Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 228 Plunder! Extinction! Warship in a Bottle, the Breath of Civilization

The Ōtomo clan's ordinary warships were dealt with by their four- or five-hundred-ton warships, and Carlo clearly didn't care about the lives of these "allies."

One of the sailing warships under the command of the Donghai Kingdom was personally led by Wang Cheng, and the other was led by Zhang Sanshu, a fifth-rank [Chef], each heading towards the two sides of the goose-shaped formation.

The tactical intent is clear.

We must break out of the encirclement of the geese formation before the Frankish fleet completes its encirclement, and then launch a counterattack using the firepower advantage of linear tactics.

Carlo scoffed:
"We finally gained the upper hand, how could we let you escape so easily?"

The "Knights of Heaven" summoned by the Severan were all Tide Knights of their own nation who died during the Crusades.

At this moment, they all raised their right hands, and the blue cross emblem of their patron saint, Saint Vincent, appeared on the back of their hands.

Wow.
The nearby seawater responded immediately, with some of it converging to form an artificial ocean current, giving the Franco fleet both favorable winds and currents.

One part of them blocked the two East China Sea fleets, forcing them to operate against both the wind and the current, significantly hindering their maneuverability.

But the General's Order is not to be trifled with.

One after another, yang energy furnaces manifested, and rolling heat waves spread out, burning away most of the negative effects caused by the Tide Knight with the power of breaking magic.

Meanwhile, the twenty-four generals, thirty-six fierce warriors, and numerous naval officers in the fleet all originated from the same source, tracing back to the Water Official Emperor.

Relying on his strong affinity with the Heavenly Life Water Toad Qi, Wang Cheng adjusted his breathing, absorbed a wisp of Dao Qi, and descended, instantly activating everyone's spiritual response.

In particular, the most numerous were Bai Shuilang, who received spiritual enlightenment, and Hai Laozi, who received spiritual power!
The atmosphere above the battlefield seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand and then violently pulled.

Woo woo woo.
The wind direction suddenly changed, and the perfect crosswind that the Frankish fleet had been experiencing was suddenly straightened out and turned into a less friendly tailwind.

The sailors on the ship were caught off guard.

"Quickly, adjust the sails and maintain formation!"

I had just frantically adjusted the sail angle with the swing rope when the wind direction changed back again.

Each change in wind direction had minimal impact on the overall morale of the East China Sea fleet, yet yielded excellent results.

The skill level of sailors varies, and their ability to adapt to changes in wind direction naturally differs.

The originally perfectly orderly goose-shaped formation gradually became scattered and disorganized with each pull, and could no longer maintain its invincible momentum that made it seem like a unified whole when the mountains crumbled and the earth cracked.

This was the tactic Wang Cheng devised after gaining a deep understanding of the Frankish.

"Whether they are warship sailors or merchant ship sailors, they are not considered human beings in their country, and their situation is similar to that of us Tanka people."

Most sailors were conscripted onto ships, paid the lowest wages, and did the hardest and most tiring work.

When the contract is about to expire, they will be exchanged for other warships or merchant ships, and in the end they won't even get a single copper coin.

The nation with the strongest maritime power has the worst average level of navigation skills.

The squadron led by Wang Cheng was the first to successfully jump out from the flanking edges of the scattered Franco fleet.

He then affixed a blue talisman to the helm of the Santiago, and with his hair disheveled, began his ritual.

He made a hand seal and chanted:
"Summon the dragon to bring rain, gather the breath and smoke. The sun, moon, five planets, and the seven stars of the Big Dipper. Together with the Heavenly Emperor, issue this decree from the Supreme Mystery. Proclaim your might to the Three Realms, without delay! So be it!"

With a dragon's roar, a strong wind swept through, and wisps of white mist rose from the water, quickly wrapping around the [San Diego] and transforming into a huge, ferocious dragon's head.

Then it sped along the single column of twenty sailing warships behind it, forming a majestic, snow-white dragon.

The hearts and minds of everyone in the fleet were further united by this long dragon, giving the fleet the great power to lift up thousands of people together.

Then, this mist dragon began to meander and swim on the sea surface like a living dragon.

—The Secret Transmission of the True Dharma: [Together Terrifying the Dragons]!
By concentrating the power of everyone on a ship or a fleet to enhance a warship, even the most ferocious dragons in the sea will be terrified. At the highest level of cultivation, a wooden boat can transform into a dragon, summoning clouds and spewing mist.

The key point is that the [Beneficial Version of the Heavenly Treasure Ship - Mirage Cloud Dragon Ship], which is still hidden in Wang Cheng's Kidney Temple and is his trump card, also emitted endless mirage energy, which mixed into the body of this white dragon.

This made it appear even more lifelike, like a supernatural skill blessed by a superior magical artifact, incomparable to the one used by Mao Haifeng in the past.

The wind speed increased again, and they successfully seized the upwind position!

