My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 273 Landing on the Island
The waves surged and crashed against the distant reefs.

Unidentified seabirds were lingering in the distance.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and there was still fog; the sound of the sea echoed continuously.

On the dock, small boats were rocking slowly, and pedestrians appeared in the distance, all dressed as fishermen.

On the southeast side of the dock, there was a military camp. The camp was quite rudimentary, just enclosed by a fence. The gate was wide open, and several disheveled soldiers were sprinkling water outside, which was extremely lax.

As the sky brightened, more and more people gathered at the dock.

Most of them were soldiers who stood guard at the dock, demanding benefits from the fishermen and boatmen who came and went, usually asking for food and supplies.

Just then, several large ships suddenly appeared in the distance, swaying with the waves as they slowly approached the dock.

The fishermen spotted them from a great distance.

But the fishermen were not flustered. They excitedly stood up, quickly rowed their boat to the dock, and shouted loudly.

"Merchants! Sui merchant ships have arrived!"

Many people began to go back and inform others, and started preparing things.

The local people warmly welcome merchant ships that come from the land. Every time a merchant ship arrives, they have the opportunity to trade, bringing local specialties to exchange with the merchants.

Even the soldiers guarding the dock became excited. They shouted something and began to gather. More and more soldiers gathered, some standing on the shore and some in the camp.

The arrival of merchant ships was a good thing for them, as it allowed them to trade and extort. Resources were scarce here, and merchant ships didn't come every day, so they cherished this opportunity.

The dock became increasingly noisy.

The soldiers quickly occupied the key roads, driving away the fishermen and the like. The merchants had limited goods, so even if they wanted to trade, they had to wait for the soldiers to trade first before it was their turn.

The general guarding the area was currently discussing with his men, "Don't scare these merchants yet. After they arrive, send men to watch their ships and prevent them from escaping. Then we can demand their goods. Remember, no killing is allowed. If we kill anyone, no one will dare to come again."

As they spoke, the large ship in the distance drew ever closer.

Zhang Zhenzhou, dressed in ordinary clothes and holding a short spear, squatted on the boat. The people around him were also ready. Zhang Zhenzhou said, "Once the boat docks, set up the ladder and make sure it's secure. I'll go out empty-handed first. After I get off, you can fight your way out."

The large ship slowly docked at the shore. The soldiers on board pretended to be merchants and waved to the distance. Zhang Zhenzhou had a ladder set up and led the way down the ship. He only brought four or five people with him and swaggered down.

The barbarian soldiers in the distance also watched them with curiosity.

Zhang Zhenzhou glanced at the soldiers in the distance and smiled at them.

"kill!!!"

Suddenly, shouts of battle erupted from behind him, and a large number of soldiers began to rush out from the ship's ladder, each wielding a short spear. After running a few steps, they threw the spears out fiercely!
The short spears rained down like raindrops, instantly covering the distant enemies.

Before the soldiers could react, they were pierced by the short spears. They fell to the ground screaming. The general reacted instantly and ordered a counterattack, but the soldiers who rushed out continued to run, closing the distance and throwing again. Each of them carried three short spears, charging forward and then throwing them in unison. This was done three times, and the defending troops in the distance were almost wiped out.

Thick smoke billowed from the distant military camp, signaling a warning.

Zhang Zhenzhou didn't care about that. Holding a long sword, he led the charge. The bandit leader was also quite burly, several sizes bigger than the rest of the group. He shouted and gathered his confidants, wanting to launch a counterattack.

The two charged at each other face to face.

"Bang~~~"

Zhang Zhenzhou heard something fly past his ear, making his face sting a little.

The next moment, the bandit general who was shouting and rushing towards Zhang Zhenzhou suddenly exploded. Something hit his head, and with a loud "bang," half of his head was gone. He was still in a charging posture, took a few more steps, and then collapsed with a thud.

