HLnovel Chapter 33 Birds Eating Sheep
Chapter 33 Birds Eating Sheep
The Soaring Glide glides over the undulating waves.
The stars and moon shone brightly in the sky, but the sea was darker than the night itself.
With the ship in a favorable position, Henry thought, it's time to clash!
It's a pity there were no war drums.
But pirate ships wouldn't have that kind of thing; pirates usually only fight stealthily.
Henry shouted:
"All archers, line up on the port side!"
The order was given, and the pirates immediately took action.
Benson, however, seemed to have some reservations and went down to the bottom of the cockpit:
"Boss, are you perhaps planning to launch a volley right now?"
"That's right!"
"But even the Black Goat, with its height advantage, couldn't hit us at that distance; it's twice the range of a regular longbow!"
"A regular bow simply won't do."
Henry chuckled softly.
"But the bow I prepared is not an ordinary bow."
Henry wasn't lying; those were all hundred-pound bows.
Moreover, these hundred-pound bows are also magical weapons.
Henry had been planning for today's naval battle for four months.
For the past four months, he has been using the Stargazer's enchanting magic every night to enchant these longbows.
However, Henry's mastery of this power is not yet proficient enough, so in order to increase the success rate, he only dares to bestow the simplest power upon the longbow.
Despite this, he only managed to convert all the longbows into magical weapons half a month ago.
He described these longbows as "lightweight," meaning they could conserve the energy a warrior would expend when using the weapon.
If Henry were to pray that every pirate could draw a hundred-pound bow, he might as well pray that every thief in the world would stay home and grow potatoes.
Having weapons but no one to use them is undoubtedly a waste of effort.
But with "lightweight" tools, one only needs fifty pounds of strength to draw a one-hundred-pound bow!
If a man at sea doesn't even have the strength of fifty pounds, he should go home and ask his wet nurse for some milk.
Benson was perhaps a good advisor, and he helped Henry a lot along the way.
Unfortunately, I never studied under a wise gentleman in a library, so I cannot see things from an "extraordinary" perspective.
Launching an attack at a distance where both sides can strike each other, the Soaring has no chance of winning.
At this distance, only seagulls can defecate on the heads of goats.
Henry also came to the fender to observe the movements on the Black Goat.
He saw a large number of people gathered at the edge of the other ship.
Henry immediately gave instructions:
"Nock the arrow, draw the bow, and release!"
He himself followed orders and then the Flying Star launched its first salvo.
Slender arrows shot out from the backs of seagulls, cutting through the howling sea breeze.
As it fell through the air in a beautiful arc, the metal arrowheads reflected the bright moonlight, making the arrowheads fall like a meteor shower above the black goat.
There were twenty-three people on board the Soaring.
Micoe steers the ship, Wall and Wilson control the sails, and one other person must remain on Raven's Nest as a jellyfish to monitor the movements of the entire sea area.
These four people are not allowed to leave their posts, so a total of nineteen people participated in the salvo.
"Hit!" Benson shouted. "Boss! We actually hit that monster at this distance!"
Henry frowned as he only managed to hit the target twice.
Henry saw a dark figure flip over the railing and fall into the sea. This person must die, but hopefully he can find the underwater temple.
The other person fell backward behind the fender, perhaps dying on the spot, or perhaps only wounded, and after treatment, able to return to the battlefield in a short time.
Therefore, the only confirmed effective kill was actually one person.
Henry had anticipated that the pirates were not very good at shooting, so he prepared five thousand arrows in advance.
I thought it would be more than enough, but in reality it was barely sufficient.
Considering that human physical strength is limited, even if it only takes fifty pounds of force, these shrimps cannot draw a hundred-pound bow indefinitely.
But the war has already begun, and no one can escape unscathed!
Henry numbly gave the order:
"Nock the arrow, draw the bow, and release!"
"Nock the arrow, draw the bow, and release!"
Two more volleys were fired, a total of thirty-eight arrows, but as long as three people were killed, it would be a huge profit for the Soaring Ship.
At this moment, Wilson, who was controlling the sails below the mainmast, loudly reported to Henry the message transmitted through the megaphone from the crow's nest:
"Boss, Jellyfish said they saw the people from the Black Goat gathered around the ship, and judging from their posture, they seem to be drawing their bows!"
Upon hearing this, Benson reminded him:
"The Black Goat is preparing to fight back!"
"Don't be afraid," Henry replied calmly, "their arrows can't reach us!"
