Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 243

Chapter 243: Chapter 80 The Great Thief's Fame (Part 2)

The treasure ship's owner, surnamed Lin and nicknamed Ajin, roamed the rivers and lakes as a wanderer, often venturing out to sea with cannons and crossbows. After seizing a vessel and achieving success, he repeatedly employed the same tactic, becoming famous for snatching control with his crew of fierce water ghosts. Nevertheless, he ordered not to kill and to take only half of the ship's goods. Those less fortunate were released entirely, earning him the title “benevolent robber” on the seas,

—- “Only Views Compilation”

Two days later, as dusk approached.

“That man Cai, he gave up being the Alliance Hierarch, and now we are in a bind because of him.”

Ao Xing, with his bronze-colored skin that seemed cast from copper and iron, hugged his shoulders.

Lin Ajin, pressing on the nautical chart, asked, “How much further?”

Ao Xing replied, “I've been seeing shipwrecks on the sea since just now. We must be close.”

“Tell the boys to brace themselves~”

As he spoke, his gaze narrowed.

To the west of Lin's fleet, a streak of darkness soared up from the horizon, fluttering with flags of red and green stripes. Beneath the golden-blue round-shield sails, Portuguese men in tidy uniforms hoisted the Red Flag. Figures clad in black and red scurried across their ship, and almost simultaneously, the two sides spotted each other.

“Hmph!”

Lin Ajin rolled up the sea chart.

“Lower three sails, prepare the cannons! Align the ships left and right, Quanlang Type in the water.”

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Three rows of dozens of holes appeared along the ship's sides. The Lin family men, wearing head wraps and bare-chested, pushed the cannons forward a foot.

“Puff~”

On the Portuguese black warships, several solid shots were fired but splashed into the water ahead of Lin's fleet. It wasn't that the Portuguese mistook the range of their cannonballs; this was a warning to the Lins.

“Master, should we…?”

“Wait. And tell the ships behind not to show themselves~”

The leading ships of Lin's fleet, about seven or eight lorcha seventy meters long, formed a crescent moon at the forefront, with their crew holding torches and staring fiercely at the Portuguese ships.

“Inspector Barros, unknown ships sighted.”

Inspector Barros, impeccably dressed, twirled the giant globe on his table, hurried down the stairs, and after only a glance, said to his subordinates with a smile, “It's another one of those ancient Chinese ships.”

Since the beginning of the surprise attacks, the East India Company, along with the Portuguese mercenary forces, had mainly faced official Chinese lorcha and Guang ships.

Those fishing boats that could not even withstand slightly larger waves were not worth mentioning, and there weren't many left. So-called “large sailing ships” would have one or two sunk by a single salvo from Portuguese cannons. These outdated vessels were also slow, and the Portuguese leisurely reloaded and fired their cannons. Within three volleys, these ships were usually brought to complete defeat.

“They appear to be pirate ships. We've signaled them, but they seem to have no intention of retreating.”

Barros frowned slightly. Before setting sail, Bishop Tang Ruola had also warned that unless necessary, they should avoid conflicts with South Seas pirates. However, the opposing fleet was calmly deploying their ships with torches lit, clearly up to no good.

Barros made a swift decision: “Fire the cannons! Sink them!”

Under the fluttering red and green flags, twelve black three-masted ships formed an arrowhead configuration, turned, and began closing in on the Lin's fleet obliquely, with their ominous cannons making the Lin sailors frown deeply.

“Boom~~”

The fleet of Portuguese arrowhead ships, lined up in black, leaned to one side, enveloped in white smoke as the cannonballs whizzed and smashed onto the decks of the Lin fleet, with fierce red flames licking across them.

In the midst of the firelight, the Portuguese commander, his face filled with ruthlessness, was about to order another round of gunfire when he saw that after the smoke had cleared, there was virtually no change in Lin's fleet. He forcibly swallowed the order to charge and fire.

After a salvo, the surface of these Chinese old ships with pointed and slender bows and low arched decks had only superficial scars.

Barros sharply noticed that these Chinese lorcha, indistinguishable in style from official ships and not particularly new-looking, had a very deep draft…

“Inspector?”

“Charge through, get closer and then fire!”

For a long time, the Portuguese's invincibility in the South Seas had instilled Barros with great confidence.

The black sailing ships charged aggressively, and after five breaths, Ao Xing's eyes brightened: “Master, the Red Hair are within our cannon range.”

“Wait~”

The response from Lin Ajin was still the same. He was a veteran of naval battles and had a profound understanding of Red Hair ships. To be realistic, his own Lin family's old ships, representing the highest shipbuilding craft in the South Seas for centuries, were still somewhat inferior to the Red Hair.

