With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Soon after, the other martial artists arrived at the port; they had come to hunt down the remaining pirates.

Most of the bandits who hadn't fled far wanted to leave by boat, but they were caught in a pincer movement and blocked here.

Another fierce battle ensued. Although the bandits outnumbered the warriors, their morale quickly crumbled when they saw the warriors mercilessly killing their comrades.

In the end, more than 300 bandits dropped their weapons and surrendered, while some fought desperately towards the island's forest and disappeared into the darkness.

Liu Yun and the others turned to look at the port, where more than a dozen medium-sized ships were moored.

Some of these boats were previously stolen from the county, while others belonged to the river bandits. All of them were equipped with weapons such as crossbows and small catapults.

Seeing these ships, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; the army was no longer worried about not having suitable naval vessels.

At the same time, small boats and cargo ships that came from the county town also docked one after another, and the soldiers jumped off the boats and entered the port.

The original plan was for the martial artists to launch a surprise attack from the front to hold off the pirates, and then for these small boats to take the opportunity to land and fight the pirates on land.

Unexpectedly, the river bandits were weak in combat and quickly fled under the attack of the warriors. By the time the support ships reached the shore, the battle was already over.

The soldiers boarded the ship and saw more than a dozen usable warships. They cheered and eagerly boarded the ships to familiarize themselves with their positions.

Everyone knew that this was the only time they could use the martial arts surprise attack method.

Next, we'll deal with the other two groups of pirates. They'll definitely be on guard, so we'll have to rely on naval warfare. And these moored boats will be the key to victory.

Afterwards, the group sailed the captured warships toward the county town, and more than 300 captured river bandits were also placed on the ships and escorted back together.

The fleet sailed smoothly along the river, and the sky gradually brightened as they sailed. By the time they returned to the county town, it was just dawn.

The boats passed through the sluice gates one by one and entered the waterways within the county town, waking the people on both banks from the commotion.

When everyone saw more than a dozen crocodile-armored guards, blue rock carp, and more than a dozen medium-sized warships swimming on both sides of the river, with soldiers and rows of bound prisoners standing on the ships, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

The news spread like wildfire, and the people rushed to the riverbank.

The fleet moved slowly, and the crowd followed them all the way to the dilapidated dock. Although the dock had been severely damaged in the previous battle, there were too many captured ships, so they had to stay there temporarily.

Lin Ye and Chen Cheng were already waiting by the dock.

They were not directly involved in the raid.

Participating in the martial arts raid was too dangerous, and there was no point in following the fleet behind, so the two did not participate in the raid.

Furthermore, someone needs to stay behind in the county town.

The two boarded the ship and first praised the warriors who participated in the raid, affirming their bravery and decisiveness.

Lin Ye stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the warriors, "In this raid, you went deep into the enemy island at night. Facing an unfamiliar environment and a numerically superior group of pirates, you still maintained your formation and quickly broke through the defenses."

Not only did they complete the mission, but they also killed the leader, Meng Lang, and severely damaged Bawangtan. This courage and execution are worthy of emulation by the entire army, and the territory will not forget your contributions.

The territory will also make proper arrangements for the families of those who sacrificed their lives.

Then, Lin Ye and Chen Cheng walked to the bow of the boat and faced the crowd on the shore.

Lin Ye began, "Fellow citizens of Qinghe County, I am Lin Ye, the lord of Xiang County in Qingyang Prefecture, and this is Chen Cheng, the lord of Yun County in Qingyang Prefecture."

Last night, we launched a surprise attack on the bandits of Bawangtan. Behind me are the martial artists carrying out the mission.

They successfully wiped out the band of river pirates, killing over a thousand, including their leader Meng Lang, and capturing more than three hundred.

Chen Cheng continued, "Next, we will continue to fight against other river bandits, avenge everyone, and restore peace to Qinghe County."

As soon as he finished speaking, cheers erupted from the shore. Lin Ye and Chen Cheng, along with martial artists, soldiers, and prisoners, slowly walked towards the county government office amidst the cheers and applause of the crowd.

According to post-battle statistics, eight third-rate martial artists died in the battle, and more than a dozen were wounded. Captain Chen Hai was injured in the arm during his fight with Meng Lang.

On the Lin family's side, two third-rate captains were killed and five captains were wounded.

The next day, in an open area of ​​the county town, more than 300 river bandits were escorted to the scene, which was surrounded by crowds who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

First, the bandits were made to expose each other's crimes, and then the onlookers identified them one by one.

As the crowd grew larger, many people immediately recognized the faces of the perpetrators from the previous nights.

In the end, only forty-odd people were not identified and were imprisoned to await sentencing and forced labor.

The others who were identified were all guilty of serious crimes and were executed on the spot.

Subsequently, a recruitment notice was posted and read aloud on the spot, openly recruiting martial artists and young men familiar with ship handling to join the team to eliminate the remaining river bandits.

In the days that followed, people flocked to sign up to join the cleanup operation.

Lin Jing and others in charge of registration conducted a preliminary review according to the pre-determined conditions, and finally selected more than 200 boatmen and more than 100 martial artists.

Because the number of captured ships was limited, the boatmen had to be carefully selected, requiring them to be familiar with the water and able to quickly master the basic operation and maintenance of the ships.

At the same time, the armies of Lin Ye and Chen Cheng also began internal selection to choose soldiers who could adapt to shipboard combat.

There is no need for excessive screening of martial artists. Even if some martial artists are not used to the rocking of the ship, their combat power still far exceeds that of ordinary soldiers in actual combat.

After screening, more than 1,000 people were selected from nearly 4,000 troops to serve as the main force in subsequent naval battles.

This included more than 30 third-rate martial artists, one second-rate martial artist captain, and more than 200 unranked martial artists.

The remaining third-rate martial artists and a captain stayed behind to guard the county town in case it was attacked again. After all, the county town was weak after the previous battle and needed to be garrisoned.

After discussing with Chen Cheng, Lin Ye decided to set Blood Lake Bay as their next target. Their plan was to start with the weaker "easy target".

According to the previous confession of the third leader of Bawangtan, several second-rate martial artists appeared in Heishui Village on the day the county town was captured. Therefore, it is not advisable to attack Heishui Village rashly. It would be safer to attack Xuehu Bay first.

On this day, a dozen medium-sized ships, along with several smaller vessels and cargo ships, departed from Qinghe County and headed towards Blood Lake Bay. Lin Ye and Chen Cheng were also in the fleet. The two decided to personally lead the expedition.

Firstly, because they had been stationed in the rear during this operation and had not even been on the battlefield, it was unreasonable for them to personally supervise the battle in order to boost morale.

Secondly, Blood Lake Bay is relatively weak, and because of the previous fighting among the bandits, there is no need to worry about them joining forces with Blackwater Village for the time being.

Furthermore, both Lin Ye and Chen Cheng are second-rate martial artists, but they both have a fighting spirit and are strong enough to handle most situations.

The fleet was also guarded by Crocodile Armor Submarine Guards. Even if the battle went badly, they could take advantage of the soldiers to evacuate. The Crocodile Armor Submarine Guards were much faster than ships in the water.

Ultimately, it was because most martial artists traveled with the fleet, and to be honest, the safety factor on the fleet was higher than in the county town. After some consideration, the two decided to go there themselves.