If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

As dawn broke, a thick fog rose over the sea. Such foggy weather is common at sea, so the deputy commander in charge didn't pay much attention to it.

I originally thought that since I was following the Fourth Prince on this mission to suppress pirates at sea, I, a nobody, would never be eligible for any reward. But a few days ago, the Fourth Prince actually ordered us to split up, which meant I could join another team on my own.

Separated from the Fourth Prince, this was a great opportunity to make a name for oneself. Unfortunately, it seemed as if the pirates had eyes. They had been wandering the seas for the past few days, but no pirates had been seen.

"Go, wake everyone up, get ready to leave."

As the fog was about to dissipate, the lieutenant ordered the flag bearers to give commands to the fleet.

Just as the crew got up and prepared to set sail, something seemed to be in the gradually dissipating fog. Everyone stared intently at the surrounding fog, and the shadows in the fog grew larger and larger, and some sounds appeared.

Finally, after the sun rose, the fog slowly dissipated under the sunlight, and when the scene inside the fog was revealed, the entire Great Dragon Navy was stunned.

Countless pirates had tightly surrounded the five naval ships, and the pirates, who were so close at hand, had their ferocious expressions clearly visible.

"Up~~"

At the pirates' command, the navy had no time to resist and was completely annihilated.

. . . . .

"Congratulations, Chief! We wiped out a navy without lifting a finger and gained five warships for nothing."

While the strategist was flattering him, he also had a smug look on his face, as he himself deserved credit for today's victory.

It's important to understand that this is no small matter. This is the first time our pirate crew has fought against a regular army, and we have achieved such a result. We should be proud of it.

"Hahaha, good, good, let's quickly clean up the battlefield and press our advantage."

"Yes."

The Black Dragon Pirates' morale soared to unprecedented heights, and soon the pirate crew disappeared at the edge of the ocean to search for their next target.

Using the same method, the second squad was quickly surrounded and annihilated. On the ocean, pirates are the main force. Facing these fledgling Marines, it was like playing with children. They annihilated the soldiers and captured the warships.

So far, the Great Dragon Navy has not only failed to inflict any damage on the pirates, but has also lost half of its crew and ships.

Li Zheng is unaware that he is now the only naval fleet left on the vast ocean.

"Where have the pirates gone? If I ever run into them, I'll skin them alive for letting this prince stay on this broken ship for so long."

Li Zheng had long lost the passion he had when he first set sail. Now he longed for the prosperity of the capital, for drinking the finest wines, eating the most delicious food, and for secretly going to a pleasure boat to listen to the most beautiful women sing folk songs.

Li Zheng, who was still lost in his fantasy, was suddenly interrupted. He was furious when he saw that the warship was damp and filthy.

"Your Highness, the pirates must have heard the news and gone into hiding out of fear."

"I don't care what methods you use, I want to find these pirates within three days and kill them all. I've had enough, I want to go back to the capital."

Li Zheng was tired of hearing these sycophantic words; he had grown weary and fed up with them.

Life on the ship was unbearable. Every day consisted of potatoes and cabbage. He, as a prince, was somewhat better off, occasionally getting cured meat or fish. Although this was better than everyone else under his command, it was still torture for Li Zheng.

"Yes."

The lieutenant readily agreed, but inwardly he was cursing, "This damn vast ocean, you want me to search? I'll search you for hell!"

Just as the deputy general was grieving and Li Zheng was furious, the observer on the mast suddenly noticed something.

"Your Highness, ships have been spotted in the distance."

Because it was so far away, the observer on the mast could only vaguely see ships in the distance.

"Oh, look closely, is it a pirate?"

When Li Zheng heard that a boat had been spotted, he immediately became interested.

"Your Highness, the ship is flying the skull and crossbones flag."

The observers on every naval ship are handpicked by the military to have eyes that can see far, like eagles. Although they can't compare to those with telescopes, they can still see very far for ordinary people.

"Haha, it came so easily! Full speed ahead! Everyone prepare for battle! Follow me to kill the pirates!"

Li Zheng's words immediately resonated with the navy. During this period, not only was he, the prince, feeling frustrated, but the soldiers below him were also suffering. However, as a prince, Li Zheng could complain without restraint, but the soldiers could not. If their superiors heard them saying anything that would affect morale, they would inevitably be whipped.

Ten warships, arrayed in formation, charged towards the pirates at full speed. But gradually, everyone seemed to realize that something was wrong; there wasn't just one pirate ship, as the distance closed.

Two ships.

Five ships.

Ten ships.

Twenty ships.

Thirty ships.

There are already too many to count. If this ship were in the sky, Li Zheng would think of an adjective: "blinding the sky and blotting out the sun."

Yes, countless pirate ships were waiting ahead for Li Zheng's navy to walk right into their trap.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

At this point, Li Zheng and his crew of marines finally realized the reality: pirates were not the pushovers they had imagined.

Li Zheng's prized warships were actually more numerous in the opposing camp.

This time, Heilong did not resort to the sneak attack under cover of fog as he had done the previous two times. Instead, he chose to fight openly and head-on. This was because he had already figured out the enemy's strength. They only had ten Bull Demon King-class ships and about a thousand soldiers, all of whom were inexperienced in naval warfare. His side outnumbered the enemy several times over. It could be said that unless a god intervened, he was certain of victory.

Although the pirates were chasing after him, the same warships were at roughly the same speed, so for the time being, the pirates couldn't do anything to him. Seeing this, Li Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.

"Coax~~~"

He was only half relieved when several heavy crossbow bolts were fired from the pirate ships, some of which were fired directly at actual naval warships. This terrified Li Zheng, who immediately ordered a full-speed advance.

Originally intending to retaliate, Li Zhengcai discovered that his warships only had bows and arrows and were not equipped with heavy crossbows at all.

"Those bastards in the Ministry of War have ruined my life. If I could go back, I would definitely teach them a lesson."

Even at this point, Li Zheng is still trying to shift the blame for his failure onto others.

With the land still a long way off and pirates close behind, Li Zheng was on the verge of tears. Why had he volunteered for this task?

I initially thought it was a free credit, but now that I think about it, I wonder why none of the military officers spoke up at the time. They must have known some inside information that I didn't.

At this moment, Li Zheng also came to hate all the military generals of the Great Dragon Empire.