Chapter 1081: Cautious Opponent

"There are 21 large ships, five of which we borrowed from the Yangshan Archipelago, as you know," Lu Feiyan said, seeing no need to conceal anything now. "Additionally, we have 67 medium and small ships."

He Lingchuan quickly calculated: each large cargo ship from Blade Harbor could carry at least 300 to 400 people. Small and medium ships, with capacities ranging from 15 to 65, averaged about 40 people. Fully loaded with Bailong people, they could transport approximately 10,000 individuals per trip.

It would take four or five round trips to evacuate all 40,000 people from Storm Bay. During this time, Lu Qingbang and Wanqitong would also have to brave the Ya Kingdom's attacks to get people onto the ships.

This was the most optimistic scenario. In reality, before the Bailong people even reached the coast, the Ya Kingdom's forces arrived, burning and killing, scaring away all the remaining ships.

Even if Lu Qingbang and the Bailong people had managed to adapt, moving their large group to Luting Beach, and even if Lu Qingbang had re-established contact with the ships at sea, very few vessels were willing or brave enough to stop at Luting Beach to pick up passengers!

Half of these ships were leased by Bailie from Blade Harbor and the Merchant Guild. Their owners and crews typically engaged in trading and occasionally some illicit activities, but facing the full wrath of the Ya Kingdom's regular army? "Sorry, we can't do that!"

They were there to make money, not to die.

As a result, after a full day and night, Lu Qingbang and Wanqitong had only managed to transport just over 2,000 women and children!

This progress was far slower than anticipated, while the number of casualties from desperately defending Luting Beach rose sharply due to the ferocity of the fighting.

He Lingchuan also placed his Eyeball Spider on the back of an avian demon to personally observe the battle on the coast.

It must be said that the Bailong tribe, even in such a desperate situation, continued to fight without collapsing or surrendering.

In contrast, Bailie's soldiers showed less resolve; some even tried to sneak away and were personally cut down by Lu Qingbang.

Of course, Lu Feiyan also sent an urgent message to her brother, written entirely in code that only they, as siblings, could understand.

The message was short—just one sentence—but it was incredibly encouraging:

"I've asked Island Master He for reinforcements. Brother, hold on for one more day, and we'll be there!"

After reading it, Lu Qingbang immediately turned to Wanqitong and said, "My sister's reinforcements from Blade Harbor will arrive in a few hours!"

This news quickly spread through the troops, greatly boosting everyone's morale.

It was a glimmer of hope in their desperate situation!

This shot of adrenaline renewed their tired bodies with fresh strength.

The two leaders also timely adjusted their strategy, shifting to a full defensive posture to minimize casualties and allow soldiers to rest in shifts.

They endured two grueling hours like this, with the sea remaining silent, only the fog growing heavier. The Bailong people, straining their eyes, demanded of Lu Qingbang, "How much longer will this take?"

Time and again, Lu Qingbang told them, "Soon, soon, just hold on a little longer! Sailing at sea, it's impossible to be perfectly on time."

With so many unpredictable factors at sea, the Bailong people had no counter-argument.

And so, miraculously, they held on for nearly ten hours.

Lu Qingbang was certainly not playing a malicious trick on them. If he had told the Bailong people from the start that reinforcements would only arrive in ten hours, they surely wouldn't have been able to endure.

This was the power of will.

But after holding out for ten hours, both Bailie's elite soldiers and the Bailong people were utterly exhausted, and even Lu Qingbang himself began to waver.

Was Island Master He truly reliable? Was he still coming?

Yet, he had to appear doubly firm to his increasingly desperate subordinates and the agitated Bailong people.

As the saying goes, he was being stubborn to the last.

Lu Qingbang knew very well that if he showed any sign of wavering, this allied force would immediately collapse!

While waiting for reinforcements, He Lingchuan used his Eyeball Spider again to observe the approaching enemy, his expression growing more solemn.

Wulu's army was well-trained, attacking Luting Beach with apparent ease. They didn't seem eager to quickly overrun the Bailie and Bailong tribes, opting instead for a strategy of continuous harassment by rotating their units.

He Lingchuan realized that Wulu was very confident in ultimate victory and therefore didn't want to engage in a costly battle of attrition against desperate opponents. Instead, he preferred a slow, grinding approach to gradually wear down the strength of the two opposing armies.

Lu Feiyan was right; this man's fighting style was cautious, aiming to achieve ultimate victory with the minimal possible cost.

If Wanqifeng had been in Wulu's position, the battle would likely have been over half a day ago, though at several times the cost.

He Lingchuan disliked this kind of calm and composed opponent, one who, like himself, preferred ambush tactics.

However, Wulu's strategy had one significant drawback:

The longer the battle dragged on, the more unexpected events could occur.

He had confidence in his blockade of Lu Qingbang and the Bailong people, believing there would be no errors, and that he could wear them down until they were exhausted, securing an easy victory.

And that gave He Lingchuan an opportunity.

As he pondered, several arrows suddenly shot up from the Ya soldiers' camp below, all accurately aimed at the avian demon.

The avian demon shrieked in fright, soaring higher and flying away, no longer daring to approach.

But in those few brief circles, He Lingchuan had already roughly discerned the enemy's deployment and troop distribution.

Furthermore, the enemy force numbered approximately six to seven thousand.

This number was sufficient for a siege, yet Wulu was only using it to pursue a defeated enemy.

No wonder he employed his attrition tactics with such composure.

