On October 22nd, Ouyang Shuo returned to Beihai County.
On this trip, Ouyang Shuo didn't have any personal guards by his side. The only person accompanying him was the Chief of Military Affairs, Ge Hongliang.
At the Northsea Port, the Northsea Fleet was ready to set off. All of the Meng Chong battle ships had been modified. Ouyang Shuo took out bags of rations from his interspatial pouch and distributed them to each warship.
The sailors loaded the warship with barrels of fresh water, bundles of arrows, and barrels of Fierce Kerosene.
The sails of the warships were raised one after another, along with the flags of Shanhai County and the Northsea Fleet. The flag of the North Sea Fleet, which was also the flag of the Shanhai County Navy, was replaced by a five-story battleship with a huge blue dragon hovering above it.
Before setting off, Ouyang Shuo led all the officers and soldiers to worship Mazu, praying to Mazu to protect the voyage.
After the sacrificial ceremony, the fleet formed an attack formation and officially set off from the port.
Due to the lack of a main battleship like a fortress ship, the Northsea Fleet didn't have a flagship for the time being. They could only temporarily choose a Meng Chong battleship as the command ship, and it was situated at the center of the fleet.
Accompanied by Pei Donglai, Ouyang Shuo boarded the command ship. Before they departed, Ouyang Shuo had already declared that Pei Dong would be in charge of commanding this battle, and he wouldn't interfere.
The Meng Chong battleship was powered by oars. The side of the ship was equipped with a parapet wall that was half a person's height. There were paddle holes under the two bulwarks, with twelve oars on each side. The sailors rowed on the deck.
Above the deck, there were three levels of cabins. Five feet inside the ship was a canopy, the height of which was as high as the parapet wall. The canopy was surrounded by parapet walls. Banners and ivory flags were planted, and golden drums were placed to command the advance and retreat of attack and defense.
Ouyang Shuo walked up to the deck and climbed to the roof of the cabin on the first floor, arriving at the command seat. Pei Donglai waved the flag, and the drummers received the order to beat the war drums. Amidst the beating of the war drums, the warship rode the wind and broke the waves as it sailed into the sea.
Yue'er Island was about 500 nautical miles away from the North Sea Port, which was equivalent to 925 kilometers. The basic speed of the Meng Chong battleship was 14 knots, or 14 nautical miles per hour; when the wind was strong, it could reach 20 knots.
When a warship sailed on the sea, there was no distinction between day and night. It was just that its speed would be slower at night.
Under normal circumstances, Meng Chong's battleship could sail 300 nautical miles in a day. Therefore, it took less than two days to travel from North Sea Port to Moon Island.
Ouyang Shuo stood at the bow of the ship and gazed into the distance. Apart from seawater, there was only seawater. It was extremely boring. The sea breeze blew in his face, bringing with it a salty and wet smell.
On the deck, the sailors shouted a uniform chant and rowed the oars with all their might.
"Marquis, go back to the cabin and rest!" Pei Donglai said.
Ouyang Shuo nodded, then returned to his room and started cultivating in seclusion.
At night, the sea suddenly blew up. Mazu Temple's [Sea God's Protection] came into play at this time. Meng Chong's warship was as steady as Mount Tai amidst the waves, speeding up towards Moon 'er Island.
Early the next morning, Ouyang Shuo walked out of his room.
An orange-red sun slowly rose from the horizon. The sunlight shone on the surface of the sea, sparkling.
Thanks to the help of the sea breeze last night, the voyage was exceptionally smooth. According to Pei Donglai's estimation, they would be able to reach the vicinity of Moon Island by noon at the latest.
The navy soldiers all got out of bed. After a simple wash, they drank the fresh water they had brought and ate a military ration pill to ensure that they would have enough energy for the day.
While there was still time, the experienced soldiers began to clean their weapons, and the archers began to adjust their bows. The lookout stood at the highest point of the cabin, observing the movements on the surface of the sea.
The Fierce Fire Oil and arrows were moved to the deck, and the soldiers took their positions, ready to fight at any time.
Near noon, a small island in the distance appeared in the vision of the lookout. The lookout did not dare to be negligent. He waved the flag and signaled the drummers to sound the drums.
Pei Donglai's spirit was shaken. He ordered them to form an attack formation and advance at full speed.
When the North Sea Fleet suddenly appeared outside of Moon 'er Island, one could imagine how shocked the Black Shark Pirates were. Fortunately, they did not go out to plunder today, and all of their members were on the island.
When the leader of the Black Shark Pirates, Black Beard, received the report, he immediately ordered his subordinates to assemble and board the ship to face the enemy.
The small Moon 'er Island immediately became chaotic and busy.
When the pirates were not on the move, they were very bored. There were no entertainment facilities on the island, and the only place they could go was the tavern on the island.
The shabby tavern was open 24 hours a day, and there was an endless stream of customers. After yesterday's hangover, some of the pirates directly lay on the damp floor of the tavern and slept soundly.
"Bang!" The door of the tavern was violently kicked open.
The leader of the small group saw the drunkard lying on the ground. Without saying anything, he ordered someone to bring cold water and directly poured it on him. He shouted loudly, "Motherf * cker, get up quickly, enemy attack!"
"Ah ~ ~" The pirate let out a blood-curdling scream. He was still unconscious, and he muttered, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! "
Seeing the other party's behavior, the small group leader was so angry that he ruthlessly kicked him. He shouted in exasperation, "If you're awake, hurry up and leave with me. Don't act like a girl."
