The general let out a retch. At that moment, not only was his head spinning and nausea overwhelming him, but his heart was also gripped by a sharp pang. What did she mean by "slowly vomit"? As if he wanted to throw up in the first place?
The vice general quickly climbed up to the lookout cabin and indeed saw a ship sailing toward them. Unfortunately, it was too far away to make out any details on board.
“Is that a cargo ship?” he squinted and asked.
The soldier shook his head. “Unknown.”
The Quzhao people had rarely traveled by sea and weren’t too familiar with ship types.
“Go, call Wang Liang up here.”
Wang Liang had once been one of the helmsmen of the Yan State navy. The day he was shot by an arrow in the shoulder, he was taken captive by the Quzhao.
Later, when the Quzhao used the lives of captured navy men and shipwrights to threaten him, he began helping train their sailors.
This was the first truly significant sea voyage for the Quzhao army. Since their own crew were all novices, they were far from qualified to steer the ship.
As a result, the helmsmen and their assistants were mostly drawn from the former navy.
Before long, a tall, thin man climbed up. He looked to be around forty, but his hair was already streaked with gray and black.
As soon as Wang Liang came up, he spotted the dark speck moving swiftly toward them and frowned slightly.
The vice general turned to look at him. “What kind of ship is that? Which faction does it belong to?”
Wang Liang offered no salute and made no reply, though a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. That ship seemed to be speeding directly toward them?
The vice general’s expression turned cold. “You’d better answer truthfully and don’t try any tricks. Don’t forget about the navy men and shipwrights we still have at the docks.”
Wang Liang glanced at him, his face impassive. “It’s too far to make out clearly. But going by the design, it looks like a cargo ship.”
Unsatisfied with the answer, the vice general pressed on. “What faction does this ship type belong to?”
After a brief silence, Wang Liang said, “Probably a ship from Ze’a Prefecture.”
The vice general frowned. “Ze’a Prefecture? What are they doing here? Surely they don’t plan to attack us Quzhao?”
“But—just one ship? How many troops could it carry? Besides, it’s a cargo ship. It doesn’t even have arrow slits. How could it fight?”
Naturally, no one could answer that.
A soldier couldn’t help but ask, “Should we steer clear?”
The vice general shot him a look. “Avoid it? It’s just a cargo ship. Now that we’re taking to the sea, we’re short on ships. Ze’a Prefecture has conveniently sent one our way—quite thoughtful of them.”
He snorted. “Whatever their purpose, we’ll figure it out once we seize it.”
With that, he raised his hand and pointed toward the cargo ship. “Change course! Full speed ahead! Crossbowmen, ready!”
He had nothing to fear. Whether in number or in ship type, he could easily overpower them.
These were military vessels, equipped with arrow slits and mounted crossbows.
Though the range of these crossbows couldn’t match the repeating crossbows of the Jinyang Army—not even half—they were still far more powerful than ordinary bows and had a longer reach.
But the mention of the Jinyang Army made his chest tighten again. It was because of them that the Quzhao had been forced to take to the sea—and their general was still up in the flying cabin, retching uncontrollably.
His eyes turned fierce as he watched the approaching cargo ship. At least he could vent his anger on the people from Ze’a Prefecture.
Jiang Jin was a little stunned. She hadn’t expected the Quzhao army to be so bold as to actually charge at her ship.
Xie Nanxiao cracked his knuckles. “Hehe, this Quzhao army really gets me. So enthusiastic. What are they even thinking?”
Jiang Jin quickly understood the Quzhao army’s reasoning. “I bet they think we’re some aristocratic clan from Ze’a Prefecture.”
She glanced at the bow of the boat and secretly felt relieved that they hadn’t hung the Jin Yang military flag; otherwise, the other side might have fled at the sight of them.
Thinking about how she’d soon add three more military ships to her fleet, her mood lightened, and even her gaze turned affectionate. “Remember to be careful later. Try not to damage the ships—warships are treasures.”
Although the enemy had three military vessels, Jiang Jin wasn’t the least bit afraid. Even though she hadn’t yet developed gunpowder weapons, her powerful Dragon Feather Crossbows made her nearly invincible at sea. Their range was simply the enemy’s weak point.
Her only worry was how to stop all three ships from escaping with just one vessel.
Xie Nanxiao quickly nodded. “Lord, rest assured—we understand.”
Chen Mi and Meng Shui already knew Jiang Jin’s intention, and their hearts started racing again.
Wait a minute—the enemy had three warships. How could a cargo boat like theirs possibly fight them?
Shouldn’t they be running away at a moment like this?
Forget trying to take on three ships alone—why did she sound so matter-of-fact about it?
Seeing their pale faces, Jiang Jin tried to reassure them. “Don’t be nervous. This is just a small skirmish. Follow my orders, and everything will be fine.”
Chen Mi stammered, “...Yes, Lord!”
They were all in the same boat now—er, that is, literally—so any objections were useless. All they could do was focus on their duties.
They just hoped to survive in one piece.
Jiang Jin was curious. “Aren’t they warships? Why are they slower than we are?”
Chen Mi squinted. “Judging by their waterline, they’re carrying a lot of weight.”
Xie Nanxiao gasped. “S-So... could it be grain?”
Jiang Jin nodded. “That’s quite possible.”
Yun Chengxuan looked confused. “Aunt, shouldn’t warships be carrying soldiers?”
Jiang Jin patiently explained, even though her nephew might not fully understand. “Some warships serve as supply vessels. But these three are combat ships. It’s unlikely they’re carrying many troops because winter is coming, and the Donghu County garrison probably doesn’t have major troop movements right now.”
She had clearly seen that the ships were sailing westward, likely coming from the Xianglu County direction.
She also knew that Donghu County served as the main granary for Qu Zhao’s army—apparently providing sixty percent of their grain supply.
Sure enough, her nephew didn’t quite understand. He scratched his head and pretended he did.
Remembering something, Jiang Jin added, “Don’t let Qu Zhao’s forces find out who we are.”
Xie Nanxiao grinned. “Got it. I’ll tell everyone to stay hidden.”
Although the boat had no flag, their Jin Yang uniforms looked quite different from those of Ze’a County.
Come to think of it, he’d also seen the winter uniforms—those were even more distinct. You could probably tell them apart from a distance.
Jiang Jin emphasized again to Xie Nanxiao, “Remember: aim for the people, not the ships. We don’t have any ship repair crew.”
Xie Nanxiao was excited. “Lord, don’t worry. I’ll go brief them now.”
Jiang Jin nodded. After Xie Nanxiao left, she turned to her nephew. “Don’t swing your Buddha’s Heart Blade wildly. And whatever you do, don’t hit the ships. Got it?”
Yun Chengxuan waved dismissively. “Aunt, are you dumb? Why would I hit the ship?”
Jiang Jin: “...”
Having given the Jin Yang soldiers their orders, Xie Nanxiao remembered Gan Ren and the two others, who were tied up and stashed in the cargo hold. He stepped inside.
Gan Ren and his companions, bound and having missed lunch, were now completely drained of strength.
At the sound of the door opening, Gan Ren’s heart inexplicably tightened. He sensed something bad was coming and let out a few muffled whimpers.
“What are you trying to say?” Xie Nanxiao said. “Quit your whimpering bullshit.”
