Chapter 1670 - 847: The Demon of Tsushima Island

The sea breeze, carrying a salty tang and the smell of gunpowder, filled every crevice of the sailboat.

This was an old merchant ship purchased from Liuqiu, made of South Seas hardwood, capable of carrying over thirty people.

Li Yan stood at the bow, the Broken Dust Blade Scabbard lightly tapping the deck.

Behind him were the members of the Twelve Yuan Chen Squad.

Wang Daoxuan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, the Turtle Shell Compass resting on his knees; Sha Lifei was cleaning the barrel of his flintlock gun; Lv San squatted beneath the mast, playing a bone flute teasing a sea bird; Kong Shangzhao was leaning over the ship’s side, comparing the sea map with the stars...

The Night Crying Man was not in good condition, sometimes foolish, sometimes frantic.

He had been transformed into a "Mourning Ghost" embryo by the Jianmu Organization, and only by finding the source could there be a chance to restore his mind. Therefore, they did not hesitate, buying a ship in Liuqiu and planning to land in Japan, heading for the Capital City.

"How much further?" Sha Lifei asked, looking up.

Kong Shangzhao moved his fingers over the sea map: "According to the sea merchant, heading north from Liuqiu, passing Amami and Yakushima, then rounding the west coast of Jiuzhou, leads to the Tsushima Strait. Tsushima Island is in the middle of the strait—it’s the throat leading to Korea."

At this moment, Wang Daoxuan suddenly opened his eyes and formed a mantra with his left hand, saying: "There is Sha Qi ahead."

The Daoist’s Eye Divine Power had become increasingly powerful, affecting his sense of smell and hearing on the sea, so Wang Daoxuan took on the task of reconnaissance.

Before he finished speaking, a burst of fire exploded on the horizon in the distance.

Boom!

The sound of cannon fire, like muffled thunder, arrived several breaths later.

The sailboat shook violently, and a column of water three zhang high erupted from the sea surface on the left, dousing them with salty sea water.

"It’s a battery!"

Fatty Lin’s face changed suddenly, "The Japanese set up fortifications on the island!"

Li Yan gripped the handle of his blade, Gang Qi rising from his Dantian to steady himself.

Squinting, he saw the outline of Tsushima Island emerging through the morning mist, a mountainous, narrow stretch of land.

At this moment, several trails of white smoke rose from the cliffs at the southern end of the island, the gunpowder smoke from the launch of iron cannons.

Boom boom boom!

The second round of shelling came swiftly.

It was even closer this time.

A cannonball grazed past the ship’s side, slicing off a corner of the rudder board at the stern.

In the midst of flying wood splinters, the ship began to tilt.

"Abandon ship!" Li Yan decisively ordered.

In such naval battles, it ultimately came down to strong ships and powerful guns.

At such a distance, spells were useless; Li Yan could use Water Escape, but his companions could not.

And in just a short time, they saw seven or eight ships—it was a fleet.

The safest strategy was still to abandon the ship and leave.

Everyone moved swiftly.

Sha Lifei rushed into the cabin, carrying out the unconscious Night Crying Man.

Wang Daoxuan temporarily stabilized him with Soul Suppressing Nails and runes, but the Yin Sha Qi continued to seep out.

Lv San blew the bone flute, and two dolphins leapt from the waves, supporting those who fell into the water on their backs.

Kong Shangzhao grabbed the most important parcels: the Hook Paper, Compass, and secret orders brought from Guangzhou.

Boom!

The sailboat completely disintegrated in the third round of shelling.

The groaning sound of the keel breaking was enough to make one’s teeth ache, and the hull slowly sank into the dark green sea water.

The Twelve Yuan Chen Squad climbed onto the spare dinghies.

These were two small boats that could only hold four or five people each, connected by a rope.

Li Yan swung his blade to cut the rope, and the two small boats drifted towards a deserted beach on the west side of Tsushima Island with the current.

The cannon fire ceased.

Not because the Japanese showed mercy, but because the sailboat had sunk, and the small boats were too small a target to waste ammunition on.

"They’re blockading the strait."

Kong Shangzhao gasped, his Confucian robe soaked through by the seawater, "Look—"

Following his pointed direction, everyone saw several customs ships patrolling in the Tsushima Strait.

These were common Japanese naval warships, with grotesque demon faces carved on the bows, and family crest flags fluttering from the masts.

Most numerous were the Five and Seven Plum Blossoms, the emblem of the Toyotomi family.

"Not just a blockade," Li Yan said deeply, "They’re transporting troops..."

Looking on, they saw a customs ship docking at a simple pier north of the island, lowering a gangplank, and squads of foot soldiers disembarking orderly.

Most of those soldiers wore simple armor, carrying long guns or iron cannons, with weary and numb expressions.

Several hundred people had already gathered on the dock, forming ranks under the hollering of Samurai.

The small boats finally hit the shore.

Everyone waded ashore, hiding the dinghies among the reef rocks.

Li Yan surveyed the surroundings, finding a sheltered depression overgrown with reeds as tall as a person.

In the distance, they could hear voices, horse hooves, and the clanging of wood being struck.

"We’ll scout first."

Li Yan quickly whispered, "Sha Lifei, Lv San, you head east; Daoist, Mr. Kong, come north with me. We’ll meet back here in an hour."

This Tsushima Island was larger than they had imagined.

This island, approximately 80 li in length from north to south, was originally just a fishing island between Korea and Japan, with only scattered villages.

But at this moment, as Li Yan and the others stealthily reached a high slope and looked down, they were all shocked.

Below was a wide valley that had been transformed into a massive military camp.

Thousands of tents, like gray-white mushrooms, densely covered the valley floor.

The camp was surrounded by sharpened wooden stakes forming a palisade, with an arrow tower every hundred paces manned by alert Samurai with bows.

The camp was divided into clear sections: the east side housed the foot soldiers, the west side had the stables and granaries, and in the center was a conspicuous wooden structure, with a Five and Seven Plum Blossoms flag hanging from the roof—it must be the main command post of the camp.

More strikingly, on the southern side of the camp was a newly opened area, piled with numerous wooden crates and oilcloth-wrapped goods.

Dozens of craftsmen were assembling some kind of apparatus: it was a wooden track with a wheeled platform set on it, with iron cylinders on the platform...