Chapter 1663: Red Flag Fluttering in the Wind

"Fuck, damn it, they're building a lighthouse! They're building a lighthouse on our reef island!" Ye Yaodong spat saliva in agitation.

A surge of blood rushed straight to his head with a hum, making his vision darken—he understood perfectly what this meant!

To ordinary people, a lighthouse is a navigation aid, but in geopolitics, it's a flag.

The captain widened his eyes in disbelief. "A lighthouse? Fuck, now I get why it looked like a lighthouse!"

"Their ship's coming—pull back immediately!"

"Received."

The captain instantly maneuvered the fishing boat into a smooth, sharp turn; the approaching vessel was already shouting through a loudspeaker in gibberish.

Workers on the deck gathered to hurl insults at them; the two sides, separated by sea, couldn't understand each other's language, just bellowing nonsense at one another.

"Dongzi, look—the structure's already taking shape. They've been working on it for a while!"

"Yeah, no idea how long they've been squatting here. Only two ships, yet the sea's so vast—hard to spot. That dark red cargo ship probably unloaded prefabricated sections for the lighthouse tower."

"Prefabricated sections? What's that?"

"It means they built semi-finished components on their own territory first, then shipped them over by cargo vessel—saves effort, just assemble and connect on-site!"

"Fuck, these bastards are sneaky! They build semi-finished parts, ship them over, install them—if we hadn't noticed, the lighthouse might've been finished in days!"

"Who says otherwise?"

Ye Yaodong answered while keeping his binoculars fixed on the ship chasing them from behind.

"They're catching up—notify the other two fishing boats to approach the reef from different directions."

He'd also need to push the throttle harder.

"Heh, coming right up! Let's see which boat they chase."

"Tell them to keep their distance—get close, then pull back. Once we're far enough, don't let them come near again."

"Got it."

The captain grabbed the radio and babbled into it to contact the other two fishing boats.

The enemy vessel was furious, cursing them as treacherous and dishonorable—two ships had been driven off, and now a third had appeared.

Just as the enemy ship charged toward the one nearing the reef, the other two fishing boats swooped in like ghosts, swarming like flies they couldn't shoo away.

Normally, only one or two boats operated nearby—just avoid them or ignore each other. But today, why so many all at once? Their cargo was only half unloaded; they couldn't leave. Now they could only try to drive them off.

Once their No. 1 boat had moved far enough from the reef and the enemy stopped chasing them, the captain immediately ordered the other two boats to withdraw.

Ye Yaodong said: "Shout at them—stay away from the reef. We've confirmed what they're doing. Let's pull back for now."

"Received."

He then pressed the public channel: "Comrades, this is Ye Yaodong of the Min Yuan Yang. I've risked sailing close to the reef and confirmed what they're doing—these bastards are building a lighthouse on the reef!"

"What? They're building a lighthouse?!"

"Son of a bitch! That's our territory!"

"Motherfucker… these fucking bastards…"

The channel erupted with curses; everyone was wildly agitated.

Building a lighthouse isn't about stealing fish and catching shrimp—it's seizing territory!

A lighthouse is a permanent infrastructure project—it's a symbol, a marker of sovereignty.

It will be marked on maps and nautical charts as belonging to a specific nation.

It's like someone secretly planting a flag in your own backyard, then claiming the yard is theirs.

Once built, it's a foreign marker—detering Chinese fishermen from approaching, and justifying their expulsion.

It can also monitor nearby waters, serve as a surveillance post, and become a small garrison. If we wait until it's finished to respond, we'll be at a severe disadvantage.

So all the local fishing boat captains were outraged—what if they succeeded? We'd lose the right to fish nearby.

"Stop them—we must stop them…"

"Everyone hurry over…"

"We have to stop them—can't let them finish the lighthouse…"

"Fishing company? Didn't you have a fishing company vessel? Contact your command center or shore station—report it immediately…"

"Received, received—we've already reported it."

Everyone's emotion was far more intense than when they first learned about the enemy ships—everyone understood the meaning of a lighthouse.

While they argued and cursed, the enemy vessel, seeing their three boats had retreated, slowed down and remained anchored near the reef, watching like a supervisor.

After reuniting with his own fishing boats, Ye Yaodong exhaled in relief; his wildly pounding heart gradually calmed.

As soon as they docked, the captain handed him the radio.

"Everyone's been yelling a hundred questions—asking what we should do next. I don't know. You're the boss—you decide. You speak."

Ye Yaodong stood up, took the radio, handed the control panel to the captain, and picked up his binoculars.

"Hello, this is Ye Yaodong."

"Dongzi, what now? Wait for other fishing boats to arrive?"

