Chapter 485: Reinforcements

“You are all brave samurai, but now is not the time,” Sakai said, his eyes burning with fanaticism.

However, he understood that war could not be won by courage alone, especially against the Dutch army. He clearly knew that the matchlock musket was no match for the flintlock musket on the battlefield. To win, they had to rely on numbers.

But now, with Great Yu soldiers arriving, even that advantage was lost. To increase their chances, he could only hope for more reinforcements.

“When will they arrive?” a samurai asked.

After a pause, Sakai said, “When Makino Haruaki’s men arrive, we will come out to fight.”

“Makino Haruaki?”

The samurai fell silent. Among the pirates, Makino Haruaki’s name was known by all.

Under his command, his pirates raided many coastal cities of Great Yu, accumulating the richest loot among all pirates. His samurai were notorious for their ferocity.

In every raid, these samurai inflicted heavy casualties on Great Yu soldiers, striking fear in them. Most importantly, Makino Haruaki commanded a 5,000-strong musketeer unit, giving them a numerical advantage.

Mentioning Makino Haruaki, the samurai no longer objected, as he was one of the country’s finest warriors, and they all held him in respect.

“Five days ago, Makino Haruaki sent me word. According to his plan, they should reach the Ryukyu main island in the next two days,” Sakai said, his gaze toward the eastern sea.

Just as expected, a fleet of thirty Atake ships sailed toward the Ryukyu main island. Standing on the lead ship was a middle-aged samurai in armor—Makino Haruaki himself.

After receiving the order to capture the Ryukyu main island, he led the warships to join Sakai.

“Lord Makino, the Ryukyu coast is ahead,” a soldier pointed toward the visible shore.

Makino Haruaki smiled arrogantly. “Ryukyu will soon be ours.”

Just then, a soldier pointed south, “Lord Makino, Dutch warships!”

“What!” Makino Haruaki turned to look south. Indeed, three warships approached them, indistinguishable from Dutch ships. But upon seeing their flags, he shook his head, “These aren’t Dutch ships. They are Great Yu ships.”

Sakai had already told him about Qingzhou’s Qi Wang, so he immediately recognized the flags.

“Do not engage them. Speed up and head for shore. At sea, we can’t match their power,” Makino Haruaki ordered.

Following his command, the Atake ships accelerated toward the Ryukyu coast.

On the opposing three warships, Yue Yun ordered to stop these ships from landing on Ryukyu.

Though combined with the Dutch fleet, they had over twenty ships, these were scattered on patrol, usually in groups of three near the area. But Yue Yun soon discovered a group of Japanese pirates trying to reinforce the Ryukyu main island.

“Destroy them!” Yue Yun commanded.

The three third-rate warships sped toward the pirate ships. Surprisingly, these pirates seemed unwilling to fight but rushed straight for shore.

The lead pirate ship was less than a mile from shore, which made Yue Yun anxious. Three warships obviously couldn’t destroy such a large pirate fleet at once.

The pirate ships recklessly rushed shoreward, closing distance with Yue Yun’s fleet. Suddenly, six pirate ships broke off and headed straight for Yue Yun’s ships.

“General, ships are approaching!” a lookout shouted.

“Ignore them. Fire on the ships heading for shore,” Yue Yun said, observing with his telescope.

These six ships were escorts, lightly crewed, unlike the other Atake ships loaded with soldiers. The pirates sent these to block attacks on the leading ships.

Seeing through their purpose, Yue Yun ordered his fleet closer to shore. The first pirate ship had landed, and pirates were rushing into the island.

Growing anxious, Yue Yun knew more pirates on the island meant worse conditions for Qingzhou troops. When in range, he ordered the warships to open fire.

Boom boom boom…

Cannonballs flew toward the landing ships, causing screams and chaos.

Many pirates were blasted off their ships into the sea. The three warships fired continuously, each volley shooting over a hundred cannonballs.

The pirates on the ships could not resist. They desperately pushed the ships toward shore; some even jumped into the sea to swim.

As bombardment continued, more pirate ships landed, flooding the island with pirates. They suffered heavy casualties—hundreds died on the ships under the continuous fire.

Seeing most pirates had landed, Yue Yun grew frustrated. They discovered the landing too late; otherwise, so many pirates wouldn’t have made it ashore.

But fate was set. Yue Yun decided to return and inform the Prince Qi

Watching six landing ships still approaching, Yue Yun ordered a retreat. Though not afraid, it would be troublesome to fight so close to shore. He needed to lead more warships back and deliver the news.

As the bell tolled, the three warships sailed toward Fort Zeelandia. After an hour, they reached White Seagull Beach, where Yue Yun sent men ashore to notify Xiao Ming of about five thousand pirates landing.

Then he regrouped with other warships and headed back the way they came. Since the pirates were here, they would not be allowed to leave.

Outside Michira Castle, Xiao Ming and Claire quickly received Yue Yun’s report.

“Five thousand,” Claire’s expression turned serious. The number of pirates had increased, meaning a higher price to take Michira Castle.

Most importantly, they didn’t know where these pirates had scattered or when and where they would strike.

“Lu Fei, send scouts immediately to patrol and prevent ambushes,” Xiao Ming ordered.

The war had begun!