Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 838 Can Win
What's the deal with those two boats?

The people on the Fifth Manager's boat all looked over, unsure whether the Seventh Manager and his group were escaping or had already been captured.
If they are on the run, they will naturally try to rescue them; but if they are taken into custody, they will become a double-edged sword.

The ship was moving quickly and getting closer. A decision needed to be made quickly, but the fifth manager was still hesitant because the man on the ship was his sworn brother. The ten of them had accompanied their master through thick and thin. They were not exactly brothers, but they had treated each other with sincerity. How could they disregard the other's life and death?
"What should we do? The person blowing the conch shell at the bow looks like one of ours."

"Yes, there are our people on board."

"That...that seems to be Manager Qi."

The seventh shopkeeper stood motionless on the boat, seemingly saying something, but it was unclear whether he was too far away to hear clearly or he simply didn't make a sound.

The two ships seemed to have lost their way in a panic, or perhaps they were being attacked from both sides by merchant ships, forcing them to face the fleet led by Manager Wu head-on. As the ships drew closer, they finally saw clearly that Manager Qi was tied to the mast. His face was contorted but he could not make a sound, clearly someone had deliberately damaged his voice.

As expected, the Seventh Shopkeeper's two boats were now under his control.

"Make way to both sides," said the fifth manager. "Don't let them collide."

Even if the fifth manager saw clearly and immediately gave the order, it would not be easy for more than thirty ships to make way completely, not to mention that they also had to guard against the other dozen or so ships following behind.

In the eyes of the Fifth Manager, these ships were disguised imperial warships, and they should not be taken lightly.

While avoiding those two ships, we must first stabilize the current battle situation.

"Get the catapults ready, and fire when the distance is sufficient."

Although there weren't many people left on the ships, they had made preparations before setting out. Now, the catapults on each ship were ready, waiting to strike before the imperial court could...

But in the end, they still lost the initiative.

While dodging the ships, they aimed and attacked, keeping the people on the ships busy. Stones were placed on the catapult, but before they could be launched, a loud bang came from behind.

"Boom!" That was the sound of a firearm exploding, followed by a burst of flames into the sky.

The fifth manager's heart tightened, and he turned to look. He saw that one of the two boats had collided with their large ship, and because of the explosion of the firearms, they were all engulfed in flames.

"Splash," "Splash," the people on the boat began to jump overboard in an attempt to survive.

Another ship also tried to get close to their ship, clearly with ulterior motives.

Those on these two ships are probably all suicide soldiers, determined to die, embedded like wooden wedges within them, willing to perish together to throw them into disarray.

"Get out of the way!" the fifth manager shouted. He never expected that two boats would rush towards him and he would fight to the death.

Dozens of boats are not easy to manage. In the chaos, that boat found an opportunity, adjusted its direction, and headed towards the nearest boat. However, just as they were about to collide, the boat stopped.

What's wrong? Are you scared?

As everyone was pondering, stones were thrown from the boat...

The stone landed on the boat, but instead of a heavy thud, it exploded with a loud bang.

Because it wasn't a "stone" at all, but a firearm made of earthenware.

The ship stopped in a very clever spot, as the catapults could reach more than just the nearest ship, so two or three surrounding ships were attacked by firearms.

Despite their own lives, some people on the ship continued to throw firearms outwards until, under the counterattack of the Fifth Manager's fleet, the people on the ship could no longer hold on, and the ship rammed into the nearest vessel.

The next moment, the ship's firearms exploded again, and the second ship was engulfed in flames just like the first.

Looking at the scene before him, the fifth shopkeeper asked, "Besides gunpowder, what else is in the earthenware jar? Sulfur? Black oil?"

Without these things, it would be impossible for the plane to ignite immediately upon landing.

The fifth manager was powerless to deal with the burning ships because he realized that these ships were extremely afraid of fire.

Their ships were not real warships; they were used to transport goods, and the wood used was not soaked in fire-retardant agents like that used on warships.

Furthermore, the cargo holds are large and interconnected to facilitate loading and unloading, so if a fire breaks out there, it can engulf the entire ship in an instant.

Clearly, this imperial fleet knew them inside and out, which is why they used such tactics. Most alarmingly, they lacked manpower; if a fire broke out, there was no one to put it out in time.

This will have extremely serious consequences.

The imperial ships did not use firearms when dealing with the Seventh Manager's two ships, otherwise the Fifth Manager would have been prepared in advance.

The fifth manager took a deep breath; this was a trap deliberately set for them.

Faced with the fire, the ships began to scatter and avoid it. Although they managed to distance themselves from the burning ships, they disrupted the formation of the entire fleet.

If neighboring boats choose the wrong direction to dodge, they may even collide. As you can imagine, everyone was in a state of chaos and confusion.

This gave more than a dozen ships the opportunity to deal with them.

While the Fifth Manager was losing control of the situation, Xie Yuyan's fleet had already surrounded them, and the next moment, even more pottery jars were thrown out.

Guo Xiong stood at the bow of the ship, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the more than thirty large ships in front of him. Just as the old lady had said, there was no strategy involved; they simply charged forward.

"Charge!" Guo Xiong said. "At this critical moment, no one should back down."

Naturally, the people on this ship will not back down.

Not only did they not back down, but they were all filled with excitement.

Guo Xiong shouted, "Aim at their big sails and throw them!"

The owner's ship had a multi-masted sail made of flax or ramie, soaked in tung oil. This type of sail was flammable and burned extremely quickly once ignited. In addition, many ropes were needed to operate this type of sail, and the flames could spread throughout the entire ship in an instant by following the ropes.

They practiced beforehand where to throw the firearms, so even if they missed when actually using them, well... what could they do when they had plenty of firearms?

Guo Xiong, standing on the wooden crate, was acting extremely frantically. He waved his hand, and pottery jars flew past one after another, heading straight for the enemy ship.

"Come on, let's see who's the real ancestor."

The firelight caught everyone's eye, driving them all mad.

The fifth manager snapped out of his panic and ordered the ships to launch a counterattack, risking their lives.

Stones and arrows kept falling on Guo Xiong and his men's boat.

Some were injured as a result, and others were hit in vital areas by arrows.

Guo Xiong shouted, "If we let them go, there will be no way for anyone else to survive at sea in the future."

"Therefore, they must die."

This is what Madam Xie said: taking advantage of the war in Daliang and the manpower shortage in the Dong family, we must take their lives. This is the best opportunity.

Guo Xiong's boat was at the very front and was hit the most times, but he was fearless. He glared at the people around him and cursed them for being too slow.

"Damn it, didn't you eat enough?"

When facing a challenge, words of comfort are useless; on the contrary, these insults can boost morale.

Although they were not the imperial navy, they were doing the important task of protecting Daliang and their hometown, and at this moment they also possessed the spirit of a soldier.

"If you're scared, just look back. Your wife is right behind you!"

The eldest daughter-in-law was their pillar of support. She said she would not run away or leave. They might die, but they would not be abandoned.

As long as she is there, the people's hearts will not be scattered, and they will win.

　Happy 2026! Wishing everyone good luck and happiness!
　　May your family be happy and healthy, and may all your wishes come true, achieving twice the results with half the effort.

　　I'm also very curious about what kind of story I'll write in 2026.

　　Thank you all for your continued support. Let's stay together forever!
　　(End of this chapter)