Naval Battle

"Hmm, I see. So, where can it hit?" the child asked, puzzled.

"I don't know about that."

"I see, big brother is really amazing."

The captain couldn't help but smile when praised by the child.

Sitting in this place on duty every day is indeed quite boring, but seeing the two children made him feel much better.

Not long after, the two children returned outside and reported the situation to the elite archer.

The archer then relayed the message to Cherry through prayer, and Ye Qian naturally learned of it as well.

"60 degrees? That's easy to judge. These cannons are all fired straight, so it's 30 degrees to the left and 30 degrees to the right." Ye Qian No. 3 laughed.

Its range is 6 kilometers, not as far as our own artillery.

Moreover, that's probably the maximum range. If you really shoot from that far, the dispersion area will be huge, making it almost impossible to hit anything.

In this way, we can completely block the 6-kilometer line and suppress the enemy from a distance, destroy the turrets, and then attack.

No... it doesn't have to be that complicated. Just take out one of them, and you can approach from the blind spots of the remaining turrets and destroy them quickly.

"Italin, could you contact Eli, the city lord in the south, for me? Ask him directly if he needs mercenaries so our caravan can help him attack the city. Hmm... bring 5,000 soldiers and ask him in person."

Italin: "?"

Are you sure this isn't a threat?

Seeing the blonde heroine's expression, Ye Qian's face twitched. "Uh... that's really not a good idea, let's forget about it."

"If I bring 5,000 people, they'll suspect I'm going to attack them. I'll bring fewer people and talk to them."

"Yes, let's talk to him about how to divide up his old rival's territory."

"So direct?" Italin, somewhat surprised.

But after careful consideration, she realized that this might be the easiest way.

Lord Eli and that nobleman had always been at odds, but he lacked the strength to completely eliminate the other. Maintaining this relationship was actually not a good thing for him.

Chapter 166 Naval Battle

Xiao Qian's identity as the daughter of a foreign merchant guild is a turning point that could change the landscape of the business.

Although suddenly discussing the division might seem like revealing one's fangs, it might not necessarily be against the interests of the city lord.

"If he doesn't agree to cooperate, then we'll hold off for now. A direct attack would be tantamount to breaking ties with the kingdom, which is too risky and not a good thing. But personally, I think there's still a chance he'll cooperate. Considering the Water of Purification that will be sold in the future, and... a whole bunch of other miscellaneous benefits."

Seeing Ye Qian's confidence, Italin knelt down and respectfully replied, "Understood, my lord."

She went to carry out the orders.

This time, I brought 20 people and arrived at the opposite territory, Yanli.

They were all cavalry.

Since the two sides already knew each other and had a previous mercenary operation, Eli's side directly expressed their welcome.

As for Italin, she was an ancient hero, and her temperament was simply perfect. The city lord could tell at a glance that she was no ordinary person.

She came over and explained her purpose.

"Shall we... divide it up together?"

Upon hearing this, the city lord was somewhat shocked.

The 500 Black Shield Heavy Infantry previously hired were actually for the enemy to the east.

With this limited strength, they can only offer a token resistance; conquering the enemy's territory is virtually impossible.

At this moment, the new representative of the caravan came over, actually to discuss this?

"Speaking of which, what about Miss Asahi, whom I met last time? I wonder if she'll bring any new potions with her?"

The city lord did not continue to answer the question about the division of the spoils, but instead inquired about the potion.

Of course, on the surface it was medicine, but in reality it was more about finding out when Ye Qian would arrive.

That time they met, this guy couldn't forget Ye Qian.

Men... they're all like that.

Ye Qian herself was used to it. If she met a girl like that, she would probably dream about her all night (narcissistic. jpg).

"She will arrive soon, but if the two sides can cooperate, she may set off earlier. The Chamber of Commerce needs someone to be in charge in order to mobilize resources, and she is the best choice."

Upon hearing this, Lord Eli remained silent for a moment.

"I need to think about what you've said."

"Okay, I'll wait." Italin nodded calmly.

Half an hour later, on the second floor.

The butler and several important officers were sitting in the hall.

The city lord's expression was very solemn.

"They really mean they want to divide that viscount's territory with us? That's thousands of square kilometers!" The Legion Commander himself looked at the map with a somewhat disbelieving expression.

"Does a caravan have that kind of strength?" The steward frowned as well.

"We can only say that our initial guess was correct; this is probably not a caravan in the traditional sense. They come from a very far place, and judging from their appearance, they seem to be eyeing us as well. Of course, if they were a very powerful caravan, it wouldn't be impossible for them to hire a strong army to help them. After acquiring the territory, their ultimate goal is probably still money."

