After waking up

There is definitely no satellite positioning in this era, so on the ocean where there are no landmarks for positioning at this moment, if it is a cloudy day, it is very likely that you have deviated from the route without even knowing it.

This is the situation faced by the Tianxing and several ships around it.

The next day, the rain band was still not passed through during the day. The captain of the Tianxing used a telescope to look into the distance from a high place, with the first mate and two sailors beside him.

"Did we lose our bearings, or was it another ship?"

There are only six ships in the entire fleet at the moment, but the storm like yesterday is not an exaggeration. How could there be so many ships drifting off course?

"Tell the fleet to slow down, don't drive too fast, and wait to observe the stars at night."

"Okay Captain."

Mulan could feel the speed of the ship slowing down, but he also knew that it would be too late because the ship was not slowly deviating from the channel.

At night, only six merchant ships, led by the Tianxing, finally left the rainy belt. Stars appeared in the sky. The people on each ship immediately used sextants to compare the stars and began to locate the fleet's position, but the conclusion they reached was that Everyone was shocked.

If it is just a slight deviation from the course, it is inevitable that there will be errors in the astronomical positioning method. After all, it is not as accurate as satellite positioning, but at this moment it is obvious that it is not as simple as a slight deviation.

"Why did we come to such a strange sea?"

The captain of the Tianxing was also the leader of the entire merchant fleet and a retainer of Count Alva. He looked at the distant sea in shock. If the six ships hadn't all come to the same conclusion, he would have suspected that they had made a mistake.

This kind of news cannot be concealed. Experienced sailors even look up at the stars and see where the sun rises, and then they can judge whether they are roughly on the correct route based on the sailing time.

At this point, many people in the fleet already know the true information.

"Oh Holy Light, we have arrived in an unfamiliar sea area. This is not a route protected by the empire!"

"how so!"

Many sailors lay on the deck looking into the distance and observing the stars.

"Is it because we mistakenly entered the turbulent current in the sea and were directly led here?"

Because of the existence of the maelstrom, the world's ocean current environment is extremely complex, and it is not impossible to be carried away by strange turbulence.

"It turns out that it was not the other ships that veered off course, but us!"

"Is it far from the original route?"

"It's not close anyway!"

The sailors were a little panicked, and Mulan also looked nervous. Unfamiliar waters may encounter various unknown situations, and the more experienced sailors understand the dangers.

The fleet is turning around and all can only pray that no additional danger occurs.

"Clark la la la."

The bottom of a nearby wooden cargo ship made a heart-wrenching sound, as if the wood was being twisted by distance.

Then the people on the boat felt the huge force brought by inertia, and many people slammed into the fence or wall.

"Turbulence--"

"Watch out for turbulence——"

The sailors shouted in panic. This huge change in turbulence was like a vehicle turning the steering wheel hard, and even the hull of the ship was tilting.

"Quickly furl the sails——" " Furl the sails——"

The sailors and officers roared, and several nearby merchant ships also hurriedly changed directions to avoid it.

Many sailors of the Tianxing were on the deck, clinging to the guardrail and looking at the other ships a hundred meters away. Its hull was twisting and swaying, and it had tilted nearly 45 degrees. The people on the ship were trying their best to save themselves. .

This is the strange turbulence of the strange ocean. Perhaps there is such a danger hidden in the seemingly calm currents in a certain part of the ocean.

However, the hull was suspended and stabilized, but the direction was not stable. The hull crashed into another large ship, while the crew members on both sides screamed in horror.

"Boom~~~"

Two cargo ships collided together, and the people on board were also knocked to pieces.

Fortunately, although the two ships were damaged, there were no major problems below the waterline, and there was no immediate danger of sinking. Therefore, the entire fleet anchored and stopped sailing, not only to help the two ships, but also because of fear of nearby currents.

Navigating this uncharted sea at night is too dangerous.

