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

As for why he disguised himself as a boatman, Lin Ye and the others actually knew the answer.

According to the county magistrate, the Bai family has always had a bad reputation in the area, and they are known for bullying the people and acting tyrannically.

Now that the Bai family was wiped out the night the bandits stormed the county town, as the eldest son of the Bai family, he naturally dared not show his face easily.

Otherwise, the people, immersed in grief and anger, might immediately target him to vent their anger.

"The Bai family was wiped out, how did you escape?" Lin Ye continued to press.

"I am a third-rate martial artist, and I also contracted with a Azure Rock Carp. I escaped by traveling by water," Bai Xuan replied.

"You said you know the hideout of the bandits in Blood Lake Bay, so how did you find out?" Chen Cheng asked immediately.

"Because my family has always had business dealings with Blood Lake Bay." Bai Xuan's words immediately surprised everyone present.

"Before Han Feng rose to prominence, he was doing business with my family. Over the years, their influence has grown, and they have even taken over Huwan Town."

I tried to persuade my father to stop cooperating with them, but once you embark on this path, it's not so easy to extricate yourself.

"They need my family's help to sell the goods they stole, and they threatened to spread the word and intercept my family's caravan if we didn't continue to cooperate."

My father had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue.

Lin Ye and Chen Cheng exchanged a glance, both understanding the situation.

Don't be fooled by Bai Xuan's pitiful story, as if he was forced into this business. Considering the Bai family's reputation in Qinghe County, it's not hard to guess that it was mostly voluntary.

The money comes quickly and easily from illicit activities, so they have no desire to stop.

"Then how do you know where they are hiding now?" Lin Ye pressed.

"In order to keep track of their movements and to guard against them, my family had already planted spies within the bandit ranks long ago."

Bai Xuan explained, "I just found clues left by a scout in the town. According to his estimation, the bandits probably went east this time."

The only place on the east side that could accommodate so many people at once is Snake Hollow.

"The area is teeming with venomous snakes, sparsely populated, and has vast reed beds, making it ideal for hiding."

"If there were spies, why didn't we discover the bandits' plan to attack the county town before?" Lin Ye asked, somewhat puzzled.

(Please remember the website 20 ...

"It was a coincidence that the scout had been left behind in the town that day. He only knew that the bandits were going out, but he didn't know that they were going to attack the county town."

Moreover, his situation makes it inconvenient for him to pass messages; he can only secretly leave signals during our transactions.

Lin Ye and Chen Cheng looked down at the map on the table. The location of Poisonous Snake Hollow was not marked on the map.

Fortunately, the county magistrate was familiar with the local terrain. With his guidance, the two realized that the place was indeed secluded and very suitable for hiding people.

With no better leads at the moment, they could only give it a try and direct the fleet toward Snake Hollow.

The fleet traveled about twenty kilometers and gradually approached Snake Hollow.

Along the way, they indeed discovered numerous traces of ships passing by.

The bent reeds on the bank and the objects floating on the water all indicate that a sizable fleet of ships had passed by not long ago.

As soon as they entered the area of ​​Snake Hollow, a sailor standing on a high vantage point shouted, "I see the shadow of a small boat in the reeds!"

The fleet immediately went on high alert and quickly formed a battle formation.

Everyone held their breath and waited for a while, but no boats came out of the reeds; all they could hear was the rustling of the wind blowing through the reeds.

"It seems they want to wait until we go in before making their move," Lin Ye chuckled. "The waterways here are winding and meandering; people unfamiliar with the terrain can easily get lost and are vulnerable to ambushes."

"Set it on fire, burn down the reeds, and force them out."

Upon receiving the order, several ships immediately changed course and launched rockets into the reed marshes using small catapults or ballistae.

The rocket roared into the dense reeds, and the flames spread rapidly with the help of the wind, turning half the sky red in the blink of an eye, with thick smoke billowing up.

Amidst this sea of ​​fire, a fleet of ships finally emerged from the reeds.

A dozen or so boats were crammed together, and the boats were filled with bandits holding weapons, each with a fierce expression.

Lin Ye and Chen Cheng's command ship retreated to the rear. Upon seeing this, they immediately waved their command flags and directed their own ships to launch an attack.

