They didn't see their opponents; instead, they saw a basket being lifted up, from which soybeans were being poured down the long plank of the gangplank. The Japanese running ahead stepped onto the soybeans, but on the already sloping plank, they couldn't stand firm at all. Moreover, many of the Japanese were wearing wooden clogs, so they tumbled back to their own boat, pushing several of their own men behind them into the sea.
Unwilling to accept defeat, the Japanese charged forward again, but they saw the terrifying soybeans rolling down the long planks, causing the charging Japanese to slip and fall. In an instant, the Japanese in front rolled backward while those behind pushed forward, their own men huddled together. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the barbarians unleashed another volley of arrows, and dozens more Japanese became dead.
Before the Japanese could recover from the chaos, large baskets of soybeans rolled down the gangplanks, much of it falling into the sea, but a considerable portion rolled onto the Japanese ships. The decks of the Japanese ships were now covered in soybeans, making it impossible to stand firmly. Just then, the barbarians and passengers of the Haikuo launched a counter-attack, climbing onto the gangplanks and attacking the Japanese from above. Because of the crowd, the Japanese archers found it difficult to aim and, startled by the unexpected charge, began to retreat.
The young man held a giant shield in one hand and brandished a waist knife in the other. The waist knife seemed to be a treasure that could take lives. With each slash, a red line would be cut across the throat of a Japanese man, and the Japanese man's panicked counterattacks were all blocked by the shield in his hand.
"Retreat!" Seeing the Japanese begin to retreat, the young man hurriedly called out to his men to return to the Haikuo. The vast majority of them retreated successfully, but a few greedy and impetuous men rushed onto the Japanese ship. They, like the Japanese, lost their footing and were chopped into mincemeat by the Japanese swords.
The Japanese realized that attacking the Haikuo using the gangplank would be extremely difficult. They adjusted their tactics, retracted the gangplank, and launched grappling hooks from their own ships. Under the cover of archers, they attacked again. The ropes behind these grappling hooks were made of iron chains, which could not be cut in a short time. As the Japanese came one after another from the grappling hooks, the Haikuo remained motionless.
The Japanese who rushed aboard the Haikuo found that the ship's sides were also covered with soybeans, making it impossible for them to stand. In the midst of the chaos, the foreign archers hiding in the cabin shot them down one by one. The few Japanese who managed to escape the deadly soybean trap were then attacked by the angry passengers. Although they were brave, their numerical disadvantage in certain areas made them fight a bitter battle. Moreover, the young man who held a shield in one hand and a knife in the other was like a cold-blooded madman, slaughtering them. In a short time, more than ten Japanese fell to his sword.
Realizing they couldn't gain any advantage, the Japanese had to cease their attack. Because the two sides were too close, they dared not use rockets, lest their own warships also be set ablaze. Finally, they had to admit that despite paying a heavy price, they still couldn't bring the Haikuo to fruition, and if they didn't escape, they would become the pursuers themselves.
Seeing the other ship begin to set sail, the young man shouted, "Captain, chase one of them!"
The Hai Kuo immediately weighed anchor and raised its sails. Although both sides continued to attack with sniper arrows, the defenses were now very tight, rendering the arrows ineffective. The Hai Kuo was large and not as agile as its opponent, narrowly missing its target. At this point, the opponent began to attack with rockets, indicating that they had abandoned their plan to plunder the ship's supplies and instead intended to completely destroy the Hai Kuo.
Note 1: The Wa people were the only race capable of rivaling the Yi people at sea. They lived on a small island between Zhongping Shenzhou and Donghai Yuanzhou. Due to the island's scarcity of resources and frequent natural disasters, they relied heavily on plunder for survival. They were inherently cruel. Although their bloodline was closer to the Yi people, they did not consider themselves part of the Shenzhou race, and the Yi people disdained associating with them. Because they frequently raided the eastern coast of Shenzhou, the inhabitants of Shenzhou contemptuously called them "Wa slaves."
Chapter Ten: Battlefield of Love
Section 1
The arrival of Tu Longziyun excited Li Jun, who couldn't help but feel that "Heaven is giving me a helping hand."
