ashore.
When Kyogoku Takamasa and others walked to the shore and saw the scene on the lake, they couldn't help but sweat for the people on the merchant ship.
After all, they were surrounded by nearly ten ships. It looked like everyone on the merchant ship was in danger.
However, just when Kyogoku Takamasa frowned and said nothing, Tsunachika Kaiboku suddenly walked up to Kyogoku Takamasa and said with a smile: "My lord, do you think that the people on the merchant ship are helpless?"
"That's not necessarily the case!"
Tsunahime Kaiboku pretended to be mysterious and said: "These water thieves have been surrounding this merchant ship for nearly half an hour. Apart from leaving a few corpses behind, they have been unable to board the merchant ship. I think there are capable people on this merchant ship!" "
"oh?"
This actually made Kyogoku Takamasa curious.
"Do you know the owner of this merchant ship?"
"Although the merchant ship is flying the flag of the merchant house, it is too far away to see clearly, so I don't know which merchant house the merchant ship belongs to." Tsunachika Kaiboku said helplessly.
Kyogoku Takamasa carefully looked at the situation on the sea. As expected, it was just as Tsunachika Kaiboku said. Although it was surrounded by seven or eight ships, the merchant ships did not flee. Instead, they docked in place, ready to go. The water thief didn't dare to get close at all.
Apparently he was scared of being beaten.
"interesting!"
"If this battle ends and the people on the merchant ship are still alive, I really want to see who can gain the upper hand against so many water thieves!"
Haibei Tsuna nods quickly and says: "I am dissatisfied with my lord, that's what I think in my heart."
"Besides, isn't my family short of a navy army now? The most important thing to form a navy army is naturally the talents who are familiar with water warfare!"
"If we can take this person under our command, wouldn't it be impossible to build a navy army?"
Hearing Kaiboku Tsunachika's words, Kyogoku Takamasa suddenly felt enlightened.
"Haha, yes, this is the navy general bestowed upon me by God!"
"No, we can't just sit here. Immediately mobilize the merchant ships docked in the castle town and organize those who dare to die to rescue!"
Although the Kyogoku family does not have a naval force, there are many merchant ships docked at the port outside Imamahama Castle. If these merchant ships can be utilized, they can still fight.
"Don't worry, my lord, I have sent people to inform Matsunaga-sama and Yoneda Sonrokuro. I believe it won't be long before a ship leaves the port."
Hearing this, Kyogoku Takamasa reluctantly relaxed and continued to concentrate on watching the battle on the lake.
...
On the lake.
Seeing that his men were frightened by the merchant ship and did not dare to board the ship, Nomura Jiro, who was sitting at the rear, couldn't help it.
"You're a bunch of bastards. I feed you with good food and drink on weekdays, but you can help me at critical moments. I'll see if I don't take care of you when I get back!"
Nomura Jiro was obviously very angry.
"Set the boat, get on board, and I will take action myself!"
"I still don't believe it. There is a boat in Lake Biwa that I, Jiro Nomura, can't handle!"
Seeing that the leader had spoken, several other water thieves holding wooden oars quickly began to row in the direction of the merchant ship.
The speed of the boat was very fast, and it soon arrived near the merchant ship.
When the bow of the boat approached the merchant ship, Nomura Jiro jumped directly onto the merchant ship.
Seeing that Nomura Jiro had already boarded, the other boats around them quickly pretended to be brave and boarded from all sides of the merchant ship.
The merchant ship is a two-story ship, somewhat similar to a seki ship, but not as big as a warship.
There were several people on the merchant ship armed with various weapons. They should be dressed as boatmen and caravan guards, but the leader was a tall woman with a handsome face.
On the second floor of the merchant ship, there were four or five injured men slumped on the deck. It was obvious that not only Nomura had suffered casualties in the battle just now, but the merchant ship was no exception.
A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties was leading a teenage boy to stop the bleeding of the injured person.
"Don't panic, everyone. The Kyogoku family warriors on the shore have discovered the situation here and will definitely send people to support us. As long as we hold on for a while, reinforcements will arrive!"
"Hahahaha, the Kyogoku family has no water army, how can they get support!"
"I advise you to surrender as soon as possible. For the sake of your good looks, I can spare your life. But you have to go back with me tonight. I will let you taste the joy of being a woman!"
"Ah ha ha ha ha!" Jiro Nomura's words made the water thieves around him burst into laughter.
Listening to the dirty words in Nomura Jiro's mouth, the woman's face was suddenly filled with anger.
In an instant, she opened her bow and nocked an arrow. There was a sound of breaking through the air, and an arrow had already flown out of the woman's hand.
Nomura Jiro's expression changed, and he quickly turned his head. The arrow passed by Nomura Jiro, but it hit a water thief standing behind Nomura Jiro.
The water thief immediately let out a scream, then slowly fell down while holding his chest.
The water thieves wore ordinary linen clothes, which had no protection at all. Once the arrow hit, as long as it hit the vital point, they basically lost their combat effectiveness.
And this unlucky water thief was shot in the chest, blood immediately flowed all over the floor, and he might never be able to stand up again.
Seeing that the other party dared to fight back and almost shot himself, Nomura Jiro lost all his patience.
"court death!"
"Come here, kill them all!"
"Kill!"
Nomura Jiro gave an order, and more than twenty water thieves around him immediately began to rush towards the people on the boat.
Faced with a large number of water thieves, it is false that the people on the merchant ship did not panic.
Except for a man holding a nodachi among the few people, the others were all merchant shipmen. I had never seen such a battle before, but they relied on a little courage and blood to support the battle.
But at this moment, seeing that the water thieves had boarded the merchant ship, the defensive line in his heart was suddenly broken.
"ah!"
"Don't kill me, no..."
The boatmen were no match for the water thieves. Within a few breaths, two boatmen fell into a pool of blood.
The woman gritted her teeth, then threw the long bow on the ground, picked up a bamboo gun leaning on the boat and rushed out.
A water thief was caught off guard and stabbed in the lower abdomen. Before the water thief could react, the man holding a nodachi beside the woman chopped off the water thief's head with a single blow.
"Boss, go back, I'm here!"
The man was originally a wild samurai, and was hired by the woman a few days ago to protect the caravan. As long as he arrived at Imahama Castle, he could get a hiring fee of 500 wen.
But now he was about to reach his destination, but he encountered a water thief, which made the man feel very pained.
He wanted to escape, but he couldn't swim. More importantly, these vicious water thieves would not just sit back and watch the people on the boat escape.
Then we can only stand up and fight.
Wild warriors also have dignity!
"Junshiro, be careful!"
The wild samurai named Junshiro just turned around and said something to the woman. Before he could turn around, the woman let out an exclamation.
Junshiro secretly screamed, but before Junshiro could turn his head, a bloody knife tip had already passed through his chest.
"You...you are despicable, you...actually attacked!" Junshiro stared at Nomura Jiro who appeared behind him with wide eyes.
"Hahaha, despicable?!" Nomura Jiro laughed as if he heard something funny, "We are water thieves, how can we say water thieves are despicable?"
"Resign yourself to your fate......Pfft!"
Nomura Jiro's words suddenly stopped, and then a mouthful of blood spurted out from his mouth.
"You talk too much!"
A strong voice sounded in Nomura Jiro's ears. The last moment he closed his eyes, Nomura Jiro saw a middle-aged man dressed in black.
This is Hei Wuchang who came to claim his life...