He Lingchuan sighed inwardly.

This was truly a tough nut to crack. And don't forget, the Ya Kingdom's army also had the aid of primal energy.

Given that they were led by a fierce general and comprised elite soldiers, Wulu's army's primal energy must undoubtedly be formidable!

This meant that, assuming equal numbers, his side would naturally be at a disadvantage when engaging Wulu's army.

How could this problem be solved or offset?

As he pondered, a figure suddenly magnified rapidly in the Eyeball Spider's field of vision!

Its dynamic vision was already excellent, but it only had time to glimpse a pair of huge, finely scaled sharp claws before the avian demon carrying the Eyeball Spider let out a piercing shriek!

A golden eagle—a very large one, surprisingly.

It tore the avian demon to shreds in mid-air, sending blood-stained feathers scattering everywhere.

Fortunately, the Eyeball Spider was too small and bounced away the instant it was attacked. The golden eagle was focused on the avian demon and had no time to bother with it.

Finally, the Eyeball Spider landed on a large tree on the coastline. It raised its hairy pedipalps to rub its eyes, calming itself down, then quickly scurried under the leaves.

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan also felt a jolt and rubbed his eyes.

From that perspective, it felt as if the golden eagle's claws were about to pierce his own eyelids.

"The enemy also has an avian demon—a golden eagle," he remarked. "Nowadays, it seems almost unthinkable for an army not to have one or two avian demons as aerial scouts. Fortunately, our fleet is far from the coastline, so it won't discover us for now."

Qiu Hu stated solemnly, "This is not good. Eagles have exceptionally keen eyesight, and some raptors can even see through illusions or fog. Our ships might be discovered before we even reach the shore."

He Lingchuan's gaze shifted slightly. "Then we'll have to find a way to shoot it down first."

With avian demons for reconnaissance and sentry duty, Wulu's forces certainly had a complete range of troop types.

Great, the difficulty of a successful operation just went up another notch.

He Lingchuan pondered for a long time before turning to Wanqifeng. "Wulu isn't very skilled in naval warfare, is he?"

"That's right. Most of the Ya Kingdom's territory isn't coastal, and Wulu comes from the Qihe tribe; like us, they are warriors from the interior."

He Lingchuan mused, "The large ships he captured from Bailie are moored in Storm Bay, rising and falling with the waves. Although he has men guarding them, he doesn't know how to furl the sails. Haha, the wind direction is going to change soon."

If the sails were furled, the ships wouldn't be so easy to steal.

Clearly, Wulu was not a seafaring person and didn't understand naval practices.

He Lingchuan's eyes glinted. "Wulu and his men don't understand ships or navigation. This is something we can exploit."

*But these Ya Kingdom people don't need to get on ships, so what does it matter if they understand them?* Lu Feiyan muttered to herself, though she showed no reaction on her face.

After three days on the ship, she had come to believe that Island Master He was very resourceful and always managed to get things done quietly.

He Lingchuan then asked Wanqifeng, "What about you? You've been training in naval combat for half a year. How are your swimming skills now?"

"Not as good as Old Min and Old Huang, but I can certainly handle pirate-like activities!" Wanqifeng immediately replied. "It's not just me; I have dozens of men here who are proficient in water!"

"Good. I have a task for you."

Soon after, Grandma Zhu, Dong Rui, and two thousand guards arrived, joining He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan immediately dispatched Wanqifeng and the other Bailong people, then began calculating the timing.

Huang Zhao looked up at the sky and exclaimed, "What wonderful weather tonight!"

Heavy clouds blanketed the sky, and a thick fog had risen over the sea, reducing visibility to less than fifty *zhang*.

Years ago, when He Lingchuan attacked the three pirate strongholds on Centipede Island, he had also achieved success in one strike by taking advantage of similar favorable weather.

"We waited ten hours, just for the thick fog to set the stage," He Lingchuan said. He was no longer the greenhorn who had just arrived at the Yangshan Archipelago; now, he was more seasoned than anyone at observing maritime weather.

Tonight's operation relied on secrecy, and with the fog's assistance, he felt like a tiger with wings.

Another avian demon flew in, bringing bad news from Luting Beach:

"Bad news, very bad news! Wanqitong is severely wounded!"

Everyone was startled. "What happened?"

"He led his men to seize the ships in Storm Bay, but he was struck by several arrows, one of them piercing his chest. His subordinates managed to retrieve him, but his life is hanging by a thread!"

Dong Rui couldn't help but ask, "Couldn't Wanqitong see that it was such an obvious trap?"

Lu Feiyan shook her head. "Even if he knew it was a trap, he had no choice but to try and seize them. They desperately needed large ships."

As someone who led troops in battle, she knew well that sometimes one had to act, even against better judgment.

Even knowing it was a trap, he had to bite the bullet and go for it.

Although she had sent a message to her brother, Wanqitong couldn't stake all his hopes on this elusive "Island Master He." Securing just two more large ships meant thousands more of his tribesmen could escape.

Wulu's tactic was an open scheme: he captured over a dozen of the Lu family's large ships but neither burned nor sailed them away, simply leaving them moored in Storm Bay. Lu Qingbang and the Bailong people, looking down from their vantage point, were sure to see these ships floating peacefully on the water.

They had indeed seen them, and their eyes burned with envy; if those ships had been put into service for evacuation, they would have already transported over ten thousand people.

Wanqitong organized two attacks to seize the ships, but both attempts unfortunately failed.