"When the other boats come, we'll confront them together."

"Yeah, confront them—they dared secretly build on our waters, fucking bastards…"

"Once more boats arrive, we'll outnumber them. Even if their ship's bigger—what of it?"

Ye Yaodong let them vent, while watching the radar screen—dozens of red dots blinked across the display, converging from all directions.

The nearest fishing boats were only one or two nautical miles away—minutes from arrival.

After a pause, he said: "If the other boats come fast, they'll be here in minutes. Once we've gathered more, we'll sail over together and apply pressure."

"They chased us just now—now it's our turn to chase them. If they don't leave, we'll forcibly land on the reef. Let's see who has more men."

"As long as we don't kill anyone, we're in the right."

Everyone chimed in repeatedly, "Right, that's correct, drive them out of this sea area..."

"Although we really want to kill them, we truly can't kill people..."

"We can beat them half to death; after all, who told them to come to our waters to build a lighthouse?"

Just as they were exchanging opinions, a fishing boat had already rushed over first, and voices were shouting on the public channel.

"Coordinates for Fishing Ground 123, I have arrived. I see a row of fishing boats moored in the sea ahead; are they Comrade Ye's?"

Ye Yaodong quickly replied, "Yes, it's me. We have nine boats here now."

"Arriving immediately."

"I still have two nautical miles, arriving soon too. There are five or six boats behind and beside me..."

The pile of little red dots on the screen were all not far apart; within a short while, they arrived one after another, then asked Ye Yaodong about the situation in a cacophony of voices.

Meanwhile, the opposing vessels near the distant reef island had long discovered their few boats gathering together; they were themselves discussing countermeasures, but before they could finish discussing, they discovered even more fishing boats converging.

When there were few fishing boats, they could still drive them away one by one; but with many fishing boats, especially gathered together, it was not something a single boat of theirs could drive away, not even by military deterrence, let alone that they dared not start a war at all.

Within a short while, more than ten boats arrived successively, and every boat's deck was packed with people.

At this moment, they also saw the boat near the reef island through their telescopes, moving back and forth on the sea surface, somewhat restless.

Ye Yaodong's heart began to thump-thump again; a big fight was about to happen soon.

He urged via the VHF radio, "Fishing boats that haven't arrived yet, hurry up; the other side looks somewhat restless."

"Almost there, almost there..."

"Should we surround them first?"

"Comrade Ye, you discovered this area, and you know it a bit better than us who just arrived; take a look and see if there is any plan, how should we arrange things, how to drive them out?"

"Right, you discuss a plan first; we are opening up and coming over immediately."

Ye Yaodong pondered and said, "We are currently in deep water, not near the coast; contacting an enforcement ship isn't that easy. Our existing official main-force ships are mainly targeted at near-shore waters."

"As for deep water, it is relatively weak; we have to rely on the naval training ships. Relying on the high-frequency radio, we simply cannot call them; we can only hope they hear our discussion on the public channel."

Everyone agreed; everyone knew this.

"So we still have to rely on ourselves. Fortunately, we have so many fishing boats to watch out for each other and protect our sea area."

"Today counts as discovering it in time. If it were a few days later, the consequences would be unthinkable; they might have finished building the lighthouse, we would all be driven out of this sea area, unable to fish, and that loss would be huge."

"Our loss is small; the loss of national territory in this sea area is great. We cannot let them achieve their goal."

Lao Biao was especially supportive on the side, "Exactly, this is no different from planting a flag in our own courtyard. Can we give our own courtyard to someone else? Impossible even if we die."

"If anyone plows even one centimeter more of my land, I'll fight them."

"That's right..."

Ye Yaodong added, "That is why I called everyone over; we must defend our own sea area ourselves."

"So I think, in a moment, some fishing boats can go to blockade the other side, while another part of the fishing boats go directly to the island to capture those building the lighthouse on the reef island."

"Attack on two fronts; even if the other side's boats run away, we still have the people we caught in hand. When the official people arrive later, we will hand over the captured people to the officials for processing."

"First, we absolutely must not kill people; otherwise, it will definitely be hard to explain."

A captain agreed, "That's true; we definitely cannot kill people. If someone dies, the matter becomes serious."

"Then everyone, be careful later."

"Then let's follow Captain Ye's plan; I think it's very good. Attack on two fronts. Anyway, we have enough fishing boats. Looking at the screen filled with dense red dots, everyone is still on the way."

"Some might not arrive that early; we can't wait for everyone to be fully assembled."

"Should we divide the fishing boats first, which ones to blockade and which ones to go ashore? Once we have enough fishing boats, we will set off directly?"