The fleet's towering masts, as dense as a forest, immediately created a wide turbulent zone spanning several kilometers, further reducing the Franco-Flagship's maneuverability.

"Load solid shot into the port broadside guns, lock onto the nearest target, and fire!"

The phantom of the general above the flagship waved his command flag, causing the scales of the white mist dragon to explode, and hundreds of cannons on more than twenty warships to spew flames simultaneously.

The entire ocean was shaken back by the fleet's salvo.

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
The heavy cast-iron cannonballs, carrying the destructive power of the Yang Qi furnace, slammed into the Frankish fleet.

Dozens of "Knights of Heaven" formed the outermost layer of defense. Although they were clearly phantoms, they emitted a huge metallic roar when bombarded.

Most shells were blocked, but a few broke through the defenses and struck the warship's hull, sending sharp wood chips flying across the deck, accompanied by screams of agony. "Aaaaaahhhhh!"

"Fire! Return fire! Return fire!"

The squadron led by Uncle Zhang on the other side behind Wang Cheng was slightly slower and was trapped in the encirclement of the main fleet.

But the scattered formation of the Frankish soldiers could no longer stop their breakthrough, which was as if the "General's Command" on their bodies was an integral part of their defense.

All the ships in the squadron collectively launched the "Linear Tactics" (Volume 2: Naval Battleship Tactics) they had learned from Wang Cheng.

It's like a simplified version of the secret technique [Common Horror Dragons]. With the One-Word Long Snake Formation empowered, the fleet seems to have truly transformed into a nimble sea serpent.

Invisible chains connected the keels of every ship in the fleet, and every crew member was inspired to know what tactical maneuvers to take at any given moment.

The thousands of crew members moved as one, cutting through the gaps in the large fleet and furiously attacking the sterns and bows of the enemy ships on both sides, which were not equipped with cannons.

"Open fire! Smash them in the ass!"

The Franco-François fleet was suddenly caught between two attacks, unable to attend to both ends.

This doesn't mean the "Knights of Heaven" are incompetent; it's merely a routine test of outdated and rigid thinking after the innovation of naval warfare tactics.

Just like every major turning point in history, what will overturn you is not your peers, but this new era.

Carlo had also read the locally published "On Sea Power" and seen the author, Prince Jinghai's, series of speculations on the future development of tactics.

But he had complete confidence in the invincible fleet and scoffed at the fantasies and conjectures of an Easterner.

This time, I learned a good lesson.

After being bombarded twice, it finally couldn't help but reveal its biggest trump card.

He tossed out a rum bottle half-filled with seawater from his waist, and as if space itself had flipped, the bottle's mouth flipped outwards, releasing the fully-staffed third-class battleship.

Boom!

It stood like a mountain between the two fleets, splashing up huge sprays of water.

This also drew gasps of alarm from both sides:

"First, second, and third decks! This is the sailing battleship described in 'The Influence of Sea Power'!"

Many people were seeing such a large warship for the first time in their lives.

This is because with a capacity of 680 people, it requires a large number of supply bases, and its high center of gravity makes it particularly prone to capsizing and sinking in strong winds and waves.

Furthermore, all of their sails are full-sail configurations with square sails, making them heavily reliant on downwind winds.

This resulted in sailing battleships rarely operating across oceans.

If the great adventurer Magellan were to venture into the vast ocean in a powerful battleship, it would be tantamount to suicide.

This time, they used special tools for other strategic purposes, successfully sending three Tier 3 battleships to the Eastern battlefield.

Carlo leaped onto the battleship's deck and shouted the order:
"Activate the bow image! Take three deep breaths!"

In addition to their formidable firepower, every major battleship of the Western naval powers is equipped with a powerful bow sigil, and the Ocean Angel is no exception.

—The main element is a cross held high by angels.

This cross comes from the exploration of the New World during the Age of Exploration.

The war song rang out once more.

Scholars from Western countries summarized the rise of their civilizations as "three deep breaths".

The first time was when their barbarian ancestors emerged from the great forests and invaded the civilized empire. In the end, the barbarians triumphed over civilization, seizing a large amount of land and inheriting a part of the empire's culture.
The second was the Crusades launched by the Holy Cross Church, which seized a great deal of wealth and technology from the East;
The third was the Age of Exploration, during which they occupied countless overseas colonies and abundant raw material resources.

Every deep breath they took represented their plunder and extermination of other races, and every leader of that deep breath received a collective gift from the robber civilization.

The two crosses resonated from two deep breaths.

The powerful breath of civilization emanating from the race instantly changed the way everyone in the fleet breathed.

A savage, bloody, and aggressive aura circulated between everyone's mouths and noses, causing their bodies to swell and their eyes to turn slightly red.

"Take your third deep breath, breathe the ocean!"

At the same time, Carlo, as the fleet commander, took a deep breath looking down at the sea.

The sea level suddenly rose by a meter, like a surging tsunami, pushing the fleet against the headwind and charging towards the flagship where Wang Cheng was located.

(End of this chapter)