Chapter 277: The Cruiser Fleet Advances on Zhoushan

The day after the execution, the Nan'ao Times published a special edition reporting on Wei Zhongxian's interrogation records.

Even accounting for the readers' tolerance, a great deal of terrifying and bloody detail had been omitted, and the interrogation records still required heavy abridgment before they could fit on a single issue's pages.

The newspaper's front-page headline reported that Wei Zhongxian and some of his partisans had already been executed by Nan'ao.

At the end of the paper was a commentary piece titled "Killing Nine Thousand Years Is Easy; Restoring the Great Ming Rivers and Mountains Is Hard."

When Wei Zhongxian saw Lin Qian, he loudly cried injustice, arguing that everything he had done was instigated by the Tianqi Emperor.

Using this as its point of entry, the article made three suppositions: if what Wei Zhongxian said was true, then the Tianqi Emperor was the true culprit who had ruined the state and harmed the people, and the Emperor himself deserved to be hacked to pieces.

If what Wei Zhongxian said was false, then the Emperor was a top-tier idiot who had been deceived for a full nine years, and had let Wei Zhongxian drive the realm to collapse.

If what Wei Zhongxian said was half true and half false, then the Emperor was an incompetent who knew that using Wei Zhongxian would throw the realm into chaos, yet still drank poison to quench his thirst. All of the above proved that the Ming court had rotted to the point of being beyond redemption.

It also predicted that even if Wei Zhongxian were killed, there would be a Li Zhongxian; even if the eunuch faction died out completely, other factions would rise to manipulate the court, play at power games, and poison the realm.

The article concluded that although Wei Zhongxian had been eliminated, the deep-rooted ills of the Great Ming remained: fiscal bankruptcy, raging border troubles, land annexation, partisan strife, and the people's loss of allegiance. In fact, because Wei Zhongxian had sown too many contradictions and grudges among both the common folk and the court, the realm would fall apart even faster.

To hope that a wise emperor descending from heaven could save the world, or that filling the court with upright men would bring peace, was far too naive.

The fall of the Great Ming was already unstoppable!

In Nanchang, Jiangxi, inside the Governor-General's residence, Yuan Chonghuan finished reading the Nan'ao Times and slapped it down on the table with a crack.

"Scaremongering nonsense! Utter rubbish!" Yuan Chonghuan roared in fury.

Before leaving the capital, he had not known Wei Zhongxian's whereabouts, only assuming that Wei Zhongxian truly was keeping vigil at the tomb in Fengyang.

Only upon hearing the news from Zhangzhou and reading the Nan'ao Times did he suddenly realize the truth.

He had originally planned to use the new Emperor's demotion of Wei Zhongxian to win over and divide the rebels, but now, the great merit of killing Wei Zhongxian had been snatched away by Nan'ao. The Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commissioner, standing below, hastily urged: "The Nan'ao Times is, after all, founded by the rebels; it is not worthy of belief. Your Excellency, please calm your anger."

Yuan Chonghuan paused for a moment, then picked up the Nan'ao Times and said: "How many copies of this thing have been printed? Have them all seized and banned!"

The officials exchanged awkward glances.

The Provincial Administration Commissioner steeled himself and said: "The Nan'ao Times is practically everywhere on every street corner. One person buys the paper, the whole street passes it around. It cannot be banned."

The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner beside him tried to smooth things over: "Your Excellency, it is not just Jiangxi like this. Neighboring Zhejiang and Fujian have frequent maritime trade, and the Nan'ao Times circulates there even more widely. Even further away in South Zhili and Huguang, the Nan'ao Times is in circulation."

The Provincial Administration Commissioner said: "The Nan'ao Times delivers news far faster than the Capital Gazette from Beijing. Even officials in Jiangxi and Zhejiang each have a copy, buying every issue..." Yuan Chonghuan's head ached. Only after personally arriving in Nanchang did he realize with a shock that Lin Qian's power was far greater than he had imagined.

Setting aside the land and naval armies, this single thin copy of the Nan'ao Times alone was worth fifty thousand troops.

No wonder that when the rebel Lin seized Guangdong and Guangxi, the common people lined the roads to welcome him, and the prefectures and counties collapsed without a fight — they had all been bewitched by these seditious words!

Yuan Chonghuan thought to himself: "Thankfully, what I agreed with His Majesty was to pacify the southeast in five years. Had I said three, I fear it truly would be hard to accomplish.