For pirates, the bow and arrow were only used to suppress enemy resistance. If they wanted to plunder, they still had to take up weapons and fight the enemy in close combat.
Therefore, pirates rarely had skilled archers, and they certainly didn't prepare powerful crossbows.
Henry couldn't help but laugh at the Black Goat's futile counterattack.
This was exactly what he wanted; what he was worried about was that the pirates would hide under the deck.
Arrows that have traveled a long distance cannot penetrate wooden planks, thus rendering Henry's attrition tactics completely ineffective.
Henry ordered:
"Nock the arrow, draw the bow, and release!"
Arrows rained down, and just as the Black Goat was being volleyed with arrows, a barrage of arrows was also being fired from the ship.
Henry saw a blurry black dot streak across the sky before crashing into the water between seagulls and goats, without even creating a ripple.
Benson shouted excitedly, "Boss, we just hit at least five people! And the enemy's range couldn't even touch us. No, I should say the longbows you gave us were absolutely brilliant!"
Henry gripped the bow handle with his left hand, seized the long arrow with his right, then spread his arms wide and shouted:
"My little ones, I told you, I will lead you to write a legend!"
Then I will lead you to hell.
The pirates immediately cheered with joy:
"Berserker Henry!"
"Henry the Eagle!"
"I'm actually 'Liar Henry,'" Henry thought to himself, "and also 'Devil Henry.'"
He then said:
"Save the cheers and shouts for after complete victory. Now you should grip your bows and arrows tightly, like holding a woman's waist, and then shoot the enemy with precision!"
Henry seized the opening exposed by the opponent's counterattack and issued three more volley orders.
This resulted in considerable casualties, and the deck was filled with jubilation, cheering for the carnage.
However, the Black Goat quickly realized that their actions were just a waste of time and they were being attacked for nothing, so almost all the archers gathered around the ship withdrew.
Although the Flying Star had ample ammunition, it couldn't afford to waste it, not to mention that its physical strength was difficult to recover quickly.
Therefore, Henry ordered his crew to fire freely upon spotting the enemy.
Henry, however, had other things to do.
Perhaps sensing Henry's tactics, the Black Goat was making a desperate attempt to turn.
But Henry wouldn't let them have their way; if they boarded too early, the Soaring would only suffer a one-sided slaughter.
Despite its large size, the Black Goat was not slow.
With its four sails, the warship could easily catch up with the Soaring when the wind was favorable.
However, it also has its drawbacks.
The Black Goat has no oars; if it wants to turn, it can only rely on the current and the wind.
At this point, being large in size becomes a disadvantage.
In contrast, the small Aoxiang is much more agile.
Provided that Henry's command is error-free, the Black Goat and the Soaring will remain in this position until the end of the war.
Henry observed the enemy's movements and then gave the order:
"Help to port by 15 degrees, lower the jib by 1 degree, and lower the mainsail by half."
A sail is often made up of multiple canvases. "Lowering one" means lowering one canvas, and "lowering half" means lowering half a canvas.
If the command is "half lower", it means lowering the entire sail to half its position. For example, if a sail has three canvases, it means lowering it to one and a half positions.
After Miko, Wall, and Wilson completed their respective instructions, they reported back:
"About 15 degrees!"
"Lower the sail!"
"Lower the mainsail by half!"
The Black Goat attempted to turn left to catch up with the Soaring, so Henry also had to adjust his course.
But at this moment, the seagulls are with the wind, and in order to avoid losing their position due to excessive speed, the windward area of the two sails must be adjusted.
Henry stood behind the pirates, silent.
The sound of the waves was loud, but the pirates' voices as they told lewd jokes were even louder.
Smelling the salty air, Henry couldn't laugh, because he knew that soon he would smell the stench of blood.
The Black Goat was a large ship, with probably more than a hundred sailors on board.
There were only twenty-three people on board the Soaring.
Henry's tactical objective was to use long-range shooting to wear down the enemy's fighting strength, but arrows could not secure a decisive victory.
He understood that once his opponents suffered some losses, they would become more conservative, at which point Henry's tactics would be less effective.
If fifty enemies can be eliminated ahead of schedule, it will far exceed Henry's expectations. At that time, the fighting force on the Black Goat will still exceed fifty men.
In other words, even if Henry could defeat five people by himself, the remaining people would still have to fight two against one.
The chances of losing are undoubtedly greater, and the only outcome of failure is death!