Mullan could tell that the sailors on the Sky Star were depressed due to the long-distance deviation and the major accidents of two ships in the same fleet, but it was obvious that the fleet's bad luck was not over yet.

After finally making it to daybreak, when he could take advantage of the visibility to avoid potential turbulence, a sailor on the Sky Star who climbed up the highest mast to observe the distance suddenly discovered some fuzzy black spots on the sea in the distance.

land?

The sailors looked carefully and soon discovered that these were moving ships.

Could it be another ship in the fleet?

The sailor thought so and quickly shouted while gesturing downwards.

"Discovered a fleet, found a fleet, about twenty kilometers away -"

Spotted the fleet?

When the news spread quickly, many people at work stopped subconsciously, because in such unfamiliar waters, they may encounter merchant ships or pirates.

All observing sailors focused their attention in that direction.

Then, something worrying happened. Those ships were obviously getting closer, and their speed was faster than their merchant ships loaded with cargo.

After a period of time, the ships had reached a distance visible to everyone, and then observers discovered that skull and crossbones flags were raised on those ships.

The observers immediately shouted hysterically from the silent fleet.

"Pirate ship——" "Pirate ship——"

"Du-du-du--"

The steamer's whistle erupted with a special sound, and everyone on board the fleet began to shout.

"Ready weapons, prepare weapons-" "Get your swords and guns!"

"Send someone to the cannon emplacement—"

"The hull is sailing at full speed—"

Even the most experienced sailors are in a state of panic at this moment. The pirates are extremely ferocious and it is best to get rid of them. If you can't get rid of them, you have to be prepared to fight for them.

"Du-du-du--"

Every time the whistle sounded, it was like a sledgehammer hitting the hearts of all the crew members. Mullan and the sailors had already taken their weapons and rushed to the deck.

"Where's your gun?"

An old sailor looked at Mulan, who raised his sea soul.

"All I have is the knife."

"You are a retired Imperial Army soldier. A gun is more useful for you than a knife. Little Eyes, give him a rifle."

A sailor immediately threw a long gun at Mulan. Mulan caught it and pulled the bolt to check the ammunition, and then caught a small bag of bullets.

"Come on, let's get on the deck!"

There are more than a hundred sailors on the Tianxing, all of whom are already on the deck, and most of them have guns in their hands. Of course, everyone also has swords. This is the case on other ships.

The first mate and second mate on the ship personally brought food up from the galley and distributed it to every sailor, and even some spirits.

The pirate ship's speed was significantly higher than that of the merchant ship, and everyone knew that this battle was inevitable.

"One, two, three, four, five, five ships!"

Some people are counting the number of pirate ships, and some people are looking at the number of pirates on the pirate ships.

"We have few artillery guns on the ship. They won't sink us. They will definitely come closer and prepare to start a gang fight——"

The first mate of the Star was yelling nervously.

Mulan looked at the first mate. Judging from the fact that he was let on board before, this person may know part of it or all of it. If it is the latter, then he is indeed capable of risking his life.

"Bang~" "Bang~" "Bang~".

The artillery on the merchant ship took the lead in attacking, most of them using old-fashioned cannons, and they all landed near the pirate ship.

"Bang~" "Bang~" "Bang~".

The pirate ships began to fire back, their firepower much more ferocious.

"Boom~" "Boom~"

The pirate ship exploded, and some pirates were blown away, while the merchant ship was hit even more seriously.

Mullan noticed that the pirates' shells were basically not fired below the waterline.

The distance between the two sides continued to close, and many pirates even climbed up the ropes and masts on many pirate ships.

"Fire!"

Sailors on each merchant ship used firearms to attack the pirates at different distances, and the latter also began to fight back.

"Bang~"

Mullan opened fire, then quickly reloaded the gun.

"Bang~"

Two short shots, and two pirates on the mast fell from the pirate ship in the distance.

