Chapter 2306 - 1634: Commander, Please Board the Ship!

The night was as black as ink, quietly swallowing up San Juan Bay and shrouding the four gigantic Clark galleons. The starlight was faint, the sea breeze moist and restless, carrying with it the clash and shouts from the stronghold, and a faint smell of blood and smoke.

"Almighty! The Barbarians have launched a massive invasion! There's a large group of figures, fighting on the west and south sides! Dim and flickering—no idea if there are hundreds of Barbarians! And I heard the sound of cannon, dozens of them!"

"Idiot! That's not cannon, that's Matchlock Guns! The same kind we usually use on the ship!"

"Matchlock Guns? All our Sailors are on board! Those Holy War Veterans and Shenluo Mercenaries—where would they get Matchlock Guns? Could it be the Barbarians?"

"How is that possible! How could Barbarians have Matchlock Guns? If they've got Matchlock Guns, can you still call them Barbarians?!"

On the four great galleons at the mouth of the bay, the canvas sails were quietly unfurling, trembling lightly in the wind like birds spreading their wings in fear. The Castilian Sailors cursed loudly as they worked in a rush. They hauled ropes and water bags, had already taken in the heavy iron anchors, and were prepared at any moment to flee this nightmare that was finally collapsing.

As the Sailors pulled the rigging taut, the vast gray-white shadows of the sails rose and fell in the moonlight. From afar, it looked like Spirit banners rippling, proclaiming the slaughter and death underway on the island. No one was willing to go ashore at this time, much less take the initiative to support the land. In that moment, the Sailors' faces were sliced by the shadows of the masts, making them look like ghosts. High above, the lookout was sweating like rain, his face full of anxiety, glancing toward the stronghold on shore while shouting down to the questioning Sailors below.

"Look carefully, those are Gunpowder Arrows! We didn't bring any Gunpowder Arrows. Those wildly shrieking Fire Arrows must be shot by the Natives, used to set the stronghold ablaze! The Barbarians on the western Great Island know how to use Gunpowder, so of course they can learn Matchlock Guns. Don't forget, those three Caravels ambushed and eaten up by the Natives had dozens of Matchlock Guns on board, plus cannon!"

"Damn it! Devil Barbarians, sons of dogs! Natives like that—wearing Heavy Armor, wielding Matchlock Guns and cannon, charging without fear of death—how can you still call them Barbarians?! I say they're no different from those Moorish heretics, maybe even more fanatical, more fearless!"

"You two, shut your mouths! Captain Alvaro said we get out, fast. This last stronghold on the island is unlikely to hold tonight!"

Hearing Adjutant Santos's order, the Sailors exchanged glances. They had long since wanted to slip away and had no need to care about the lives of mercenary and strong men. But Deputy Commander Antonio had not yet given the order, and the fate of that elite band of Holy War Veterans was still unknown. If they abandoned the Commander and the veterans on the island and sailed away now, and later the Kingdom Navy's Nnobility came after them, would they end up losing their heads?

"Holy Mother! Leave now? Shouldn't we wait a bit longer? At least wait until we see Commander Antonio, bring a few people back..."

"Wait my ass! Who knows if there's a Native fleet lying in ambush out at sea? If we wait till dawn and run into a fleet blocking the mouth of the bay, we'll never get out! Move!"

"Boss Santos, you've got to give us something definite. If we run now and later the Navy blames us and has us hanged, what then? Captain Alvaro is Royal Family Nnobility, he's well-connected, he doesn't have to worry... but you? This order isn't coming from the captain himself; he's having you give it! You and us are tied to the same rope..."

Adjutant Santos cursed viciously and pulled out a short whip, cracking it in the air with sharp snaps. But these old sea-dog Sailors were unmoved, all turning to stare straight at him. Elder Boatswain Paulo spoke directly to the heart of his fears. Adjutant Santos hesitated for a few breaths, gritted his teeth, and lowered his voice.

"By the Almighty as witness! None of you are to repeat this... Captain Alvaro had prior dealings with Commander Columbus's brother, that Bartolomeo. The fellow privately tried to win the captain over, offered promises; Bernardo from the other ship was there too. The two captains treated it as a joke at the time and didn't fall out with that smooth-talking Bartolomeo, just laughed it off... who could have known the situation on the island would shift so fast, turning this into our last escape route!"

"So the captain's intention is to ignore whatever happens on the island and leave now! Above all, we must not wait for Antonio Deputy Commander. If Antonio Deputy Commander dies in battle, that will be perfect for striking a deal with Commander Columbus and dumping all the blame on the Deputy Commander! The Queen has always been Kuanren and won't punish this heroically fallen Deputy Commander or his Viscount Family too harshly. And if the chief culprit isn't severely punished, how could the captains of the fleets be harshly blamed?"

"But if Antonio Deputy Commander gets out alive, then the captain will reassess. At that point, Antonio Deputy Commander will have suffered heavy losses and will want to shift responsibility for defeat onto Columbus, and he'll still have to rope in several captains! So I say we run now—running is the best choice! Of course, those are my words, not the captain's, and you all remember that!"

At this, the surrounding Sailors widened their eyes, shocked at the baseness of these 'big men' of the fleet. But soon, as Adjutant Santos cracked the short whip again, the Sailors all rushed back to their positions and began hoisting the sails to full! Elder Boatswain Paulo did not join the work; he sidled up beside Adjutant Santos, asking anxiously.