As night falls, the waves gradually drop to about 1.2 meters, and the northerly wind gradually becomes the mainstream on the sea.

In the cabin, Zhu Daolin held a compass in the candlelight, repeatedly confirmed the navigation chart, and once again issued the order of "turn right 15 degrees", patted Guo Zhongjun, the chief of the personal guard who was full of guilt, and comforted him that under such weather and sea conditions, even if he brought a sextant, it was useless, and then took out a piece of pressed spiced rice cake specially produced for naval officers and soldiers from the iron jar and bit it in his mouth, and once again boarded the deck to direct the navigation, and soon saw the uninhabited island that was black and protruding from the water 4 kilometers away from the right front.

After repeated observations, Zhu Daolin happily told the captain Chen Xuan and others: "Although I can't see clearly, I believe that the right front is Zhushan Island, and the small island in front of Zhushan Island that only sees a shadow in a daze should be Xiaozhushan Island, and about 25 kilometers ahead is Changshan Island north of Dengzhou." When they docked at Changshan Island, they had a good night's rest, and then informed the 'Tsubaki' behind them to hang up their high and low navigation lights, so that the brothers could cheer up. ”

"Understood!"

Chen Xuan, who finally knew where he was, excitedly went back to issue orders.

However, Zhu Daolin and his subordinates were still too happy.

As soon as the two warships with navigation lights sailed past Xiaozhushan Island for about 3 kilometers, another storm caused by the collision of hot and cold air currents suddenly came, and the surging waves continued to hit in the howling wind, and the two 300-ton warships were like two flying dead leaves, constantly tilting and circling helplessly in the surging waves.

Seeing the two warships fall sail one after another, Zhu Daolin, who had a bad premonition, once again loudly gave the order to enter the warehouse to evade, took the strong Guo Zhongjun and the three iron guards to act separately, stumbled on the deck, grabbed the frightened and crying soldiers from under the gun mount, the bottom of the mast and the corner of the ship's side, and sent them all into the hatch that was repeatedly beaten by the waves in the violent turbulence that could capsize at any time. Then he moved step by step to the stern cockhouse, and struggled to support it with the chief engineer and captain Chen Xuan.

Guo Zhongjun, who was extremely bold, climbed the main mast that swayed sharply, fixed himself to the mast with a rope, and with great difficulty took off the navigation lights fixed on the top of the mast and kept shaking, and the "Tsubaki" kept shaking farther and farther away.

More than two hours passed, and the raging storm finally stopped. The boiling sea gradually calmed down.

Just when Zhu Daolin, Chen Xuan and others were worried about the lost "Chunshu", Guo Zhongjun's loud shout on the mast suddenly came: "There is light due south, the distance is about 3 kilometers, it may be an island with people!" ”

Zhu Daolin and Chen Xuan quickly ran to the port side to look, and sure enough, they found a few points of light ahead, Chen Xuan picked up the telescope hanging on his chest, observed for a moment and said excitedly: "It's a bonfire, but it just rained heavily, who lit a bonfire on it?" ”

"That's right! It's a bonfire. I don't know who is up there, no matter what! Go around to the outside of the campfire, drop anchor a little farther away, and survive the night. ”

Zhu Daolin decisively ordered, Chen Xuan went to do it immediately, and twenty minutes later, the battleship came to a sheltered place more than 100 meters from the shore to anchor, and everyone on board let out a big breath. Begin to pack up the wet quilts and luggage around you.

The two thrilling winds and waves exhausted the physical strength and energy, and the tense nerves could finally relax. Even Zhao Huaizhong sighed that he finally walked out of the ghost gate.

When the sky was dark, Zhu Daolin and four guards boarded the wet deck to take over, and began to carefully observe the southerly direction of the bonfire that had been lit last night through the hazy morning mist.

