CHAPTER 305: CHAPTER 219: UNWORTHY TO COMPARE WITH THE MASTER! _2

The samurai of the Houjou family had become completely deaf and blind, leaving Shimoda Harbor and the docks as the turf of the Wanjin people. Soon, a large number of dock laborers slipped into the ranks of the Wanjin, boarding Wanjin merchant ships to receive weapons. Considering that reinforcements were as crucial as putting out a fire, some merchant ships, short on time to unload cargo, simply tossed their heavy, clumsy goods overboard to lighten the ship and pick up speed.

Afterwards, as soon as these merchant ships were ready, they immediately clustered into tight groups, one after another dashing toward the open sea.

This sparked another round of amazed discussion among the Houjou family samurai. They felt that the Wanjin merchant ships were surprisingly well-trained, at least keeping proper battle formation and order—unlike what they’d imagined, where they’d all swarm out in chaos, likely crashing into one another and sinking a few by their own hand.

Well, nearly all of the Wanjin masters had worked for Harano before, and all had spent time laboring in the "State-Owned Factory." As a technical man, Harano deeply valued discipline during production. These Wanjin masters were no longer commoners in the usual sense—their manner lacked that loose, careless attitude so common among agricultural workers.

Now, this very trait was proving its worth. The Wanjin masters banded together instinctively, tacitly assuming one as a leader, keeping a disciplined lineup, obeying orders, and acting as their leader directed.

This kind of performance from the Wanjin made Kasahara Yasuhisa and the others even more confident in Harano.

Of course, it wasn’t that they expected Harano to win—but if the merchant ships were willing to join the fight, they’d inflict more losses on the Mizuno family and the Satomi pirates. For every bit more damage the Wanjin gave the Satomi navy, that was one more gain for them.

Some of the Houjou samurai even began to scold Harano, thinking that after realizing the Satomi navy was coming, he shouldn’t have chosen to meet the enemy on the open sea. He should’ve stayed close to the bay, organized the merchant ships, and formed up before heading out to fight—at least that way they’d lose with a bit of dignity. In their eyes, merchant ships didn’t have much combat power; they were clumsy to maneuver, terribly vulnerable to fire attacks, and even in boarding actions, common sailors were no match for pirates.

Even so, Harano could’ve still used those merchant ships as shields. Any counterattack, no matter how small, might cause the pirates some losses—leaving them out of the battle altogether made no sense, at least to the Houjou samurai.

......

The chaos at the docks may sound like a long story, but in reality it only lasted about ten minutes or so. Wanjin merchant ships had already begun moving toward the open sea—otherwise, there wouldn’t have been ships hurriedly dumping heavy cargo just to save precious minutes.

In a naval battle, ten minutes is nothing. The "Chita" could manage a top speed of only six knots, while a standard Great Anzai Ship like the "Dragon King" could do maybe eight or nine. And it’s not as if the two sides were heading directly for each other—one chased, one fled—ten minutes passed, and they’d still be within visual range, easily visible from the high watchtowers.

Of course, all this was because neither the "Chita" nor the "Dragon King" was running at full speed. The rowers’ stamina was limited; they couldn’t just go full throttle all the time. Maintaining top speed nonstop would make them run out of gas before any real maneuvering was needed for battle.

At the same time, Mizuno Shichiro had no intention of ordering the "Dragon King" or the hundred-head pirate force to shake off the "Chita." He was here to drive off Harano, not to make a complete fool of himself by escaping outright.

With the superior speed of the "Dragon King," he led the Wanjin navy in an arc—never straying far from Shimoda Port. Then, once in position, he immediately gave the command: accelerate and turn. The "Dragon King" and the rest of the hundred-head pirate fleet swung their prows toward the "Chita," preparing to block its way.

As long as they could stop the Wanjin navy, the hundred-head pirates, with the "Dragon King" at the center, would become a rock-hard "anvil." Meanwhile, the bands from Boushu, Joushu, Soushu—all aboard their nimble kobaya boats—had circled around, cutting into the Wanjin navy’s rear upwind, now switching to both sail and oar, accelerating furiously for the kill. This was a full display of the Mizuno family’s ability to dominate their local seas.

Back in the day, the Mizuno family had burned the Houjou navy to ashes with this very "anal attack" tactic. There was no reason to think the Wanjin navy would be any exception.

Mizuno Shichiro stood on the "Dragon King"’s deckhouse, supremely pleased with himself, grinning to the attendant samurai on either side: "I heard even the Imagawa family couldn’t take down the Harano family in years past. Look now—Harano Saburou is nothing special."

He’d been unsure of the Wanjin navy and Harano’s methods at first. Anyone daring to dash into the Izu sea for territory had to have some skill, so he’d kept a cautious mind. But it turned out Harano hadn’t even bothered with more complex ship maneuvers—just blundered right into the trap, as stupid as a deer in headlights, ready to be grabbed by the throat.

Pathetic—absolutely pathetic. The Harano family must be green at sea; odds are they haven’t even learned to swim and already want to try sea trade—ripe sheep, prime for the slaughter.

The Mizuno family’s attendant samurai all shared the sentiment. One quickly chimed in: "Harano Saburou’s a nobody, never worthy to be compared with you, my lord!"

Mizuno Shichiro nodded slightly, smiling as he spared a look of appreciation for the attendant. It was true, after all—on land he might not say, but at sea, he could trounce ten Haranos by himself, no problem.

Another attendant, seeing his companion score points, took a different tack: "My lord, I hear the Imagawa navy now lets Harano’s ships sail through Qingshui Bay and Shimizu. Maybe that means they’re even weaker than the Harano family. When we’re done here, perhaps you could take us on a run through Jumogawa Bay. I hear it’s quite rich there, lots of merchant ships."

"You’re absolutely right!" Mizuno Shichiro nodded again, feeling there was something to that. He mused secretly: The Imagawa family truly seemed to be sliding downhill by the day. Even their old allies, the Matsudaira, had turned on them. Annexing Imagawa’s waters as well might not be impossible after all.

Already thinking about future strategy, he was lost in thought when suddenly there was a small cry of alarm. He quickly looked up to find the "Chita" had drawn close—the two sides were only three or four li apart. Meanwhile, the Wanjin navy’s formation had shifted. The medium and small warships that had guarded the "Chita" were now splitting to the left and right, fleeing to either side. Only the "Chita" held its course, charging head-on at the "Dragon King" as if trying to ram it and send it to the bottom.

What on earth?

Kinoshita Shichiro was an old salt. He’d fought dozens of sea and naval battles large and small, but even he was baffled. The kobaya boats behind were just about to catch up with the Wanjin navy—for the "Chita"’s escort ships to flee now was to leave the "Chita" to be surrounded, wasn’t it?

Were they so frightened that they’d abandoned both their flagship and their family head? Or was it that Harano Saburou wasn’t even aboard the fancy ship? But even if he wasn’t, if the biggest core vessel was captured or sunk, surely the Harano family would still lose?

Kinoshita Shichiro was wracked with doubt, unable to make sense of it, when suddenly, from the "Chita," there erupted a huge gush of white smoke. More than ten "iron rods" trailed thick white smoke through the air, arching straight for the "Dragon King."