Chapter 886: Attack
Solomon Strait.
As a major transportation route, there was constantly a large number of ships from the East and West anchored here.
Towering forts, as well as permanent defensive structures, built on the unbreakable prestige of this place, giving the residents and merchants a great sense of security.
However, their local governor, Viscount Quaid, from Ettoman was clearly feeling ill at ease.
He was undoubtedly aware of the dispatch of the navy’s main forces against the pirates.
In order to accomplish the entire task in one stroke, Admiral Philip not only transferred Rear Admiral Jackson away, but he also brought all the ironclads with him.
This resulted in the depletion of naval power protecting Solomon, and it was at an all-time low.
Of course, in the eyes of Admiral Philip, the presence of the defensive structures and the remaining vessels in the vicinity were enough to ensure that no mishaps would happen. Additionally, he was watching closely over the navy’s main forces.
In most cases, this should have been how things turned out.
However, life was only interesting because of unexpected incidents, and Viscount Quaid was certainly hoping that he would not have to face any unexpected incidents now.
On the hillside beside the port, inside the governor’s mansion.
Elizabeth was wearing a noblewoman’s dress and holding on to an exquisite porcelain teacup. There were also a few honey cream pastries fresh out of the oven in front of her.
“Thank Goddess… I’m finally back!”
She took a small sip of tea, and the warm and sweet taste convinced her that she had finally broken free of that nightmare with pirates and successfully returned to her close ones.
“Miss, Master wants you to change into this attire and attend the banquet. Many young and handsome men wish to meet you there…”
An elderly lady walked over and opened a delicate gift box that had an exquisite gown inside.
“No!”
Feeling slightly infuriated again, Elizabeth opened up her fan and started fanning herself.
Evidently, her marriage with Viscount Charlie had basically come to nothing.
He was the offspring of a famous family, so there was a low chance that he would accept a woman with a damaged reputation. Even though she had not suffered any substantial damage, reputation was often more important than reality.
Viscount Quaid had already warned his daughter about this, which was why he simply expressed his attitude toward this incident directly.
Even though it was unlikely for the other families to be well-matched in terms of social status, men from less prestigious families were still within consideration.
At the thought of the recent matchmaking misfortunes and the disdainful gazes from those young men, Elizabeth felt as though she had a knife stabbed into her.
“But Miss, this is Master’s orders. You have to…” The elderly lady was in a slightly difficult position.
“I already said… no!!” Elizabeth emphasized her words, feeling incredibly oppressed. She walked over to the balcony to gaze at the ocean and took a deep breath.
“My daughter!” Viscount Quaid, who was wearing a wig as well as a dignified and carefully selected attire, arrived behind Elizabeth.
“I don’t understand… Why are you doing this, Father?” Elizabeth did not hold back.
“I want to let you know that I love you more than anyone else in the world!” Viscount Quaid sighed. “However, it’s essentially impossible for your marriage with that Viscount to take place any longer. He’s turned into a joke because of everything that happened during this period… Those damned pirates! I hope Admiral Philip can hang them all! Oh! I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have told you all of this.”
“No, I want to know if that pirate, Arcane Trickster Roche, became the Pirate King? And Admiral Philip actually brought away all of the main forces in Solomon just to deal with him?” Elizabeth looked at her father intently.
“Those are military secrets… How did you find out?” Viscount Quaid was shocked.
“I have my sources!” Elizabeth smiled sly, just like a crafty fox. “When that Roche is sentenced to death, I have to be there to watch…”
“Your wish will come true. Admiral Philip is one of the renowned admirals of our country, and with fifty ironclads, we have an unstoppable force at sea…” Viscount Quaid said pridefully. “I believe… it won’t be long before you hear the good news.”
“I hope so!” Unknowingly, Elizabeth felt a little uneasy
How could that savage and astute pirate be defeated so easily? She was not feeling confident about this at all.
“Governor, latest update!” Suddenly, hurried footsteps entered the bedroom. “I’m sorry, Governor, but you ordered me to inform you immediately upon the latest military intelligence.”
“Yes, I did… Speak!” Viscount Quaid patted Elizabeth’s shoulder. “My precious girl, here comes the good news.”
