi and the Qi brothers cast out three grappling hooks; one landed in the water, while the other two hooked firmly onto the opposite side of the boat.
The sailors on the canal boats panicked, instinctively raising their weapons to try and cut the grappling hooks. But those hooks couldn't be broken in a short time, so they could only watch helplessly as the two ships drew ever closer.
"Bang!" Amidst the surging waves, the canal boat and the sea goby collided, causing shouts and cries from both sides, with some people even falling to the ground.
Shao Shuyi stumbled and barely managed to grab the railing outside the cabin door, otherwise his image would have been completely ruined.
After gaining his footing, he immediately picked up the suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) that was placed beside him and blew it loudly.
In the chaos, Yu Yuan seemed to hear a clear suona sound. Before he could react, he was pushed.
He frantically grabbed the flint and steel, yelled "Ah!" and rushed to the side of the ship, raising the flint and steel.
Liang Tai was much calmer than him. He lit a fuse from the fire pot at his waist and quickly stuffed it into the hand-held fire door.
"Bang!" A flame ignited, and smoke billowed.
Three pills flew out instantly and landed in the crowd on the other side.
Shao Shuyi watched from above, but his heart tightened as Yu Yuan, having fired the shot, fell backward onto the deck.
Fortunately, he quickly grimaced and got up. As he stood up, the boat rocked, and he even fell face-first into the dirt again.
This silly kid, was he knocked down by the recoil?
Just then, an arrow flew out of the porthole and struck a shouting swordsman on the opposite ship right in the face.
"Well shot! Well done!" Shao Shuyi couldn't help but praise.
In his view, on the enemy ship, Cheng Ji had shot and killed a burly swordsman, and then Yu Yuan's musket—
Uh, it seems no one was killed. They inserted three bullets, which caused some issues with the power.
But since it was three bullets after all, they "randomly" hit two people at close range. One was shot in the thigh and fell to the ground, while the other was shot in the arm and screamed in agony.
This gun was a worthwhile purchase!
It doesn't matter if you kill someone or not; you can injure someone and force them to leave the fight.
"Dong dong dong—" The drumbeats rang out again.
Gao Daqiang shouted and jumped over the ship's side, followed closely by Wu Heizi. The Qi brothers hesitated for a moment, but under Wang Huadu's watchful gaze, they finally gritted their teeth and began to board.
Yang Liu followed at the very back, intentionally or unintentionally.
After the six men jumped aboard, a chaotic battle immediately ensued.
There were also skilled fighters on the opposite boat. In just one exchange, the eldest son of the Qi family knelt on the ground, his face contorted in pain.
"Whoosh!" An arrow flew out, and just as the skilled man pulled his knife from Boss Qi's abdomen, an arrow struck his neck and pierced through it.
He fell directly onto a pile of goods, his hand instinctively touching his neck, his pupils beginning to dilate.
Wu Heizi also seemed to be injured, with blood seeping from his shoulder, but this seemed to ignite his ferocity, and he charged forward recklessly, engaging in fierce combat with the enemy opposite him.
Wang Huadu entered a "madman" state. The long-handled anchor axe was not actually suitable for naval warfare, but when he swung it, it had a surprising effect: the space on the ship was small and there was not enough room to move around, so he really had to take the heavy weight of the long-handled axe head-on.
Gao Daqiang fought cleanly and swiftly, seemingly having already killed one person, but he soon encountered an opponent. Both were panting heavily as they engaged in a desperate battle.
Yang Liu arrived and joined the battle. Together, the two quickly killed their opponent.
"Ah!" Yu Yuan grabbed a musket loaded with gunpowder and rushed to the ship's side, but after looking left and right, he couldn't find a place to fire. He was afraid of hurting his teammates.
Liang Tai reached out and adjusted the gun barrel, aiming it at the stern of the canal boat, where two people were standing, one of whom was Sun Chong.
The two also saw Huo Tong and were terrified.
Without hesitation, one of them jumped into the sea.
Sun Chong seemed stunned and didn't know what to do.
"Swoosh—" After the fuse ignited the gunpowder, the projectile shot out, filling the air with smoke.
Soon a sea breeze blew in, clearing away the smoke and fumes.
Yu Yuan looked closely and found that Sun Chong had not been hit and was still standing in the same place.
Oh no, he suddenly knelt down in the cabin, whether because his legs went weak or he wanted to surrender, it was hard to tell.
Liang Tai then looked at the only place on the ship where fighting was still taking place.
An elderly man with gray hair, who appeared to be wearing leather armor, was caught off guard by several people. He was first slashed in the thigh by a steel knife, bleeding profusely, and then chopped in the shoulder by an axe, shattering his shoulder blade.
Yang Liu rushed forward, slit his own throat with a knife, and shouted, "I killed him!"
No one ignored him.
Wang Huadu, carrying an axe, moved through the narrow cabin. He found the sailor who had been shot in the left arm, and with one swing of the axe, he finished him off. To be fair, although the gunner's aim was not great, the sailor's bones were almost broken, and blood stained a large area beneath him. Even without the finishing blow, he would not have survived.
With red eyes, the second son of the Qi family ran towards the sailor who had been shot in the thigh.
The sailor, his face contorted with fear, braced himself against the bottom of the cabin and kept inching backward, leaving trails of blood in his wake.
Without wasting words, Qi Lao Er raised his knife and brought it down heavily on the man's neck.
He chopped with great force and focus, and even after his opponent was chopped beyond recognition, he still refused to let go.
Shao Shuyi withdrew his gaze.
The battle, though it's a long story, actually only lasted a moment, and it's already over.
Seven were killed, one escaped, and one was captured. On their side, one person died and one was wounded.
