Under the deadly order of Tuoba Qingtong, hundreds of fishing boats rushed toward the Imperial Navy with no regard for their lives.

Hundreds of cannonballs crashed onto their ships, instantly smashing countless fishing boats into pieces.

Along with this, many unlucky souls were torn apart by the cannonballs, creating waves several meters high.

“Get in the water! Everyone, get in the water!”

Under the urging of a shirtless man, the men on the fishing boats all held knives between their teeth and leaped into the lake.

They had lived in Yunmeng Marsh since childhood and were excellent swimmers.

In the chaos of water warfare, they swam as swiftly as fish toward the Imperial Army.

On the other side, the left wing of the Tuoba Clan had another fleet of naval forces moving.

Several men stood on the bow of the ship, gazing at the distant military formation.

“Big Brother!”

A man looked toward the army in confusion and said, “The Commander is signaling us to quickly penetrate the Imperial Navy and stop their Red Coat Cannons from firing.”

“What?”

The Chaotic River Dragon couldn’t believe his ears and said, “Why would General Tuoba Jiang give such an order?”

“Weren’t we supposed to be the reserve forces, mainly to harass the rear during the battle between the two armies? Why are we the main attack now?”

“Well… I don’t really know, maybe it’s an order from that young master of the Tuoba Clan.”

“Damn it…”

The Chaotic River Dragon cursed under his breath. He was originally a water thief in the northwest of Yunmeng Marsh, enjoying a care-free life as king with hundreds of ships and thousands of brothers under his command.

Yet, even so, he secretly paid tribute to the Tuoba Clan.

After all, the Tuoba Clan was like the sky over Yunmeng Marsh.

But who would have thought that the Tuoba Clan would rebel!

And they had no choice but to fully submit to the Tuoba Clan, or face annihilation!

Fortunately, Tuoba Jiang, the Commander-in-Chief, was quite a character and continuously drew them in, assigning them harassment as their main task.

After all, being able to establish a foothold in Yunmeng Marsh and gather over a thousand water thief brothers meant the Chaotic River Dragon had some skills.

More than a year ago, by sheer dumb luck, he caught a strange fish with a single horn at the bottom of Yunmeng Marsh.

After eating it, he felt a burning heat all over, with countless images flashing in his mind.

The True Qi within him surged, and his Martial Dao skills unexpectedly entered the Innate Realm!

An Innate Realm Martial Artist, a status countless martial artists dreamed of.

However…

Even so, it was still nothing in front of the Tuoba Clan.

“Big Brother, another signal is here. Should we follow the order?”

The Chaotic River Dragon took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, “Inform the brothers to get ready for departure.”

“Big Brother!”

His subordinate exclaimed, “This… this is sending us to our deaths. The Imperial Army has over a hundred thousand troops and so many Red Coat Cannons.”

“I know, but if we don’t carry out the task, the Tuoba Clan will definitely not spare us in the future.”

The Chaotic River Dragon said in a low voice, “Later, tell the brothers to…”

He whispered a few instructions, and his subordinate’s eyes lit up before quickly passing on the orders.

Soon, the Chaotic River Dragon’s water thief troops began to move.

“Splash~”

“Splash~”

“Splash~!”

Amidst the violent water flow, hundreds of warships swiftly launched from the left wing of the Tuoba Clan, charging toward the Imperial Navy.

Although these ships were called warships, on closer inspection, they looked more like fishing boats that had been modified.

Each warship had a very slender hull, resembling a chopstick.

This design made them resistant to winds and waves, but also had its advantages.

That is, they were extremely fast and incredibly maneuverable.

“Boom!”

“Boom boom!”

The Imperial Army quickly discovered these warships, and dozens of cannonballs were fired at them.

But the ships quickly dispersed, dodging the cannonballs falling from the sky as best as they could.

Although some unlucky ones were hit by the cannonballs, most of the ships managed to evade the attack.

On the vast sea, they continued to maneuver, gradually approaching the Imperial Army.

On the Tuoba Clan’s warship, Tuoba Qingtong watched the water thieves’ movements and couldn’t help but clap his hands, “Well done!”

“This way, we can attract the Imperial Army’s attention, and the rest of the navy will be…”

“Young Master!”

Tuoba Jiang couldn’t help but remind him, “The Chaotic River Dragon should operate outside the battlefield, seeking opportunities to kill the enemy general. But in the current chaos…”

“Shut up!”

Tuoba Qingtong frowned, “Your tactic might work for a regular army, but now we face the firepower of the Imperial Navy. Advancing bit by bit with distance would be suicide; the best way is to charge into their formation quickly and engage in close-quarters battle.”

“Only this way can we limit their cannons to the greatest extent.”

“Listen to my orders, full attack!”

“As soon as we find the main ship of the Imperial General, we will take immediate action to kill that vile creature!”

Tuoba Jiang sighed deeply and could only say helplessly, “Yes, Young Master!”

Following his order, a series of signals were sent out, and the entire Tuoba Clan’s naval formation accelerated once again.

Ignoring the cannon fire, they surged towards the Imperial formation like a tidal wave.

However, Tuoba Jiang, after all, was a veteran of many battles. During the charge, he deliberately placed the other water thieves and fishermen’s ships at the front to bear the brunt of the cannon fire.

