Chapter 229: Joining the Expedition (2)

"Damn it!" Han Shu slammed the solid wood desk, making it creak. If the military was already in such a state, what could the defenseless commoners do against the pirates' atrocities other than be slaughtered like fish on a chopping block?! Thinking of the terrified and desperate villagers they had seen along the way, everyone felt their teeth itch with hatred.

Qiao Linfeng lowered his head slightly and did not continue. Gu Yun had no choice but to ask, "Do they have any other patterns of operation? Having clashed with the pirates so many times, what are their strategies and equipment like?"

Qiao Linfeng looked back at the woman sitting by the door—her clear voice, firm gaze, and straight posture made her seem not as annoying as he had imagined. Qiao Linfeng turned back to look at Su Ling in the seat of honor and replied, "The pirates are very familiar with the situation in these waters. There is a large group of reefs in the southwest of the East Sea where they usually hide. The reef group is vast, and they don't emerge from a fixed direction, making it impossible to intercept them. The pirates mostly use curved blades and heavy crossbows that require two people to operate. Their main warships are two-story vessels ten zhang long and three zhang wide. We have seen eight such main warships so far, each equipped with six cannons on the left and right sides, along with sixteen smaller boats about three zhang long. When the small boats go ashore to raid, the main warships monitor the coast and the sea surface; if they see our warships and soldiers, they fire their cannons."

Gu Yun was secretly astonished. These weren't just pirates; they were a fleet! This pirate scourge was highly likely a military probe. If Qiongyue lacked the ability to defend itself, the next ones to arrive would not merely be "pirates."

"Is there any news of Su Yu?" Su Ling perhaps already knew the situation here before arriving, as his face did not reveal much emotion, remaining his usual cold and composed self.

"Since that day, warships have been searching the vicinity of the incident area every day, but there is still no news of the Deputy General." Su Yu had only arrived for a few days when such a thing happened; he truly had no face to see General Su.

"Prepare the warships." Su Ling stood up abruptly.

Qiao Linfeng was startled, but quickly regained his senses. "Yes."

Gu Yun frowned. Was he going out to sea now?

In the depths of winter, the wind by the sea was strong. A dozen warships of various sizes were docked along the coast where the troops were stationed. The bright red Su Family Army flags were planted on the bows, flapping loudly in the wind. In Gu Yun's eyes, ships of this size really couldn't be considered large compared to the naval vessels she had seen in her original world, but the pure wooden hulls felt completely different from iron-clad ships. The wide, dark red sails were neatly folded beneath the high masts. Gu Yun could imagine how magnificent and imposing they would look when unfurled, which gave her a sense of excitement!

In front of the warships, over a thousand soldiers stood straight. The sea wind was as cold as a knife, and their faces had already turned dark red from the cold, yet they remained motionless.

The wind was too loud, so Su Ling asked loudly, "How many troops and warships are currently stationed in the East Sea?"

Qiao Linfeng replied, "There are twelve warships over ten zhang long equipped with sixteen cannons, and twenty-three warships under five zhang long. They are all docked along the coast to guard against pirate raids. Although this military force is somewhat dispersed, it can still hold off the pirates during a raid, giving nearby villagers time to escape. Originally, the East Sea garrison had ten thousand men, but after three months of continuous confrontation with the pirates, fewer than three thousand remain. Deputy General Su brought twenty thousand soldiers, but because they are all unfamiliar with sailing, they are currently stationed on the shore."

The Su Family Army was invincible inland, and the Emperor likely assumed that even if someone wanted to invade Qiongyue from the East Sea, they would be wiped out by the Su Family Army once they entered the interior, so he had never paid much attention to the East Sea waters. The East Sea had indeed been peaceful for decades; who would have thought a group of vicious pirates would suddenly emerge?

Qiao Linfeng followed behind Su Ling and asked, "Where is the General going?"

"To take a look at the reef group you mentioned."

