The weather in Jinzhou today was not good.
Light rain continued to fall, and the entire sea area was gradually enveloped in gloom, with visibility much lower than expected.
“Master, as you predicted, General Chen is desperate. He actually sent an old Mengchong to prevent us from entering the Jinzhou port.”
On the Dayi warship, a middle-aged man in armor walked up to a man in general’s attire and said.
“Ah Jian, have you observed the situation ahead?” The man in general’s attire asked, looking at the gradually rising mist.
Ah Jian cupped his hands and said, “Master, your subordinate has observed clearly. That dilapidated Mengchong has only a few dozen people on board. As expected, the young lord did not leave General Chen with many troops to pursue the Beichuan Gang and save the people of Xiaoyu Island.”
The man in general’s attire shook his head and said, “No… not necessarily. Perhaps he did leave some, but Deputy General Chen has deployed all his forces to the western sea. He never expected that this deputy general would attack from the east with an elite force. He is at his wits’ end, so he is using a broken ship to resist.”
“Yes, Master is wise. You and Deputy General Chen have been rivals for so many years, and this time you have finally won.” Ah Jian seized the opportunity to flatter him.
The man in general’s attire turned around, and Deputy General Hou’s face, which held a half-smile, looked at Ah Jian like this.
Ah Jian was startled, thinking he had said something wrong. Just as he was about to apologize, Deputy General Hou burst into laughter and clapped Ah Jian on the shoulder, saying, “Good, I like hearing this! Hahaha!”
Ah Jian nodded and quickly forced a smile.
“Report!”
A man in fine armor ran from not far away. Upon seeing Deputy General Hou, he knelt and said, “Bad news, General. The enemy’s ship suddenly has many more people.”
“What?” Deputy General Hou was startled, and he rushed out of the deck towards the watchtower.
After a while, he opened his palm, and Ah Jian, who was standing beside him, handed him a repeating crossbow.
Deputy General Hou narrowed his eyes and shot at the figures on the Zhongli ship.
“Hmph! Trying to trick me?” Deputy General Hou sneered as he watched the figures hit by the crossbow remain motionless. “Using straw figures to impersonate living people? I don’t know which ignorant brat is leading these troops! Hahaha!”
Ah Jian followed the direction of Deputy General Hou’s crossbow and saw that the figures on the Mengchong were indeed not moving in response to the flying weapons. He also echoed, “Master is wise. How can those insignificant scumbags be your opponents! Their distance is just right for a hammer blow. How about…”
“No!” Deputy General Hou shook his head, handed the repeating crossbow back to Ah Jian, drew the long saber at his waist, and said with a cunning smile, “Pass my order: build ladders and board the enemy ship. A dozen people, I want them alive! I will cut off their heads and use them as wine cups in front of Deputy General Chen!”
“Yes!”
As soon as Deputy General Hou finished speaking, the nearly two hundred elite guards who were already assembled on the deck all drew their weapons. As the Zhongli ship approached them, they set up long ladders and threw grappling hooks towards the Mengchong.
At the same time.
Zhongli appeared on the outer wall of the Mengchong’s hull, suspended from the ship by a rope. She watched the enemy soldiers who had already boarded the Mengchong, drew the dissecting knife from her waist with one hand, and cut the rope she was holding with force. At the same time, she plunged into the sea. A small boat rowed by Ah Wu appeared and smoothly picked her up.
“Temple Official Zhong!” Ah Wu said, cupping his hands as he saw her steady herself. “Our eighteen people have been divided into four small teams and have reached the surroundings of the Dayi warship, waiting for your command.”
“Good!” Zhongli nodded, looking at most of the elite soldiers on the Dayi warship who had entered the Mengchong. She said, “According to the plan, attack!”
“Yes!” As Ah Wu responded, he placed his hand to his mouth and let out a long, two-short bird call. At the same time, the surroundings of the Dayi warship were quietly hooked by flying tiger claws, and everyone led by Ah Wu climbed towards the Dayi warship.
In just a moment, the hundred elite soldiers on the Mengchong searched the entire ship but found no one. Realizing they had been tricked, they quickly fled back the way they came towards their own warship.
At the same time, a rocket flew from somewhere and targeted the straw figures on the ship. With a deafening roar, all the straw figures were ignited. The entire Mengchong erupted with the sound of firecrackers, scaring many elite guards who were halfway back into falling into the sea.
Screams, shouts, running, and the clashing of swords and sabers mixed together. The Mengchong was engulfed in flames, and the fierce fire made the already misty weather even more obscured.
“Bastards! Come back! Don’t panic!” Ah Jian stood on the deck of the Dayi warship, watching his elite guards in the water fall like dumplings in a pathetic state. He grabbed the horn at his waist, preparing to reassemble the troops.
“I don’t think you’ll have the chance!”
A voice sounded from behind Ah Jian.
Ah Jian was startled and before he could turn around, a dissecting knife was pressed against his neck. Blood stained the horn in his hand, and he fell straight onto the deck without even a sound. His hot blood flowed along the deck into the sea.
“Temple Official Zhong!” Ah Wu, following behind Zhongli, also rushed up. He saw the warm but closed-eyed person on the ground and asked with concern, “Are you injured, my lady?”
Zhongli shook her head, watching as many elite soldiers climbed the grappling hooks back onto the Dayi warship. She quickly said, “We don’t have many people, and their skills are not inferior to ours. Quickly change strategy to defense, cut all the ladders and grappling hooks connected to the Mengchong! Hurry!”
Hearing this, Ah Wu changed his bird call again, and everyone changed their strategy.
At the same time, the remaining elite guards on the Dayi warship who had not boarded the Mengchong attacked from the bottom of the ship and engaged in a struggle with the dozens of new recruits in Zhongli’s command.
“Ah Wu!” Zhongli said quickly as the situation changed again, “You have some combat experience, go down and help.”
“What about you?” Ah Wu was stunned and asked.
Zhongli raised her eyes and looked at a strong man with a sharp saber standing on the watchtower. “To catch the king, you must first catch the leader. These guards can return so quickly because of the man wearing the deputy general’s armor. You don’t need to fight desperately, just hold the entrance to this level and the upper deck. Leave the rest to me.”
Saying that, she gripped the dissecting knife in her hand and ran towards the watchtower in three steps.
Ah Wu frowned, looking at the woman who had already run far away. He gritted his teeth and said, “Temple Official Zhong, take care!”
Then, Ah Wu gripped his weapon and roared at the remaining new recruits, “Everyone, guard the entrance to the watchtower!”
This was Zhongli’s first time confronting a military officer head-on.
She remembered that when she was young and followed Gai Chen, he often taught her close combat techniques in his spare time. As for the Qinggong skills on Lu Wuxie, he said that girls only needed to protect themselves when encountering danger and subdue enemies quickly. As for anything else… practicing Qinggong was too tiring and too hard, and Li’er did not need it.
Now, Gai Chen’s kind face reappeared in her mind. Zhongli smiled faintly, secretly vowing that she would definitely return alive and investigate the true cause of her adoptive father’s death.