Chapter 218: Crossfire

Boom—!

The first volley fired, sixteen cannons almost simultaneously spat out flames.

Giant shells screamed as they tore through the air, smashing into the five pirate ships that had charged forward.

The first ship's mast was shattered at the base, exploded and collapsed, crushing a swath of people on deck. The second ship's bow was blown open a huge hole, seawater rushed in wildly, and the hull quickly listed. The third ship suffered worse: a shell hit the hold, detonating the stored fire oil, and the whole vessel instantly became a fireball.

Piercing wails echoed across the sea.

Those pirates who had just been shouting arrogantly about killing and seizing ships now stared in terror at the iron balls falling from the sky, utterly bewildered about what had happened.

"Another round."

Wang Mai's voice remained calm.

Second volley.

Of the two remaining pirate ships, one was blasted clean in half; the other, though not sunk, was riddled with holes, and most of those aboard were killed or wounded.

On the sea floated countless planks and corpses. Blood dyed the azure water red, and the air reeked of gunpowder and gore.

From opening fire to ceasefire, less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick.

The five wooden ships were utterly destroyed.

The old captain stood behind Wang Mai, his hands trembling.

He had sailed a lifetime and seen plenty of storms, but never such a battle—no, this couldn't even be called a battle; it was a rout.

"Sir, this…"

"Withdraw." Wang Mai cut him off. "Head to the bay and find their lair."

"Universe Ship"'s paddle wheels turned again, steering toward that bay.

Dozens of pirate ships anchored in the bay were now in utter chaos. Having witnessed what just transpired, those usually fierce brigands were terrified out of their wits.

Some ships hastily raised sails to flee; others simply sent their crews ashore; still others erupted in internal strife, with captains and subordinates fighting each other.

"Fire."

Wang Mai gave them no chance.

The cannons roared again.

This time, the Wang Family's guards did not rush to fire, but took aim in orderly fashion at the ships trying to escape—one, two, three…

Half an hour later, not a single intact ship remained in the bay.

"Launch the small boats, go ashore."

Five hundred guards, divided into ten squads, landed in small boats. They carried firearms and gripped repeating crossbows, quickly forming ranks on the beach.

The village on shore was already in utter chaos.

Their families clutched children and belongings, desperately fleeing inland; still others knelt on the ground, kowtowing and shouting unintelligibly.

Wang Mai walked at the front of the column, ignoring the civilians.

"Find their warehouse—grain, fresh water, anything of value—and haul it all away."

The guards quickly dispersed.

These bandits had held this place for years, amassing considerable wealth; soon they located several warehouses stuffed with goods.

Sacks of rice and flour, barrels of fresh water, plus silks, spices, and silver looted from merchant ships.

"Move!"

The Wang Family's people moved with extreme speed. Having managed mines and docks in Dongying, they had honed an efficient moving process; in less than two hours, the valuable goods in the warehouses were largely cleared out.

Wang Mai stood on high ground of the village, overlooking the entire bay.

This position is indeed excellent.

Backed by land, facing the sea—capable of advancing to attack or retreating to defend. No wonder these pirates could dominate here for years.

"Sir." A guard squad leader ran up, saying, "The supplies are mostly moved; what next…"

"Burn."

The guard squad leader blinked.

"Burn every ship and every house." Wang Mai's voice held no inflection. "Let them know this strait is not theirs to command."

"Yes!"

Soon, flames shot up into the sky.

The pirates' lair, painstakingly built over many years, turned to ash in the roaring fire; their wails and pleas were drowned by the crackling flames.

Wang Mai turned and walked back to the small boat.

When he re‑boarded the Universe Ship, the sun had already begun to slant westward.

On the deck lay piles of supplies brought ashore; the guards were busy inventorying and sorting them.

"Sir, this haul is not small." The old captain approached, ledger in hand. "Just the silver alone exceeds three thousand taels; the food and fresh water are enough to last us two months."

Wang Mai nodded, but his gaze fell on the mouth of the strait.

That is the narrowest point of the Maliujia Haixia.

"Old captain, what would happen if we built a battery here?"

The old captain blinked.

"A battery?"

"Yes." Wang Mai walked to the ship's rail, pointing at the land on either side of the strait. "We'll erect two batteries, one left, one right, to seal the strait shut. Henceforth every merchant vessel will have to pass under our noses."

The old captain drew a sharp breath of cold air.

He had spent his life at sea and of course understood what that implied.

Controlling Maliujia is tantamount to strangling the throat of east‑west trade. Goods shipped from Dongying and Great Song to Xiyang, and spices from Xiyang to the east, all must pass through here.

This is a gold mountain!

But...

"Sir, this isn't our territory," the old captain lowered his voice, "the king of Sanfoqi won't let this go."

"Then let him come." Wang Mai smiled, "Our cannons aren't for show."

He turned to the captain of the guard and said, "Pass my order: nine ships will stay here. All food and fresh water will be given to them. Cannons, firearms, and bows will remain."

"Let them garrison here; any ship wanting to pass the strait must pay a toll. Those who don't—"

He didn't finish, but everyone understood.

"Also." Wang Mai paused, "Send a ship back to Dongying to tell my elder brother: I've found a good place in Maliujia, and have him send people over quickly."

"Send more people, bring more supplies. We will build gun emplacements and a dock here."

The guard captain swallowed.

He had followed Wang Mai to sea for so long, witnessing this lord's madness, but this... this was truly insane.

"Occupy Maliujia?"

"This means openly breaking with Sanfoqi, and even the whole Nanyang forces!"

But seeing Wang Mai's bright eyes, he couldn't voice opposition.

"Yes!"

That night, a steamship quietly left the strait, heading toward Dongying.

The remaining nine ships, following Wang Mai's parting instructions, formed an iron wall at the strait's entrance.

The cannons on the ships were all aimed outward from the strait.

Any ship wishing to enter the strait must first pass their inspection.

The next morning, the first merchant ship arrived.

It was a cargo ship from Tianzhu, laden with spices and gems. Its master, a bearded Muslim merchant, saw the steamship blocking the strait and his face changed instantly.

"What... what is this?"

He had never seen such a ship: no sails, yet it could sail the sea, its hull black iron, with rows of dark cannon muzzles mounted.

A small boat rowed over.

Wang Family guards boarded the cargo ship and, speaking halting Hu language, said, "The toll is one hundred taels of silver."

The Muslim merchant's face turned green.

"One hundred taels? You're robbing me!"

"Not paying?" the guard snorted, pointing to the nearby smoldering wrecks of pirate ships, "Those people said the same."

The Muslim merchant followed his finger's direction, and his face instantly turned ashen.

He recognized those wrecks.

"Those are Bolni Guo pirate ships!"

"That gang of ruthless villains had dominated Maliujia for over a decade, with nobody daring to provoke them. And now... they're all gone?"

"I, I'll pay!"

The Muslim merchant trembled as he pulled silver from his bosom.

The guard took the silver, counted it, then produced a wooden token from his pocket and tossed it to him.

"Take this; it's a pass. Next time you show it, you won't need to pay again."

The Muslim merchant, feeling pardoned, hurriedly let his ship enter the strait.

Over the next three days, a dozen or so merchant ships passed in succession.

Some paid, some didn't.

Those who didn't were given a round by the cannons.

Soon, word spread throughout the Nanyang merchant circles:

"The Maliujia Strait has changed masters."