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“We are not here to cause destruction. The purpose of occupying the Sanmyo Kingdom this time is to turn it into our maritime supply base and to provide food for the state. We didn’t gain much in Yangzhou this time.”
Yue Yun said thoughtfully.
Liu Chen nodded, “So, we’re landing with small boats?”
Yue Yun nodded in response.
“Lower the small boats, prepare to attack.” After confirming the order, Liu Chen gave the command.
Upon hearing this, the marines rushed out from the ship cabins. Liu Chen then ordered the flag signaler to relay the command to the other warships. Soon, over 3,000 musketeers gathered on the deck and took the small boats that were being lowered towards the dock.
At this moment, sweat poured down Hu Hai’s face on the dock. The numerous transport ships on the sea told him that Great Yu was serious this time. He glanced around the dock; he only had 2,000 men on the dock, and this was the entire military force of the Sanmyo Kingdom. Moreover, most of these soldiers did not even have matchlock guns, using only swords and sabers.
However, every Great Yu soldier arriving by boat carried a musket with a bayonet.
Yue Yun constantly monitored the movements on the dock. His words with Liu Chen were merely a jest. If a truly dangerous situation arose, he would not hesitate to destroy the dock to ensure the safety of the marine soldiers.
It was not easy for him to train these soldiers. To compete with Niu Ben for equipment, the two almost came to blows in Qingzhou.
Currently, the army’s equipment was very scarce, and neither wanted to yield to the other.
At this time, Liu Chen also prepared to land with the marines. After landing this time, they would completely occupy the main island of the Sanmyo Kingdom.
“Always await my command,” Liu Chen instructed the soldiers on the same boat.
In Qingzhou, every general charged at the forefront during battles, and Liu Chen naturally inherited this tradition this time.
With rippling waves, the fleet quickly reached the dock. Liu Chen was the first to jump onto the wooden dock.
At this moment, the soldiers on the dock, holding their guns, rushed over. Some soldiers directly pointed their guns at them. One soldier asked, “Who are you? What is your purpose here?”
Liu Chen scanned his surroundings. Among these soldiers, only about a hundred had matchlock guns. He calmly said, “We are Prince Qi’s fleet, dispatched by Prince Qi to drive out the Japanese pirates for the King of Sanmyo .”
“Prince Qi? What is Prince Qi? Only our General Hu calls the shots here! The General said that if you are just temporarily docking, leave after you rest. If you have malicious intentions, don’t blame us for being impolite!” the soldier shouted.
These soldiers had also followed Hu Hai in plundering at sea, so they were very bold.
Liu Chen had a straightforward personality. Their purpose was to take down the Sanmyo Kingdom anyway, and war was inevitable regardless of whether the Sanmyo Kingdom’s soldiers were friendly. He sneered, “That’s not for you to decide.”
“Not for us to decide? Then for you to decide?” the soldier said disdainfully.
Liu Chen looked behind him. At this moment, only he had landed, with merely fifty men on one boat.
However, he showed no fear. The characteristic of the marines was their bravery. He directly drew the long saber from his waist and stabbed it into the soldier’s chest. “Murder! Brothers, charge! Kill them!”
Liu Chen snorted coldly, then shouted, “Fire!”
“Bang, bang, bang…”
The musketeers behind Liu Chen pulled their triggers, white smoke billowed from the muzzles, and a dozen or so charging soldiers immediately fell. However, at the same time, more and more soldiers swarmed from the dock.
Liu Chen was unhurried. He needed to open up the dock battlefield, so he shouted, “Hold the line, await reinforcements.”
“Yes, Captain.” Receiving the order, the soldiers quickly formed ranks on the dock and continued firing. Simultaneously, the second and third boats docked, and soldiers rushed onto the dock.
With more men, the marines’ firepower intensified, and the charging soldiers fell one after another.
“When did Great Yu Empire’s army become so formidable!” Hidden in a warehouse outside the dock, Hu Hai’s heart felt as cold as winter as he watched his soldiers continuously fall.
Under the gunfire of Great Yu Empire soldiers, the Sanmyo Kingdom’s soldiers were utterly vulnerable. At this moment, he couldn’t help but turn pale with fright, having never fought such a war.
“Retreat!”
A trembling word escaped Hu Hai’s mouth. Now, he finally realized that he simply could not defeat this group of soldiers.
However, he still had his naval warships. While fleeing, he ordered his subordinates to light bonfires on the dock. He could abandon this island, but he wanted Great Yu Empire’s warships.
As long as he could get one, Hu Hai would be able to run rampant on the seas.
The signal fires on the island caught Yue Yun’s attention. This unusual action made him wary. He believed this was definitely not an accidental event.
Sure enough, shortly after, Yue Yun saw through his telescope that 300 ships were gathered in the western sea area, with many armed soldiers on board.
“This is getting interesting now.” Yue Yun looked at these 300 warships. The enemy’s warship numbers had an advantage, but he was not worried. Naval warfare was not just about having more people.
“General, should we open fire? These warships are about to enter firing range,” the second mate said at this time.
Putting down his telescope, Yue Yun shook his head, “Don’t rush. Let them get a little closer before firing. These ships are very small and can’t withstand the bombardment of grapeshot. Have all gunners switch to grapeshot. I will teach them what naval warfare is.”
“Yes, General.” The second mate turned and went down into the ship’s cabin.
With the wind, Hu Hai’s ships approached very quickly. In just half an hour, over 300 pirate ships were within 500 meters of the fleet.
On the warship, the flag signaler continuously sent signals. The gunners on all ten warships were in position. On the outer side, the gunports of the galleons were opened one by one, and all cannons were pushed out, aiming their muzzles at the Sanmyo Kingdom’s naval warships.
When black smoke rose from the dock, Murayama Akimitsu ordered his fleet to advance. He was the Japanese man who was with Hu Hai. As the fleet approached the Qingzhou fleet, Murayama Akimitsu became increasingly uneasy. His battlefield intuition made him feel something unusual. Any fleet facing hundreds of pirate ships would either flee, or defensive soldiers would pour out onto the ships. However, these dozen or so warships showed no movement at all. Instead, many square openings suddenly appeared on their sides, with black tubular objects extending out, while the ship’s deck remained calm, as if they didn’t care at all.
But despite this, the smoke rising from the dock was already conveying Hu Hai’s order: seize these warships.
“Kill…” The massive warships were right in front of them, and the soldiers raised their weapons and shouted. And at that moment, deafening sounds echoed through the sky. Murayama Akimitsu only saw countless flashes of fire light up opposite them, followed by black spherical objects flying over like lightning.