5
The young man was stunned for a moment, his face flushed instantly: "I can still grow!"
The boy was not even sixteen years old, not even as tall as her, and looked malnourished, skinny and bony.
Cheng Xi shook his head: "The pirates are taller and stronger than you. How can you win with just a knife?"
This statement immediately caused a commotion. Lin Hu couldn't help but ask, "Then what's the point of practicing all this? If we really run into them, won't we be dead?"
Seeing everyone arguing, Cheng Xi did not respond immediately. He put his hands behind his back and looked at them coldly.
Her calm demeanor gradually quieted the noise. Once everyone was quiet, she spoke again, "If you encounter pirates at sea and they want to steal your cargo or hijack your ship, they must board your deck."
"Boarding combat is the key to naval warfare. What I've taught you these past two days is the core of boarding combat."
"How to board an enemy ship via the gangplank, how to jump onto an enemy ship from a height, how to climb over the bulwarks? Only when you step onto the deck does the battle begin. The pirates are already familiar with all these things you complain about, and they can use them to take your lives."
This silenced everyone. The training they'd been complaining about all day was actually a common tactic used by pirates?
But they were just going out to sea to do some small business and had no intention of hijacking a ship, right?
Seeing their confused expressions, Cheng Xi stopped beating around the bush. "The Art of War says, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.' This means you must understand the enemy and their tactics in order to defeat them. Now that you know the key to boarding combat and understand the courage and skill required to jump from one ship to another, you should also know that before the enemy steps onto the deck, they have a narrow plank under their feet and a high bulwark in front of them. That's when they are most vulnerable."
"As long as we can stop the enemy before they board the ship, we have a chance of victory!"
This was said so clearly that even those young people who had never been to school and had never left the village understood it.
Someone couldn't help but shout, "Mr. Benefactor, how can we stop the enemy?"
Cheng Xi smiled slightly and picked up a bamboo pole from the ground: "Lean on this."
"Bamboo pole? Are you going to poke them down?"
"It must be! The springboard is so narrow, it will hit you with one stab!"
"I can do this!"
Everyone became excited. Although this was not what they wanted, if they could prevent the enemy from even getting onto the deck, wouldn't the ship be saved?
Unexpectedly, Cheng Xi shook his head and said, "If it's enough to just stab it, why are there so many merchant ships being hijacked?"
Everyone was stunned. Yes, if it was really that simple, how could others not think of it?
"It's not enough to just drive the enemy overboard. You also have to kill as many as possible and reduce their numbers. In a real boarding battle, the enemy may outnumber you several times, with multiple gangplanks coming up at once. They might even ram you with their boats, then leap onto the deck while you're losing your balance. You're then facing a group of knife-wielding bandits. How can you win?"
The words were spoken in a low voice and calm tone, but they left everyone speechless, and the confidence that had just been ignited dissipated again.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Cheng Xi gripped the bamboo pole tightly and shook it vigorously, and the pole drew a green shadow in the air: "So, relying on the bamboo pole alone is not enough. In the future, your weapons will be equipped with sickles and hooks to hook the enemy's necks, cut off their hands and feet, and make them bleed profusely. Falling into the sea is a dead end. They will also be equipped with spear tips. Groups of three or five will guard the bulwarks. If anyone jumps over, they will be stabbed in the head, causing their intestines to rupture."
"In addition to these, we also need clubs to surround boarding enemies, and short spears that can be used for stabbing and throwing, directly attacking enemy ships. These weapons must be used skillfully and properly coordinated to achieve maximum effectiveness. This will require hard work and may even result in bloodshed. Are you willing to learn?"
"willing!"
The shout was so loud it startled even the seagulls from the shore. The young men clenched their fists, their eyes gleaming. It wasn't as impressive as a sword fight, but it sounded feasible!
Even the sons of fishermen, whose only job was casting nets and rowing boats, could learn it! If that's the case, why wouldn't they want to? It's just a bit of hardship and bloodshed, is it harder than drifting at sea?
Facing this renewed morale, Cheng Xi nodded slightly. As long as they were able to endure hardships and were willing to endure them, what kind of soldiers could they not lead?
…
News of the changes on the beach quickly reached the village elders, along with sketches of the new weapons.
Looking at the ink-stained wooden board, the third great-uncle pondered for a long time before saying, "These things don't require much iron. You can make them first. If you don't have enough iron, you can use sharpened bamboo instead."
After all, the sickle and spear head use much less material than a real knife, and the pole can be replaced if it breaks, which is very convenient.
Lin Meng nodded vigorously, then asked nervously, "Uncle, should we contact other villages?"
Only a few days had passed, and he was still a long way from mastering it, but Lin Meng felt that it was only a matter of time.
As long as there is a benefactor, these people will sooner or later become heroes who dare to fight and fight. Not to mention dealing with pirates, even if they encounter officials, they might be able to hold their own!
In this case, we have to contact other villages quickly. It will take a lot of time to gather people together and form a fleet.
This time, the Third Great Uncle didn't hesitate: "Repair the boat first. Once it's repaired, go find Sun Erlang and Li Niu and arrange a place to discuss in detail."
These two were the most famous captains in the area. Lin Meng straightened his back and shouted, "I'll do it right away!"