“Cough cough…” The messenger unrolled a scroll. “… April 1st, we faced the main forces of the pirates. The navy’s brave lads fought hard, but the enemy shamelessly made use of naval mines, causing us to lose Fearless, Lion, Knights of the Round Table… Admiral Philip died heroically in battle, while Vice Admiral Norton led the remaining ten ironclads to retreat. They will arrive at Solomon Strait on the 7th. They’re hoping for the local governor to assist them…”
“What… No!” Viscount Quaid felt distraught. “By the Queen, are you joking? Those are the elites of our country. Fifty new-model ironclads and tens of thousands of marines…”
“I’m sorry… but this is the truth!” The messenger handed the scroll over.
“God…” After taking a quick glance, the governor almost passed out.
“Father, we need to make preparations immediately. We have to gather our supplies and ships! Ships are important because we might need to escape with Vice Admiral Norton…” Elizabeth immediately said.
“Escape? From Solomon Strait? No way! I am the governor…” Viscount Quaid was somewhat absent-minded.
Regardless of how meticulous his plans were, he was completely at a loss facing an incident like this.
“Yes, we must escape! After a huge loss like this, our country’s naval power is badly damaged, so Ettoman will definitely choose to pull back for now…” Elizabeth said confidently.
The nurturing of a navy and constructing ships were only two aspects.
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Most importantly, there had to be capable sailors. Without four or five years, it would be extremely difficult to train them properly.
This defeat practically hollowed out the navy’s foundations, and it would not be easy to breathe after this.
At the thought of this, Viscount Quaid immediately made his decision. “Send my orders. All ports are to enter first-level alert… Also, get ready to evacuate…”
…
Roar! Roar!
A thunderous roar resounded.
A black spot appeared and became larger by the second. Soon after, it turned into a massive floating island.
Pirate King City, Island Turtle King!
Its speed was extremely pathetic, as it could not even reach ten knots, and was unusable in battle. It was currently moving toward Solomon Strait.
Bit by bit, it moved extremely slowly, but it contained an unswerving force!
“It’s the pirates! Attack!”
A few defensive forts immediately spotted it and opened fired.
Kaboom!
Cannonballs landed and exploded on the island, but given its impressive size, it was basically no different from getting bit by a mosquito.
This was also Fang Yuan’s one of arrangements.
Given the Island Turtle King’s pathetic speed, it would not stand a chance against any pirate ship even with its impeccable defense. However, using it to attack a fixed target proved to be a successful strategy.
Even though the defensive capabilities of Solomon Strait’s forts were impressive, their biggest shortcoming was that they were immobile.
Additionally, the ironclads stationed here had all been transferred out, so Solomon Straight was at its weakest.
Roar! Roar!
The Island Turtle King disregarded the cannon fire while roaring and using its front limbs to attack the island.
Rumble!
When its head clashed against the island, heavy boulders fell from the sky like meteorites to destroy all of the defensive structures.
“Ahh!”
“Sea Monster!”
“Quickly escape!”
“Why does it look like there’s a city on the back of this giant sea monster?”
The ports in Solomon Straight immediately fell into disarray.
They had never imagined a sea monster could be as ridiculously big as this.
Soon later, they could not even bother thinking about any of this.
Because the moment the Island Turtle King reached land, a large number of ropes and slides were released from its back. Pirates flooded the ports like ants within seconds.
Bang! Bang!
Gunfire, swords clashing, and the desperate cries of men and women formed a symphony for Solomon’s end.
“Men! Bring Elizabeth away!”
When Governor Quaid saw a pirate heading toward the governor’s mansion, his face turned pale immediately.
“Hurry… Go!”
Elizabeth lifted her dress and grabbed her father’s palm. Under the protection of the guards, they fled from the governor’s mansion and ran toward the back of the mountain.
“Why? Why? Why?”
As they escaped, tears rolled down Elizabeth’s cheeks.
She realized that she would never be able to escape from that nightmare.
“We can’t head to the port, but I prepared a ship on another side…” Viscount Quaid calmed himself down. “The captain is my good friend. Elizabeth, go find him and immediately leave!”
“Father, what about you?”
Elizabeth pulled on Viscount Quaid’s sleeves.
“I am Ettoman’s local governor, so I must do what I have to do… Moreover… Vice Admiral Norton doesn’t know about this incident yet, and he’s still heading here thinking that it’s safe!”
Up until now, he was still unconvinced that those pirates had attained a grand victory unprecedented in history.
Furthermore, they even split their forces into two. From the very beginning of the war, they had already sent this Island Turtle King to cut off Ettoman’s retreat route!
Without any doubt, the Ettoman Royal Navy was currently in its most perilous situation ever!