Chapter 1227: One Cannon, Cut Clean — Strike and Slip Away

"Who's got the gall to come stirring up trouble here at Haizhou Port?" the squad commander muttered, puzzled. The Zhao Battalion had even put down government troops — was there really still someone blind enough to come knocking?

Li Hai'ou glanced at him but said nothing. He wanted to say that the sea and the land were two entirely different matters, but then he remembered his people were only here under someone else's protection. Better not to speak too much and give offense.

The flag signals at Haizhou Port were simple — crude methods taught by the sailors on the ships. At this moment, horses were running up and down the mountain paths between the various batteries, relaying messages and passing orders. A decision was quickly made: open fire once the fleet entered the batteries' effective range. As this order went out, the port batteries all began to bustle with tense activity.

The household troops guarding the port and the companies on standby nearby all began to move. Cannon were pushed out onto the docks, shielded by hastily piled sandbag fortifications. The ships anchored inside the port, however, were forbidden from keeping anyone aboard. In any other port or dock, people would already have hoisted sail and left to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. If pirates or whoever else outside got close, those who failed to flee in time would be fish on the chopping block — at the mercy of the slaughter.

But here inside Haizhou Port, they dared not disobey the orders. If anyone recklessly raised sail and tried to leave port at a time like this, the batteries' cannon would show no mercy. And they could forget ever coming back here to do business again. When it came to weighing life, death, profit, and loss like this, everyone knew what choice to make.

Haizhou Port had nineteen batteries. The smallest-caliber guns were nine-pounders, the largest were eighteen-pounders. The cannon at the highest position were twelve-pounder long guns. The eighteen- and sixteen-pounders were so heavy that sometimes even turning and adjusting them required oxen or horses, so they were all placed at lower elevations. There were only two nine-pounder guns, positioned on a patch of terrain at the docks that couldn't be used as a berth.

"Damn, they sure know how to catch the wind." This was muttered by men on more than one battery. The sea breeze at this time of year was just right for a fleet to charge into the port, and the ships below were all barreling ahead under full sail.

Looking down from their high vantage, they could see the fleet at sea beginning to shift formation as it advanced. The small boats moved to the front — they were fast, clearly meant to charge in and seize key points, and they might even drop oars. Once they controlled those points, the large ships could maneuver at leisure. What's more, in naval combat, small boats were scattered, presented small targets, and held no value. Whether under cannon fire or in ship-to-ship collisions, they could often evade, and they weren't worth the shot!

The twelve-pounder at the highest battery had already elevated its firing angle. The gun crew commander was squinting, gauging the range. His battery would be the first to open fire. As he watched, he muttered under his breath without pause: "A little closer... just a little closer!"

Boom! The first cannon fired. As both sides had more or less expected, at this range, aiming at a small, moving target made a hit extremely difficult. But the general placement wasn't off — they could see the shot land near one of the small boats, a column of water shooting skyward. A burst of jeering laughter erupted from those small boats. Though the men on the battery couldn't hear the laughter, they could see people on the boats gesturing provocatively up at them.

"Squad... Commander! These are probably sea bandits, pirates! Firing like this won't hit much of anything. Sooner or later they'll reach the docks. We need to launch boats and fight them at sea!" Li Hai'ou could see the situation clearly enough. He rushed into the battery and shouted.

"All the men we've got who can go out to sea and fight with blades don't number more than a thousand! The master treasures you lot like gold, still waiting for you to build ships and sail them — how could he bear to spend you? Stand clear, don't let the sparks catch you!" The squad commander shouted back. One cannon blast after another, the firing of the nearby guns made it impossible to hear each other clearly.

Seeing the squad commander cover his ears, Li Hai'ou hurriedly did the same. The battery shook, the cannon roared. This shot struck a boat — the twelve-pounder's ball snapped a small boat clean in two at the waist. The men aboard surely hadn't survived either. A cheer went up inside the battery. But Li Hai'ou could also see clearly: that small boat had held ten men at most. Firing like this was far too inaccurate, and far too wasteful.

"Big Li, we're not afraid of them coming ashore. Someone ashore will deal with them. This is a fine chance for us to practice our gunnery — when do we normally get targets delivered right to our doorstep?" a household trooper shouted with a laugh.

Hearing this, Li Hai'ou said nothing more. Watching those lumps of lead and iron, each weighing over a dozen jin, just fired out into the sea, he suddenly felt a pang of heartache. These Xuzhou men fought like spendthrifts. Those cannonballs were all good stuff that could be sold for money, and here they were blasting them out shot after shot, not even sure of a hit. This was far too wasteful.

By now, the guns on nearly every battery had fired twice. The results were truly pitiful — only three boats had been hit. Two were sunk outright. On another, the cannonball had merely swept across it, clearing every man aboard in an instant. The several cannon on the docks were already preparing to fire. In fact, by this point, the household companies were getting excited. A rare chance to fight — now they wanted to have their fill of it right here at the port.

But just at that moment, the small boats that had already entered the port began to turn and wheel about. They were actually fleeing back the way they'd come, even dropping oars and rowing for all they were worth. The cannon thundered a few more times, then all the batteries fell silent. The enemy boats were moving in a way the cannon adjustments couldn't quite keep up with — and besides, it wasn't worth the effort. Though this was a fine opportunity to practice gunnery, there was no need to waste ammunition recklessly.

