The warning bell rang while Yan was at the harbor wall. Lian had seen a line of sails beyond the eastern headland. Han took the glass from her and looked toward the channel.
The ships were arranged in a patrol formation, not a merchant convoy. Three large vessels held the outer line, with several smaller craft between them. A seventh ship stayed back near the reef.
The eastern sails were dark against the morning haze. They moved together, holding a distance that kept the fleet outside the harbor chain while still covering the channel. The smaller craft were not loaded high with cargo. Their decks looked clear, and their bows pointed toward the harbor mouth.
Han counted the spacing again. “They can turn into the channel without crossing each other. That is a deliberate position.”
“And the one at the reef?” Yan asked.
“It can watch the east cut or slip behind the others if we move boats through the chain.”
Ruo checked the tide against the rocks. The water was rising, which narrowed the safe passage beneath the reef. If the fleet came closer, the smaller boats would be at risk before the large ships had to move.
“Ring the warning,” Han said. “Move the small boats out of the channel.”
