Chapter 132 Fishing in Troubled Waters
The next day.
The news that the Ming army encountered resistance in its attack on Daishan reached the Xiangshan headquarters of the Giant Whale Gang.
Gongchang Hou Guo Xing and Qinglong Lin Jiantao tried to stop them at the first moment, but the Water Soul Formation was still formed. The formation covered an area of five miles in radius, and there were as many as two thousand water ghosts in the formation!
——The extra thousand were all Ming soldiers attacked by water ghosts.
Those water ghosts are not just the living dead. The essence and blood in their bodies have been drained away by the power of the "Water Soul Array" and replaced by water poison. These water poisons are the true qi released by Tong Tianshou. Therefore, he can control the water ghosts like controlling qi, and use the water poison as a weapon to attack others.
Anyone who is attacked by the water poison will also be "poisoned" and turned into a water ghost, allowing themselves to be controlled by the master of the formation.
After just a few attempts, Guo Xing and Lin Jiantao realized how powerful he was.
Those water ghosts swam in the waves, spitting water poison when they saw people. The more people were hit, the more water ghosts there would be, and the more water ghosts there were, the stronger the formation would be!
Just a brief confrontation, but the enemy's forces doubled!
Guo Xing knew that they were too late. The Water Soul Formation was set up and Daishan could no longer be attacked by force. They could only take it by wits.
After Qi Shizhou settled the Giant Whale Gang, he hurried to Changguowei to help in the battle. Zhao Wumian and Cheng Xuyuan landed in the Tiger Dragon and also came to Xiushan Island to meet up with Guo Xing and Lin Jiantao.
As for the "little thief" Xiao Yi, he left after meeting Zhao Wumian, saying that he was going to the northwest to join in the fun...
Zhao Wumian didn't expect that he was so well-informed. The biggest event in the Northwest right now is the invitation meeting on October 20th.
Did Wutai Sect’s chief disciple Lu Guangda also invite him?
He couldn't take care of it for now. Zhao Wumian had to work hard to improve himself first. These Japanese pirates and the earth-level magic weapons in their hands were all food. It would be a waste if he didn't absorb them!
On Xiushan Island.
Everyone stood on the shore, facing the vast ocean.
Above the stormy sea, the sky was gray, the waves were huge, the wind and rain were raging in all directions, and the vision was blurred.
On the top of Mount Dai, not far from Mount Xiu, a tall city wall stood. In the nearby sea, countless water ghosts drifted with the waves, sometimes disappearing, sometimes appearing, like living corpses, with numb expressions, twitching from time to time, floating in the waves layer by layer...
Guo Xing is fifty years old this year. He has a heroic appearance, a long sword on his waist and a bow and arrow on his back. It is said to be Hua Rong's personal weapon [Painted Sparrow Bow]. It is red all over and has a gorgeous shape.
"It's too late."
He stood in the heavy rain, holding a "clairvoyance" in his hand, observing the situation of Xingye City and the waters in front of the city, sighed softly, and said: "The water soul formation is complete, I should have deployed troops earlier."
Lin Jiantao consoled him, "There's nothing we can do about it. The person who tipped off the secret was that naughty little thief, so we have to investigate. Besides, Tong Tianshou hid himself very well, but the Nakajo Ittoryu happened to know about it. If they hadn't intervened, Tong Tianshou would have died, and there wouldn't have been such a big trouble."
Qi Shizhou looked at the water ghosts and said worriedly, "What can we do? This line of defense is equivalent to 20,000 elite soldiers. They are hiding in the water, and the power of artillery is limited. It seems that we can only behead them."
"There is another way."
Guo Xing pondered and said, "I heard that the Ministry of Industry has already created a mechanical tiger dragon. The tiger dragon is a powerful weapon for water warfare. It hides among mechanical beasts and is not afraid of water poison. It can attack and kill with it. The threat of the formation is greatly reduced. It's a pity..."
“It’s a pity that there aren’t enough.”
