Chapter 44: Death Valley (Part 2) Please subscribe

  The fleet commander Smith watched as the three-masted Lion-class warship sailed into Death Canyon, and all the worries he had been carrying in his heart were finally put back in his chest.

  He was worried that these pirates would play tricks and once the fire started, it might be impossible to complete Mr. Aram's order.

  Aram ordered his men to intercept and capture the two ships alive, rather than sinking them!

  These timid pirates were so cooperative, which saved him a lot of trouble.

  Smith smiled with satisfaction. The naval defense of the First Fleet of Xixi was indeed strong and powerful, and it could intimidate these lawless pirates without firing a single shot!

  The officer beside him gazed intently at the vessel hemmed in between them, and suddenly furrowed his brow: "Why are there so few sailors on deck?"

  Smith waved his hand indifferently: "Do you think pirates are our coast guard? Having fewer people is normal!"

  The deputy heard the explanation of the fleet commander and felt that it was so in his heart, but when his eyes fell on a young man with black hair on the deck, the unease in his heart became more apparent.

  This young man was robust and had broad, thick shoulders, like a sturdy young male lion. He stood on the deck, his sharp eyes staring at them, shooting out a fierce and ferocious gaze.

  This is absolutely not the gaze a pirate who has surrendered should have!

  "Something's wrong!!" The deputy officer suddenly shouted loudly.

  Just at this moment, Tang Jie suddenly raised his hand in mid-air and swung it heavily!

  "Bang" sound, almost at the same time, the gun cabin of this three-masted Lion-class battleship suddenly opened simultaneously!

  A dense array of cannons protruded out, as if a demon had suddenly bared his ferocious fangs at his enemy!

  The fleet commander Smith, who had a scornful smile on his face just a second ago, looked at the row upon row of cannons that were within arm's reach, and his smile suddenly froze!

  The gears of time seemed to slow down at this moment.

  Smith clearly saw the black-haired young man on the ship staring at him with a cold and ruthless smile, like a devil!

  Smith was like his heart had been grasped in the palm of this young man's hand, and he was suffocating!

  Tang Jie's hand slowly fell through the air, and Nia, standing in the cabin, slowly turned her head towards the gun cabin and let out a thunderous roar: "FIRE!!!"

  The blonde-haired and blue-eyed deputy's lips collided with each other, shaking the air, and a flame-like voice tore through the gunroom!

  Even without Bill's signal, the gunpowder would have been ignited immediately!

  All the sailors heard this sound, their backs tightened at the same time, they all let out a loud roar, swelling with sturdy muscles, pushing the big gun out of the gun cabin.

  Since they boarded the ship, there is no other choice but to follow the captain of this ship and fight on!

  In the face of sudden combat, their minds went blank, with only the huge cannons in front of them and the enemy ships across from them seeming close enough to touch.

  They don't need to aim, they don't need to adjust their position, all they have to do is fire the shells at the fastest speed!

  As the cannons were pushed out of the gunports, the sailors quickly lit the fuses with torches.

  A neat whistling sound rose, and the three-masted Lion-class warship suddenly shook violently. The large cannons in the gun rooms on both sides retreated one after another, and the forty muzzle-loading cannons emitted a series of earth-shaking roars!

  These shotguns unleashed a terrible killing power at close range!

  The Azure and the Invincible, also three-masted Lion-class warships, were suddenly enveloped in a cloud of smoke. In this cloud of smoke, sparks and debris were constantly rolling and flying everywhere, and the sailors' mournful cries could be heard everywhere!

  The calm sea suddenly turned into hell!

  The fleet commander, Smith, of the Indomitable, emerged unscathed from that last intense barrage. He stood on the bridge, shaking all over as he stared at the nightmare-like warship in front of him.

  Around him, the officers and soldiers were running around like madmen, some of whom had their legs blown off by shells and were rolling around in blood, screaming in agony, while others were desperately using canvas and buckets to put out the fire on the ship.

  "Pass, pass the order, strike back! Strike back at once!" Smith's lips quivered for a moment, but he did not hear the lieutenant's voice.

  Enraged Smith suddenly grabbed the deputy officer beside him, then turned his head back and was about to speak when he saw that the deputy officer's head had been blown out by a shotgun blast, with blood and flesh blurred and emitting a puff of smoke!

  Smith shuddered all over and pushed the corpse aside, another loud and clear roar came into his ears: "Fire!!!"

  Another round of fierce shelling has begun!

  Smith only saw the ship emit a burst of white smoke, and then he was like being pushed by someone with great force, and he lost consciousness again.

  Tang Jie let out a loud roar and ordered the second round of cannon fire to begin, after which he and William started pulling up the mainsail with all their might.

  His arm muscles bulged like hard boulders, and the blue veins rolled under his skin like small snakes. Tang Jie pulled a wrist-thick halyard rope, his legs were like old trees that had taken root, tightly nailed to the deck.

  "One! Two! Three! Heave!!" Tang Jie's voice was like a crack of thunder, clear and audible even amidst the continuous booming of cannons, and it instantly lifted the spirits of the sailors hauling on the halyard!

  Although the Victory's captain and lieutenant were killed in the first and second rounds of cannon fire, the Victory was thrown into chaos, but some officers and men in the gun cabin spontaneously began to desperately counterattack, one by one. The big guns were pushed out of the gun cabin, starting a fierce counterattack.

