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Breaking out at sea is a hundred times more difficult than on land. Not only do you have to be wary of enemies coming from all directions, but you also have to fight to protect the ship. Once the hull is damaged, the sails catch fire, or even the helmsman is injured, it will have fatal consequences.

To tear through the layers of ship formations, one needs not only courage, but also keen insight to keep an eye on all directions and listen carefully.

Cheng Xi is courageous and also has the ability to anticipate the enemy. He receives orders one after another. As long as they cooperate properly, breaking through the siege is only a matter of time.

However, she did not expect that the government troops would suddenly open fire.

This round of volleys came quickly and accurately, targeting the two largest Fu ships of the Red Flag Gang, where the battle was most intense. It completely stunned the troops on both sides. The moment Cheng Xi heard the cannon fire, he only had time to shout "Get down"!

Smoke billowed, blood and flesh splattered, and with a series of teeth-grinding creaking sounds, the pirate ship that was right next to it, almost boarding, began to tilt, obviously having been hit.

They were lucky enough to escape the disaster, but no one knew if they would be so lucky again.

"Let the ships disperse and retreat to the northwest on their own. The two fire ships will be the rear guard to block the enemy." Cheng Xi stood up by the side of the ship and gave the order loudly.

Her forehead throbbed with pain, as if it had been scratched by flying wood chips, and blood was dripping down.

Cheng Xi did not bandage himself and rushed to the stern to observe the battle situation. In this era, artillery salvos took time, and the further back you go, the higher the accuracy will be. They don't have much time left.

The bandit coalition was in chaos, with countless people shouting at the top of their lungs. It sounded like the Long Whale Gang's ship had run away again.

Ning Fu had already known that this group of government troops were not in the same group with them?

In just a moment, Cheng Xi figured out the key. Perhaps the entire coalition was deceived by the evil scholar, and the reactions of these thieves caused her to misjudge and fall into such a situation.

Now that Ning Fu has disappeared, the coalition forces are completely leaderless, and with a large group of government troops following behind, the encirclement is likely to fall apart.

It is almost impossible to escape unscathed, but they still have a chance to retreat!

Wiping the blood off his face, Cheng Xi shouted sternly, "Check how many ships are damaged. Move the crew immediately. Turn the ships sideways and set them on fire along with the fire ships!"

Every ship of the Red Flag Gang has sufficient war supplies, and the most important one is gunpowder.

Although they are all used to throw and injure the enemy and have sufficient protection, when the ship actually catches fire, the probability of explosion is not small.

Dispersed retreat is only a temporary solution; stopping the enemy's progress is the fundamental solution.

They needed time to reorganize the fleet and also time to reunite with the rear army, and the target that group of officers and soldiers wanted to deal with was obviously not the coalition forces.

As orders were issued one after another, the originally panicked fleet began to become organized and struggled to move again.

The Red Flag Gang's greatest reliance was that all the crew members had seen incendiary bombs and were familiar with the sound of gunpowder explosions. Although the sound of the cannon was shocking and dangerous enough, it did not scare them.

However, the coalition forces composed of bandits did not have this ability. The official ships of ordinary garrisons would not carry so many cannons. Being suddenly bombarded would be enough to scare people to death.

These government troops want to catch them all in one fell swoop! They are all seafarers, how many of them are clean?

Besides, the ghost scholar had disappeared again, which was going to be a dead end for them! Who would still want to fight? They turned the rudder and hoisted the sails, wishing they could escape this Shura field immediately.

Without a leader, the so-called "coalition" would be a loose sand, with people fleeing everywhere, making the situation even more chaotic.

At this moment, an even more shocking roar was heard, and two brigs exploded one after the other. Flames rose into the sky, and thick smoke almost covered the sea surface. Several small boats were burned into fireballs and rushed towards the official ship desperately.

The Red Flag Gang is determined to fight the government troops to the death! The coalition fleet dispersed faster and faster, and the bandits really didn't dare to turn back.

