After taking care of the unknown young officer in front of him, Zhang Heng did not feel relieved. Soon, two more people rushed towards him. He only had time to catch his breath before he plunged into battle again.
The pirates' first wave of attack was fierce. They followed the fleeing British sailors and rushed onto the Scarborough, rendering the ship's 90 cannons useless. But soon, they were caught in a tough battle.
There were almost 700 people on the Scarborough, and the pirates did not even have 200. Under such a huge disadvantage in numbers, even a cook like Marvin had to join in the battle.
The latter held a boarding axe in his hand and charged with the main force while trembling. However, he regretted it halfway. The bullets flying in the air, the smoke that filled the air, the screams that echoed in his ears, and the corpses and flowing blood on the ground were all torturing his nerves.
The farmer's son wanted to turn around and run, but he was surrounded by people. His brain stopped working out of fear, and by the time he regained his senses, he was already standing on the deck of the Scarborough. As soon as he got on board, the pirates around him scattered, each looking for their own prey. The next moment, something grabbed his calf. Marvin looked down and saw a British sailor with only half his face left. The other half of his face had been sliced off by something, revealing the muscles and bones underneath.
The farmer's son screamed in pain and fell to the ground on his butt. The boarding axe in his hand fell to the side. He almost scrambled to get rid of the hand. There was only one thought left in his mind, and that was to escape from this purgatory. However, he was surrounded by slaughter.
Less than five steps away from him, a pirate had been shot at least six times, but he refused to fall. With bloodshot eyes, he waved the sword in his hand until he was stabbed in the abdomen. His intestines spilled all over the floor. On the other side, a musketeer who was trying to reload was chopped off by an axe. He rolled on the floor in pain.
Marvin didn't dare to watch any longer. He lowered his head and crawled forward, but before he could take more than a few steps, a hand grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. It was a tall, muscular sailor. Judging from the bloodstains on his body, he must have had a good day. He grinned at the farmer's son, who was kicking his short legs with all his might.
He aimed the saber in his hand at the latter's back and was about to stab it into the latter's heart. But the next moment, a stream of blood burst out of his forehead. His tower-like body swayed and finally fell to the ground, motionless.
He had just finished off the two opponents, and when he turned around, he saw that Marvin was in danger. So, he stepped in to save the latter. However, he did not stay there for too long and quickly moved to the other side.
The pirates had the absolute upper hand in the first round of hand-to-hand combat. The flintlock team did not have much of an effect before they were chopped down by the enemies in front of them. Especially the recruits, their performance was especially bad. They did not last long before they began to flee, and even the formation behind them was disrupted.
Naturally, the pirates would not let go of this opportunity. They rushed in and slashed at the enemy again. In just five to six minutes, the British army had suffered at least a hundred casualties. But Zhang Heng knew that this was just a facade. With the Scarborough's advantage in numbers, as long as they could hold their ground, it was only a matter of time before the pirates were defeated.
Therefore, there was only one way to win this difficult battle, and that was to kill the commander of the ship.
The morale of the sailors, especially the newbies, was extremely unstable. Without a commander, they would easily collapse in the face of heavy casualties.
The man with the black beard had the same idea as Zhang Heng. He was also the pirate that the British army was most afraid of. He was often seen fighting alone, jumping into the crowd and killing. Blood flowed everywhere he went, and it was as if he would never feel tired. In the end, before he could even make a move, the British army on the opposite side had already fallen into chaos. Many of them were shocked by his violent aura, dropping their weapons and running away.
Both of them had their eyes on Elmer, who was not far away. The latter was still urging his men to retrieve his saber. Now that he saw that the situation was not in his favor, he no longer wanted to fight. Instead, he started to look around, wanting to give up one deck and retreat to the next.
But it was a little embarrassing to say it out loud. He had not made up his mind yet.
The first mate had been partners with him for a long time. Of course, he knew what the other party was thinking. Elmer hoped that he would take the initiative and then reluctantly agree. To be honest, he was also shocked by the pirates' combat power. But he was a veteran of the navy, after all. He had participated in the Battle of Vigo Bay and fought against the French fleet. He would not be scared to death by a group of fierce pirates.
In his opinion, although the current situation was not in their favor, it was not dangerous. He had already sent men down to deploy more men. As long as they could hold on for a little longer, the situation would gradually turn around. On the contrary, if they lost a deck now, it would not be so easy to get it back.
So, he chose to remain silent.
Elmer was anxious. Seeing that the pirates were rushing towards them, he could no longer care about his pride. "I have to admit, we have underestimated the barbarians this time. Now that we have suffered heavy casualties, we can't go on like this. Does anyone have any good ideas?"
As he spoke, he looked at the first mate. The latter smiled bitterly in his heart, but since the captain had spoken, he could not continue to remain silent.
Although Lord Elmer in front of him did not have much to offer and was extravagant, he came from a prestigious family, had good connections and resources, and rose through the ranks rapidly in the navy. What's more, his wife was said to have a close relationship with many big shots in White Hall. Offending him was probably no better than being killed by the pirates.
The first mate thought for a moment and could only come up with a compromise. "The situation is not good. We need more men. It's best if someone can organize below..."
Before he could finish, Elmer nodded and said, "You're right. Let's not delay any longer. I'll go down now. Hold on, I'll bring people back soon."
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