  Especially the Azure, this warship's fore and aft masts were all blown off, with damage more severe than that of the Victory, but its captain was not injured. He commanded his officers and men to launch an organized counterattack in the first place!

  The main gun of the Unicorne was pushed out of the turret, and at a glance, although some were scattered, but under such close-range bombardment, the damage caused was still quite terrifying!

  "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" A dense barrage of artillery fire!

  Tang Jie only felt that the ground beneath his feet was like an earthquake, and not far from him, a shell exploded on the winch, shattering it into powder. The flying wood chips were like sharp blades piercing his body, some of them spinning rapidly like saw teeth, tearing a deep and long gash on his cheek!

  Fresh blood gushed out immediately!

  Tang Jie's face was covered in blood, but he still clung tightly to the halyard, not showing a single hint of wavering or fear despite the terrifying cannon fire happening right next to him!

  He knew that at this time, the counter-battery duel was like a bayonet charge!

  There's no room for trickery or deceit in our interactions!

  It's a matter of who has harder bones, stronger spirit and crazier fighting will!

  At this time, as a captain, you absolutely cannot have any wavering, not even frowning is allowed!

  Tang Jie's face was covered in blood, like a flame that instantly ignited all the sailors on deck. They cheered loudly and with an incredible speed, they quickly raised the mainsail!

  The sea breeze blew on the sail, and the almost stationary ship suddenly came alive again.

  "William, secure the mainsail halyard quickly!" Tong Jie couldn't bother to wipe away the blood on his face as he tossed the mainsail halyard to Nia and himself pounced onto the helm like a mad lion!

  He had to maneuver the warship out of "Death Canyon" as quickly as possible, for every second he delayed increased his chances of being surrounded and the amount of cannon fire Hell's Bane would take.

  While Tangie's warship was engaged in a frantic cannon battle with the Invincible and Azure, the other warships of the Xixis First Naval Defense Fleet were simultaneously stunned.

  They never dreamed that someone would be crazy enough to drill into the "Death Canyon" package and engage in a shootout with their opponent!

  When they came to their senses, the Indomitable and the Formidable had already been blasted into two blazing balls of fire that were sinking lower and lower!

  They wanted to return fire with cannons, but were hesitant due to the obstruction of the Beisheng and Weilan ships.

  These two warships, which were originally a fatal formation, have now become Tang Jie's best protective shield!

  Tang Jie spun the wheel, wildly turning it to full left rudder. He had to turn the ship sideways just as it exited the "Death Strait", he had to seize the horizontal position of the "one" in the sea battle's T-shaped tactics!

  Only in this way can he seize the most advantageous position in the subsequent naval battle!

  The three-masted sailing ship made a creaking sound, its massive body tilting forward as it moved, and due to the severe leftward deviation of its course, the stern of the Beisheng Hao was slowly colliding with the right side!

  "No way, can't avoid it!" Tang Jie's palms were sweating profusely, and the steering wheel handle he was gripping was slippery. He yelled loudly at Nia: "Tell the crew to be on guard! Prepare for impact!"

  Nia gazed at the approaching USS Victorious, her face ashen. She bellowed orders to the sailors on deck and then relayed them into the ship's intercom.

  For a moment, the triple-masted Lion-class warship that had been firing non-stop suddenly fell silent. All sailors clung tightly to any fixed object around them, their eyes wide open in anticipation of the impending collision!

  Tang Jie's warship was inching closer and closer to the burning Invincible, when suddenly, the ship shook violently!

  All the sailors were shocked at the same time, and they fell over!

  Cannons, water buckets and even pirate belts with swords stuck in them were rolling all over the ground!

  Tang Jie's warship rammed the burning Invincible into smithereens and finally escaped the death-defying Death Valley!

  Before the pirates could even cheer, other warships of the Xixis Sea Defense Force had already pressed in from both sides!

  Bill scrambled to his feet, shook his dizzy head, and suddenly heard a gurgling sound of water rushing from beneath the hatch.

  As an old sailor who has been sailing for many years, he certainly knew what this sound was all about!

  He quickly slid down the stairs from the gun room to the lowest deck, and saw that a hole with a diameter of about half a meter had appeared in the cargo hold at the stern of the ship!

  The surging sea water is rushing in endlessly!

  Bill's face turned pale in an instant and he shouted loudly: "The cabin is flooding!!"

  Nina, who was tightly holding onto the railing of the ship's bridge, heard this voice and was so frightened that her face turned pale in an instant!

  She knew what flooding meant after all those years at sea!

  "Quickly go and repair the leak in the cabin!!" Nia shouted loudly without hesitation.

  A terrible gushing sound came from the hold, like a monster howling and growling. Bill's despairing cry was clear in the din: "Can't stop it, water's coming in too fast!!"

  Nina suddenly turned her head and shouted at Tang Jie with a pale face: "Captain! The cabin is taking on water!"

  Tang Jie was driving the sea boat with a tense and focused expression, when he heard Nia's voice, he shouted loudly without thinking: "Plug up the hole!"

  Nina rushed forward at this time and shouted in a severe tone: "The water is flowing too fast, it can't be replenished! What should we do?!"

  Tang Jie's face and head were covered in bright red blood, looking extremely ferocious and frightening. His pale face turned around, and he pulled her to the helm position: "Now you come to drive the boat, you command! I'll go block that damn hole!"

  After finishing speaking, he rushed down from the bridge without looking back and plunged into the cabin!

  It's online now, no more nonsense, I'll work hard on writing!