We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 644: The Battle of Tsushima Begins

At dawn three days later, a thin mist covered the Busan Port and the navies of the three countries set out.

There are no passionate trumpets and no encouraging drums.

A mixed fleet consisting of more than a hundred large and small ships, flying the flags of Goryeo, Silla and Baekje, quietly slipped out of the port like a ghost and sailed into the Tsushima Strait with a lead-gray luster.

The main force of the fleet was twelve large and uniquely shaped turtle ships.

These turtle ships had wide and low hulls, shaped like giant turtles lying on the waves. The roofs were covered with heavy wooden domes, which were in turn covered with soaked leather and iron sheets.

There are dense shooting holes on both sides for archers and crossbowmen.

As the secret weapon that made the Goryeo navy famous, with the help of Fengguo craftsmen, key parts of the hull were reinforced with additional iron plates, making it look even more ferocious and sturdy.

The rest of the ships were dozens of small and medium-sized warships of various shapes, clustered around the turtle ship like a school of fish surrounding a giant whale.

Li Chunchen, wearing the brand new Goryeo general armor generously given by Park Nan-nam, stood on the bow of the largest turtle ship, which was the flagship.

Blown by the sea breeze, he seemed to be gazing calmly at the foggy strait ahead.

But only he himself knew that the knuckles of his hand, which was tightly gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, had turned white due to the force, and his palm was covered with cold sweat, and even the hilt of the sword was trembling slightly.

The outline of Busan Port behind him gradually blurred, and ahead was an unknown battlefield.

Fear was like cold sea water, constantly attacking his defenses.

But whenever he thought of the words Huai En conveyed outside the tent, and the tightly closed curtain door of the tent, a burning flame would burn fiercely under the ice of fear.

I must seize this opportunity and prove my worth!

The fleet sailed in silence.

There were not many waves in the strait and the voyage was unexpectedly smooth.

There was no mysterious typhoon, no encounter with the expected Japanese patrol ships, and not even a trace of the enemy.

On the sea there was only mist, waves and the monotonous sound of the fleet cutting through the waves.

A naval lieutenant came up to Li Chunchen, his face filled with relief and excitement:

"General, it seems the Japanese pirates haven't deployed a large force on Tsushima Island. God is on my side this time, and I'm sure I'll be the first to take the credit!"

Other generals echoed this, and the tense atmosphere seemed to relax a lot.

Even the faces of ordinary sailors and soldiers showed a look of relief.

Being able to avoid fighting and still win the first merit is undoubtedly the best situation.

Only Li Chunchen's uneasiness did not dissipate, but became thicker and thicker like the fog before his eyes.

It’s too quiet, abnormally quiet!

The Japanese pirates have always been cunning. How could Tsushima Island, as their major maritime gateway, be so undefended?

"Order! All ships, step up your alert! Strike your bows and crossbows! Prepare your crossbows!" Li Chunchen's voice was low and stern. "Slow down your ships! Maintain your formation!"

The generals were stunned for a moment, but no one objected.

During this voyage, Park Nam-sang persuaded the commanders of Baekje and Silla to hand over the supreme command of the navy to Li Chunchen.

Although Park is a playboy, he is not a fool.

He also knew that at such a critical moment, he could no longer drag his feet and could only place all his hopes on Li Chunchen.

After the order was passed down, the speed of the fleet dropped significantly, and the originally compact formation became even tighter, like a steel hedgehog slowly exploring the fog.

The sea fog seemed to be even thicker, visibility dropped sharply, and the only thing left of Tsushima Island in front was a vague, huge black shadow outline.

The waves hit the hull, making a hollow echo.

at this time.

"General! There's a ship in front of you on the left!"

From the mast lookout came the sharp shouts of the lookout.

Li Chunchen's heart suddenly sank, and he immediately rushed to the side of the ship and looked into the distance.

In the thick fog in front of the left, a vague and huge black shadow slowly emerged.

Then, the second, third, fourth...

The black shadow was like an evil ghost emerging from the bottom of the sea, silently condensing and taking shape in the fog.

"There's one in front of the right too!"

"Right in front! Oh my god! There are so many!"

"To the left and rear, there's a shadow in the fog behind us!"

"The Guan ship is the pirates' Guan ship!"

The lookouts' terrified shouts rang out one after another.

In just a few breaths, the fog on all sides seemed to be torn apart by invisible hands, and countless Japanese warships emerged one after another.

It was a large warship called a Guan ship, with a slender hull and a high bow like a bird's beak.

The ship's tower was tall, and it was densely packed with Japanese warriors wearing bamboo armor and holding spears and bows and arrows.

The number of ships far exceeded expectations, dozens?

No! Just within sight, there are over twenty Guan ships!

There were also countless smaller but more flexible and agile medium-sized warships that shuttled between the Guan ships, completely blocking all the retreat routes of the Goryeo fleet.

The entire sea surface, from near to deep in the fog, was densely packed with Japanese pirates' warships, like a swarm of locusts.

The sheer number of them makes one’s scalp tingle!

Obviously, Japan had already detected the movements of this group of Goryeo navy.

