Subduing Fire Thunder shattered the takeover dream, ironclad forts trapped the turtles in the jar
Gu Moran's outstretched hand froze in mid-air as she turned to look at the window on the east side.
That was a signal sent by Xue Huan from Sea-Gazing Tower.
The fleet of the Vice Minister of Ministry of War in the open sea has already checked the "three long and two short" light signals and is ready to hook up and enter the port at any time!
"Alright, you brat. Go play by yourself! I have important business to attend to."
At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the sea outside Tsukushi Port was shrouded in morning mist, so thick that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.
Twenty large five-toothed warships bearing the flag of the Great Yan Ministry of War, taking advantage of the rising tide, formed two columns and slowly sailed into the narrow breakwater channel of Tsukushi Port.
On the towering superstructure of the flagship, Zhou Yanru, the Left Vice Minister of Ministry of War, wore a sable fur cloak.
Holding a steaming bowl of ginseng tea, he squinted at the three flickering red butter lanterns on the Sea-Gazing Tower in the distance.
Three long, two short.
"My lord, the signal has been verified and is correct. The imperial envoy sign for Eunuch Shuangxi has also been lit up on the shore."
A lieutenant clad in iron armor leaned over and chuckled in a low voice.
"It seems that the Nine Dragons Jade Pendant that Eunuch Shuangxi -in-law soaked in the Qianji Poison really worked!"
No matter how good Gu Moran is at fighting,
By now, he's probably already shattered, lying paralyzed on his bed in the prefect's mansion, waiting to die!
Zhou Yanru blew away the foam on the surface of the teacup, took a sip of ginseng tea, and slightly raised his chin:
"Although Shuangxi, that eunuch, has some perverse fetishes, he's quite reliable when it comes to getting things done."
"Issue my order!"
Order the first ten ships to speed up and dock. Send two thousand elite soldiers to take over the ironworks and granaries at the wharf!
Once we have control of Tsukushi City, I will personally go to the Prefect's residence to bid farewell to Prince Yi.
Go to Iwami Silver Mine and hand over the three million taels of silver to Shōni Sukemoto!
"Understood!"
The lieutenant turned and waved the command flag.
Twenty large ships simultaneously lowered half their sails, oarsmen at the bottom of the ships shouted work chants, and the wooden oars slapped the water in unison.
The massive fleet sailed along the waterway and plunged into a shallow bay less than a hundred paces from the dock.
Zhou Yanru was on the deck, put down his teacup and was about to turn around and go back to his cabin to change into court clothes and put on airs as an imperial envoy.
Suddenly, a very dull tremor came from the deck beneath his feet.
What happened?
Where does this undercurrent come from in the inner Tsukushi Port?
Zhou Yanru gripped the railing and looked down.
In the thick white sea fog, the once empty reed waterways on both sides...
Three massive, dark, three-story-high structures were pushing through the waves and crashing sideways towards us!
That was a catamaran-style ironclad floating fortress that Zhen Meili converted overnight using seventeen Atakebune ships!
The three floating forts were encased in half-foot-thick wrought iron plates, and their prows were welded with gleaming rams, which stood directly across the breakwater's exit.
With a snap, more than a dozen iron chains, each as thick as a bowl, were thrown down, locking up all escape routes in the entire Tsukushi Port, making it impossible for even a small boat to squeeze out!
"Oh no! An ambush! Reverse the boat! Turn the oars around!"
The lieutenant was terrified and screamed at the bottom of the ship.
But the five-toothed ship weighed a thousand pounds and surged in with the rising tide; how could it possibly stop in a short time?
Just as the first few ships were about to turn sideways, their sterns collided with the ships rushing up from behind, sending wood chips flying everywhere. Twenty large ships were crammed into a chaotic mess in the narrow inner bay!
Just as the fleet was thrown into chaos...
On the top of the Wanghaijiao Tower, Zhen Meili, wrapped in a black cloak, coldly looked at the array of ships below, gripped the iron handle on the bronze box with her right hand, and pulled it down hard!
