Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 5 Sea Island Ghosts, Five Peaks Flag

"what?!"

Upon hearing the name "Haizhu Ghost," everyone from the ordinary boatmen to the Zhang brothers, Wu and Wen, panicked and were at a loss.

Wang Cheng remained relatively calm. Seeing several simple, homemade bamboo bows hanging on the cabin wall, he casually picked one up and hung a quiver of arrows at his waist.

This homemade bamboo bow can only be considered a soft bow, used for self-defense while sailing at sea, and it doesn't even qualify as a weapon.

They were nowhere near as extravagant as their Western counterparts of the same period, who could casually equip their armed merchant ships with cannons, not to mention their colonial ships, pirate ships, and warships.

As the Zhang brothers rushed out of the cabin, they saw a sailboat emerging menacingly from behind a deserted island.

A flag hung on the mainmast, with a dark blue-green demon face painted in the center, its head bearing two sharp horns. His expression darkened slightly.

'It really is Hai Zhu Gui, an elite direct subordinate of Xu Hai, the leader of the pirate faction and the "Great General of Heavenly Sea Pacification"!'
Weren't they all scattered and killed by the Five Peaks Selection? How come they've reappeared so quickly?

Zhang Wu, thinking that Wang Cheng, a scholar who lived on land, was unaware of the power of the sea monsters, quickly explained to him in a low voice:

“Brother Fugui, there are sixty-six countries on the northern island of Yingzhou. Most of the inhabitants are short in stature and are also called Wa people. The Han Dynasty once bestowed upon them the ‘Golden Seal of the King of Han Wa’.”

I heard that it is currently the Warring States period on their island, and many defeated ronin have gone to sea to become pirates after years of fighting.

Many of these wandering warriors joined the ranks of Xu Hai, the "Great General Who Pacifies the Seas," and were trained by him using military tactics and extraordinary techniques to become his elite temple army ghost soldiers, the "Sea Island Ghosts."

Their fighting strength was no less than that of the Five Peaks Selection of the Prince of Jinghai. For many years, they had committed all kinds of atrocities, including burning, killing, looting, and raiding the coast.

but"

When Zhang Wu got to this point, his face was full of surprise and disbelief, and he couldn't understand it at all:
"For the past three years, our Minzhou has been protected by the Prince of Jinghai, and they have long dared not show their faces."

Xu Hai was killed by Prince Jinghai a month ago, and most of the Haizhu Ghosts died at the hands of the Five Peaks Selection. How dare they still jump out? Don't they have a death wish?

The others on the ship were also puzzled, but they acted quickly. Zhang Wen immediately took a flag from the cabin and swiftly hung it on the mast.

The flag unfurled in the sea breeze, revealing an emblem composed of five sea peaks—the very flag of the Prince of Jinghai, the Five Peaks Flag!

Seeing the flag unfurled, Zhang Wu breathed a deep sigh of relief and patted his chest, assuring Wang Cheng:

"Brother Fugui, don't worry, this is the banner of the most powerful water collector in the world, King Jinghai. He is kind-hearted and gave it to us Tanka people of the same clan for free."

In the East China Sea, this flag is more effective than the imperial edict of the Great Zhao Dynasty. Whether the East China Sea is in chaos or not, it is up to our Prince Jinghai.

Now that even Hai Zhu Gui's master, Xu Hai, is dead, they definitely won't dare to provoke him after seeing the flag!

His words were full of admiration for the best water collector.

After two hundred years of trials and tribulations, the Great Zhao Dynasty had long been corrupt in its administration, with officials and soldiers frequently killing innocent people and claiming credit for their crimes.

So much so that the imperial court specifically stipulated: "When reporting a victory at sea, a thorough inspection must be conducted. Only those with no hair on their crown and cheeks and with taut skin and flesh are genuine Japanese pirates." This was to prevent officials and soldiers from using civilians' heads to inflate the numbers.

The soldiers and pirates were all seen as extremely vicious by the people.

Even when these Tanka people, who make their living at sea, encounter pirates, none of them rely on the government or soldiers. They have long been accustomed to regarding the leader of the trade alliance, Prince Jinghai, as a hero.

"This"

Wang Cheng had initially thought he had some brilliant plan to repel the enemy, but upon seeing the all-too-familiar Five Peaks Banner, he felt his vision go black and blurted out:
"Did you stay at sea for at least four days without returning to port this time?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wu and Zhang Wen both looked surprised:
"I've heard that the Confucian school of Gongyang divination is skilled in apocryphal texts and prophecies. Brother Fugui, you're amazing!"

We went out to sea to fish five days ago, but we encountered strong winds and had to take shelter on an island for two days. We haven't been back to port for quite some time.

Wang Cheng thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

In order to expedite the process of sending the father and son to fill the sea hole with the royal ship, the imperial court went through an expedited procedure, completely disregarding the lives of those who went to sea. In their eyes, those who went to sea were all unruly people and bandits.

This also led to the fishing boat [Zhang Fushun] almost being taken away by evil spirits, and it was completely unaware that the order of the East China Sea, which the Prince of Jinghai had spent many years building up, had collapsed and the Five Peaks Flag had become a tattered piece of cloth.

"After my father abdicated, the chaos in the East Sea erupted much faster than I had imagined!"

But he soon realized something was wrong:
"From the time of being recruited and lured to the time of sending the royal ship, it was only a few days. Even sending messages would take a lot of time, and the speed of the sailboat, which was only a few knots, was a big problem to travel."

Even if these stray dogs weren't afraid of the Five Peaks Flag, how could they possibly react so quickly?
It's like they never actually fled the coast of Dazhao.

Before he could think any further, the pirate ship that had already spotted the Five Peaks Flag not only showed no intention of slowing down or retreating, but instead revealed its firearms.

