Chapter 150 Thunder
On a promontory in southeastern Luzon, numerous newly built wooden and thatched huts stand densely packed together. A river flows through them, irrigating hundreds of acres of rice paddies along its banks, providing vital food supplies for this secluded camp.
"There are new and old cabins. This place isn't entirely newly built. Do you know exactly how many people live here?"
Qin Mo carefully observed the camp, which was said to be the lair of the Taman wizard, from a distance of a thousand meters. Whenever she saw something she didn't understand, she would ask Liu Renguang beside her, while Liu Renguang would continue to ask Alai beside him.
Alai is now a favorite of Liu Renguang, commanding tens of thousands of local miners who bring him immense wealth. He no longer looks like a native; his silk clothes fit him perfectly, giving him the air of a wealthy and powerful official.
"Your Highness, Aletaman has always been the most mysterious sorcerer, with powerful magic, but his tribe is not large, only about 10,000 to 20,000 people. Add to that the many tribal chiefs and their confidants who are currently wanted by us, and the total population is probably 30,000 to 40,000!"
Qin Mo was very skeptical of Alai's arithmetic skills. How could a tribal chief not be able to count to one hundred and calculate tens of thousands of numbers?
"Send ships forward to test, mark the reefs, find safe channels, and get as close to the shore camp as possible."
Qin Mo finally made a decision: the natives still had some fighting power if they were gathered together. As long as they were scattered, other tribes would help him solve these problems, such as Alai.
Alai's mines weren't only inhabited by his own tribe; many of the inhabitants were captured from other tribes. After the Battle of Beiding City, many tribes were on the list of those targeted by the Da Yuan army. Alai received military support from the Da Yuan army and easily acquired a large number of slaves.
The natives on the shore had already spotted Qin Mo's fleet. Now that they saw several ships leaving the fleet and rowing towards the shore, they immediately became excited, and some native warriors even began to prepare their bows and arrows.
The boat did not approach the shore, but began searching about 150 feet from the coast. Bamboo poles, trawl nets, and any tools that could be used to locate reefs were used. Soon, one reef after another was found, and brightly colored balsa wood buoys were placed down to indicate their locations.
Qin Mo kept searching for Taman's location through the telescope, but unfortunately, he couldn't find him. Besides Taman, none of the other wizards showed up either, which meant they were already wary and on guard against the cannons.
"Your Highness, the safe flight path has been marked, we are close enough, shall we begin the shelling?"
Kaihime approached Qin Mo, gave a standard military salute, and then asked for permission. She was wearing a very distinctive and eye-catching outfit, which made everyone a little embarrassed, but Qin Mo knew it was a "naval officer's uniform," so even if it felt awkward, Kaihime could wear it.
The "Naval Officer's Uniform" was designed by Qin Mo based on the naval uniforms of her previous life. In this world, it is definitely a unique and eye-catching outfit: a women's hat, a shirt, tie, white suit with a collar, and snow-white gloves. It has an extremely strong uniform feel.
"First, order 601 to go around once. Take your time, there's no rush."
Qin Mo first gave Kaihime a standard return greeting before issuing the order, allowing Kaihime to return to her post with satisfaction. In front of so many people, Qin Mo had acknowledged her captaincy, which was more precious to her than any reward.
The 601 slowly raised its sails and entered the bombardment channel. Its speed of less than three knots ensured both safety and maneuverability for acceleration at any time.
“Let’s go up too, and have 602 follow.”
Seeing that the 601 ship had made two safe round trips, Qin Mo couldn't help but regret not getting a captain's uniform like Jack Sparrow's. He imagined himself wearing a pirate outfit, commanding his warships to fire and roar at the target—how cool that would be!
The natives on the shore watched as the three huge sailing ships began to linger along the shore, as if choosing a route to land and attack. They began to shout loudly, hoping to scare the large army away.
Tens of thousands of native warriors roared together, the tremendous sound contagious, and their confidence began to swell again, thinking that three sailboats were nothing. Meanwhile, the escort ship continued to cruise, searching for a suitable position, and did not move any further to shore, which they considered a sign of cowardice.
The frigate finally found a suitable position, and the gun ports opened one by one, revealing thick, dark gun barrels. The gunnery officer began measuring angles and predicting distances.
Gunnery officer was a newly created position. As the gunnery officer personally appointed by Qin Mo, Han Kun finally got to stand in the position he most desired—the starboard gunnery officer.
"Two charges, elevation 9 degrees, test fire!"
The frigate had a total of 32 twelve-pounder guns. To facilitate the transmission and command, two gunnery officers were each in charge of their own 16 guns.
"Boom!" A white light shot out from the cannon muzzle, and a dark shell traced a slightly curved arc as it landed in the crowd. The howling on the shore instantly subsided.
"volley"."
The brief command got the gunners busy. The so-called "salvo" didn't mean all the cannons fired at once, but rather a continuous barrage. If they were fired all at once, it would crack the wooden hull of the ship.
Because of the undulating waves, the shells did not all hit in a straight line, but were scattered and staggered, causing large bursts of blood to erupt in the crowded natives, accompanied by screams of agony.
The natives pushed and shoved each other away from the shore, all trying to hide in their camp. Every now and then, an unlucky soul would fall and be trampled to death. Even their closest relatives wouldn't help them up; they didn't care about their own lives anymore.
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