"Whoosh..."
On the small terrace of the Quxian Music Building, Zhou Fugui took out a firework made by Ge Rufeng, lit the fuse, and the firework let out a series of sharp whistles, flying into the sky.
In the dark night, the firework, like a shooting star, streaked across the heavens.
"Bang!" The firework exploded in mid-air, blooming like a flower in the sky. The sky was filled with fireworks, colorful and vibrant like spring flowers, and as dazzling as the sunset clouds.
It had to be said that Ge Rufeng's craftsmanship in making fireworks was becoming more and more exquisite.
"Wow, how beautiful!" Xiao Yunu, though she had grown a lot and become taller, and had learned a lot of Mohist martial arts, was still a young girl. Seeing the dazzling fireworks, she couldn't help but clap her hands and laugh.
However, Xiao Yunu's laughter was soon drowned out by shouts.
"Charge in, surround them, don't let anyone escape!"
"The government is cracking down on pirates, and no idle people are allowed to move, or they will be killed without mercy!"
"Break down the door, anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
"Those who kneel will be spared, those who stand will be killed!"
"Where is the Grand Governor?"
"Who knows where he's gone to have fun..."
"..."
The firework was the signal. As the firework bloomed, the Snow Bear Army, who had been waiting impatiently, lit countless torches, wielding various weapons, and shouting loudly, charged into Quxian in one go. They surrounded Quxian tightly and began to search house by house for pirates or those connected to pirates.
Standing on the terrace and looking from afar, several fire dragons suddenly appeared near Quxian, quickly encircling the city and attempting to swallow it.
At the same time, shouts of killing, neighs of warhorses, screams of women, cries of children, despairing howls before death, and groans of pain from injuries echoed through Quxian.
Of course, there were many pirates and other forces within Quxian, and they were exceptionally fierce, but how could they withstand the battle-hardened Snow Bear Army? How could they withstand the cavalry of the Snow Bear Army? How could they withstand the Snow Bear Army cavalry like a rolling torrent?
Those who tried to resist or block were met with flying cavalry, their heads severed and flying into the air, their bodies trampled into meat paste by chaotic hooves, quickly disappearing without a trace.
At this moment, even if the entire Sichuan West Mohist school were to mobilize, they could not withstand the surging cavalry of the Snow Bear Army.
Of course, the Mohist school traveled the world with swords, primarily for assassination or targeted killings, rather than pitched battles.
Even the fiercest pirates of Zhen Ao could not face the valiant and well-equipped Snow Bear Army. The battle outside Youzhou City had already made the valiant Snow Bear Army strike fear into the hearts of Zhen Ao's pirates. Thus, after leaving many corpses, Zhen Ao's pirates fled towards the sea, whether they could escape with their lives depending on the vast ocean and their ships, or on the protection of the sea gods.
"Master?"
"Grand Governor?"
After Zhou Fugui gave the order to attack, the loyal Pi'e impatiently held his Vajra Pestle, and with Hu Jue and other guards, galloped to the foot of the Quxian Music Building. Pi'e rode a very sturdy warhorse and looked up at the terrace, asking.
The place where the fireworks were set off was naturally where Zhou Fugui and others were, so Pi'e and the other guards quickly tracked them down.
A group of guards held their torches high, all mounted on horseback, with many scattered corpses around them.
"What are you shouting about? I'm here." Zhou Fugui poked his head out from the terrace and said to the guards below.
"Phew!" Pi'e breathed a long sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"Brother, what are you worried about? Master is having a great time." Hu Jue, carrying a moon-shaped spade weighing over sixty jin in one hand and holding the reins in the other, walked up to Pi'e and chuckled.
"No wonder they call you Hu Jue, what are you babbling about? Master is brave and is on a private visit incognito, what's so enjoyable about that?" Pi'e frowned and scolded, "Keep your voice down, be careful Master hears you."
"Oh, oh, he has many women around him, how can he not be happy?" Hu Jue quickly said in a low voice, "I'm not saying anything bad about Master. If Master is happy and enjoys blessings forever, isn't that good?"
When Zhou Fugui leaned out, Deng Lingyao and Huang Daimei also poked their heads out, but Hu Jue noticed them, and many guards also saw them.
"Bang!" Zhou Fugui, furious on the terrace, picked up a stone and threw it down.
Pi'e and Hu Jue thought they were whispering, but their "low voices" were like roars, and they could be heard clearly from the terrace.
"Tread the wheel, tread the wheel, charge up, charge up!"
Dongye Han, the commander of the Snow Bear Army's navy, with a bow and arrow on his back and holding a wolf-headed golden spear, stood at the bow of a small ship and shouted orders.
The small ship where Dongye Han was located was a paddle steamer. A paddle steamer, as the name suggests, was a warship that used paddle wheels instead of oars for propulsion. It had wooden wheels on the sides, with paddles underneath, which were driven by stepping, creating waves and wind, as fast as a sail. Paddle steamers came in various sizes, with two, four, five, eight, or even dozens of wheels.
