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Even though the Governor's Office had issued the transfer order, the initial preparations still took time, didn't they? Furthermore, if we went too early, we wouldn't know how the two gangs were fighting. Naturally, we had to wait until the fighting was in full swing before launching a thundering attack to achieve our goal.

As a result, it took three full days before a large number of official ships left the harbor. Kong Mutian did not dare to go into battle himself, but sent his confidant Zhou Mi to lead the troops. He also repeatedly warned them that they could make a big fuss but not to act rashly and to observe the situation on both sides clearly before taking action.

How could Zhou Mi dare disobey the orders from the higher-ups? Over a hundred warships, arranged to resemble three hundred, marched with great force, yet cautiously and with awe, towards the island of Wuyuan, where the pirates were fighting.

Logically, when the government troops were deployed, the pirate ships, both large and small, should have fled. However, not long after sailing out of Panyu, he discovered something was amiss. Merchant ships began to sneak up on him, both in front and behind, but they didn't approach or engage in combat, simply following the government ships from a distance.

This left Zhou Mi somewhat bewildered. Could it be that these merchant ships were all heading to Hepu, and were afraid of being attacked by pirates, so they came to take advantage of the situation? However, no matter how much he muttered in his heart, there was no sign of the Long Whale Gang. He couldn't give up halfway, so he had to bite the bullet and continue forward.

The already anxious mood was now even more unbearable. After another day of sailing, when they saw the rear of the Long Whale Gang fleet, Zhou Mi hadn't even given the order yet, when something suddenly changed! The merchant ships, large and small, suddenly changed their flags, each hoisting a red flag and swarming towards the battlefield.

This frightened the officers and soldiers on board. One deputy commander broke out in a cold sweat and said, "These, these are all Red Flag Gang ships? If they were following us, why didn't they open fire before?"

"Are you stupid?" Zhou Mi almost burst into a curse when he heard this. "It's obvious that the Red Bandits are taking advantage of our power! If we arrive at the front with the Red Flag Gang's ship, the Long Whale Gang will naturally regard us as enemies too!"

The deputy general was stunned after being sprayed with spit all over his face. "But didn't we come here to fight the Long Whale Pirates?"

It's true that they were originally ordered to suppress the bandits, but there are ways to fight according to orders, such as just threatening from the side, waving flags and shouting, so that neither side can understand their intentions. In this way, no one will send troops to attack them first, and wouldn't it be possible to preserve strength?

However, the well-thought-out plan was now useless. With so many Red Flag Gang ships following them, everyone would think they were here to help the Red Bandits, and the Long Whale Gang would definitely not hold back against them.

He was filled with hatred, but now that things had come to this, it was too late to regret. Zhou Mi could only give the order: "Arrange the ships and slowly push forward. We must not be dragged into the battle."

Now he could only slow down his speed and put on a threatening posture, hoping that the Long Whale Gang would not be frightened and retreat early.

…

This sudden appearance of the enemy army frightened everyone in the Long Whale Gang. Xu Hei was furious. "Aren't the officers and soldiers busy dealing with the siege of Panyu? They don't have time to come here and cause trouble. How come so many ships suddenly appeared?"

Ning Fu had clearly agreed to deploy troops to attack Panyu, leaving the navy with no time to spare. How could they have already dispatched troops after only a few days? And there were so many merchant ships flying red flags. Didn't they flee in a hurry before?

However, at this point, who could have guessed it? A confidant immediately said, "I'm afraid something has happened in Panyu. General, we're about to be surrounded!"

If this situation had occurred a few days earlier, they could have retreated calmly. However, after having the advantage for several consecutive days, they rushed too far forward and were entangled with the Red Flag Gang. Even if they wanted to retreat now, it would not be so easy.

"General, those foreigners and the Qingfeng Gang might be waiting in front. If we are surrounded on three sides, we won't be able to escape!" Someone shouted anxiously.

These words struck a chord with Xu Hei. They were now caught in the middle. If Luoling Island still had a secret force, they would be surrounded by enemies on three sides, which was extremely bad. Ning Fu had previously said he wanted to set up an ambush, but after fighting in Dongning for several days, there was no sign of the foreign ships. Was this a misjudgment of the situation, or was there something else going on?

Feeling increasingly uneasy, Xu Hei stood up and said, "Send someone to Dongning to bring back the military advisor! Let's withdraw one or two and see what happens!"

