Chapter 307: Chapter 307

Pei Shu’er tied up the Dazi again, more securely than before.

"You brought this on yourself."

The soldier led the person back up the mountain and tied him to a large tree alongside the other Dazi.

It wasn’t that they were reluctant to kill them, but keeping them alive provided a contingency for emergencies or to relay messages if necessary.

Once on the mountain, the person became utterly dejected, spending days enduring the torment of pain while gagged, only able to emit muffled cries of agony.

At this critical moment, 20 tons of coal had been extracted.

Seeing the low efficiency of the workers, Pei Shu’er also started digging alongside them.

She occasionally used Space Power to make cuts, but not entirely, leaving some connections to make it easier for others to extract.

She did it discreetly, and no one noticed; the soldiers even thought the coal was naturally soft.

The extracted coal was carried onto the ships, filling one after another, as they were loading the last ship with coal.

The Dazi civilians arrived.

A dense crowd of Dazi charged up the mountain, carrying tools and looking ferocious.

These tall and strong Dazi numbered about two thousand.

Even though they weren’t military personnel, the Dazi were naturally warlike, each having exceptional physical strength.

They realized something was amiss here, as sounds were still coming from this place after so many days.

The earlier statements by the Dazi man weren’t fully conveyed, deliberately leaving things for others to speculate.

The soldiers held daggers to the captured Dazi’s throats.

"If you dare take a step forward, we’ll kill them."

This made the Dazi’s expressions grim, but since they were their relatives and townsfolk, no one stepped forward.

Pei Shu’er promised, "Rest assured, as long as you let us leave, we will not harm them."

These mountains were unclaimed territory. Coming here to mine didn’t technically offend anyone.

But the Dazi and Dayan already had some animosity due to border skirmishes, naturally unwilling to let them go.

These ten ships represented twenty tons of coal, plus the food inside, and the ships themselves were valuable assets.

A long spear thrown by a Dazi flew towards Pei Shu’er’s face.

Pei Shu’er sidestepped to dodge it, simultaneously pulling out a crossbow and shooting at the spear-throwing Dazi.

The Dazi fell in response, and Tang Zan also drew a crossbow arrow, aiming and shooting at another person who seemed to be in charge.

Once the leader fell, the other Dazi charged forward madly.

However, it was clear they were less organized than before.

The crossbow arrows had a very limited range, and archers took out their bows to shoot at the Dazi. Some Dazi died, but more kept coming.

They shouted angrily, faces full of provoked fury.

"Weak Dayan people dare to challenge our dignity!"

"Kill the Dayan weaklings to vent our anger!"

"Leave the coal, leave the ships, or prepare to die!"

In the past, this would have been an unwinnable war.

After all, how could the Dayan weaklings possibly be their opponents?

Pei Shu’er took out a gun, and Tang Zan also had a gun, using it when the enemies were beyond shooting range.

Some Dazi had already boarded the larger ships, engaging in combat with the soldiers.

Faced with the bear-like hulking figures, the Dayan soldiers were overcome with fear, looking at the increasing number of Dazi boarding the ship with eyes filled with terror.

They remembered the fear of being slaughtered by the Dazi.

When a Dazi raised their weapon to strike at a soldier, a Dazi had its head blown apart, splattering blood over the soldiers’ faces.

More and more enemies were shot down, giving the soldiers some confidence to charge forward against the Dazi.

Xuan Liu announced at this moment, "Master, the ships are fully loaded."

Tang Zan ordered, "Set sail."

The ships began to move immediately.

The Dazi who had boarded the ship remained on board, attempting to seize control, fighting valiantly.

These Dazi weren’t ten times stronger than others but could surely take on three at once.

Especially when facing the poorly nourished and clothed Gulan Soldiers.

Currently, each ship carried around 100 soldiers. On the first few departing ships, only around ten Dazi managed to board.

However, on the ships sailing later, almost 50-80 Dazi were on board.

There was no way to fight them off.

Yet, even on the leading ships, though there were only ten Dazi,

those Dazi exuded a formidable presence, forcing the hundred Dayan Soldiers to retreat repeatedly.

Over the years, they had been terrified by the Dazi.

The fear of the Dazi was deeply imprinted in their souls. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩

They dared not fight even against these ten Dazi.

Meanwhile, the subordinates under Tang Zan’s Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion formed a stark contrast with the soldiers.

Their skills were exceedingly superior, far beyond what these Dazi could match.

So when the Dazi charged, they engaged in combat with them.

Even though these Dazi were hard to kill with stronger combat instincts, without unified commands, they were just slightly stronger scattered forces.

Thankfully, each ship had Tang Zan’s subordinates, preventing a complete collapse.

Observing the situation, Pei Shu’er found it intolerable.

"Everyone, don’t be afraid. The Dazi are merely flesh and blood, they too can be injured and can die. Just use the skills you practice regularly."

"We, the Dayan men, are no less than the Dazi!"

"If any of you get hurt, I will do everything in my power to heal you."

Tang Zan stated, "Anyone retreating from the front five ships will be executed without mercy."

Encouraged by Pei Shu’er’s assurance and urged forward by Tang Zan’s command, everyone pressed on.

Tang Zan pointed to the last five ships.

"The soldiers on the last five ships, return to the cabin, close the door, and buy us some time."

The people on the last five ships obediently retreated into the cabin, sealing the thick, seldom-used cabin door.

At the moment the cabin door closed, the Dazi hesitated for a moment before running towards the cabin.

They began smashing the cabin door with their weapons, causing the door to pound and the entire ship to shake slightly.

The soldiers inside the cabin turned pale, feeling doomed.

Outside were seventy to eighty savage Dazi, armed with axes and similar tools. If they continued hacking at the door, it was bound to break.

Some younger soldiers started crying in fear.

"I don’t want to die yet."

No one wanted to die either; no one had anticipated facing this on their way back.

The soldiers inside feared for their lives, while the Dazi outside were furious.

No matter how much force they exerted, they barely managed to leave tiny scratches on the door.

Several axe blades dulled from their efforts, yet they couldn’t break the door.

The soldiers inside paused momentarily when they overheard the Dazi’s foul language outside.

"The Dazi said they can’t break through... They’re going to seize the control room."