The sea slowly receded, its waves pulling the tide further and further away, leaving two dilapidated ships stranded askew among the reefs.
Fu Xin Ci’s keen senses caught it all, a voice choked with exasperation.
Fu Xin Ci could somewhat guess their previous intentions. They had steered their ships here to wait for the tide to go out, planning to go ashore during the low tide to loot and pillage, then return once the tide came in.
Heh, a nice plan, but no one expected the calm harbor to hide a reef area beneath.
Haha, it seems even heaven is helping us eliminate these devils.
Fu Xin Ci’s eyes widened, emitting a faint, cold glow. Her calm demeanor was that of a master hunter, aiming at prey she had tracked for a long time.
Grandpa Meng’s expression was even more exaggerated than his granddaughter’s. Holding a telescope, the passion in his eyes seemed ready to set the Wokou raging on the deck ablaze.
He muttered softly, "Ci'er, why haven't those Wokou come over yet?"
Fu Xin Ci couldn't understand the Wokou's language either, so she guessed, "Perhaps they didn't expect both ships to be damaged and are worried about how to get back."
Whether her guess was right or wrong, Fu Xin Ci continued down her own train of thought, "Grandfather, these Wokou only have one path left now. Whether they like it or not, they'll have to come ashore soon."
"That's good! We'll have a grand slaughter," Grandpa Meng said, then looked back at the pine forest behind them with some concern. "Why haven't your Uncle Qi arrived yet?"
"Uncle Qi will be here soon," Fu Xin Ci said, faintly hearing the sound of horses' hooves.
"That's good. Many years ago, these Wokou were causing trouble on the territory of our Great Ming. I heard they often raided the south."
"Mm." Fu Xin Ci glanced at her indignant grandfather, worried that she wouldn't be able to ensure his safety during the fight.
After much deliberation, she took a handgun from her spatial dimension and placed it in her grandfather's hand.
Grandpa Meng, being well-traveled and knowledgeable, immediately recognized the item his granddaughter placed in his hand as something good. "Ci'er, this is a firearm."
"Yes, Grandfather, you recognize it?" Fu Xin Ci increasingly felt that her grandfather was hiding something.
"How could I have truly seen one? I merely saw illustrations and descriptions of firearms in a miscellaneous book. However, the firearms depicted in that book were crude, nowhere as refined as this one."
Fu Xin Ci didn't dare to say that after traversing millennia of time and space, firearms had developed to a point he could never imagine.
But with the Wokou so close, she couldn't discuss the history of firearms development with her grandfather. Instead, she taught him how to use the handgun.
Grandpa Meng, as a learned scholar, was indeed intelligent. After his granddaughter explained it only twice, he had fully memorized the method of using the handgun.
Fu Xin Ci, fearing her grandfather might miss his first shot, helped him attach a scope and gave him two extra magazines.
Instantly, Grandpa Meng beamed with the most benevolent smile, his face crinkling with joy without him even realizing it.
The old man no longer worried about whether Uncle Qi Xian was running slowly.
With the equipment his granddaughter gave him, he boasted, he could take down eight or ten of them without a problem.
Grandpa Meng looked at the weapon in his hand. He was now fully prepared, just waiting for the Wokou to get closer.
His granddaughter had said that their killing power would be even stronger once the Wokou closed in.
Just as Grandpa Meng was repeatedly contemplating strategy, Qi Yuanshan arrived in a hurry with all the soldiers he could mobilize from the Thousand-Household Office.
Fortunately, to avoid alarming the enemy, Qi Yuanshan had everyone dismount after entering the pine forest.
The father and son fully utilized their long legs, leading the way.
Especially Qi He, who left everyone far behind.
Hearing the sound of running, the grandfather and grandson turned to see Qi He as the first to arrive. Grandpa Meng’s old face showed a contented kindness. He couldn't help but lower his voice and softly remind Qi He, "Little He, slow down. And tell your father and the others not to make too much noise, or you'll scare those Wokou away."
"Mm." The moment Qi He saw Grandpa Meng and sister Fu safe, his footsteps slowed. At the same time, he didn't forget to turn back and signal his brothers behind him to be quiet.
When he slowed down and reached sister Fu’s side, catching her familiar fragrance, the anxiety in his heart finally began to subside.
Qi Yuanshan arrived with the main force. With his son signaling ahead, he had Old Jin and the soldiers stop about seven or eight zhang away from the edge of the pine forest. He himself planned to go over to Uncle Meng and the others to assess the situation before making a decision.
At this crucial moment, Grandpa Meng did not hold back and handed his telescope to Qi Yuanshan.
Perhaps due to his military instincts, Qi Yuanshan’s first action was to precisely bring the telescope to his eyes.
When he clearly saw the Wokou gesticulating and pointing towards the pine forest through the telescope, the surprise on his face was undeniable.
"Yuanshan, you see those Wokou?"
"Mm." Qi Yuanshan counted roughly, "There seem to be fifty or sixty of them." After speaking, he reluctantly returned the telescope to Uncle Meng.
Then he retreated more than a zhang, waved his hand, and summoned three squadron leaders and several lieutenants to begin assigning ambush tasks.
Qi He’s squadron’s mission was to ensure the safety of Grandpa Meng and his granddaughter.
Qi He glanced at all his companions and thought to himself: Sister Fu doesn't need their protection; they only need to protect Grandpa Meng.
Having figured this out, he called Meng Qishan and the others closer and assigned them the critical task of protecting Grandpa Meng.
He would then take the remaining men to kill the Wokou with sister Fu.
Although Meng Qishan and the others were unwilling, they immediately agreed, considering their granduncle's safety to be paramount.
After Qi Yuanshan had arranged all the soldiers in their positions, he ran back to Grandpa Meng's side.
Taking the "thousand-mile eye" he had been thinking about from Uncle Meng, Qi Yuanshan’s heart surged once more.
Through the "thousand-mile eye," he saw the Wokou were still moving things out of the ship's hold and wouldn't be coming over anytime soon. This gave him time to speak with Uncle Meng.
"Uncle, with such an excellent item, nephew dares to say that you probably couldn't find a second one in the entire Great Ming."
"Mm, Yuanshan has good judgment."
"Uncle, it's not me with good judgment, it's this item that is truly good."
"Of course." Grandpa Meng was proud. The items his granddaughter brought out were always things they truly needed.
Like this "thousand-mile eye." If they couldn't observe the Wokou's every move from a distance, how could Yuanshan have made his deployment so quickly?