A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace

Chapter 729: Chapter 729: Start Fighting 2

Fortunately, it wasn’t really a head-on confrontation.

On the ships of the Great Chu Dynasty’s navy, half the men weren’t even sailors but archers from the Divine Engine Camp.

Having sortied for battle, how could they not return with a few heads?!

Whether many or few, returning empty-handed was always an ill omen, wasn’t it?

And archers were the only ones who could take heads without direct contact or hand-to-hand combat.

So, the sailors were primarily there to row the boats.

The real combatants were the archers.

General Liang stood on the deck of the foremost warship.

He almost had to crane his neck to watch the enemy ships drawing ever closer.

Why look up? Because the enemy’s warships were simply colossal.

He had never before seen warships so massive, imposing, and sturdy.

Not only were the ordinary soldiers stunned, but even he himself was flabbergasted.

A general beside him asked, lips trembling, ”General, we... we...” He could barely get the words out.

It wasn’t cowardice; they had genuinely never encountered such a behemoth.

They had brought archers, but now, even at close range, they couldn’t possibly shoot effectively!

The enemy was on a completely different plane—so high up and still so far away. They would have to shoot almost straight up into the sky!

But how could they hit anything like that?

Normally, everyone just shot straight ahead!

Even when aiming for birds, arrows flew directly skyward.

This was nothing like that.

The arrows would need to trace an arc through the air and then descend upon their targets.

In short: whose arrows could turn corners?!

”What do we do?”

General Liang was also beginning to lose his composure, but he was, after all, the general in command.

He had led troops in battle for many years and had seen all sorts of situations.

He immediately called for his own great bow, intending to shoot himself.

He also ordered his commands to be passed down.

”No one is to panic! Shoot as soon as they are within range! Whether you hit or miss, just shoot!”

”We aren’t here to fight a battle. Remember our mission!”

Their mission wasn’t to collect heads but to lure the enemy into the ring of fire.

After the order was passed down and the warships drew closer, their side began the arrow assault.

Though they couldn’t hit their mark, the sheer volume of arrows raining down still managed to badly frighten the southern bandits.

These pirates were unaccustomed to archery; indeed, the entire Southern Ocean Kingdom hardly used bows and arrows!

Archers were looked down upon; only skill with cold steel was deemed truly heroic.

Therefore, faced with the enemy’s arrow volleys, they had no effective defense.

They could only cower in the ship cabins, not daring to show their faces.

Seeing this, someone in the Great Chu navy let out a loud laugh and began to jeer.

It was General Liang who roared at them to stop.

”No laughing! All of you, be serious! This is war!”

”Underestimating the enemy is shameful!”

With those words, no one in the army dared to laugh anymore.

They all refocused on loosing their arrows.

The eldest son of Arubasi, the newly instated monarch of the Southern Ocean Kingdom, was named Min Zhuo.

This man was a hulking, brawny fellow with a simple mind and powerful limbs—far more courageous than he was strategic!

So much so that when Zhao Junyao heard the enemy forces were led by him, he grew even more eager to test his mettle on the front lines!

After all, battles with such a high chance of victory were rare indeed!

Min Zhuo could not stomach humiliation.

Seeing his men—mere weaklings in his eyes—forced into hiding by such despicable enemy tricks was a tremendous disgrace for him.

Indeed, in his eyes, bows and arrows were underhanded tactics.

Min Zhuo was furious.

”You cowards! They’re just arrows! Wooden planks can block them!”

”These weaklings, we’d normally handle them in half a Shi Chen! Bloody hell!”

”Come on! Grab some spare cabin planks, ten men to a plank! Get out there and fight for me!”

The soldiers inside the cabin exchanged glances, some clearly doubtful. However, when Prince Min Zhuo was the first to lead his men in a charge, they cast aside their fear and immediately followed suit.

By this time, the outer hull of their enormous warship was already riddled like a hornet’s nest by the enemy archers.

Though the holes weren’t large, the sheer density of them was quite unsettling.

The sight made Min Zhuo erupt in fury. ”Damn it all! Just you wait!” he bellowed.

”Men, advance!”

”Full speed ahead! I’m going to personally slaughter these chickens!”

”Yes, sir!” His soldiers responded with full force.

General Liang watched as the enemy ship surged towards them, closing the distance rapidly.

He could vaguely make out a tall, muscular man standing on its deck.

There were supposed to be wooden planks for cover, but with Min Zhuo’s physique, any such protection was rendered utterly useless!

Thus, General Liang was almost certain.

This man was undoubtedly Min Zhuo.

He squinted, judging the angle, nocked an arrow, and shot towards Min Zhuo.

Unfortunately, the strong sea wind blew the arrow off course.

His second arrow also veered slightly off course, another miss.

General Liang, casting aside any concern for his own pride, quickly rallied everyone.

”That big fellow standing at the very front is almost certainly the enemy commander this time!”

”Whoever can hit him will not only receive a rich reward from the Imperial Court, but I will also personally grant a hefty reward!”

To capture the bandits, first capture the king. If they could take the enemy commander’s head in this initial engagement, the demoralizing effect would be immense.

As a result, all the soldiers on the ten warships began firing at the large figure.

Unfortunately...

Some arrows flew wild into the sky, others fell short, striking the ship’s hull, and some didn’t even reach the enemy vessel, plunging straight into the water the moment they left the bow.

General Liang felt a pang of disappointment and shook his head repeatedly. But then he considered his own performance—he hadn’t managed a hit either. It seemed rather unfair to demand such accuracy from others under these conditions. So, he took a deep breath and waved his hand.

”Keep firing! Hit or miss, just keep shooting! We need a constant barrage!”

His soldiers, their spirits lifted by his encouragement, stopped worrying about their aim.

Together with their general, they unleashed volley after volley at the approaching ship.

Seeing more and more holes pockmark the enemy vessel’s hull, General Liang’s heart ached. Alas! Such a fine ship! It would be a terrible shame to damage it beyond repair! I was hoping to capture it as a prize of war, retrofit it, and use it myself! Sigh! But what choice did he have?!

The two sides continued in this manner: one firing arrows, the other desperately trying to close the distance for hand-to-hand combat.

The Great Chu Dynasty’s forces kept firing arrows, while Min Zhuo, thoroughly enraged, pressed on at full speed.

Finally, it looked as though the Southern Ocean Kingdom’s warship was about to completely overwhelm those of the Great Chu Dynasty.

General Liang saw that the moment had arrived and quickly gave the order.

”Go! Retreat, quickly!”

The smaller ships were more agile than the larger one; at his command, most had already begun to turn.

General Liang looked up at the towering and arrogant Min Zhuo. He felt somewhat helpless, but was immensely relieved they didn’t have to engage him directly.

The navy of the Great Chu Dynasty fired arrows continuously as they retreated. General Liang was frustrated, having failed to eliminate Min Zhuo. It’s my own incompetence. How can I blame others!? I... I couldn’t hit him either!

As he was wrestling with these thoughts, he suddenly noticed a figure not far away, someone he didn’t quite recognize, drawing a bow and preparing to shoot. General Xiao Ye?