Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 229: Shen Shi, startled monkeys and rabbits, five flowers and three layers
On the "Baizhiwan" ship that Luo Tingxia was on, the lookout stood in the bucket on top of the mast like a monkey.

He stood on tiptoe, his hands on the awning, looking at the sea behind him, and reported loudly to the people below: "Guardian Luo, there is thick smoke coming out over there, there must be a fire on the ship!"

Luo Tingxia looked in the direction of the smoke with confusion, and asked the deputy general beside him, "Where do ships usually go in that direction?"

His deputy general was a naval commander, and was transferred along with the ship for the Privy Council to dispatch.

He thought for a moment and replied, "It could be Korea or Japan. Some merchant ships choose to take the route there to avoid pirates. Although they are more likely to encounter strong winds and waves, the chances of encountering pirates are slim."

Luo Tingxia murmured: "Oh? Then the ship that caught fire could be a merchant ship heading to Japan or Goryeo..."

The deputy general hesitated for a moment and replied: "It's hard to say whether it is a merchant ship..."

Luo Tingxia heard something strange and immediately looked at the deputy general: "What do you mean?"

The deputy general replied: "It is not uncommon for ships to catch fire. However, all sailors know the consequences of fire, so they pay great attention to fire prevention."

He pointed to the column of smoke in the distance and said, "Master Luo, look, judging from the smoke, the fire is probably quite big.

It is still daytime now. If there was a fire on the ship, it would not be discovered so late. But if they had started to put out the fire early, it would not have burned so badly. So..."

Luo Tingxia's eyes flickered and he said, "So, it seems more like someone set the fire and prevented others from rescuing people?"

The deputy general said: "It's very likely! For example, a pirate ship intercepted a merchant ship, and a fire broke out during the fight between the two sides..."

Luo Tingxia said decisively: "Turn around, let's go over and take a look."

The deputy general was surprised and said: "Master Luo, our target should not be in that direction."

"Drive over and take a look. It won't take long."

Luo Tingxia said quietly: "What if it has something to do with us?"

Xiao Luo is a man who is inquisitive and has a strong curiosity.

If he didn't figure out the whole story of what he had discovered, he would feel uneasy and would inevitably be worried and unable to sleep or eat.

In fact, this is a mental illness.

Although the deputy general disagreed, he thought that the people in charge of this voyage were the Privy Council, so he didn't need to be the bad guy, and he loudly ordered to turn the rudder.

The three large ships slowly turned, filled their sails with wind, and headed quickly towards the smoke rising from the sea.

……

On Guan Hao's pirate ship, a pirate climbed to the top of the mast, also with his hands on the awning, looking into the distance.

But he obviously had more experience at sea. He just raised his thumb and gestured with the smoke in the air, then reported loudly: "Second Commander, they are about ten miles away from us. The smoke is very heavy, but the fire should not be big now."

Guan Hao stroked his chin and said thoughtfully, "There's a lot of smoke but not a big fire. It should be the cargo hold that caught fire? It seems they have a lot of cargo!"

Immediately, a pirate suggested: "Second Master, why don't we go over and take a look? We only need to make a small detour, and maybe we can get some unexpected wealth."

The pirates were all interested after hearing this.

Guan Hao's ship went to the Yanpu Wharf to purchase daily necessities, and on the return trip, it stopped by to receive supplies being transported for the Jin people.

So under normal circumstances, even if he found a fat sheep, he would not take action this time.

Because merchant ships have their own weapons, a naval battle can take a long time.

However, if a fire broke out on the other ship, he would have the opportunity to take advantage of the fire.

Thinking of this, Guan Hao couldn't help but be moved.

Judging from the direction, it should be a ship heading to Japan or Korea. Their ship must be full of goods from the Song Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Guan Hao slapped the side of the boat and shouted, "Hurry over there and tell the brothers to get ready!"

"okay!"

The pirates happily went to their respective positions, and the four pirate ships formed a long snake formation and sailed towards the place where the smoke was coming from.

……

Liu Shangqiu, hiding in the wine barrel, had no idea what was happening outside.

He was dizzy from the strong smell of alcohol in the barrel and could hardly bear it.

He lifted the lid of the barrel a little and vaguely heard a noise coming from the bow, but there was no movement around him.

So he opened the lid of the wine barrel, stood up and looked around.

Seeing that there was no one around and no land in sight in the distance, Liu Shangqiu knew that the ship had sailed far away. He hurriedly stepped out of the wine barrel, and the wine immediately spilled all over the ground.

Fortunately, he was wearing a tight suit at the time, so even if his clothes got wet, it was not a burden.

Liu Shangqiu hurried to the stern of the ship. Although he had never been out to sea, he knew that the wheelhouse was where the direction of the ship was controlled.

