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

More than twenty Bull Demon King-class ships, each capable of firing two heavy crossbow bolts simultaneously, each bolt aimed at the large ships in the pirate fleet.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The giant crossbow bolts pierced directly through the hull, and some even pierced through the pirates inside the ship after penetrating the hull.

Some ships that had only been hit by one or two arrows began to slowly take on water, but some unlucky ships that had been hit by seven or eight arrows began to sink immediately. In an instant, a third of the pirate crew's ships either sank or lost power.

"Speed ​​up and move forward~~~"

The second-in-command looked at the giant crossbow bolts, gleaming coldly, stuck in the ship, and his heart sank. He had spent half his life at sea and this was the first time he had ever seen such powerful crossbow bolts. A single bolt could destroy a ship's hull with a huge hole. The only way out now was to get close and make the giant crossbow bolts ineffective.

"shoot."

At a distance of 100 meters, the giant crossbow bolts fired again in a volley, this time wiping out half of the remaining pirate ships.

Although less than a third of the pirate ships remained, the pirates showed no grief for their fallen comrades as they looked at the merchant ships so close at hand; instead, they were overjoyed.

"Go ahead."

With only fifty meters left, the pirates' eyes were bloodshot. More than twenty large merchant ships—how much valuable stuff must they have?

Just when the pirates thought they were safe once they got close to the merchant ship, they had no idea that what followed was their nightmare.

"Prepare the repeating crossbows."

Although there weren't many Qingyang soldiers on the ship each day, everyone was equipped with a repeating crossbow. All the Qingyang soldiers gathered on the side closest to the pirates, and the blue repeating crossbows fired wildly. The remaining pirates were turned into pincushions. This scene terrified the pirates who had just escaped, and they knelt down and raised their hands in surrender.

"Tie them all up."

Niu Er was a little angry. He had thought these pirates would be somewhat capable, but to his surprise, they all surrendered before he even got close.

Just like the last time when pirates wiped out a fleet, the news of Zhou Wu's fleet defeating the pirates spread like wildfire among the major merchant guilds along the coast. Merchants who had given up on maritime trade were now interested again, and many went directly to Niujia Village hoping to travel together, of course, for a fee.

. . . . .

Niujia Village.

After a long hiatus, maritime trade has returned, and the docks are already laden with taxes and the families of the Qingyang Army. After all, this time is different from before; rampant piracy has made going to sea much riskier.

"My lord,"

"The father of my child."

"Look, that's my wife."

"My son, where are you?"

Whether it was people on the dock or crew members on the ship, everyone was looking for the people they cared about.

Fortunately, although they encountered pirates, the Qingyang Army annihilated them without losing a single man and even captured several prisoners, one of whom was the second-in-command of the pirate group.

Niujia Village didn't have a prison, so they found a temporary house to imprison the pirates.

Zhou Wu immediately went to interrogate the pirates.

"Tell me, our policy is to be lenient for those who confess and severe for those who resist."

"Humph."

Faced with the pirates' silence and even mocking expression, Zhou Wu didn't say much, only ordering them to be locked up and well-guarded.

"Second Master, you're leaving already? I thought you were going to use some kind of torture on Grandpa."

Seeing that Zhou Wu had left, the pirates tried again.

"They must have found out we're the White Skull Pirates, and now they regret messing with us."

The second-in-command was also immersed in his own world, believing that the White Skull Pirate Crew had become invincible.

After Zhou Wu walked out, he suddenly remembered something and gave instructions to the guard next to him.

"Seal all the windows so that not a single ray of sunlight can get in."

"promise."

The guards immediately found wooden planks and sealed all the windows shut. At first, the pirates heard the clanging and banging and thought the other side was about to make a move. But after waiting for a long time and seeing that the windows were just sealed shut and nothing else was done, they started to fight again.

"Tch, I thought it was something. What's the use of sealing the windows? Did you think Grandpa would run away? Humph, when the boss comes, you'll all be begging us to come out."

"The second-in-command is a bit ruthless."

"What's there to be afraid of in the dark? It's not like it's taking a piece of your flesh."

In the following days, the imprisoned pirates were not mistreated. Instead, they were fed and watered every day, which was delivered on time. At first, the pirates were a little confused, but later they simply let go and even complained occasionally that there was no soup to drink.

Zhou Wu knew that the other party wouldn't confess so readily, so he decided to lock them up for a while. People who are in darkness for a long time are prone to mental breakdown, which is more effective and less troublesome than any form of torture. So after locking the pirates in the dark room, Zhou Wu stopped interfering and decided to wait a while before making any further moves.

"Sir, someone from the village committee is looking for you."

"Who?"

"They said it was from the Fuxiang Chamber of Commerce."

Upon hearing about the Fuxiang Chamber of Commerce, Zhou Wu remembered that he had promised to supply them with wine, but due to the maritime ban, it had been delayed again and again.

"It seems they can't wait any longer."

Niujia Village Committee.

Chai Anguo paced back and forth at the village committee office.

"Old Chai, you've got my head spinning."

Hu Dong sat there drinking tea, unlike Chai Anguo who seemed anxious.

Do you think Lord Zhou might change his mind this time?

“You underestimate me. I know Lord Zhou well. Since I promised you, I will definitely keep my word.”

No sooner had Hu Donghua finished speaking than bursts of laughter came from the doorway.

"Haha, Manager Hu really knows me. Manager Chai, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Zhou Wu arrived laughing, clearly having overheard their conversation.

"Lord Zhou, that's not what I meant."

"Hey, Manager Chai, there's no need to explain. You'll understand my character in the future. I did encounter some things that caused the delay. Now that you're here, take all the wine with you."

"Really? Thank you so much, sir. However, I didn't bring a carriage with me this time. I wonder if I could hire your ship to help deliver the wine to the capital? The shipping cost is negotiable."

"OK, no problem."

The wine in stock could be loaded onto a single ship, which was much more convenient than using a horse-drawn carriage. Plus, the other party was paying him, so Zhou Wu agreed. After all, there were so many ships at the dock, and they were just sitting idle anyway, so he figured he might as well make some extra money.

"Then thank you very much, sir."

With everything settled, Chai Anguo's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was immediately put at ease, while Manager Hu joked around from the side.

"Old Chai, you have to treat us today."

"Of course, Lord Zhou will surely do me the honor. Jinshan Prefecture is too far away, so let's make do with Hongfu Restaurant in Qingyang County for now."

“Sure, Lao Chai, I’ve asked you to invite me to Hongfulou several times, but you haven’t agreed.”