Indeed, the harassment by Japanese pirates was a matter of life and death for Yuzhou. If it wasn't dealt with in its infancy, the consequences could be dire. However, among the important generals of the Peace Army, only Jiang Tang was skilled in naval warfare. At this time, as the treasurer, Li Jun would never allow Jiang Tang to risk his life on the front lines. The arrival of Tu Long Ziyun was just what Li Jun needed most.
"Brother Tulong, I have a favor to ask." Li Jun reached out and grasped Tulong Ziyun's hand. He was still somewhat worried about whether Tulong Ziyun would cooperate with him.
"Wait a minute, who is this young lady..." Tu Longziyun smiled at Ji Su as if he hadn't heard him at all.
During the introduction, Li Jun intentionally skipped over Ji Su because he couldn't think of a good way to introduce her to Tu Long Ziyun. Unexpectedly, Tu Long Ziyun's attention was almost completely drawn to her. This is understandable; her strong and graceful figure clearly proved that Ji Su was by no means an extremely ugly woman, but the terrifying mask she always wore made it difficult for her not to attract attention.
"This is Princess Jisu of the Rong people, she is a guest here." Mo Rong was as understanding as ever, relieving Li Jun's embarrassment once again.
"It's a princess!" Tu Long Ziyun's eyes flashed with a strange light. He respectfully bowed to Ji Su with a warrior's salute and said, "Your Highness, I am Tu Long Ziyun, and I am ready to serve you at any time."
Ji Su snorted coldly, ignoring him, but Tu Long Ziyun seemed completely oblivious to her indifference, and put on his signature smile again: "Your Highness, I wonder if I may have the honor of seeing Your Highness's beautiful face?"
In the strictly regulated land of Shenzhou, making such a request upon first meeting is quite bold and impolite. If it were an ordinary woman, Tu Long Ziyun would never have adopted such a direct approach, but the other party is a Rong princess known for her forthrightness. If he were to be coy and hesitant, he would probably be more likely to offend her.
Li Jun looked at Tu Long Ziyun with great interest. Back when the four of them teamed up to slay the dragon, he had been very attentive to Mo Rong. He never expected that after three or four years, this person would not only not change, but would become even more cunning.
"Want to see my face?" Ji Su's tone softened, surprising everyone. Tu Long Ziyun thought his smile had won him favor, so he winked at Li Jun, indicating that he was indeed incredibly charming, but he didn't stop talking, saying, "If I could have such an honor, it would truly be a blessing I've accumulated over several lifetimes."
With a "whoosh," Ji Su suddenly drew her curved blade, the light flashing like a white waterfall as it hurtled towards Tu Longziyun's neck. Everyone knew that if she made a move, she would truly kill him. Li Jun couldn't help but shout, "Stop!"
Ji Su's curved blade stopped abruptly at Tu Long Ziyun's neck, the blade already slicing through his skin. Had her spiritual power been slightly weaker and she lost control of the blade's force, Tu Long Ziyun would already be decapitated. Tu Long Ziyun, however, remained unfazed, laughing heartily, "If I could catch a glimpse of the princess's beautiful face, I would die content!"
“You’re still the same as ever…” Mo Rong saw Ji Su stop wielding her knife, let out a long breath, patted her still heaving chest, and laughed, “You’re truly beyond saving. You’ll be killed for this one day.”
Ji Su snorted, "They'll be killed right now!"
She spoke these words, but her eyes were fixed on Li Jun, as if seeking his opinion or observing his reaction. Li Jun's face was ashen. This Rong woman's willful and reckless behavior had already caused him a lot of trouble. Just now, knowing that she was his friend, she almost killed him with a single blow. How could he not be disgusted?
"How can I possibly see the princess's beautiful face?" Tu Long Ziyun had no interest in the delicate relationship between them, and seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his life was in someone else's hands.
“It’s not difficult to see my face, as long as you get his permission.” Ji Su gestured with his chin to Li Junyi, and Tu Longziyun burst into laughter.
"Haha, I see. Brother Li Jun, didn't you say you needed my help? I've agreed, as long as you let me catch a glimpse of this princess's beauty."
