At the beginning of Yinshi on November 23, Zhao Ran urgently summoned all parties to the joint meeting into the meeting hall and informed them of a heavy news: half an hour ago, the Songjiang camp was attacked by pirates, and the inspections in the camp The fleet's remaining ships were burned to the ground.
According to the report of the monks who stayed in the camp, at about three o'clock in the morning, hundreds of fire attack ships were instigated by the pirates with wind charms, loaded with flammable materials, and rushed directly into the camp. Because the ships were moored on the shore, they could not avoid it. lost heavily.
The monks and sailors used various methods to extinguish the fire, but with little success. They suspected that there were a large number of fire charms, thunder charms, and fierce fire oil on the ship, which would explode when they encountered the ship and burn if they touched it. The entire Songjiang Camp was like a blazing hell.
Everyone was shocked, and the meeting hall suddenly became cold and silent.
After a long time, Zhao Ran reported this situation to Chen Shandao by flying talisman, and finally said: "The main force of the pirates has appeared in Songjiang. There is no need to wait for the ambush fleet. We must wipe out the enemy as soon as possible and return quickly."
Zhao Ran asked: "Who still has a flying magic weapon? Let's go to Songjiang as soon as possible."
Wei Chaozong and the nine girls were all ready to issue talismans to Benshan and call up the flying magic weapon, but the fastest one was Lu Yuanyuan. Her sect was in Maoshan. She immediately went to Deyou to watch the flying talisman. Half an hour later, Deyou watched Lu. The elders drove the Nine Dragon Futon to Yingtian, so everyone got on the futon and flew directly to Songjiang Camp.
At the beginning of Mao hour, when the sky was gradually turning white, Zhao Ran and others rushed to Songjiang Camp. At this time, the fire had not been extinguished, and the entire water camp was filled with blazing ships. More than a dozen trestles were also burned by the fire, and flames jumped up. On the shore, part of the camp was also involved. Thick smoke billowed and it was difficult to breathe.
All the monks cast spells together, and the fire heads were all suppressed. Looking at the camp again, more than half of it had been destroyed.
Zhao Ran and others were stationed at the Songjiang camp, directing the treatment of the wounded and counting the losses. Elder Lu of Deyouguan drove a Kowloon futon into the sea and circled around in the sea, but where could he find any trace of the pirates?
In the evening, the losses were reported. Seven warships and fourteen patrol boats were all burned, and forty-three other ships were burned. The losses were extremely heavy. In addition, all the trestles on the shore needed to be repaired. After reconstruction, there were two armories on the shore, and three grain depots were also set on fire, resulting in a large loss of baggage.
The only thing that is gratifying is that there were not many casualties, especially the monks on duty, who were almost unscathed. However, they were not skilled enough and were unable to save people. More than 30 sailors died and hundreds of people were injured.
Wei Chaozong asked: "Within the shelter of the islands deep in the Songjiang camp, even if the main fleet leaves, there are many warning posts on the main navigable islands, and all directions are taken care of. How did the pirates get in?"
No one could answer this question. Wei Chaozong's face immediately became serious and he whispered to Zhao Ran: "We need to check it carefully!"
Zhao Ran had a livid face and nodded slightly.
Fortunately, at midnight, good news finally came. The ambush fleet was successful. The enemy was sunk with 500 pieces of ammunition, four main warships each with 300 pieces of ammunition, and 16 ships with less than 200 pieces of ammunition. The remaining enemies fled in all directions.
The most exciting thing is that Chen Shandao took action with hatred, seized the opportunity to jump into a gang and fought in person, and captured the pirate leader Huang Feilong alive. This man was the leader of the pirates and one of the four generals of Wutong Taoist.
The war situation continued to evolve. On the night of November 29, the returning fleet arrived at the southern end of Shandong. While anchoring to rest on Pingshan Island east of Rizhao, they suddenly encountered the main force of the pirates. The timing of the attack by the pirates was really amazing.
