Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 248 - 85 The Great Thief’s Fame (End)

Chapter 248 -85 The Great Thief’s Fame (End)

Ding~ Ding~ Ding~ Ding~

Aboard the “Jealousy”, more and more sailors climbed onto the ship. They were dressed in tight shorts, with daggers clenched in their teeth, carrying spears on their backs, stealthily boarding in wave after wave, immediately throwing the scene into chaos.

There were about two hundred of these men coming one after another. It was one thing for the Gaoli ghosts, but the ordinary people skilled in water that Cai Qian had pulled together had lost nearly half of their number amid such chaotic circumstances with cannons barraging and boats roiling. Moreover, although Cai Qian was wealthy and well-connected, his forces were well-armed to rival the Portuguese, but muskets could not be wet, and it was unlikely they could swim over wearing rattan armor, so these sailors only boarded with their blades. Facing this special Portuguese troop, their chances of survival were incredibly slim.

Yet among every two or three seemingly frail Cai Firm’s Colleagues, there was a Gaoli ghost mixed in!

Gaoli ghosts, the evil spirits said to stir up storms along the coast, were also the close guards of the Heavenly Mother, a weaker branch of the Quanlang Sea Ghosts.

“The Red Haired muskets are formidable, be extremely careful.”

...

Gu, who had briefly surfaced to scout earlier, now commanded his men to board the ship, and shouted at the Gaoli ghost brothers behind him, warning them to be wary of the muskets in the hands of the Portuguese.

Bang~

A Portuguese sailor shot through the throat of a Cai Firm sailor, calmly retreated, reloaded, and as another sailor rolled to the side, stabbing his dagger toward the back of this foreign devil’s head. However, it seemed as if the black-haired, eagle-eyed man’s copper helmet had eyes behind it, as he pushed his musket stock backward, hitting right into the sailor’s abdomen with forceful precision. He then bent his body, leapt back, and counterattacked with lethal efficiency. The copper-helmeted Portuguese, who were helpless under Li Yan’s gunfire, displayed fierce and lethal might against old-hand Cai Firm’s Colleagues.

This copper-helmeted man fighting one against two clenched his mouth with a cold hard expression. Hearing a roar followed by an explosion, a Gaoli ghost from the Red Flag swung a long knife. The foreign devil didn’t have time to dodge; his helmet was struck by the blade with a clang. The sailor might have been dizzy, but the knife had snapped into two pieces.

The sailor roared, his thoroughly honed reflexes allowing him to instantly aim and shoot. The Gaoli ghost, whose knife had broken, also reacted swiftly but subconsciously grabbed at the musket’s barrel.

The metal bent and crumpled…

Bang!

Sparks flew and shards from the burst barrel flew towards both men’s faces. The sailor was hit in the eye socket by a bullet and died on the spot. The Gaoli ghost’s face was sprayed with fragments too.

The melee grew more intense,

Although “Jealousy” wasn’t as immense as “Wrath”, it was still among the largest vessels in the crowd. Li Yan boarding alone, though impressive, had little impact. But with support from the Fiery Cauldron Species, alongside Li Yan and five of the Yan surnamed, a total of six “Ten Cities” level capable of splitting armies, plus a group of Gaoli ghosts, the Portuguese sailors on the deck of “Jealousy” began to falter.

The situation progressively tilted in favor of the Red Cai Allied Forces; the copper-helmeted sailors were forced to retreat step by step. Yan Laoda pinched his hat, “I’ve heard that besides sails for power, Red Hairs’ ships have an iron heart for assistance. Ajiu, go have a look inside.”

No sooner had Yan Laoda spoken than Yan Ajiu, who had been weaving through the copper-helmeted men, answered and leapt into the cabin, with the gust he created slamming the cabin door shut behind him…

Approximately the time of two breaths.

“Bang!!”

The cabin door flew open with a violent crash, its plank sailing far away from the cabin, as Yan Ajiu tumbled through the air before finally managing to land back on the deck, his face sporting a deep red fist mark. He appeared somewhat disfigured, and the teardrop mole had moved to his chin.

A smoking pipe protruded from the darkness behind the cabin door. The smoker, emerging from the darkness, was a Portuguese naval officer with a skewed epaulette and a face with a knife scar.

This officer was over two meters tall and broad, with a smoking pipe in his mouth producing puffs of smoke. His resolute face carved as though by axe, his teeth gritting on the pipe with a creaking noise. His mere presence evoked unbidden images of steam, gears, pistons, glowing chimneys, and the thundering rush of iron trains on steel tracks!

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, his lean but upright figure leaning forward, but to his surprise, the Fire Essence Longsword had already been planted in front of him by someone else.

Yan Ajiu held the Fire Essence Longsword, his eyes calmly fixed on the officer before him.

“Tianbao Dragon Head, you might as well go first,” he said.

With fiery serpents swirling around, Elder Yan also approached, removing his hat as his eyebrows and braids instantly turned into the likeness of fierce flames.

Li Yan did not insist but turned back and shouted, “Gu! Take half the brothers and follow me.”