The cannons had a shorter range, they could carry fewer of them, and they were slower. Their only advantage was that they were more sturdy and durable than Red Hair ships.

Chasing would easily lead to a passive situation for them.

On the other hand, in their first encounter, the Portuguese weren't familiar with their firepower and harbored their usual contempt for official ships, likely to act rashly!

Who would have thought that throughout the South Seas, the power with the most cannons wasn't the official fleet but the pirates!

Only when the Portuguese ships came close enough could they achieve a rich bounty from the battle.

“Boom~” “Boom~” “Boom~”

The Portuguese ships drew closer, cannon fire was continuous, and the closest cannonball came within fifteen paces of Lin Ajin!

Lin Ajin remained unmoved, quietly calculating the distance between the ships.

“Whoosh~”

He looked up, engrossed, as a brownish gunpowder shell traced an arc towards his nose.

“Talk about bad luck~”

He murmured.

Ao Xing's eyes widened in anger, and with a swift leap into the air, he wrapped his arms in a circle, confronting the cannonball.

Sparks bloomed like a rose.

Almost at the same time, Lin Ajin shouted to the signalman, “Raise the flag! Open fire! Tell the brothers behind to show themselves (and attack together)!”

From behind the crescent-shaped Lin fleet, two black streams surged out from left to right.

Boom~~

Boom~~

The Lin fleet retaliated, with layers of cannon holes unleashing dazzling sparks.

Dozens of black gunpowder cannonballs bombarded the Portuguese ships, caving in the bows and hulls, followed by a plume of brown dust– a mixture of wood chips, waves, nails, and even bloodied flesh!

Barros was shocked and enraged, “These pirates have explosive shells?!”

He didn't have time to give an order when two dark currents lined up from behind the opposite fleet.

The lorcha fleet parted, and two massive objects charged out from the middle, with bows rising twenty meters high and over a hundred meters long, three-story wooden structures.

Ships of the Lin family.

The setting sun stained the evening sky red; waves surged tumultuously; cannon fire roared; various sailboats raced towards the Portuguese black-masted fleet en masse–with pirates brandishing swords and spears, holding firearms, or climbing sails, they surged like the tide towards Barros's ships!

Reflected in the seawater were flames as the Lin family's Quanlang Type emerged, biting steel knives in their mouths and carrying harpoons on their backs, bounding in two or three leaps onto the Portuguese fleet!

Bai Ruyu, who had lost to the foreign forces but remained spirited, said, “The ship with the gold fringe is their Dragon Head! Capture that one first!”

Ao Xing fell from the sky, his black braids unraveling, hair disheveled; he spit out a bloody tooth and his eyes revealed a fierce intent, while flame and smoke intermittently shrouded the ship below him.

Lin Ajin spoke in a deep voice, “Are you alright?”

“It's nothing!”

Ao Xing's speech was hoarse.

Lin Ajin turned his head, shouting with the direction of the sea breeze, “Brothers of the Lin name, fellow leaders! The opportunity for us all to make a name for ourselves has come, don't let these relentless Red-Hairs escape!”

The sea erupted into noise!

The Guangdong sea is notorious for its many pirates, among whom Tianbao stands tall as the most formidable, leading tens of thousands, wreaking havoc amid the furious waves, with cannon fire that thunders and smoke that obscures the sun. For over thirty years, governors of Guangdong have anxiously faced this threat, none daring to oppose it.

—- “Naval Battle Reports”

Pingyi Marquis Cai Qian, styled Shunguan, came from a prominent family, his ancestors being great merchants in the South Seas. Cai was brave and strategic, courteous to the virtuous and humble to his subordinates, generous in his giving, especially fond of uplifting the poor and comforting people in distress. He was on good terms with foreign merchants and thus gained substantial wealth.

—- “Foshan Loyalty and Righteousness County Records” Volume 21 “Schoolhouse Oil Lamp Inscription”

This place is only fifty li from Guangzhou Bay.

“Tap~” “Tap!”

With his nose pressed against the clammy deck, the salty taste lingering in his mouth for a long time. The sky was overcast, a storm was about to sweep through.

The man opened his eyes, propped up his upper body, and looked around, only to see the endless expanse of the sea. Suddenly, a cannon shot rang out; he instinctively curled up, waiting for the storm to subside before he lifted his head to see, within his field of vision, to the east of the ship's side, there was a silver-gray vessel, flying the red and white St. George's Cross Flag.

His stubble was unkempt, his lips cracked, under-eye bags heavy, his eyes bloodshot, evidently, he had not slept soundly for quite some time. His ship had suddenly been attacked, and he was eager to order a counterattack, but the sand-filled shells couldn't reach the enemy; his few lorcha, however, couldn't withstand two or three strikes.