…
Donggou Village is now shrouded in clouds of worry. Captain Li Niu has been so anxious these past two days that he has been unable to eat and has developed a series of blisters on his mouth.
The spies had just returned and heard that taxes would be increased again this year, and the amount would be substantial. Their ships couldn't even sail, so where would they get the money?
After finally waiting for the troops to withdraw, a group of pirates appeared and occupied Luoling Island, the only way to reach Hepu. These pirates were greedy and robbed any ship they could find. While large ships and caravans might be spared, their small boats suffered greatly.
As far as he knew, five ships were hijacked, two of which had their ships robbed. Not only were the people captured, but the pirates also went ashore to rob and kill people. These kind of bandits were the most difficult to deal with.
Li Niu was thankful he hadn't sailed earlier, thus avoiding disaster. Unexpectedly, the government increased taxes again. Wouldn't this be life-threatening? How should he respond? Even with his vast experience, he couldn't come up with a solution.
Just as he was feeling worried, someone suddenly came running over and said the clan leader was looking for him. Li Niu didn't dare to delay and rushed over immediately. As soon as he entered the door, he hurriedly asked, "Uncle, what happened again?"
It’s no wonder he’s anxious. If something else happens, he won’t be able to handle it!
"It's not a bad thing." The clan leader smiled and waved his hand. "Someone from Linjia Village came and said they wanted to talk to us."
Li Niu was stunned for a moment, then a look of joy appeared on his face. "Is it the Lin Family Village that was robbed? Lin Dadu is dead. Are they planning to join us?"
They were all privateers, and since they lived close together, they naturally had good information. The previous generation of Linjia Village was nearly bankrupt due to borrowing money, and it was only thanks to Lin Dalang at the helm that they were able to recover. Unexpectedly, they encountered pirates this time.
Not only did they lose people, but they also lost a whole shipload of cargo. Even if they could escape, they would probably be broke. Without someone to hold the family together, the Lin family would definitely have to find someone to rely on.
This would give them a ship, even if it was small in crew, it would still be a complete ship!
Of course, it is unlikely to swallow it up, but before the next helmsman of the Lin family appears, this ship is theirs. As long as they can go out to sea, they will get more profits!
But thinking of this, Li Niu hesitated again: "Even if there are more ships from the Lin family, we can't go out to sea rashly."
The pirates had more than a dozen ships, and they still couldn't escape with just two ships.
The clan leader stroked his beard and said, "They didn't just come looking for our family. The place they arranged to meet wasn't Linjia Village, but in Xiaziwo."
The shrimp nest is located at the foot of a cliff by the sea. The water is deep and the waves are light, making it a good place for boats to anchor. However, the terrain is steep and there are no villages nearby. The nearest one is Yanglin Village where the Sun family lives.
"They also contacted the Sun family? Sun Er is a taciturn person. Do they want to use the Sun family to pressure us?" Li Niu frowned.
Yanglin Village also has a boat. Sun Erlang, the current helmsman, isn't talkative, but he has his own ideas. If the Lin family offers benefits, they might be tempted. But with three boats, perhaps going out to sea would be feasible...
Li Niu was conflicted, but the clan leader had already spoken: "It's precisely because Sun Er is a sensible man that you have to hurry over. Bring some young and strong men with you, and let them see what we can do! Running at sea is different now than it was before. Simply submitting won't help. It depends on who can fight better and hold their own!"
These words touched Li Niu's heart. He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, uncle. I don't have any other skills, but I can still fight and kill."
He was seven feet three inches tall, broad-shouldered and broad-armed, and was a well-known warrior in several nearby villages. Since they were going to fight with their fists, let's see whose fists were harder!
Although the time was insufficient for a full set of training, it was not necessary to do it all, just enough would be enough. Li Niu sent someone back a letter and arranged to meet in five days. Then he trained his men vigorously and selected the ten strongest ones to take to the shrimp nest.
This was the Sun family's territory, and the one who came out to greet them was none other than Sun Erlang. This man was neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, and had an ordinary appearance. He would be hard to find in a crowd, yet he had become the helmsman of this generation of the Sun family, only slightly inferior to their own family.
When the three families met this time, Li Niu naturally regarded him as his rival. As soon as they met, he smiled and said, "Sun Er, I heard that your family didn't send out the boat either? Fortunately, we were alert. If we had sent out the boat earlier, wouldn't we have been in the same situation as the Lin family?"
These words were obviously provocative, but Sun Erlang just said "hmm" and didn't say anything more.
Knowing that this person was quiet, Li Niu did not get angry and continued to hint at him: "Lin Dalang was a good man, but it's a pity that he died young. Now that the Lin family has no one left, they are inviting our two families. I'm afraid it's a bit presumptuous. If the three families go out to sea together, we will definitely have the final say."
This is a test and also a suggestion. If the two families can reach an agreement in advance, the Lin family will have no choice but to obey orders when they arrive.
"Let's talk about it after the person arrives." Sun Erlang only replied, obviously not wanting to talk first.
Judging from the situation, didn’t Sun Er contact the Lin family in advance?
Li Niu rubbed his chin. Could it be that the Lin family was trying to raise the price, investing in whichever company offered the highest price? Humph, he wouldn't let the Lin family succeed. Who would be willing to give up their interests when risking a trip to the sea? Since the Lin family was weak, they should just obey!
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