Now the Jiangnan provinces of Zhejiang, Zhili, Jiangxi, and Huguang are all deeply poisoned by these seditious words. Before any great battle, we must thoroughly cut off contact with Fujian and Guangdong, and not allow the Nan'ao Times to circulate freely.

Once inland silk, cotton cloth, and porcelain goods are cut off, the rebel Lin's maritime trade will surely be affected — he might even jump the wall like a cornered dog.

So before the blockade, military forces must first be properly deployed."

Thinking of this, Yuan Chonghuan asked: "Bureau Secretary Mao, how is the troop mobilization across the provinces proceeding?"

Bureau Secretary Mao, named Mao Yuanyi, was a planning secretary under Yuan Chonghuan. A great master of military strategy, he had risen to fame in the eighth year of Tianqi by presenting the "Treatise on Military Preparedness."

Since Jiangxi had no Regional Commander post, Yuan Chonghuan had entrusted him with coordinating grain and pay transport across the province and dividing the defense zones.

Mao Yuanyi said: "Your Excellency, in southern Jiangxi and elsewhere there are now six thousand camp soldiers from South Zhili, three thousand camp soldiers from Huguang, four thousand native chieftain soldiers from Zhenhao, and twelve thousand Zhejiang soldiers..."

"Plus the thirteen thousand elite troops of the Southern Gan garrison originally stationed there, and the two thousand Guan-Liao standard troops Your Excellency transferred from Liaodong..."

"In total, forty thousand men, all at full-strength combat troops. Counting local auxiliary soldiers, the total approaches one hundred thousand.

Additionally, there are five thousand naval troops from Poyang Lake, six thousand naval troops from the South Zhili Yangtze fleet, and five thousand naval troops from Zhejiang."

Most of these troops had been mobilized directly through orders from the Ministry of War before Yuan Chonghuan had even set out, and since they were drawn from the surrounding provinces, they had gradually taken their positions over the course of a month.

Mao Yuanyi added: "Your Excellency, according to intelligence reports, the rebel Lin's land combat troops number roughly twenty to forty thousand, auxiliary troops sixty thousand, and naval forces around ten thousand."

On paper, Lin Qian's forces were not far off from Yuan Chonghuan's.

But Jiangxi's forces were surplus troops drawn from the surrounding provinces, which still retained their own garrison soldiers and field mobile forces.

Moreover, in the southwest, Fu Zonglong commanded the forces of five provinces in a coordinated feint.

In short, the Great Ming's military power absolutely crushed Lin Qian's.

Yuan Chonghuan then asked about coastal defenses in Zhejiang, Zhoushan, the Yangtze, and other areas.

Mao Yuanyi replied: "Simple cannons have already been installed on the various rivers and islands. Within at most half a year, the defense line can be fully stabilized..."

Yuan Chonghuan relaxed and said: "Transmit this Governor-General's order: from today onward, close all passes and post roads connecting to Fujian and Guangdong!"

The officials were stricken with alarm — every one of them had more or less business dealings with Fujian and Guangdong. Cutting off contact — wasn't that cutting off their own source of income? The Provincial Administration Commissioner hastily said: "Your Excellency, this... suddenly closing the post roads would do severe damage to the people's livelihood. Please, Your Excellency, think twice!"

The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner said cautiously: "Your Excellency, this matter involves multiple provinces and is of great consequence. Should we not first petition His Majesty before making a decision?" Yuan Chonghuan snapped: "The rebels are wreaking havoc in the southeast, and you would still trade with them at frontier markets? Where in the world is there such a principle!"

The Provincial Administration Commissioner, in his urgency, stepped forward and said: "But even so, it cannot be closed so suddenly. What are the common people who depend on this for their livelihood supposed to do?"

"Silence!" Yuan Chonghuan stood up. "The post roads should have been closed the moment the rebel Lin raised his troops! It was Wei the eunuch accepting bribes and obstructing matters that kept them open until now. Today this Governor-General sets things right, and you all obstruct me in every way — have you by any chance received some benefit from the eunuch faction?"

At this time, everyone at court and in the government feared the very words "eunuch faction" like tigers, terrified of being tainted by them.

With such a heavy hat being dropped on their heads, no one spoke for a moment.