Zhao Wumian said: "The technology of the Tiger Dragon has just been completed, and there are not many people who know how to drive it. However, as long as there is enough time, a Tiger Dragon team can be built, and breaking the formation will be easy! But by that time, I am afraid that these people will see that the situation is not good and will have slipped away..."
"Wild fire, in spring!"
Guo Xing said solemnly: "We must wipe out Kou Island in one fell swoop. We must not let them escape! They are now relying on the formation to stalemate with us. As long as we break the formation, we can catch them all in one fell swoop. This is a great opportunity!"
The opportunity is indeed good, provided that we can break the formation.
Everyone looked at each other, and finally looked at Zhao Wumian.
Zhao Wumian held his forehead helplessly: "I say, everyone, I am here to help with good intentions, you can't put all the responsibilities on me."
Lin Jiantao smiled and said, "The more capable you are, the more work you will do. When it comes to beheading and assassination, the two fourth realm masters, me and I, are no match for you. We will make a feint to attract attention, and I'll trouble you to help, Lord Zhao. Afterwards, we'll write a petition together to ask for credit for you!"
Capture the thief first and capture the king!
The best way to break the Water Soul Formation is to kill its master Tong Tianshou.
But at this moment, Tong Tianshou must be on high alert. Nakajo Ittoryu, Zhang Shicheng's former subordinates, and Fang Guozhen's former subordinates all rely on him to protect Daishan Island and Xingye City. It is not easy to assassinate him. Zhao Wumian understands the "Actor's Treasure Mirror" and has the [Ghost Control Pill] that can control the four realms. He is indeed the best candidate for assassination.
Zhao Wumian thought for a moment and reached out to the others, “The map of Xingye City.”
Guo Xing smiled, immediately took out the parchment scroll from his arms and handed it to Zhao Wumian.
Zhao Wumian quickly took note of it and looked at Cheng Xuyuan.
Cheng Xuyuan was refreshed and bowed immediately: "Master Zhao, what do you want?"
Zhao Wumian said: "After all this practice, you should be able to drive it yourself. Can you attack flexibly?"
Cheng Xuyuan said modestly: "Almost there, but I'm not yet proficient in the wheel-shaped attack moves..."
"enough."
Zhao Wumian said: "General feints won't fool them, so you can take my place as the backup, hide in the Yanjia, hide under the sea water, and do your best to strangle the water ghost. Just as Gong Changhou said, the Yanjia has good sealing properties and is not afraid of water poison. You are not afraid of things that ordinary people avoid. Once you kill everyone, the other party will most likely mistake you for me, and it will be easier for me to do my job."
Cheng Xuyuan said: "Students must try their best!"
Zhao Wumian nodded and turned to the others: "Please bombard Xingye City within the range. Master Cheng will take the opportunity to kill the water ghosts. I will use the [Meng Ji Pao] to escape through water and see if there is a chance to get rid of Tong Tianshou. If it works, everything will be fine. If not, don't blame me."
Guo Xing said sternly, "Jingyuan Bo is helping us out of righteousness, how can we blame you? You are entering the city alone, so be careful. There are many experts in the water stronghold now. If you are not careful, you will be in danger. If this happens, Hualong will come out and I will help you!"
"it is good."
As expected of Tang He's followers, he is a man of great righteousness.
If it were Zhao Yong and his gang, they would probably wish to die in there.
Of course, if they were Zhao Yong's men, he would not pay any attention to them. Although he wanted the [Horse-Headed Vajra Prong], this was not the only earth-level divine weapon in the world. Compared to making meritorious deeds and gaining treasures, he would rather see those people suffer.
Zhao Wumian set off.
Guo Xing arranged the battle as he was told and began to disperse 300 warships to surround and feign an attack on Xingye City.
Behind them were rows of soldiers, and behind the soldiers were the hazy mountains of Xiushan Island; in front of them were the endless sounds of waves, and in the distance behind the waves were the shadowy warships of the Japanese pirates.
As soon as the government troops moved, the other side also began to get nervous.
All the warships were lined up in a row, with their guns pointed at the Hoshino Castle Water Fort.
