Gu Moran fastened his belt and stepped down the stone steps.
He stopped in front of Kim Seon-a, reached out to straighten her frayed collar, and brushed the back of his fingers against the warm skin below her collarbone, covering that dazzling expanse of white skin.
"The wind is too strong in Goryeo; dress properly before you go kill anyone."
Kim Seon-a- ah trembled slightly, her ears turning red, and she lowered her head to reply with a "Yes."
Gu Moran turned to look at Pu Yunshan waiting outside the courtyard gate:
" General Pu, take two thousand iron cavalry and follow behind the Princess to provide cover. Remember, all I need are ships and obedient sailors."
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Pu Yunshan clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and led his iron cavalry to follow Kim Seon-a out of the prefect's mansion.
End of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Incheon Pier.
The sea breeze dispersed the morning mist, and the sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.
Covered in blood, Kim Seon-a Sun-ah reined in her warhorse, dismounted, and walked up to Gu Moran carrying a blood-dripping wooden box. She then snapped the lid open.
Inside was Kim Tae-won's head with wide-open eyes, and next to it was half a bronze naval tiger tally.
Behind them, Pu Yunshan led two thousand iron cavalry, escorting Goryeo of Korean sailors who had laid down their weapons onto the dock.
Gu Moran immediately ordered that all ten thousand sailors be dispersed and organized into groups of ten into the Great Yan fleet, supervised by Great Yan soldiers armed with knives.
As for the more than thirty naval officers in the southern camp who refused to hand over their ships and clamored to see the King of Goryeo, Tuoba Mang stripped them of their shirts, pierced their collarbones with iron hooks, and hung them in rows on the wooden stakes of the breakwater to sunbathe.
After dealing with the surrendered soldiers, Gu Moran led his generals into the temporary dock on the east side.
The clanging and clattering in the dock were deafening.
Zhen Meili had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was messy and held back with a wooden hairpin, and her leather apron was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to her full breasts and slender waist.
Standing on the wooden frame, she wielded a small iron hammer, directing eight hundred Great Yan craftsmen and Satsuma surrendered soldiers to bring the seventeen captured large Atakebune ships side by side, piercing the keels of the two ships directly with wrought iron beams as thick as a child's arm, and then sealing them with molten iron.
Murong Xue, now dressed in a more fitted outfit, walked over, leaped onto the newly paved, wide deck between the two ships, stomped her feet twice, and turned to shout:
" Little Lizi, you've tied these two big ships together like this, making the draft so deep that the ships will move as slowly as a tortoise at sea!"
"If a strong wind or wave hits, wouldn't the beam just fall apart under the load?"
Zhen Meili slid down from the wooden frame, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and revealed half of her fair forearm.
She walked to the edge of the deck, patted the thirty newly erected rail-mounted crossbows, and retorted at the top of her lungs:
"Sister Xue, what do you know!"
I added four ballast stones to the base of the two boats, and installed elm wood stabilizers below the waterline on both sides, so even the strongest winds won't capsize them!
Once we get to Kyushu Island, it'll be a beach assault. What good is speed? We need ironclad tanks that can hold off the Japanese pirates!
Gu Moran stepped onto the gangplank and descended the narrow wooden ladder to the bottom cabin.
The hold had a strong smell of tung oil and sulfur.
The originally spacious lower deck had been forcibly divided into twelve independent square compartments by Zhen Meili using three layers of soaked raw cowhide and half a foot thick wet sandbags. Each compartment contained twenty boxes of Subduing Fire Thunder neatly stacked inside.
Zhen Meili followed along, patting the raw cowhide partition as if presenting a treasure:
"Your Highness, look, I've calculated it. Even if the Japanese pirates' rockets pierce the ship's planks, they'll only blow up the mines in one compartment at most. The wet sandbags and raw cowhide will smother the flames completely, and they definitely won't ignite the entire ship's powder magazine!"
Gu Moran reached out and pressed the damp sandbag, then turned to look at the black ash on Zhen Meili's nose. He reached out his thumb to wipe it off for her, and then pinched her soft cheek.
"Well done. Tuoba Mang, go to the main tent and bring me those two boxes of South China Sea pearls. Give them to Master Craftsman Zhen as snacks."
Zhen Meili's eyes lit up instantly, and she grabbed Gu Moran's sleeve, giggling as her breasts swayed back and forth.
"Thank you, Your Highness! I'll go and oil up the repeating crossbow rails on the remaining two Iron Turtle ships right away!"