Guan Hao and two pirates walked over from the bow and came to the wooden barrel. Although the sea breeze had diluted the smell of wine, they could still smell it.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the lid of a wine barrel was opened and there was wine spilling on the deck next to it.

Guan Hao immediately flew into a rage: "Asshole, who stole the wine and drank during the voyage?"

One pirate was also furious: "It's bad enough that he stole the wine, but he didn't cover it and spilled so much of it. Damn it!"

Another pirate pointed at the traces of wine dripping all the way on the deck and shouted, "Second Commander, look, look..."

Guan Hao waved his hand angrily and said, "Let's go!" Then he followed the traces of wine and strode over.

……

On the "Shabai", Gai Huochang, with his hands on the awning, looked into the distance and said gloatingly: "Aha, if there is a big fire on the water, it will be a disaster.

There is nowhere to escape, and there is nowhere to hide. If there is a fellow ship, it will be good, otherwise you will be buried in the sea with the ship."

Hojo Daisho looked at the direction where the smoke dragon was rising and frowned slightly.

He hesitated, wanting to say something, but held back.

The duck brother on the side shouted: "Captain Gai, turn around immediately, let's go save people."

"Ah? Are we...going to rescue people?"

Captain Gai Huo said reluctantly: "Master Ya Ge, that is a deep sea area. Our fleet is not suitable to go there."

Duck glared at him and scolded, "Are you bullying me because I've never been out to sea? The sky is clear and there are no waves. We are just going to rescue people and then return to the sea. What's the problem?"

"Ah, this..."

Hojo Daisho immediately said in a deep voice: "Brother Ya is right, Chief Gaihuo, you should obey Brother Ya's orders."

As he spoke, his hand had already pressed on the hilt of the knife, with a strong threatening tone.

When Hojo Daisho saw the direction of the smoke, he guessed that it might be a merchant ship heading to Nagasaki Port that caught fire, so it was very likely a Japanese merchant ship.

If it was a fleet, it would be good and someone would rescue them.

If it was a single merchant ship, once the fire got big, there would be no way out.

Therefore, Hojo Daisho wanted to rush to the rescue.

However, he knew that he had no say in the fleet.

He is responsible for escorting the fleet, to put it bluntly, he is the leader of the thugs.

The ones operating the ship were the black monkeys from Kunlun Kingdom.

Just a few days ago, they were fierce rivals. Therefore, if Duck Brother also disagreed with the rescue, it would be a waste of time for him to say it out loud.

But now that Brother Ya is advocating rescue, he feels more confident.

In the bottom cabin, Kuntai was half lying on a straw mat, with his legs crossed, fanning himself with a large palm-leaf fan, touching his belly button, and humming a little tune.

From time to time he would grab the wine gourd to take a sip, then look happily at the full cargo in the cabin, treating it as his snack.

Their fleet went to the South Seas to collect the precious wood needed by Suzuki, so naturally they would not leave empty-handed. The ships were also fully loaded with cargo.

These goods can be turned into money with several times the value as they change hands.

The sound of the fleet turning caught Kuntai's attention.

Even though there were other people in the cabin, one could tell immediately that the ship had changed its course.

Kuntai quickly ran onto the deck holding a large palm-leaf fan. "What's going on? What's going on? Hey, hey! Guy! Are you crazy? Where are you going? Hey, wow!"

Gai Gang said lazily: "This is the order from Master Ya. Now, go and save people."

Kuntai turned his head and saw a column of smoke rising in the distance.

Lu Ya came over and said, "I asked him to rush to save people. We are all people who make a living on the water. When people are in danger, we can just lend a hand. Why not? Maybe we will have a good relationship because of this."

Kuntai immediately nodded and smiled, "That's right, that's right, we are all sailors, how can we just watch someone die without helping?

My ship hit a reef and sank. If it weren't for the kind-hearted ship owner who rescued me, I would have died. You did the right thing, and I, Kuntai, fully support you."

Seeing that Gai Huozhang still looked a little unconvinced, Kuntai slapped him hard on the head with a palm-leaf fan and scolded him, "Go and do your work, alas!"

……

The scimitar used by Leng Yuchan is an ordinary Arab warrior's scimitar. It is made of light yellow ox horn. It will turn into a translucent amber color after holding it for a long time. It feels very good to hold and is more convenient for actual combat.

Leng Yuchan held a knife in her hand and killed several Arab warriors who rushed up. When she looked back, many people had already escaped from the bottom hatch.

These escaped Jin, Song and Arab people just coughed violently a few times and then started fighting again with their swords.

Leng Yuchan shouted: "Capture the thief and capture the king!"

Then she ran to the gangway leading to the second deck.

As soon as the Song soldiers heard what she meant, they started to run away with her.

Although the Jin warriors did not understand their plan, most of them understood the meaning of "capture the thief and the king."

At this moment, they also came to their senses: the Arabs had the advantage of terrain and people, and if they could not capture the thieves and their leader, they would sooner or later die on this ship.