Suddenly, Guo Zhongjun grabbed the worried Zhu Daolin, pointed to the northeast and shouted: "Senior brother, look." The Tsubaki is here! ”

Zhu Daolin hurriedly looked over, rushed to the front deck with great joy, and was just about to wave his hand and shout, when two cannon shots suddenly rang out, which shocked Zhu Daolin. Looking back at the two waves stirred up more than ten meters on the outside of the ship, and then looking at the thick gunpowder smoke rising from the high platform more than 100 meters deep on the shore, he shouted loudly in fright: "Quickly lift the anchor and get out of here!" Hurry—"

The rumbling cannon rang out again.

Five solid shells fell on the water around the warship, stirring up a column of water several feet high.

One of the shells whizzed through the middle of the main and auxiliary masts, frightening the officers and men of the "Cypress" into a mess, and the captain Chen Xuan and two hundred households hurriedly shouted and shouted, Kankan put away the iron anchor, hung up the sails, and drove the ship away from the shore and fled to the deep sea in a panic.

The "Tsubaki," which was coming from the rear, bravely approached quickly in the face of the shells flying from the shore, and the brave and fearless captain Lu Tao personally operated the guns when most of the gunpowder could not be used, and the two 12-pounder guns on the port side finally "boomed" twice and fired two solid shells weighing 6 kilograms.

Although it was not known where the shells flew, this move greatly boosted morale, and the officers and men on the "Cypress" quickly calmed down, readjusted their course under Zhu Daolin's voiced order, drew a 180-degree semicircle, turned around, and sailed again to the waters they had just fled to launch a counterattack.

As the gunpowder he was carrying was unusable due to dampness, Zhu Daolin, who was embarrassed, ordered all the flintlock musketeers to board the deck to line up to charge the powder.

However, the 32 flintlock musketeers, who were not well trained, panicked, some forgot to bite through the fixed paper bullets and charge them into the medicine pool, and some could not insert the barrel with a hand-held stick, and it took more than three minutes to complete the charge.

But without waiting for Zhu Daolin's order, the soldiers who had completed the charge aimed at the four rebel fast sail oars warships that sailed out of Shuicheng and pulled the trigger "crackling", not only did not hit the enemy warships 200 meters away, but instead provoked the enemy's fast galleys to speed up and chase after them.

Zhu Daolin's face turned blue with anger, he looked at the 32 flintlock musketeers who were panicked and chaotic, gritted his teeth and loudly gave the order to turn and disengage, and then sent a signal to the "Tsubaki" that was turning around in front of him to "leave the battlefield and accelerate forward".

The rebels' four sail boats chased after the "Tsubaki" at high speed, and it was less than 50 meters away from the "Tsubaki," and more than a dozen rebels wearing red uniforms and black armor raised their crossbows and fired at the officers and men on the "Tsubaki."

Two hapless flintlock musketeers fell to the ground with arrows, and the wails of pain frightened the other officers and men to their stomachs on the deck.

The rebels' first clipper boat chased closer and closer, and the continuous crossbow arrows continued to nail to the mast and the ship's side, Guo Zhongjun, who was so angry that he screamed, picked up the flintlock pistol thrown on the deck, grabbed the deerskin bag on the waist of the spearman, and quickly charged.

Zhu Daolin didn't care about scolding anyone, quickly bent down and turned around and rushed to the back deck, turned the side of the ship, leaned down, called up two revolvers and a box of ammunition that had never been used in the King Kong circle, half-knelt on the deck and quickly reloaded, and then stood up with two guns in his hand, aimed at the rebels who were about to fire another volley within 30 meters and pulled the trigger.

The "crackling" gunfire suddenly rang out, and more than a dozen rebels on the clipper ship fell, two of the rebels who were shot in the head did not have time to scream and load into the sea, and more than 20 oarsmen screamed in surprise and became a mess.

Guo Zhongjun and the four of them arrived quickly, picked up the flintlock pistol and fired a volley, knocking the two rebels into the sea again, and the three clippers followed by were so frightened that they hurriedly turned around and gave up the pursuit. (To be continued.) )