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Back The Ring of Wind
Chapters (71)
  1. CHRIS BRADFORD
  2. Contents
  3. Map: The Japans – 17th Century
  4. The Letter
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. Notes on the Sources
  69. Ninja Pirate Ship Competition
  70. Japanese Glossary
  71. Acknowledgements

Grateful to be shielded within the Koketsu, Jack saw that the other pirate ships didn’t benefit from such protection. A pirate galley had been caught by a vicious strafing of grapeshot and had lost half its oarsmen. Another ship was fast taking on water, having been hulled by a cannonball. Captain Wanizame’s Great White had suffered a direct hit to its main mast and the sail now burnt fiercely. Her crew was fighting to hurl the flaming canvas overboard before it engulfed the entire ship.

If the Wind Demons continued to suffer losses at this rate, Jack realized they wouldn’t survive long. Daimyo Mori was going to tear their ships apart.

Tatsumaki read his thoughts. ‘The Sea Samurai’s cannon are no match for our Korean guns,’ she declared. ‘Just watch what we can do to them.’

She pointed in the direction of Captain Kujira’s Killer Whale. An enemy boat strayed into the ship’s line of fire and moments later disintegrated like matchwood as Captain Kujira targeted it with devastating accuracy. The Killer Whale boomed repeatedly with its Heaven and Earth cannon and another samurai ship was crippled. Every so often the pounding blasts were punctuated by the thunderous detonation of Captain Kujira’s ‘pride and joy’. Each time Jack heard Crouching Tiger roar, a samurai ship would heel to one side, mortally wounded by the mammoth gun.

Yet the Sea Samurai continued to bear down on the Wind Demons, daimyo Mori’s command ship, at the heart of the armada, invulnerable to the pirates’ relentless barrage. Archers on-board the samurai boats unleashed volley after volley of arrows that flew through the air like swarms of deadly bees. It was as if the sky was raining death. Pirates screamed as steel tips pierced their bodies and they dropped to the deck, writhing in agony.

‘Send in the fire ships!’ snarled Tatsumaki. ‘Before these samurai get close enough to board us.’

Li Ling raced off to raise the signal flag that would relay Tatsumaki’s command to the other pirate captains. Shortly after, six small boats piled high with rice straw and gunpowder charges pulled ahead of the Wind Demons’ ships. Jack was stunned to see a skeleton crew on-board each boat – their mission being suicidal.

The Sea Samurai bombarded the boats as they approached. But the targets were too small for accurate cannon fire and the crews were shielded from arrows and musket shot by the straw bales. The pirates rowed ever closer to the samurai fleet, then at the last possible moment they ignited the straw, set their boats on a collision course and leapt over the sides.