Mulan's eyes have been searching, searching for the presence of extraordinary beings on the pirate ship. Theoretically, it should be within the sphere of influence of a certain great pirate with extraordinary power.

But the battle situation changes faster.

One pirate ship after another rushed into the gap between the merchant ships, and there was a violent collision between the hulls. Many sailors and pirates were knocked away.

Hooks and locks were thrown at the merchant ship, hooking the sides and masts of the ship. The sailors immediately cut off the hooks and locks with their swords.

Someone on the pirate ship was manipulating a special ballista. After pulling the trigger, several shells with huge hooks flew in with a roar.

Several sailors were penetrated, and the hook crossbow arrow hit the chimney and also penetrated the side hull. The winch on the pirate ship's side was turning, constantly shortening the distance between the ships.

A pirate ship actually used a ramming angle to rush towards the Sky Star from one side.

"Boom~"

The violent impact caused many sailors to fall, and the pirates on the pirate ship had already rushed to the merchant ship.

"Kill them all——"

"Come on!" "Kill——"

The pirates rushed towards the Sky Star and other merchant ships, and the sailors on the ship also fought against the enemy. After a close encounter, blood rained everywhere.

There is no time to aim or even reload. Gang jumping is the cruelest form of close combat, and someone falls down every moment.

Mulan pulled out the Sea Soul Sword, blocked and fought, pierced the neck of a pirate, blocked the knife with his right shoulder, and chopped off the man's arm.

Blood and screams surrounded the surroundings, and the occasional gunfire often became the target of concentrated fire.

With the physical fitness that a normal imperial veteran should have, Mulan caused damage to a considerable number of pirates.

A headbutt knocked a pirate unconscious, and Mulan kicked him into the sea.

Because of Mulan's bravery, many sailors spontaneously gathered around him to resist. Gradually, the combat advantage on the Sky Star began to shift to the sailors.

"Kill them all——"

Mulan, who was now holding two swords, roared angrily, and the sailors responded in unison.

"Kill them all——"

The sailors on the Tianxing even counterattacked the pirate ship, and followed the pirate ship into another merchant ship that was resisting, and together they attacked the pirates there.

On the pirate ship's flagship, the captain was slightly surprised by the current battle situation, and a first mate next to him said.

"Many of these sailors are obviously battle-hardened!"

"Have you figured out where the ship is?"

"It should be Dilga's merchant ship, which got here after getting lost."

"interesting."

The captain smiled, looked at the merchant sailors who were fighting bravely and with increasing morale, and then pulled out his knife.

"captain?"

"It's too slow. I'm going to have some fun."

The pirate captain jumped directly to a merchant ship where the battle was fiercest. With a flick of the blade, four sailors' heads flew up with blood spurting out.

The pirate captain moves like a leisurely stroll, and can continuously harvest lives by swinging his arms at will. He has regarded these ships as private property, especially the Sky Star.

A sailor covered in blood caught the attention of the pirate captain. This man had killed many pirates. He passed by with a knife. Mulan, who had noticed him long ago, felt a warning sign in his heart and subconsciously swung his knife to block.

"Dang~"

Mulan's right wrist was twisted, and the knife was knocked away directly. His body was hit backwards and fell to the ground. Several pirates around him slashed at him with their knives, but under this situation, he still rolled his body to avoid the slashes.

The pirate captain looked at Mulan in surprise. From his perspective, such a warrior was extremely rare.

"Capture him alive."

After a quick word, the pirate captain continued to move forward, and the outcome of the battle was quickly decided.

There were more and more enemies around Mulan. Finally, he was hit by a gun butt in the back and a kick in the abdomen. Many knives were pressed against his chest and back, and placed on his neck. His body was also killed by several people. Press and hold.

Mulan's hair was disheveled, and blood continued to drip from the ends of his hair. He grabbed his right hand and gasped violently.

Neither being too cowardly nor too exaggerated in strength is suitable. Wanting to blend in with the pirates is an art of performance.