There was a battle that night, and they separated at dawn. The pirate fleet retreated eastward, and Infinite Rosette and Cloud Lily chased them for fifty miles before they were called back. The inspection fleet had no energy left to fight anymore and needed to return as soon as possible.
In this battle, the inspection fleet suffered considerable losses. Three warships were sunk, two were seriously injured, six patrol ships were lost, many were injured, and more than ten wind speedboats were lost.
According to the battle results reported by each ship, it was estimated that thirteen or four enemy ships, large and small, were sunk. Lu Xixing and Du Yangchen revealed to Zhao Ran: This encounter was too sudden, and the inspection fleet did suffer a big loss.
What is shocking is that Chen Shandao encounters a powerful enemy for the first time - the great demon in disguise from the East China Sea, the real skeleton.
According to Chen Shandao himself, Master Skeleton's cultivation level is much weaker than his, and should fall between the primary transformation and the second transformation. However, Master Skeleton is a sea monk, and he is very skilled in borrowing the power of the sea.
He is almost equal to Chen Shandao.
The result of the battle between the two masters was that no one could do anything to the other. The Skeleton Master protected the pirates and slowly retreated.
On the third day of December, the inspection fleet returned to Zhoushan and settled on Shengsi Island. At this point, the month-long naval battle ended, because it took place in the month of Guihai, also known as the Battle of Guihai.
This was the second large-scale naval battle between the Joint Conference and the pirates in the second year of Longqing. The losses were very serious. Five hundred main warships were sunk, and more than 20 ships were damaged, including patrol ships and wind speed ships.
There were dozens of ships. The inspection fleet, which had just resumed its naval combat capabilities, was hit hard again and could not go to war in the short term. The destruction of the Songjiangwei camp also caused the inspection fleet to lose an important replenishment base, which needed to be repaired as soon as possible.
Chen Shandao apologized to Zhao Ran with a look of shame on his face: "There is no need to hide it. This battle was indeed lost. It was me who failed to live up to Zhiran's expectations."
Zhao Ran hurriedly comforted: "Master Chen is serious. In my opinion, we gained a lot from this battle. Originally, we did not have the ability to fight at sea. In that battle in May, almost the entire army was wiped out. It can be said that it was defeated. This
This is a clear proof of our Ming Dynasty's strength at sea. But this time is different. Although the losses are not small, we held on. Master Chen, you led the fleet to attack, not only eliminated the intercepted pirates, but also captured their leader alive. When we encountered
You survived the sudden sneak attack by the pirates and brought the fleet back safely. This is a leap forward. I believe that as long as we slow down, every time we fight in the future, we will be three points stronger than before!
"
Chen Shandao sighed and said: "No matter what, I will go to the Zhenshi Hall to apologize."
Zhao Ran quickly stopped: "Master Chen, don't be joking. The Zhenshi Hall has authorized the joint meeting to handle maritime wars. In the joint meeting, everyone recommended me as the leader. Naturally, I went to the Zhenshi Hall to accept the question. Could it be that Master Chen is planning to rob me, a junior?
Duty? That disciple will never agree! Master, you should concentrate on being the commander-in-chief of your fleet, take good care of the aftermath, and wait for the next dispatch."
Chen Shandao smiled and said: "Okay, I will continue to go back to train troops, but it will be hard work to replenish the ships and rebuild the camp."
Zhao Ran waved his hand: "Don't worry, it's our duty to do so!"
With Chen Shandao, Lu Xixing, and Du Yangchen here, Zhao Ran no longer has to worry about the aftermath of the inspection fleet. Zhao Ran and everyone in the joint meeting returned to Yingtian. When they returned to Cockcrow View, they saw Suchuan Yao and Yang Fuwen holding large and small bags.
Box Box greeted him consciously: "Teacher, all the materials are ready. When will we go to Lushan?"
Zhao Ran scratched his head and sighed: "Let's draft a resignation letter first."