Chapter 132
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After receiving news of the death of The Great Heng Emperor, Fusang immediately dispatched warships and navy forces to invade Great Heng’s coastal areas from three directions, making a desperate attempt against Great Heng.
Fusang’s attacking fleet consisted of ten large ships and twenty small boats, advancing towards the coast of Fujian in the dark of night.
On the Great Heng side, there were thirty large ships and fifty medium and small warships, with tens of thousands of soldiers from the Fujian Navy blowing horns and beating drums to meet the enemy.
The five small boats sent by Fusang to scout the enemy’s information were startled to find continuous Great Heng ships on the horizon. Despite the darkness of the night hindering their vision, they could still see the unbroken line of Great Heng vessels. The disparity in strength between the two sides was too great. Fusang’s scouting fleet, seeing rows of soldiers holding torches on the warships, turned their boats around and fled.
The sea was rough, with gusts of west wind blowing, propelling Fusang’s army and allowing their ships to quickly reach Great Heng’s sea surface. But when Fusang’s reconnaissance fleet wanted to escape against the wind, it became much more difficult. Every move they made was seen by the Great Heng soldiers holding torches on the warships.
Loud shouts resounded, and the centurions on the ships were excited. The catapults on the ships were adjusted, and in the pitch-black night, soldiers frantically turned the ship’s rudders.
The five small Fusang warships were soon surrounded by Great Heng’s ships, and the general on board shouted furiously, “Change course! Change course! Find a way to escape the encirclement!”
Sweat poured down the faces of the Fusang soldiers as they turned the ship’s rudder, and the general’s eyes turned bloodshot. Just as he was about to erupt in anger again, a sound tore through the air from above, and the general looked up, his mind blank.
A huge rock tore through the sky, growing larger and larger from the dark night sky until it fiercely smashed onto the Fusang warship.
The sea was churned up violently.
The Great Heng Navy hadn’t engaged in battle for a long time. They surrounded the enemy’s five small boats with seven or eight ships equipped with catapults. The soldiers on board launched heavy stones weighing hundreds of catties, mercilessly hitting the targets.
The wooden boats were completely pierced through, with wood chips floating on the sea, being pressed down and floating up again by the people falling into the sea one after another. The cries and wails of the hundreds of soldiers on board rose, some were directly crushed into meat paste by the huge stones, and some were swept into the deep sea, turning the dark-colored seawater red. People on the warships were in a daze, crying out, but wave after wave, huge stones came from all directions, completely smashing these small warships into pieces.
More and more soldiers jumped off the warships, but the deep sea was already dangerous, especially at night. The navy boarded small boats to fight the Fusang soldiers who fell into the sea, their faces fierce, and their actions ruthless.
Ambitious! Ruthless!
All the deputy generals and generals had already gathered on a nearby turret ship. They looked at the Fusang navy not far away. Fusang also noticed the change here, and their ships were heading in this direction.
Lin Zhicheng, the general of the Fujian Navy, was so excited that he couldn’t speak. He made a prompt decision, “Deputy General Zhou, you lead a fleet to flank from the left, take five large ships and ten small ships with you and go ahead.”
Deputy General Zhou was shocked, and he replied loudly, “Yes, I obey the order!”
He straightened his back and cleared his throat, his blood boiling in his heart. Each step he took resounded, and he felt eager to achieve merits.
There were a total of five deputy generals on the deck, and when one of them left, the remaining four hurriedly looked at the general attentively. The eagerness and anticipation in their eyes were brighter than the torches in the soldiers’ hands.
Lin Zhicheng did not disappoint their hopes, “Deputy General Liu, take the ironclad ship to the forefront. I want you to be the vanguard. Are you willing?”
Deputy General Liu was so excited that the flesh on his face quivered. He pounded his chest forcefully and exclaimed, “What’s there to be afraid of? I accept the order!”
Hundreds of soldiers on the tower ship turned to look, their eyes shining with excitement. The Fujian Navy had been driving away pirates for a long time without engaging in real combat. Their hearts surged with eagerness as they watched their comrades follow Deputy Generals Zhou and Liu, filled with envy.
They, too, wanted to earn military merit and fight for Great Heng against these ambitious and ruthless enemies. After learning that these enemies dared to traffic drugs in Great Heng and witnessing the tragic state of those addicted to opium along the coast, the Fujian Navy finally understood the sentiment behind Yue Fei’s words about the fervent desire to feast on the flesh of invaders and drink their blood with a smile.
Too hateful!
They hated so much that they wanted to fight the Fusang people recklessly! They wanted to bite off their flesh and drink their blood!
Lin Zhicheng looked at the soldiers on the ship burning with fiery eyes and rapidly deployed.
“Deputy General Wu, you also take five large ships and ten small ships to encircle from the right.”
“I obey the order!”
“Deputy Generals Zhao and Cheng, I want you to take the traction ships and follow the ironclad ship to crush the enemy’s large ships. Turn the winches and boldly destroy the enemy’s ships!”
Deputy General Chen hurriedly asked, “General, what about me?”
“You stay here and command with me,” Lin Zhicheng said, “We need to command the turret ships to bombard them!”
Deputy General Chen wilted, forcing himself to perk up, “I obey the order!”
Everyone sprang into action. When the Fusang army entered the range of the Great Heng soldiers, they were greeted by giant rocks falling from the sky.
Fusang’s navy was thrown into chaos for a moment but quickly retaliated. They also had catapults, but Great Heng’s catapults were the latest improved artillery from the Engineering Department, with not only a longer range but also more precision.
