"Quick, quick!" Ten riders galloped over, with Chen Ping in the lead. His face was ashen.
Chen Ping used to be a petty pirate, killing people and plundering their goods. Later on, he met a wise ruler and joined the Emperor's camp. That year, Chen Ping led a hundred and eighty men to attack the pirate camp. He was praised by the Emperor for his bravery and was immediately promoted to the position of Deputy General. Ever since the founding of the country, he had fought over twenty battles and escaped death several times. He had accumulated many merits.
It was a pity that his experience was lacking and his family background was not good. Hence, he was not a top three ranked official. After the founding of the country, he grew wary. But now, his face was filled with killing intent.
"A mere High Scholar dares to slap me in the face and kill my uncle without asking for my permission." Chen Ping was filled with killing intent as he held onto the reins of his horse and galloped forward.
If not for the fact that there were six thousand men in the navy, there wouldn't have been many horses.
Chen Ping galloped to the front of the Thousand Households and dismounted. His personal guards also dismounted. The captain at the front hurriedly kowtowed. He wanted to say something, but when he saw Chen Ping's expression, he hesitated and didn't dare to speak.
Chen Ping led his troops and entered the building. His boots made a loud thud against the pavement. There wasn't anyone inside. Only a few servants were cleaning up the place.
"Where are they?" Chen Ping asked sternly.
"General, the Thousand Households have set sail." One of them knew that something was wrong and hurriedly kowtowed.
"Bastard!" Chen Ping turned around and headed straight for the pier. He saw that the sky was dark and the rain was pitter-patter. There were people bustling about on the pier. The wind blew and the waves crashed against the shore. Looking over, he could see ten battleships in the distance. There was only a line of them, and they were getting further and further away.
"General, what do we do? Should we send the ships after them? "
The rain was cold as it hit his body. Chen Ping squinted his eyes as he looked at the waves and the battleships. He hesitated for a long time before his eyelids twitched. He then regained his senses and walked back slowly, "A soldier can be killed but not humiliated. I shall wait for them to return and settle the score with them."
The sky was dark and the waves were strong. The battleships were trembling as the waves crashed against the sides of the ship, causing water to splash high into the air.
The cabin of the ship was relatively peaceful. A candle was lit, and the official stood by the side, watching as Pei Zi Yun wrote the letter to the Crown Prince. Since they were on a voyage, they could only send someone to bring it back to the Crown Prince the next time they met another merchant ship.
The official grinded the ink for Pei Zi Yun, his face was filled with hesitation and worry. He then spoke carefully, "Since master Top Scorer wishes to fight the pirates, and I've heard that there are thousands of them, why don't you use your entire army? When a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses its full strength. "
Hearing the official's words, Pei Zi Yun laughed, "If the pirates were at their peak, I wouldn't dare to provoke them with just a thousand men."
At this point, Pei Zi Yun placed his brush down on the table and stared at the official, "Let me ask you, who are these pirates?"
When the official heard this, he immediately replied, "Your humble servant has spent some time researching this matter. It's a few vagabonds and fugitives from Japan, as well as some illegal merchants and commoners."
"You're probably right. I still need to work on the details."
"As for Japan, there are two reasons. One is that the chaos within Japan is about to be quelled. Many vagabonds who have lost their masters have left the country to seek a new life. The other reason is that there are some big names who have secretly sent people to organize these pirates for financial reasons."
"The merchants and commoners of the mainland aren't really innocent. Many of them are helping the evildoers."
"At the end of the day, it's all for the sake of profits from trade. That's why they formed an alliance."
"The core of the plan to exterminate the pirates is to break up this alliance."
"Opening up the port and establishing a port was all for the sake of profits from legal trade. At the same time, they sent out ambassadors to reprimand the pirates."
"Many merchants have turned from grey to white because of this."
"More than half of the pirates are gone. The rest are just fugitives."
"Warriors are the core, merchants are supporting us, and the commoners are following us. This is an army on the sea. But now, it's gone."
"If there are really any pirates left, I'd say there are at most one or two thousand of them."
"We have a thousand men. Considering that the country was founded not too long ago, we can still fight. Our soldiers are elites, but there aren't many of them. These thousand men are more than enough."
"The most important thing is that Chen Ping is a fourth ranked general. Even if we have the Imperial Flag, we can't kill him. Besides, I don't have the authority to command 6,000 men."
"Rations are a big problem as well. Just with these thousand men, the Governor can supply them with rations for a year. If it were 6,000 years, we would only be able to last for two months."
"Rather than using an overstaffed army that doesn't listen to orders, it's better to use elite soldiers who are well-trained and well-trained." As Pei Zi Yun spoke up to this point, he seemed to have thought of something. He then picked up the brush in his hands and started writing again.
The ship was tossing and turning, but Pei Zi Yun was able to write steadily.
"Top Scorer Pei, you are really good at martial arts." The official said.
Pei Zi Yun smiled as someone knocked on the door. A soldier came in with a plate of food, "Your excellency Pei, your meal has been prepared. Please enjoy."
The dishes were placed on the table as the official said, "Top Scorer Pei, please enjoy your meal."
He then asked, "Even the soldiers have meat for their meals. Are you preparing for a surprise attack?"
"Of course." Pei Zi Yun's eyes flashed with a bright light. Nobody dared to look him in the eye, "This time, I've come out to sea at lightning speed. It's not just to kill the Battalion Commander, but also to prevent the pirates from reacting."
