The girl traveled through another world and forced the prince to take the imperial examination

Almost simultaneously, the Southern Yan warships also spotted them, quickly adjusted their course, and broke through the waves. Sailors armed with bows and crossbows could be seen at the bows, their blades gleaming coldly.

"Archers, take your positions! Shields up!" Pei Jingyuan shouted the order. Immediately, hurried footsteps and the sound of metal scraping against metal filled the deck.

Unexpectedly, the first wave of attack arrived in an instant. With a sharp whistling sound, dozens of arrows, gleaming coldly, pierced the damp air, swarming towards them like locusts! "Thud! Thud! Thud!" The arrows embedded themselves deeply in the ship's hull, shields, and even the mast, their fletching trembling violently. A muffled groan escaped as a sailor, unable to dodge in time, was struck in the shoulder and quickly dragged behind cover by his comrades.

"fight back!"

Yun Qing's crossbows were also improved by Mu Qingcheng, with a range more than twice as long as before. The arrows returned with greater force, and a Southern Yan warship was unable to dodge in time. Its sails were torn apart by several arrows, and its speed was immediately slowed down.

"Charge! Board the ship!" The enemy commander's voice could be faintly heard. The two fastest claw ships had already dodged most of the crossbow bolts and, using the momentum of the waves, recklessly approached the command ship where Yun Qing was located.

"Hold your ground! Spearmen and axemen, prepare!" Pei Jingyuan drew his sword, its gleaming blade flashing coldly. Fifteen years of forbearance now transformed into a boiling battle intent burning in his eyes.

Pei Yanji (Mo Xue) stood silently beside him, his long sword drawn, the tip slightly lowered, his gaze fixed on the approaching enemy ship. Although the father and son did not speak, their backs seemed to form an invisible wall.

"Boom!" A violent impact, accompanied by the deafening sound of shattering wood, caused the ship to tilt violently, and many people lost their footing. The enemy ship's iron ram had viciously burrowed into the hull!

"kill--!"

血腥

The battle erupted instantly as the two ships came to board. Southern Yan sailors swiftly brandished their swords and leaped onto the deck.

The sounds of clashing metal, roars, screams, and crashing waves mingled together, filling every inch of space. Blood splattered, staining the deck red, only to be quickly washed away by the turbulent waves, leaving glaring, winding tracks.

Yun Qing's swordsmanship was exquisite, and his movements were agile. Wherever his sword flashed, an enemy soldier would fall. But his gaze kept sweeping across the battlefield, searching for Mu Qingcheng's figure.

Mu Qingcheng was protected by Liu Liu, and Mo Yu, Mo Yun, Mo Feng and others were also on her side. They knew that Mu Qingcheng was their master's life and could not be harmed.

They were near the relatively safe hatch. Far from the battlefield, this was the first time Mu Qingcheng had witnessed such close-range brutal fighting. Her face was pale, and her stomach churned, but her hand tightly gripped a finely crafted crossbow—something she had insisted on bringing.

The battle reached a stalemate. The enemy warships were smaller than theirs, but incredibly fast, with more ships constantly closing in. Yun Qing's side had larger ships but lacked maneuverability, and their numbers were not overwhelmingly superior.

"Your Highness! This protracted fighting is disadvantageous! Their reinforcements may arrive soon!" Pei Jingyuan shouted as he cleaved down an enemy soldier with a single stroke, his breathing already heavy.

Yun Qing's eyes sharpened as she looked at Mu Qingcheng. Mu Qingcheng immediately understood and nodded emphatically to the head of the guards protecting her.

"Launch the torpedo boats, target the two newly approaching enemy ships on the right flank!" Yun Qing made a decisive decision.

The order was swiftly relayed. Two small speedboats carrying "mines" silently slid out from the side and rear of the large ship. The sailors, highly skilled, used the waves and the chaos as cover, and phantom-like rushed toward the designated target.

The Southern Yan sailors noticed the two inconspicuous small boats, but didn't pay them much attention, only sending some to fire with crossbows. The speedboats narrowly avoided most of the arrows, and when they got close enough to the enemy ship, the sailors on board suddenly lit the fuses, desperately pushing the crude "mines" bound with large amounts of modified gunpowder and scrap iron into the water, and then frantically turned the boat around to retreat.

"What is that?" A Southern Yan soldier looked at the strange object floating in the water with a puzzled expression.

After a few breaths—

"BOOM!!!" "BOOM—!!!"

Two deafening explosions, far louder than thunder, suddenly erupted! Even amidst the chaos of the battlefield, the sound was so powerful it made one's eardrums ache.

Suddenly, the two Southern Yan warships that had been "targeted" erupted with two massive bursts of fire and thick smoke from their sides. Countless wood chips, debris, and even people were thrown into the air by the violent blasts, and the seawater was violently blasted apart, forming two brief, terrifying whirlpools. One of the smaller warships even had its keel blown off, and it began to rapidly tilt and sink, with its soldiers falling into the water like dumplings.

The other ship was also severely damaged, with a large hole in its hull, allowing seawater to rush in and rendering it incapable of fighting.

This sudden blow caused a brief moment of stunned silence on both sides. The Southern Yan navy's offensive slowed down.

"Now! Counterattack with all your might! Break through the encirclement!" Yun Qing seized this precious opportunity and raised her longsword high.

With their morale greatly boosted, the soldiers roared and turned defense into offense. The Pei family father and son were even more unstoppable, leading their elite troops like a sharp knife, forcing back and annihilating the enemy troops boarding the ship step by step.

The remaining Southern Yan warships finally dared not engage in further fighting and turned to retreat in disarray towards the main island of Yizhou.

The sea surface temporarily returned to relative calm, leaving only burning wreckage and floating debris.

The sea breeze still howled, but it couldn't dispel the strong smell of gunpowder and blood.

Yun Qing breathed slightly, sheathed his sword, and his gaze swept over the messy deck and the exhausted soldiers who still felt the lingering fear of victory, finally landing on Mu Qingcheng's pale face. He walked quickly over and took her cold hand: "It's alright, for now, it's alright."

Mu Qingcheng nodded, wanting to say something, but her gaze involuntarily drifted to behind Yun Qing. At this moment, everyone on the warship was looking in the same direction.

From the direction of Yizhou Island, behind the deep fog, a huge warship slowly appeared.

This warship, entirely cast in steel, stands majestically between the sea and sky. Even from a distance, it is clearly visible to the naked eye. Its hull is heavily armed, with long cannons and short guns arrayed among them, exuding a chilling aura.

A man stood silently at the bow of the ship, dressed in a blue and white robe. The sea breeze blew, and his robes fluttered like wings. He stood alone in the wind, gazing into the distance, his demeanor dignified, exuding an air of dominance over the world and an air of arrogance over the heavens.

"This man is none other than Mo Yan, who is known as the number one young master of Southern Yan!"

Everyone was stunned by what they saw. Looking at their ship, although it was comparable to the ship opposite, it was made of wood. Even if the other side did not fire its cannons, but only rammed it head-on, their ship would not be able to withstand it. It was too fragile to be damaged.

It turns out that the victory just now was only the prelude; the real battle had just begun.

Yun Qing steadied herself: "Prepare for battle! Proceed according to plan!"

He was the commander-in-chief; he couldn't back down. If they could delay the warship for even an hour, covering the small boat's landing on the island to rescue Pei Yanche, they would have won!

Yun Qing stood on the command platform of the main ship, facing Mo Yan on the Southern Yan warship, showing no sign of backing down! The sea breeze billowed their sleeves, and their eyes were equally cold as knives.

War is about to break out!