As rocks rained down, Fusang’s navy, still far away, could only panic at the first wave. After two waves of rocks, Lin Zhicheng ordered the bombardment to stop. Standing on the highest deck of the turret ship, he shouted, “All troops, attack!!!”
“All troops, attack!”
The command echoed, with Deputy General Liu at the forefront, wielding a large blade on the ironclad ship. His face flushed red, veins bulging in his neck as he shouted, “Open up a path for me!”
The sailors on the deck exerted themselves, rowing relentlessly forward without hesitation.
The massive and sturdy ironclad ship, against the wind, rammed into the enemy. The wind was not in favor of Great Heng at the moment, so the sailors on the ironclad ship gritted their teeth, wielding their oars with all their might, increasing their effort, and increasing it again! They wanted to smash the enemy’s ships in one fell swoop!
They rowed until their arms ached, but they dared not slow down. Deputy General Liu also clenched his teeth, rallying his men, “Those d*mn dogs dare to smuggle drugs into our Great Heng! The general has taken you to see the scene of those coastal people suffering from drug addiction. They suffer greatly! Put in more effort! The food and meat given to us by His Majesty are for us to win! We have to open a path for our brothers behind us!”
The sailors labored, sweat dripping into their eyes, causing pain, but they dared not spare a hand to wipe them.
Faster! Faster! Their ironclad ship had to open a path for the ships behind them!
Deputy Generals Zhao and Cheng, leading the traction ships, were also anxious. Deputy General Zhao’s face grew solemn, “No! All the sailors on our ship must support the ironclad ship. It needs to be fast enough to exert its power.”
Deputy General Cheng nodded solemnly, “You go with your men, I’ll bring up the rear. Don’t worry!”
Deputy General Zhao turned to leave in a hurry, but suddenly, his hair, blown by the strong west wind, slowly stopped fluttering.
Deputy General Zhao was astonished. He turned abruptly to look at Deputy General Cheng, who was trembling, also staring at him in shock.
The hair fluttered again in the sea breeze.
The east wind was coming.
The east wind was coming!
Deputy General Liu widened his eyes, almost tearing his throat as he shouted, “Hoist the sails! Hoist them up for Laozi!!!”
The agile sailors climbed up the masts, untied the ropes, and with a snap, the huge sails unfurled.
The increasingly fierce east wind inflated the canvas into a giant drum. The ironclad ship became faster and faster, until it finally crashed into the enemy’s ships with a loud bang.
They opened up several paths for the traction ships, which were like behemoths, to crush the enemy ships!
The terrifying winches turned, and the massive turret ships followed, gradually forcing the enemy backward with the help of the east wind. Blood, severed limbs, broken masts, and shattered wooden ships littered the deep sea, cries and fierce combat sounds incessant.
Finally, the sky began to lighten.
The Fusang people retreated, preparing to escape. All the deputy generals gathered on the turret ship, each one full of vigor and spirit, their eyes red from a night of battle.
“General, shall we pursue?”
Pursue?
They didn’t know if there would be reinforcements where the Fusang navy fled, or whether the navy from Guangnan Dong and Liangzhe would have defeated the Fusang forces they were dealing with. Should they go support Guangnan Dong and Liangzhe, or should they seize the opportunity to pursue?
Lin Zhicheng glanced at the deputy generals.
Each deputy general’s face was filled with ambition and aspiration, their eyes still burning with desire for victory.
Lin Zhicheng felt his blood boiling in his veins, his chest pulsating along with his temples. “Pursue!”
Great Heng’s galleons skimmed the surface of the sea like sea swallows, hoisting their sails in the east wind and rapidly approaching the Fusang navy.
The Fusang people shouted words that the Great Heng people couldn’t understand, not knowing whether they were cursing or begging for mercy. On the command ship of Fusang, the Fusang general grabbed the collars of several Great Heng people, roaring, “Didn’t you say Lin Zhicheng was useless? Didn’t the Fujian Navy fall?!”
These Great Heng people were the pirate accomplices who had turned against Lin Zhicheng after the government cracked down on piracy. Lin Zhicheng accepted the government’s amnesty, while they fled to Fusang.
The pirates being questioned pushed the general away angrily, saying, “Who could have known that the current emperor would reappoint Lin Zhicheng! You better show some respect to us. We are guests of Fusang. Without us, how could you have discovered the flowers at the mouth of the southeast!”
While fleeing to Fusang, these pirates discovered a peculiar flower in Southeast Asia. They brought these flowers to Fusang as gifts for their status as guests. These flowers later became the national incense of Fusang, sold in surrounding countries, allowing Fusang to accumulate immense wealth.
The general’s eyes were cold, and he said fiercely, “Your information has caused so many deaths and so many warships lost! Even if you die, it’s not enough to regret! When I return to the country, I will tell the emperor to have you all executed and thrown to the sea to feed the fish!”
Just as he finished speaking harshly, there were reports from the rear, “The Great Heng people have caught up!”
The general’s expression twisted. “D*mn it!”
***
Coastal residents heard the sounds of fighting on the sea in the middle of the night.
Horns blared, drums thundered, and the people were so excited they couldn’t sleep. When dawn broke, they hurried to the coast and saw the overwhelming Great Heng ships.
Sails billowed, covering the seaside, rows of ships chasing the Fusang ships. The nearby sea was full of debris left by war: planks, sunken ships, corpses, severed limbs…
And fleeing enemy soldiers!
The Fujian Navy won!!!
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