Taishan Presses Down! (2-in-1)

Inside the ship's cabin.

Bai Xiaowen suddenly shuddered. "The True Wokou are indeed exceptionally Brutality; they cannot be judged by ordinary standards."

"What's wrong?"

"The Wokou Pirates steward I controlled, Arima Jiro Ye Mazi... was Decapitation by Matsuura Shin Kuro," Bai Xiaowen said.

Li Shuyi was taken aback. "Did he see through me?"

Bai Xiaowen shook his head. "Matsuura Shin Kuro's final order was to pursue them; he must have believed Arima Jiro's words. However, Arima Jiro's words made him hate us intensely, and coupled with Arima Jiro's own incompetence, Shin Kuro killed him in a fit of rage."

"This is utterly unreasonable. If he hadn't been exposed, Matsuura Shin Kuro would have considered Arima Jiro as an ally who had just escaped from the enemy camp. How could he just kill him like that?"

Bai Xiaowen sighed, "Perhaps this is related to cultural differences. Matsuura Shin Kuro, that reckless brute, killed so indiscriminately, which actually caused some setbacks to my plans... My original intention was to Arima Jiro infiltrate Shin Kuro's flagship, firstly to pinpoint the pursuers' location, and secondly to sabotage from within the enemy ranks. Now that Arima Jiro is dead, we've lost an inside man."

"What should we do?" Li Shuyi asked with some worry.

"It's just a minor setback, it won't affect the overall situation. When Matsuura Shin Kuro went out to sea to chase me, his defeat was already destined." Bai Xiaowen walked out of the cabin, looked at the rolling sea, and briefly calculated the wind speed, current, and ship speed. He set the parameters and calculated the time it would take for the other party to catch up.

"Sail towards Ningbo Prefecture!" Bai Xiaowen suddenly ordered.

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Ting, who was in charge of the command, shouted, "Right rudder thirty!"

The command to turn right to thirty was repeated to the helmsman. A creaking sound rang out as the two warships slightly adjusted their course and began to cut through the waves on the azure sea.

This is also why Bai Xiaowen needed to borrow Ming Army guards. He himself didn't know how to operate these Ming Dynasty warships. Without borrowing troops, even if he had ships, he could only watch helplessly. How could he possibly sail on the high seas, lure the enemy deep into his territory, and plot to kill the enemy leader?

With Zhang Ting and other trusted officers serving as captains, Bai Xiaowen only needed to state his desired destination, and Zhang Ting would naturally guide the fleet to it.

"Master Bai, they've appeared!" Zhang Ting warned, looking towards Penghu Main Island with a monocular telescope, what the Ming Army commander called a "Thousand-Li Viewer."

How many ships came?

"No fewer than ten ships, and probably close to a thousand people!"

Bai Xiaowen laughed, "Okay, I understand... The two ships will be lined up side by side. Only the sailors who can navigate the ship will remain on the flagship, and everyone else will go to the second ship!"

"Yes!"

Bai Xiaowen's orders were executed efficiently by his personal guards. The Ming Army sailors on his flagship displayed superb naval combat skills, using grappling hooks to jump aboard the second warship.

Only a dozen or so sailors remained on the flagship to operate the ship, including three captains: Zhang Ting, Yuan Yuan, and Zhou Zhan.

"My lord," Zhang Ting said, "May I ask you why you sent the sailors to the second ship? With a major battle approaching, the number of soldiers on the two ships should not be too disparate. Even if personnel adjustments are necessary, the majority of the troops should be concentrated on your Zhang Ting. Protecting the commander's safety is the top priority."

Bai Xiaowen shook his head. "No, this flagship will soon become the main battlefield for my decisive battle with the bandit leader, and it will probably be destroyed in the end. This is a pirate ship that I seized from the Wokou Pirates Chen One-Eye, so it's not a pity if it's damaged. The other ship, however, was borrowed from Governor Hu. If it sinks, Governor Hu will probably not look good. Anyway, my final plan only requires one ship."

Zhang Ting seemed to understand, but he nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Bai Xiaowen glanced around at the dozen or so Ming Army soldiers remaining on the flagship and said, "Those of you who stayed behind need not panic. You will all survive. Moreover, I will not take a single penny for the merit of annihilating the True Wokou in this battle; I will share it all with you so that you too can earn a title and secure a good future for your families."

Bai Xiaowen enjoyed a level of reverence among the Anti-Wokou Ming Army. His words carried considerable weight with these Ming Army soldiers. They might not have believed anyone else who said the same thing, but Bai Xiaowen's words successfully boosted their morale.

"Sir, Matsuura Shin Kuro has caught up!" Zhang Ting shouted.

Without needing to Thousand-Li Viewer, Bai Xiaowen could already see Matsuura Shin Kuro standing at the bow of the ship in the distance, and could even feel the intense killing intent in the other's eyes.