Click!
Three hundred copper wire fuses, soaked in kerosene, simultaneously sparked as they struck each other in the crevices of the underwater reefs!
boom!
Boom boom boom--!
A series of muffled, loud explosions erupted from the seabed!
The calm bay churned like boiling water, with more than a dozen huge columns of water mixed with black mud, broken planks, and blood shooting into the sky, reaching a height of more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters)!
The keels of the eight five-toothed warships at the forefront were shattered on the spot by Underwater Subduing Fire Thunder!
Seawater poured into the cabin through a hole the size of a washbasin, causing the ship to tilt violently in the giant waves. The Ministry of War soldiers on the deck fell into the water like dumplings before they could even draw their swords.
"Firearm!
It's Gu Moran's Subduing Fire Thunder!
"The boat is leaking! Help!"
A piercing scream tore through the morning mist.
Because the flagship was in the middle, it was fortunate that only half of the rudder was blown off, but the violent shaking still threw Zhou Yanru directly onto the deck.
The scalding ginseng tea was splashed all over his face, and his sable cloak was stained with blood and splinters.
Zhou Yanru scrambled to his feet, grabbing the railing as he watched the warships rapidly sinking around him. His legs trembled violently as he pointed at the Sea-Gazing Tower on the shore and screamed:
Where's Double Shuangxi?!
Didn't that Shuangxi say Gu Moran would be poisoned and crippled?!
What on earth is going on?!
" Vice Minister Zhou, are you looking for your Eunuch Shuangxi?"
A clear laugh drifted on the sea breeze from the stone platform in the center of the pier.
The sea fog dissipated slightly.
At the edge of the dock, Murong Xue and Lin Qingdai each led five hundred fully armed Great Yan Cavalrymen, holding three-barreled guns that had finally been completed and loaded with ammunition. The dark muzzles were lined up in three neat rows, aimed at the wrecked ship in the bay.
In the very center of the stone platform, there was a grand chair covered with a tiger skin.
Gu Moran, dressed only in a black python robe, sat imposingly in the chair.
He held a freshly steamed white bun in his left hand and a black ebony whip in his right.
Beside the stone platform, on a wooden stake, Eunuch Shuangxi, stripped down to only his underpants, was bound hand and foot and suspended in mid-air.
His mouth was still stuffed with Tuoba Mang's yellowed, smelly handkerchief, and his whole body was turning purple from the cold.
Upon hearing Zhou Yanru's shout, it kicked its legs desperately, whimpering "uh-uh".
Upon witnessing this scene, Zhou Yanru dropped the command flag in his hand onto the deck with a "thud," feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
They've fallen for their trap!
From last night's transfer order to this morning's traffic light signal,
It was all a deadly trap set by that wicked Gu Moran!
Gu Moran!
Zhou Yanru clung tightly to the gunwale, trying to bolster his courage with the authority of the imperial court, and shouted at the top of his lungs,
"I am the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, appointed by the imperial court!"
I have come here to assist in the suppression of the Japanese pirates, ordered by the Empress Dowager!
You dare to use firearms to destroy the imperial navy and detain the imperial envoy? Are you trying to rebel?!
"Rebel?"
Gu Moran took a bite of the warm white steamed bun, swallowed it, and then slowly stood up and walked to the edge of the dock.
He pulled out the spoils division contract he had found in the gold box the night before and unfolded it in the sea breeze:
"Lord Zhou, this bears the private seal of your Ministry of War, as well as the seal of the Wa Shōni Sukemoto."
You're colluding with Japanese pirates, trying to exchange my head for three million taels of silver from the Iwami Silver Mine. Who is really rebelling?
"I originally intended to just blow you all up, but the soldiers behind you are innocent!"
Upon hearing this, the Ministry of War on deck were in an uproar and all turned to look at Zhou Yanru face was deathly pale.