The core fleet belonging to the Tuoba Clan was hidden in the middle, relying on the charge of the dare-to-die squads to rapidly close in.

Although there were still many cannonballs attacking them, compared to the dare-to-die squads at the forefront, the losses for the Tuoba Clan’s core fleet were bearable.

In the end, he had reserved a team of standby ships for response.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

Amidst the huge cannon roars, the Chaotic River Dragon’s ships were already closing in on the Imperial Army.

Tan Yunlong stood atop the lookout tower, observing carefully, his expression changing slightly. He immediately leaped down.

“General! There’s something peculiar about those ships, they’re covered with a large amount of cowhide and goods. I fear it’s a trap.”

Through the telescope, Meng Guang also noticed something. The fleet moved quickly, and after entering cannon range, many people jumped into the lake and swam away.

Only a large number of ships continued their charge with inertia.

Meng Guang said, “Tilt the cannons, don’t let them get close.”

Soon, another round of cannon fire came.

Many cannons hit the water, but a fair number of shells struck the ships.

“Boom!”

In an instant, the ships hit by cannon fire exploded violently, with intense flames shooting into the sky.

“That’s… gunpowder!”

Meng Guang’s pupils contracted, “The Tuoba Clan has gunpowder now!”

“Quick! Continue the bombardment, don’t let them get close…”

Meng Guang’s order was issued, but it was already too late.

The ten or so ships still laden with gunpowder finally approached the Imperial fleet, exploding thunderously, engulfing three large ships and dozens of smaller ones.

Many began to scream in agony as flames soared into the sky.

“Thud!”

“Thud thud!”

“What’s that sound?”

“Below the ships! There are water ghosts drilling the hull!”

“Quick, abandon ship!”

Many naval soldiers shouted as numerous Tuoba Clan water ghosts appeared beneath their ships.

With their exceptional diving and swimming skills, they submerged under the large ships and began drilling.

Against other enemies, this tactic might have been effective.

However, the Tuoba Clan now faced the Great Yu Navy, which originated from water thieves.

Upon an order, thousands of soldiers immediately shed their uniforms, grabbed long knives, and dove in.

Soon, the surface of the lake began to churn, with large amounts of blood surfacing.

In no time, bodies began to rise from the lakebed.

Among these corpses, most were from the Tuoba Clan’s water ghost units, with only a few belonging to the navy.

The reason was simple.

They had already exhausted much energy diving underwater to drill through the navy’s large ships, having submerged dozens of meters away.

While the Great Yu Navy awaited them well-prepared, easily cutting them down.

As a result, the Tuoba Clan’s first wave of attack lost at least several thousand men.

However…

Tuoba Qingtong’s intended target and purpose were achieved.

The Tuoba Clan’s army of over a hundred thousand and warships had already engaged the Great Yu Court Navy!

“Kill!”

Countless ropes were thrown from the Tuoba Clan warships, tied to the Great Yu Navy’s masts. Numerous Tuoba Clan members swung over.

However, waiting for them wasn’t the steel knives of the Great Yu Navy but the long-prepared firearms.

“Open fire!”

“Open fire!”

“Bang!”

“Bang bang!!”

In an instant, countless gunshots erupted in the water fog, with a dense barrage of bullets easily tearing these rebel bodies apart.

“Ah!”

With screams, countless Tuoba Clan insurgents fell from mid-air, crashing heavily into the lake.

“Open fire!”

“Keep firing!”

Under the orders of their captains, leaders, and captains, navies guarded the ships from all sides, constantly gunning down the Tuoba Clan rebels trying to board.

While squads of rebels got shot and fell into the lake, a small number managed to break through the gunfire blockade, landing on the navy warships.

The waiting Great Yu Navy quickly pounced on them, slaying them.

As time passed, the once dense gunfire diminished, replaced by the piercing sounds of battle cries and weapon clashes.

Amidst the chaos, the warship carrying Tuoba Qingtong and Zhao Qingshang also approached the chaotic battlefield.

Flames soared from more than ships, while battles raged across the warships still on the lake.

The Chaotic River Dragon hidden in the lake continued dragging fallen naval soldiers underwater.

Meanwhile, Tan Yunlong, Shentu Kui, and Sunx Hui remained hidden within the navy, ambushing the rebels.

Overall, the Great Yu Navy still held the advantage, primarily due to weaponry.

The Tuoba Clan rebels fought only driven by their passionate zeal.

Surveying the chaos, Tuoba Qingtong said, “Qingshang, it’s up to you.”

“I understand, Elder Brother.”

Zhao Qingshang responded, grabbing a gray-white triangular banner in his hand.

He tossed it up, and to his surprise, it floated in mid-air.

His hands swiftly formed seals, whispered incantations, and obscure Spiritual Qi fluctuations emanated from him.

The gray-white triangular banner billowed with the wind, instantly transforming into a massive, three-meter-long flag.

“Woosh,”

“Woosh woosh…!”

Fierce winds suddenly emanated from the banner, enveloping the surroundings in dense fog once again.

In its midst, a menacing white giant python could be glimpsed rolling.

“Fog Python Banner, away!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep