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Doumen Camp is an important checkpoint near the Panyu estuary, so naturally there are artillery batteries there to prevent pirate invasions.
This kind of cannon on the shore is much more powerful than the small cannon weighing hundreds of pounds on the ship. It can hit the invading ship from a distance. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and there are thousands of defenders, so they are not afraid of the enemy at all.
However, today, the situation suddenly changed.
The cannons were still the same, and the fortress was still solid, but there were fewer soldiers and generals in the camp. Wang Ling had withdrawn all his trusted confidants, leaving only a very small number of defenders. Even if they hid behind the artillery positions, they were inevitably thrown into disarray.
The cannons that were originally very intimidating were useless against those grasshopper boats, and the pirates who were fearless and determined to charge forward were even more terrifying.
The last time Panyu was attacked by pirates was three or four years ago. The soldiers were already slack, and now without the commander, the army was on a long expedition. Even if they wanted to hold out, they would be powerless. Even more terrible was the behavior of the Qingfeng Gang.
"My Qingfeng Gang is the most benevolent and righteous. You are just trying to make a living. If you put down your weapons, we will not pursue you or kill you. Why don't you save your own lives?"
Countless people shouted similar words of persuasion. If it were any other gang, few would have believed them. However, the Qingfeng Gang had a precedent. When they encountered government troops, they simply took their weapons and fodder, and fled without intentionally harming anyone. Therefore, even General Qiu hadn't made an effort to suppress them. Now that they were being offered a way out, why would they still insist on holding out?
After only half an hour of assault, the Doumen artillery battery could no longer hold out, and once the battery was lost, the camp would be like a lamb to be slaughtered.
The members of the Qingfeng Gang who swarmed over began to happily carry the spoils, and some even set their sights on the heavy bronze cannons.
As for those deserters, no one really paid any attention to them. With money and food right in front of them, who would be willing to waste time and effort killing people?
"Boss, we have a great harvest this time!" Although some people died and some ships sank, it was nothing compared to the spoils of war.
Facing his subordinates' excited calls, Shen Feng smiled: "This is the first one. Hurry up and move the goods. We will try our luck somewhere else."
This time, in order to suppress the Red Flag Gang, the government troops have emptied many coastal garrisons of manpower. Now there are no boats or men, which is a perfect opportunity for them to rob. With Gang Leader Cheng here to lure the enemy, they need to quickly make a few more raids.
This sudden attack really made many people lose their composure. Panyu had not suffered from banditry for many years. Now a bunch of pirates had even captured the Doumen artillery batteries. Wouldn't it be a piece of cake for them to march straight into the city and capture it?
Lives were at stake, and there was no reason not to be anxious. Urgent reports were sent one after another, and fast ships sped out, hoping to summon reinforcements. However, Wang Ling was still stranded between the two islands, undecided.
"The enemy is cunning. They won't show up unless we besiege or even capture Luoling Island. Their secretive movements are a real threat to our army." Wang Ling paused and looked at the people in front of him. "What are your thoughts?"
A group of lieutenant generals and captains looked at each other in bewilderment. They were all obedient, which was why they were kept by the Marshal's side. If they swore against it now, wouldn't they be hated?
Seeing that no one was willing to answer, Wang Ling's expression turned unhappy. In order to eliminate dissidents, he had indeed kicked out many people, but he also left himself without even a single person who could offer advice.
After a long silence, Wang Ling breathed a sigh of relief: "The enemy has few soldiers, and our army has many. Only a head-on battle can determine the outcome."
Hearing this, everyone fell silent. They had already lost a third of their forces. If they were on land, the entire army would have mutinied and fled, leaving them with no chance of fighting. Currently, they were relying on being at sea, deep in enemy territory, to barely maintain morale. Besides, they had the advantage in a direct engagement, but would the enemy give them that advantage?
Someone couldn't hold it in any longer and whispered, "The commander-in-chief's words make sense, but the enemy is cunning. We don't know what trap they've set on Luoling Island. If we want to attack the island, we need to make careful plans..."
This was nonsense, which made Wang Ling frown. He wanted to scold him, but he held his words back. At this moment, morale was low, and he couldn't act rashly and cause trouble.
However, he had to fight. If he failed to achieve any success and lost so many soldiers, he would have no explanation when he returned.
But having said that, Wang Ling became restless again when he thought of Xu Xianrong's previous crazy words.
Could it be that the Qingfeng Gang would actually cooperate with the Red Flag Gang? That shouldn't be the case! Qiu Sheng had treated Shen Feng like a dog and expelled her back then, so how could she still obey Qiu Sheng's daughter? And his intelligence couldn't be wrong. The Qingfeng Gang had indeed lost three leaders and nearly clashed with the Red Flag Gang. Could such a deep hatred be easily resolved?
Unless there was something that could make Shen Feng put aside his grudges and take the risk to help... Ah! Wang Ling suddenly thought of something. Shen Feng was a playboy with a bad reputation. What if the leader of the Red Flag Gang used Miss Qiu as bait?
When Wang Ling thought of this, sweat broke out on his back and he felt anxious.
However, he couldn't swallow back what he had just said. After swallowing dryly, Wang Ling said, "Our detachment has just been defeated. We shouldn't tire out the troops tonight. Let's regroup and rest first. It won't be too late to set out tomorrow."
