Chapter 675: Humiliation

"Board the ships!"

Fengchen Xiu looked toward the flagship in the harbor, which was nearly twice the size of the other warships.

This flagship was surrounded by the other warships.

They acted as a protective barrier for this warship; despite the cannonballs flying everywhere, not a single one landed on the flagship.

Since the Fort could not destroy the Yanzhou Warships, he would board his own flagship and lead the remaining Dongying warships in a fight to the death against this Yanzhou Fleet.

Clenching his fists tightly, he strode toward his flagship.

Arriving at the harbor, he took a small boat to the base of his flagship and climbed up the rope ladder onto the warship.

At this moment, because the outer warships were bearing the brunt of the Yanzhou Fleet's attack, the Dongying warships in the inner circle remained intact.

They were following Fengchen Xiu's orders, hoisting their hard sails, rowing their oars, and moving through the gaps between the warships toward the Yanzhou Warships.

Upon boarding the flagship, Fengchen Xiu pointed to the east and said to the captain, "Full speed ahead! The sons of Dongying must never die like cowards in the harbor. Even if we die, we must die on the path of the charge."

"Yes, General," the flagship captain shouted back.

Before long, the flagship began to move slowly.

At this moment, Zhou Yi stood on the deck of the flagship, observing the Dongying warships through a telescope, his brows slightly furrowed.

Having been suddenly attacked, the Dongying soldiers had fallen into chaos.

But it did not take long for the Dongying soldiers to be organized; one by one, the Dongying warships hoisted their hard sails and, braving their artillery fire, charged toward them.

However, such actions were meaningless before them.

Thirty-two warships were continuously pouring cannonballs at them from over a thousand cannons on their broadsides.

Due to the use of Yellow Gunpowder, their attack range was far beyond that of the Dongying cannons.

These Dongying warships had to sail a great distance forward before they could turn and engage the Yanzhou Warships with their own four broadside cannons.

But this process was long enough for the Yanzhou Warships to destroy these advancing Dongying warships.

"These Dongying soldiers are indeed well-trained and fearless of death." Zhou Yi lowered his telescope; this was the reason for his furrowed brows.

Upon hearing this, Gong Ying said, "This subordinate has heard that these Eastern Japanese are fierce and bellicose; when they lose a battle, they commit seppuku, calling it some kind of Bushido spirit. I wonder how many Eastern Japanese will commit seppuku this time."

"You are quite knowledgeable about Dongying," Zhou Yi said.

Gong Ying shook his head. "The General knows that this subordinate was once a guard on a merchant ship at sea, so naturally, I had to deal with sea pirates. I heard it from them."

He paused and continued, "Moreover, among the sea pirates, the Dongying pirates are the most cruel. When plundering the coast, these Dongying pirates often massacre the villages they encounter, not even sparing three-month-old infants."

Zhou Yi nodded. "No wonder His Highness is so vigilant against Dongying. If they were given the chance to invade the Great Song, the common people of the Great Song would suffer."

Gong Ying agreed deeply. "This subordinate believes that compared to the Northern Di, their threat is even greater. The Northern Di only have blades, horses, and bows, but if not for His Highness..."

"The firearms of Dongying are much more advanced than those of the Great Song. If they harbor evil intentions toward the Great Song, the consequences can be imagined."

A cold sweat broke out on Zhou Yi's back. "I truly must thank the Heavens for bestowing Yan Wang upon the Great Song. The fact that Dongying participated in the internal chaos of the Great Song during this period proves they have long coveted the Great Song."

As his voice fell, his gaze suddenly turned sharp.

The Great Song had no grievances with Dongying, yet this nation across the sea was plotting against the Great Song just like the Northern Di; it was simply courting death.

Thinking of this, he said, "Give it to them hard! Hit them until they are terrified, hit them until they are scared into wetting their pants!"

"Yes, General," Gong Ying replied loudly.

As the order was passed down, the warships' artillery fire became even more ferocious.

Incendiary Shells flew one after another toward the Dongying warships in the harbor.

The Dongying warships charging toward them also met with intense bombardment.

Thick smoke rose, wood splinters flew, and the Dongying warships rushing out of the harbor were constantly sinking.

These sunken warships gradually blocked the harbor, and the Dongying warships behind could not move.

On the Dongying flagship, Fengchen Xiu saw this scene and trembled with rage.

Soon, his flagship would be able to charge out of the harbor and duel with the Yanzhou Warships.

But just at this moment, the warships in front of them were struck by dozens of cannonballs, suddenly exploding violently, and the shattered hulls blocked their path.

This was the only road that could lead out of the harbor, as other areas were also filled with warships that were sinking or burning.

"General, you must leave the warship, otherwise we will become a target." The flagship captain grabbed Fengchen Xiu; he had already ordered a small boat to be lowered.

Fengchen Xiu gritted his teeth, feeling extremely unwilling.

But he knew the captain was right.

The road ahead was blocked, and the road behind was also blocked by the following warships; their flagship could not move now.

Moreover, without other warships as a barrier in front, this massive flagship would surely attract the attention of the Yanzhou Warships.

Sure enough, just as he hesitated, a flash of fire erupted from the Yanzhou Warships across the sea.

Immediately, he saw dozens of red streaks flying toward the flagship.

These red streaks struck the mast, snapping it directly, and slammed into the hull, piercing straight through it.

Even more soldiers were struck directly by the cannonballs, their bodies torn to pieces, blood and viscera coating the deck.

Even with the determination to die, Fengchen Xiu's legs could not help but go weak.

Following the captain, he went to the side of the ship, descended the rope ladder to the small boat, and headed toward the shore.

"Yan Wang of the Great Song, I will definitely avenge this grudge." Looking at the burning Dongying warships on the sea, a raging fire burned in Fengchen Xiu's heart.

Currently, the warships of the Dongying Navy were far inferior to the Yanzhou Warships, and they had suffered a sneak attack; defeat was already certain.

But thirty-six Sailing Warships were being built in Edo, and it would not be long before these warships were delivered to the Dongying Navy.

When that time came, he swore he would make Yan Wang pay ten times the price.

"Boom, boom, boom..." The sound of cannons on the sea was incessant; Fengchen Xiu was dragged away from the harbor by the navy generals.

At a distance of one li from the harbor, they stopped.

Looking at the warships constantly sinking in the harbor, he and all the Dongying generals chose to remain silent.

Right now, he could do nothing but watch helplessly as the Dongying Navy was destroyed before his eyes.

He would keep this humiliation in his heart for the rest of his life, until he took revenge.

In his heart, although the Western Fleet had also bombarded their warships before.

The power of the Western Lands was universally acknowledged, and they in Dongying felt admiration and submission from the bottom of their hearts.

But what was Great Song? To him, this Yan Wang had simply had a stroke of good luck and received the help of some Missionary from the Western Lands.

They in Dongying would catch up immediately, and furthermore, completely surpass Great Song.