The bandit general was killed, and the remaining soldiers were thrown into chaos. Zhang Zhenzhou, however, shouted and continued the charge. The two sides clashed, and the bandit army collapsed immediately. Zhang Zhenzhou killed three or four bandits in succession, and they began to flee. Zhang Zhenzhou looked around and saw that his soldiers were all incredibly brave, driving the bandits into a panic. Then he saw Wang Zhengzhang, wielding a long sword, slashing left and right, heads rolling everywhere.

Then he saw Feng San again, raised his bow and shot, killing one enemy with each arrow.

And then there's Li Xuanba, wielding a long spear, like a tiger among sheep...?

Li Xuanba??

Zhang Zhenzhou had no chance to be distracted. In a short while, the soldiers at the dock were all killed, and the fishermen and the like had long since disappeared in fear. Zhang Zhenzhou hurriedly ordered his men to put on armor and prepare to defend against the enemy while waiting for the main force to land.

Li Xuanba retrieved his golden mace from the bandit general, carefully wiped it clean, and then hung it on his waist.

Zhang Zhenzhou did not question Feng San at this moment, but kept ordering the defense to be strengthened. The enemy on the island should know about his attack, and he had to guard the dock and protect the safe landing of the follow-up army.

But even when his own army appeared in the rear, the enemy did not appear in front of Zhang Zhenzhou.

Chen Leng led his army to land here. The army of more than 10,000 people was so large that it occupied almost the entire area. After successfully landing, the soldiers began to rest and recuperate. They had traveled by sea for a whole month.

This expedition was no simpler than the war in the Northwest. The journey itself was extremely dangerous. Nine ships ran into trouble during the voyage, and those that fell ill along the way were also lost. Before even engaging the enemy, the casualties had already reached three or four hundred.

Fortunately, they recruited soldiers from the south; if they had used northerners, they would probably have all died before even reaching the shore.

The military officers from Guanzhong also suffered casualties; they were not used to the weather here, let alone to sailing and going on expeditions.

Thinking about the fact that they would have to fight on the island and overcome factors such as acclimatization issues, Chen Leng's expression became very serious. This war had to end as soon as possible; the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.

Chen Leng greatly admired Zhang Zhen and Zhou Yongwu's actions and recorded their contributions.

"Li Xuanba killed one bandit captain and six soldiers?"

When Chen Leng saw the list of military merits, the way he looked at Zhang Zhenzhou became somewhat strange.

I know you have a good relationship with Chai Shao, but there's no need to do this, is there?
The emperor already blamed me for favoring the sons of noble families, and you still act so recklessly?
"General Zhang, isn't there something wrong with this military merit list? This traitorous general..."

"General, military merit lists cannot be written carelessly; these are all true."

"I personally witnessed Li Xuanba kill that traitorous general with his hammer."

"Alright, let's make a note of that for now. General Zhang, we need to get to Dimotan Cave as soon as possible. Once we occupy this place, we can take the enemy's capital directly. This battle must be quick and cannot be delayed. You will still be the vanguard! The enemy must already know that we have arrived. They will definitely occupy advantageous terrain and engage us in battle!"

"We must seize these strategic locations before they arrive, otherwise it will waste a lot of our time and be extremely disadvantageous to us!"

"promise!!"

Zhang Zhenzhou led his troops to the forefront once again.

This time, however, they all rode on horses.

Zhang Zhenzhou hurried along, looking at the soldiers following him. "Feng San, what exactly happened?"

"Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Xuanba?"

Feng San lowered his head. "General, it's not that I disobeyed orders. I was keeping him at the back and didn't intend to go forward. But as soon as the battle cries started, this kid... ah, the squad leader rushed out. I couldn't catch him and could only chase after him. I chased him until I caught up with him at the very front."

Zhang Zhenzhou then looked at Li Xuanba on the other side, "Xuanba, why did you disobey military orders?"

"General, it was my first time on the battlefield. I heard the battle cries and everyone was charging, so I charged out too."

(End of this chapter)