Yuan Chonghuan swept his gaze across the assembled officials and said coldly: "This Governor-General holds the Imperial Sword and has received the imperial edict to take full charge of suppressing the rebels. Closing the post roads is well within this Governor-General's authority. This matter is settled."

The officials had no choice but to clasp their hands and acknowledge the order.

Yuan Chonghuan sat down, and after a moment, his demeanor softened. He said to Mao Yuanyi: "Trade with the interior is the rebel Lin's lifeline. Once the post roads are closed, the rebel Lin will surely rush to counterattack. Send orders to all armies in southern Jiangxi to strengthen their vigilance.

If the rebel Lin advances by land, lure him deep and surround him for annihilation.

If the rebel Lin sends troops by sea, then his land defenses will be weakened, and our army will seize the opportunity to advance south and take Shaoguan!"

While Yuan Chonghuan's orders were being transmitted to the various passes in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Huguang...

A massive fleet was sailing downwind across the East China Sea.

On the port and starboard sides of the Lingcang, surveyors reeled in the speed log line and shouted: "Maximum speed, ten knots!"

On the stern deck, someone was holding paper and brush, recording the data.

Lin Qian was also on the stern deck when he suddenly called out: "Order the fleet: hard to port, full speed about-face, course due north!"

The helmsman shouted, "Hard to port, tack against the wind, prepare to change sails!"

The helmsman loudly repeated the command, and immediately the sound of the wheel spinning rapidly could be heard from beneath the deck.

"Full port rudder!"

Before the words even faded, the Lingcang swung sharply to port, the hull tilting heavily to starboard. From the captain's cabin below deck came the clatter of tables and chairs toppling over, and the whole ship groaned with a cacophony of creaks.

The bow swung around swiftly, cutting through the direct headwind zone to the northeast, and the sails caught the wind again, snapping taut with a loud *whump*.

The helmsman released his grip on the railing and called out, "Rudder amidships!"

The bow stopped turning. Lin Qian looked back and saw the Lingcang had left a perfect turning wake on the sea surface.

The Hengcang, the Pocang, and five shark ships formed a line of battle, following that wake as they came about together.

Further out, the Zheng He, the Fuzhou, the Funing, thirty sea-wolf ships, and over forty Cangshan ships and bird ships were escorting behind the vanguard fleet.

Around the fleet, there were also a dozen or so scout eagle ships.

Seeing the Lingcang turn about, the escort fleet used half-port rudder and leisurely followed suit.

A moment later, a crewman ran up from the lower hold, reporting, "Water in the bilge—leak, but not much!"

Lin Qian ordered, "Pump it out and see."

The anchor hands took their positions at the pump near the bow of the hull. After turning the winch, a stream of water flowed out from the starboard side, and within a few breaths, the flow stopped. It was common for sailing warships to leak while underway—this amount of water wouldn't hinder sailing at all, so Lin Qian paid it no further mind.

Meanwhile, the recorder on the stern deck noted down the time taken for the turn, the leak situation, and the volume of water in a timely manner.

Testing a ship's performance under extreme conditions—that was the purpose of sea trials.

Finding problems during sea trials was far safer than discovering them on the battlefield.

After sailing for a while, Lin Qian said, "Prepare for gunnery!"

The helmsman immediately repeated the order loudly, while the recorder did mental timing calculations on the side.

Hurried footsteps could be heard from the gun deck—someone was stowing away the officers' quarters at the rear of the gun deck, while others moved the furniture from the captain's cabin down to the lower hold.

All the furniture and bulkheads were lightweight and detachable, allowing crewmen to move them single-handedly without getting stuck at any hatchway. About ten minutes later, the gun ports along the Lingcang's sides opened in sequence, and the dark muzzles of cannons thrust out.

The gun captain's voice rang out from the gun deck: "Prepare to fire!"

While the Lingcang was preparing its guns, the Hengcang and Pocang also received the five-color flag signal and opened their gun ports in turn, pushing out their cannons. The escort fleet had long since placed a target ship three hundred paces off the port side of the battle line—a battered old junk with a large red flag planted on it, bobbing with the waves, conspicuously visible.

"Fire!" At Lin Qian's command, the three fifth-rate ships opened fire in succession. Thunderous booms rose one after another, and thick gunsmoke billowed up onto the stern deck. Lin Qian pulled out his telescope to observe the shell splashes—around the target ship, columns of water erupted one after another, the sea surface churning as if boiling.

