Ang Lee's strategic purpose of going south was to completely open up the Maritime Silk Road and prepare for the prosperity of maritime trade in the future. As for how many pirates he killed and how many military achievements he made, it was not important.
Letting the men in black go back was to try and see if he could persuade them to surrender. If the pirates really came to surrender, it would save a lot of trouble and a lot of time and energy. In addition, doing so could also show Ang Lee's attitude of using peaceful means before resorting to force, which was the style of a general. Moreover, a small minion was nothing in Ang Lee's eyes. Letting him go back would not increase the strength of the pirates and would have no effect on him sweeping the pirate lair.
"You can really let me go? What about the others?"
The leader of the men in black looked at his companions.
Ang Lee did not care and said, "Anyone who can walk can go back with you. You can also stay to treat your wounds. Choose."
"I can still walk."
"I can't."
Only two men in black were willing to go back. The rest of the men in black had to stay to treat their wounds.
"What are you waiting for? Go!"
Ang Lee waved his hand and asked his subordinates to put away their bows and arrows and let the three men leave.
"You are very loyal. See you later."
The leader of the men in black greeted him and left quickly with his two subordinates, disappearing into the night.
"Big Brother, do you want to send someone to follow them?"
Li Feiyu stepped forward and asked.
"We have already determined their position. There is no need to follow them. Let the soldiers go back to rest!"
Li An said confidently. He could not be more familiar with the waters of the Xisha Islands, so there was no need for him to investigate at all. After going south, he only needed to follow the direction marked on the map. After approaching the islands, he would send a plane to conduct aerial reconnaissance, and he would be able to understand the pirates' every move.
"Big Brother, how should we deal with these people?"
Li Feiyu was referring to the injured men in black.
"Drag out the dead ones and bury them. Take the injured ones for treatment."
Ang Lee ordered.
"Understood. Men."
The soldiers began to clean up all the men in black.
"Continue the song and dance."
Hadn't Ang Lee enjoyed enough? He let the frightened maids continue to dance and serve him. He didn't care about this kind of small thief at all.
In Zhang Batian's mansion in Guangzhou City, Sun Liu bowed and asked, "Brother Zhang, I heard that King Bai sent dozens of experts to assassinate Assistant Minister Li."
"I know. How could I not know about such a big thing? I just guessed it."
Zhang Batian said nonchalantly.
"Brother Zhang, do you think they can succeed?"
Sun Liu asked nervously.
"Don't you know Assistant Minister Li's position in the Tang dynasty? He was such a high-ranking official, and his bodyguards were all top-notch. How could he be assassinated so easily? King Bai was treating Assistant Minister Li as an ordinary official of the Tang dynasty. He's courting death. "
Zhang Batian said disdainfully.
"Since that's the case, our people should make preparations as soon as possible. We can't let the Imperial Court find our things."
Sun Liu said nervously.
"Don't worry! My people have already received the news. They won't make any mistakes. Your task is to pay close attention to the Imperial Court's army. Prevent them from making a sneak attack. "
Zhang Batian said calmly.
"Brother Zhang, it's still early. Assistant Minister Li won't go south for more than a month, right? The Imperial Court's army is training. "
Sun Liu thought there was no need to be nervous for the time being. The Imperial Court's army was still early.
"Is what Assistant Minister Li said true? All is fair in war. The Imperial Court's army is so strong that it doesn't need to wait for two months. My people have found that the Imperial Court's army's supplies are basically ready. They may go south at any time. We must not take it lightly. "
Zhang Batian said.
"I see. I'll pay attention."
Sun Liu said.
"Ah Lang, the assassins sent by King Bai failed. Only three of them managed to escape, and they were all injured just now."
One of his trusted aides walked over and said.
"Brother Zhang, you're really far-sighted. King Bai's assassins failed."
Sun Liu immediately looked at him with admiration.
"They can still escape with injuries. Haha!"
Zhang Batian smiled and asked Sun Liu to go back and rest. It was already late and he had to go back to rest.
The three men in black who were released by Ang Lee didn't dare to stay any longer. They quickly ran to the dock where five or six people were waiting for them. There was also a ship that could set sail immediately.
"Set sail. Set sail immediately."
The leader of the men in black was worried that the Imperial Court's army would send people to follow them. He looked at the shore vigilantly.
The ship wasn't big, but it set sail very quickly. Soon, it was more than a hundred steps away from the port. There was no one following them. The other ships were all obediently staying in the port and showed no signs of moving.
"The Imperial Court didn't send people to follow us. We can go back without worry."
"It was really dangerous this time! So many of our brothers died. How should we explain it when we go back? "
"Do we really have to send a letter of persuasion? Will the King kill us in a fit of anger? "
"No matter what, we have to go back. We have to send a letter of persuasion. We can't go back on our words."
"The King will definitely not surrender. When the time comes, he will definitely vent his anger on us. He will kill us. Why don't we run for our lives?"
"No, we can't be traitors. If the King is angry and pursues the matter, I will bear the responsibility alone."
The three men in black started to argue.
It was about a thousand miles from Guangzhou to the Xisha Islands. According to the speed of an ordinary fishing boat, it would take at least two or three days to arrive.