So, they subconsciously followed the Song people and ran.

Zou Wen immediately divided the Arab warriors into two teams. One team stayed behind to put out the fire, while he personally led the other team to chase after Leng Yuchan.

……

After Yang Yuan occupied the gangway leading to the third floor, he prevented the Arabs from destroying or removing the gangway, but he was unable to attack the top deck for a while.

When the Song army on the second deck gathered, a group of Arab warriors on the third deck held spears and blocked them from above, so they could not get close with swords alone.

Yang Yuan asked people to collect some things that could be used as shields from the second deck, but since they had no advantage in terrain and weapons, they were stabbed several people and still could not rush up.

Yang Yuan was thinking about forcing a breakthrough by himself. As long as he rushed up and created enough chaos above the gangway, he would only need to hold on for a few breaths before his men would rush up.

But at this time, several more Song soldiers ran up the gangway, followed by seven or eight Jin men.

These Jin people also dressed like Song people, and their appearance, hairstyle, and temperament were no different from those of the Song people.

It is very likely that there is not a single pure Jurchen among them, but rather northern Han people.

Among the Jurchens, only the high officials and nobles have the highest degree of sinicization, while ordinary Jurchens have more Jurchen ethnic characteristics.

However, Yang Yuan and others did not reveal their identity as Song army.

So for now, they and these Jin people are in the same boat, so there is no need to worry about them raising their swords against them.

However, along with these Jin men came the Arab steward Li Fei and a group of Arab warriors holding scimitars.

As a result, Yang Yuan was attacked from both sides.

For a moment, Yang Yuan was also a little overwhelmed.

It seems that it is not easy to occupy the top cabin.

This "Whale Fishing Plan" is full of unexpected events. Is it really going to end here today?
At this moment, Leng Yuchan, leading a group of Song people, followed by a group of Jin people, escaped from the bottom deck to the second deck and ran towards the gangway.

Li Fei led the Arab warriors and was about to kill them with swords on the gangway when he suddenly saw Song people coming from behind and hurriedly stood guard.

Leng Yuchan and others ran to the gangway, and together with Yang Yuan and others on the gangway, they formed a two-pronged attack on Li Fei and other Arab warriors in the country.

But this advantage only lasted for a moment, as Zou Wen, holding a knife and leading a large group of Arab warriors, caught up from the bottom deck.

Thus, from the top floor to the second floor of the "Balekai", connected by the gangway, a situation was formed with Arab warriors, Song people and Jin people, Arab warriors, Song people and Jin people, and Arab warriors.

Three layers of five colors!

……

Seeing this, Yang Yuan knew that he could not delay any longer.

Because he was standing here, he had already seen the "Balekai" drop anchor and stop.

The Arab merchant ships around were slowly approaching it.

As those Arab merchant ships approach, a steady stream of Arabs will board the ships, giving them a greater numerical advantage, and the consequences will then be even more unpredictable.

Yang Yuan made a prompt decision and shouted, "We must occupy the top floor and control Wadiye and Pu Yama. It will be too late! You hold them back while I charge up!"

"Yes!"

Leng Yuchan agreed, turned her body to the side, and held the knife horizontally.

At this time, she was standing on the deck under the gangway. If the Arabs above dared to attack the Song and Jin people even higher up, she would rush forward with her knife without hesitation.

When the Song people around her saw this, they also raised their swords.

When the Jin people who were still outside them saw this, they tacitly turned their backs to them without any orders. They turned around, raised their swords, and forced Zou Wen and other Arab warriors on the outside.

Above Leng Yuchan, Li Fei and other Arab warriors standing at the bottom of the gangway were also at a loss for a moment.

Above and below them were the Song and Jin people.

For a moment, it seemed as if they were the group of people who were surrounded and unable to fight.

At this time, Yang Yuan held the barrel lid as a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, stood up and jumped onto the handrail of the gangway.

He stepped on the handrail, ran upwards a few steps, and leaped into the air like a wolf pouncing on its prey.

On the top deck, at least five spears were raised into the air at the same time and stabbed fiercely at his vital points.

The sharp edge of the spear emitted five dangerous rays of light in the sunlight.

It is extremely difficult for people to change their body shape in the air, so when fighting, few people will lift their legs in the air and put themselves in danger.

But facing the dense forest of gunfire from above, if Yang Yuan wanted to break through, it seemed that he could only leap into the air.

Seeing five spears stabbing at Yang Yuan's vital points, Yang Yuan was already in the air and unable to change his moves. He could only rely on the simple wooden shield to endure the attacks.

Leng Yuchan's heart suddenly rose to her throat: The fortune teller said that I have the fate of a Pixiu, and I will only make money but not lose it! You still owe me money, you are not allowed to die! Pay me back first!
(End of this chapter)