Two breech-loading breech-loading cannons, four bowl-shaped cannons, and several bird guns that looked somewhat crudely made.

In the Portuguese, this thing is called a "matchlock gun," while in the sixty-six kingdoms of Japan it is called a "gun"—they are all the same thing.

Rumble!
A series of deafening thunderclaps rang out, and white columns of water rose up one after another beside the fishing boat.

The group of boatmen, who had never seen anything like this before, were all trembling with fear and lay on the deck, too scared to show their faces.

"How come they're not afraid of the Five Peaks Banner?!"

"Help! Don't kill me!"

But in Wang Cheng's view, this thing's deterrent power far outweighs its offensive power. His father, who started out in the arms smuggling business, once told him that even the largest caliber cannon in the Great Zhao Dynasty was at most equivalent to an 18-pound cannon from the Frankish people.

The so-called "thousand-pound breech-loading cannon" could only fire 3-pound projectiles, which were almost ineffective in causing damage to regular ships.

In Western countries, not only regular navies, but even pirates are gradually phasing out this old-fashioned weapon.

Wang Cheng didn't even bother to dodge.

His mind was perfectly clear; everyone was in the same boat now, and no one could escape unscathed.

We definitely can't win by fighting head-on; the best we can do is find a way to escape from these sea monsters.

He grabbed Zhang Wu and Zhang Wen and dragged them off the deck, shouting:
"Don't be afraid, all of you get up! The hit rate of artillery on ships is the same whether it's a fixed target or a moving target. It's not about accuracy, it's all about luck."

My ancestors were naval soldiers in Yuegang. They all obeyed my command. Zhang Wu would steer the ship, and Zhang Wen would burn incense and worship the ship god.

The others who don't want to die should quickly raise their sails and escape with the sails full.

"oh oh."

Everyone, including Zhang Wu at the bow, subconsciously obeyed the orders of Wang Cheng, the scholar.

Zhang Wu acted as the helmsman, personally climbing up to the wheelhouse and gripping the rudder.

The sailors pushed the winch on the deck with all their might, using the sail rigging and ribs to spread all three hard sails on the foremast, mainmast, and stern.

With a bamboo bow in hand, Wang Cheng directed the work with composure, and the four main crew members on the ship—the helmsman, the helmsman, the helmsman, and the anchorman—each performed their duties.

call--!
The fishing boats began to accelerate under the gunfire.

The Fu-ship of the Da Zhao was easy to maneuver and required far fewer manpower than the fully sailed carabinieri and galleons of the Francois of the same era.

Except for headwinds, it can easily handle winds from other directions, allowing it to sail skillfully in all directions, making it especially suitable for coastal areas with variable winds.

Zhang Wu had only recently inherited the ship "Zhang Fushun" from his father, and the duties at the bow were undoubtedly a huge test for an eighteen or nineteen-year-old.

At this moment, his mind was almost blank, and he only knew to mechanically carry out Wang Cheng's orders.

But as expected of a born beast of destiny, with 100% execution ability, the ship quickly soared to its theoretical limit.

However, the specially modified pirate ship was faster than them, and as time went on, the distance between the two sides was gradually closing.

A group of sea monsters on the boat were making a lot of noise, and although it was hard to understand what they were saying, it was clear that they were telling them to stop the boat immediately.

The musket in his hand fired wildly, even hitting the Five Peaks Flag hanging on the mainmast with a bullet hole.

Apart from Wang Cheng, everyone else's faces were filled with deep despair.

Zhang Wu, a fervent admirer of the Prince of Jinghai, was both shocked and furious. The fact that Haizhu Gui had offended the Five Peaks Banner was even more unacceptable to him than the pursuit and killing of them.

Unfortunately, the situation will not change according to their will.

As the two sides closed the distance to the point where they could see each other's faces, the primitive cannons might not be sharp enough, but once they boarded the ship, the dozen or so fishermen on this boat would be no match for those [Sea Demons].

Now all they can do is pray to the gods and Buddhas.

The water-collecting talisman that saved their lives last night was pasted between the two dragon eyes on the square bow of the boat, in the hope that it would work its magic again.

Of course, there were no ordained water officials on this ship. To activate the water-collecting talisman and unleash its full power, it was necessary to borrow the divine power of the ship god, which was also the duty of the incense craftsman.

Zhang Wen, who was burning incense in front of the shrine, suddenly exclaimed:

"Oh no, the incense path before the gods is blocked."

Not only are there Haizhu demons on the other side, but also officials in their official ranks who are plotting something!

Wang Cheng quickly stepped forward and indeed saw that the wisp of green smoke, which should have risen straight up to three feet, had only risen one foot before completely dissipating and becoming completely ineffective.

The three incense sticks in the incense burner burned at an extraordinary speed, eventually turning the ash of the left stick into a curve to the left, while the other two formed an arch.

Wang Cheng did not study the water collection method, but he had an extremely solid foundation, and he also learned some of the basic skills of the three shifts of officials.

Similar to throwing the Holy Grail before the gods, the three sticks of incense are also a medium for communication between humans and various deities, and each of the three thousand incense sticks has a profound meaning.

The incense in front of us has been burned into an extremely ominous "evil incense".

The Incense Manual states: "When an incense is used to attract evil spirits, ominous signs will appear within seven days!"

Indeed, they cannot borrow the power of the ship god. They don't need to wait seven days or seven hours; they will be in great danger after seven, six, five, and four.

"I'll try."

Wang Cheng knew now was not the time to hide his abilities, so he ignored the questioning looks from the group of boatmen.

With a "plop," he prostrated himself before the shrine of the Heavenly Consort.

He didn't really have much confidence in himself. The only difference between him and others was that he had connections!
(End of this chapter)