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The cannons fired at the same time, with astonishing power. If the fleet formation was denser, many ships might have been hit by the shells. Unfortunately, the Red Flag Gang's formation was quite sparse, and all the ships were facing forward, making them smaller targets, and not many were actually hit by the shells.

However, the purpose of the artillery array was not entirely to kill, but more to scare off the enemy, causing them to slow down or even take a detour. From this point alone, it actually had some effect. The ferocious fleet seemed to stagnate slightly, like tentacles stretched out and burned by fire, and began to shrink.

Once the encirclement slowed down, it would be easy to break through. The right army even cheered, feeling that victory was in sight.

Xu Xianrong's brows furrowed as he shouted, "The enemy is trying to cut us off. Shrink the formation and keep firing!"

Their vanguard could indeed break out of the encirclement, but only those twenty or thirty ships could do so. The enemy wasn't aiming to capture them all, but rather to cut them off. The flagship of a fleet is often positioned in the center of the formation. If an enemy were to penetrate the heart of the formation and disrupt communications, the fleet would be leaderless and vulnerable. The only option now was to increase the depth of the formation and prevent the enemy from breaking through so easily.

However, he was able to issue orders in time and prepare his men, but the right army was not able to do so. Seeing that escape was in sight, this group of people was like wolves and pigs rushing around, not only their own fleet, but even their teammates' formation was about to be disrupted by them.

Looking at the enemy ships getting closer and closer, Xu Xianrong took a deep breath and said, "Prepare explosives, clear the way with artillery fire, and try to avoid close combat."

He couldn't save everyone, so he had to at least get his own people out. Just by looking at that idiot Captain Zhang, he knew that waiting for Wang Ling to come to his aid was extremely unlikely, so he could only rely on himself.

One side was ready to defend, and the other side also showed its fangs.

"Beat the drums, cut across the enemy lines!" Cheng Xi couldn't help but notice the chaotic scene. She could even tell which side Xu Xianrong was commanding, simply by observing the reactions of the two armies. But now that they were at war, as the commander, she had to attack the enemy's weakest link!

There were rumbling cannons and roaring drums, but no other sounds. This nearly silent army charged straight into the heart of the government army.

From above, the two armies resembled short, thick arcs drawn on the sea, meeting at a single point, smooth and graceful, with a certain certainty of victory. However, closer up, ships collided, arrows and crossbows clashed, the tossed bolts thundered, blood and smoke intertwined, and lives were lost at every turn.

Longsword in hand, Xu Xianrong stared intently at the enemy before him. These ships also flew the banners of "General Zhenhai," but unlike the ones just seen, these banners were not imitations of General Qiu's. Instead, they were a uniform red background with black characters, like a high-hanging banner of the dead, seeking justice for the unjustly killed, just like the silent yet brave enemy army.

At that moment, even Xu Xianrong felt an irresistible urge. He wanted to rush to the enemy's flagship and see who was leading this vast army. He wanted to demand to know why they were raising an army in the South China Sea, plotting a rebellion. He knew the Red Flag Gang were no ordinary pirates, never even harassing the countryside or bullying the people. But wouldn't the more they did, the bigger their plans must be? How would the imperial court react if they established a foothold in the South China Sea? If they tried to advance further, how many people would be drawn into this vicious struggle for power?

And Yuehua, that fragile and helpless little girl, shouldn't be used as a pawn by others. She should live a peaceful and stable life...

Taking a deep breath, Xu Xianrong turned his head and said, "Avoid the enemy ships and rush out!"

The enemy is numerous and we are few, and the right army is on the verge of defeat. The most important thing now is to preserve our troops, leave the battlefield as soon as possible, and join forces with Wang Ling's army.

The battlefield changes rapidly, but the essence remains the same: the brave will prevail when two meet on a narrow road.

On the one hand, they tried desperately to escape, and on the other hand, they tried their best to obstruct the enemy. However, due to the uneven levels of the leaders, a gap gradually appeared.

Cheng Xi saw everything and made a quick decision: "Mainly attack the enemy's right army and relax the offensive against the left army. If we can't stop them, let them escape."

Of course, she could spend her energy to swallow up the left army led by Xu Xianrong, but the other side was not someone who would sit and wait for death. Once the two sides fell into a life-and-death stalemate, the losses would certainly not be small.

