Chapter 466- Life of a Spotter
Translator: ryangohsf
Editor: Nora
On the vast ocean surface, waves rose up one after another, forming a beautiful ripple effect.
Two squadrons in around two hundred small-sized warships. They formed up into their battle formations, as they sailed forward. On the masts of each warship hung many flags, including a majestic golden dragon and a vast blue dragon.
The two dragons added to the radiance and beauty of one another.
Amongst the squadron, two huge five floor turreted ships were the most eye-catching.
These two ships were the flagship of each squadron. The flagship of the 1st division of the Beihai Bay Squadron was Flying Cloud, while the flagship of the 1st division of the Yashan Squadron was Gaihai.
Two ships, one on the left and one on the right. They were like two giants on the deep ocean, leading the other warships.
In their journey here, apart from a rare few pirates, they had faced no opponents. Even the large-scale pirate organizations nearby retreated upon seeing such a huge fleet.
On the first floor of the Flying Cloud, three generals stood and looked ahead. In the middle was the military advisor for this trip, War Division Secretary Zhao Kuo.
As the two squadrons were not under the same rule, Zhao Kuo was both the military advisor and the commander.
To his left was a younger general, the leader of the Divine Martial Guards, Yulin General Wang Feng. On the right, it was naturally the captain of the Beihai Bay Squadron 1st division, Pei Donglai.
Above Gaihai was the captain of the Yashan Sqaudron 1st division, Cai Mao and the deputy captain, Yanhuo Yaonie.
The leadership ability of Cai Mao was more than a level higher than Pei Donglai’s.
Pei Donglai's presence was partially due to his status as one of the ancestor of the Shanhai City Army. Moreover, they had set up the 1st division of the Beihai Bay Squadron first, so the soldiers had higher ranks and greater combat strength. Hence, for this battle, they were the main force.
This was also the reason why Zhao Kuo and Wang Feng stayed on board the Flying Cloud.
As for Wang Feng, his role was for the battle after they landed. Naval warfare was something the Divine Martial Guards would not join. Although, if nothing went wrong, the naval force would basically not fight any navy war.
The strong ocean winds blew their capes around, creating a distinct sound.
Pei Donglai held onto the map and pointed at the shoreline that they could vaguely see, "Commander, in about an hour, we will reach Jiaozhou Bay!"
Zhao Kuo nodded and asked, “Has the Cima Boat we sent out reported any news?"
"Yes. Jade Buddha County has built a port and a harbor there. They also have a bunch of sailors patrolling the sea region. However, they are small-sized warships and won't pose a problem."
"Order the troops to get ready to fight."
When Zhao Kuo heard this news, he knew that a fight was unavoidable.
"Yes!"
Pei Donglai waved his flag and sounded the war drums. The entire fleet increased their speed and charged ahead. As such a fleet definitely needed to land at a harbor, there was no need to act discreet.
Jiaozhou Bay.
Ten small-sized warships patrolled the bay, free and relaxed.
Jiaozhou Bay was considered an inland harbor, where pirates were not active. The entire Jade Buddha County Unit was more of a life saving unit, rather than a group that protected the safety of the fishers.
Zhao Wu was one of the spotters on board one of the navy unit ships. He was hanging on top of the mast, similarly doing nothing.
The ocean was mysterious; you would see different sights everyday.
However, looking at it day in day out, no matter, who it was, they would feel bored to death.
Zhao Wu was like that. He was just praying that he could quickly complete this patrolling mission and return to the city to find his girlfriend.
Sigh!
Zhao Wu sighed and looked out the ocean habitually to check for any unlucky fishers that needed their help.
In truth, Zhao Wu really hoped for something that they could do.
A spotter was a lonely person. Apart from the wind, they did not have any companions, not even someone to talk to.
After being a spotter for so long, Zhao Wu had even started to mutter to himself. Toward the air, toward the birds, and even toward the ocean, he would speak to all of them.
The words that he spoke were basically about things that had happened between him and his girlfriend. However, the surrounding birds had grown sick of him, and they did not want to visit his spotting platform.
Hearing too many mushy words, one would vomit out the food they had just eaten.
After squatting all day on the spotting platform, sores were about to form on his butt. The cold and salty ocean breeze caused his cheeks to hurt and cracks to form.
Everytime he went back to the city, his girlfriend would pity him and cry for him.
Women, they were all made out of water.
When they were gentle, they were feminine and tender like water. At such times, even their waists were like snakes, where each twist and turn would ignite a fire in one’s heart. A man would not mind dying on a woman’s voluptuous and white body.
However, this water was sometimes a massive problem.