The spray soaked the flag completely, leaving it hanging limply against the flagpole.

Not a single shot hit, however—the nearest shell landed about twenty paces from the target ship.

Sea trial gunnery wasn't about hit rate but about shot concentration, and the current results were already decent.

The target junk was placed at that distance precisely so it wouldn't be struck by a single shot—after all, sea trial gunnery never consisted of just one round.

Lin Qian lowered his telescope. The bombardment continued.

The Cang-class cruiser was designed almost identically to the Zhulong, except the overall tonnage was reduced and it was changed to a single gun deck. Each ship carried forty twelve-pounder gun positions, and a single broadside volley was an awe-inspiring sight.

On the stern deck, Bai Qing said with dissatisfaction, "Wasn't it agreed that I would command this fleet, with you overseeing from the Zheng He?" Lin Qian laughed. "True enough, true enough—we're not far from Zhoushan now. You take command from here on."

Bai Qing didn't stand on ceremony. He strode to the middle of the deck, called a halt to the bombardment, and then ordered the fleet to attempt a simultaneous turn maneuver.

The battle line included five shark ships. Though these were troop transports, their rigging and appearance were nearly identical to the fifth-rate ships—only using less material and having slightly lower structural strength—so they could perfectly keep up with the tactical formation.

During a lull in the sea trials, Bai Qing asked, "Captain, with the Lingcang, Hengcang, and Pocang—three ships whose sea trials aren't even complete—attacking Zhoushan, are you truly confident there's no problem?"

Lin Qian took a hot towel handed over by his personal guard and was wiping his face. Hearing this, he said, "According to intelligence from the Military Intelligence Department, Yuan Chonghuan has stationed the vast majority of the southeastern navy along the line from Poyang Lake to the mouth of the Yangtze. Zhoushan's defenses are undermanned—the time is ripe to take it."

Of course, the reason Nan'ao hadn't attacked Zhoushan before was by no means a lack of forces, but rather because Zhoushan's position was too strategically formidable.

To its north, one could enter the Yangtze and reach South Zhili directly; to its west, one could reach Hangzhou; and to its south, it could threaten the Zhejiang coast.

This place could almost be called the eastern gateway to Jiangnan.

Lin Qian had previously feared that taking Zhoushan would provoke an overreaction from the Ming court, which was why he had never made a move.

Now that Chongzhen had sent Yuan Chonghuan to Jiangxi with designs on Fujian and Guangdong, Lin Qian intended to seize Zhoushan, threaten the tax heartland of Jiangnan, and give this sovereign-minister pair a dose of their own medicine. After wiping his face and hands, Lin Qian tossed the towel back to his guard and pointed at the escort fleet. "Besides, I'll be overseeing the battle for you. Should the fleet fall into an unfavorable situation, I'll order you to withdraw and send in the sea-wolf ships."

Bai Qing said, "My brother?"

Lin Qian nodded. The commander of the sea-wolf ships was none other than Bailangzai.

Lin Qian explained, "In Zhoushan, the Ming navy is weak, but the sea conditions are complex—there are over a thousand islands in these waters.

Powerful whirlpools, semi-diurnal tides, dense fog, strong winds, tidal flats—each island is different, extremely complicated.

The Ming troops on the islands hold the advantage of terrain. Once the fight moves into the archipelago, the disadvantages of large ships—deep drafts and poor maneuverability—will become apparent. So this battle will mainly depend on those Ming-standard warships.

Of course, once your three ships withdraw from the fight, you certainly won't be idle—a new battlefield will open up right away."

Lin Qian discussed more details of the attack with Bai Qing, then returned to the Zheng He by tender boat that evening.

Three days later, at noon, at the Shenjiamen naval stockade in Zhoushan.

Li Wending, the Assistant Regional Commander of Zhoushan, was inspecting the camp, sighing continuously.

The Battalion Commander behind him said, "General, Governor Yuan has ordered the transfer of three hundred men and ten warships from the Zhoushan navy. The stockade now has barely over a thousand soldiers."

"Alas..." Li Wending gnashed his teeth, but it ultimately dissolved into a long sigh. "Zhoushan was already undermanned, and Governor Yuan still has to draw troops from here. If that rebel Lin comes to attack, what am I supposed to defend with!"