"Three...three hundred ships?! No, more than that! There are more behind!" An officer in charge of lookout rushed to Li Chunchen, "General! It's over! We're surrounded. Let's retreat quickly, or it will be too late!"

"General! Retreat!"

"There are too many Japanese pirates. We can't defeat them at all!"

"Turn around quickly, General, before they completely surround us!"

"This is courting death! Lord Park didn't tell us there were so many Japanese pirates!"

"Let's go. What does the war between Fengguo and Waguo have to do with us? Why should we die here?"

Panic swept through the entire fleet like a plague in an instant.

All the generals of the Park family, Silla, and Baekje gathered around, their faces pale, their voices trembling, and they begged and even accused Li Chunchen to order a retreat immediately.

The ratio is three to one or even more disparate, and the enemy is still ambushing us while we are well-rested. How can we win this battle?

Li Chunchen felt a rush of cold blood to his head. He could no longer hear the noise of the generals. The Japanese pirate fleet in front of him was like a dark abyss, devouring all five senses.

retreat?

Yes! Retreat!

Retreat immediately, perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope...

However, at the moment this thought arose, Huai En's gentle voice sounded again outside the tent:

"The Fengguo Navy is in need of a general of such caliber..."

Li Che's unfathomable gaze seemed to travel through space and was staring at him coldly.

Retreat, where to retreat?

Step back and face Park's impotent rage?

Facing the ridicule of the Three Kingdoms nobles?

Facing the fate of eternal damnation?

More importantly, if I retreat this time, wouldn't I become a completely useless waste in the eyes of King Feng?

That opportunity to "enter the account and obey orders" will disappear forever like a bubble!

No! no way!

Li Chunchen's eyes instantly became bloodshot, veins popped out on his forehead, and he roared:

"Shut up, everyone!!!"

This roar temporarily suppressed the noise of the generals, and everyone looked at him in astonishment.

Li Chunchen drew the sword from his waist, and the sword body flashed with a cold light in the mist.

There was no longer any hesitation in his eyes, only a desperate madness: "Pass my order! All troops -"

The sword pointed directly at the overwhelming Japanese pirate fleet ahead.

"Charge forward with all your forces, and fight to the death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the generals looked at him in disbelief.

"what?!"

"Charge forward? Li Chunchen, are you crazy?!"

"This is suicide. We will all die!"

"Li Chunchen, do you want to kill all of us?!"

"Bullshit! We at Baekje will not accept such an outrageous order!"

Several generals who were already dissatisfied with Li Chunchen immediately jumped out and pointed at Li Chunchen's nose and cursed him.

The Three Kingdoms Alliance was just an alliance after all. How could there be an ironclad alliance in this world?

What's more, the Goryeo people are extremely willing to fight among themselves. The three countries were originally mortal enemies who fought to the death, and were forced together in the face of Li Che's powerful strength.

Now that Li Chunchen's order has been issued, the generals of Baekje and Silla naturally refused to obey.

"court death!"

Li Chunchen's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He had already expected that someone would disobey his orders.

Without any hesitation, the sword in his hand turned into a cold lightning!

puff-

“Ah! You…”

The general at the front opened his eyes wide, covered his neck with his hands, and blood continued to seep out, and he slowly fell to the ground.

Li Chunchen didn't even look at him and walked forward with a sword.

The sword flashed and blood splattered!

The four generals who shouted the loudest had their throats or hearts pierced instantly.

The anger and astonishment on their faces froze as they stared in disbelief at the hot blood gushing from their chests. Their bodies fell limply to the deck with a dull thud.

The strong smell of blood instantly spread throughout the warship.

Time seems to have frozen.

All the generals froze in place, as if they were under a spell, looking at Li Chunchen in horror, who was covered in blood and holding a bloody sword.

Warm blood splashed on Li Chunchen's cheek, but he didn't care.

His eyes were like a ferocious beast choosing its prey, sweeping over the silent crowd:

"Anyone who disobeys orders, disrupts the morale of the troops, or intends to retreat—"

The long sword in his hand pointed at the corpses on the ground:

"Dead people like this!"

There was silence on the ship, with only the faint shouting of the approaching Japanese pirate fleet in the distance.

Fear completely stunned all the generals. Looking at Li Chunchen's crazy eyes, they had no doubt that this madman would chop them all to death the next moment.

Finally, a general knelt down tremblingly: "I...I obey your command!"

“Yes…yes, sir!”

"Charge! Let's charge right now!"

The instinct for survival overwhelmed the fear of facing the Japanese pirates, and the order was quickly passed down!

dong dong dong-

The rapid sound of war drums first sounded on the flagship.

Immediately afterwards, drum beats began to sound sporadically on other turtle ships and warships, becoming increasingly frequent.

The winch of the bed crossbow was pulled hard, and the thick crossbow arrow flashed with cold light.

The archers trembled as they put their arrows on the bowstrings and aimed at the Japanese warships that were getting closer and closer.

The sea breeze howled and the mist swirled.

A brutal naval battle with a huge disparity in strength broke out in the waters of Tsushima Island.

And no one noticed that at the edge of the battlefield, the clipper ship without any flags disappeared into the thicker fog like a ghost.

A cold telescope was extended from the ship, and the eyes behind it were calmly recording everything that happened on the battlefield.