"Yes." Qiao Linfeng had thought Su Ling would go to search the place where Su Yu had disappeared; he hadn't expected him to go to the reef group instead. His respect for Su Ling deepened, and Qiao Linfeng said respectfully, "Please, General."

Su Ling did not take many people out to sea; only Han Shu, Gu Yun, Qiao Linfeng, You Yi, and Leng Xiao were allowed to accompany him. He had originally intended to take only one warship, but at Qiao Linfeng's insistence, two warships were eventually dispatched to provide escort.

The warships rode the wind and waves. The sails were set against the wind, and the strong wind force gradually increased the warships' speed. Gu Yun stood on the railing at the stern, watching the layers of white foam churning, and an inexplicable sense of unease rose in her heart. In truth, she was not very familiar with naval warfare, especially with ships that relied entirely on sails and oarsmen. She didn't know how to control them at all. Before setting sail, she had gone down to the lower deck and seen that there were sixty rowers who could help the ship turn and reverse faster. Each side of the hull also had eight gun platforms, with four soldiers responsible for loading explosives and adjusting the firing direction at each platform. The cannons equipped on the ships were the most rudimentary type, with a range of no more than eight hundred meters, and each reload took three to five minutes. This meant that when two ships engaged, the distance would be very close. The larger the ship, the harder it was to dodge or turn once they got close. Whoever had stronger control over the ship and better knowledge of the sea environment would have a higher chance of winning!

The Su Family Army's naval force was weak, with fewer than three thousand permanent troops left. Even though Su Ling had brought fifty thousand men, they were unfamiliar with maritime combat, let alone operating warships. Just as Qiao Linfeng had said, those soldiers could only stay on the shore, waiting for the pirates to land before capturing them. If the pirates didn't come ashore, the Su Family Army had no way to deal with them!

Gu Yun rubbed her head, which was aching from the sea wind. "Boss." Leng Xiao's voice sounded from behind. Gu Yun turned back and saw him holding a thick, dark blue cloak. Placing the cloak on Gu Yun's shoulders, Leng Xiao took a step back and said, "The General told you to put this on."

Feeling a sudden warmth, Gu Yun subconsciously looked for that tall figure. She looked toward the bow and saw him standing against the wind, listening to Qiao Linfeng. His expression was grave, his sword-like brows were slightly furrowed, and his eagle-like eyes were cold as he stared at the distant sea.

Whatever she could think of, Su Ling must have already thought of. The chances of winning this naval battle were truly not high, but as the spiritual leader of the army, he could not show a trace of panic or discouragement. Gu Yun was somewhat worried that Su Ling was under too much pressure. She tightened the cloak around her and walked toward Su Ling, standing silently behind him without disturbing them.

Qiao Linfeng pointed into the distance and said, "General, ahead is the reef group. The reefs exposed above the sea are only a tiny fraction; many more are hidden beneath the sea. Ships unfamiliar with the situation easily run aground."

The waves on the wide sea were not very large. In the vast area Qiao Linfeng pointed to, apart from a few reefs of various sizes poking out of the water, there was nothing special. At first glance, it was hard to see any danger. Han Shu asked loudly, "Can we row small boats in, use the reefs exposed above the water as reference points, and send people to dive underwater to map the reef terrain?"

Did he think this was mapping a hillside! Gu Yun shook her head and smiled. "The possibility is very low. Even if soldiers with excellent swimming skills and the strength of an ox dove down in one breath, they would have to come up after at most half a quarter of an hour. Below three zhang, the light is already very weak; they would have to come up before they even figured out the direction. Most importantly, the reefs exposed during high tide and low tide are different. By then, you wouldn't even be able to find the original reference points."

Qiao Linfeng turned back and discovered that the slender woman was standing behind them. He was secretly surprised; this woman was only in her prime, yet she actually had some insight.

Hearing Gu Yun's words, Han Shu said angrily and unwillingly, "Are we just going to let them hide inside and not come out?"

