Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, thunderbolts exploded on the warship.
These frail ships were no match for the bombardment of the thunderbolts and were soon blown to pieces.
Several more warships broke apart, and seawater rushed in, gradually sinking into the endless sea.
However, at this time, Zhang Tai's warships had not yet arrived near the merchant fleet.
Seeing this, Zhang Tai's eyes widened, utterly speechless.
He never expected that these merchant fleets would be so powerful.
"It's numb!"
Zhang Tai cursed viciously, "Is this still a merchant ship?"
It's even more powerful than a warship!
The Dongning merchant ships came prepared!
Suddenly, Zhang Tai seemed to understand why Dongning Merchant Ship had chosen to do this.
Imagine, who would willingly endure humiliation without retaliating?
This is probably Dongning Merchant Ship's countermeasure!
"Boss, what should we do now?"
One of his trusted men warned, "If this continues, we're afraid we'll lose all our ships!"
None of those merchant ships were damaged!
"I don't need you to remind me!"
Zhang Tai was somewhat angry and retorted, "I can see it!"
At this, the trusted confidant beside him immediately stopped talking.
Zhang Tai naturally understood that the current situation was somewhat critical.
Especially with the cannons on these merchant ships having such a wide range of firepower, they didn't even have a chance to get close to the merchant ships.
In the past, naval warfare was mostly conducted by boarding maneuvers.
But now, everything has changed.
If he continues charging, all of his ships will likely be lost here.
"Let's retreat."
After a long silence, Zhang Taicai said helplessly.
He knew that retreat was the only option now.
They are no match for the Dongning merchant ships on the other side!
After Zhang Tai gave the order, the scattered warships on the sea quickly turned around and prepared to retreat.
However, these ships were already within the firing range of the merchant fleet, so how could they retreat so easily?
"Firepower coverage!"
Zhou Peng shouted in a deep voice, "Don't let these pirate ships get away!"
Zhou Peng was a mid-level officer in the Shenji Battalion. After a meeting with He Chaojun, Zhou Peng accepted the order to retire and join the merchant fleet as the tactical commander.
He was in charge of all the cannons on the ships.
Upon seeing the ships preparing to retreat on the sea, Zhou Peng immediately issued the order to pursue and annihilate them.
One or two hundred cannons on ten merchant ships were all aimed at the pirate ship on the sea, and the gunners were quickly adjusting the trajectory parameters.
"shooting!"
One cannonball after another rose into the sky, densely packed, like hail falling from the heavens, and fell towards the pirate ship on the sea.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A solid iron ball weighing twenty pounds fell from the sky, carrying enormous inertia, and crashed into the ship.
In an instant, the shell pierced the deck, the cabin, and the hull.
The surging seawater rushed directly into the cabin.
No matter how the sailors on board adjusted the direction of the sails, the ship's speed still dropped rapidly.
The sailors in the cabin were desperately trying to plug the breach.
However, the huge breach and the surging seawater were not something that a few people could stop.
Before long, seawater filled the cabin and spread to other cabins, and the ship gradually sank into the sea.
Meanwhile, other nearby ships were also hit by shells.
No matter how hard the ships on the sea tried to escape, they were ultimately unable to get away from the dense barrage of cannonballs that resembled hail.
In a short period of time, a dozen or so ships on the sea were hit by cannonballs.
Seeing this, Zhang Tai completely panicked.
His ship also turned around and fled the battlefield at high speed.
Once they were out of range, Zhang Tai looked back and saw dozens of ships on the sea, completely immobilized.
The massive ship gradually sank to the bottom of the sea.
The sailors on deck clung to planks and jumped into the sea, swimming desperately to escape. However, the vast ocean, with its splashing waves, offered no way for these sailors to get away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A dense barrage of cannonballs struck the pirate ship, its deck, and the sea surface, one after another!
Ship after ship was hit by cannonballs, and its hull broke apart.
In a short time, only a handful of the dozens of pirate ships remained.
After Zhang Tai and his men had been watching from the outside for a long time, they discovered that only a dozen or so ships had escaped.
A crushing defeat!
An unprecedented and devastating defeat!
Zhang Tai wanted to cry but had no tears.
He had originally planned to plunder the Dongning merchant ship, as the cargo there would be enough for his brothers to eat and drink without worry.
However, not only have they failed to plunder and complete the mission assigned by their superiors, but most importantly, they have suffered heavy losses, with the vast majority of their warships lost here!
Such a crushing defeat was unacceptable to Zhang Tai!
"Boss, look!"
One of his trusted men pointed into the distance and said, "Those merchant ships are coming after us again!"
"What?"
Zhang Tai was startled. After seeing the direction the merchant ships were heading on the sea, he hurriedly said, "Hurry! Hurry! Go back!"
At this moment, Zhang Tai had no time to think about anything else.
His greatest wish at this moment was to escape alive!
Zhang Tai retreated into the distance without looking back.
The merchant ships behind them pursued for a while, sinking five more pirate ships before finally coming to a complete stop.
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