The messenger he sent out should be able to bring back news by the day after tomorrow at the latest, so it is better to delay and not act rashly.
Wang Ling's idea was beautiful, which was a very conventional approach. However, things changed after nightfall.
It was clearly a quiet sea, but singing could be heard from all directions.
Wang Ling walked out of the house with a sullen face, staring at the dark sea and asked in a cold voice, "What's that sound?"
The subordinate's voice trembled a little: "It seems to be a fisherman's song by the sea..."
With just this one sentence, Wang Ling knew what the enemy's treacherous plan was. Even within his fleet, there were many officers and soldiers who were originally fishermen. Playing fishing songs in the middle of the night was simply to disrupt people's morale, wasn't it?
"Send people to drive away the enemy ships from all directions. Don't let them go too far, and don't fire artillery easily." Wang Ling gave the order immediately.
It was pitch black in the middle of the night, with no stars or moon. If we walked too far, it would be terrible if we were ambushed and swallowed by the enemy.
There was no need to think about firing cannons to drive them away. The sound of cannons at night might frighten the soldiers and cause them to mutiny.
Such vicious tricks are like a thorn in the flesh, making people unable to find peace.
After a night of exhaustion, both chasing away the enemy and guarding against sneak attacks, Wang Ling's mood soured. If it hadn't been for the recent hurricane, he would have suspected he was about to be hit by a storm.
However, the bad luck did not end there. Soon a speedboat with a message arrived in a hurry. The messenger who came was not the messenger he sent, but the troops who had been left on the islands along the way to suppress bandits. The news they brought was also very bad. It was said that there were signs of pirate ships near Panyu.
Could it be that the Qingfeng Gang is really going to launch a surprise attack on the military camp on the shore?
Wang Ling felt incredibly bad, a situation not dissimilar to the weather. Finally, he gave the order: "Since the enemy is on Wuyuan Island, why not return to Wuyuan Island and lure out their main force?"
This sounds nice, but everyone below knows it's just an excuse.
This is equivalent to returning home. Once news comes from the camp, we can rush back to provide support as soon as possible.
Of course, there's a chance we'll actually encounter enemy obstruction, and then it'll inevitably be a fierce battle, with no telling who will win...
After a night of tortured flute music, no one was sure of victory, but the coach's determination was ultimately a good thing. Without objection, everyone quickly packed up and began to return.
In the dark cabin, Xu Xianrong huddled in a corner with his hands behind his back.
He could vaguely hear the fisherman's song from last night, and even the suppressed cries of the soldiers in the cabin. They clearly had the upper hand, the army was in their grasp, but to see it end up like this was enough to make one lose all hope.
However, Xu Xianrong was filled with regret. If he had discovered the enemy's trick sooner, if he had withdrawn his troops sooner and joined the main army, if his advice had been more insightful, could today's tragedy have been avoided? However, no matter how annoyed or angry he was, Xu Xianrong did not miss any noise outside the house.
This battle is far from over. Once bad news comes from the camp, or Wang Ling is frustrated again and unable to fight the enemy, he will have the opportunity to continue leading the troops. This is no longer a question of clearing his own name, but the lives of thousands of soldiers. He must bring them back!
No one took the determination in this dark corner seriously.
After the rain stopped, a thin mist floated on the sea. The army sailed more carefully. Preventing a run-on reef was secondary. This kind of weather was an excellent opportunity for sneak attacks and ambushes.
After walking in this fearful manner for more than half an hour, they saw that Wuyuan Island was just around the corner when they suddenly heard the rumbling sound of cannons in the fog ahead.
"Be alert! There is a battle ahead, be prepared for enemy attacks!" Countless generals, both big and small, shouted loudly. Even Wang Ling stood at the bow of the ship, looking nervously ahead.
It was indeed the sound of fighting, but who was fighting? Could reinforcements have arrived?
Just as he was thinking about this, a fleet of ships broke through the mist and came towards the army. They were official ships! A dozen official ships, covered in smoke and in tatters!
"Don't let them get close! Fire to stop them and send someone to signal with flags!" Wang Ling shouted.
At this time, even if he was one of their own, they couldn't let him charge straight into the main camp and disrupt the army's formation. Unexpectedly, before they could make any move, they discovered that the remaining soldiers of their own army had become excited first, and the flags on the leading ship were flying, immediately revealing their identity.
It was a team that was previously sent out to suppress bandits. They were suddenly attacked and had pursuers behind them!
It turned out the pirates had disappeared to clear out the stragglers, and it was by sheer chance that they had stumbled upon them. Soon, another large group of pirate ships emerged from the fog. Seeing the size of their force, Wang Ling immediately ordered, "Send the remaining troops around to the right flank and stay far away. We're going to take down this group of pirates!"
There are really not many enemy ships in front of us. I'm afraid it's just an accidental encounter. We can't let go of this piece of fat meat that is right in front of us. We must swallow it!
Such an obvious advantage excited all the officers and soldiers. If they couldn't get a big victory, how could they let go of a small one? The enemy troops on the opposite side also discovered them and were obviously hesitant. Seeing that they wanted to run, the government troops gathered their strength and the drums of charge rumbled again.
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