Li Wending had recently been promoted from the Denglai navy, filled with patriotic fervor. Yet upon arriving here and seeing the Zhoushan navy—riddled with ghost soldiers on the payroll and stripped of its elite—his heart sank by half.

His subordinate pointed to a small island across from the stockade and said, "Governor Yuan sent ten large cannons, which have been placed on the heights of the two islands. He said they're coastal defense guns, enough to hold the stockade.

He also said that the rebel Lin's ships are large with deep drafts, so we can use the tides to trap their vessels."

Li Wending snorted coldly. "Easy to say! Even if the enemy can't launch a surprise attack on the stockade, Zhoushan is huge—where can't they land? With a combined land and sea assault, our forces may not hold out until Zhejiang reinforcements arrive."

The Battalion Commander was silent for a moment, then said, "There's something I'd like to say, General—I hope you won't take offense."

Li Wending said, "Speak."

"The islands of Zhoushan are teeming with sea bandits. Some of them are former subordinates of Li Dan. These people bear a deep grudge against that rebel Lin. If the enemy attacks, they might be of use to you, General."

"Alas..." Li Wending sighed again. The dignified Ming imperial army, reduced to relying on sea bandits to fend off the enemy—it was simply a joke.

"And also..." The Battalion Commander lowered his voice, leaning close to Li Wending's ear, and said mysteriously, "If things truly go beyond our means, General could also try going to Mount Putuo..."

"You want me to go beg the Buddha?" Li Wending stopped in his tracks, greatly astonished—this plan was even less reliable than begging the sea bandits.

"Not begging the Buddha, but..." The Battalion Commander paused again, looked around, then said in an extremely low voice, "There's a revered monk on the mountain, extremely efficacious—the sea bandits in this area all go to pay respects..."

"Absurd!" Li Wending turned back to rebuke him, but suddenly froze, staring blankly into the distance.

"General?" The Battalion Commander was startled, following Li Wending's gaze—only to see in the southeastern sky, a column of smoke rising straight into the heavens.

That was the position of the Damo Mountain beacon tower—the last time it had been lit was during the Wanli era, when the wokou invaded.

"Quick! Send three patrol boats to scout the enemy!" Li Wending barked the order.

The Zhoushan naval forces moved sluggishly, but the household retainers Li Wending had brought from Denglai reacted with great speed, hastily shouting at the sailors to launch into the water.

Li Wending did a quick mental calculation—from the Shenjiamen naval stockade heading southeast, the farthest beacon tower was over forty li away. If the beacon fires had been relayed in sequence, there was still ample time to scout the enemy and prepare for battle.

"Sun Liu!" Li Wending shouted.

"General!" A household retainer stepped forward with cupped fists.

"Take a patrol boat to Dinghai city and wait there. If you see the stockade's beacon fire lit, immediately go to Ningbo Prefecture and request reinforcements!"

Li Wending roared: "Everyone else, onto the stockade walls—prepare for battle!"

An hour later, the scouting patrol boat returned, and the household retainer aboard reported with cupped fists: "General, a great fleet has arrived from the southeast—large and small vessels combined, eighty to ninety ships in all. There are hawk boats, sea wolf ships, and large multi-decked vessels—it is the fleet of the traitor Lin."

Li Wending drew in a sharp breath of cold air, and sighed: "They came fast!"

Then he took a deep breath and ordered: "Old Zhao, take a boat over to the battery on the opposite shore and keep watch—I don't trust these soft-shelled shrimp. When the enemy charges into the waterway, blast them hard!"

Having said this, Li Wending personally climbed the stockade wall and gazed toward the distant sea—only to see a vast expanse of sail shadows gradually appearing on the murky yellow waters.

The enemy ships gradually drew nearer—three multi-decked vessels of nearly identical form arranged in a line, sailing at the very front, conspicuously prominent.

Ahead of these three multi-decked vessels were also five or six hawk boats, apparently surveying the waters, rapidly closing into the firing range of the Folangji cannons.

Li Wending commanded: "Do not fire—let the enemy's large ships come in before we strike!"

The Shenjiamen naval stockade was built between two islands—once the enemy entered this waterway, they would be caught in crossfire from both shores and would surely be defeated.

But the scene he had envisioned—of the enemy charging into the waterway—never appeared. Instead, the three great ships suddenly swung hard to port, heeling over and furling sails, presenting their broadsides to the stockade, gunports opening, cannons being run out.

