Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 842: Being Deceived
On the imperial warship, Zhang Heng was observing the situation at sea.

Zhao Zhongliang frowned slightly, revealing a hint of worry.

Seeing this, Cao Yu asked in a low voice, "Things at sea can change in an instant; it's normal to be a little late."

The agreed-upon time was supposed to be when the lady of the house sent a message, but there was still no response.

Zhao Zhongliang took a deep breath and didn't say much. In order to capture the master, the eldest daughter-in-law had given as many people as possible to this side. Apart from Liu Tonghan relaying messages on the shore, his people, including Cao Yu's people, were all under Zhang Heng's orders.

The eldest daughter-in-law was only accompanied by Guo Xiong, Guo Chuan, Su Man, and others, as well as... that unreliable Srivijaya fleet.

Who knows if the people of Srivijaya will run away at the crucial moment?

No matter how you look at it, the first battle at sea should not have been fought by the eldest daughter-in-law.

Zhang Heng knew Zhao Zhongliang's thoughts, so he didn't try to persuade him. He simply said, "I've checked the surrounding sea area with my compass. Don't worry, I definitely won't let our master escape."

This is what the lady wanted. As long as he did it, he wouldn't have let her down.

Zhao Zhongliang nodded: "What are you planning to do next?"

Zhang Heng said, "As previously arranged, continue to drive away the master's fleet. Remember, only drive them away and intimidate them, do not attack them lightly." He had already agreed with the eldest daughter-in-law that they would no longer wait for news when the time was right.

They could wait a little longer, but the master was a cunning old fox. His ships had been patrolling the area non-stop, and he wasn't waiting for news of the Duke of Wei's victory or defeat. He was intentionally heading east, clearly preparing for the worst. If the Duke of Wei lost, he could escape with his men if things went badly.

It was only because of Madam Xie's prior arrangements that the employer might have escaped.

……

"Are they driving us westward?"

The head steward watched as the imperial ship drew ever closer to them.

“Their ships are quite different,” the head steward said. “They must be newly modified by the imperial court. The oars can hold more people, and the sails are different, so they are faster than ours at sea.”

If things continue like this, they will definitely be caught up.

The master's gaze deepened. Was it a coincidence? Did the imperial court just happen to have new warships that they hadn't discovered?
impossible.

Therefore, it can only be a deliberate concealment.

How long has it been since the warships were built? In other words, people in the court not only discovered his existence long ago, but also deduced his intentions.

Be careful.

The head steward instructed people to use flag signals. Since there were new warships, there was likely to be new weaponry, and the imperial warships might open fire on them at any time.

"Speed ​​up, get away quickly."

Those imposing warships were indeed somewhat intimidating, and they didn't want to engage in battle rashly before they had a clear understanding of the situation.

"Something strange."

Shopkeeper Jiu said, "The warships have no intention of attacking at all; they are just chasing us with all their might. Moreover... even though they could have gotten closer, they slowed down instead."

Their warships were faster than theirs, and their fleet would always enter the attack range of the imperial warships, but the imperial court always maintained a distance, neither too close nor too far, just urging them to move forward.

There must be something fishy about this situation.

"What are your thoughts?" the head manager asked the ninth manager.

Shopkeeper Jiu said, "Why don't we have a fight and see how it goes?"

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard the sound of conch shells coming from the sea not far away.

The head steward's eyes lit up: "They're our men, hurry over there." He hoped they were among the thirty-odd boats, as this would give them a better chance of escaping.

But when the Fifth Manager's fleet appeared before everyone, the owner's expression changed.

More than a dozen ships were clearly attacked; many had damaged sails and masts, and their hulls showed signs of burning.

The fifth manager climbed onto the owner's large ship and immediately said, "We were ambushed by the imperial navy. They disguised themselves as merchant ships... We were caught off guard and fell into their trap."

After finishing speaking, the fifth shopkeeper's eyes suddenly widened as he stared at the approaching warship: "That's...that's..."

The head manager spoke for him, saying, "It was the imperial court's warships." "Impossible," the fifth manager said after a long pause, "Then what happened to us? The imperial court didn't deploy so many naval forces to avoid alerting us."

Therefore, only one fleet could be the actual imperial navy.

"Which one is real?" Manager Jiu asked.

They only have one chance to fight. Once trapped, none of them will escape when the imperial reinforcements arrive.

The master looked at the fifth manager: "Where is the merchant ship you encountered?"

The fifth shopkeeper pointed behind him: "It will take at least a quarter of an hour, or at most half an hour, to meet you."

In other words, they only had two quarters of an hour to prepare.

If they wanted to escape, they had to either head east or south.

Since both the north and west lead to land routes, it seems that the imperial warships are in the east, while the merchant ships mentioned by the Fifth Manager are in the south. Unless he is going to the Japanese, but since the imperial court has been preparing for so long, it must have taken this into account. Perhaps after landing, they will find troops waiting for them.

"Are you sure you've encountered the imperial navy?" the master asked the fifth manager again.

When the fifth shopkeeper saw the warships, he didn't dare to draw a conclusion immediately, but said, "They have ballistae, catapults and firearms on their ships, and the people on the ships all look like soldiers."

The fifth manager recounted how the merchant ship deliberately displayed the Xie family's flag when they were preparing to leave.

"If it weren't for the imperial navy, why would they do this?"

After speaking, the fifth manager pointed to the warships: "These ships should have found their owner's location long ago, but they haven't made a move yet. I suspect they are just using the warships as a show of force, and are actually waiting for the real navy to arrive."

First deal with the Fifth Manager's ships, then besiege the owner. If the owner leaves, use warships to drive him away. This should be the tactic of the Liang navy.

"Head east," the landlord decided, "to prepare to deal with the imperial warships."

If they could break through the encirclement of the warships before the merchant ships arrived, they could continue eastward and get away from here.

……

"They stopped."

Cao Yu discovered the intentions of his employer's fleet and revealed a delighted expression.

The two fleets lined up, and the ship belonging to the eastern merchant had all its ballistae ready.

As if by unspoken agreement, both sides launched their attacks simultaneously.

The ballistae were fired, and several rockets headed towards the enemy's mainsail. Stones hurled by catapults fell on the sea and onto the enemy's ships.

Amidst the roar of cannons, the fifth manager kept a close eye on the enemy ships' every move. When he noticed that no firearms were being hurled at him, he revealed an excited expression.

"Their new firearms are all with the navy. We guessed right, they are..."

Before the fifth shopkeeper could finish speaking, the burning earthenware pot came hurtling towards them.

"boom."

Firearms exploded on each ship in an instant.

The fifth manager seemed to be reliving the same battle, staring dumbfounded as the masts and sails of his own ship caught fire.

The next moment, another volley of arrows rained down, and screams echoed from the ship.

"Their ship rammed into us."

The warships charged forward recklessly, only to discover upon reaching them that wooden poles were tied to the sides of the ships, from which huge stones were suspended. These stones, pulled by the soldiers, were then rammed heavily into the eastern fleet.

One of the leading ships in the Dong family's fleet was immediately struck on the hull, causing it to lose its balance and capsize to one side. The next moment, the wheel-like propellers on both sides of the imperial warship spun, nimbly changing direction, and the bow of the ship once again rammed into the unbalanced ship.

After the loud crash, the people on the owner's boat lost their footing and fell into the water.

The man's eyes contracted sharply.

Are the people on this warship really merchants in disguise?
But why did he feel that this was the imperial court's navy?
(End of this chapter)