Chapter 76: Cannons Cleave The Sky
Through the telescope.
Lin Qian saw the Tanka Boat riding the mist, sailing to about a hundred paces from Ship City and stopping.
The crew members leaped into the water like swimming fish, with very small splashes and sounds.
In a short while, the crew members slowly surfaced beside Li Kuiqi’s flagship, hooked grapnels, and stealthily climbed aboard, slipping into the cabin.
At this time, the Santa Ana had turned her hull sideways, all port gunports open, dark cannon muzzles protruding, aimed at Ship City.
Time passed slowly, and no sounds came from Li Kuiqi’s flagship.
The people on the stern deck involuntarily grew tense.
The sun rose over the East Sea, and the morning mist gradually dispersed.
Lin Qian’s hand holding the telescope was sweating a bit.
Pirates in Ship City getting up to urinate gradually increased.
After several pirates finished, they gathered together loudly boasting about last night’s experiences.
“Yours isn’t good… this one is the top one…”
“What a pity… if she came…”
Intermittent voices came.
After a long time, Chen Jiao said worriedly: “Helmsman, could something have happened?”
Lin Qian shook his head slightly without answering.
Seeing more and more pirates waking up, if they didn’t act soon they’d lose the initiative, Chen Jiao said to Lin Qian: “Helmsman, open fire!”
“Wait a bit more.” Lin Qian said calmly.
Bai Qing, her siblings, and the crew they brought were all extremely skilled; even if ambushed, it was impossible for there to be no sound at all.
Very likely they encountered some trouble and couldn’t disengage temporarily.
Lin Qian still decided to hold position.
Suddenly, there was movement on Li Kuiqi’s distant flagship; several figures surged onto the deck.
Lin Qian looked through the telescope; it was Bai Qing and the others, all stained with blood. Among the crew escorting them, he could still see the figures of Scholar Zhou and Jose.
Behind the crew members, over a dozen knife-wielding pirates rushed onto the deck, shouting: “Damn it, you’ve robbed your grandpa! Kill them!”
The pirates surged forward but were forced back by Bai Langzai’s sweeping katana.
“Elder Sister, you take Second Brother and them and go first!” Bai Langzai shouted.
Bai Qing kicked Scholar Zhou and Jose into the water with one foot, pointing toward the galleon and shouting: “Swim that way!”
Then she quickly turned back, standing together with her brother, the other crew members around them.
More and more pirates surged onto the deck; the situation looked critical.
Lin Qian immediately said: “Open fire!”
Chen Jiao shouted orders at full volume to the cannon deck.
Moments later, cannon fire rang out in sequence, the ship’s body shook, acrid gunpowder smell wafted, smoke filled the air.
Fourteen solid iron shots arced through the sky, smashing into Ship City, instantly blood, filth, smoke, and dust filled the air.
Women’s screams and cries, pirates’ curses, all rose together.
In an instant, Ship City was in chaos.
In the chaos, a tall figure emerged from the flagship. He held a nine-ringed ogre-head saber, his build extremely robust—it was Li Kuiqi.
Li Kuiqi grinned ferociously at Bai Qing: “I’ve tolerated Lin Qian in every way, and this is how your master repays me?”
His neck was wrapped in two layers of gauze, still faintly seeping blood—it was from being slashed by Bai Qing in his sleep. If he hadn’t reacted quickly and turned his head in time, he’d be a corpse now.
Li Kuiqi advanced slowly, full of oppressive presence; with every step forward, the crew retreated a bit.
With his size, even in Liaodong he’d be a top-tier warrior; ordinary people wouldn’t dare fight him.
Bai Langzai, seeing this, suddenly lunged forward with a big step and swung his blade.
Li Kuiqi casually parried with his ogre-head saber, and Bai Langzai felt a massive force transmit through his blade, nearly losing grip on his katana.
Composing himself and looking, the katana had a huge notch from the parry, cracks reaching the spine—it was ruined.
Bai Langzai showed horror; since starting his jianghu life, he’d never suffered a loss in a fight.
He thought even if he couldn’t beat Li Kuiqi, he could hold for a moment—who knew he couldn’t even last one exchange.
Truly, there are people beyond people, skies beyond skies.
“Boom boom boom…”
Another salvo of cannon fire came from the Santa Ana.
Massive solid iron shots fell, piercing Ship City’s wooden boards like boiling water on snow, wood chips flying, filling the sky.
The deck was like a wood chips rain.
Some lanterns were knocked over by the cannon fire, and soon flames rose in Ship City.
Seizing the moment, Bai Qing shouted: “Go!” then pulled Bai Langzai and jumped into the sea.
The other crew members also jumped into the sea.
They were all pearl commoners before, extremely good swimmers; as soon as they entered the sea, they dove deep.
Li Kuiqi strode to the ship’s side, looking at the sea surface without even a bubble, so angry he chopped off a piece of the railing with one saber stroke.
At this time, a volley of gunfire rang from the Santa Ana; instantly, wood chips splashed on Li Kuiqi’s flagship deck.
Muskets?
Li Kuiqi’s gaze sharpened, quickly checked himself, no wounds, then relaxed.
He turned and saw a subordinate clutching his chest, slowly falling, blood gushing from his mouth—clearly not surviving.
“Leader, the official army’s firearms are powerful; how about… how about we withdraw?”
Hearing other pirates’ screams, seeing Ship City’s flames, all the subordinates were fearful.
Seeing a large gunboat bombarding wildly, the subordinates couldn’t help associating it with the official army suppressing bandits.
Li Kuiqi angrily said: “What official army! That’s a newbie just starting out! A few shots scare you witless—what backbone!”
The subordinates exchanged glances, disbelieving but not daring to contradict.
In the subordinates’ view, sea bandits should ride Haicang Ships, at largest Fuchuan Ships; who has gunboats?
This kind of large gunboat, not to mention ordinary sea bandits—even Li Dan doesn’t have one.
Li Kuiqi stared fixedly at the Santa Ana.
He couldn’t figure it out; clearly the scouts reported everything normal at Nan’ao Island.
Clearly Ship City’s location was extremely hidden, unknown to anyone.
Clearly the surroundings were full of coral reefs, only one narrow channel allowing large ships to pass.
How the hell did that bastard Lin Qian appear here out of nowhere?
But, it doesn’t matter anymore.
Li Kuiqi thought to himself: “I’m not like those garrison wastes! Lin Qian, since you dare come, die here!”
Thinking this, Li Kuiqi showed a sinister smile: “We also have cannons; pass the order, bring out all the cannons and fire at them!”
His subordinates, long fighting at sea, accustomed to life and death, had calmed down and responded to pass the message.
Li Kuiqi added: “Pass my order: dismantle Ship City, sail ships to assemble in the southeast!”
“Understood!”
……
The Santa Ana’s bombardment continued; the gunners, after several live shots, now handled the cannons very proficiently.
Firing rate was much faster than last time attacking Naozhou Island.
After two quarters of an hour of bombardment, most of Ship City was destroyed, some areas engulfed in fire.
However, Li Kuiqi’s pirate group had much higher morale than the navy, showing no sign of collapse.
Instead, under various small leaders’ organization, they gradually stabilized and began dismantling the wooden boards connecting Ship City.
Some outermost large ships had separated from Ship City, gathering toward the southeast corner of Ship City under unified command.
Just as Lin Qian was about to lower the telescope.
Suddenly saw a flash of firelight on Ship City, then the roar of cannon fire came.