The small ship where Dongye Han was located was only a four-wheel paddle steamer, capable of carrying over twenty soldiers. The naval soldiers on board were all newly recruited sailors from Donghai County. Someone asked in fear, "General Dongye, the enemy is numerous and we are few..."
Zhen Ao's pirates desperately rushed out of Quxian and reached the seaside, then boarded their boats and fled into the depths of the sea. The pirates' warships were large and numerous, while Dongye Han's detachment, responsible for interception, had only a dozen or so small Mengchong ships, with only over two hundred naval soldiers.
In the dead of night, the pirate warships, like monstrous beasts, prowled the sea. The sails on the ships were like clouds hanging from the sky, inspiring awe at first glance, let alone charging into battle. The naval soldiers were all terrified, and they all thought Dongye Han was a madman.
"How can tigers and leopards fear dogs and pigs? Hurry up and tread the wheels, charge up, those who disobey will be beheaded!" Dongye Han roared, brandishing his saber and giving orders again.
The first thing to do upon joining the Snow Bear Army was to enforce strict military discipline. Moreover, each Mengchong ship had Dongye Han's personal guards serving as its captain, so the soldiers of the Snow Bear Army dared not disobey further. They had no choice but to desperately step on the wooden wheels, treading the water as if flying. The small ships then shot out like arrows, heading towards the pirate warships.
The dozen or so small ships all treaded the water as if flying, forming a 'pin' formation, riding the wind and breaking the waves, speeding towards the pirate ships.
"Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... whoosh..."
The small ships were extremely fast and soon approached the pirate warships. Dongye Han, standing at the bow, fired four arrows in succession. The first arrow shot down the sail of the ship. The second, third, and fourth arrows consecutively shot down three oil lamps. The oil lamps fell onto the sails, and the lamp oil splashed out, igniting a fierce fire. The fire took advantage of the wind, and the wind fanned the flames, quickly burning the pirate warship into a fireball, illuminating the entire sea.
The fire crackled and popped loudly. The pirates on board panicked, running around like headless flies. Some pirates jumped into the sea, desperately heading towards other ships.
"Beat the drums!" Dongye Han, standing at the bow, shouted orders.
"Boom... boom... boom..."
Each small ship, though lacking weapons like ballistas, was equipped with four cowhide drums. The dozen or so small ships had over fifty cowhide drums. The sound of over fifty cowhide drums beating together shook the sea, earth-shattering and terrifying. This further panicked the pirates. On the dark sea, only the silhouettes of the Mengchong ships were visible, and the pirates did not know how many government ships had arrived, thus they were unsure of the true situation.
Uncertain of the situation and like startled birds, the pirates saw fleeing as the best strategy. Thus, in their panic, the pirates steered their ships to escape. Many ships crashed into each other, causing chaos. Some ferocious pirates even killed each other in order to escape.
"Fire arrows, charge up!"
Opportunity knocks but once. With the pirate ships in disarray, it was time to attack. Dongye Han ordered without hesitation.
"Chichichichi..."
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
Dongye Han's bravery and exceptional archery greatly boosted the morale of the naval soldiers. They shouted loudly, beat the drums, and stepped on the wheels, while rocket arrows flew into the air like shooting stars, then fell onto the pirate warships. The pirate ships were thrown into chaos, colliding with each other. The Snow Bear Army's naval small ships circled the pirate battleships, continuously firing rocket arrows, turning one pirate warship after another into fireballs. The Snow Bear Army cavalry on shore heard the news and rushed over. While beating drums to cheer the navy, they stood on the shore and fired arrows indiscriminately. Regardless of whether they hit the target, their momentum was fierce and astonishing.
The pirate ships were large and numerous, but being large had its advantages, and being small had its merits. In such a situation, large ships were not as good as small ships. Small ships were agile and fast. The pirates, in their panic, only thought of escaping, of steering their warships away from the coast, into the deep sea, and then fleeing, with almost no one intending to resist.
"Kill!" Dongye Han, clad in heavy armor, took advantage of the chaos and led ten death warriors to board a pirate battleship.
Dongye Han was the first to jump onto the deck, shouting loudly. He first swung his spear, and with its sharp blade, severed the neck of a pirate on the ship. Then, with a flick, the pirate's head flew off, spurting blood like a fountain. Immediately after, a golden spear danced like a spirit snake, instantly stabbing or flicking to death several more pirates.
The ten death warriors were all Dongye Han's personal guards, also skilled in martial arts and extremely brave. They cut down one pirate after another, and drove the pirates into the sea.
"Damn government soldiers, I'll fight you to the death!" At this moment, a pirate leader from the cabin suddenly rushed out of the cabin, cursed loudly, and charged at Dongye Han with his saber.
Dongye Han stepped forward with his spear. He suddenly knelt on one knee and swung his spear, smashing it onto the ankle of the pirate leader. The pirate leader immediately lost his footing and fell backward. Dongye Han then stabbed his spear into the pirate leader's thigh.
As the fierce pirate leader endured the pain and tried to get up to fight again, a gleaming spear tip was already at his throat.