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The flames gradually died down, leaving only intermittent black smoke, but the damaged deck and broken sails were still glaring, just like the ruins before our eyes.
After a full day and night, Baron Luciano stood on the deck, his face as black as the charred side of the ship beside him. Thirteen ships had been attacked, six of which were severely flooded, rendering them incapable of combat. Two others, suffering from fires in their ammunition depots, had been sunk to the bottom of the sea. They still hadn't figured out how the enemy had managed to get so close to the fleet and wreak such havoc.
Just one surprise attack had cost him half of his gunboats, his worst defeat since his expedition to the Far East. The most important thing now was to quickly find a place to dock and repair the ships, otherwise more than just two ships would be sunk.
But we absolutely cannot go to Luoling Island again. If we can be attacked even at sea, we will be at the mercy of others if we are on their territory. I heard there is a Wuyuan Island nearby. Do we want to go there to take shelter?
Just as he was thinking with a gloomy face, a messenger suddenly came to report: "Sir, the people from the Long Whale Gang said that the situation here is complicated. We must first meet up with the main army and explain the situation."
Baron Luciano cursed out loud. This wasn't a report; it was clearly an attempt to escape because the situation was dire. Since things had gotten this far, he had no reason to hesitate. He shouted, "Let's go to Wuyuan Island to repair the ship first. Let those pirates fight it out. We need to rest and make plans later."
This statement finally made many people breathe a sigh of relief. No one on Luoling Island wanted to fight anymore. They came to the Far East to make money and gain benefits, not to fight for any side. Now that the Long Whale Gang had fled, they naturally had no reason to hold on.
With the commander's order, the Cisse fleet changed direction and towed the damaged ships with great difficulty towards another small island.
Before they had sailed far, a message suddenly came from the lookout tower. Luciano hurried to the stern and looked at the island in the distance. He saw three black smoke columns slowly rising, as if they were sending some signal.
"Hurry up!" Baron Luciano gave the order immediately, his heart ringing with alarm. This column of smoke was strange; it was clearly a message. Yet, they hadn't sent any messages during the desperate battle of the previous two days, but now, they lit the column. Their intention was crystal clear. If reinforcements arrived now, they would have no chance of victory. They had to retreat as quickly as possible.
As if something was on fire, the Xisai fleet sped up, ignoring even the two ships that were severely damaged, and abandoned the burdens and fled into the distance like the wind.
Standing on the top of a high mountain, looking at the two enemy armies fleeing in different directions but in the same panic, Lin Meng breathed a sigh of relief, but then looked at the beacon fire lit on the side with some worry.
In the previous arrangement, Luoling Island was completely isolated from the main battlefield. No matter what happened on the island, it was likely that it would be impossible to divert troops. Therefore, the only requirement given to them was to hold on. The only smoke signal could only be sent when the enemy retreated, alerting the front line that another fleet was approaching them.
This was Lin Meng's concern. The battle had ended too abruptly. Even though the Fanzi fleet had been severely damaged, the Long Whale Gang remained unscathed. He hadn't been able to hold off the enemy much longer. If this fresh force had been rushed into the battlefield, would it have impacted the gang leader's plans? Lin Meng couldn't tell, but this was the best option he could offer.
I don’t know what the situation is on the front line now, and where the gang leader is?
…
"Where on earth did those red bandits go?" On the flagship of the Changjing Gang, Xu Hei's face was not looking good. The army had arrived at the estuary, so why hadn't they found the enemy yet?
Luoling Island was only two or three days' sailing distance from Panyu. They were already facing a headwind and were moving cautiously, so it took them even longer. However, apart from the warning smoke signals on the small islands along the way, they didn't see any enemy. Such a large fleet couldn't have disappeared from the sea, right?
Even Xu Hei was getting a little irritated, complaining to Ning Fu, "Military Advisor, this is completely different from what you said. Could it be that the Red Flag Gang feels they are no match for their opponent and are trying to avoid the fight? Or are they waiting for Shen Sandao's troops to arrive before they're willing to fight us?"
