"Soul-guided artillery cannons?" Ye Tian chuckled lightly, his expression utterly composed.
"They have cannons, and so do we." Zhou Long stepped forward with a confident smile.
The artillery unit of the Heavenly Strategy Army was no mere decoration.
Even if there were ten soul-guided cannons instead of two, what of it?
From charging to firing, a soul-guided cannon required five minutes.
In contrast, the Heavenly Strategy Army's howitzers could complete a full volley in just thirty seconds.
"Brother Haitian, rest assured. By the time we land, their soul-guided cannons won't last long."
"Naturally, I trust you." Li Haitian had initially been somewhat worried.
But after hearing Zhou Long's reassurance, he felt much more at ease.
After the meeting concluded, the various forces under Ye Tian's command noticeably accelerated their preparations for loading supplies.
All the ships at East Sea City's port raised their sails.
It was late autumn, and the seasonal winds blew toward the southeast.
Though sailing south at this time wasn't as fast as in summer, the advantage lay in stability—there were no major storms or rough waves.
Tianxing Province was far from East Sea City.
It took a full month and a half for the vast fleet to reach the waters of the Star Luo Empire's eastern province.
"Young master, the scout ships report that we've encountered the Star Luo Empire's naval forces!"
A messenger suddenly delivered the news.
Zhou Long smiled. "It seems the Star Luo Empire's navy hasn't fought a war in years. We've already penetrated deep into their waters, and only now have they noticed us."
Ye Tian raised his hand. "Order the left-wing fleet to attack. Leave none alive."
...
"General Zhu, we sent out inquiry signals to the unidentified ships ahead but received no response."
A soldier reported.
This made Zhu Yi, standing on the deck, frown heavily.
Zhu Yi was the younger brother of the current head of the Hell Spirit Cat Clan—in other words, Zhu Zhuqing's uncle.
He was also the general of the Star Luo Empire's Eastern Fleet, commanding sixteen warships.
At the moment, he was carrying out routine patrol duties.
Unexpectedly, he had encountered an enormous fleet.
Zhu Yi took this very seriously.
Immediately, he ordered his men to signal the unidentified ships using standard maritime flags.
Yet the other side showed no courtesy—they ignored him entirely.
Zhu Yi gripped the hilt of his sword, a trace of anger flashing in his eyes. "This is the Star Luo Empire's waters!"
"If they refuse to respond, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Tell the men—plunder and slaughter those ships ahead!"
The soldier's face lit up with excitement, licking his lips.
The sheer number of ships ahead meant they were about to make a fortune.
BOOM!
Before the soldier could even leave, a deafening explosion erupted over the sea.
A small escort ship directly ahead of Zhu Yi's flagship was split in half, slowly sinking beneath the waves.
"What just happened?!"
Zhu Yi froze momentarily before his pupils dilated in shock, and he took a deep breath.
He hadn't seen anyone attack them at all!
To sink a small ship in a single strike—At the very least, this required the power of a Title Douluo!!
It wasn't just Zhu Yi.
Even Li Haitian and Zi Zhenzhu, observing from a distance through the telescopes Ye Tian had provided, were stunned.
Watching the ship being cleaved in half, Li Haitian murmured, "Times have changed."
He then gave a bitter smile and glanced at Zi Zhenzhu. "Thank goodness we didn't oppose Young Master Ye Tian. Otherwise, we wouldn't even know how we died."
"Is this the power of artillery shells?" Zi Zhenzhu stared blankly at the Star Luo Empire's ships.
Her own fleet was still armed with ballistae—With a range of only two hundred meters.
Yet Ye Tian's howitzers had a range of five thousand meters!
This was utterly shocking!
Five kilometers—just sailing that distance would take ten minutes.
At such a range, the enemy wouldn't even have time to react before being bombarded!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The left-wing fleet's artillery barrage did not stop.
In the Douluo Continent, manufacturing howitzers was extremely difficult.
Even after years of accumulation, the Heavenly Strategy Army only possessed fifty howitzers.
The left-wing fleet was armed with just thirteen of them.
Yet their impact on the Star Luo Empire's fleet was devastating.
By the time the Star Luo fleet reacted, they were utterly terrified.
They didn't even dare to fight back— They simply fled!
"Escape? Do they really think they can?"
Seeing this, Ye Tian allowed a faint smile to cross his lips.
The left-wing fleet's ships were all three-masted clippers, far faster than ordinary vessels—they held a natural advantage.
"Order the left-wing fleet to pursue at full speed!"
Ye Tian didn't command the entire fleet to swarm forward.
That would only lead to chaos.
The left-wing fleet alone was enough.
"I'll lead the pursuit myself." Zhou Long volunteered, taking command of the left-wing fleet.
Meanwhile—
Zhu Yi was in a state of sheer panic.
His first mate reported, "General, the enemy is catching up!"
"Their ships are faster than ours!"
"Damn it, where did these warships come from?!" Zhu Yi, covered in dust and grime, cursed furiously.
"General, what do we do?" The first mate was completely panicked, at a loss for what to do.
Zhu Yi glared. "What else can we do?! Head back to Tianxing Harbor immediately! The soul-guided artillery batteries there should hold them off for a while!"
He had no intention of dying here.
After a moment's thought, he barked, "All hands, man the oars below deck!"
Every ship had auxiliary oar ports, meant for rowing in windless conditions.
Though there was wind now, the enemy was simply too fast!
Relying solely on sails was hopeless.
The chase lasted until dusk.
Zhu Yi's fleet finally scrambled back to Tianxing Harbor.
But of the thirteen ships that had set out, only six remained.
"Signal the artillery batteries to return fire!"
Zhu Yi roared at the signalman in frustration.
As one of the Star Luo Empire's major ports, Tianxing Harbor's defenses were not entirely useless.
Even at night, the watchtowers on the two mountains flanking the harbor remained on duty.
Upon receiving the signal, the two massive soul-guided artillery cannons immediately aimed at the pursuing fleet behind Zhu Yi.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two thunderous explosions rang out almost simultaneously.
But against the vastness of the ocean, the two shells barely made a ripple.
Unsurprisingly, both shots missed.
Zhou Long returned to the flagship and reported to Ye Tian, "Young master, we've entered the firing range of the soul-guided cannons. Should we continue the pursuit?"
Ye Tian glanced at the sky. "Order the fleet to retreat. Rest and prepare meals. Await further orders."
The troops he had brought were all elites.
A full-frontal assault wasn't worth it.
Once the soul-guided artillery batteries on the hills flanking the harbor were destroyed, Tianxing Harbor's defenses would be like a toothless tiger—completely at the Heavenly Strategy Army's mercy.
Just then—Gu Yuena emerged from the cabin.
Rubbing her forehead drowsily, she yawned and asked, "Have we reached the harbor?"
Gu Yuena had never liked life at sea.
For the past month, her head had constantly felt heavy and muddled.
Ye Tian replied, "We're almost there. But the harbor is still under enemy control."
"Because of the soul-guided artillery batteries on those two hills?"
Gu Yuena narrowed her eyes, gazing at the moonlit peaks.
A silver-white spear materialized in her hand.
"I'll be right back," she said casually.
"Wait, you shouldn't—" Ye Tian tried to stop her, but before he could finish, Gu Yuena had already vanished.
(End of Chapter)