The small catapults and ballistae on the ships unleashed their power in succession, sending stones and bolts whistling towards the pirate fleet; the pirates, not to be outdone, retaliated with bows and crossbows and projectiles from their ships.

The two sides' warships were about a hundred paces apart on the river, and their crossbows and catapults formed a crossfire.

The catapults on our side's bow emitted a muffled thud, and heavy stone projectiles flew in arcs toward the enemy ship. Some struck the ship's side with a deafening crash, while others hit the awning directly, shattering the wooden pillars and sail ropes.

The ballista's steel arrows were even more lethal, their sharp whistling as they pierced the enemy ship's deck, occasionally piercing through the pirates hiding behind shields, their screams instantly ripped apart by the wind.

The archers on the pirate ship also fired arrows in rapid succession, raining down on their own vessel. Some arrows pierced the railings, while others embedded themselves in the sails, forcing the sailors in charge of maneuvering to duck and dodge.

The enemy ships' catapults also retaliated, sending stones hurtling through the air. One of them struck the bow of one of our own warships, smashing the protective wooden palisade to pieces.

Two soldiers operating the crossbow were knocked down by falling rocks. One man's arm was bleeding profusely, while the other rolled onto the deck, groaning in pain.

On another ship, a ballista gunner was hit in the chest by a fist-sized stone, causing him to fall backward. His ballista went out of control and tilted, nearly injuring his companion next to him.

A flag bearer standing on the ship's side was grazed on the shoulder by a crossbow bolt fired from an enemy ship. The arrowhead tore through his flesh. He gritted his teeth and pulled out the arrow shaft. Blood flowed down his arm, but he still held the command flag tightly and refused to let go.

On the other side, a young sailor was hit in the calf by a flying rock. The bone cracked, and he cried out in pain as he knelt on the deck. His comrades quickly dragged him behind the bunker to bandage him.

On the enemy ship, people were also being hit. Some of the stones from our own catapults were directly thrown into the water, creating splashes and cries of pain.

Some had their thighs pierced by ballistae, and they rolled on the deck clutching their wounds, their blood staining the ship's planks.

Because our side had arranged their formation in advance, and the sailors were all experienced and well-coordinated veterans, their hit rate was significantly higher than that of the pirates.

However, both sides' ships were medium-sized warships with sturdy structures. Even if they were hit, the injuries were mostly to the crew, and the ships themselves would not sink for a while.

As the distance closed, the attacks from both sides became increasingly intense, and casualties began to appear on their side.

Once the two ships were close enough, they began firing rockets at each other, attempting to set the other ship's sails and hull ablaze.

The firelight danced on the river's surface, casting flickering light on everyone's faces.

Lin Ye and the others observed the battlefield. Although their side had the advantage in accuracy and coordination, they were still unable to end the battle quickly.

The two sides engaged in a prolonged exchange of fire, a common stalemate in naval warfare before the advent of gunpowder weapons.

The ships were sturdy, and it was difficult to kill them with a single blow using only bows and crossbows and catapults. After fighting for a long time, they hadn't managed to sink a single ship.

He recalled that after returning to the Lin family, he had also tried to tinker with gunpowder.

Using his chemical knowledge from over a decade of study, he repeatedly tried to concoct the formula, but no matter how he tried, he could not produce the powerful black powder.

A large barrel of homemade gunpowder exploded, at most cracking the wooden barrel; the power was so small it was both laughable and pathetic.

In the end, he had to admit that the physical laws of this world were different from those of his original world.

Making bombs is impossible; at most, we can only set off fireworks.

But on second thought, it's probably for the best.

If guns and gunpowder were truly available, the role of martial artists would be greatly diminished, the function of the lair would be greatly reduced, and his cheat ability would become useless.

It's highly unlikely that you can achieve a world-leading position with just this much knowledge.

"Get closer to them and engage them in close combat!" Chen Cheng had clearly seen the stalemate in the battle and decided to leverage the strengths of his warriors in melee combat.

The fleet immediately accelerated and approached the pirate fleet, but upon seeing this, the pirates suddenly scattered and fled, with their ships heading in different directions.

In order to surround most of the enemy ships, the fleet had to split into three groups to pursue them. In the end, they only managed to stop most of them, while two ships broke through the encirclement and escaped.

The remaining pirate boats were gradually forced towards the center of the river, and the boats began to board each other.