Each time she cried, Zhao Wu would be in trouble.
Young women were like that. Most of them could not handle a little pain.
In truth, these cracks were nothing to him.
Zhao Wu, on the other hand, wished that he could have a real fight with pirates. He wanted to receive a few injures and obtain some battle scars. Only then would he be a true man. Who knows, he might obtain some rewards that would allow him to buy her some gifts.
Compared to now, with his pitiful salary, which clinged and clanged in his pocket. He had caused his girlfriend to suffer along with him.
Men had to have money.
If one did not have enough money, no matter how good or skilled they were, in life, they were bound to be the underling of someone else.
"This stupid job!"
Zhao Wu grumbled, as he scolded out toward the ocean, a mouthful of saliva splattering out. Just as he was about to turn around, something stunned him. He rubbed his eyes and looked out at the horizon once more.
This look scared the soul out of his body.
He saw warship after warship charge toward them like beasts on the surface of horizon. There were too many, so Zhao Wu could not count them all.
Warships filled his entire visual line.
Apart from the numbers, the key laid in the domineering appearance of the approaching warships. They were several floors high, even higher than the Jade Buddha County Lord’s Manor.
Zhao Wu swore that he had never seen such a tall warship in his life.
Was that still a ship? It was practically a castle on water.
In comparison, their warship was a shrimp.
All of a sudden, Zhao Wu was astonished beyond words, and his whole mind went completely blank.
"It's over. It's over; this time I am going to be buried in the ocean!"
Zhao Wu's face was ashen white; he was not as ambitious and as confident as moments ago. What military contribution, what reward, to hell with that! He was only praying that he could escape with his life.
Although life was tough, as long as you were alive, there was hope. The moment you died, nothing remained.
"Alarm, sound the alarm!"
Zhao Wu tried his best to calm himself down, thinking about his job and pulling the alarm on the spotter platform.
All of a sudden, the atmosphere of the entire bay grew exceedingly serious.
Of course, the sailors on deck did not mind him. They thought that Zhao Wu, that idiot, was trolling them again. Zhao Wu pulled these kinds of act often.
When patrolling became boring and mundane, such things were a source of pleasure and excitement.
Zhao Wu sounded the alarm, as he looked out once again. However, what he saw stunned him again; the enemy squadron was visible to the naked eye.
"Oh? No pirate flag?"
For Zhao Wu to become a spotter, his eyesight was naturally perfect. Although the approaching warship was far away, he could already clearly see the flag that flew on the enemy ship.
"Golden dragon? What kind of flag is that? Is that the legendary Quanzhou Imperial City Squadron?"
Zhao Wu was only an ordinary, low-class commoner. He only knew of the existence of the imperial city because of his occupation as a sailor.
If not, he would only be exposed to Jade Buddha County, this small piece of land. Apart from Quanzhou, Zhao Wu's brain could not think of any other place.
The ships were getting closer and closer!
Zhao Wu could even start to see the soldiers, who were all equipped with their armor.
Under the shine of the sun, the ice cold armor reflected a glaring light into their eyes.
They really were not pirates.
Zhao Wu was already certain that pirates would not have such a soldier formation. Those bunch of scums were all despicable humans, and they did not emit such an aura.
In his heart, a sense of eagerness built up.
"It's not an enemy, not an enemy!"
At the current moment, the deck was in chaos. Without the need for confirmations, the soldiers on board could clearly see the ships charging toward them.
Apart from praying, as a spotter, he could not do anything else.
This kind of feeling where you could only depend on the heavens truly did not feel good.
Unfortunately, his prayers were useless.
In an instant, an arrow rain broke out and turned the Jade Buddha County Navy Unit into a bunch of arrow porcupines.
Unfortunately, Zhao Wu was also hit, right in the heart.
"Wow, I'm really unlucky."
Zhao Wu could not hold on any longer; he fell down from the platform and onto the deck. With a loud smash, he instantly died.
At the last moment, the waist of his girlfriend came to his mind.
"I really want to touch that again!"
In the next moment, he completely fell into the darkness.
The massacre in Jiaozhou Bay started and ended fast.
In less than half an hour, the huge bay, apart from Shanhai City ships, lacked any other perfectly fine warship. Bodies littered with arrows, and broken ships floated on the surface.
Even the nearby fishermen who could not move away in time were stuck too.
"Get to shore and disembark!"
On the Flying Cloud, expressionlessly Zhao Kuo watched the scene unfold in front of him. Such a victory did not mean anything; the real war had not even begun.
"Yes!"
The two large squadrons orderly docked. The first to disembark was naturally the Divine Martial Guards.
The real war had started!