"No problem..."

The fishing boats that had already arrived discussed first, then divided into teams.

The two teams of fishing boats divided on the sea surface and took their positions; the fishing boats converging from all directions later would just look at which side had slightly fewer boats and choose to converge there themselves.

They discussed in the main channel; the fishing grounds that had not yet arrived also understood the strategic plan, and when converging from all directions, they would choose for themselves first.

For everyone, there was no difference. Whether it was to tie down the other side's boats or to go directly ashore.

During their discussion, the fishing grounds gathered more and more.

Through the telescope, Ye Yaodong also saw that the other side seemed to be getting impatient?

From far away, he could see the other side holding a megaphone, jumping with anger and shouting; although he couldn't hear it at all, he could imagine it.

"Do all our boats have the Five-Star Red Flag? Those who haven't raised the flag, raise the red flag!"

"Right, everyone raise the red flag!"

Ye Yaodong waited until about forty or fifty fishing boats had gathered on their side; among them, he even saw fishing boats from the familiar fishing company.

"It's about enough; let's go over. It doesn't matter if fishing boats behind haven't arrived yet; just treat them as reinforcements; we will go ahead first."

There were still many little red dots on the screen; he hadn't expected that normally, when detecting nearby waters, you couldn't see a few boats, but if something really happened, one call and a hundred responded; all were boats.

His side was assigned to tie down the other side's fishing boats; after all, just now his three boats had been fighting a guerrilla war against the other side, gaining a little bit of experience.

The other group of fishing boats would go ashore, led by Captain Chen of the fishing company's fishing boat.

After everyone agreed, the two teams of fishing boats all moved out collectively, pressing down towards the reef island.

Ye Yaodong shouted through the ship's megaphone, "Brothers, charge! Make them get out!"

The deckhands on the deck also shouted excitedly, "Charge! Get out..."

The bright red Five-Star Red Flag suddenly unfurled in the sea breeze, snapping loudly!

The two teams of fishing boats were majestic and powerful; all the workers stood on the decks, their momentum overwhelming; some were so excited they had already stripped off their clothes, just waiting for a big fight.

Seeing so many fishing boats heading straight for the reef island, the other side's fishing boats immediately sailed out and shouted at them with a megaphone.

Ye Yaodong issued orders, "Pin this boat down, spread out the formation, surround them, ram them with the boats! Block their course! They insult us, we insult them back. Tie them up far away! Don't let them get close to the reef island."

As soon as his side had tied up the boat, the fleet going ashore behind them immediately rushed straight towards the reef island on the side.

"Block it! Block the left!" Ye Yaodong roared into the radio, his heart pounding wildly, his face already flushed red.

What he had done today was something he would never have dared to imagine in his entire life.

"Right! There's a gap on the right! Fill it in quickly!"

"Damn it, it's trying to break through! Brothers, close in! Squeeze it! Block its course!"

Several fishing boats stubbornly risked being capsized, wedging themselves firmly into the course the other side had planned.

The other side's ship emitted piercing whistles and gibberish warnings, its high-pressure water cannon barrel turning threateningly.

Everyone remained unmoved, betting that the other side dared not fire the water cannon; if it caused casualties, it was not something the other side could afford.

Their twenty-odd boats had already driven the other side to distraction, leaving them able only to futilely sound their whistles and watch helplessly as another massive fleet raced toward the reef flat!

At that moment, the public channel suddenly crackled with the voice of an official training ship.

Ye Yaodong was overjoyed and immediately reported the unfolding events, while the captains of the other fishing boats quickly added their own accounts.

The channel instantly erupted like a boiling pot, and the boat captains grew even more excited.

With official intervention, they were even less afraid.

"Dongzi, Dongzi, our boats have already landed on the island!"

"Great! Now we just need to hold them off, prevent them from escaping, and let the officials take over!"

The officials were also shouting in the channel, telling them to take it easy as they were heading over immediately.

Ye Yaodong instructed the captain, "Tell the workers on deck that the officials will be here soon."

"Understood."

He continued to maneuver his fishing boat, working with the others to encircle and block the opponent, refusing to yield an inch no matter how they cursed or how close they approached.

At the closest point, the other fishing boat nearly scraped against the side of theirs, yet even so, their boat did not retreat a single bit.

They neither harmed anyone nor deployed weapons; they simply relied on their boats to block and their mouths to hurl insults.

The other side was driven to distraction by them and utterly helpless.

About an hour later, a large ship flying the national flag raced toward them, billowing in the wind.

Ye Yaodong finally shouted excitedly, "Brothers, the officials are here! Hahaha, we've won!"

