He stared wide-eyed in terror as a chilling aura of death loomed over him.
The next moment, instead of a cannonball, an arrow, gleaming coldly, struck his right eyeball and pierced straight through his skull.
Scott instinctively covered his face and collapsed to the ground, dying instantly.
The remaining pirates discovered that Scott had not been killed by cannon fire, but rather by traditional arrows.
The pirates were immediately terrified and scattered: "Captain, the captain is dead!"
"Many people are dead, including the captain."
"Get back to Commander Makino's side quickly!!"
"Run!"
The remaining pirates either fled or died; they had no cover to attack the Southern Region with cannons. They were immediately routed like ants on a hot plate.
The ten Com cannons hadn't even been used yet; either the gunners were dead, or they were too busy dodging.
Even the woman who shot Scott was a matriarch.
The matriarch put down her bow and arrows and handed them to her son, Xie Ning, who was beside her. The old woman picked up her cane again, turned around, and said, "Ning'er, have the children take the newly captured cannons back to the camp. We should carefully consider how to use them!"
With a look of both admiration and awe, Xie Ning said, "Yes, Mother!"
Ten Com cannons were captured, along with a total of five hundred cannonballs. Under the command of the Grand Master, Xie Bing of the Southern Region annihilated two thousand pirates without losing a single soldier, with the rest scattering in all directions. Their whereabouts are temporarily unknown, but these pirates' blond hair and blue eyes made them extremely conspicuous, so they couldn't have escaped far.
Xie Bing started searching randomly and people who recognized him would point him in the right direction. He continued the pursuit, killing most of the remaining pirates.
Only seven hundred people escaped back to the Shi Kingdom and demanded to see Muye.
Makino heard from his subordinates that Scott was supposed to arrive within three days as ordered, but instead it was delayed to five days.
When Makino heard that Scott's slacking off had led to his death, he laughed. He laughed until his stomach hurt.
Five days? Scott probably didn't expect that the people of the Central Plains could complete the deployment in an hour. He had dragged it out for five whole days, enough time for the Xie family of the Southern Region to lay a trap and wait for them to step into hell.
Makino shook his head, took out his pen, and wrote down what had happened that day in his notebook. He then gave Joseph another warning: "Be careful of a female general named Xie Ying."
He reported Scott's death directly without embellishing the story.
Joseph learned that Scott had deviated from the plan and was subsequently surrounded and killed by the Central Plains people. Joseph immediately sent five thousand men to Muye, instructing him to lead the attack.
With Scott's death, Joseph decided to let Makino fight independently in the Southern Region.
When Makino received the letter of appointment, he chuckled and said, "In the end, the commander still has to listen to me. It's a pity that Scott never listens to reason, so he became a dead man."
Shi Yang, who was tied up to the side, felt a chill run down his spine. He felt that Scott was being pushed out to his death by the madman in front of him in order to gain the trust of the commander named Joseph.
He also couldn't understand why Makino always told him everything he wanted to say and do.
Shi Yang finally realized that Mu Ye was an even crazier than himself!
News of the Grand Master's first battle in which she annihilated two thousand pirates spread throughout the capital. The officials all breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but admire that the Southern Region truly lived up to its reputation as the Xie family's stronghold.
Old ginger is spicier.
Everyone's confidence in defeating the pirate group increased even further. Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived, as Mu Ye sent men to attack the enclave. The enclave was bombarded with artillery fire, so much so that Xie Guang and his men dared not show their faces.
Mu Ye suddenly became incredibly arrogant, blasting the entire enclave until the ground shook violently. The stone cave where Xie Guang was staying even collapsed. Xie Guang and a hundred men were trapped in the cave, but fortunately, only the entrance was blocked, and air was still coming in, so Xie Guang and the others were temporarily safe.
At this time, Mu Ye sent men to the plank road and they encountered three hundred Xie soldiers, resulting in a fierce battle. These three hundred Xie soldiers were annihilated by the pirate group led by Mu Ye.
The remaining hundred stayed in the cave, while the other hundred fled to various places.
