177

The barrels floating on the sea exploded. If it had been just kerosene, it would have been fine, but the contents were all sorts of bizarre. Some erupted in flames, others sprayed iron filings, and still others splattered scalding pitch. It wasn't just one or two barrels, but a vast sea of ​​them, leaving no place to hide. Immediately, a chorus of ghostly howls erupted from the official ship, and even the soldiers on deck suffered.

"Quick! Retreat quickly!" The captain leading the troops shouted loudly, but unfortunately, he was still a beat too slow.

Even after throwing the wooden barrels, the small boats did not leave. Instead, they approached at a faster speed. Their sharp bows slammed into the official ship, and the iron rams were nailed into the hull. Then they set fire to it, which became a standard fire attack.

More than half of the official ships that had come to investigate were on fire. The officers and soldiers, too busy trying to put out the fire, jumped into the sea like dumpling after dumpling. Waiting for them were fishing nets spread out on both sides of the bay. Having finally escaped danger, what else could they do? Surrender.

Amidst the chaos here, scouts over there had already relayed intelligence back to the flagship. Wang Ling hadn't anticipated the presence of so many pirates on the island and immediately ordered, "Send someone to assist... Wait, remember not to go too far into the bay, lest you fall into the enemy camp!"

His reaction was quick, and he immediately considered whether this was a trap set by the enemy, meant to lure him to reinforce his forces so they could be defeated one by one. After all, the bay was so small that it was impossible to attack with an entire army. Moreover, the enemy fleet was nowhere to be seen. If he sent his troops deep into the island camp, and the enemy suddenly appeared and attacked him from behind, wouldn't that be disastrous?

Wang Ling was so restless that he couldn't sit still. He stood up and went outside, looking at the island in the distance. It was clearly just a den of thieves, could it be a den of dragons and tigers? Perhaps he should attack from a different direction...

As he pondered this, Wang Ling saw something strange flash in his eyes. He turned his head and saw plumes of black smoke rising from the highest peak on Luoling Island. "A fire? No, that's a signal! They've lit a beacon fire to send a message!"

Wang Ling grabbed the railing in front of him, feeling something was wrong. The enemy was nowhere to be seen, and there were many ambushes on the island, not to mention the ambush on Wuyuan Island. What on earth did these bandits want to do?

At this time, another scout reported urgently: "General, the supporting ships have returned, and there are no pursuers! According to the people on the ship, there are no ships docked at the Luoling Island dock. The one we saw before was a broken ship in the dock, awaiting repairs."

It was actually a wreck! He was thinking that the three-masted ship hidden in the harbor was just a pile of junk! Wang Ling was becoming increasingly uneasy. This island was strange in every way he looked at it, and he had already divided his forces. What if the enemy wasn't targeting his main force, but that small force?

Unable to sit still any longer, Wang Ling shouted, "There's a trap here! Quickly return to Wuyuan Island and meet up with the detachment!"

He shouldn't have listened to Xu Xianrong. He had thought that both sides had the advantage in terms of military strength, but now it had become their biggest flaw. If this small force was eaten up and the enemy fled, it would not only be a failure, but also the loss of a hundred ships. He couldn't afford it!

With the commander-in-chief's order, the army that had just arrived at Luoling Island quickly weighed anchor and hurried back the way they came.

On the other side, on the distant sea, a fleet was on standby.

"Boss, there's a column of smoke rising! It's a black smoke!"

The mainsail lookout tower of the huge treasure ship is a powerful tool for reconnaissance. If you maintain a safe distance, you may not be able to see the enemy ship, but the signal smoke rising in a fixed direction can be seen at a glance.

Since ancient times, sending smoke signals has been a standard form of communication. A puff of black smoke signified the approach of a large army to Luoling Island. The government troops had indeed split up and were ambushed. The only question was whether the enemy would return to Wuyuan Island.

Li Niu couldn't help but ask, "Boss, will the main force of the government army really return to Wuyuan Island? What if they stop at our doorstep?"

The distance was too great to send a message. If the enemy didn't return, they would have no choice but to run to support Yan Yuan. Regardless of whether they could defeat the detachment, if the government troops turned back, they would be caught red-handed.

Cheng Xi chuckled. "If he hadn't divided his forces and had rushed straight to Luoling Island, I might have been a bit wary. But now that he's just arrived at a certain place and abandoned his men, it really doesn't seem like he's brave. Now that he's suddenly fallen into a trap, I guess the first thing he'll think of is to gather his forces and ensure that nothing goes wrong."

The leader of this government army was exactly as she had heard: ambitious and headstrong. With such a large army, even ambushes along the way would be useless. He had to divide his forces bit by bit, either to eliminate dissidents or simply to maintain a safe balance.

Now that they've been forced to split up their forces and been knocked unconscious by an ambush, it's only natural that they're feeling apprehensive. Isn't this the perfect time to launch a surprise attack?

"Order the entire army to set sail at full capacity and rush to Wuyuan Island as soon as possible. We must intercept them halfway and not let them gather together!" Without further ado, Cheng Xi gave the order.

Under her command, the soldiers who had been ready for battle immediately took action. Dozens of ships turned at the same time, cutting diagonally across the channel between the two islands. Now the only thing that mattered was the speed of the ships, and they had the advantage in terms of wind direction!

