"An encirclement?"
Even Nan Jiyun, who was busy shooting enemies, changed his expression and suddenly understood.
Naval warfare was different from land warfare. Considering the influence of wind and currents, and the absence of obstructions like trees and mountains to block sight on the sea, forming an encirclement required a longer preparation time!
They had not discovered the surrounding sea bandits before, which meant the enemy had prepared for a long time to ambush their fleet. They might have even known in advance that the fleet from Da Gan would come this way!
"It must be that dog traitor Du Gu who betrayed my army. Once I defeat the bandits and return, I will kill this man! Follow me to rescue people and break through the encirclement. Let's save as many as we can!"
The fleet was approaching the large foreign merchant ship. Nan Jiyun knew that he could not fall into chaos at this moment. He commanded with composure, his bow and arrows kept moving, and his spear was always ready for battle.
The sea bandits in the East Sea were rampant, almost cutting off trade between Da Gan and foreign merchant ships. If this continued, overseas countries that had not received news from domestic merchant ships for a long time would also shy away from Da Gan, dealing a severe blow to Da Gan's economy and prestige!
This foreign merchant ship was clearly fleeing with the large fleet. If they could not rescue it, their efforts would be in vain.
But at this moment, the sailors on this foreign merchant ship were almost all dead or injured. Small sea bandits had already boarded the ship and were engaging in close combat with the surviving sailors.
Upon closer inspection, Nan Jiyun's heart sank: the sailors on this ship were no longer the golden-haired, blue-eyed foreigners of legend. Like the people of Da Gan, they had black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin, but their features were very different. And the ship was definitely not a standard Da Gan vessel!
Despite his doubts, Nan Jiyun continued to shoot arrows, specifically targeting the sea bandits who posed the greatest threat to the sailors on the ship.
Fortunately, before the expedition, Nan Jiyun had asked Du Gu Ling to equip the fleet with a large number of powerful bows and crossbows. Du Gu Ling, eager to send him to his death, agreed without hesitation.
The soldiers on the three warships of Da Gan all drew their bows and arrows, shooting at the enemy soldiers on nearby approaching ships, forcing the enemy ships to dare not get any closer for a time.
The other three enemy ships were far inferior in size to the warships of Da Gan. After Nan Jiyun shot down several captains, their formations were in disarray, and they also retreated!
But soon, Da Gan's arrows were about to run out, and the intensity of their archery slowed down. The enemy ships in the distance would inevitably approach again!
A captain shouted, "Captain Nan! It seems everyone on this ship is dead. Let's break through first!"
Nan Jiyun glanced at the ship, sighed deeply, and was about to give the order when a baby's cry came from the foreign merchant ship!
"There are still survivors!"
In an instant, the soldiers of Da Gan steadied their nerves. The captain who had suggested retreating was the first to board the ship, searching for the infant.
Whether out of conscience or eagerness to earn merit, they all hoped to rescue some survivors!
Da Gan's ability to deter sea bandits relied on its strong national power, which could provide soldiers with a large number of powerful bows and crossbows. Before the engagement, the sea bandits had to endure a volley of crossbow bolts.
Now, Da Gan soldiers' arrows were almost exhausted. The remaining arrows should have been used to cover their escape and deter pursuers.
The people on the ship were all loyal individuals who had offended Du Gu Ling for advocating the eradication of sea bandits. At this moment, they tacitly chose to save people and said nothing more.
At the same time, more than thirty pirate ships were rushing from all directions and approaching successively!
The pirate ships were less than a third the size of Da Gan's warships, each carrying only about a hundred people. However, with more than thirty ships merging, their combined strength was at least three times that of the Da Gan fleet!
Nan Jiyun calmly analyzed the battle situation and commanded with composure.
The captain who boarded the ship finally emerged from the captain's cabin, bringing out an old woman holding a baby and shouting towards Nan Jiyun.
"Captain Nan! Only one old person and one young one are left!"
This black-robed old woman actually looked like a person from Da Gan, unlike the deceased foreign sailors. She held the baby tightly, her eyes red from crying, trembling all over, clearly still in shock. She followed the captain blankly.
Nan Jiyun immediately ordered someone to protect the old woman onto their warship and into the cabin, preparing to lead the breakthrough.
The surrounding enemy ships, sensing the weakening of Da Gan's arrow attack, finally swarmed forward!
A close-quarters battle was imminent!
Nan Jiyun threw his powerful bow behind him, roared, and thrust his spear into the heart of an approaching enemy sailor. The sailor was lifted high, arced through the air, and flew into the water.
The soldiers of Da Gan, relying on their front-line spearmen, delivered the first fierce blow to the approaching enemies.
Even the oarsmen, knowing that escape was difficult, picked up weapons at their feet to meet the enemy, striving to repel the first wave of attacks from the enemy ships before retreating.
As the two sides were fiercely fighting, shouts and killing sounds came from afar. Everyone looked in that direction and saw another fleet of sea bandits approaching from the northeast!
Nan Jiyun and the others' hearts sank. This was a disaster!
At sea, facing an enemy three times their strength, they still had confidence in breaking through. But against an enemy six or even ten times their strength, without arrows, it would be difficult to escape alive!
The surrounding enemy ships had completely surrounded the three Da Gan warships, intending to attack from all directions simultaneously and make the Da Gan soldiers too exhausted to cope.
Nan Jiyun's spear danced like pear blossoms, but without horses at sea, its use was limited. He could only constantly clear enemies in front of him and provide support everywhere.
As the fleet from the northeast gradually approached, the situation for the people of Da Gan became increasingly desperate.
Nan Jiyun made a decisive move and roared at the captain who had rescued the baby, "Captain Chen, you lead your men to protect the old and young, and we will cover your fleet's breakthrough!"
Everyone knew that they could not retreat unscathed, and they all urged Captain Chen's warship to retreat.
Captain Chen looked at the old and young crying in the cabin, sighed, and immediately led his team to break through.
Nan Jiyun and the warship of another captain protected Captain Chen's warship on both sides, beginning to cover his breakthrough.
The enemy fleet from the northeast gradually approached, and the enemy's offensive became more ferocious. Finally, dozens of Da Gan soldiers were shot and fell!
Just then, bugle calls came from the northwest, making everyone feel even more desperate!
Were enemies approaching from there too? Then even covering the breakthrough would be a fool's dream!
"It's a warship from the East Sea Navy Camp!"
Sharp-eyed soldiers spotted the Da Gan military flag from afar, and their cries of joy burst forth, boosting their morale!
It was Liang Xiao's fleet advancing at full speed. After searching for a day and a night, they had finally found this place!
Nan Jiyun, who was rushing around providing support, wondered, "Has Du Gu Ling changed his ways? Is he just using us as bait?"
As nearly a hundred Da Gan warships approached, the pirate fleet was terrified and had to abandon the pursuit of Nan Jiyun, preparing to flee.
"Chase! Do not let the sea bandits escape!"
Li Mou, at the front of the ship, shouted, and the fleet pursued relentlessly, relying on their speed advantage to catch and annihilate the sea bandits!
Under Liang Xiao's bounty order, these sea bandits were like walking money to the soldiers!
Liang Xiao, stationed in the central army, saw the surviving Da Gan soldiers on the three ships and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He personally commanded the three warships to rendezvous with their allies.
Nan Jiyun suppressed his excitement and asked loudly, "Is the general leading the troops Du Gu?"
In Nan Jiyun's opinion, Du Gu Ling was willing to come to his rescue, which showed a sliver of conscience!