Instead of sending anyone to pursue them, Mu Ye began to repair the plank road. It took half a day to pave a simple plank road that could accommodate one person.
Five thousand people passed directly through the plank road.
The one hundred Xie soldiers who fled split into three groups to report to Tianjing, Lu State, and the Southern Region.
When the matriarch received news that five thousand pirates had entered the deep mountains through the plank road, even the usually composed old woman couldn't help but change her expression.
"It seems that Xie Guang failed to hold out! Go and inform the marshal immediately."
Unfortunately, it was too late. Five thousand men had already entered the deep mountains, led by Mu Ye, while the remaining two thousand were stationed in Shiguo Prefecture.
When news reached Joseph that Muye had infiltrated the mountains and was entering the Central Alliance, Joseph immediately ordered Raff to send a warship to transport weapons from the Delta to the river port of Lu.
This is to send more weapons and ammunition to Makino.
Joseph couldn't help but praise Mu Ye's abilities: "You are a fine man from the Central Plains, no, Bruce Mu, no wonder the Duke values you so much."
Lav led a thousand men in a warship from the delta, heading towards the port of Lu State. Twenty kilometers in an hour, they could reach their destination in a day. If they combined this with Muye's marching speed, they would arrive in three days.
Xie Lanzhi dispatched twenty ships from Weidu to Luerqu. Five ships made a detour from Weidu, ten ships went to Luerqu, and the remaining five ships patrolled the surrounding areas of Lu and Huayin.
Ten thousand artillerymen carried three hundred cannons from the Ministry of Works.
The entire nation mobilized to resist Joseph's super fleet.
Xie Lanzhi observed the simulated battlefield in Shuntian Prefecture, noting that each riverbank and mountain pass was almost fully defended. All that remained was to launch an attack.
When a disheveled soldier fled back to Tianjing, he came to Shuntian Prefecture to seek an audience with Xie Lanzhi.
Xie Lanzhi finally received a new situation report.
Makino has led 5,000 men from the enclave into the deep mountains, and it is estimated that they will reach the Central Alliance region in less than three days.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lanzhi immediately threw the stones she was about to arrange onto the Lu Kingdom area of the sand table.
Ma Hong, standing beside him, asked in confusion, "Marshal, has something gone wrong again?"
"Is there really no way to resist five thousand men with Yang Wei?"
Xie Lanzhi stared at the sand table and said, "Yang Wei's infantry and light cavalry are no match for Mu Ye at all."
"The fact that Muye was able to defeat Xie Guang and pass through smoothly means that he wanted to penetrate deep into our territory and try to deliver a fatal blow to us."
As for why it was called a fatal blow, it's because the Central Alliance had built smooth roads that led directly to Tianjing. Muye's five thousand men wouldn't rashly attack Tianjing, but the super fleet near the Delta was a different story.
Once the fleet arrives as reinforcements, the journey from the Delta to the Central Alliance and the port of Lu State will be as easy as traversing flat ground. If those pirates at sea unite, an army of ten thousand men would be enough to directly threaten Tianjing.
The fall of Tianjing would be tantamount to the fall of the nation. Without Mu Ye even needing to lift a finger, the entire Southern Central Plains would once again descend into turmoil, and everyone would live in fear.
The foundation that Little Phoenix had built over three years would be destroyed in an instant. At that time, there would be no chance for unification of the Southern Central Plains. The world might not become the world of Hai Kui, but it would definitely return to that chaotic era—the end of the Jin Dynasty.
It's possible that the Northern Xiongnu might actually take advantage of the chaos to move south and unify the Central Plains in place of the Little Phoenix.
Aqina is dead, but his entire Northern Xiongnu population are his successors. Even without Aqina, there are other ambitious Xiongnu people.
The Northern Xiongnu would inevitably have to pay reparations to appease the pirates. The pirates' goal was to plunder the wealth of the East; their small numbers were simply insufficient to conquer the East.
According to the pirates' thinking, the captain named Joseph would definitely withdraw his troops once he received the money.
"That's Muye's goal! He wants to destroy the Central Plains!"
