Chapter 127: Surrender
TL: Etude
In a room within the pirate stronghold, the remaining leaders of the Gaden gang gathered to discuss their strategy.
The room was shrouded in gloom, everyone frowning in silence.
It was the eldest among them, Old Donald, who finally broke the deathly stillness. Speak up if you have any good ideas, he urged. If you dont, there may never be another chance.
Someone finally whispered, They probably already know about our hideout from the captured brothers.
Isnt that obvious! Do you think that ship outside is here for sightseeing?
So maybe we should surrender!
Coward! A leader slammed the table, retorting loudly, Was it easy to amass such wealth under Gadens leadership? I say, we still have four or five ships, some drugs left, and if the Blue Stripes come, we fight to the bitter end.
Four or five ships? More like rafts! someone immediately doused his enthusiasm.
You coward!
Youre the one without a brain!
As the argument escalated, with both sides close to drawing knives, a distant thunderous boom suddenly echoed. Though faint by the time it reached them, it startled the already anxious pirates.
It was the sound of cannon fire from the Hope.
Adjust the angle! Make the next shot count!
Captain Quik and the gunnery officer, holding their telescopes, observed the impact of the first cannonball. It missed, flying over the pirate ship and splashing into the sea nearby.
After the Hope entered the harbor, the pirate ship guarding the dock immediately spotted them and approached. The navy responded with red-hot cannonballs to the unwelcome hospitality.
On deck, a furnace blazed, fueled by coal, containing several red-hot cannonballs.
The loader, using large tongs, brought a glowing cannonball to the cannon. A colleague had already inserted a wooden plug in the muzzle, preventing the hot ball from igniting the powder.
After loading, the gun crew repositioned and adjusted the cannon, aiming at the retreating pirate ship.
The pirate ship on guard, only about ten meters long with roughly a dozen crew, was minuscule compared to the Hope.
The sudden bombardment terrified the pirates. In that moment, they felt something whizzing past at incredible speed, splashing a large wave in the distance.
It was terrifying. What if it had hit their ship or themselves?
Its the Aldans terrifying weapon! the pirates exclaimed, aware of the Aldan armys powerful long-range artillery.
They immediately rowed towards the dock, preferring the safety of solid ground over the unknown threats at sea.
The pirates left at the base were mostly the old, weak, and sick, ill-suited for a direct confrontation with the formidable enemy at their doorstep.
After recalculating from the first shot, the gunners quickly adjusted the cannon. Firing a salvo from four guns, they engaged the target directly.
This time, three cannonballs struck the pirate ship, creating huge holes and killing two, while the rest, terrified, rowed desperately towards the dock.
The crew of the Hope laughed heartily, reveling in the feeling of outmaneuvering their foe.
They ceased fire, turning the ship towards the deeper parts of the harbor, slowly approaching the pirate strongholds dock.
The pirates from the earlier alert ship had already fled to land, anxiously recounting their harrowing experience to their comrades who came to meet them.
They still have five small sailboats. Lets practice our shooting here, Captain Quik decided, determined to destroy the remaining pirate ships, leaving them no chance to escape.
Following this, the Hope opened fire repeatedly, targeting the pirate ships docked at the harbor.
The pirates on shore trembled, with no one daring to retaliate by boat.
Given the solid shot ammunition, sinking a wooden ship was difficult unless it hit near the waterline. Several rounds of fire from the Hope managed to fully destroy only two pirate ships one sank from taking on water, while another caught fire from a heated shot that ignited the sails, eventually engulfing the entire vessel.
The remaining three ships were also heavily damaged and rendered unusable.
Finally, due to overheating, the Hope had to cease firing and wait for the cannon barrels to cool down.
Hey! Did you hear that? asked Allen, who was coiling ropes with his mates.
I did. What in the world was that sound? Tom and Pine were equally astonished.
Thunderous Wrath of the Aldans! Allen suddenly exclaimed excitedly, gesticulating wildly. Have you heard? Count Paul Grayman of Alda used a powerful weapon to annihilate pirates invading his territory. It makes a huge noise, ten times more powerful than a ballista, and can even shatter city gates. Because of its loud sound, people call it Thunderous Wrath.
Oh, oh! Ive heard about it too.
So, the Aldans really came?
The news of the Aldans reaching their location spread quickly among the slaves, eliciting various reactions some cried, some laughed, creating chaos.
When the pirate overseeing them heard the commotion, he rushed in, ready to scold. But suddenly remembering something, he walked away sullenly.
Seeing the overseer leave without doing anything, Allen grew bolder. He stood up and declared, I cant wait any longer. Im going to the dock right now!
Wait, wait, his mate cautioned. We cant be sure its the Aldans yet. What if its another pirate group? We might be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
But Allen was not deterred and quickly ran out the door, followed by a large group.
I say we surrender, declared the old pirate Donald, reasoning that their foes, camped at their doorstep with likely strong backup, were waiting for reinforcements to capture them all.
No one objected to his opinion, silently conceding to the decision to surrender.
Just before, a runner had hurriedly reported the events at the dock. Learning that the enemy, with just one ship, had disabled their last five vessels using the legendary terrifying weapon, the leaders faces turned ashen.
Seeing no opposition, Donald ordered the runner, Raise a white flag at the dock, signaling our surrender.
Right away! The runner seemed relieved at the order and dashed out toward the dock.
Gentlemen, Donald said with a bitter smile to the gathered leaders, lets walk to the dock together.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ovel.com