Madam Zheng had planned for her own forces to be able to push back the Vesper forces especially given that they had been conserving their power ever since they had started their retreat. It was a bonus that the ones that were in charge of the perimeter to hold back the Forever Pirates were nowhere near the strength required to do such a thing. Even with the most talented general Zheng He with them, they would be hard-pressed to deal any massive blows to the full force of one of the if not the most powerful naval faction within the Chinese Faction.

The battle began and continued on for days, every day even more grueling and bloodier than the last. Zheng Jing and the other elders had managed to push back the Vesper’s back to where they were previously with the islands still in Vesper’s hands. This was where it got interesting. It appeared that the plan to trap some of the important figures under Zheng He to the predetermined island was a success. 20 elders, the Great Elder, and even the mysterious lady had gone to the island.

The First led a huge battalion of ships to conquer the region around the island while making sure that they did not get too close to the island yet. Then, he set up the trap that he had set up before. Since this was the island that he had tried to defend before, the sea mines were still set up and he changed the sea mines from inactive to active and floating around all willy nilly on top of the waters. For now, this would act as something that would keep the enemy fleets here on this island without having to focus too much of their forces on keeping them here.

Meanwhile, Madam Zheng was still fighting Zheng he and actually managing to get the upper hand in this situation. Zheng He was at a disadvantage since he did not have many of his personal fleets here with him. However, he was a crafty man, and there would be no way that even with these odds, he would lose so quickly.

He had called for reinforcements long ago, but that would take a while as they were all separated. For now, the only thing that he could do was keep ceding the land that he had conquered slowly. With the way that the pirates were pushing him, he wasn’t too sure he would be able to successfully push them back without using his hidden ace.

The situation for both sides was now becoming clearer and clearer. Madam Zheng with her help was able to deal a massive amount of damage to Zheng He’s forces as he was still waiting for reinforcements. Not to mention that some of his best were trapped on an island somewhere he did not have time to go at the moment. Though he was taking huge losses, Zheng He still managed to hold on by sacrificing some of his most powerful elite guards. This battle wasn’t completely going in his favor, but he was still able to take down any elite guards and elders that had come to try and take his head. A significant blow to any faction.

Finally, he had had enough. He ordered a full-scale retreat which included abandoning some of the islands that housed some of his carriers. Zheng He had taught his crew that should they ever be about to be lost to the enemy, to never forget to lose their policy to destroy anything that the enemy could use against them. Though he would take on self-inflicted harm, the thought of allowing enemies to use his own ships against him was an unbearable thought, especially to a group of pirates! Regrouping with his main forces, he would go on to plan and prepare for the final fight.

The First, Second, Zheng Jing and many other elders took this chance to finish off the important figures that were now trapped on the island. It was ironic, at first, they were the ones defending this island, but now they were the ones to siege it. Against the mysterious lady no less. Sea mines were able to keep the Vespers at bay because they were placed in such a way that anyone without the controls to the sea mines would have to blast their way through. Unfortunately, even if they did something as wasteful as wasting ammunition like that, the explosions created would push others to fill in the hole that was left behind by the mine that was there before.

They had been left there for a few days now and they were likely going to run out of food eventually. However, it was extremely doubtful that Zheng He would let such a thing happen under his watch. Madam Zheng’s forces changed the sea mines into inactive mode once again and snuck inside in the dead of the night.

The following battle was not only pure chaos and carnage but also one-sided destruction of ships since the forces of Vesper were not aware that a night raid was even possible with the mine-field holding them in, and all others out. The pirates’ surprise attack managed to work like a charm for the first few minutes, but it turned out that the situation could take a very different turn when someone of the mysterious lady’s prowess came into the fray. She managed to organize all the ships in such a way that it made their formation support every ship not in the formation but also took minimal time to do.

Battles of this ferocity got everyone watching the simulation watching excited beyond belief. Especially for Baron as he was marveling at how pure and simple the formation seemed to do, but when thinking about it turned out to be more difficult to execute than everything that he had done in the past. Just who was this lady he thought? Perhaps, someone from Jordsand? Or maybe even another place. He could only guess as to what her origins were.