The person who escaped was already dead. In the dead of winter, could someone who jumped into the sea really survive? It's highly likely they died from hypothermia.
Yang Liu originally intended to kill Sun Chong, but Wu Heizi stopped him, and the two almost turned against each other.
"Clang, clang—" The gong sounded.
The five people on the opposite ship, who had not yet calmed down, finally realized what was happening.
Qi Jia Erlang and the injured Wu Heizi stayed on the ship to guard the prisoners and cargo. There were "one and a half people" left, so they were definitely not capable of navigating the ship. They would just drift along for the time being.
Gao Daqiang, Yang Liu, and Wang Huadu untied their hooks and returned to Zuanfenghaiqiu.
He went out for only a moment, and when he came back, his back was soaked with sweat and his body was covered in blood. His physical strength was greatly depleted.
"Turn around and continue the charge." Shao Shuyi handed the waist drum, suona, and gong to Wang Huadu for command, while he prepared to take the lead himself.
No one said anything.
With only ten or so people, how could the leader hide in the back and watch the show? The first wave of attackers retreated, and another group took their place. They had to take all three boats.
Shao Shuyi selected Liang Tai, Li Fu, and the three seafarers, making a total of six people, to prepare for a boarding battle. However, they would still control the boats for the time being, and would move at the sound of the drum after hooking onto the enemy ship.
With the strong sea breeze blowing, the drilling ship sailed in a south-southwest direction.
The other side certainly saw it, and there was a subtle commotion on the ship.
No one expected that a ship could be dealt with so quickly; this was no ordinary banditry.
No one is unafraid of death; as long as there is a glimmer of hope, people will try to survive.
So, disregarding their fellow villagers and the opinions of outsiders, the canal boat that was rescuing their companions immediately distanced itself and rowed away into the distance.
Three or four people remained on the rescued boat, and upon hearing the news, they cried out in despair. Seeing the vicious drilling boat rushing towards them, they frantically rowed, trying to turn around and escape south with the ocean current.
Yes, both ships shared the same thought. They had no idea how many people were on that Wind-Drilling Sea Spinner, and their lead ship had been easily captured by them, making it difficult to fight back. It was better to leave as soon as possible.
If they flee south with the wind and current, perhaps they'll find a glimmer of hope in Ganpu.
However, it seems that this glimmer of hope is really hard to grasp—
Because they had been sailing north and the sails were already lowered, turning and raising the sails at the same time was not a simple task. Moreover, one of the ships had no sails at all, so they couldn't escape quickly.
The Wind-Drilling Sea Loach sped south and soon approached the canal ship that had lost its mast.
There were four other people on board, one of whom had minor injuries but was still able to stand.
"Thud!" The hook caught on again.
The people on the drilling boat all pulled together and struggled to pull it over.
When the two boats came close together, although they were jostled and wobbled, a burst of enthusiastic cheers still erupted from the boats.
Cheng Ji remained calm and unhurried, shooting down a leather-armored warrior on the enemy ship, instantly plunging the already low morale of the enemy into despair.
However, he was also startled, because there was an archer on the opposite ship who raised his hand and shot an arrow at him. If it weren't for the porthole, he would have been at a disadvantage—he had really been careless.
"Bang!" Yu Yuan, holding a musket, fired another shot with the help of Wang Huadu.
After finishing the attack, he didn't even look at the results. While grimacing and clutching his chest and ribs, he ran back to the cabin to get a second firearm.
The medicine is all packed; just light it and it's ready to fire.
His face was covered in black soot, making him look like a demon. When he hurriedly returned to the ship's side, he found that Brother Shao and the others had already boarded the enemy ship.
He suddenly became anxious, his gaze fixed on Shao Shuyi, not even noticing the enemy sailor who was lying on the ship groaning after being shot.
"Good lad, you probably killed the most people today!" Wang Huadu excitedly patted Yu Yuan on the shoulder and muttered, "I only knew that the gun was powerful, and that Brother Shao used it to kill two people. But I didn't know that in the midst of a melee, if you loaded three or four bullets into the gun and fired them, someone would fall to the ground. Although they didn't die immediately, they could only wait to die."
Upon hearing from Wang Huadu that someone had been hit by him, Yu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
There were only four people on the other ship to begin with. One was shot dead by Cheng Guanren, and another was knocked down by Huo Tong. There were only two left, right?
Six against two, the advantage is in my hands.
He opened his eyes wide and looked over, only to find that the situation was more optimistic than he had imagined.
Only one enemy remained, who appeared to be a strong and skilled martial artist. As for the archer, he had already been pinned to the side of the boat by an arrow from Master Cheng.
But the last remaining person was extremely agile, wielding a knife with impenetrable skill, and held his own against several opponents.
While beating me, he shouted, "Spare my life, and I'll submit to you!"
"Whoosh!" Another arrow came flying in.
The man dodged to the side with a narrow escape, clearly having been distracted by Cheng Ji's arrows coming from above; otherwise, someone among the group who boarded the boat might have already been injured.
But in that dodge, Liang Tai stabbed him in the ribs, and blood instantly soaked through his clothes, which was quite frightening.
After being stabbed, his movements immediately became chaotic. Though he struggled desperately, it was to no avail, and he was quickly stabbed a second and a third time.
A perhaps arrogant and domineering man from the countryside died at sea, with no place to be buried.
Next comes cleaning up the battlefield.
The two wounded sailors had their throats slit and their bodies thrown into the sea.
Shao Shuyi subconsciously touched the top of his head.
In the battle just now, the cymbal hat was swept into the sea by a single blow, which was quite a close call!
This is what naval battles are like: short, intense, brutal, and with an extremely high mortality rate.
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