flstandardbreds Chapter 382: Island Landing Operation
Chapter 382: Island Landing Operation
The sea was rough, and dozens of majestic sailing warships were winding across the blue sea like giant dragons.
On the flagship in front of the fleet, John stood alone on the deck, staring blankly at the distant ocean, as if thinking about something.
However, it was not because John was distracted, but because he was observing the system map that no one else could see. On the map, his fleet was constantly advancing southward, dispelling the fog of war around him bit by bit. As the warships continued to move forward, it would not take long for him to clear the fog in this sea area.
At this moment, John suddenly saw a model of a ship sailing eastward on the map. John knew at a glance that it was a smuggling ship, because normal merchant ships would choose to sail in the waters not far from the coast. This kind of ship sailing in the deep sea must not want to be discovered.
Just as he was about to order the fleet to capture or sink the smuggling ship, an idea came to John's mind: the smuggling ship might reach Celilius Island for supplies, and he might be able to find the mysterious island by following it. Thinking of this, John's eyes lit up, and the fire in his heart burned even more vigorously.
He immediately called the flag bearer and issued a new order:
"Tell all ships to change course immediately and head east!"
Then he came to the captain of the ship and said solemnly:
"Order the ships to head east."
The captain looked at John in confusion, not understanding why the general suddenly changed his plan. But he also knew that he shouldn't ask too many questions at this time, so he agreed without hesitation:
"As you command, my lord!"
Soon, as John's fleet followed closely, the smuggling ship ahead did not notice anything unusual and sailed eastward. On the system map, John clearly saw that the ship was gradually approaching a large island. In the waters around the island, he also found more traces of smuggling ships, and in the center of the island, there was a model of a city.
John reached out and gently touched the city icon on the system map. Instantly, detailed information about the city appeared before his eyes, starting with the city's name - Serilius!
He was now certain that the island in front of him was the key he was looking for. However, he also knew that now was not the best time to launch a full-scale attack. So he turned his attention to the troops stationed on the island.
As his eyes swept over, the soldier cards flashed in his mind like slides. Although most of the cards were just vague question marks, he keenly caught an abnormality.
The general at the beginning of the card was particularly eye-catching. The face on the card made him feel uneasy because it was an unusual green color and had an unusually large mouth that almost took up the entire head. It looked completely different from a human and more like a frog's face.
"Wow, I met an apostle." John couldn't help but exclaimed in a low voice, his heart filled with disbelief and excitement. He had been searching for so long and finally found the apostle he hadn't seen for a long time on this island.
After some estimation, John realized that the number of pirates gathered on the island was astonishing, about 5,000. What worried him even more was that there were dozens of ships of different sizes anchored in the harbor. Once these pirates sailed out to sea and fought a naval battle with John, his fleet might be unable to resist for a while.
As John's fleet gradually approached, the outline of the island in the distance gradually became clear. The island had two important ports, one on the east and one on the west. After careful consideration, John made a decisive decision: first concentrate firepower to bombard the port on the west side.
He gave the order:
"All warships gather at the designated location, form a tight formation, and block the western port!"
Before long, the entire fleet moved quickly like a steel behemoth, surrounding the target port.
Through the telescope, John keenly observed that several pirate ships seemed to be trying to escape in the waters near the port, but they soon realized that something was wrong and hurriedly turned their heads back to the port for refuge. At the same time, a rapid bell rang in the air, which was an alarm signal from the port, meaning that the pirates had realized the threat.
"fire!"
Hearing John's order, the flag bearer waved the cannon flag quickly and vigorously. Then, the cannons in the fleet roared in unison, making a deafening sound.
The shells fell densely from the sky like a violent storm, instantly forming a thick smoke over the harbor. And those pirate ships seemed so vulnerable in the face of the fierce bombardment of John's fleet.
Under the continuous attack of powerful firepower, the pirates' ships began to shake and some were directly hit by multiple shells, instantly becoming unrecognizable and eventually sinking directly to the bottom of the sea. The sea was full of rolling waves and floating debris, and the scene was extremely tragic.
The buildings at the port were not spared either. The wooden buildings could not withstand John's bombardment at all. Some of them collapsed after the bombardment and turned into ruins.
Through the telescope, John saw it all clearly. The pirates were now fleeing everywhere, most of them fled to the dense forest deep in the island.
After calm was restored inside the port, he decisively ordered part of the troops to land and occupy the port.
Considering the potential dangers in the port, John adopted a cautious strategy. He did not choose to deploy his troops directly in the port, but chose a landing site in a shallow area not far from the port. This way, he could reach the port quickly and retreat quickly when necessary.
As the transport ship slowly approached the shore, the soldiers disembarked and quickly gathered on the shoal, and then headed towards the port under the orders of the officers.
Soon after, the long-awaited news came from the front: except for a few injured pirates, no other signs of enemy ambush were found in the port. After learning this, John was relieved and issued a new order.
He ordered the troops that had landed to be on high alert and strengthen the defense measures in the port to ensure that nothing could go wrong. At the same time, he led the fleet eastward to deal with the ships in the eastern port.
As the sails swelled with the wind, the fleet left the port and headed east. Not long after, John saw a port again. However, unlike before, this port was bustling with people, many ships were slowly sailing out of the port, and what made him even more alert was that a large fleet was actually rushing directly in their direction.