"The pirates have been unable to be exterminated because someone had leaked information to them. It's not just that Chen Ping is incompetent. Or perhaps he has the intention of nurturing the pirates."
When the official heard this, he still had some doubts. He then asked, "Master Top Scorer, if we were to ambush them during the storm, why don't we attack Golden Island instead?"
"That's where the pirates' main camp is. If we attack Golden Island now, wouldn't we be alerting them? There aren't many pirates on that island. If we attack it, they will only suffer some losses. "
When Pei Zi Yun finished writing, he put down his brush and walked to the window. At that point, a gust of wind blew in along with the rain. He could even see thunder and lightning in the distance.
The sky was dark and gloomy, and the waves were crashing against the ships. Around the flagship, the rest of the ships were moving in formation.
Pei Zi Yun then said coldly, "I am not an officer of the navy. I merely borrowed the Governor's flag, which is why I have the authority to command. The reason why I killed Liu Xiang was because I wanted to show my might, and make the soldiers listen to my orders."
"However, this authority is very weak. If there's even the slightest mistake, it will collapse. You can't possibly think that you can command just because you have the token of authority, right?"
"Only when we have the advantage of numbers can we achieve victory. Only the victor can command the troops and their subordinates. The reason I'm attacking Golden Island is to lead them to victory."
"If we win this battle, then my authority as a commander will be solidified."
Pei Zi Yun then paused, "Let's have a meal together. Later on, there will be a fierce battle. However, when we see the island, don't attack immediately. I have other plans."
When the official heard this, he was convinced, "Yes!"
The wind and rain continued to fall. Chen Pu was wearing a raincoat as he stood on the deck and gazed into the distance. He could vaguely see a small island in the middle of the sea.
It was just that the island was extremely small, and only a shadow could be seen. From this distance, he could see the island, but it was difficult to see any boats on it.
"Immediately report this to master Top Scorer." Seeing this, Chen Pu ordered.
"Yes!" The soldier immediately ran off to report.
"I understand. Official, go and tell Captain Cai to mobilize his soldiers. Tell him that I will be coming up shortly. Retract the sails now and stop advancing. This is to avoid alerting the enemy." Pei Zi Yun ordered.
The official replied, "Yes!"
Seeing that the official had left, Pei Zi Yun retrieved a talisman and tapped it with his finger. The talisman lit up, and after a few moments, the talisman was connected.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the light and saw a wave crashing onto a rock, causing some water to splash up. Several people were on a small boat, all of them wearing raincoats. They were in a forest on the island. Although there was a strong gust of wind, it didn't affect them much.
"The last time the sect sent a message, they said that they had plans to move to the island." Just as he was thinking, the person opposite him stepped forward, "Sect Leader."
Communication consumed a lot of energy, and thus Pei Zi Yun didn't waste any more time, "How's the situation on the island? Where can we land?"
"Sect Leader, the island isn't big. Large boats can only land in the southwest and northwest. Because the water is deep and there aren't any reefs, we can land on the island." The man in the raincoat replied.
"I still need you to lead the way. I'm heading northwest now, and I'm preparing to land on the island. Hurry and welcome me." Pei Zi Yun then asked, "Also, have you figured out the basic map of the island and the situation of the pirates?"
"Sect Leader, the last time we received the order, we've already figured out the situation. The pirates are just a general term. There are many sea merchants and people among them. We're one of them." The man replied, "We're very familiar with the situation, and hence it shouldn't be difficult."
"That's right!"
Hearing these words, Pei Zi Yun stood up, "Prepare to receive me. Later on, address me as Young Master!"
As he spoke, he put on his raincoat and walked up to the deck.
This time, orders could be heard coming from every single boat. The sailors had already donned their paper armors. It was said that wearing a few kilograms of armor in a battle on the water was akin to seeking death. If one were to slip and fall, they would sink like a rock.
Pei Zi Yun looked up and could see the outline of the island. Cai Yuanzhen had a serious look on his face as he walked up to him and asked, "Master Top Scorer, how are we going to conquer this island?"
Pei Zi Yun instructed, "Go to the southwest corner of the island. There's deep water there, and any other boats would hit the reefs. Lead the soldiers and prepare to land on the island. Be careful of the small boats. There will be people coming to receive you. You are not to attack."
"Yes, your excellency." Cai Yuanzhen acknowledged the order and ordered, "Turn to the southwest corner. If you spot a small boat, do not attack it."
The waves were turbulent as the fleet slowly turned around. Up till now, they hadn't alerted any pirates. After a while, a small boat appeared in the middle of the waves and headed towards the larger ship.
"Be on alert!" Although they had been warned, the soldiers still drew their swords.
As the small boat neared, someone waved a hand, "Young Master, we're here!"
Hearing this voice, Pei Zi Yun then ordered, "Throw down the ropes and bring them up. Prepare to land on the island."
"Yes, your excellency."
The rain continued to fall, and the wind was chilly. However, everyone was methodically making their final preparations. All of them had resolute expressions on their faces, and their movements were swift. Pei Zi Yun looked at them and sighed, "Indeed, this nation has only just been established, and yet they're considered elites."
Soon after, the ropes moved, and the few of them flipped onto the boat. They then bowed to Pei Zi Yun, "Young Master, we're here."
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