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In the South China Sea, only the area near the estuary is relatively stable. Once outside the estuary, everywhere becomes the territory of the Red Flag Gang, especially near Luoling Island. Seven or eight islands, large and small, have been captured and soldiers have been sent to guard them.
Because of this, as soon as they set out to sea, the leaders of the coalition forces became nervous. What if an ambush suddenly appeared from somewhere? Wouldn’t they be in trouble?
"Never mind those islands. How many troops does the Red Flag Gang have? They'll definitely gather a large force to fight us. The location they've chosen will probably be near Wuyuan Island." Ning Fu twirled his folding fan before the ship owners and pointed at the nautical chart. "See? Wuyuan Island and Luoling Island are pincer attacks, and there's a large camp on the far shore. Isn't this a perfect spot for an ambush?"
There was a sudden buzz from below, and someone asked cautiously, "Mr. Ning, if this place is so dangerous, why are we still going in?"
Ning Fu raised an eyebrow: "How are we going to get to the island if we don't break in? You don't have to worry about Dongning. I've already sent troops to harass them."
This was the first time everyone had heard this news, and they were shocked. Someone shouted, "Didn't we say we were going to attack Luoling Island? Why are we dividing our forces?"
Ning Fu looked at the man, his lips curled up: "If you said it too early, wouldn't it have been spread out long ago?"
When those snake eyes swept over, countless people broke out in sweat and felt a chill in their hearts. Could it be that the ghost scholar had discovered that they had been secretly persuaded by the Red Flag Gang?
The paper fan struck his palm again, making a "pa pa" sound. Ning Fu said calmly, "I know what you are planning, but don't forget, if you don't kill the snake, you will be bitten. If the Red Flag Gang recovers, who will let any of you go? If you run away from the battlefield, you won't fall into someone else's trap."
The words were icy, and his eyes were exactly the same, seemingly able to see through people's hearts. Some people were sweating on their foreheads, almost shaking all over. Offending the Red Flag Gang wouldn't be easy, but would offending the Long Whale Gang really have any good consequences? At least the Red Flag Gang didn't have a reputation for indiscriminate killing, while the Long Whale Gang was truly ruthless. This battle, I'm afraid, will require more attention, and I can't just focus on how to escape.
Seeing this group of people were silent, Ning Fu laughed again: "I guess they should meet here. As long as they follow my orders, everything will be fine..."
After this warning, the originally distracted ship owners finally perked up and obediently followed the Ghost Scholar's command, heading towards Wuyuan Island. However, since the crews were all gathered together, they inevitably acted independently. Even with the command of an expert, the formation seemed disorganized. Fortunately, there were so many ships that they could barely divide the front, middle, and rear armies, which looked quite impressive.
When they entered the waters near Wuyuan Island, the scouts sent back news that there were indeed many enemy troops waiting there.
"Twenty large ships and countless smaller ones?" Ning Fu laughed upon hearing the news and said to those around him, "Did you see that? This is the entire army, ready to risk their lives to fight us."
Someone immediately praised him, "Mr. Ning is truly an expert at predicting the enemy's movements. The Red Flag Gang is truly weak and cannot match our forces!"
In terms of sheer numbers, the two sides were incomparable. Naval warfare depended on ships; the more ships, the greater the chance of victory. The Red Flag Gang, while formidable, was a relatively new shipping gang. How many combatants could they possibly possess?
Ning Fu chuckled, "Don't be too happy too soon. Even a desperate dog will jump over the wall, let alone such a large gang. Everyone, gather yourselves and fight well. If you can win, you can go to the island to rob the treasure and women!"
This was what everyone was most interested in, and they immediately agreed. Following the order, the coalition forces also deployed their battle formations and rushed towards the enemy in a mighty force.
"You're really preparing for a siege." Standing at the bow, Cheng Xi chuckled. This situation was not beyond her expectations.
After all, one is attacking, the other is defending. As long as she can pin down her main force, the enemy can attack Luoling Island without restraint. However, Cheng Xi has no intention of retreating. How can you fish without bait? Even the ghost scholar can make this bait jump around.
"Beat the drums, change the defensive formation!" Cheng Xi ordered without hesitation.
The enemy had divided their forces into three groups, aiming to encircle and destroy us. After all, they were at sea, and if they couldn't encircle us, the enemy would flee. Defense was simple: the ships could be arranged in a semicircle, with Wuyuan Island as a barrier to protect the front. This would ensure they only faced the enemy from one side, preventing attacks from the front and back. Of course, there were also risks. After all, the enemy had more ships than us, and if we were to get too close, a boarding battle would be troublesome.
Fortunately, after practicing for so long, they still have some extraordinary skills.
