ebookland Chapter 313 Adding insult to injury
Chapter 313 Adding insult to injury
The wind was howling, the sea was like a boiling pot, and the surging waves kept hitting the warships.
The pirates' originally arrogant faces were now distorted by fear. They opened their eyes wide and stared at the sea water dyed red with blood. A group of huge sharks were surging in it, their sharp fins cutting through the water surface. Every sinking and rising was accompanied by the pirates' desperate screams.
"What the hell is this!" A pirate collapsed on the deck with weak legs, his voice trembling.
Although the officers and soldiers were dressed in neat armor, they could not help but feel a chill on their backs, and their hands holding their weapons trembled slightly.
Even those fugitives who were usually fearless turned pale, and their throats seemed to be blocked, unable to make a sound.
Everyone stood there in shock, their eyes fixed on the bloody scene before them.
Chen Shuo stood at the bow of the boat, his robe rustling in the sea breeze. His eyes were like the stars in the cold night, cold and firm.
If these pirates were not blinded by greed and tried to pierce the warship, how could he resort to such means? Once the ship was destroyed, more than 30,000 lives would be lost in this vast ocean. As the prefect of Longmen City, he was responsible for the safety of everyone and would never allow such a tragedy to happen.
Fighting against pirates is a battle of life and death. As long as the means can defeat the enemy, why bother about whether they are cruel or not?
Li Yuanhong and He Weifeng stood side by side, watching this cruel scene, both fell into silence.
Pirates usually commit crimes on the sea, such as burning, killing, looting and all sorts of evil. Their fate today is just what they deserve.
"Attack! Don't let any pirate go!" Li Yuanhong suddenly roared, his voice drowning out the sea breeze and waves, resounding around like a huge bell.
The officers and soldiers woke up as if from a dream, holding sharp blades and shouting as they rushed towards the pirates' ships.
In an instant, the sounds of metal clashing, shouting, and screaming were intertwined, and the entire sea surface seemed to have turned into hell on earth.
"Come on -"
"Fight them!"
The leader of the Hawkeye Gang had red eyes, like a beast cornered. Holding a big knife, he rushed towards the officers and soldiers first.
The Shark Gang leader, always cautious, was driven mad by despair. Gritting his teeth, he brandished his hooks and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, fight! Today, either they die or we die!"
On the East China Sea Island, Chen Yue and his men had just finished cleaning up the battlefield. Everyone looked at the smoke-filled battlefield on the sea in the distance with heavy hearts.
The sea breeze, with its salty and humid smell, blew across everyone's face, but it could not blow away the worries in their hearts.
"Most of those officers and soldiers coming from land don't know how to swim. I don't know if they can win the battle against pirates on the sea." Chen Yue's brows were twisted into the shape of a "川" character, his face full of worry.
Li Zhong patted his chest and said confidently, "General, don't worry! We have a small number of people on the island, including the refugees, and we defeated the pirates without a fight. What's more, we have 30,000 people this time. Even if each of us throws a stone, we can sink the pirates' ship!"
Even so, Li Zhong still felt a little uneasy. He looked at Chen Yue, hesitated for a moment, and said, "General, how about we go and provide some support? Although these pirates are fighting on their own, they are quite powerful when they gather together. If those 30,000 men can't hold on, and the pirates come back to attack us, it will be difficult for us to defend our position!"
Chen Yue looked down at his arm which was wrapped in bandages and still aching slightly, then turned his gaze to Murong Ling'er beside him.
Murong Ling'er was dressed in white, looking like a fairy in the wind, but she was concentrating with her eyes closed at the moment, as if sensing something.
"Miss Murong, in your opinion, should we go to support Lord Li?" Chen Yue walked forward and asked softly.
Murong Ling'er slowly opened her eyes, a mysterious glint in them. She gently shook her head, her tone calm but unquestionable, "Lord Li is well versed in the art of war. He is certain to win this naval battle. General, you only need to defend this East Sea Island."
Chen Yue sighed inwardly. He had hoped that Murong Ling'er could cast magic to help him, but since she said so, he had no choice but to give up and continue watching the battlefield in the distance.
The outcome of this naval battle was no surprise. Although the pirates fought desperately, they were ultimately defeated by the well-trained officers and soldiers and Chen Shuo's ingenious strategy.
……
Most of the pirates were wiped out, a few lucky ones fled in panic, and the rest were captured alive and escorted back to Donghai Island.
"Lord Li, you came just in time! If you were a step later, Donghai Island might not be saved." Chen Yueqiang endured the pain and walked forward quickly, his face full of relief for surviving the disaster.
Li Yuanhong stepped onto Donghai Island, his eyes as fast as lightning, and quickly searched the crowd. However, after searching for a long time, he still couldn't see the person he was thinking about. He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed, but he quickly regained his composure. When he looked at Chen Yue, he noticed his injured arm hanging around his neck and wrapped in thick cotton cloth.
"General Chen defended Donghai Island and made great achievements. I will report this to His Majesty truthfully. His Majesty will never forget the bloody battles of all the soldiers." Li Yuanhong spoke sincerely with a look of approval on his face.
After this battle, Li Yuanhong witnessed the ferocity of the pirates. Although these pirates were loosely organized, they were fearless in battle. If they could be incorporated into the army and trained, their crazy energy might become an unstoppable army.
Those pirates who had managed to escape were now facing another wave of crisis. They fled to the strait in a panic, but ran into the fleet of the Water Ghost Gang head-on.
"It's those bastards from the Water Ghost Gang! How dare they kick someone when they're down!"
The leader of the Hawkeye Gang was livid and roaring angrily. His eyes were bloodshot and his hands were tightly gripping the long knife at his waist, his joints turning white from the force.
"Brother, let's fight them! We can't just die in such a cowardly way at the hands of these bastards!" A small leader beside him shouted with red eyes, his voice trembling with anger.
The Shark Gang leader's face was filled with regret. He punched the side of the ship, causing it to shake. "We were so blind! We shouldn't have followed them to seize this East China Sea Island! If we had known the imperial court had reinforcements, we should have retreated early. Now look what's happened! Most of our brothers were killed or injured. Our Shark Gang is seriously injured. How can we survive on this sea in the future?"
His voice was filled with endless regret and unwillingness, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Boss, it's useless to say these things now. The most urgent thing is to find a way to break out of the siege!" An elder of the Shark Gang said anxiously. There was a hint of worry in his eyes, but more of determination.
"Hmph! Breaking out? That's not that easy! The Water Ghost Gang has always been ruthless, how could they let us go so easily!" A deputy leader of the Hawkeye Gang snorted coldly, his words full of despair.
While everyone was discussing, the leader of the Water Ghost Gang stood at the bow, looking at the trapped pirates with a smug smile on his face: "Brothers, let's get started! Get rid of these remnants of the defeated army, and we will have fewer opponents on the sea!"
"Brother, fight them. Even if you die, you must take a few people with you!" The Hawkeye Gang's leader shouted again, his voice filled with determination to face death.
"Yes, let's fight!" The Shark Gang's minions also responded one after another. For a moment, the morale of the pirates seemed to be boosted again.
Following an order from the leader of the Water Ghost Gang, the gang's minions pounced on the pirates' ship like hungry wolves, and a new round of fighting began again in the strait.