The government army also has a main force waiting in the wings. If they come to support us, we will be in a passive position. We should swallow everything we can and deal enough damage to the enemy.

With this order, the fighting became more intense for a while, but soon, a small fleet broke out of the siege.

"General, Captain Zhang doesn't seem to have rushed out. Should we gather the vanguard and fight back?" Someone beside him whispered. Of course, he was not really doing it for Captain Zhang's good, but he was afraid that it would be difficult to explain the loss of the right army when he returned.

Xu Xianrong turned his head to look at the battlefield. The enemy's elk horn formation had begun to roll and close, and the detachment led by Yan Yuan in the rear also caught up, intending to attack from the front and back.

He could not break this situation with only forty or fifty ships. After all, it was a naval battle, and the number of ships was an insurmountable obstacle.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Xianrong said, "No need for that. The most urgent thing is to return to the central army and report this matter to the commander-in-chief."

His goal now was no longer to defeat the enemy, but to preserve the remnants and join the main force of the army.

Only by having an absolute advantage in military strength can we have a chance of fighting the enemy in front of us.

The only question is, will he get another chance to play?

No longer looking at the battlefield, Xu Xianrong turned around and fled into the distance with the remaining warships.

Without that stubborn opponent, the situation on the battlefield became clearer. Cheng Xi no longer hesitated and gave the order: "Have the soldiers chant 'Wang Ling will die, those who surrender will not be killed'."

The only one with a clear mind had already fled, and the rest were just a pile of scattered sand. How strong could their will to resist be? As the calls grew louder, the government troops began to lose their minds and fell into hesitation.

The enemy had said before that Marshal Wang was dead. Could it be true? If we continue to kill him, I'm afraid we won't even be able to keep his body intact.

Captain Zhang, still trapped in the enemy lines, was naturally furious. The fact that the left army had deserted the battlefield was fatal enough, but there were still fools who believed this rumor? He had just received an order from the commander-in-chief to withdraw his troops. How could the commander-in-chief be killed in battle?

However, his shouts and orders went unanswered. Instead, he was besieged by more than a dozen enemy ships. Eventually, his ship caught fire, and he became one of the first generals to die in this battle.

Now that both commanders are gone, there is no need to continue fighting.

The remaining soldiers gave up resistance and surrendered to the ferocious Red Flag Gang bandits.

This place is not far from Wuyuan Island, so the next task is simple. We just need to stuff all the prisoners onto the island and count the spoils of this battle.

Not to mention the surrendered soldiers, 26 intact warships and 43 large and small cannons were seized. It can be said that the harvest was quite rich.

The only regret was that Yan Yuan's detachment destroyed more than ten ships, which was the biggest loss in this battle.

"I am ashamed. I fell into the enemy's trap, suffered heavy casualties, and was nearly surrounded and annihilated..." The first thing Yan Yuan did after seeing Cheng Xi was to admit his mistake.

Cheng Xi said, "Thanks to you for holding back this small force, we were able to launch a surprise attack on the main army. This small loss is nothing. Now that we have fought two battles, we can be considered a complete victory."

They lost more than a dozen ships, but the government troops lost nearly a hundred. This exchange rate was a great deal.

Hearing this, Yan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "Xu Xianrong should be here this time. If we fail to keep him, I'm afraid there will be more trouble..."

This was also something Yan Yuan felt quite regretful about. Regardless of whether he could persuade Xu Xianrong to surrender, as long as Xu Xianrong was captured, the government army would lose a great general. Now that he had escaped, if he led troops to attack again, it would still be troublesome.

Cheng Xi smiled slightly: "His escape back this time may not be a good thing."

Yan Yuan was startled, then suddenly realized: "You mean Wang Ling will punish him."

"After a major defeat, someone has to take the blame. We may not meet again on the battlefield again." Cheng Xi answered calmly.

She didn't think Wang Ling was a broad-minded person. Now that his trusted confidants had been killed and the army had suffered damage, he couldn't just take the blame. Aren't the generals of the detachments that had suffered heavy losses the perfect targets for venting their anger? Eliminating the enemy didn't have to be limited to the battlefield; the effect was equally effective off it.