"Zhang Ting, order the two boats to split to the left and right and proceed in a straight line," Bai Xiaowen said.

Although Zhang Ting did not understand what he meant, he still did as he was told and shouted the order to turn the rudder.

The two boats, which were originally side by side, split apart like separated mandarin ducks and sped off.

When Bai Xiaowen saw Matsuura Shin Kuro, Matsuura Shin Kuro naturally saw him as well.

"Keep chasing! Speed up! Catch up with these bastards and I'll personally take that damned Ming man's head!" Matsuura Shin Kuro roared, adding in his mind, "I must also reclaim my beloved sword!"

"Sir, the enemy's two ships have separated! Which one should we pursue?" asked the helmsman of the Wokou Pirates flagship.

Matsuura Shin Kuro narrowed his eyes. "This is... a tactic like a gecko shedding its tail? These Ming people really think they can escape? How utterly laughable."

But in his heart, he was wondering which ship his beloved knife would end up on.

Logically speaking, the beloved knife should be on Bai Xiaowen's flagship.

But what if the other party uses a trick, hiding their beloved knife on another boat, then scattering to escape, so they can use it as leverage to blackmail them later?

"We outnumber the enemy tenfold. Since they're sailing in sparse numbers, we'll divide our forces and pursue them!" Matsuura Shin Kuro sneered. "I'll take half the fleet to pursue their leader. Shisuke, Chasuke, you two take the rest of the fleet to pursue their second ship! We must not let them escape!"

Matsuura Shisuke said worriedly, "The enemy is so few in number, and they've even split up their forces. It's all suspicious. Lord Shin Kuro, I think we should ignore the others and focus on chasing their Boss Tier."

"Don't be so cowardly, Shisuke!" Matsuura Shin Kuro said, somewhat annoyed. "We have so many samurai, while they only have a hundred or two!"

Matsuura Shin Kuro brought over a thousand True Wokou this time, most of whom were Elite Tier Wokou Pirates who had witnessed bloodshed and were extremely powerful. Even if they were divided into two groups, each side would have five hundred men, giving them an Overwhelming Crush advantage against the Ming soldiers who numbered only one or two hundred.

"Alright. I can use the Divine Might of High Plain of Heaven to speed up our fleet. Boss Tier Shin Kuro, intercept them as soon as possible, finish the battle quickly, and regroup immediately!"

Matsuura Shisuke straightened his tall hat and waved his white paper fan. In the sky, dark clouds began to slowly gather, and wisps of cold wind blew.

The sails of the dozen or so Japanese ships seemed to be propelled by an unseen force, becoming inflated, and the ships' speed increased significantly.

"Good!"

Matsuura Shin Kuro was overjoyed and immediately waved his hand, ordering two fast ships to take a detour and intercept Bai Xiaowen's flagship before it could reach him. He then led the other three warships in hot pursuit.

Bai Xiaowen and the Matsuura Clan's fleet were originally in a straight line, one after the other. However, Bai Xiaowen ordered them to separate, with the two ships sailing to the left and right, forming a right angle "T" shape with the Matsuura Clan's fleet behind them.

At this moment, Matsuura Shin Kuro was chasing Bai Xiaowen's flagship from behind, continuing to pursue it along a straight line in a T-shape, while the two speedboats were moving along the hypotenuse of a right triangle, circling around and intercepting Bai Xiaowen's flagship.

If they can delay Bai Xiaowen's flagship for a while, Matsuura Shin Kuro will be able to catch up and avenge his defeat.

Matsuura Shin Kuro's plan was a success. Through the Thousand-Li Viewer, he could see that Bai Xiaowen's flagship had been intercepted by two fast ships, and the brave and fearless Japan samurai had begun to ram the ship and board it. Bai Xiaowen's flagship was at a standstill!

With a whoosh, Matsuura Shin Kuro abandoned Thousand-Li Viewer and shouted excitedly, "Full speed ahead!"

After a short journey, Matsuura Shin Kuro's three ships finally caught up with Bai Xiaowen's flagship. The collision between the ships was so intense that it was almost impossible to stand. Then, heavy wooden planks were laid down, and squads of Japanese samurai stepped on the planks and charged towards Bai Xiaowen's flagship!

Meanwhile, Matsuura Shin Kuro, filled with almost boiling killing intent, immediately activated his Ninjutsu Evasion skill, touched the hilt of the "borrowed" replacement katana, and silently boarded Bai Xiaowen's flagship, preparing to teach Bai Xiaowen an unforgettable lesson!

However, right after the three ships collided with Bai Xiaowen's flagship, Bai Xiaowen, Zhang Ting, and the others, who were fighting together against the Wokou Pirates, seemed to have made a prior arrangement to run along the ship's side towards the lower deck.