…

Seeing the Far East pirates forcibly boarding the ship, Li Yan’s feet stepped on the sea and a whirlwind of frost and dust swept up “Jealousy,” causing even the high ranks of the Anglo-Portuguese alliance to worry.

“A lamb jumping into a deep ravine will only end up shattered to pieces…”

Bishop Tang Ruola muttered, forcing himself to stay calm.

An English gentleman with a top hat shook his head, “The morale of the South Seas pirates is high, and the sorcery of the Far East is quite distinctive. Frankly speaking, the outcome is unpredictable.”

The view of Sir Alex from India was somewhat more objective. In principle, if the Far East pirates really managed to board “Jealousy,” his side would have already lost half the battle.

“However, these Far East pirates might be underestimating ‘Jealousy’ too much.”

In that era of Europa, it was a romantic period that worshipped heroes and rulers. People believed that the key to the outcome of a war depended more on the soul of the army, the commander.

Calm judgment, remarkable martial prowess, indescribable affinity and personal charm—a legendary commander could create miracles.

Just as the indomitable Emperor of Europa had said: The Gauls were not conquered by the Romans, but by Caesar. It was not Macedon’s phalanx that invaded India, but Alexander. It was not the French army that reached the Weser and the Yonne rivers, but Turenne. Prussia stood unyielded in the seven years of siege not because of the Prussian soldiers but because of Emperor Frederick.

As for the theory of that diminutive figure, Sir Alex, who came from an old-fashioned noble family, scoffed at it. He believed in more rational factors like manpower, equipment, tactics, terrain, etc.

The outcome was already determined before the war began…

Meanwhile, as Li Yan fought with the Portuguese on the ship, the influence and destructive power of “Jealousy” on the entire battlefield was still unabated. It carried no cannons, but no cannon was able to pierce its bizarre protective field by so much as a fraction. The speed of “Jealousy” far surpassed most ships of the Red Cai Allied Forces. Wherever it rolled over, the shield expanded like a contagious disease—any ship enveloped by it would sink to the seabed at an alarmingly fast rate, and helmsmen who panicked and tried to evade could end up getting this eerie bubble attached to other ships, leading to even worse situations.

Taking advantage of “Jealousy” scattering the Red Cai Allied Fleet, the Portuguese then opened fire wildly upon the pirates!

Cai Qian watched for a while and then said, “Give the order for the men to row four hundred small boats and ram them. They should block for as long as possible. Let those old ships from the Tianbo Division come over and push forward. Don’t be reluctant! Replace those Red Flag ships with powerful cannons, or else we won’t win this battle!”

Someone continued his thought, “Using our ships to stop them, how long can they hold?”

Cai Qian raised an eyebrow, “If we can win this battle, I can take back any sunken ships. Let them block!”

The situation in the naval battle remained perplexing.

…

The large sailing ship with ‘Lin’ painted on its sails successfully docked…

The pungent smell of gunpowder hit the face, and there were no cheers or clamor on the ship, only the low groans of the injured. Yet within every pirate’s hustle, tying sail ropes, moving barrels, and dropping iron anchors, there was a sense of exhilaration.

Lin Ajin led the team and decisively defeated the Portuguese fleet!

He had chased Barros over a great distance at sea, and after landing, he repelled Barros’s sailors again in Shunde and Xinhui counties, achieving a resounding victory.

It is worth mentioning that Lin Ajin defeated the Red Haired Devils with his unique vision and judgment, seasoned naval command, and the elite vanguard forces. It can be said that Barros was utterly outmatched.

At that moment, Lin Ajin, despite being travel-worn, was ready to pursue the victory further.

“Patriarch, the situation is not right!”

Ao Xing clambered up the ship’s ladder and said to Lin Ajin, “There’s news from Xiangshan.”

“Zhufen and Zhang He? What’s the word?”

Lin Ajin frowned, on the battlefield on three fronts, Zhufen and Zhang He were responsible for dealing with the Red Hair sailors near Xiangshan. With their substantial strength, there should be no problem. In this regard, the Red Flag Gang, who had more say within the alliance, did not sabotage them.

However, their battlefield was the farthest from Guangzhou City, while the battlefield in Guangzhou Bay was the closest. In other words, once they won, generally, it would definitely be Tianbao and Cai Qian who would first enter the city of Guangzhou to plunder wealth and curry favor with the officials there. Lin Ajin would be next, and as for Zhufen and Zhang He, they would get the least benefits. Of course, it’s the victors who could be kings and the defeated are the bandits. If Zhang He became the Alliance Hierarch, it would be the Red Flag Gang’s Tianbao who would be going to attack Xiangshan today. There was nothing to say about this.

Logically, there should be no problem with Xiangshan. Even if Zhufen could not be relied on, Lin Ajin highly recognized Zhang He’s abilities.

“The Portuguese sailors near Xiangshan, along with a few scattered British Vasco warships, suffered almost no losses. The Red Hairs easily broke through Zhufen’s encirclement, and having slipped past each other, the Red Hairs, somehow aware that their nest was on fire, are now rushing to aid Guangzhou Bay at full speed. As for that bastard Zhufen, he’s headed straight for Guangzhou City!”

