"Boom... boom... boom..."
"Wail... wail... wail..."
"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
At the Great Island Water Village southeast of Qu County in Donghai Commandery, the naval fleet of the Great Yan Kingdom's Snow Bear Army was conducting drills on the sea. Amidst the deafening sound of war drums, several small vanguard ships broke out from the water village, cleaving through the waves and forming five formations on the river. Simultaneously, many smaller and medium-sized warships such as Lou Nao, Xian Deng, and Chi Ma also surged out, forming naval battle formations on the river. Newly recruited naval soldiers waved flags and brandished sabers on the water, as if walking on solid ground. Over a hundred skilled swimmers, with unbound hair and tattoos, armed with sharp blades, plunged into the water, appearing and disappearing amidst the waves like dragons entering the sea, eager to prove their bravery. Gongs, drums, bells, and flags each had their own signals: drums to advance, heavy drums to attack; gongs to stop, heavy gongs to retreat; flags to signal left or right.
Although the Donghai Commandery naval fleet had few warships, it still possessed dozens of medium and small vessels, plus over a hundred merchant and civilian ships. Dongye Han, with his skillful command, managed them like extensions of his own arm, proving himself a true naval general!
"Excellent!" Zhou Fugui stood on a Chi Ma warship, holding his spyglass, and exclaimed loudly with great admiration as he watched the naval drills.
The Chi Ma ships were small and light, their speed comparable to fast horses, making them ideal for reconnaissance and surprise attacks. The current Donghai naval force consisted mostly of small vessels like Lou Nao, Xian Deng, and Chi Ma, lacking larger warships such as Lou Chuan or Meng Chong.
If only they had a few more large warships, the spirited, impassioned, and high-spirited Zhou Fugui would have dared to order a direct assault on the sea raiders' lair...
"A great wind arises, clouds fly; spreading our might across the seas, we return to our homeland. Where can we find brave warriors to guard our borders!" Thus, the spirited Zhou Fugui, racking his brains, sang a verse of the Song of the Great Wind on the Chi Ma warship.
However, prosperity leads to decline, and extreme joy can breed sorrow. It was precisely this word "wind" that brought ill fortune to the spirited Zhou Fugui as he sang the Song of the Great Wind on the Chi Ma warship.
As the great wind arose and clouds flew, a gust of wind suddenly swept across the sea, growing stronger and stronger. The sea's temperament changed abruptly, a gale erupted, and a wave surged. The wind intensified, the waves grew larger, one wave chasing another. The warships near the Great Island Water Village were like tiny leaves swaying on the turbulent sea, at the mercy of the giant waves, tossed and turned as if about to capsize, filling one with trepidation.
"Splash!"
After finishing the Song of the Great Wind, Zhou Fugui had intended to sing another song, the Song of the Great Rain... but a large wave crashed over him, drenching him like a drowned rat and nearly sending him tumbling into the cabin. From then on, he could no longer sing any poetry...
"Boom... boom... boom..."
"Wail... wail... wail..."
The sea's winds and clouds shifted suddenly, dark clouds pressed down, and a fierce gale blew, as if heavy rain was imminent. Yet, Dongye Han showed no intention of recalling his troops; he continued to order the beating of drums and gongs and the waving of flags to proceed with the drills.
If the navy, especially the oceanic navy, could not withstand such wind and waves, how could they talk of fighting at sea?
Thus, Dongye Han ordered the Donghai naval fleet to continue their drills until the heavens opened and the rain poured down. Only then did he signal with gongs to cease operations. After gathering the warships, they discovered that Zhou Fugui's small vessel was missing.
Although Dongye Han had ordered escorts for Zhou Fugui, in the midst of the gale and downpour, a careless moment resulted in Zhou Fugui's Chi Ma small boat being blown away by the wind to an unknown location...
Dongye Han immediately ordered a search at sea, but in such a storm, how easy was it to find a small boat? Consequently, Dongye Han bore immense pressure from the entire Snow Bear Army and felt deeply guilty. However, this is a tale for later and shall not be recounted here for now.
...
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
"Splash... splash... splash..."
"Row towards the shore!"
The great wind continued to blow, but it had lessened considerably. The heavy rain also subsided somewhat, and Zhou Fugui's Chi Ma small boat could finally be maneuvered. Zhou Fugui pointed towards the faintly visible shore in the distance and shouted urgently.
In fact, Zhou Fugui did not need to shout. The Donghai naval soldiers in the Chi Ma small boat were busy handling the sails and oars, desperately rowing towards the shore.
In such a small boat, falling into the deep sea, or even capsizing, would mean certain death for Zhou Fugui and his companions. Only by reaching the shore and landing could they save their lives.
The Donghai naval soldiers were all newly recruited fishermen from Donghai Commandery. They might not be skilled in combat, but they were adept at handling boats. The soldiers desperately maneuvered the Chi Ma small boat, like a tiny leaf, wobbling towards the shore.