"These cowardly Ming people only know how to run away when they see the situation is bad. Hmph, where can they run to on this vast sea?" Matsuura Shin Kuro thought to himself.

"Boss Tier! The Boss Tier's treasured sword!" someone exclaimed.

While in stealth mode using Ninjutsu Evasion, Matsuura Shin Kuro heard the exclamations of the crowd. Looking up, he was nearly driven mad with anger. His family heirloom sword, which he cherished dearly, was nailed high up on the mast, its scabbard nowhere to be seen. It would have been difficult to spot without a close look.

To be on the safe side, Matsuura Shin Kuro did not show himself, but instead directed a Wokou Pirates to climb the mast and take down his treasured sword.

"Those Ming people have occupied the lower deck; they're probably going to fight to the death." Matsuura Shin Kuro wasn't there, but his voice echoed across the deck, sounding somewhat ethereal. No one could pinpoint his location by his voice alone—a testament to the power of his Ninjutsu Evasion skills.

"Only by killing them can we preserve the honor of the Matsuura Clan samurai! What are you all standing there for? Go to the lower deck, smash down their hatches, and drag out those lowly rats!" Matsuura Shin Kuro gave the order.

Squads of Elite Tier Wokou Pirates charged toward the hold, Howl as they went.

However, at that very moment, a sudden change occurred!

With a deafening roar, the ship shook violently, followed by a terrifying explosion!

Bai Xiaowen's flagship disintegrated almost instantly under the explosion of a massive amount of gunpowder. Then, a terrifying shockwave swept out, and Elite Tier Wokou Pirates, including Shin Kuro in his "Ninjutsu Evasion" state, were blown away like pieces of paper.

Of course, such an explosion would be fatal to ordinary people, but for these Elite Tier Wokou Pirates, it would only cause some injuries. As for Matsuura Shin Kuro, a Advanced Boss, he didn't suffer much damage from the explosion and impact; he just looked a bit disheveled.

"Gunpowder to blow up a ship? Have those Ming people gone mad?" Matsuura Shin Kuro cursed. However, a bad feeling flashed through his mind. Where did those Ming people get gunpowder? And a huge amount of gunpowder that could destroy a large ship in an instant!

Huge ripples spread out, and the surrounding Wokou Pirates warships were pushed back several dozen feet by the giant waves.

After the ship exploded, Matsuura Shin Kuro's Ninjutsu Evasion dissipated, and he fell into the water.

Splash!

A chain came hurtling through the air. Clearly, this chain had been gathering momentum for a long time, and it struck Matsuura Shin Kuro with perfect accuracy, causing him a Piercing injury.

It's Stitched Monster, Fatty.

When the Meat Hook skill is activated, it will drag the target back after hitting it, but this requires passing the strength check.

Although Matsuura Shin Kuro is an agile type BOSS, his strength is still higher than that of the Stitched Monster Fatty. He sneered, grabbed the chain with one hand, and pulled back with force, like a tug-of-war, forcefully pulling Fatty's huge body over from the other end!

Whoosh!

Fatty's obese body traced an arc in the air.

However, Matsuura Shin Kuro overlooked one thing: he was in the water, and his movements, especially his footwork, were not as agile as they were on land.

He originally planned to pull the Stitched Monster over, take a step back to avoid it landing, and then use a domineering Iaijutsu to instantly kill it.

However, while in the water, Matsuura Shin Kuro's habitual step back did not shift his position; he only swam back less than half a foot.

The Fatty Stitched Monster, with its enormous buttocks like a millstone, sat down on its head.

Boom! Taishan!

Fatty splashed a huge spray of water, slamming Matsuura Shin Kuro into the water, which instantly reached a depth of ten feet! Then, Fatty's thick arms firmly gripped Matsuura Shin Kuro, and the two of them sank down at the same time.

Matsuura Shin Kuro tried to break free, but the Fatty not only held him tightly with both hands, but the chains binding him were also firmly in place. When he tried to break free, he discovered that the fat man in front of him was not as weak as he appeared; his strength was quite considerable, and for a moment he was unable to break free.

"This monster just flew over when I pulled it. Could it be a trap?" A bad feeling flashed through Matsuura Shin Kuro's mind.

That was indeed the case. In that tug-of-war just now, it seemed that Fatty was trying his best to drag Matsuura Shin Kuro over, but Bai Xiaowen knew that it was impossible. So when Matsuura Shin Kuro pulled back, Fatty simply relaxed his strength and was easily pulled over.

Advanced Boss can hold their breath underwater for short periods, up to ten minutes without any problem. Pirate bosses like Matsuura Shin Kuro can hold their breath for over twenty minutes, so he remained calm and kicked his legs repeatedly in the water, trying to surface.