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With Xu Xianrong, an old subordinate of General Qiu, stepping forward, Wang Ling vowed to ask the court to pardon Miss Qiu's crime. This stabilized the military morale and suppressed the rumor of "Qiu's orphans rebelling."
Later, we heard that the Qingfeng Gang and the Chiqi Gang had a falling out, and the fleet left Luoling Island.
This made Wang Ling overjoyed. He had been saying that the Qingfeng Gang had been beaten so badly by Qiu Sheng, so how could they possibly join forces with Qiu's orphan? He had heard that the Qingfeng Gang had lost three of their leaders, presumably in a fierce battle. Now the Red Flag Gang was even more exhausted and helpless.
Without any hesitation, Wang Ling swore an oath to his troops and offered sacrifice to the flag. Suddenly, flags were flying, horns were blowing, and the whole Panyu was boiling.
More than 300 warships almost hollowed out the coastal defense of an entire province. Only when Qiu Sheng was there could such a big movement occur.
Sitting on the command ship, Wang Ling summoned all the naval commanders and arranged the attack strategy.
"The bandits only have one island, and they haven't fled in all directions. They must be entrenched in their base and resist stubbornly. Therefore, the army must maintain stability. Deploy our fleets and encircle Luoling Island, preventing the bandits from escaping. Troops must also be deployed to clear the several small islands along the way to prevent ambushes from disrupting our rear..."
Facing the sea chart, Wang Ling talked freely. This was all discussed early on by his staff. Even a lion would use all its strength to fight a rabbit. If he couldn't do his best to deal with a small gang of bandits, how could he keep his face?
Of course, Lord Wang had good intentions, but some of his subordinates were dissatisfied. As soon as he finished speaking, a captain from the Dapeng Guard said, "I heard that the Red Bandits also have a camp in Dongning. Aren't we going to attack them?"
Wang Ling gave him a cold look. "Dongning is under the jurisdiction of Luoqing Prefecture. Even the prefect didn't know there were bandits, but you did? This time, our goal is to wipe out the pirates at sea. We must not kill innocent people and take credit for it, or attack fishing villages!"
How could he not know that something was amiss in Dongning? However, the guards at the adjacent East Gate remained silent. If he rashly ran over, who knew whose good fortune he would ruin.
Kill the pirates at sea, but don't beat the owner's dog on the shore.
It's obvious that this group of people want to cause trouble for themselves. When they come back, they will be sent out to sweep the small islands along the way to avoid causing more trouble than success.
Standing in the corner, Xu Xianrong had a gloomy expression on his face. He wanted to speak several times, but in the end he held it back.
Wang Ling took him out of prison to make him a decoration to appease people, not because he really wanted to use his talents.
If he raised any objections at this time, perhaps even the few soldiers under his command would be taken away.
Now it is no longer important to him how this battle will turn out; the key is to rescue Miss Qiu!
I don’t know whether Miss Qiu is imprisoned on the island or on the ship with the pirates. I can only make plans after the war starts.
No matter what Xu Xianrong thought, Wang Ling still led his troops to set sail with high spirits.
Because the fleet was too large and they had to pursue "safety", they moved very slowly. Every time they approached an island, they would leave behind a dozen ships, under the pretext of clearing and assisting in defense. In fact, they were sending some generals and officers seconded from other garrisons to avoid being an eyesore.
Of course, these small troop divisions are nothing to the main army. How can a few pirates defeat so many official ships?
It was not known whether they were frightened by the size of the government army or the Red Flag Gang intended to avoid it, but they did not encounter any obstructions along the way until they reached the vicinity of Wuyuan Island, where they encountered a fleet.
"There are over fifty large and small ships. I'm afraid they've invested a lot of money. It seems the bandits are trying to escape." Wang Ling laughed when he heard the news. "If that's the case, send a small force to intercept them. We will head straight for Luoling Island and catch them off guard!"
Wuyuan Island can be regarded as the gateway to Luoling Island. Deploying a troop here is mostly to attract the attention of the army and give other bandits time to retreat.
Capturing Luoling Island is one of the goals of this war, and we must not be hindered by this small bait. We just need to send a small force to stop them.
Xu Xianrong couldn't help but step forward. "Taiwan, how can we divide our forces before a major battle? Since the enemy has deployed troops on Wuyuan Island, why not take them out first and then attack Luoling Island later?"
He had personally fought against the Red Flag Gang and was well aware of the enemy's strength.
Being able to defeat the enemy with fewer troops several times, sending the merchant gang fleeing in panic, and even fighting him to a standstill despite his superior firepower, how powerful was this? Xu Xianrong was not surprised to hear that he was an old subordinate of General Qiu.
What is even more terrifying is that there are no weak soldiers under a strong general. During the boarding battle, the bandits were so brave that even the government troops could not defeat them.
Facing such a formidable enemy, whether or not to capture the island was secondary; the enemy's entire fleet had to be destroyed. Sending such a small force to defend Wuyuan Island before the battle must have been premeditated. How could we just follow their wishes and divide our forces?
Wang Ling's face darkened. "Our army outnumbers them several times over, yet Commander Xu is still so timid. Is he afraid of fighting?"