Tu Long Ziyun's words left Li Jun both amused and exasperated. If Tu Long Ziyun hadn't been still under Ji Su's blade, Li Jun would have already reprimanded her. But he dared not speak harshly, otherwise his future naval commander-in-chief might very well have died under the peony, "even as a ghost, I'd be romantic."
"Whether you show him your face or not is your business, what does it have to do with me?" Li Jun said casually, thinking his words were quite appropriate, unaware of the complex expression his words evoked on Ji Su's face hidden behind her helmet. Even Chen Ying shook her head, thinking, "This fool who doesn't understand women at all..."
"Are you serious?" Ji Su's tone was also indifferent, as if she were talking about something unimportant, but the slight tremor in her voice clearly proved that she attached great importance to Li Jun's reply.
Li Jun didn't notice Chen Ying's wink at him. His attention was completely focused on Ji Su's knife, and he was thinking about how to take it from her. But Ji Su's hand holding the knife remained steady, and her eyes were fixed on him. Tu Long Ziyun, under the knife, didn't seem to be in any hurry at all, and even seemed to enjoy being under Ji Su's blade.
"This..." Li Jun had no choice but to resort to delaying tactics. He felt completely helpless dealing with women, finding it even more mentally taxing than outwitting them on the battlefield. Therefore, he unconsciously resorted to his most proficient military strategy to solve the problem.
"Well... it's not necessarily true, but I just think, with the weather so hot, aren't you uncomfortable wearing that helmet all the time?" Li Jun had no choice but to make up a story in the hopes of diverting Ji Su's attention.
"Of course it's hot. Do you think I should take off my helmet?"
Li Jun's attention was completely focused on taking the knife, and he didn't even notice the hint of tenderness in Ji Su's words. He nodded and said, "Of course... Although you are the one who is hot, seeing this makes us feel hot for you too."
Chen Ying almost applauded. She couldn't believe this incredibly slow-witted general had suddenly become so perceptive, actually knowing how to talk to girls. Although still somewhat clumsy, this precisely reflected his lack of understanding of romance, making him more likely to win a woman's heart and trust. Of course, she didn't know that Li Jun was simply echoing Ji Su's tone, akin to the military strategy of "to take, one must first give." If Lu Xiang were alive today and discovered that the military strategy he had passed on to Li Jun was being used in this way, he would surely sigh in frustration, realizing that interacting with women and fighting powerful enemies are essentially the same principle.
As expected, Ji Su was not entirely satisfied with Li Jun's answer, but she thought it was good enough. She stood there for a moment, then put away her knife with her right hand and reached out with her left hand to take off her helmet.
Li Jun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the spiritual power that had been gathered in his hands dissipated. However, Tu Long Ziyun, who had been freed from Ji Su's fiery killing intent, looked dejected and said, "No need, it's not necessary to take it off or not."
Ji Su ignored him and took off her helmet. It seemed that she had been feeling stifled inside the helmet for a long time. After taking it off, she smiled like a spring flower. Tu Long Ziyun said, "No need," but his big eyes were fixed on her. However, Ji Su's smile was only fleeting, like a night-blooming cereus, and she returned to her cold state, as if she did not want to smile for everyone.
Tu Longziyun sensed the subtle relationship between Chen Ying and Li Jun from their conversation, which is why he said "No need" in disappointment. But now he cheered up and said to Chen Ying with a big smile, "This young lady is no less than the princess. She must be a princess too. May I ask how to address her?"
Chen Ying and Song Yun exchanged a glance, finding it amusing. They gently clasped hands, and Chen Ying said with a happy expression, "Call me Sister-in-law Song, I am his wife."
Tu Longziyun's face fell again, and he muttered to himself, "Why is this happening... All the beauties in the world..." Then he turned to Mo Rong and asked with surprise, "Sister Mo, you didn't get married too, did you?"
Mo Rong blushed deeply and spat out, "Stop talking nonsense. When are you going to change your ways?"
"Alright, alright!" Li Jun finally found an opportunity to call Tu Long Ziyun back. "This Kuanglan City already has a population of 100,000, and beauties are everywhere. As long as you stay here, are you worried about not having any beauties?"