Siege

"There's no set number."

Lin Yong scratched his head and said, "The worst I saw was the year before last, when all three sides lost one or two high-ranking members each. The total casualties for all three sides combined were over a thousand people."

"And what about normal times?"

"Normally, it's just a few dozen or a hundred deaths, that's about it. Big battles with heavy losses like that are rare now."

"That's a real shame!"

Lin Xiao leaned against the ship's railing, looking out at the water and clicking his tongue.

Lin Yong heard him and asked curiously, "What's a shame?"

"Nothing, it's just a shame to see so many gang members die here."

Of course, he wouldn't say it was a shame to waste so much Potential Points.

At that moment, warships from the three sides had gathered in the distance and were beginning to converge on the center of the river, preparing for a major battle. Drums sounded from the water village to cheer them on, and the gang members of the three sides raised their weapons and shouted loudly. The scene was no less grand than a real battlefield.

Just as the three fleets were about to collide and begin fighting, the Great River Gang's side stopped. A figure shot out from the flagship like a roc spreading its wings, gliding over ten meters to land on the water. He stepped on the water's surface without sinking and shouted towards the opposite side:

"This is Shi Zhongyu of the Great River Gang! Who dares to fight me!"

A bare-chested strongman from the Iron Boat Gang immediately jumped out and landed on the water, engaging Young Master Peng Shi Zhongyu in a fierce battle.

The fleets of both sides stopped simultaneously and lined up, with their subordinates standing by the ships, cheering for their leaders.

After a short while, a hearty laugh came from the Salt Gang's fleet:

"What's the fun in just two people fighting? Add me to the mix."

Another figure leaped out, landing on the water and walking on the waves as he joined the fray. Lin Xiao saw clearly that it was a young man about the same age as Shi Zhongyu. He guessed that the Salt Gang also had a young master comparable to the Great River Three Heroes.

The three sides were fighting fiercely, and everyone was watching intently. Lin Yong, standing nearby, watched with great interest and said, "I don't think there will be a big fight today. Shall we go take a look at that water village over there?"

Lin Xiao nodded, and Cheng Liang immediately called to the sailors to change direction towards the forward outpost water village.

But just as they were turning, something happened on the battlefield. The Iron Boat Gang expert who had been fighting Shi Zhongyu suddenly roared in extreme anger:

"Shi Zhongyu, how dare you insult our gang leader! You're asking for death!"

Then, the Iron Boat Gang's fleet launched, crashing into the Great River Gang's side. The two sides immediately erupted into a chaotic battle.

The Salt Gang saw their opportunity and decisively joined forces with the Iron Boat Gang, encircling the Great River Gang's fleet from both sides. The Great River Gang's fleet was suddenly trapped.

This sudden turn of events shocked everyone, especially when a flame rose from the besieged Great River Gang fleet. Lin Yong said with a solemn expression:

"Hall Master, we need to go and support them."

Lin Xiao nodded and waved his hand, "Brothers, prepare for battle."

The warship turned and quickly charged towards the battlefield.

By the time they arrived, the place had devolved into a complete mess. The warships of the three gangs were intermingled, a chaotic free-for-all. However, the general formation of the Iron Boat Gang and the Salt Gang encircling the Great River Gang was maintained. As their mid-wing warship, flying the Great River Gang's flag, approached, an Iron Boat Gang and a Salt Gang warship immediately charged towards them. Lin Xiao slapped the ship's railing and shouted orders:

"Prepare crossbows, fire!"

A volley of arrows as thick as fingers shot out, embedding themselves in the opposite ship's hull. At the same time, two volleys of arrows were fired from the two opposite warships. Everyone ducked below the ship's railing, and the arrows embedded themselves in the ship.

The first few waves of naval combat usually involved exchanging fire. Ships like theirs, without cannons, could only exchange crossbow fire for a few waves before engaging in boarding combat.

This situation was happening everywhere. After five waves of exchanging fire, three ships crashed heavily into each other. The subordinates from the Iron Boat Gang and the Salt Gang, who had been hiding below the ship's railing, suddenly leaped up and charged onto Lin Xiao's ship simultaneously. His subordinates were not to be outdone and drew their sabers to meet them. Even the rowers picked up knives and joined the defense. The ship was immediately filled with shouts and battle cries.

Lin Xiao stood at the bow of the ship. Two bare-chested men attacked him with oar-blades. He struck them with two palms, sending them flying off the ship's bow. He reached behind his shoulder, gripped his sword hilt, and drew it with a 'clang.' He slashed down, cutting an incoming crossbow bolt in half. But just as he was about to charge out to join the fight, he suddenly stopped. He spun around and looked at the colliding Iron Boat Gang ship. A bald man with four or five long scars on his head, wielding a thick ship anchor, charged over. He leaped seven or eight meters high and swung the anchor down fiercely at Lin Xiao.

"He's a master!"

Lin Xiao shifted his feet, leaped back over three meters to evade, and with a deafening 'boom,' the two-meter-long, arm-thick iron anchor smashed into the deck, creating a large pit and sending splinters of wood flying.

"Opportunity!"

Lin Xiao stomped down, and a ring of air exploded outwards. He shot forward like an arrow, sweeping his saber towards the big man's chest.

A sinister grin spread across the big man's face. He didn't dodge but instead lifted the anchor and swung it back, as if intending to take Lin Xiao down with him.

A flicker of hesitation flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes. He shifted his foot and moved two meters to the right, avoiding the blow.

There was no other way. If his saber clashed with such a heavy weapon like this anchor, which was like a hammer, he would be at a disadvantage.

A normal person wouldn't die from a saber cut unless it hit a vital spot. Street thugs, bleeding profusely, could still run and fight back. But if they were hit squarely by a hammer, they'd fall on the spot. That was the power of heavy weapons.

If he dared to trade blows, it was unknown if this big man would die, but he himself definitely wouldn't be able to withstand it. After all, heavy weapons could break through Internal Family True Qi.

Normally, if someone wielded a hammer, he could withstand it with his internal energy. But this big man's strength combined with internal energy... it was not advisable to confront it directly.

Forcing him to retreat with one blow, the big man grinned and pressed forward with his hammer. Lin Xiao gripped his saber with both hands and slashed. Saber and hammer collided, emitting a deafening roar that made eardrums ache. Lin Xiao remained motionless, while the big man took a step back. After negating the advantage of the heavy weapon, his own advantage was not significant. However, a notch appeared on the blade of his Hundred-Forged Fine Steel Saber.

"Can't go head-to-head!"

His footwork shifted, and he moved over three meters to the big man's right. The big man swung his hammer horizontally to block, but at that moment, Lin Xiao suddenly leaped up, flying over his head. The Hundred-Forged Fine Steel Saber in his hand chopped straight down towards the big man's head.

The big man's head tilted upwards as he leaped, his gaze fixed on the long saber Lin Xiao was bringing down. Instead of panic, he shouted loudly:

"Attack!"

The sheer volume of his voice made Lin Xiao's heart skip a beat. He quickly scanned left and right, spotting a large man in a black cape who had appeared on the Iron Boat Gang's vessel. The man had one foot on the ship's railing, a large bow drawn taut in his hands. As he looked over, it was precisely when the arrow was loosed.

A fleeting shadow made his scalp tingle. Using almost all his strength, he twisted his body in mid-air, redirecting the saber meant for the man holding the anchor to guard his front.

"Clang!"

The saber guarding his chest was struck by a tremendous force, pinning it against his chest. The immense power pushed him sideways nearly a foot in the air. Before he could even steady himself after landing, he saw the ferocious-looking man's counter-attack, a hammer blow swinging in a wide arc towards him.