Looking at the woman with a calm expression, Yan Yuan didn't know how to answer for a moment.

He really didn't expect Cheng Xi to have planned this far, but such a cold-blooded method made him feel inexplicably uneasy.

This was the demeanor of a commander. She hadn't lost her composure because of past feelings, nor had she placed Xu Xianrong above others. This made him feel more at ease.

Without thinking deeply about why he was relieved, Yan Yuan quickly put the thought aside and started to get busy again.

The war is not over yet, there is still more fighting to do.

…

"You're a piece of trash!"

A teacup fell over and hit Xu Xianrong's feet, splashing a lot of debris. One of the pieces grazed the back of his hand, leaving a shallow blood mark.

Xu Xianrong lowered his head, not even raising his fingertips, and had no intention of paying attention to Wang Ling's impotent rage. He had already expected such an outcome.

"The right army is right beside us, but you don't go to rescue us and just flee in a panic. What use do I have for you?" Wang Ling didn't care about Xu Xianrong's reaction and kept cursing to himself.

How could he have imagined that the pirates who escaped would turn around and attack the detachment, resulting in more than half of their soldiers being lost, and even the trusted men he sent out could not escape!

Isn't Xu Qiu Sheng's favorite general? Is that all he has?!

It's only been a few days since the troops were dispatched, and nearly a third of their troops have been lost. How will he explain this when he returns? Someone must take responsibility!

Without hesitation, he shouted, "Take this man down and keep him under strict guard!"

Immediately, a personal soldier rushed over and grabbed Xu Xianrong's arm. However, he refused to remain silent and instead struggled and shouted, "Sir, do you want to attack Luoling Island again?"

This is exactly what Wang Ling was thinking. The only way to report to the court is to capture this den of thieves. However, at this moment, why would a scapegoat care so much?

His face darkened, and he was about to explode, but Xu Xianrong intervened, "The enemy wants us to be trapped on Luoling Island, unable to escape. Please send troops to investigate immediately. I believe the enemy's intentions are not against the main army, but the camps on the shore..."

After returning to the central army, the first thing Xu Xianrong did was to find out the details of the battle. It was because of this that he noticed something was wrong.

The various actions of the Red Flag Gang do not seem like a decisive battle with them, nor do they seem like simple harassment by dividing troops, but more like a delaying and attrition tactic. If this is true, what they are aiming for is not just a few local victories, but something more deadly.

Even if Wang Ling was as stupid as a pig, he had to make these things clear in advance to avoid the fall of Panyu and a real disaster.

"You're spreading rumors to confuse the people!" Wang Ling immediately slammed the table and stood up. "How many soldiers can a group of pirates have?"

Xu Xianrong shouted, "The Red Flag Gang once formed an alliance with the Green Phoenix Gang. Where are the Green Phoenix Gang members now?"

"They have fallen out! Qiu Sheng is the enemy of the Qingfeng Gang..." Wang Ling didn't believe it at all and was about to curse, but unexpectedly Xu Xianrong had already broken free and took a step forward.

"They are all pirates and bandits. As long as there is profit, there is no reason to hold grudges overnight. My lord, the matter of Panyu is of great importance. We cannot make the same mistake again..."

Wang Ling's hands began to tremble with anger at these words. However, looking at that hateful face, he felt a faint fear in his heart. Could it be that these thieves really wanted to attack Wei and save Zhao? The camp on the shore was his foundation. If they were attacked by surprise, then... then...

"Shut his mouth! Drag him out!" Wang Ling shouted. His trusted followers did not dare to hesitate. They immediately stuffed Xu Xianrong's mouth and dragged him out.

After the woofing sound disappeared, Wang Ling paced back and forth in the room for a few times before secretly calling his men and whispering, "Send a few ships back to gather information. Remember to go quickly and return quickly..."

Just as Lord Wang was feeling doubtful and restless, a fleet was approaching Doumen Island.

"Boss, we've arrived at the Doumen camp..."

Before his subordinate finished speaking, Shen Feng stood up and said with a smile: "I haven't even been to the navy camp yet, what are you still standing there for?"

With that slightly frivolous smile, the Qingfeng Gang's boats began to move, like a group of hungry locusts, rushing towards the camp on the shore.