The fact that this chamber of commerce has developed to this extent, capable of mobilizing legions to attack cities, shows that its strength is indeed somewhat beyond imagination.

"Since that's the case, I don't think it's a big deal to agree. It's really difficult for these foreign powers to gain a foothold in our kingdom. They probably just want to control a piece of land to do business." The steward tried to analyze.

"So you think... cooperation is a good idea?" The city lord looked at him with a smile.

"Yes, actually, we have very limited options, because continuing this situation is too disadvantageous for us."

"Alright, then... let's discuss how to cooperate." He pointed to the map. "The other side says they will launch their attack from the lake, which is harder to penetrate, while we will start from our territory. There are two options. The first is that no matter how the fighting goes, the two sides will eventually split their territories in half, with us taking the west and them taking the east."

"What about the second one?" the Legion Commander asked.

"It's purely about strength; the land you conquer is yours. Whoever conquers more land has more territory."

"Then there's no need to choose, let's go with the first one."

"Okay, let's decide on that."

The city lord himself is well aware of the current situation.

Our old rival has already sent too many troops to our side, and once the fighting starts, it means that our side will suffer even more damage.

If we split the spoils equally, I can slack off here.

Anyway, we can't beat them by brute force.

After the discussion was completed, Italin was informed.

"Understood, I will go back and report immediately. We will launch the attack no later than this afternoon. Also, please sign a written treaty."

The city lord frowned slightly, then nodded. "Alright."

"OK, it's all taken care of over there."

It is perfectly legitimate.

Ye Qian jumped onto a boat, and after a couple of moments of panic as the water rippled, she nodded gently.

Let's set off this afternoon.

This intervention wasn't just about dealing with the port; it also involved some ships that had set sail.

A gust of wind blew by, causing her long hair and skirt to flutter. Ye Qian spun around on the spot and suddenly saw two cavalry soldiers looking at her in the distance.

"What are you looking at?" Ye Qian snorted and cutely waved her fist at them.

The cavalryman turned his head away, embarrassed.

Their hearts were pounding, and they were almost so overwhelmed by the girl's beauty that they got nosebleeds.

This is terrible! How can we possibly fight this war properly when our lord is so adorable?

Everyone began making final preparations.

The installation of artillery is basically based on the principle of symmetry.

There is one door at the bow and one door on each side.

Although there were no cannons at the stern, the side cannons could be rotated to fire backwards, so even when fleeing, a counterattack could be launched.

At 1 p. m. sharp, 1,000 archers, 500 Black Shield Heavy Infantry, and 300 Spearman began boarding the ship.

There were no cavalry, mainly because these things were too big.

A total of 1,800 people were on board, which basically filled the ship.

Without a doubt, the ship at the very front had hardly any soldiers, only the crew member piloting it.

According to Ye Qian's idea, that ship would be exposed to artillery fire.

Otherwise, if it sinks, 200 people will be buried with it, a huge loss.

"Set off."

The girl shouted something, the anchor was pulled up, and the ship began to slowly leave the port.

Then the magic core energy was activated, the elemental array was activated, and all the ships began to slowly accelerate.

When it was a few hundred meters away from the shore, the speed had already reached more than 20 knots.

"The age of magic certainly doesn't disappoint."

The fleet was floating on the water.

Not long after, a fleet of ships came into view in the distance.

"Gunner, prepare to load."

The captains on each ship issued instructions.

They didn't need to do anything; all orders were conveyed through the flag on Ye Qian's ship.

The telescope determined the distance; the target was located 5 kilometers away.

Honestly, even with magic cannons, it's extremely difficult to hit them with armor-piercing shells.

These shells lacked any guidance capabilities and were relatively primitive overall.

All we can do is correct it gradually.

"All hands on deck, 3, 2, 1... Launch!"

The soldier on the ship pulled the wire at the back, and the 100mm cannon retracted instantly with a loud bang.

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Ten ships lined up horizontally, and 30 cannons fired in succession.

The shell left the chamber instantly, flying out at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, and a large amount of smoke immediately filled the ship.

"That's true romance for men."

Ye Qian watched the cannon firing and couldn't help but sigh.

The soldier in front gave him a strange look.

Ye Qian: "..."

On the fleet in the distance.

There are actually 6 ships, which are not very large in size, and 2 of them are frigates.

These frigates were actually relatively primitive and outdated models, using only a thin layer of sheet metal with little protective capability. Yet, they were equipped with an 80mm cannon, a typical example of mounting a large gun on a small boat.