To accuse him of cowardice would be like stripping him of his official uniform in the middle of a battle. Xu Xianrong suppressed his anger and said, "I dare not do that. However, we are in enemy territory, and on the sea, so we have to be on guard against the enemy's tactics."
Seeing that he was still being stubborn, Wang Ling began to have doubts in his heart. Putting aside what kind of person Xu Xianrong was, his ability to lead troops was still good. He was so persistent. What if his prediction was really correct?
However, after a moment's hesitation, Wang Ling sneered, "In that case, you stay and intercept these bandits. The main force will follow me to Luoling Island."
No matter what these pirates are planning, the fact that they are short of soldiers is a real fact.
Even if he divided his troops, as long as he could maintain his advantage in military strength, he would not be afraid of the enemy's conspiracy.
Besides, the sea is vast. If they encounter any problems, they can just withdraw. Can the enemy stop them?
When Xu Xianrong heard him say this, he knew that he could not persuade him, but it was also good to be able to lead a group of people alone. There were fifty or sixty enemy ships. According to Wang Ling's temper, he would definitely leave more troops behind. No matter what situation he encountered, there would be room for maneuver.
Without much hesitation, the government troops quickly and efficiently sent out a detachment to deal with the intercepting troops, while the main force continued to march towards Luoling Island.
"Boss, the government troops have really divided up!" A group of people looked at the fleet in the distance, and everyone was sweating, fearing that they would fall into the trap. Now that the troops have finally been divided up, they really felt relieved.
Cheng Xi did not take it lightly: "The leader of the detachment may be a powerful figure, we have to be careful."
But he knew that General Xu had also joined the government troops in the battle.
As a scapegoat, he probably won't get any chance to lead troops. Now that the troops are suddenly divided, he may be able to serve as the commander of a detachment.
Of course, even if he wasn't Xu Xianrong, he wouldn't take it lightly. If he wanted to win with fewer troops, he had to be careful and cautious in every step.
"Everyone, raise the sails and create some distance from them!" Without any hesitation, Cheng Xi gave the order loudly. The people on the boat immediately got busy, and flags flashed to convey the message.
After leaving the little centaur behind, Wang Ling had no more worries. He immediately accelerated the fleet and headed towards Luoling Island.
After all, the two islands are still half a day's distance apart, and by the time we arrived near Luoling Island, it was already dark.
This was the enemy camp, so even with a sea map, they couldn't rush in rashly. Wang Ling ordered the ships to drop anchor and rest on the spot. To prevent the enemy from attacking at night, he also arranged a circle of patrols to guard against enemy ships coming.
However, a night passed without seeing even a shadow of a boat nearby. When daybreak came, the scouts hurriedly sent a message.
"There are no enemy ships near Luoling Island?" Wang Ling frowned when he heard the news.
Could it be that the thieves had already fled, and the island before them was just an empty one? If it was an empty island, why would they have left an ambush on Wuyuan Island? If it was just to divide the troops, it seemed a bit absurd. Besides, hadn't there been news that the faint shadow of a large ship was seen on the island?
After thinking for a long time, Wang Ling finally made up his mind: "Send a vanguard to the island first to check. If there is no one there, we will make arrangements."
This was the enemy's lair. If it really became an empty island, he would have to leave some troops behind to claim the credit. Sigh, suppressing bandits at sea was such a hassle. Credit had legs, and it could slip away if he wasn't careful. If the bandit leader really escaped, he would be in trouble after mobilizing so many troops and making such a big fuss. He still had to find a way to find the main force of the enemy...
With a bit of helplessness and a bit of luck that even a blind cat might catch a dead mouse, the two fleets were sent out.
Luoling Island has a harbor. The channel leading to the harbor is not very wide and is a bit winding, making it the best safe haven for avoiding storms at sea.
However, when it comes to spying on the enemy, it becomes a bit troublesome. With such a narrow waterway and unclear hydrology, wouldn't we have to be nervous and on guard against enemy attacks?
However, contrary to expectations, when the fleet actually entered the harbor, they looked out from afar and saw that there was not a single ship at the dock. Could it be that the thieves had already fled? Without hesitation, the two fleets accelerated and rushed towards the harbor.
"It's time." Lin Meng stood up on the hill. "Blow the horn and send out the troops!"
Following these two simple sentences, a long trumpet blast rang out. This startled the officers and soldiers who had come in to investigate. This was an enemy attack! Yet, the dock was empty, and they were still on the ship. Could there be a fort on this desolate island?
The next moment, the officers and soldiers on the ship knew where the enemy came from. They saw a dozen small boats with their coverings of linen removed, rushing over from both sides of the channel. Those boats were full of wooden barrels.
"Beware of enemy fire attacks!" the captain on the ship shouted a warning. The channel was so narrow that it was difficult to turn around. If they were caught in a pincer attack by the fire ships, it would be a real problem.
What responded to them was not the burning ships, but the pirates desperately threw up wooden barrels, which floated on the sea in a moment.
What was this for? Before they could ask, the rockets came flying at them like locusts. Some flew onto the ship, some fell into the sea, and some easily poked the barrels.
There was a loud "boom" sound.
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