A more critical reason was that signals had come down again from the watch posts and high points — or in some cases the battery commanders could see directly — that the large ships were also turning. The fleet that had just moments ago been bearing down with such ferocity had now halted and was preparing to leave.

After another stretch of time passed, the household troops at Haizhou Port could finally determine that the fleet was departing. Scattered cheers rose here and there. There was really nothing to celebrate — the battle had been baffling, without clear beginning or end. Most men were simply confused. Under the demands of strict drill regulations, no one yet dared to relax. Vigilance continued, lookouts kept watching, and men on horseback were dispatched to shadow the departing fleet. At the port, small boats began to be lowered to search for any surviving enemies still inside the harbor.

"Brigade Commander, we only fished out one man, and he was badly wounded. Said he was one of Zhong Bin's underlings. Said he'd heard a rumor that we were exchanging salt goods with the Zheng Family's great gang, and that there were at least two hundred thousand taels of silver stored ashore. That's all we got out of him before he breathed his last." When Shi Manqiang arrived, a household trooper hurriedly reported the results.

Shi Manqiang nodded glumly. Ever since the remnants of the Li Family had come to seek refuge, the Second Brigade's core had been stationed here, and Shi Manqiang had become a permanent fixture. Unlike the household troops and others below him, Shi Manqiang could discern from Zhao Jin's admonitions and letters just how vital Haizhou Port was to Xuzhou. He had rarely seen Zhao Jin attach such importance to any single matter.

"Send someone to Haizhou City to notify them. Tell them this is the port's own affair, nothing to do with them — no need to bar the city gates in such a panic!" Shi Manqiang ordered irritably.

Haizhou City, which lay close to Haizhou Port, profited from the port on one hand, yet on the other feared that the Xuzhou forces would attack and seize the city. At the slightest sign of trouble at the port, the city would overreact. With so much official and private business traveling back and forth between port and city during the day, their behavior caused the port considerable inconvenience.

"Brigade Commander, the enemy ships didn't follow the coast — they've headed straight out to sea." By the time Shi Manqiang reached the dock, the area had become heavily guarded. The anchored ships were all empty; the shipowners and sailors had all gone ashore for pleasure. No one had departed because of this sudden raid. This left the men of the Zhao Battalion quite puzzled, but someone from the Li Family who remained at Haizhou Port offered an explanation.

The sea was not like the land. It might seem vast, but the navigable routes were only so many. Rather than worry about the enemy launching another raid, it was better to worry that the purpose of the raid was to drive everyone out, so they could strike at sea. Inside the port was, after all, safer. Out at sea, if your ship was seized, death was the only road. Here in port, even if your ship was destroyed, your life could still be preserved.

"That Zhong Bin has some nerve, daring to strike at a Xuzhou port. These pirates truly don't know the height of the heavens or the thickness of the earth. Does he think he can stay off the land his whole life!" Shi Manqiang said through gritted teeth.

After cursing a couple of times, Shi Manqiang regained some of his composure. The Li Family junior who had been explaining spoke up solemnly: "Brigade Commander, give me a boat, and I'll take a few brothers out to have a look. If they've gone far, all's well. If they haven't gone far yet, I'll come right back and report."

The speaker was not very old. Shi Manqiang turned his head to look, then asked gruffly: "I remember your name is Li Sizhang. It's good that you're willing, but going out to sea won't be necessary. Right now, we're short on seagoing manpower."

Shi Manqiang's expression was very dark. Speaking of this, he recalled the Songjiang Yu Family's perfunctory behavior. Back when they had sent the Cai Family juniors and the Xuzhou juniors with seafaring ambitions to Songjiang to learn navigation and ship handling, the Yu Family had refused to teach them from start to finish, concealing and restricting things at every turn. As a result, the real training had only begun after this Li Family's great gang arrived. Not long after that, the affair of the Li and Zheng families' bloody clash had erupted. They had barely learned anything, let alone completed their training. Consequently, the total number of juniors they could confidently send to sea was only around a thousand. They simply couldn't afford to send them out recklessly — the losses would be unbearable.

If the Yu Family had taught them wholeheartedly back then, the Zhao Battalion could now be pursuing with their own fleet. Why would they need to be so excessively cautious?

As Shi Manqiang stood there deep in thought, Li Sizhang beside him hesitated, then spoke in a low voice: "Brigade Commander, truth is, since our Li Family came here and was taken in by Master Zhao, the Zheng Family is surely nursing a grudge. At sea, there are no grudges or favors — only business. If the Zheng Family was pulling the strings behind this..."

"The Zheng Family's people are still living in the port. I've already checked. Without proof, don't go making wild guesses and casting suspicion on people. Xuzhou won't get mixed up in your feuds," Shi Manqiang said gruffly. Li Sizhang quickly bowed, not daring to say more. But inwardly, he was still thinking: if the Zheng Family really wanted to make a move, they certainly wouldn't let their own clansmen in the port leave. A few lives truly meant nothing to them.

Shi Manqiang took a few steps forward and spoke: "You people came to the right place in Xuzhou. In the future, your prospects will surely be vast and far-reaching — far greater than whatever your great gang could offer."

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