At exactly 5 PM, the setting sun dyed the sea a dark red.
Outside the breakwater of Incheon Port, three giant, modified catamaran ironclad floating fortresses stand in a row, their dark armor casting large shadows on the sea.
Following closely behind were sixty warships, a mix of Great Yan and Goryeo ships, all with their sails raised.
With a mournful horn call, the massive fleet sailed out of Incheon Bay, cleaving through the waves, heading straight for Tsukushi Port, the gateway to Kyushu Island Wa mainland.
The bow of the first ironclad floating fortress had a thick elm stake.
Kuki Yoshitaka, shirtless, was tightly chained to a wooden stake by two iron chains.
His left leg, which had been broken by the mast, was only haphazardly wrapped in a layer of wood ash; not even a splint was put on.
The biting sea wind whipped up waves that pounded against his wounds, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. The muscles in his back twitched in waves, but his bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the ocean currents ahead.
The fleet sailed for a day and a night at sea before entering the southern end of the Tsushima Strait.
The following afternoon, a thick white fog suddenly rose from the sea, obscuring even the sails of ships twenty paces away.
Beside the wooden stake at the bow of the boat, Tuoba Mang strode forward, grabbed Kuki Yoshitaka by the collar with his large, fan-like hand, and lifted him half an inch off the ground. His broken leg hit the wooden stake, and a large patch of dark red blood seeped out.
"Old man, the waters off Tsukushi Port are just ahead!"
Tuoba Mang slammed his hammer down on the deck, making the wooden planks vibrate and creak.
"With this thick fog, which way do we take the deep-water channel into the port? If you dare point us in the wrong direction, I'll smash your other leg into mincemeat and feed it to the fish right now!"
Kuki Yoshitaka's lips trembled with pain. His eyes darted around in the thick fog, and he raised his left hand, pointing shakily to the narrow waterway on the left, sandwiched between two dark brown islands, where the current appeared quite gentle.
The Goryeo Korean sailor standing by the wheelhouse craned his neck for a couple of glances, his expression changed, and he quickly ran to Kim Seon-a's side, bent down, and whispered:
"Your Highness, you must not go down that waterway on the left!"
That's the infamous " Ghost Cry Shoal " off the coast of Kyushu. Although there aren't any large reefs underwater, the cliffs on both sides are towering, and the narrowest part of the waterway is only thirty feet wide. Once our large ship sails in, there won't even be room to turn around!
Kim Seon-a's heart tightened, and just as she was about to speak, Kuki Yoshitaka, who was chained up, suddenly let out a hoarse sneer.
"What Goryeo know about naval warfare!"
Kuki Yoshitaka raised his head and spoke loudly in fluent Mandarin.
"Your Goryeo turtle ships are as small as bathtubs, with a shallow draft, so of course you dare to sail on the right-hand side of the open sea!"
Your Great Yan of Dayan, these three catamarans of yours, with their iron armor and gunpowder, have a draft of at least ten feet!
The seabed to the right is full of shoals and shallows washed out by the Tsukushi River. Any large ship that sails over there will surely run aground and break its keel!
Only by navigating this deep-water trench on the left and following the ocean current can we reach the back of Tsukushi Port!
The bow of the ship was quiet, save for the sound of waves crashing against the ironclad armor.
Gu Moran, wearing a black cloak, slowly walked to the bow of the ship.
He looked down at Kuki Yoshitaka, raised his boot, and lightly kicked Kuki Yoshitaka's broken leg, which was covered in ashes.
Kuki Yoshitaka groaned, veins bulging on his forehead, but his head drooped even lower.
A glint flashed in Gu Moran's eyes as the system's vision silently activated.
In his field of vision, Kuki Yoshitaka's heart was pounding at twice the normal rate, and the red light above his head, representing hostility, was so thick it was almost black, with his malice level soaring to -90.
That old bastard is definitely pointing me to a dead end.
Gu Moran withdrew his foot, a smug look on his face, and turned to shout an order at the ship's tower:
" The Goryeo Xiaochuan are inexperienced. General Kuki is the local tyrant on this sea. Listen to General Kuki!"
Order the entire army to turn left and proceed to Ghost Cry Shoal!
[Thanks to: Yong'an, Erdi's milk tea, Yun Sheng, Chuanye's update reminder, Mu Yun's flowers x10, Li Mei's inspiration capsule, Donggua's love letter, Yuren, Wuliao's likes, An'an, Gongzi, Naizi's flowers x2, Mao Xiong, Wuya's flowers, and everyone else for their love and support!]