Ning Fu didn't look anxious, but instead chuckled, "Since they want to trick us into splitting up our forces, the enemy can't show up too early, otherwise, wouldn't our efforts be wasted?"
"But haven't you seen through the Red Bandits' tricks?" Xu Hei was a little confused. "Those bandits have all been sent out. Isn't this a big division of forces? Do they want us to attack those small islands along the way?"
Along the way, they discovered that these islands were garrisoned and even had some ships docked, clearly belonging to the Red Flag Gang. Clearing these islands wasn't difficult, but the time and manpower required were issues, as Ning Fu suggested they ignore the islands and head directly to Haikou.
There was certainly danger, but the Long Whale Gang had no objections. What was the point of attacking these tiny, barren islands? It would be better to reach Panyu City as soon as possible. However, Xu Hei knew Ning Fu's plan. He had previously stated that the Red Flag Gang would not allow them to attack Panyu City, and that they should attack the small island called "Xishan" at the mouth of the sea. Unexpectedly, even after arriving there with such brazenness, they still couldn't see the enemy. This was a bit strange.
Xu Hei wondered if their division of forces wasn't thorough enough, causing the Red Flag Gang to hold back, or if they simply didn't care about Panyu City and planned to launch a surprise attack while they were sieging it. They were all pirates, so naturally they were capable of any means. Even if the woman surnamed Qiu had no such intentions, she would have had people under her wing to offer advice. Could the Red Flag Gang really be kind?
However, Ning Fu didn't hesitate at all. "Don't worry about the Red Flag Gang's tactics. Let's attack Panyu first. Given the current situation, those sea merchants are probably already panicking and confused. We need to force them a little further. If the Red Flag Gang doesn't show up, I'm afraid chaos will break out in the backyard first."
If the Red Flag Gang continued to avoid fighting, wouldn't the merchant fleets be pushed forward? Panyu was their foundation, and they couldn't just stand by and watch the Long Whale Gang attack. Even if they didn't defect, they would surely harbor resentment towards the Red Flag Gang. The slightest sign of dissent would crumble this makeshift alliance. Merchants are driven by profit, and they'll naturally side with whoever's stronger.
Hearing his confident words, Xu Hei immediately clapped his hands and said, "Since the military advisor has said so, then we will do as he says. Wait until the Red Flag Gang's troops actually show up, and then we can encircle and suppress them."
Attacking Panyu City wasn't just about forcing the merchants; the coastal naval forces would probably be anxious too, right? Unable to resist, yet still having to defend Panyu City, with any luck, the imperial court might even pay them a bribe to buy them peace and send troops to help them wipe out the Red Flag Gang. While this might sound incredible, he hadn't imagined he could become a guerrilla general so easily. Now, it had happened, hadn't it?
At the command of the Great Leader Xu, the entire Long Whale Gang erupted in excitement. That was Panyu City! They had thought that being part of the government army meant they wouldn't have the chance to plunder, but who would have thought they'd get to chew on such a large piece of meat? Naturally, they had to enjoy it thoroughly and fill their bellies.
The Changjing Gang's unexpected move also completely panicked the officials in Panyu. One urgent report after another was sent to the camp, which made the commander-in-chief Kong Mutian's hair turn white with worry.
I originally thought it was just a fight between two pirate gangs, but how come one suddenly disappeared and the other is going to attack Panyu? You're going to attack the Red Flag Gang, then attack Luoling Island or Dongning, why are you going to attack Panyu?!
"Sir, should we send out troops?" a confidant asked cautiously.
Kong Muchian was furious and slammed the table. "He's a coastal defense guerrilla commander personally appointed by the imperial court. If we start the fight first, who will be blamed in the end? Besides, don't you have any idea? Do I need to tell you whether we can defeat the Long Whale Gang?"
Seeing their superiors utter incoherent words, the subordinates shrank back, not daring to speak. However, no matter how aggrieved or timid they felt, the situation was still before them, and they still had to answer to their superiors and deal with this dire situation.
Kong Mutian sat down on the armchair, staring blankly into the distance, muttering, "Where on earth is the Red Flag Gang hiding? Such a large fleet can't just disappear out of thin air, right?"
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