"Hahahaha, now they're in for it!"

Whether it was them in the cockpit, the workers on deck, or people on other boats, everyone was extremely excited.

Ye Yaodong's mind relaxed a little.

"Damn it!" He slammed the table in excitement! "I didn't bring a camera!!!"

"Damn it..."

The captain thought something had happened and was startled, only to find out it was because he hadn't brought a camera...

But after he realized what it was, he too felt regret.

"Right, it's a pity we didn't have a camera to capture this once-in-a-lifetime scene!"

"Damn it, the camera is on the Dongyu Hao."

"The Dongyu Hao said it would return this morning; I don't know where it is, maybe it's almost here."

"Ask them, call them on the walkie-talkie, see if you can get in touch!"

After speaking, Ye Yaodong shouted into the channel again: "Brothers, whoever has a camera on their boat, take a picture quickly! This glorious moment can be remembered for a lifetime!"

"Yes, yes, yes, whoever has a camera, take a picture quickly, develop several copies, and share them."

"We must take a picture to record it; I have never been this glorious in my entire life!"

"Take a picture, must take a picture! Remember to include my fishing boat!"

"I brought one, I brought one! I'm on the Zhe Ping'an Hao; I have a camera on my boat. I'll take pictures for everyone, develop dozens of copies, and you can come get them from me later."

"That's great..."

Everyone was so excited they were half-opened a bottle of champagne; the official ship was on its way, the result was a foregone conclusion, and they were already thinking about how to celebrate and commemorate it.

As expected, the other side dared not fire the water cannon; after all, there were so many fishing boats here, and they had also correctly guessed that the other side would dare do nothing but block them.

They stood their ground for several hours until the official fishing boats arrived, and the workers on deck instantly cheered.

"Wow! Our people are here!"

"The officials are here!"

"We've won!"

"Drive them out!"

"Drive them out..."

Ye Yaodong was exceptionally excited at this moment; holding a megaphone, he stood on the wheelhouse and shouted to the deck, "Brothers, shout with me: Get out~"

Everyone shouted with soaring momentum: "Get out~"

Hearing their shouts, the other fishing boats around them also roared: "Get out~"

Even thunderclaps were nothing compared to this; everyone's shouting drowned out the other side's whistles, and the people on the other side's deck looked even more furious, their faces turning a sickly green.

As long as they are unhappy, we are happy.

Ye Yaodong laughed, "Cousin, prepare the red flag; in a while, we'll go ashore too and plant the flag on the reef island!"

"That's a good idea! Since they dared to build a lighthouse on our territory, we'll cover it with our own flag!"

"Exactly!"

Someone from the official fishing boat that had just approached came forward to negotiate with the other side.

Ye Yaodong's group of encircling and blocking fishing boats parted to create a channel, leaving the negotiations to them.

As for how the talks went, that was not something they could inquire about.

He shouted excitedly into the public channel: "Comrades, we have won! Leave the rest to the official comrades; let's take the national flags from our boats and plant them on this reef island!"

"Good!"

As soon as he made the suggestion, every boat echoed in agreement and headed toward the reef island!

The foreign personnel on the reef island had already been subdued or ceased struggling.

More official fishing boats arrived one after another, and everyone handed over the controlled personnel to the authorities.

At this moment, several fishing boats noticed the national flag and lowered theirs; someone asked in confusion, then immediately got fired up and returned to their own boats to fetch the national flag!

"Hahaha, bury it deeper—that way it won't easily fall over!"

"Better yet, let it stand there forever."

"Isn't there a lighthouse half-built? I say we don't pull it back—just plant our red flag on top!"

"Exactly! Let them do the work for us!"

"Who's climbing up? Plant another flag at the very top!"

"Plant flags in all directions! Prove this place is ours!"

"Right! Plant flags everywhere—so far away they'll know this is our territory!"

"Remember to take photos!" Ye Yaodong shouted. "Everyone, let's take a big group photo together!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Does the captain of the Ping'an fishing boat have a camera on board?"

"I'll send someone to get it from the boat—let's plant the flags first!"

"Hahaha, today we stopped them—such a huge event. When we get back, won't we get rewards?"

"Absolutely! This honor can be written into history!"

"Good thing we brought a camera—we can photograph and record this. I'll brag about it for the rest of my life!"

"Same here! I can brag for generations! My descendants can even brag for me!"

Ps: 9000 characters. Warned, reviewed, cannot write—some sensitive words simply cannot appear; must use phrases like "the other vessels" or "the authorities" instead. Must suppress the climax, cannot describe too vividly, must wrap up quickly—perhaps tomorrow they'll demand deletion.