flstandardbreds Chapter 136 Night Raid Fails
Chapter 136 Night Raid Fails
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At this moment, on the vast Pearl River, Xu Ting was unaware that the attack from within the city had failed and that one of the two routes of attack by land and water had been cut off. He continued to move upstream along the river.
As midnight approached, they finally arrived at White Goose Pool. In the darkness, the lights of the pirate ship were clearly visible. Xu Ting was secretly pleased; this was pointing the way for the fire attack ships, making the rest much easier.
The arsonist ship ahead rowed frantically, hoping to get close to the pirate ship as soon as possible, then set it ablaze and jump overboard to escape. The distance was getting closer and closer; the foremost ship was now only a mile away from the pirate ship.
If sailing downstream, this distance would be enough to set the boat ablaze and launch a fire, allowing it to drift downstream and collide with the target. Unfortunately, this is upstream. Even if the boat manages to reach the enemy ship and is secured with iron nails at the bow, it will drift back. Compared to sailing downstream, a fire attack upstream is far more dangerous, and the chances of survival for those on board are much lower.
Just as several ships were about to collide with their target, suddenly, several torches were lit on the pirate ship, and many figures emerged from the ship, while the side cannon windows were opened in unison.
"Damn it, the bandits were prepared." Xu Ting was quite surprised. However, he wasn't too worried. So what if they were prepared? With so many fire ships on their side, even if they had a few cannons, how many could they sink?
"Tell the brothers at the front to hold their ground and only light the fire when they are right in front of the enemy ship."
The torches illuminated only a limited distance, but the people on the fireboat began to panic. When they were only fifty or sixty meters from their target, someone set the boat ablaze and jumped into the water. Without oars, the burning fireboat, propelled forward by inertia for a dozen meters, was then propelled downstream by the current, spinning in circles.
The fire ship, drifting slowly down like a giant torch, illuminated its surrounding companions. Instead of fulfilling its intended mission, it provided a convenient vantage point for the ship's guns to observe the enemy's position.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The Caron cannons began firing shrapnel, the barrage of bullets engulfing the entire water's surface. The burning fireship, surrounded by countless other vessels, was wiped out by this hail of bullets; everyone was hit and plunged into the water. The sulfur and gunpowder on the ships were ignited by the hot bullets, bursting into flames. More ships were exposed in the firelight, attracting a fierce barrage of shrapnel.
A sneak attack was no longer possible; a direct assault was the only option. Xu Ting, from the rear, shouted for all ships to accelerate forward.
"Those who crash into it will receive silver; those who retreat without permission or start the fire prematurely will be executed!"
Despite his repeated warnings against prematurely lighting the boats, some men, fearing being hit by cannonballs, still set their boats ablaze and jumped into the water. The out-of-control boats not only became free flares for the enemy but also, along with the burning boats, obstructed the path of the ships behind them. The following ships scrambled around the already burning vessels to avoid easily igniting their own sulfur, gunpowder, and cooking oil.
As a result, the offensive descended into chaos and disorder. The upstream became the biggest obstacle to the fire attack; the blazing fire ships not only failed to drift towards their targets but instead floated downstream, becoming a nightmare for other ships.