Gu Yun shook her head and sighed in a low voice, "Given the pirates' arrogant style of operation, it's impossible for them to hide and not come out. It's just that we can't fathom their movement patterns, so we are in a more passive position."

Gu Yun had just finished speaking when a soldier standing on the high platform responsible for observing the surrounding sea suddenly shouted in panic, "General Qiao, three pirate ships have been discovered behind the reefs seven miles away!"

"Pirate ships!" Qiao Linfeng stiffened and hurriedly grabbed the telescope tied to his waist to look. Three bows were rapidly emerging from behind a massive reef. Because they were sailing with the wind, their speed was very fast. The curved blade flags fluttering high on the bows made Qiao Linfeng break into a cold sweat. They were indeed pirates!

Putting down the telescope, Qiao Linfeng shouted urgently to the flag signal officer, "Pass the order to retreat immediately!"

After saying this, Qiao Linfeng rushed to the front of the helmsman and shouted loudly, "Hard right rudder, retreat! Quickly!"

You Yi also moved, rushing to the entrance of the lower deck, and roared, "Right turn, retreat! Quickly!"

Gu Yun frowned. As a commander who had guarded the East Sea for many years, he shouldn't be this panicked just from seeing pirate ships. Gu Yun looked at Su Ling, who was calmly observing the distant pirate ships with a telescope. He did not reprimand Qiao Linfeng for his panicked command, but just watched the pirate ships approaching closer and closer. Gu Yun couldn't quite understand his thoughts.

Qiao Linfeng's panicked and flustered appearance made Han Shu very angry. He pointed at him and cursed, "Why are you so afraid! They have three ships, and we have three warships too. Fleeing before the battle, greedy for life and afraid of death—what kind of commander are you!"

Facing Han Shu's reprimand, Qiao Linfeng's face also turned very ugly, and he replied with a heavy tone, "These pirates attack in formations. We see three ships now, but in a moment, who knows how many more pirate ships will emerge from which direction? Once surrounded by them, it will be difficult to escape. My life doesn't matter, but can you take responsibility if something happens to General Su!" Su Yu had been so headstrong in wanting to confront the pirates that his life or death was still unknown. If Su Ling also met with an accident in these waters, he would be unable to atone for his crimes even with ten thousand deaths!

Han Shu still despised Qiao Linfeng, but since it involved Su Ling's safety, he couldn't say anything and snorted, turning his back.

Qiao Linfeng stopped paying attention to him and continued to shout, "Full speed retreat!" The ship had successfully turned around. Su Ling, who had been silent all along, suddenly put down the telescope in his hand and said coldly, "It's too late."

Directly in front of them, two large ships, also flying curved blade flags, blocked their path of retreat.

Under the same blue sea and sky, a brilliant blue figure leaned leisurely against the railing of a large ship, watching the two teams of people who had met on a narrow path with boredom. Yan Ge chuckled, "Tsk tsk, the Su Family Army and the pirates are fighting again."

Picking up the telescope at his side, he took a casual look. The next moment, Yan Ge sat up with unusual excitement and laughed, "Su Ling! He actually came too. This is going to be fun."

Hearing his laughter, the few people in the cabin also came up to the deck. Wuji was still in gray clothes, his face indifferent. Standing beside Wuji was a stunning woman. The pure black robe draped over her did not make her look mediocre at all; instead, it made her look even more cold and beautiful. The dark green small snake coiled around her wrist poked its head out, only to be blown back by the howling sea wind.

The man half-leaning against the cabin door was dressed in red, looking particularly eye-catching on the vast sea. Mu Yi stared coldly at the battle not far away, his gloomy appearance inexplicably making people tremble.

Wuji's indifferent face showed no expression, and his voice could not hide his interest. "This tiger from the dry land probably won't be able to defeat the dragon in the sea." General Su's three warships had already been surrounded by the pirates; it would be difficult to escape.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 230 =====