Without the enemy's obstruction and with the protection of fire ships, the Red Flag Gang's ships of all sizes slipped out silently like sand passing through an hourglass, completely passing through the encirclement.

However, although they escaped, it would take a lot of time to re-form the formation.

Cheng Xi's face was solemn as he watched the team of official ships intercept the fire ships that were harassing the enemy, bypass the obstacles in their way, and catch up again.

The ships were a little scattered, but the formation was still there, and it was obvious that the leader was a good naval warrior.

Come to think of it, to be able to hide from her detection and launch a deadly surprise attack while the two armies are fighting, how could the commander's level be bad?

It is true that the imperial court was corrupt, but there was still a reserve of talent, and naturally there were also people who were capable of fighting.

As a result, the Red Flag Gang was in big trouble.

The ghost scholar has disappeared without a trace, and the coalition forces have been completely made a fool of.

But those surrounding Dongning are the direct descendants of the Changjing Gang. Who knows, he might go to Dongning to stir up trouble.

The fact that this team of government troops was able to hide from her information network and even Lu Jian did not mention it, made their threat level rise to another level.

The place where the government troops ambushed was the territory that the Red Flag Gang had conquered before, and they had also sent a small boat gang to guard it. Could it be that the other party also surrendered quietly?

If the government army launches a large-scale attack on Luoling Island, how many people will waver and how many will surrender to the enemy?

A long horn sounded, and in the distance, a huge treasure ship appeared. Cheng Xi felt a little relieved, because Li Niu was leading his troops to support him.

"Order the fleet to move sideways, collect the ships, and reunite with the rear army." Cheng Xi gave the order.

This group of government ships isn't that numerous. If we can lure them into an encirclement, we might be able to finish them off in one fell swoop...

However, just as the thought came to mind, the team of official ships slowly stopped chasing and turned to regroup, as if they wanted to control the fleeing pirate ship nearby.

Cheng Xi's heart skipped a beat. The opponent was really experienced in using troops. This battle might not be easily settled.

Sighing inwardly, Cheng Xi gave the order: "All troops must gather together and return to Wuyuan Island to regroup."

…

"Boss, what's going on? Soldiers suddenly appeared..." Li Niu learned the news early on. After the troops reunited, he immediately boarded the flagship and asked anxiously.

"There is no news from Panyu, and it seems that this group of people was not sent by Ning Fu. Something is fishy. Let's send someone to send the wounded back first, and ask Mr. Lu if he knows about this." It is better to let Lu Jian find out this kind of official news, but the most important thing now is how to deal with the crisis at hand.

Cheng Xi said, "The enemy is gathering the remaining bandits. It seems they have no intention of leaving. I'm afraid there will be another battle."

Li Niu immediately said, "There are quite a few salt fields near Panyu. If we mobilize troops from various garrisons, we'll be in trouble."

There are three or four salt fields near Panyu. In addition to the navy camp, there are also many ships and soldiers guarding the salt fields. If they are gathered together, they will not be able to deal with them.

Cheng Xi shook his head: "The enemy arrived suddenly, and we may not have many soldiers available. We still need to find a way to delay them first. Only after the Qingfeng Gang is finished fighting, we will be able to fight against the Shangguan army."

The current situation is too dangerous. If we let this government army escape, we don’t know how many troops we will have to face next time.

However, it is not so easy to hold back the enemy. After all, half of the main force has been sent out, and there is still the Dongning camp to defend. This is their weakest moment.

Fortunately, the other party may not know their details...

Cheng Xi's thoughts suddenly changed, and he asked, "Have all the defeated troops been gathered together?"

"We've captured them. We're planning to hold them captive on Wuyuan Island," Li Niu said immediately. He'd been left behind to mop up the remaining troops while they were chasing the fleeing soldiers. While the time was short, it was enough to collect the ships and the captives. Of course, the Tanka people still needed to follow the leader's orders.

"Bring up all the captive ship owners. I want to see them."

Since there are not enough people, we need to add some more available people.