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Chapter 976: We Became the Bad Guys

The greenhorn sailors were floundering on the open sea, making all sorts of rookie mistakes.

However, after sailing for over twenty kilometers, they gradually began to steady themselves. The initial panic subsided as they started to adapt to navigating without any visible landmarks.

Some soldiers began to learn from the reformed pirates on their ships, how to navigate by the sun, listening as they spoke of ocean currents and monsoons.

These Gao Family Village sailors had an advantage that pirates of this era lacked.

That was, the Gao Family Village ships were electric.

Only a single helmsman was needed to control the rudder, and that was it, unlike typical pirates who also had to master the complex art of sail handling... That was truly difficult to learn.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the lookout sailor suddenly shouted, “Island! I see an island! Hahaha, finally, a landmark! Oh, my mother, finally, a landmark!”

Seeing an island, the lookout was happier than he would be on New Year's Day.

Every sailor in the fleet instantly felt invigorated, and cheers erupted, one after another.

“Prepare for combat!”

At Jiang Cheng's command, the sailors, who moments ago had seemed like a band of raw recruits, suddenly became serious.

Their earlier clumsiness and wailing seemed to vanish entirely. Everyone's expression grew solemn, their eyes resolute. They moved to their posts, instantly returning to their combat positions.

Witnessing this scene, the reformed pirate realized he had been somewhat naive earlier. He had truly underestimated these sailors.

They were merely new to the sea, prone to rookie errors, but that didn't mean they were incompetent in a fight.

The reformed pirate began to explain, “The pirates on Shengsi Island, like myself, nominally belong to Liu Xiang's command, but are in reality independent. They aren't particularly strong; usually, they just raid merchant ships near Nanhui Mouth. They're cunning. The moment they realize an opponent is powerful, they'll immediately flee, never fighting to the death.”

Jiang Cheng asked, “So, capturing them won't be easy?”

The reformed pirate replied, “That's right. The authorities have never been able to eliminate them precisely because they escape so quickly. The area around Shengsi Island is treacherous, riddled with reefs. If they scatter and flee, we absolutely mustn't pursue them carelessly, or we'll easily run aground. However... I have a way to prevent their escape.”

Jiang Cheng raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

The reformed pirate explained, “Many pirate families live on the island. We just need to send a team ashore, seize their families, and hold a blade to their wives' and children's throats. Then they can't escape. They'll have to come out and fight or surrender, unless they're willing to abandon their own flesh and blood.”

Jiang Cheng spread his hands, remarking, “So, it seems we're becoming the villains this time?”

The reformed pirate shrugged. “Out at sea, there's no such thing as good or evil. There are no laws here; might makes right. Justice extends only as far as a cannon's range.”

As they spoke, the fleet drew closer and closer to Shengsi Island.

Indeed, the island's pirates had already spotted the formidable fleet.

Several pirate ships darted out from the shore, but they weren't coming to engage in battle. Instead, they scattered in opposite directions, quickly hiding far away, making no attempt to approach for combat.

Jiang Cheng knew they couldn't pursue. In an area scattered with islands like this, unfamiliarity with the currents and underwater terrain meant one chase would invariably lead to running aground.

It seemed they would have to follow the reformed pirate's method after all.

Very well, then. Today, they would play the part of villains!

The large fleet swiftly advanced to just offshore of Shengsi Island.

Large vessels like the Wanli Sunshine couldn't approach the beach too closely, but the smaller ships in the fleet had no such issue. Several small boats pulled up to the shore, and sailors quickly leaped onto the sand.

Before long, two hundred men had landed on the island.

Five reformed pirates led the way, stealthily advancing deeper into the pirate settlement...

The pirate ships, hiding in the distance, had also observed their actions.

The pirates on board were greatly alarmed. “They've landed on the island! Damn it, where did these ships come from? We thought they were just passing by, and we could simply hide until they were gone. But they actually landed! What do we do now?”

“Don't be afraid! Our families are all hidden in the caves, and the forest outside provides cover. Outsiders won't find them even if they land on the island.”

“They're clever; they know to hide.”

The pirates' families were indeed very resourceful. After all, they had been suppressed by government troops before. The moment they saw their men fleeing and an unknown enemy force landing, the women immediately took their children and hid in the caves. They piled stones at the entrances and covered them with foliage.

Then they held their breath, quieted themselves, and covered their children's mouths...

They waited and waited, waited and waited...

After what felt like an eternity, they heard the sounds of the foliage and stones being moved from the cave entrances. Then, a reformed pirate's voice boomed from outside, “You can hide all you want, but I'll still find you. I'm one of your own kind, after all! Come out and surrender, and you'll be spared. Resist, and you'll face the consequences.”

The women dared not emerge, huddled in the cave, clutching their makeshift weapons, trembling.

But soon, thick smoke began to drift into the cave from outside. The enemies were burning pine branches at the cave entrance, creating copious amounts of smoke, as if smoking cured meat, and forcing it into the cave.

With no other choice, the women put down their weapons, took their children's hands, and cautiously emerged.

The pirates' world was incredibly brutal. As the women came out, their minds had already prepared themselves: if they wanted to live, they would pay any price...

However, the sight that greeted them outside the cave was far beyond their expectations.

The enemies waiting outside weren't the vicious, desperado pirates they had expected. Instead, they were a group of soldiers, neatly and uniformly dressed, exuding a sense of solemn discipline. They held terrifying-looking flintlock rifles, but their expressions weren't particularly fierce.

A captain addressed them, “As long as you cooperate with our actions, we guarantee the safety of everyone here. We are not bandits—let me repeat, we are not bandits, and we will not randomly kill people. However, let me be clear from the start: we are an army, and we have our principles as soldiers. If any of you attempt to resist us or cause us harm, then the military side of us will be made apparent to you.”

Hearing this, the women felt a slight sense of relief. At least they wouldn't be immediately slaughtered.

They gathered their elderly and children, and followed this strange army, all the way to the beach...

They were ordered to stand in a large square formation, while a circle of flintlock riflemen watched them from a distance.

Then, the dozens of ships anchored near the shore suddenly extended their cannons, with countless muzzles simultaneously aimed at the group of elderly, women, and children.

This sight instantly sent them into wails of terror, “No! Please, no!”

It wasn't just the women and children crying in terror at this scene; many militia soldiers also discreetly covered their faces, finding it hard to watch.

On the Wanli Sunshine, Jiang Cheng picked up the large megaphone, and shouted towards the pirate ships that had been hiding in the distance, watching the spectacle. He bellowed, “Come over and surrender, every one of you! Otherwise, your wives and children will all be blown to pieces by cannon fire!”