Henry only hoped that the volley of arrows would terrify some of the pirates on the Black Goat, greatly reducing their fighting ability in boarding action, and giving the seagulls a better chance of winning.
He looked up at the sky, his thoughts wandering.
Moon stars are rare.
The people of the Kingdom of Judian worship a Lord whose name cannot be uttered. Those nourished by the sea believe that after death they can go to the underwater palace to seek the protection of the sea god, while stargazers believe that the stars in the sky are always watching over and blessing the creatures on land.
I lived on the continent of Ancent for six years, yet the blood of the ocean flows in my veins, and I have also learned the skills of a stargazer—
Henry thought to himself—
If I want to pray, to whom should I pray?
Maybe it will work with anyone, maybe it won't work with anyone.
Maybe……
"boom!"
A tremendous sound came, along with a strong tremor underfoot.
Henry instinctively grabbed the handrail on the dashboard, which saved him from falling.
He then came to his senses.
Henry saw that half of the sailors on deck had fallen, and one had slipped and fallen into the water.
He suddenly realized that the tremor he had just experienced was not an illusion!
What happened?
"What happened!" Henry shouted.
No one responded, and everyone fell into a daze.
After a long silence, Benson finally spoke in a trembling voice:
"Boss, boss, I... I think I saw something flying... flying over here!"
Henry turned to face the mast: "Ask the jellyfish!"
Wilson nodded and immediately began speaking into the microphone.
After a moment, Wilson said:
"Jelly said that the pirates on the Black Goat seem to have pushed something to the stern."
So what is it?
Just as Henry was about to ask a question, a huge shadow flashed past him.
Then...
"boom!"
The Soaring Spaceship began to vibrate again.
There was no need to ask further; Henry already knew what it was.
A huge, pointed arrow struck the deck between Henry and the mainmast, smashing nearby planks.
Fortunately, the personnel were all concentrated on the side of the ship, and no one was hit; otherwise, they would have been shot in two!
This giant arrow was so thick that it couldn't be held in two hands.
Henry was shocked and curious about what kind of magical behemoth could launch such arrows!
But there was no time for Henry to be surprised; he simply took a deep breath and calmed down.
Pirates have cold blood. Henry experienced countless naval battles from a young age, which enabled him to maintain emotional stability even in the most dangerous situations.
He quickly grasped the situation.
His original tactic was to use range to wear down the opponent and win, but if the opponent also had means to attack his side, his tactic would be tantamount to failure.
Moreover, the black goat's horns are far more ferocious than one might imagine!
The balance of power shifts rapidly.
The most urgent task is to avoid being hit again.
The black goat has found its shooting angle; if it stays in a fixed position, it will only become a target for the enemy.
Therefore, Henry ordered:
"Raise the mainsail to full height! Raise the jib to full height!"
"Raise all mainsails!"
"Raise the top sails!"
The Soaring Spaceship began to accelerate...
The next moment, Henry saw a huge arrow shoot into the sea a few feet behind the Soaring, splashing up a huge wave.
Henry's command was timely and correct.
This is why a ship needs a captain; while the shrimp are in disarray, as long as the octopus remains conscious, the ship can sail normally.
Henry still dared not let his guard down. Seagull had indeed dodged an arrow, but it would be foolish to believe that the enemy ship only had three rounds of ammunition.
The enemy is likely to predict the Soaring's route and then aim at the front of the Soaring, so the course needs to be adjusted!
"Right steer, 30 degrees!"
"Thirty degrees to the right!"
The Soaring began to turn, and Henry adjusted the angle of the two sails to match the wind direction.
At that moment, another giant arrow struck the sea area near the Soaring Ship.
Henry finally breathed a sigh of relief. From then on, he only needed to frequently adjust his course, and at least he wouldn't be hit so easily like the first two times...
Ok?
and many more!
twice?!!
Henry clearly felt two massive tremors on the Soaring, one of which he witnessed firsthand as a giant arrow pierced the deck in front of him.
But what about the last one?
Henry didn't see any other marks of impact on the deck...
Could it be?!
Henry hurriedly ordered, "Benson! Quick, go check inside the cabin!"
The battle was raging, and Benson's expression clearly showed that he was somewhat confused by Henry's orders.
But he immediately took action and ran towards the stairwell.
A moment later, Benson returned to the deck.
Benson looked terrified, moved frantically, and spoke with despair:
"Something's wrong! Boss! The cabin..."
"It's flooded!"