A week passed and, after leaving the Zhounese coastal waters for the open sea, the ship was
allowed to drift for a day so that the canons could be tested. Kafka’s
sohei had received minmal instruction on how to load and fire the
strange devices but through trial-and-error became quite competent. They
retrieved coconuts, rocks, and flotsam from a small coral island, and
practiced with these items to avoid wasting ammunition, using the island
as their target. After hitting it several times successfully, the sohei,
switched to iron balls and fired on the island until they had blasted it
into two tiny islets. Captain Huan ordered his crew to watch this demonstration
and it also proved to the passengers—except for Dai Duo and Pao
Tiānkōng who practiced a strange martial art on the
foredeck. The blindfolded Pao, was struck again and again while Dai
Duo shouted cheerful encouragement.
A few days later, sailing south-by-southwest, the Bīnggōngchǎng entered the contested waters of the straits of Malaca. They saw no ships the first day, no the second. This was a slight surprise as they had been warned that the navies of both Empires patrolled the waters. A merchant or other neutral ship such as the Bīnggōngchǎng would be treated as an enemy by either side.
Bo Jing kept a careful watch from the top of the tallest magic. Bangqiu, by his magic, was perched on raft of air another 100 feet higher. On the third day, as the Bīnggōngchǎng was entering an especially narrow passage between two long, jungle-covered barrier islands, Bang Qiu spotted another ship behind them and relayed this to Bo Jing who climbed down to report it to the Captain on the rear deck. The distance between the two ships was narrowing quickly and by the time Bo Jing reached Huan all on board could see the other ship. Captain Huan, inspecting it through a telescope, noted that it did not bear the markings of either Empire and did not even resemble a military. No danger. Dai Duo disagreed, “That’s Noh-Moon. The most ruthless pirate in the known seas.”
Bo Jing sided with Dai Duo and ordered Captain Huan to change his course, skirting the barrier islands in favor of the open sea and turning the Bīnggōngchǎng to port to maximize use of the canons.
As the other ship came closer, it became clear that Dai Duo was right. Though know bigger than the Bīnggōngchǎng, it held 3 times as many men, all of them armed. As it drew to within 500 yards, it also turned to port, giving its dozens of archers the opportunity to fire directly on the Bīnggōngchǎng. But the canons fired first. All five of Bīnggōngchǎng’s port canons. Perhaps they fired too soon. Most did of the shot did not reach the enemy ship. The one that did landed on the middle of deck, seemingly causing little damage. Still as the pirates moved toward the rear of the ship, Bangqiu, from his aerial perch blasted the rear decks with a massive ball of magical fire.
The pirate archers were unflappable professionals. They took careful aim at the sohei cannoneers and sent many of them below decks with grievous wounds. Those cannoneers who escaped unscathed fired another round of canon fire—only three rounds this time, but one of the cannon balls cracked a mast. Bo Jing order the Bīnggōngchǎng turned to starboard and to sail southeast.
The pirate ship pursued but in its damaged state could not catch them. As the Bīnggōngchǎng cleared the barrier islands, now several miles to the west, they saw another larger ship lying in wait for them or any other ship that had followed the narrow course. This ship flew the private banner of Noh-Moon. It did not pursue.
A few days later, sailing south-by-southwest, the Bīnggōngchǎng entered the contested waters of the straits of Malaca. They saw no ships the first day, no the second. This was a slight surprise as they had been warned that the navies of both Empires patrolled the waters. A merchant or other neutral ship such as the Bīnggōngchǎng would be treated as an enemy by either side.
Bo Jing kept a careful watch from the top of the tallest magic. Bangqiu, by his magic, was perched on raft of air another 100 feet higher. On the third day, as the Bīnggōngchǎng was entering an especially narrow passage between two long, jungle-covered barrier islands, Bang Qiu spotted another ship behind them and relayed this to Bo Jing who climbed down to report it to the Captain on the rear deck. The distance between the two ships was narrowing quickly and by the time Bo Jing reached Huan all on board could see the other ship. Captain Huan, inspecting it through a telescope, noted that it did not bear the markings of either Empire and did not even resemble a military. No danger. Dai Duo disagreed, “That’s Noh-Moon. The most ruthless pirate in the known seas.”
Bo Jing sided with Dai Duo and ordered Captain Huan to change his course, skirting the barrier islands in favor of the open sea and turning the Bīnggōngchǎng to port to maximize use of the canons.
As the other ship came closer, it became clear that Dai Duo was right. Though know bigger than the Bīnggōngchǎng, it held 3 times as many men, all of them armed. As it drew to within 500 yards, it also turned to port, giving its dozens of archers the opportunity to fire directly on the Bīnggōngchǎng. But the canons fired first. All five of Bīnggōngchǎng’s port canons. Perhaps they fired too soon. Most did of the shot did not reach the enemy ship. The one that did landed on the middle of deck, seemingly causing little damage. Still as the pirates moved toward the rear of the ship, Bangqiu, from his aerial perch blasted the rear decks with a massive ball of magical fire.
The pirate archers were unflappable professionals. They took careful aim at the sohei cannoneers and sent many of them below decks with grievous wounds. Those cannoneers who escaped unscathed fired another round of canon fire—only three rounds this time, but one of the cannon balls cracked a mast. Bo Jing order the Bīnggōngchǎng turned to starboard and to sail southeast.
The pirate ship pursued but in its damaged state could not catch them. As the Bīnggōngchǎng cleared the barrier islands, now several miles to the west, they saw another larger ship lying in wait for them or any other ship that had followed the narrow course. This ship flew the private banner of Noh-Moon. It did not pursue.
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