Each wing's troops moved swiftly according to their own plans, while the two armies facing each other on the edge of Wuyuan Island were at a stalemate. It wasn't that Xu Xianrong didn't want to fight, but rather that the enemy was incredibly stubborn and formidable. Furthermore, he had a deputy sent by Wang Ling to reinforce him, so even if he wanted to use a strategy, it would be difficult to execute.

"General Xu, there's a message from the right army saying they're going to split up and outflank the enemy."

Standing at the bow, Xu Xianrong acted as if he hadn't heard the message, silently gazing at the enemy ships. That fleet's tactics differed slightly from those of the previous commanders. The previous fleet he'd ambushed was characterized by their commander's agility and agility, resulting in surprising maneuvers that even he hadn't reacted to several times. This fleet, on the other hand, employed its troops with remarkable tact. Even when engaged, they could quickly escape without ever truly leaving, making them an ideal bait. At least in his opinion, the captain leading the right army had already taken the bait, intent on dividing his forces to encircle and annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop.

However, this also convinced Xu Xianrong that the enemy's target wasn't them, but rather Wang Ling's central army. If they truly intended to destroy their detachment, they should have made a move last night. Yet, they were still so distant and fatigued today, clearly determined to keep them at bay.

There are cannons on the official ship, so it is impossible to defeat the larger force with a smaller one. What else can be left?

Without hesitation, Xu Xianrong said, "Notify the right army that the enemy is scheming. Withdraw as soon as possible to support the central army."

The people around him were all stunned by this order, but who would dare to disobey the order given by the chief officer? They could only hurriedly pass on the flag signal.

Xu Xianrong understood the situation, but the commander of the right army disagreed. They were nearly encircled, so why would they suddenly retreat? Xu didn't want to redeem himself for meritorious service, and he wasn't willing to give up his achievements. Suddenly, the troops on both wings began to clash, and coordination became strained.

This was also seen by the enemy in the distance.

"Brother Yan, it looks like there's trouble over there!" someone whispered.

Even his men saw it, so how could Yan Yuan not see it? Frowning, he said, "Maybe someone else saw the clue."

After fighting for almost a day, Yan Yuan had already begun to understand the strength of the imperial army. The right wing was truly incompetent, easily led away by him. However, the commander of the left wing was a skilled general, deploying his forces with a swift and decisive attack. Had he not been so cautious, he would have been nearly surrounded. How many generals of this caliber could Panyu possess? However, the stronger the opponent, the longer he had to delay the battle. Only by luring the enemy's forces and ambushing them would he succeed.

Hearing him say this, his men became a little anxious: "Aren't they going to escape? Should we go over and fight them? I see that the right army is empty, we can give it a try..."

Yan Yuan simply shook his head: "If we attack now, the soldiers will definitely hold on to us, and then it will be dangerous."

He didn't think Xu Xianrong would easily let go of this flaw. It would be terrible if he failed to kill the snake and got bitten instead.

After a moment's thought, Yan Yuan said, "Hang up the commander's flag we prepared earlier and circle back to Wuyuan Island."

His mission was simply to hook the enemy, but it wasn't just this fleet that was caught in the trap.

On the government side, things had become somewhat stagnant. Strictly speaking, the officers on the left and right were equally ranked, but Wang Ling had given Xu Xianrong command of the troops and his own trusted lieutenants the responsibility of oversight. This was fine when they were fighting together, but when the two commanders disagreed, the situation became somewhat uncontrollable.

However, neither of them was willing to give in, and the situation was tense. Suddenly, someone reported, "General Xu, the enemy ship across the way has hoisted the marshal's flag!"

"Whose flag is this?" Xu Xianrong's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Yes, it's General Qiu's flag..." The man spoke a little incoherently. Which of the Panyu navy didn't recognize that flag!

Xu Xianrong was startled, then in two quick steps rushed up to the watchtower at the stern of the ship and looked out. Sure enough, a large flag was hoisted on the enemy ship, bearing the words "General Zhenhai" (General Zhenhai). Although the distance made the pattern unclear, the words on it were truly eye-catching.

What audacious thieves! Xu Xianrong's hands clenched tightly on the side of the boat, nearly breaking a piece of the wood. This flag, anyone can fly it? Who is on the other side? As a former subordinate of the general, how dare you use this flag to deceive people!

"General, the enemy seems to be retreating. What should we do?" the subordinate whispered.

After taking two deep breaths, Xu Xianrong said, "Chase them! They're trying to retreat to Wuyuan Island. Block their path!"

This wasn't an impulsive act. When General Qiu raised his banner, it was a deterrent and provocation to the government troops. If left alone at this point, morale would inevitably be severely damaged. Only by capturing the enemy and annihilating the bandits who had usurped the general's title could the army regain its spirit. Since the right wing of the army also refused to retreat, there was no need to hold back. He could simply fight hard and end the battle as quickly as possible.

I just hope Wang Ling can hold on and not fall for the enemy's tricks. With an absolute advantage in numbers, Wang Ling just needs to advance steadily. Even a surprise attack won't be able to shake the main force of the central army. We can just wait until he's finished dealing with this gang of villains before rushing to their aid.

The stalemate ended and both fleets started moving, chasing each other and keeping close.