Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 845 Escape
Since the start of the war, the commotion on the sea has never stopped.

Both fleets were equipped with sufficient military supplies. Although the imperial court had firearms to support them, the host had also prepared caltrops. Although the host's ships could not match the speed of the imperial court's warships, they were sturdy enough. Therefore, neither the imperial court's warships nor the host's fleet could immediately kill the other.

In addition, the wind direction at sea also played a role; several times, Zhang Heng missed the opportunity to attack because the wind and waves were too strong.

Xie Yuyan's merchant ships used a large number of firearms on the Five Managers' fleet, and the remaining firearms could only be used to try to surround the owner, and were mostly used for passive defense.

The small boats that came to support the owner's fleet also played a role in restraining them.

After noon, a layer of sea fog suddenly rose at sea, making it impossible for the two fleets to see each other. Taking advantage of this, the small boats surrounded one of the imperial warships, which suffered considerable damage under the attack.

After the fog dissipated, it quickly got dark again. Zhang Heng knew he wouldn't be able to win over his employer today, and he couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"We need to find a way to keep attacking from the surrounding area, so they don't take advantage of the darkness to launch a sneak attack on Madam's fleet," Zhao Zhongliang reminded Zhang Heng, keeping a close eye on the situation at sea.

Zhang Heng naturally understood: "Don't worry!" Without Madam, and without the current battle situation, even disregarding personal feelings, this merchant ship is extremely important to the entire war, and we must protect them.

Just as Zhang Heng was thinking this, he heard someone hurrying over: "The merchant ships have sent a message."

……

The landlord is currently submerged in the seawater. If he hadn't consistently swam, he might have already drowned.

The frogmen around him took turns leading him forward.

In the darkness, it seemed possible to use the moonlight to discern direction, but once submerged in the sea, everything around seemed to change. The landlord breathed through a bamboo tube, but his mind was still hazy, and... he felt as if his whole body was frozen, without any warmth. Fortunately, his frogmen were extremely loyal. There were more than thirty of them when they went into the water, and now several of them had sunk into the sea due to exhaustion.

They used a small boat for cover halfway through the journey, and the owner leaned over the side of the boat, taking a few deep breaths.

He didn't rush to go into the water during the day, but chose to leave at night, when no one could see what was happening on the surface of the sea, and once he entered the water, no one would be able to detect his movements.

The fighting will continue at dawn tomorrow. He can stay on the island for a while until the court's attention shifts away from the island, at which point he can escape.

He had made thorough preparations for this escape, dividing the frogmen into three teams, each carrying one person away. Even if the imperial court discovered some clues, they would not be able to find him among the three teams.

Once he got to the island, he was halfway to success. The food stored in the secret passages on the island would allow him to hide for a long time, and he had also placed people on the island to protect his safety.

He had been secretly dealing with the people on the island for a long time, giving them many benefits in return. These people could also protect him. Even if the people of the imperial court accidentally landed on the island, the people on the island would take up arms to deal with them.

The islanders couldn't communicate with the Liang people, so he had someone instigate them, leading the islanders to believe that the Liang court was bloodthirsty and would slaughter everyone on the island if they landed. Although the islanders didn't necessarily completely believe him, they would fight back fiercely if they saw outsiders forcibly landing on the island.

The employer felt that he had made very thorough arrangements.

As for his children, if they are arrested by the imperial court, that is their fate. If they manage to escape, they can still work for him in the future.

The owner gestured to the frogmen, and they led him forward.

Finally, they reached the shore. The owner was exhausted and rested for a while before leading the frogmen to continue. However, several figures soon rushed over from the surrounding area.

"It's us."

The host immediately produced the items given to him by the island's chieftain to prove his identity.

……

As dawn broke, the two fleets began their battle again, just like the day before.

Xie Yuyan looked at the master's fleet: "Did you see anything?" Pu Heluo subconsciously shook his head. Before, he would have tried to hide, afraid that the master's people would find out that he had sided with the eldest mistress, although this couldn't be kept secret forever...

After several battles, Puheluo, like everyone else on the ship, was focused on winning with Lady Xie and had long forgotten everything else.

He even subconsciously began to restrain and mobilize his own people, seemingly forgetting that he was an official of Srivijaya.

After sinking the two ships left behind by the Fifth Manager yesterday, they sailed north and soon saw the entire battle situation.

Jingyuan said, "Yesterday, in the master's fleet, there was a ship that was protected in the middle, that should be the master's location."

Xie Yuyan nodded.

With her sharp eyes, Abbess Jingyuan quickly noticed something amiss: "That ship got a little closer to the imperial warships today."

Xie Yuyan said, "The master may have already escaped."

Master Jingyuan nodded: "However, he may also be hiding on other ships." This person is like an insect hiding underground, unable to see the light.

Master Jingyuan hated this kind of person the most.

They fought each other openly and covertly for several rounds, and even at the very end, they still couldn't have a fair fight.

“Let’s go take a look around,” Xie Yuyan said. “According to Madam Wu, the furthest we can reach by using the frogmen, boats, and reefs is two small islands nearby.”

Although there were many frogmen, the owner's physical strength was limited. Even with a bamboo tube to breathe in the cold seawater, he couldn't last very far.

Puhara instinctively asked, "How do we try it?"

“Try to land,” Xie Yuyan said. “Since the owner has an agreement with the islanders, the islanders will intimidate anyone who tries to approach. The islander who reacts the fastest and most violently is probably the owner.”

Puhara asked, "And then?"

“Since the boss can bribe those people, so can we,” Xie Yuyan said. “Let’s take out all the cargo left in the hold and send it to them in a small boat.”

With Zhang Heng here, she can do other things. Perhaps by the time Wang Yan arrives, she will have found her master and will be able to capture him.

Puheluo was somewhat surprised. Besides military equipment, Xie Niangzi did bring some goods with her in the cabin. At that time, he wondered what the lady wanted these things for.
"You thought of that already?" Puhara asked.

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "It's just an extra preparation." Besides people like the boss, the only other people at sea are the islanders. What the islanders want most are cloth, ironware, rice, medicinal herbs, and fine salt.

Living on an island but not knowing how to make salt, they usually eat coarse salt with many impurities. This fine salt would surely tempt them.

Normally, the owner is a powerful figure with many ships sailing the seas. If she had tried to give the islanders something back then, they probably wouldn't have accepted it, since the owner could reliably supply them. But now that the owner is in trouble, no one knows if they can survive this ordeal. They don't care about the owner's life or death, but they are afraid that their supply of goods will be cut off.

Panic will make them try to take as much advantage as possible.

Therefore, they will definitely accept whatever she offers.

If they reach out and take it, there will be discord between the owner and the islanders, and she can take advantage of the situation.

Although this is the worst kind of divide-and-conquer tactic, it works, so that's all that matters.

(End of this chapter)