As the second-ranked island in the Mine Island Alliance in terms of nominal strength, Huo Shi Island also had a standing force of around a thousand men.
But this thousand-man force was in no way comparable to the rabble under Wu Jiahao.
At least four hundred of them trained full-time. If they faced off directly, the roughly thousand men from Water Horse Island would not be a match for those four hundred.
As they surrounded the pier, this force displayed the tactical discipline it should have had.
With each squad organized around ten sampans, more than a hundred boats appeared remarkably orderly as they approached the shore.
However, when they were still about three hundred meters from the berthing area, the wooden boats at the front of the fleet stopped.
"What's going on? Why did everyone up ahead stop?"
Hua Qingyun looked toward the front of the fleet, but saw no sign of a battle breaking out.
The boats at the pier were mostly dark and silent. Only the Tie Pi Ship moored on the outskirts flashed with light.
Hmm? Is this the Tie Pi Ship? At this stage, even setting aside the material it's made from, its sheer size alone is enough to dominate the waters.
A trace of interest flashed through Hua Qingyun's eyes. He admitted that he had already been tempted the moment he saw the ship.
"Brother Qingyun, it's the outsiders on that ship. They just sent someone to tell us to pull back and land from another direction."
Zhang Hai, the squad leader in charge of directing things up front, returned aboard a sampan and shouted from far away.
"They also said that if we insist on landing here, we'll become their enemies. Once we enter within two hundred meters, they'll attack us."
For a