Zhou Fugui, soaked to the bone, leaned on his heavy sword, standing on the deck at the bow. As he watched the increasingly close coastline, his mood shifted from annoyance to joy.
Previously, Zhou Fugui's mood had been one of annoyance, but not panic.
Since arriving in this world, what great storms had Zhou Fugui not witnessed? He had encountered numerous perilous situations and had grown accustomed to them, accustomed to turning danger into safety amidst peril, and navigating treacherous waves with ease.
Zhou Fugui was annoyed that this incident would undoubtedly cause considerable trouble for Dongye Han.
Dongye Han's appointment as naval commander was not universally accepted within the Snow Bear Army. If he were to go missing and remain unseen for a long time, who knew what would happen? The entire Snow Bear Army would be without a leader.
At this moment, the heavy rain had temporarily ceased, but a dense fog followed. A layer of thick fog covered the sea, obscuring visibility. The coastline was vague and indistinct. Zhou Fugui and the others could only row forward as best they could, hoping to reach the shore quickly and land.
"Great Commander, look quickly, there's movement!" At this moment, a naval soldier pointed towards the thick fog and exclaimed loudly.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Fugui quickly raised his spyglass to observe the dense fog ahead. He saw two enormous objects, like monstrous beasts, gradually emerging from the fog and approaching Zhou Fugui's small boat. As the distance closed, these two massive objects became clearer: they were two huge warships, their bronze rams at the prow and their vast decks gradually revealing themselves from the fog. Countless oars on both sides of the ships churned the water, creating sprays of foam.
On the warships' masts flew black flags, each embroidered with a giant flood dragon.
"Sea raiders?!!! My life is forfeit!" Zhou Fugui lowered his spyglass and exclaimed.
In fact, he didn't need to examine the flags. Zhou Fugui could guess they were pirate warships. The Donghai naval fleet did not possess such large vessels, and regular merchant or civilian ships would not have bronze rams.
At this moment, he could no longer turn danger into safety; it was a matter of extreme peril.
Zhou Fugui's mood turned from fear to dread.
Zhou Fugui was not afraid of death. He had already died once, so what was there to fear? He feared that many of his ambitions remained unfulfilled, and many desires unachieved, such as winning back Murong Huiying.
Zhou Fugui had never given up on Murong Huiying, or rather, had never lost hope.
But at this moment, all of it would turn to nothing.
"You need not struggle any longer. Jump into the water and escape! You go first!" The naval soldiers in the Chi Ma small boat were still rowing desperately towards the shore. However, in the wind and waves, the small boat was far less stable than the larger ships, and there was no way to escape.
The pirates' huge warships, riding the wind and waves, sped closer. Their dark, massive hulls loomed like mountains, instilling a sense of oppressive pressure and inducing extreme fear.
Fortunately, they were not far from the coastline. Those with good swimming skills might be able to reach the shore. Zhou Fugui could also swim, and his water skills were passable. Otherwise, he would not have passed the trial in the Ice Cave of Xue Lin City, nor had he practiced swimming for a while in his own "pool." However, Zhou Fugui had not been in river water for a long time, and his haphazard splashing in his own "pool" was insignificant compared to the vast and turbulent East Sea, having virtually no effect. Therefore, Zhou Fugui decided to stay on the boat alone to attract the pirates' attention, giving the others a chance to escape. They had been honest fishermen of Donghai not long ago; why should they lose their lives here?
Thus, Zhou Fugui, wielding his sword, drove off some reluctant naval soldiers into the sea. He then stood with his sword at the bow, coldly watching the approaching pirate ships, preparing to fight them to the death!
Zhou Fugui and the Donghai pirates had deep-seated grudges. Falling into the hands of pirates meant almost no chance of survival, and a very high likelihood of suffering torture before death.
Therefore, Zhou Fugui decided to make a final stand against the pirates!
He would rather die than beg for mercy on his knees, nor was surrendering his style.
However, if Zhou Fugui wanted to fight, he needed an opportunity. If he couldn't confront the pirates, how could he fight?
"Boom!" With a thunderous roar, the pirates' massive warship sped forward. The bronze-clad, giant ram at the prow of the pirate ship crashed fiercely into the Chi Ma small boat, splitting it in two. Wood splinters flew everywhere, and the small boat slowly began to sink towards the seabed.
Zhou Fugui was flung away and with a "plop," landed in the bone-chilling sea water. His unsheathed heavy sword traced an arc through the air before falling into the sea and sinking to the bottom.
This was not because the heavy sword had slipped from his grasp, but because Zhou Fugui had intentionally thrown it away to avoid being dragged to the seabed by its weight. Similarly, upon entering the ice-cold seawater, Zhou Fugui stripped off all his clothes until he was naked, save for a loincloth, a garment for modesty.
At this moment, survival was paramount, and shame was of no consequence.
"Pfft!" The instant Zhou Fugui hit the water, he vaguely saw a figure leap into the air from the pirate ship with exceptional grace. Then, like a dolphin, it plunged into the water.