It all happened too fast—Li Wending had no time to react.

A flash of red light flickered from the enemy fleet's gun muzzles, then came the rumbling thunder of cannon fire, and the whistling shriek of projectiles tearing through the air.

The already meager naval warships were suddenly pounded—sixty solid iron shot slammed down, and columns of water continuously erupted from the sea.

One Ming imitation sea wolf ship took a direct hit to its deck—both deck and hull were blown open with great holes, seawater gushing in, quickly flooding the watertight compartments.

The stern of the imitation sea wolf ship immediately sank, the bow tilting up—and so it floated there on the sea, arse in the air.

"Light the beacon fire, now!" Li Wending shouted as he rushed down from the stockade wall, sprinting toward the dispatch boat.

His household retainers hurried forward to block him: "General, the sea is dangerous—please direct from within the stockade!"

Li Wending roared in anger: "Out of my way!" With that he boarded the small boat, ordering the men to row toward the flagship.

Aboard the Lingcang, cannon fire rang out without cease, its momentum formidable—but the hit rate was not high.

The three ships' line of battle stood nearly four hundred paces from the Shenjiamen naval stockade—the purpose of the bombardment was to force the enemy to come out and fight.

Amid the thunder of cannons and gunsmoke, the lookout shouted: "Enemy fleet approaching—northwest direction, approximately thirty ships, distance three hundred paces!" Bai Qing gave no order, and the line of battle continued firing.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Without Bai Qing needing to point them out, the three fifth-rate ships all fired together at the protruding vanguard of the Ming warships.

One Haicang ship charging at the very front took over a dozen consecutive hits—its entire sterncastle was blasted into collapse, the hull riddled with holes, cannonballs piercing through the shell and penetrating several layers of watertight compartments, seawater surging in through the breaches.

That Haicang ship seemed to slam directly into an invisible wall, stopping dead, then sinking rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The bow sank fastest—water washed over the deck in an instant, and Ming soldiers leapt overboard one after another to flee for their lives.

"Two hundred paces!" The lookout updated the distance.

Bai Qing had already inspected every Ming warship's weaponry through her telescope—their vessels were basically all equipped with Folangji cannons, which posed no threat to fifth-rate ships. She put away her telescope and commanded: "Half sail!"

The helmsman said: "Raising half sail! Maintaining course."

As the Ming fleet drew closer and closer, the accuracy of the bombardment steadily improved.

After three rounds of volleys, four more Ming warships had been sunk, and two more had turned tail and fled outright.

Before the thirty-odd warships had even closed to within a hundred paces, they had already lost nearly three-tenths of their number. At this rate of advance, they would all be dead on the way before ever making contact with the enemy. Li Wending's heart was filled with utter despair.

At the great victory of Fuzhou, he had been a roaming general of the Denglai naval forces, and had heard from his colleagues of the fearsome prowess of the Nan'ao army—especially those sea wolf ships with Folangji cannons mounted on their sides, which had displayed spectacular might at the Battle of Changsheng Island, nearly wiping out the Plain Blue Banner entirely.

He had originally thought that with the Ming army's imitation sea wolf ships, they would have the qualifications to contend with the Nan'ao navy.

He never expected the scene to be such a one-sided rout.

Watching the three enemy ships cruising about at half sail, they had probably not even used three-tenths of their strength!

"Fuck your mothers!" Li Wending's eyes turned red as he snarled curses under his breath.

Just then, a sudden cry of alarm erupted on the deck—a household retainer pointed northward and said: "General, look!"

Li Wending looked up—only to see in the sky, a massive bank of thick black clouds, five to six hundred zhang long, rapidly bearing down upon them!

Aboard the Lingcang, all the crew members noticed this sight as well—the shadow of the Sumatra squall line rose in their hearts.

On the way here, Lin Qian had mentioned that the waters around Zhoushan had complex weather, frequently producing squalls, waterspouts, squall lines, and great tides.

But how could they be so unlucky as to run into one the moment they arrived?

Bai Qing called out loudly: "Wind speed!"

The measurer reported: "Northeast wind, force 4, no significant change in wind speed!"

Bai Qing thought to herself—strange. If the wind speed hadn't changed, how could such a huge black cloud have appeared out of nowhere?

She stared at the cloud mass for a moment, then her eyes flew wide open, and she said in disbelief: "That's not a cloud!"

Yahei

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