Ao Xing, in a hurry, said, “Patriarch, this is breaking the rules!”

Guangzhou Bay was already the hardest bone to chew. With the addition of this elite fleet of Red Haired Devils to the battlefield, it was very possible that the Red Cai Allied Forces currently attacking Guangzhou Bay would be utterly annihilated!

“Patriarch, what do we do? Deploy troops to enter the city now, or just wait and see?”

“…” Lin Ajin, with his head lowered, suddenly assumed a stern expression, “Call over all the family leaders. Let’s head back. We must intercept this Red Hair and not let them reach Guangzhou Bay.”

Lin Ajin was known for his decisiveness. Ao Xing licked his lips, showing a certain anxiety and hesitation, but still nodded and walked out.

“Ao Xing.”

Lin Ajin suddenly called out to Ao Xing.

“Patriarch, is there something else?”

“One must first see oneself clearly and even more so understand the situation clearly. Don’t assume that fighting to enter the city is a good thing.”

“… Patriarch, we’re not talking about entering the city. That Cai fellow has many precautions against us. Red Flag is our sworn enemy, and we’re not the kind who only pray and chant sutras! Why must you take everything upon yourself? It’s not a bad thing for us if the Red Flag Gang and Cai Qian are weakened.”

Lin Ajin shook his head, “You really think that Zhufen purposefully let the Red Hairs go to Guangzhou Bay and that will lead to the downfall of the Red Cai Allied Forces? Useless, the Red Cai Allied Forces are more competent than you think.”

He paused, “I’m making Tianbao and Cai Qian owe me a favor.”

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and frowned once more.

“You say Zhufen let the Red Hairs run amok, but what about Zhang He? What did he do?”

“Zhang He… led his troops to Tianbao’s lair at Lantau Island.”

At this news, Lin Ajin fell silent for a moment, then shook his head, “Tianbao, it’s not that I won’t help you, it all depends on your fate now…”

…

After Li Yan finished speaking, he was about to take a step forward but suddenly turned back, his gaze fixating on the very sluice ship where he and Cai Qian had been. His pupils overlaid with those of a Sudu bird on the sluice ship…

On the deck, Cai Qian stood with his hands behind his back in the center, listening to a subordinate. The conversation between the two was overheard by the Sudu bird on the ship and consequently by Li Yan, who had control over ninety-nine Sudu birds, clearly and distinctly.

“Well played, Zhang He…”

“Tianbao, what’s wrong?”

Li Yan smiled, “Nothing. Let’s go and flip this ship upside down.”

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…

“Boss, the third one sent a message.”

“Oh?”

“That Zhufen is playing smart, letting go the Portuguese that were supposed to be their responsibility and instead taking his people ashore, heading to break into Guangzhou City first.”

“Heh, trying to take Guangzhou City first, he’s not afraid of bursting with greed, a trifle. What about Zhang He?”

“And… Zhang He’s forces have turned back and are heading towards the Red Flag’s old den, Lantau Island! And…”

The man’s face contorted with difficulty, “Fire Cauldron Lady said she would pay a visit to Lantau Island and has already arrived.”

“Oh?” Cai Qian was first startled, then let out a wry smile.

“Zhang He, oh Zhang He, isn’t this…” Cai Qian seldom swore, “Damn!”

…

Alex snapped his fingers, “It should be time for ‘Cook Three’ to send out messages, right?”

“Soldiers! Soldiers!”

Someone was shouting outside.

“Nevermind, I’ll take a look.”

Alex stood up and seeing this, Bishop Tang Ruola also got up and followed him out.

‘Cook Three’ was a strange machine made up of some copper boxes, gear chains, and wheels, with an antenna standing upright and constant static noise. A goose feather quill, held by the machine, stood over a piece of parchment.

Though odd-looking, it was positioned in the most secure part of the ship’s hold, guarded by dedicated soldiers.

Alex was about to open his mouth as he pushed the door, but he saw that goose feather quill start to move. It scribbled on the parchment, describing the live situations of other battlefields, namely the movements of Lin Ajin, Zhufen, Zhang He, and others.

The series of exaggerated battle reports made Alex’s heart fluctuate. The complicated situation made this commander, who prided himself on meticulous thinking, also feel it was peculiarly unpredictable.

Barros was defeated catastrophically, his own reinforcements were arriving, infighting among the pirates from the Far East, the demon thief headed to Tianbao’s lair. The situation didn’t seem too bad…

However, the goose feather quill didn’t stop, still writing something…

“Macao was attacked! A large fleet of ships and cannons from the Red Flag Gang!”

“Cai Clan’s five hundred elite Golden Men! Bloodline of the Wupozi from Guangyi Island! Black knights carrying white Monsters on their shoulders! They are already slaughtering their way up!”

“Cai Trade Company people incited a riot among the locals of Macao, providing them with firearms on credit! The situation is out of control!”

“The governor of Macao, Alikar, was killed by a fire-spewing assassin with double swords! Macao has fallen! Macao has fallen!”