This was originally Aqina's last calculation; she thought that with Aqina dead, the Northern Hu and Xiongnu would no longer pose a significant threat. In retrospect, she underestimated the course of history.
Aqina originally wanted Little Phoenix to take the blame for the historical stigma of the Sea King, and now he has achieved half of his goal before his death.
Thinking of this.
Ma Hong was immediately shocked: "But you're in Tianjing, how dare that bastard named Mu Ye?!"
"Why wouldn't you dare?" Xie Lanzhi said with a stern face, "The people he brought into the Central Plains were originally pirates from Western countries such as Dixi and Anluo."
“Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts.”
Ma Hong clenched his fists, cold sweat pouring down his back, his confidence wavering. Even the marshal thought the situation was dire; what could he do?
Originally, it was thought that after defeating the Northern Xiongnu, the Southern Central Plains could enter a period of recuperation, resting for three to five years before launching another northern expedition. Finally, the goal was to unify the world! This was all part of the original plan.
He wants to follow Your Majesty and assist Your Majesty in pacifying the end of the Jin Dynasty.
But now things are getting more and more chaotic. Even foreign tribes have entered the Central Plains.
Undeterred, he asked, "Is there really no other way?"
Xie Lanzhi said, "Any tactic seems insignificant under powerful firepower."
Ma Hong finally loosened his fist and let it hang limply at his sides.
“However, I believe our fighting strength is no less than that of the Seagulls!” Xie Lanzhi suddenly raised her hand, grabbed a handful of sand from the sand table, and finally scattered the sand grains into the mountains of Lu.
Ma Hong immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Please give your orders!"
Xie Lanzhi shifted her gaze to an oil lamp brought back from the border of Yue, looking at the small flame burning in the wick, and said, "Let's finish this quickly!"
"Even if Makino comes, it won't make a difference!"
Ma Hong trembled instantly.
The ten-thousand-strong army, which had been defending separately, was reassembled and headed directly towards Luerqu. Xie Lanzhi abandoned defense and decided to destroy the super fleet at all costs.
Ten thousand soldiers sailed in twenty ships, flying the dragon banners of the Great Jin Dynasty, heading towards Luerqu in a grand procession.
While Joseph's ten super fleets formed the Flying Goose Formation, a group of men were still on deck drinking beer and embracing beauties they had abducted from the Shi Kingdom in Yue. They were engaging in extremely brutal sexual acts.
Joseph was still sitting with his legs crossed, gazing at the azure sky and then at the lush, verdant mountains of the land of gold in the East, a truly beautiful sight.
Thinking of how backward the military facilities in the East were, Joseph smiled contemptuously: "The Duke of Alexander and the old King of Anloo, their courage has waned with age."
"They don't know until they fight. They still think that the great Eastern power is as desirable and powerful as before."
"In reality, the people of the Central Plains are now just a paper tiger. Their descendants are not even as good as their ancestors. They are even more backward in terms of weaponry than we are."
Joseph whistled as he spoke.
The pirates around him raised their glasses and sang praises of Joseph's achievements: "Captain, the Duke and the old king will regret this one day."
"They don't have your foresight. Only you dared to invade the East and force it to surrender obediently."
"The people of the Central Plains definitely won't last a month."
"Within a month, we will definitely be able to trample the people of the Central Plains under our feet, and make them weave silk for us for free and give us porcelain."
"Then we can resell them to various dukes and become incredibly wealthy!"
"Come, let's drink to our wise and powerful Commander Joseph! Let's celebrate our early capture of Tianjing and the capture of the Queen here!"
"Let the Queen pour us some wine..."
Boom! The cannonballs suddenly exploded on the ship's deck, drowning out all the arrogant and boastful voices of the pirates.
Joseph immediately threw down his wine glass, grabbed his knight's sword, stood up, and looked through his binoculars. On the horizon in the direction of Deer Canal, towering wooden ships, like giant shadows on the sea, were charging menacingly toward them.
"Twenty ships in total!" Joseph sneered. "Foolish Central Plains people, catching your ships so close together, they're practically natural targets for us!"