Chapter 202 - 129: The Bai Family is Defeated, the Braid Army Appears

Chapter 202: Chapter 129: The Bai Family is Defeated, the Braid Army Appears

The order was quickly relayed down the line.

Behind the defensive fortifications on the docks, the members of the Water Patrol Bureau silently inspected their firearms.

They moved ammunition, and the cannons’ fields of fire were adjusted.

They were aimed upstream at the river’s surface.

A stillness and grim tension, unique to the moments before a great battle, filled the air.

About another hour passed.

From upstream, the faint sounds of ships colliding could be heard.

The irregular roar of steam engines and a chaotic clamor of voices followed.

The last wisp of thin fog blanketing the river finally dissipated.

The brilliant moonlight, combined with beams of light from several Lamp Cultivator lanterns on the docks, illuminated this section of the Canglan River as if it were day.

Upstream, a battered and beleaguered fleet of ships appeared as indistinct shadows.

The vessel in the lead, a large iron steam-powered paddle wheeler that Bai Ting had once been aboard, was still relatively intact.

Its power was still running, but its hull was riddled with bullet holes and scorch marks.

The other ships following behind were in a wretched state, mostly just drifting downstream with the current.

Their sails were tattered, and their steam pipes were leaking.

Some were even on fire, belching thick smoke, with figures running frantically across their decks.

It was the routed remnants of the Bai Family’s forces!

"Fire!"

Seeing the enemy ships enter optimal range, Lu Huaiqian gave the order without hesitation, his voice hoarse.

"BANG! BANG! BANG—!"

"BOOM! RUMBLE—!"

In an instant, the crack of rifles firing in unison and the roar of cannons wove together into a symphony of death!

A scorching rain of bullets and whistling cannonballs formed an impenetrable net of fire across the river’s surface.

It instantly enveloped the Bai Family’s fleet!

The steel plates of the large ship at the front rang out as they were struck, sending sparks flying.

The wooden-hulled sailing ships behind it were far more fragile, splinters flying everywhere under the cannon barrage.

One after another, they capsized or caught fire.

Screams, splashes from bodies hitting the water, and explosions all blended into one.

The fleet, which had just barely been maintaining its formation, was shattered in a moment.

Seeing that there was no hope of breaking through and that the river had become a chaotic scene of carnage, the surviving Bai Family members could no longer be bothered with the supplies on their ships.

They abandoned all their burdens and leaped into the icy river water like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

They swam desperately toward the banks on either side, trying to escape the kill zone blanketed by fire.

The Lu Family forces did not pursue these routed soldiers who had abandoned their ships to flee for their lives with full force.

They only took symbolic potshots with their rifles to drive them off.

Their main targets were the uncontrolled ships on the river.

Especially the large, high-value iron paddle wheeler, whose main structure was still intact!

"Ironclad Ships, move out! Get close, hook ’em, and drag ’em back!"

A Steward in charge of the dockside combat operations shouted.

Two small steam-powered Ironclad Ships, reinforced with steel plates, chugged out, spewing black smoke.

They shot out from the flank of the docks, nimbly dodging debris and flames on the river’s surface.

They quickly approached the largest enemy vessel.

A sailor standing at the bow threw a grappling hook attached to an iron chain with all his might.

"CLANG!" The grappling hook latched firmly onto the large ship’s gunwale.

The Ironclad Ship went full throttle, beginning to slowly tow its prize back toward the docks.

However, at that very moment...

The situation changed in a flash!

A black shadow shot up from the rocky shore like a phantom.

It carved a sharp arc through the air before falling like a meteorite.

CRASH! It smashed down onto the large ship’s bare forecastle!

"THUD!!!"

A heavy, dull sound echoed as the impact forced the ship’s bow to dip violently downward.

River water surged over the deck with a great SPLASH, then quickly receded.

The light from the moon and the lanterns clearly illuminated this uninvited guest.

The figure was tall and slender, dressed in a black long gown unsuited for the season.

Over it, he wore a matching black magua jacket and a melon-rind cap on his head.

What was most eye-catching was the meticulously braided, glossy queue trailing from the back of his head—

A money-rat-tail queue!

With his back to the docks and his hands clasped behind him, he faced the Ironclad Ship that was towing the prize.

His cold voice was not loud, yet it clearly cut through the river wind and waves, echoing across the nearby waters:

"This ship is ours."