I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

By daybreak, the battle was over.

Liu Zeqing was captured alive, and his remaining subordinates surrendered one after another.

The main force hasn't arrived yet; these men are no match for the Warriors Battalion!

The next step was to clean up the battlefield, count the number of people, and identify the rebels.

When Luo Yangxing and Li Ruolian checked the accounts, they discovered that an important person was missing: Zeng Hualong, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou!

It turned out that as soon as the battle began, Zeng Hualong sensed something was wrong and ran away immediately.

At this moment, he was leading dozens of his personal guards straight to the eastern camp.

When they were plotting this some time ago, Zeng Hualong had already prepared a backup plan by leaving ships in several coastal ports, including Dongying, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

We ran all day from midnight until dark, and finally arrived at the seaside.

Ignoring their fatigue, they immediately boarded a boat and headed to Jeju Island.

After setting sail, Zeng Hualong finally felt a little relieved.

Although they didn't know why the court reacted so quickly, or how their conspiracy had been discovered, what they found even more incomprehensible was that the whole incident was caused by a soldier's thirty taels of compensation!

It's unimaginable that thirty taels of silver could lead to a massive purge of all civil and military officials in Shandong.

Zeng Hualong thought about it all night but couldn't figure out how things had turned out this way.

After sailing for three days, the ship arrived near the Heuksan Islands, located between Dengzhou and Lushunkou. Passing through here, it would take another half month to reach Jeju Island.

"Commander Zeng, a ship spotted ahead!"

Zeng Hualong was still resting with his eyes closed when he heard the news. He immediately became alert and got up to go outside the cabin.

A sailor on the lookout tower shouted, "Large number of ships spotted ahead, about thirty in total, likely warships!"

Zeng Hualong took out a monocular telescope and held it in front of his eyes. After a long while, he decisively ordered, "Turn right and give way!"

"yes!"

"Turn right!"

"Take the right..."

On the opposite flagship, Zhao Yong was also holding a telescope, keeping a close eye on the movements here.

Beside him, Zhao Mian asked somewhat impatiently, "Did you see clearly? Are they rebels?"

"It's still unclear... Hmm? If this bastard's running away, he's definitely a rebel!"

Zhao Yong immediately became excited and then shouted, "Raise the auxiliary sails and give chase at full speed!"

The two sides began a chase at sea. Zeng Hualong's ships were clearly at a disadvantage. Seeing that the pursuers were getting closer and closer, in desperation, he ordered his troops to dive into the Black Mountain Islands.

There are dozens of islands of varying sizes here, and many reefs between them. If you don't know the shipping routes, it's very difficult to leave once you go in.

Zeng Hualong decided to take the risk because he was familiar with the islands near Dengzhou and Laizhou.

Seeing the other party disappear into the archipelago, Zhao Yong turned and asked, "Second brother, do you think we should give chase?"

Zhao Mian pursed his lips and said, "Can you please stop calling me 'Second Brother'? It doesn't bother me!"

"Alright then, second brother, what do you suggest we do now?"

Zhao Mian's expression was still unnatural. After thinking for a moment, he said, "We have more ships than them, so we definitely have the advantage in a pursuit on the sea. However, the distribution of those islands seems intricate and complex. If we rashly chase them in, we might fall into their trap!"

"What should we do then?"

"I have an idea!"

Zhao Mian, on a sudden inspiration, said, "They'll come out sooner or later, so why don't we plant mines at the exit!"

"I think it's a good idea!"

Zhao Yong hurriedly ordered his men to find a map, and then distributed his ships at several major exits, leaving several hidden locations, while secretly laying mines.

Zeng Hualong stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the intricate waterways of the Black Mountain Islands, his brow furrowed. His fleet had been adrift among the islands for two days, with the imperial navy following closely behind, blocking several main exits, clearly intending to trap them in this sea.

At that moment, a reconnaissance boat approached.

"Commander, the speedboats we sent out have returned."

Zeng Hualong turned around and saw several scouts, soaking wet, climbing onto the deck.

The lead scout clasped his hands and said, "Commander, we've investigated thoroughly. The navy blocking the way came from Lushun Port, and their commander is Zhao Yong!"

"Zhao Yong?" Zeng Hualong narrowed his eyes. "The Zhao Yong who made great contributions in the Liaodong Campaign?"

"It is indeed this man! It seems the imperial court was prepared in advance and specially sent him to intercept and kill us."

Zeng Hualong's heart grew heavier. He looked around and saw that the ship's fresh water was running low, and the food would only last for three days. If they delayed any longer, they would be stranded at sea and die without the imperial court's intervention.

"Pass down the order: break out from the south side of Xiaoheishan Island tonight."

"But... the water is very shallow over there, I'm afraid it's impossible to pass..."

"You don't understand, the tide will come in tonight, and this is our only chance to pass!"

"yes!"

As night fell, the sea became pitch black.

The reconnaissance speedboats dispatched by Zeng Hualong returned again and confirmed that the imperial navy was still blocking several main exits, and the Xiaoheishan Island direction was still unguarded.

"Heaven is on our side! It has given me the order: proceed according to plan!"

A hint of joy flashed in Zeng Hualong's eyes, and he immediately gave the order.

All the ships put away their lights, hoisted their sails, and, under the cover of night, slowly sailed towards the south side of Xiaoheishan Island.

The area around Xiaoheishan Island is riddled with reefs, and the waters are usually shallow, making it difficult for large ships to pass.

Tonight is high tide, and the water level will rise several feet, enough for ships to pass safely.

The fleet proceeded cautiously in the darkness, with only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks in their ears.

Zeng Hualong stood at the bow of the boat, his palms sweating. He knew that tonight was his only chance of survival.

The fleet meandered between the islands, and at dawn, it finally managed to sail out of the Black Mountain Islands and into the vast ocean.

Zeng Hualong looked back and saw the coastline gradually receding into the distance, the shadow of the imperial navy long gone.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing this, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

His personal guards, feeling uneasy at his laughter, asked, "Why is the commander laughing?"

Zeng Hualong, his face full of smugness, said, "I laugh at Zhao Yong's lack of strategy. If he had ambushed us here, we wouldn't have been able to escape!"

Seeing this, the others also laughed, finally relaxing their nerves after being tense for many days.

Zeng Hualong stroked his beard and said smugly, "I escaped danger this time thanks to Heaven's mercy! Once we get to Jeju Island, we can regroup and perhaps one day make a comeback!"

However, before his laughter had even subsided, a loud crash suddenly came from the sea.

Boom!

A violent explosion came from the bottom of the ship, and the deck beneath Zeng Hualong's feet shook violently. He staggered and almost fell.

"What's going on? Where are they firing?"

Zeng Hualong screamed in terror, instinctively thinking he was being shelled!

However, no one answered him, and there was no sign of any ships in sight.

Boom!

Boom!

One explosion after another rang out, plunging the fleet into chaos instantly.

Zeng Hualong's ship was blasted open with a large hole, and seawater rushed in.

He clung tightly to the mast, watching helplessly as ships around him sank one after another.

"Impossible, impossible..."

Zeng Hualong looked puzzled, because he searched around but there were no boats at all.

If there were no ships, then who fired the cannons?

Boom!

Another explosion rang out, and Zeng Hualong was surprised to find that the explosion did not come from a distance, but from underwater!

He suddenly remembered that when the imperial court sent troops to attack Korea, it had used a type of naval mine.

But it was all in vain, because his ship had already sunk.

When seawater rushed into his mouth and nose, all he could think of was despair.

It's not worth it for just thirty taels of silver!