The man glanced back and saw at least fifty Vasco Warships barreling towards him.

“Hard to starboard~”

He gritted his teeth and said.

This man was Lin Dong from Guangdong Right Wing Town, a man in his forties with a bushy beard.

The calamity of the Red Hair came too suddenly, the South Seas defense collapsed in an instant. Guangzhou Bay was the first to fall, the defending general Tao Guo died in battle, and the government soldiers and officers fled in defeat. Lin Dong and his troops, with just a few survivors, were left adrift at sea.

These people had been drifting on the sea for several days; had they abandoned ship to go ashore in disguise, hid in the mountains and impoverished villages, the Red-Haired Men would not have found them. But as their commander, Lin Dong resolutely refused.

The Red-haired Men numbered less than twenty thousand, while the various local garrisons combined had over seventy thousand soldiers. Yet, within merely a few days, the defending forces of Xiangshan, Dongguan, Xinhui, Panyu, Shunde, and other counties had successively been defeated. Now, the mouth of the Pearl River was swamped with the Red-haired Men's large ships and heavy cannons.

Officers disappeared without a trace, wandering the decks like lost spirits for days without a grain of rice to eat. Far from finding a turning point, they once again faced the warships of the Red-haired Men.

Lin Dong shook his head as the Red-haired Men's lacquered ship drew closer.

Whiz~

A bullet swept a black warm hat off Lin Dong's head onto the deck.

He looked up, and there was a blue-eyed foreign ghost on the ship, aiming a firing firearm at him.

Lin Dong wiped his face and bent to pick up the black warm hat to place it back on his head; he brandished his waist knife when a bullet clanged against the blade.

The shrill sound of metal on metal lingered~

Splash~

The steel knife plunged into the water. Yet the shrill sound persisted.

It was the sound of a whistle.

The tumultuous cries of battle surged like a tidal wave.

The sea kicked up layers of fine white waves; the wind had risen.

[Wupozi Shell: Furious Wind]! (Creates a sea wind that lasts fifteen minutes, with freely controllable direction.)

Orange-red petals blossomed on the sails of the silver warship, the sea waves rocked, and chips of wood flew across the Red-haired Men's ship. Dust and air surged, cannons overturned, and along with Lin Dong's lorcha, they were enveloped in cannon fire!

“Fire the cannons, fire the cannons.”

The commander shouted, “The waves are rising, release the sail ropes, turn the rudder!”

Boom boom boom boom boom boom~~

Boom boom boom boom boom boom~~

The yellow gunpowder shells procured by the East India Company at great cost were known for their powerful force, but they were utterly unable to gain the upper hand in firepower against this unforeseen assault.

The raging waves soared, and the Red Sail Lock Ship with its flame-emblazoned sails held aloft, one ship after another sinking under the formidable firepower of the Red-haired Men, though none of the Vasco Warships had yet fallen, despite swaying perilously.

Bird-ships with green eyebrows painted on them flanked on both sides, their sharp prows jabbing into the underbelly of the Vasco Warships, while hordes of Guang ships and lorcha, having been bombarded, also charged up close.

Seeing the ships drawing near, the East India Company's mercenaries pushed aside the cannons to grab firearms and took position in the forefront.

Breastplates in tatters, blades sharp, dressed in disparate attires, but each with a red bandana tied around their heads, the Red Flag pirates were bloodshot-eyed as they stormed the enemy ships.

A black spear soared like a dragon, its blade sweeping through the air, spurting five or six arcs of blood; Zhao Xiaoyi twisted his waist and braced with the spear, sweeping his arms to knock down a row of mercenary soldiers, with a group of Gaoli ghosts leading the way, assaulting the vanguard, piercing into the enemy's soft underbelly like a sharp dagger!

“Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!”

Seeing the fierce onslaught of the pirates, the commander made an instant decision, ordering all soldiers to take cover in the cabin by squads, relying on the narrow confines to await reinforcements.

A black cloth shoe stepped onto the deck, with Li Yan's tall and slender figure emerging like a green, upright peak. He looked around; as a keen-eyed mercenary fired at him, he dodged lightly by tilting his head back. The shooter rolled into the passage. Li Yan, without even a glance, flicked his toe to lift a steel knife and hurled it backwards, and with a wet thud, specks of black blood scattered across the floor.

Seeing the deck of the ship overtaken, Li Yan caught sight of a black official's hat floating on the sea. He waved someone over and pointed to the water, “There are officials beneath the sea, save them first and see.”

Chapter end