The rumbling drums began, and the large ships flying red flags began to shift their formation, forming a semicircle. This was something the coalition forces had not anticipated. They had hoped to overwhelm the enemy with their forces, disrupt their formation, and then turn it into a pursuit, using their superior number of ships to wear down the enemy. This was also a common tactic used by pirates. They called it a ship gang or a merchant gang, but how many of these people had not also been pirates and were not familiar with its use?
But the enemy's change in formation was intimidating. After all, there were twenty large schooners, and even in a single formation, they were incredibly powerful. Furthermore, the rapid change in formation made their already formidable offensive seem like a pile of loose sand. Fear instilled in them, they fought less fiercely, and when they actually engaged, it became a feint, with both sides hurling bows and spears at each other, and of course, flaming bombs.
This was a standard naval battle, but the Red Flag Gang's uniqueness was immediately apparent. Arrows rained down like rain, unleashed freely. Many desperate men climbed high up the masts, hurling flaming bombs that flew high and far, landing directly on the deck, more powerful than even the most ferocious bandits. This display was truly formidable, catching the coalition forces off guard.
Standing at the bow, Ning Fu put his hands behind his back and looked at the battlefield in front of him with interest: "This battle really looks like the tactics of the officers and soldiers."
The small leader behind Ning Fu frowned and whispered, "It seems the military advisor is right. There are probably some former subordinates of Qiu Sheng in the Red Flag Gang."
"If not, how could they have recognized me?" Ning Fu wasn't surprised at all. He hadn't revealed his identity to anyone in Tingzhou, and yet he was still being targeted. Either someone in the Minoco Gang knew him, or someone in the Red Flag Gang had seen him. And the Red Flag Gang, a boat gang that had emerged from nowhere, had been able to win battle after battle, defeating the enemy with fewer troops. No one would have believed that there weren't powerful individuals training their troops. Now, it seemed, his suspicions had been confirmed.
The little leader hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Should we intensify our attack?"
Now the coalition forces are divided into three parts, only one has started fighting, and the remaining two have not moved yet.
Ning Fu sneered, "How can you go all out when testing someone? Besides, bait should look like bait."
No matter how much he coerced, bribed, or planned his tactics, he still saw the coalition as bait, meant to buy time and consume the enemy's pawns. How could he possibly push all at once? He definitely needed a back-and-forth, taking more time. Not to mention, these ship owners weren't on the same page. Even if they were frightened by him, they wouldn't fight for him. If he pushed too hard, their morale might just disperse. A round-the-clock battle was a safer strategy.
This arrangement truly reassured the coalition forces. The enemy was simply too strong, and a head-on charge would only result in countless casualties. Instead, a slow, probing siege suited their purposes better. It was like a fight: three against one, and they could take turns attacking, wearing them down to death.
The battle went on like this for most of the day, and only stopped as the sun set. Ning Fu had made a point of saying that this was the Red Flag Gang's territory, so they had to be wary of a night attack and conserve their strength.
Seeing the "leader" so confident, everyone felt reassured. They'd actually suffered quite a few casualties that day, thanks to the Red Flag Gang's ferocious counterattacks, which hardly resembled a defensive posture. Furthermore, their arrows could be fired far and their bombs thrown accurately, making them as thorny as a hedgehog. Even so, no one was discouraged. After all, as Mr. Ning had said, they had more men than the enemy, and as long as the offensive continued, they would tire themselves out. And the longer they delayed, the easier it would be for the other team to attack Dongning. Ultimately, if they could win the battle and eliminate this thorn in their side, what else would matter?
Therefore, except for those ship owners who had been "bribed" long ago and were now hesitant and unable to sleep, everyone else slept soundly until the next daybreak...
"Oh no, oh no! A big ship is coming behind us!" The same cry of surprise came from countless ships.
A treasure ship, a staggering thousand-ton vessel, sped up from behind. It was clearly sailing at night, and its route was so cleverly planned that it remained undetected overnight. The Red Flag Gang actually possessed such a vessel; could it be from the Lu family's ocean-going fleet? But how could such a vessel be captured intact?
On the sea, having more ships is naturally an advantage, but when a ship is large enough, the advantage is not necessarily small. The huge ship, sails furiously unfurled, rushed towards them with overwhelming momentum.
"Hide! Get out of the way and don't let it hit you!"
There were countless hoarse roars from the coalition forces, and everyone was operating the boats like crazy.
Seeing the enemy army in chaos, Cheng Xi laughed and said, "The attack and defense have switched sides. Let's get the men moving."
If there are people charging, there must naturally be people plundering the enemy camp. She doesn't want this battle to take too long, and she has to end it as soon as possible.
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