Despite the change in the situation, Xu Hei remained unfazed. After all, the government troops were slow to react, and it was unclear whether they would actually engage in a fight. The Red Flag Gang, however, had suffered heavy losses, so breaking through the enemy lines shouldn't be too difficult. He just needed guidance on how to fight. He couldn't just retreat in disgrace, could he? There was always a way to gain something from a life-or-death struggle. He didn't know what other plans the military advisor had in store. He had to wait for his men to return before making any plans.

The Long Whale Gang began to shrink their formation, switching from a standard offensive stance to a defensive one. However, the Red Flag Gang did not attack immediately, but instead began to organize their troops.

"The leader is so smart that he can even invite the government troops. Now, there is no need to fear the long whale pirates!" A sea merchant shouted happily, as if he was not the one who fled in panic before.

Many frowned at their actions, but Cheng Xi remained calm, unperturbed. She knew the quality of these merchants, and it was impossible for them to face the onslaught of the Long Whale Gang head-on. Therefore, when deploying the battle formation, she had deliberately arranged for these merchant ships to leave the formation one after another, creating the illusion of desertion. This prevented the flanks from being truly crushed by the enemy, potentially compromising the center. It also served to lure the Long Whale Gang deeper into the battlefield, preventing them from escaping.

These scattered merchant ships were then stationed on the islands, with the message that if the government troops were deployed, they could join the navy in the attack. The moment these skeptical merchants actually saw the government troops, they were convinced that all this was orchestrated by the Red Flag Gang long ago. With such support, the situation changed. While it's true they couldn't fight a tough battle, who wouldn't want to take advantage? As long as the wind was favorable, these merchants were incredibly brave and skilled. Any ship they captured would be theirs, and they could also reap the benefits of pepper. The only concern was whether they could charge fast enough.

As expected, another sea merchant patted his chest and said, "Boss, we've all been resting for several days. Why don't we take advantage of the fact that the Long Whale Gang is surrounded and attack them directly..."

Before he could finish his bold words, Cheng Xi raised his hand to stop the people from shouting: "My real killer move has not yet been used. You may as well wait for two more days, and then you can join me in encircling and annihilating the Long Whale Bandits."

The merchants were all secretly horrified upon hearing this. Their current tactics were already terrifying, so how could they have a killer move? No wonder the Red Flag Gang was so bold, even daring to reduce their numbers in the face of the Long Whale Gang to lure them out. Yet, they actually withstood the Long Whale Gang's offensive and even established a siege. With such tactics, even the Ghost Scholar would be helpless, right?

With each side pursuing its own strategies, the battlefield unexpectedly quieted down. During this strange truce, a small messaging boat desperately made its way to Dongning.

…

"What, the navy is going to attack us? We are officers, and the Red Bandits are bandits, can't they tell the difference?" When the small chief who had been guarding the Dongning coast heard the changes from the front line, he was so shocked that he almost jumped up. How could this be different from what Mr. Ning said?

"No matter what those damn officials think, we are almost surrounded. Where is Mr. Ning? The general told him to go back immediately!" The messenger was sweating profusely and had no time to argue with others.

This made the little leader's face fall: "Mr. Ning is not on the boat. He led his men to attack Dongning City."

The messenger was also dumbfounded. "Mr. Ning is just a scholar. What kind of troops does he lead? Besides, it's been so many days, and he hasn't even taken a small county town yet?"

"I heard there are garrisons in the city..." Halfway through his words, the young leader realized it wasn't the time to discuss military affairs, and hurriedly said, "No problem, I'll send someone to look for Mr. Ning right away. Let's get back as soon as possible!"

He moved swiftly, but when they finally reached the county town, they were met with a disorganized group. Almost everyone had been dispatched, robbing people and robbing them, but Ning Fu, who was supposed to stay behind at the camp, had disappeared, and no one knew where he had gone.

"Oh no!" Everyone was sweating. Something must be fishy going on! Ning Fu's nickname was real. Could it be that this ghost scholar had done something tricky? Had even the Changjing Gang been tricked?

Not daring to stop any longer, the little leader left only a group of people to continue searching for Ning Fu's whereabouts, while he himself hurried back to the front line with the fleet. However, in the past two days, the battle situation had completely changed.