Chapter 361: Preparing for Battle

Sinuoli looked up to see that the one who had come was the Astromancer Hu Daozhang, who hailed from the prestigious Jade Blood Temple. This Hu Daozhang was fond of his drink, and during their days at sea, he had frequently run over to the Dreadnought, eventually snatching the job of delivering messages right out of the hands of the Dragon Guards.

"Please lead the way. What is the matter that has you in such a hurry?"

Seeing that Hu Daozhang had no intention of sitting down for a couple of drinks but was instead standing at the doorway waiting for an answer, Sinuoli narrowed his eyes and asked. He had a premonition that his leisurely life was about to come to an end.

"I am not entirely sure myself; the news came from Fuzhou, and the Admiral seems to take it very seriously." Hu Daozhang shook his horsetail whisk as he led the way; he remained quite patient when it came to important sponsors of alcohol.

Walking into the Jinluandian of the treasure ship, Sinuoli saw that the civil and military officials under Yin Yin's command had basically all arrived. This was a sight he hadn't seen since the welcome banquet; the ships in the fleet were, after all, individual entities, and captains were not supposed to leave their posts without special circumstances.

"My ministers, a report from Fuzhou states that Dark Elf bandits have taken advantage of my long voyage to harass towns along the coast. Worse still, they intend to sail up the Shuoyu and invade Fuzhou City." Yin Yin sat on the dragon throne, looking down at the assembly; Sinuoli could detect a hint of worry in her.

"How dare they?"

"It will take us ten days to turn back!"

"We do not know the size of the enemy force! The Yujiang is woefully undermanned!"

The news from the Bi Hai Nuzhu sparked a discussion among her ministers. The long voyage of the Dragon Fleet would inevitably lead to insufficient defensive strength in Weidong Province. Hostile forces, having noticed this, were highly likely to take action.

As a Dragon, she had lived for thousands of years and would certainly not have failed to make contingency plans for such matters. Thus, announcing it so solemnly clearly meant that the incoming enemy had exceeded the capacity of those plans.

"Your Highness, may I ask whose forces these invading Dark Elves belong to?" After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Cathayans quieted down, and a military officer stood up to address the court.

"According to reports from Beiqi, the enemy's banner is blue with a red emblem, resembling both a human face and a sea-slater." The news from Weidong Province was rather vague; clearly, the main force was not present, and the garrison had not dared to leave the city to engage, choosing only to observe from afar.

"A sea-slater? Isn't that just an octopus! Forget it, it really is the Heart of Corruption and his Shenyouedang."

The naval officers discussed it back and forth, but Sinuoli, combining this with Teclis's warning, already had an idea. He certainly hadn't told Yin Yin about this news after returning that day; otherwise, if someone asked, he couldn't exactly explain the secret of how he had infiltrated the enemy's ranks.

"Such bandits harass the people and hinder the peace of Ninghe; we must return as quickly as possible to annihilate them. Pass on my order: all ships are to hoist their sails to the full, and all units are to prepare for battle."

Yin Yin flicked several command arrows from the dragon desk. The officers who received the orders immediately left their seats to carry them out; in the span of a few sentences, the Jinluandian was as good as empty.

"You are a guest in our dynasty, yet you have encountered such misfortune before even arriving. I hope you will forgive us." Having arranged her subordinates, Yin Yin bowed to Sinuoli.

"Not at all, not at all. The hatred between my people and the Dark Elves is even greater than that of the High Elves. The first battle of my campaign to reclaim my homeland years ago was sinking a Black Ark. If you have need of me, Princess, my Warhammer and cannons are at your service."

Sinuoli offered a few polite words; if a real fight broke out, with the Dragon Fleet in the vanguard, he would only be providing support from the sidelines. Besides, having just obtained new precious armor and a sharp axe, he was looking for someone to practice on.

No sooner had they returned to the Dreadnought than the Dwarfs saw a blue true Dragon appear in mid-air, accompanied by an even more violent north wind alongside the deafening dragon roar.

Under the force of the gale, the sails were instantly filled. Seeing the iron chains connecting the Ironclad to the Cathayan warships pulled taut, Sinuoli hurriedly ordered one ship to connect to more Cathayan warships while simultaneously starting the engines at low power.

The fleet, moving at full speed, was truly extraordinary. They sailed past the east coast of Kulishi at great speed, following the coastline all the way north, heading straight for the territory of Zhendan.

A few days later, Sinuoli looked through his telescope and saw a small city appear on the coast. The familiar square city walls, distinct from the circular ones of the Western Lands, told him that this was already the land of Zhendan.

But unfortunately, everything here showed no connection to peace. Half of the city wall had collapsed, and through the ruins, one could still see smoke that had not yet cleared. It was clear that Dark Elf pirates had raided this place.

"I don't see any living Humans; I fear they have all been dragged away by those damned black bean sprouts!"

Auerte-Yanmei jumped out of the helicopter cabin. All Dreadnoughts were equipped with the ability to launch and recover carrier-based helicopters. He had originally served on Grimnir's Thunder, and returning to the ship now, he was quite familiar with the routine.

"Slaves are the lifeblood of the economy in Naggaroth; those pirates wouldn't give up on people even if they didn't want gold." Sinuoli muttered; a small town had little power to resist such a notorious pirate group.

"The grudge against the black bean sprouts must be settled, my King!" Gotrek drew his great axe; the long voyage at sea had already made this champion of the God of War itch for a fight.

"You will naturally have your chance to hack them, but don't be impatient; we are guests and must follow the host's lead."

"The Admiral has ordered: annihilate the enemy at the mouth of the Shuoyu! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"

Seeing their compatriots suffer, the Cathayans reacted even more intensely. The order was passed from the treasure ship in a chorus of shouts, circle by circle. Sinuoli felt this was also a means of boosting morale.

Watching the Cathayan soldiers pull back the gun covers, extract gunpowder and ammunition from the fireproof storage under the deck to accessible positions, and tidy up their weapons and armor, the Dwarfs also felt the atmosphere of war.

"Pass on my order: prepare for battle!" Sinuoli slapped the ship's rail heavily.

"The Admiral requests your presence!"

After sailing at full speed for another three days, a Dragon Guard found Sinuoli, who was patrolling the deck. There were many new recruits who had just boarded the Southlands fleet, and Sinuoli had to put extra effort into looking after things inside and out.

This time, the Cathayans in the Jinluandian were all fully armored and armed; even the Astromancers had lined their robes with leather armor. Yin Yin, however, still wore a long dress. Sinuoli analyzed that she faced the same problem as him: transforming would destroy any armor worn in human form.

"The Yujiang reports that the bandits have broken through three layers of defense and are not far from the estuary. I intend to go ahead and slow their escape."

The Sea Dragon's tone was calm, but the generals below understood her meaning and hurriedly left their seats one by one, kneeling in a group to block her. Yin Yin intended to fly over and use the power of a single Dragon to stall the Dark Elf pirates for a while.

"My mind is made up! You must blockade the river mouth; do not let a single pirate ship escape. Whether we can save the captured people depends on this one move." Time was of the essence, and Yin Yin did not intend to say more to her subordinates. She suddenly stood up and turned to Sinuoli.

"I have a favor to ask of you."