Chapter 2308 - 1635: Glory! Queen! Death!

The sea breeze was cold, carrying a faint firelight from afar, mixed with the scent of blood in the wind. The tide surged, crashing wave after wave against the last two Clark Galleons in San Juan Bay.

Among them, the larger one was the true flagship of the Castilian Expeditionary Army, the "Holy Light." With a displacement of 200 tons, it was armed with four 10-pound cannons and six 4-pound cannons; undoubtedly a top-of-the-line warship in Europe of this era! The slightly smaller one was the "Saint Paul," with a displacement of about 150 tons and armed with only four 8-pound cannons and four 4-pound cannons.

Nevertheless, even the "Saint Paul" was among the top three large ships of the expeditionary army. As the commander, Antonio naturally had the personal agenda to keep the best large ship for his own people!

"Holy Mother bless us! Quick! Let us board, board!"

A few small boats rocked as they approached the side of the ship. A batch of mercenaries, with salty breaths and an indescribable look in their eyes, climbed the damp gangway eagerly towards the ship. They carried swords at their waists, daggers hidden beneath their armor plates, squeezing onto the "Holy Light" step by step. Torches lit sporadically, illuminating the rough Germanic faces. They rudely pushed aside obstructing sailors, their steps spreading like unanchored chains over the clean deck, turning into a diffuse threat. Soon, a dozen Shenluo Mercenaries boarded the large ship, with more climbing up behind them.

"Albert! I'll accompany the commander to the Saint Paul. You go take care of the brothers aboard the Holy Light; it's chaos there! Now that we're the commander's personal soldiers, we can't allow ourselves to be laughed at like this!"

"Yes! Boss, I'll 'take care' of the brothers, just as you've instructed!"

Mercenary Captain Reinhardt spoke with a smile in front of Deputy Commander Antonio. Then, a flattering smile appeared on his fierce, lion-like face as he respectfully addressed Deputy Commander Antonio.

"Commander! Shall we board as well?"

"Hmm! Reinhardt, you're right. From now on, you'll be my personal soldiers, holding the fort on Barbados Island for me! Remember to sever ties with that Columbus guy as soon as possible!"

"Yes! Yes! Commander, please!"

The sounds of slaughter from the shore came in waves, seeming closer to the ship. Deputy Commander Antonio didn't delay any longer and jumped onto a small boat heading towards the Saint Paul. Captain Lorres aboard the Holy Light was a young noble personally promoted by Antonio, and would undoubtedly stand by his side. Baltasar was older, more experienced, and had just shown some signs of "disloyalty." He needed to board this ship to have a good talk with Baltasar, using both rewards and punishments to placate this old brother.

"Out of the way! Out of the way! Let the commander go first!"

"For the love of the Almighty! Please! Pull us aboard!"

The Shenluo Mercenaries were still as crude as the Castilian nobles imagined. Some Shenluo Mercenaries even jumped the ship's ropes first, wearing heavy armor, and boarded the Saint Paul. In such bulky armor, if the sailors had intentionally blocked them, a stab with a spear could easily send them into the sea to feed the fish! However, at present, these mercenaries were the expeditionary army's last remaining force. Facing the threat of barbarians, the sailors were forced to pinch their noses, drop the ropes, and lend a hand to pull the mercenaries aboard.

"Phew! Baltasar, we need to have a good talk!"

"Yes, Commander, I also want more details about the situation on the shore! As for the strong men, it's one thing if they die. But we have nearly two companies of Holy War Veterans left in the stronghold! Can't we bring even one unit back?"

"There are large groups of barbarians to the south, led by a great chieftain! Our veterans stationed to the south can't possibly retreat... As for the west? The situation..."

Deputy Commander Antonio and Captain Baltasar stood at the stern of the ship, gazing at the frightening firelight at the stronghold. The fire to the west burned even brighter, and those veterans who had charged into the forest seemed to have slashed for a while before retreating back to the west. In the glowing firelight, the tiny silhouettes appeared even fewer in number. Then, the veterans to the west raised a shout and, despite the barbarians' arrows, began to retreat deeper into the stronghold.

The situation on the western shore so captivated their attention that they failed to notice Mercenary Captain Reinhardt signaling in secret, instructing the mercenaries boarding in succession to spread out to strategic points aboard. A colder and more terrifying blade quietly extended, hiding on the seemingly safe large ship that had escaped the hell on the shore!

"Retreat! Quick, retreat! To the wooden fort in the center of the stronghold!"

The wind fueled the fire, and the fire brought even fiercer winds. Company Captain Philip, his eyes blood-red, suppressed his bull-like rage and mania, yelling loudly at the remaining twenty-some veterans around him.

"We head to the center, join up with those veterans! Then, head to the northern bay and board the large ship!"

"In the name of the Almighty! Too many enemies, too many barbarians, and arquebusiers with armor-piercing! The stronghold can't be defended, we must retreat; this is my order as company captain! I will take full responsibility!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The barbarians' sharp arrows were still shooting, but the arrowheads no longer glowed with the dreadful green light, having turned into ordinary iron color. These arrows posed limited harm to their heavily armored veterans unless they hit a vital point; otherwise, they couldn't breach their shields or armor. However, the most terrifying part was the native arquebusiers hidden under the cover of the barbarian archers!