"Raise the flag and fire the cannon!"
Guo Xing shouted orders loudly, adding endless killing to this stormy night.
Countless large flags were erected on the warships in an instant, and countless gun muzzles pointing towards the sea spewed out flames.
A new round of confrontation begins.
Cheng Xuyuan quietly entered the mechanical tiger dragon and resolutely killed the two thousand water ghosts.
...Zhao Wumian performed the Five Elements Escape Technique and transformed himself into a condensed, undispersed human-shaped stream of water, rushing towards Mount Dai.
In fact, there was no need to use the secret technique so early. Zhao Wumian was worried that the Japanese people who cultivated the spirit "Hundred Ghosts" had some special magical powers. If they were discovered, it would be troublesome again. It would be better to be careful from the beginning.
He was very fast and arrived among the water ghosts in less than half a cup of tea.
Tong Tianshou didn't notice him.
This is normal. After all, it is the artifact that amplifies his power, which is a far cry from real control. It is already his limit to be able to control the actions of two thousand people. It is wishful thinking for him to distinguish which pool of water in the ocean is Zhao Wumian!
While swimming towards the shore, Zhao Wumian recalled the information Xiao Yi had passed on.
That kid went into the Japanese ship to steal treasures and only found out that two people were very capable.
One is Nakajo Hideo, the master of Nakajo Ittoryu, known as the "Japanese Swordsman" and armed with the famous sword [Spider Cut]. Xiao Yi couldn't even draw his sword in front of this man;
The other is Kikuchi Iori's maid, Ishizo Tomoko. Although she is very young, she has the spirit of the exotic Japanese beast [Blue Heron] and possesses the magical power [Blue Heron Fire]. This fire is called the "Eternal Flame".
Xiao Yi said that he had clearly cut her throat, but the maid was still able to survive by healing herself with the flames!
This magical power is much more powerful than regenerating severed limbs.
As for Kikuchi Iori himself, he was scared away by Nakajo Hideo before he could find out his true identity.
Xiao Yi's face turned pale when he said this, and it was obvious that he was very wary of this Japanese swordsman.
Zhao Wumian was not prepared to confront them head-on.
The highest level of killing is to drive a tiger to devour a wolf - to provoke a tiger and a wolf to fight each other and then reap the benefits - Fang Guoying and Zhang Xuanfeng brought in the Nakajo Ittoryu to fight against the Ming army, which was driving a tiger to devour a wolf. But in fact, the two of them were not in harmony with each other, and they could not even achieve harmony on the surface. They had to join forces only because of the military might of the Ming Dynasty.
This gives them room to maneuver and let them fight among themselves!
The war broke out and there was continuous artillery fire on the sea.
With the cover of artillery fire, Zhao Wumian passed through the strange and eerie group of water ghosts, changed his water escape to earth escape, and entered Xingye City.
Go straight to Zhang family’s residence!
If you want to start a war, you need a suitable entry point. The person must have a hot temper and be ruthless to make the war unstoppable. In this way, even if you realize afterwards that the hatred has been formed, it is not easy to turn the sword against the enemy.
There was such a person among Zhang Shicheng's former subordinates.
Now that the battle has broken out, Zhang Xuanfeng and Mo Tianyou, the only remaining general of Zhang Shicheng, are in Shuixuan to protect Tong Tianshou. The rest are waiting for orders outside, including this person, Zhang Shicheng's nephew, Zhang Tianqi!
Zhang Tianqi was also a fierce general. He once garrisoned in Huzhou and resisted the Ming army for several days - this was already a remarkable achievement.
Because his eyes turn red like fire when he gets angry, he is called "Fire Eyes Zhang".
He is notoriously bad-tempered and could explode at the slightest provocation. He could be used to stir up internal strife, lead the two sides into fighting each other, and create conditions for the assassination of Tong Tianshou.
Zhao Wumian had a map in his mind and found the street where Zhang's family lived easily. He appeared in the shadows, holding an oil-paper umbrella. His facial features changed and he became Fang Guoying's confidant, Xu Zishan. He walked towards Zhang's house in a swagger under the watchful eyes of the pirates on duty.
