Chapter 1129: Valiant General Aobai
The battle had no suspense from the very start.
The Manchu forces were merely a small flanking detachment, with the strategic goal of distraction and disruption. Moreover, they were entirely on small boats. Facing the large, electric vessels of Gao Family Village, they couldn't even find a sliver of a chance at victory.
In fact, they couldn't even contend with Yaoxingjuan's pirate ships.
In an instant, their vessels were shattered and scattered by the collisions.
The moment the firearms roared, Aobai's troops screamed, falling and stumbling.
The valiant general Zhun Ta roared, clamping his steel saber between his teeth. He leaped forward, hands grasping the gunwale of a small Gao Family Village ship, intending to clamber aboard.
However, before he could exert himself, a searing pain shot through his left hand. A Gao Family Village marine on board, noticing a hand gripping the gunwale, had plunged the bayonet from his flintlock rifle with a sickening thud into Zhun Ta's hand.
Zhun Ta shrieked, yet his grip never faltered. Instead, with a surge of raw power, he hauled himself over. In the same fluid motion, the steel saber, previously clenched in his teeth, transferred to his right hand, and he swung it, aiming a cleaving blow at the Gao Family Village marine.
Such ferocity truly startled the marine.
Then he rolled frantically along the deck, putting significant distance between them.
Zhun Ta let out a furious roar, intent on giving chase.
Suddenly, something felt wrong. His gaze leveled, and he saw a throng of marines on the ship, all raising their flintlock rifles and aiming them directly at him.
Zhun Ta bellowed, "Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!"
The riflemen shouted, "Fire!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In that instant, countless bullets ripped into Zhun Ta's body.
Zhun Ta screamed, toppled backward over the gunwale, and plunged into the water.
Aobai, witnessing Zhun Ta's horrific demise, immediately understood: that strange ship was forbidden territory; boarding it meant certain death.
His gaze shifted, settling on a ship on the other side.
Yaoxingjuan's ship!
This one, it seemed, would be easier to assault.
Aobai emulated Zhun Ta, clamping his saber between his teeth to free his hands. As Yaoxingjuan's ship rammed into theirs, he seized the moment, leaped, and scaled the gunwale.
Yaoxingjuan's subordinates were clearly not as well-trained as the Gao Family Village marines. Two hands gripped the gunwale, yet no one noticed; everyone was still locked in a desperate melee with the Manchu soldiers on the other side.
Aobai let out a primal roar, flipped himself over with a sudden surge, and landed on Yaoxingjuan's flagship.
The pirates on board gasped in alarm. Someone bellowed, "A Manchu general has boarded!"
"Quick! Kill him! Earn great merit!"
Two pirates immediately lunged, brandishing their blades, and hacked at Aobai.
But Aobai, the Manchu's foremost warrior, was not someone any two random pirates could overcome. A flash of his blade, and both pirates simultaneously gushed blood as they fell to the deck.
He swung his great saber and charged across Yaoxingjuan's ship, his sole target, of course, being Yaoxingjuan himself.
Several pirates swarmed him.
Aobai, one man with one saber, fought fiercely against the multitude of pirates, and to their astonishment, actually gained the upper hand.
"Clang! Clang!"
Two blades flashed, and two pirates found their steel sabers parried. A collision and a kick later, both were sent sprawling overboard. In the blink of an eye, he had fought his way right in front of Yaoxingjuan.
Yaoxingjuan, terrified, whipped out a short firearm with his left hand, aimed it at Aobai, and fired with a sharp "bang!"
But Aobai's reflexes were swifter. He ducked, rolled, and remarkably, evaded the shot completely.
Yaoxingjuan froze, utterly bewildered.
The next instant, Aobai lunged in a tiger-like pounce, his saber flashing, and engaged Yaoxingjuan in a fierce duel.
In fewer than three moves, the steel saber flew from Yaoxingjuan's hand, and Aobai's blade rested against Yaoxingjuan's throat...
The battle on the pirate ship abruptly froze.
No one dared to attack Aobai anymore.
Aobai now had time to survey the battlefield. Zhun Ta was dead, and almost all of Aobai's men had been sent to feed the fish in the sea. Of the Manchu soldiers still standing on the entire battlefield, only he remained.
Aobai drew a sharp breath. "My entire force was elite, fearlessly elite, yet in such a short span of time, they've all been wiped out."
This meant the opponent was even more formidable!
Aobai panted, "Let me go, or I'll kill this man!"
The nearby Gao Family Village marines and Yaoxingjuan's subordinates all froze, momentarily unsure how to react.
It was Yaoxingjuan who bellowed, "Don't mind me! Damn it, let him kill me! He won't escape either. A rotten pirate like me, exchanged for the life of a Manchu general—it's well worth it!"
Shi Lang and Zheng Sen hesitated...
Just then, the Heavenly Lord embroidery on Shi Lang's chest suddenly spoke: "Engage him in awkward banter!"
Shi Lang exclaimed, "Ah, the Heavenly Lord has come! How does one engage in awkward banter?"
The embroidered Heavenly Lord replied, "Figure it out yourself. I'm busy."
With that, the embroidered Heavenly Lord fell silent once more.
Shi Lang took a deep breath. "Alright, awkward banter it is. This is a Heavenly Lord's decree; even if it's a bit awkward, I must engage."
Shi Lang began, "You certainly look formidable, fellow. Who exactly are you?"
Aobai declared proudly, "I am Aobai, the foremost warrior of Manchu!"
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