In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

As time passed, it became the second half of the night.

The weather in November is slightly chilly, and a thin layer of mist begins to appear on the sea, covering the entire coastline and reducing visibility.

The waves crashing against the shore from time to time provided cover for the loud noise.

Under the dual cover of sight and sound, the twenty small boats began to move silently like ghosts.

Their ships cut through the sea, creating ripples, and under the cover of night and fog, they easily approached the treasure ship.

At first, the bandits on the small boat, dressed in rags and smelling of fish, were somewhat nervous.

Even when the ships successfully approached and many fishhooks were thrown out to hook the treasure ship, it still did not elicit a reaction from the Tang army. They were excited and thrilled!

Under the command of their leaders, the pirates, with their teeth in their mouths, began to climb.

One after another, they crawled upwards like maggots clinging to bones.

There were quite a few people; twenty boats, each with at least ten people, plus two people left to guard the smaller boats.

In fact, once the grappling hook is on the ship, the robbery should theoretically be considered successful.

Based on later navigation, once pirates approached a ship and laid down mooring lines, there was basically no way to escape. In general, the pirates were detected in advance, and the ship was able to shake them off by sailing.

But this time, they encountered not ordinary ships, but huge iron plates.

Crackling sounds...

The sound of rubber bands rattling filled the air as sharp, armor-piercing arrows silently emerged from above the treasure ship, gleaming with a cold light.

A pirate had just climbed up when he looked up and froze.

The deck was completely silent, with the Han Prince's guards standing like sculptures.

With a sword at his side and a bow and arrow in hand, he exuded an overwhelming aura of intimidation, and even gave him a captivating smile.

The pirate was terrified; his mouth gaped open, but no sound came out.

puff! !

An arrow was fired at close range and pierced through its mouth instantly.

His body fell downwards like a kite with a broken string.

Before the pirates could react, they saw a dark figure freefalling.

boom! !

The sound of splashing water rose from all sides.

Before they could even realize it, terrified screams and cries of agony came from the other hooks.

"There's an ambush!"

"There's an ambush!"

"Retreat immediately!"

shhhhhh!

Puff puff……

The pirates' reaction speed was completely insufficient to withstand the arrows.

The entire dark sea was like a dumpling being dropped into the ocean; in the blink of an eye, dozens of people were shot dead and fell into the sea.

Panic, fear, and unease quickly filled the entire sea.

The pirates, who had been playing the role of hunters, were instantly overwhelmed by the powerful attack and had no chance to fight back.

In contrast, the three treasure ships were extremely calm, without any disturbance, except for the constant sound of arrows flying out.

This is a case of civilization's dimensional reduction attack. These pirates don't even have leather armor. They can withstand armor-piercing arrows with their bare hands within thirty meters. Even Lu Bu would be riddled with holes if he came.

Bang bang bang!

The operation failed, and the pirates, who had been lying in ambush, were like eggs, easily broken, and they all jumped into the sea to escape.

They were born and raised on the island, and they are excellent swimmers; once they enter the water, they are very difficult to catch.

But in the face of the Prince of Han's mansion, their life-saving skills were still ineffective.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

A heavy sound rang out; it was the sound of giant crossbows, the pinnacle of Tang Dynasty military technology.

This thing was equivalent to a cannon in the 7th century, with extremely strong destructive power. Li Yuanchang put it on his treasure ship to guard against pirate ships or underwater monsters.

"put!!"

Guo Chao's shouts rang out.

boom! !

A tremendous roar erupted instantly as a giant crossbow bolt, as thick as an arm and far superior to armor-piercing arrows, shot out.

Boom!

One after another, dilapidated boats and rafts were instantly reduced to ashes under the heavy crossbow bolts, leaving huge holes and even the planks of the boats bursting open.

Seawater rushed in frantically, and the small boat slowly sank.

The fleeing pirates had just climbed onto the small boat when they discovered it was sinking again.

"Baka!!"

"Get ashore quickly! Get ashore quickly!"

"Run!"

"..."

Urgent shouts erupted, and the entire sea surface seemed to boil over.

More than a hundred pirates struggled to swim to the shore.

But by this time, Huang Tu had already led his team ashore on planks and was guarding the shore.

What awaits them is the strongest fighting force of the Han Prince's Mansion.

The entire battle... no, the entire farce, lasted only fifteen minutes before it came to an end.

The sea returned to calm, and the corpses and ship planks rose and fell with the waves, the smell of blood attracting some fish.

Bang bang bang!

The sounds of hurried footsteps and screams echoed.

One pirate after another was lifted onto the deck by Huang Tu and his men, one on each side, like chicks.

Then he casually tossed it away, bang bang bang!

The pirates screamed in agony as they were hit, rolling around and wailing, unable to even stand up.

Upon closer inspection, they were mostly broken bones and tendons.

"Your Highness, they have all been suppressed."

As the torches were lit, Li Yuanchang, dressed in black, moved slowly toward the road, his hands behind his back.

Good evening, everyone.

His faint smile, his white teeth, and his condescending demeanor exuded an inexplicable chill.

The pirates trembled, unable to understand Chinese, and all looked at a man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face.

This man was the one who sold well water. At this moment, his head was covered in blood, and his nose bridge seemed to have been broken by some great force. His eyes were darting around, and he was deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"Brother, we meet again," Li Yuanchang joked.

The man's face turned pale, and he suddenly collapsed to the ground, grabbing Li Yuanchang's leg.

"Sir, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding?" Li Yuanchang sneered. "You've brought so many people here uninvited, and you think it's a misunderstanding?"

"Are you treating me like I'm an idiot?!"

"Ah, no, no!"

"My lord, that's not what I meant! I...I...I was wrong!"

"Salt, salt, I'll give it back to you, please, give me a way to live!"

"I don't want to die, I know I was wrong!" The man kowtowed frantically, and the other pirates followed suit, begging for mercy.

A significant portion of them spoke the Japanese language.

Li Yuanchang said calmly, "You don't just know you're wrong; you know your time is coming to an end."

He casually picked up a grappling hook from the deck: "Judging by your behavior, you've been doing this for more than just a day or two. Weren't some of those Tang Dynasty ships that disappeared partly your doing?"

"Instead of doing business properly, you have to be greedy for money and resort to murder and robbery."

"In your next life, be a good person."

With that, he threw the grappling hook into the sea.

The guards drew their swords, making a clanging sound.

"No, no!"

The man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks screamed.

The pirates panicked and struggled. One of them, a one-eyed man whose hand had been cut off, shouted something emotionally, his eyes carrying a hint of threat.

"What did he say?" Li Yuanchang asked calmly.

The man with the pointed face and monkey-like features hurriedly said, "He... he said if you kill him, the consequences will be very serious!"

"He's the third-in-command of the Tsushima Pirates!"

"Tsushima Island?" Lee Yuan-chang frowned.

"Amitabha."

Everyone looked back and saw Master Ji'an suddenly walk out, his hands clasped together in prayer.

"Your Highness, Tsushima Island is our next stop, and it's also a place we have to pass through."

"I've heard of this pirate group too. They make a living by plundering, are notorious, and are ruthless. They have long been entrenched on Tsushima Island, targeting passing merchant ships, especially Han Chinese merchant ships."

"We must be on guard!" Ji'an solemnly warned.