This person existed in Zhang Chenbao's memory, and he already had a grudge against the old members of the Zhang family - the two forces were fighting for life and death, and there were few people without hatred.
At this moment.
Zhang Tianqi was in the Zhang family's temporary residence. All the old members of the Zhang family gathered together, waiting for Zhang Xuanfeng's order.
"Snapped!"
Zhang Tianqi sat at the head of the table and smashed the tea bowl with one hand, sending broken pieces of porcelain flying everywhere.
He suddenly grabbed the servant who was serving tea and glared at him, "You're trying to fool us with last year's tea? Is Fang Guoying that poor? Or are you deliberately humiliating us? You're courting death!"
His roar was like thunder and his eyes were like fire.
The servant was so frightened that he was shaking with fear, his face full of horror. He knelt down and begged for mercy. He waved his hands repeatedly, pointed at his mouth, and made ah ah ah sounds. Only then did everyone see that half of his tongue had been cut off.
"..."
Zhang Tianqi's pupils shrank, and he immediately lost interest in tormenting him. He waved his hand impatiently and shouted, "Get out!"
The man ran away, tumbling and crawling.
"Fang Guoying is so cruel!"
Zhang Tianqi said coldly: "In order to prevent the news from leaking out, the servants were turned into mute!"
Daishan Island was originally Fang Guoying's territory, and Xingye City was also built by the former members of the Fang family. Zhang Tianqi just couldn't stand it no matter how he looked at it.
Especially after the conflict yesterday, Fang Guoying humiliated Zhang Xuanfeng in front of the Japanese people and wanted to force the Zhang family to send out all their manpower when there were not enough water ghosts. It was clear that he did not take Zhang Xuanfeng and the Zhang family seriously.
If the situation was not critical and required unity against the outside world, Zhang Tianqi would have taken action long ago.
Now even the tea has become messy, Zhang Tianqi wants to kill Fang Guoying!
A confidant said: "I've heard that Fang Guoying is very strict in managing his army. Now it seems that he was able to become the lord of Kou Island not only because he arrived first... He is ruthless!"
Another confidant said, "He is narrow-minded and is afraid that we will compete with him for territory. He doesn't even think about how he can be the island owner once Kou Island is lost. Will he run to Japan or Korea to become a bandit?"
"Ignore him!"
Zhang Tianqi waved his hand, looked at the rain outside the door, and said in a deep voice: "The situation is difficult and dangerous now. We can only endure the anger for a while. Once we defeat the Ming army, we will return the anger doubled!"
The others secretly exchanged glances and praised General Zhang in unison for his broad-mindedness and said he was truly a hero of the time.
Then, they heard laughter coming from the rain, and a figure holding an umbrella appeared in front of the gate.
——"Xu Zishan".
Xu Zishan looked at them strangely: "Broad-minded? A hero of the time? This is really stinking flattery! Fiery Eyes Zhang, don't you feel sick listening to this?"
Click!
Zhang Tianqi crushed the door frame with one hand, and sawdust flew everywhere. His voice was chilling to the bone: "Xu! What are you doing here?"
Xu Zishan said leisurely: "The Ming army came to break the formation again, and this time there was an additional mechanical beast, which slaughtered the water ghosts wantonly. The formation began to become unstable. My general was worried that there would be a fire in the backyard, so he asked me to test your opinions. As a result, I heard General Zhang's bold words... You are making it difficult for me."
Fire in the backyard?
So you're ready to kill?
Zhang Tianqi was on guard, and the people behind him stood up and picked up their weapons.
Zhang Tianqi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Then what do you want to do?"
Eight black bullets fell from Xu Zishan's sleeves, and he said with a smile: "I'll give you a big gift!"
Tianleizi!
Under the shocked gazes of Zhang Tianqi and others, he raised his hands and eight sky thunder seeds flew into the meeting hall at the same time.
Zhang Tianqi was furious: "You bastard! How dare you!"
(End of this chapter)