The drunkard was kicked in pain, and only then did he wake up. He got up with a grunt and followed behind his captain, walking out of the tavern. As he walked, he did not forget to ask, "Captain, who attacked us?"
"Who cares, just kill him." In fact, the small group leader himself did not know who the enemy was.
"Yes, he dares to have designs on our Black Shark Pirates. He doesn't want to live anymore." The wine gave people courage, and it was not wrong at all.
Such a scene played out everywhere on the island. The small group leaders came out in full force, gathered their subordinates, brought their weapons, and hurriedly gathered at the dock.
At the dock, Blackbeard boarded the command ship and listened to the next report from his subordinates.
"Great Leader, the flag that the enemy raised should be the North Sea County that we have been monitoring."
Blackbeard frowned. "How many warships does the enemy have?"
"Twenty-five, all Mengchong warships." The pirate already had some understanding of the North Sea Fleet.
"They're not friendly!" Blackbeard naturally knew the power of the Mengchong warships.
"Then what should we do?"
"What should we do? Nothing! "Blackbeard's face was filled with killing intent.
"Prepare to meet the enemy. We can't afford to lose this battle. Tell our brothers, if we don't want our nest to be destroyed, then fight to the death! "Blackbeard ordered.
"Yes!"
Under Pei Donglai's command, the warships of the North Sea Fleet all spread out, forming a fan, and rapidly advancing. No matter how the enemy arranged their formation, they would be caught in the crossfire of the fan.
On both sides of the ship, torches were set up.
The archers poured Fierce Flame Oil on the arrows and lit them on the torches, immediately turning them into fire arrows.
Pei Donglai stared at the enemy warships, and when they entered the firing range, he waved the flag with force.
Under his command, the war drums sounded.
A wave of arrow rain soared into the sky, bringing with it bursts of fire, flashing across the clear sky.
The fire arrows accurately landed on the pirate ships, instantly bringing with them bursts of fire.
Blackbeard was shocked, and immediately ordered for the fire to be extinguished.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Wave after wave of fire arrows weaved into a fire net, covering the ship from above. Although the pirate ships were fireproof, they could not withstand the continuous fire arrows.
When the fire arrows hit the sails, the sails immediately burst into flames; when they hit the cabins, the cabins caught fire; when they hit the deck, the deck started to smoke; when they hit the pirates, they could only blame it on their bad luck.
The pirates on fire ran up and down the deck in panic. The surrounding pirates avoided them as if they had seen the plague. In the end, the unlucky ones panicked and jumped into the sea, saving their lives.
One after another, the warships started to catch fire. Thick smoke rose into the sky, it was a spectacular sight.
The pirates were busy putting out the fire, unable to launch a counterattack, and could only speed up their own destruction.
In the midst of the fire, the pirates started to jump into the sea to escape.
Blackbeard, on the other hand, sat on a small dinghy and struggled to row towards the island. The battle on the sea would collapse in an instant. He could only hope to organize a defense line on the island to defend against the enemy.
Pei Donglai knew that although the enemy's warships had been burned, the pirates still had their strength. Most of them were soaking in the sea, trying their best to swim up the island.
Pei Donglai made a prompt decision, and ordered to stop firing fire arrows, and to use ordinary arrows. At the same time, the target of the arrows changed from the warships to the pirates in the sea.
The archers no longer needed to pour oil on the arrows, and their efficiency immediately doubled. An even denser rain of arrows rained down on the area where the pirate ships were.
Because the pirates were soaking in the sea, only half their heads were exposed. The archers had no way to aim, so they simply formed a rain of arrows, launching a large area of destruction. They did not seek to shoot accurately, only to suppress the enemy with firepower.
The arrows streaked across the sky, then fell straight into the sea, shooting into the water with the force of thunder, splashing waves. If the waves turned blood red, it meant that a pirate had been shot.
Being shot in the sea, there was almost no chance of survival for a pirate. Once they were shot, even if they were not shot in a vital spot, they would lose their stamina due to the blood loss, and eventually drown in the sea.
Streaks of blood floated in the nearby sea. Gradually, the streaks of blood began to converge, and the seawater was gradually dyed bright red. The corpses of the pirates floated on the surface of the sea, recounting the endless desolation.
Amidst the soaring flames, the pirate ships let out painful groans as they sank one after another.
The sinking of the pirate ships brought about waves and whirlpools. Some of the pirates who were too close to the ships were unfortunately sucked into the whirlpools, and were dragged into the depths of the sea along with the pirate ships.
As expected, the battle went smoothly. Once again, the Fierce Fire Oil made a great contribution.
When the North Sea Fleet sailed in front of the pirate ships, there were only a few pirate ships that could still float on the surface of the sea. They were all alone, occasionally bringing up a few puffs of thick smoke.
Pei Donglai had rich experience in naval warfare, and ordered the warships not to get too close, lest they be overturned by the whirlpools. He ordered the warships to go around the purgatory on the sea, and continued to advance toward Moon'er Island.
When the Meng Chong warships sailed past this area of the sea, the pirates who were still struggling in the sea actually cried out for help.
"Help ~ ~ ~" The pirates cried out in a pleading voice.
As the great general of Shanhai County, Pei Donglai naturally knew the Marquis's consistent policy. Those who could be captured would not be killed, and those who could be persuaded to surrender would not be given up.
Therefore, he ordered the pirates to be dragged onto the ships with ropes, and then tied up with ropes. (To be continued.)
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