After two or three days, the fishing boat arrived at the pirate's lair and brought very bad news.
"What? Only the three of you came back? The rest are all dead."
White Wolf was furious.
"My King, the Imperial Court set a trap for us. We fell into their trap. This is a letter of persuasion from the Imperial Court. They asked us to bring it back to the King."
White Wolf was even more furious when he heard that.
"A bunch of useless things. You fell into their trap so easily. What letter of persuasion? Show me."
White Wolf was furious.
After reading the contents of the letter, White Wolf was so angry that he tore it into pieces and threw it away.
"Lenient punishment? Outrageous! I have killed so many people. I'm afraid I'll be beheaded no matter how lenient I am. Do you think I'm a fool?"
White Wolf shouted angrily.
"My King, how should we reply to Assistant Minister Li?"
A pirate asked.
"Reply my ass. I'm the King. I don't need to reply to anyone."
White Wolf said angrily.
"My King, the Imperial Court is very strong. There are nearly 10,000 people. This battle is really not easy to fight!"
A pirate said worriedly.
"What are you afraid of? If we can't beat them, we'll retreat 3,000 miles and join my Big Brother to fight against the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty together."
White Wolf even thought of a way out.
"My King, we should prepare early. Pack up some important things and put them on the big ship. We'll be ready to evacuate at any time."
A pirate suggested.
"That's reasonable. Then prepare early. Put the important things and half of the property on the big ship and be ready to evacuate at any time."
White Wolf ordered.
"Yes, I'll go prepare now."
A pirate took the order.
"Come on, throw these three wastes into the sea to feed the fish."
White Wolf was very angry and ordered.
"My King, please calm down. It's all my fault. It's not their fault. If you want to kill, kill me alone."
The leader of the black-clothed men was very loyal.
"My King, please calm down. The Imperial Court is too cunning. Please spare them!"
"My King, the three of them are our old brothers. Please spare them!"
A group of people all ran out to plead for mercy.
"Forget it. Get out of here and treat your wounds!"
White Wolf didn't really want to kill the three men. He just wanted to express his authority. As long as someone pleaded for mercy, he would take advantage of the situation and let the three men go.
As more and more pirates learned about the strength of the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty, a pessimistic and fearful atmosphere began to spread among the pirates. Many pirates disappeared after going out to rob in order to save their lives. It was obvious that they had run away.
In a short span of three to five days, dozens of pirates had already run away. This made the White Wolf very angry, and he captured a few of the escaped pirates and executed them to prevent more defections.
However, White Wolf's thunderous means didn't seem to have much effect. After that, there were still many pirates running away.
"My King, the Imperial Court's army is coming south. We're the first to bear the brunt of it! It's better to evacuate as soon as possible. "
"My King, the leaders of Yazhou and Zhancheng have just sent a letter. More than half of their men have run away. They can't hold on any longer. It's better to make plans early."
Several subordinates advised.
"This territory has been managed by my grandfather for three generations. How can I give it up so easily? If we go to Black Wolf now, we'll be living under his roof in the future. We can't be the King anymore."
White Wolf said with a sad face.
No one wanted to live under someone else's roof, especially those who had been the King. They were used to giving orders. How could they stand being commanded by others? It was simply too sullen.
"My King, our brothers have investigated very carefully. The Imperial Court's army is extremely powerful. They're even more determined to wipe us out in the south. It's not something we can resist. Our previous guess was not accurate. If you don't want to live under someone else's roof, you should find a place farther away. This place is only more than six hundred miles away from Yazhou. The Imperial Court's army will encounter us first when they go south."
A confidant advised.
"How unlucky! Why did A Weng choose this place in the first place? "
White Wolf was very angry, but he forgot the advantage of this place. The merchant ships of the Tang Dynasty had to pass through this area first. In this way, he could take advantage of this place and rob as much as he wanted. Now, facing the attack of the Imperial Court's army of the Tang Dynasty, he began to complain again.
"My King, this area is relatively remote. If we hide here, the Imperial Court's army of the Tang Dynasty should not come to attack."
A confidant pointed to a group of islands in the south on the map and said.
"Bad idea. This place is so remote that no merchant ships will pass by at all. If we go here, we can only sit on the mountain and eat. It's better to live under someone else's roof."
White Wolf was very dissatisfied with his subordinate's suggestion.
"My King, there's no better choice except to live under someone else's roof. Otherwise, we can only surrender to the Imperial Court's army."
His subordinate said helplessly.
"Okay! Now send someone to Black Wolf and tell him that we're going to join him. Let our brothers prepare first. We'll set off in half a month. "
White Wolf finally made a decision.
"My King, should we prepare another escape route? Black King may not be safe. This time, the Imperial Court is determined to go all the way south. Black King is also in the Tang Dynasty's range of extermination."
One of his subordinates said worriedly.
"Of course, I know that. However, Brother Black Wolf's men are ten times more than mine. There are 20,000 to 30,000 of them. The Imperial Court's army doesn't know the situation thousands of miles away. They may not be able to achieve much. The problem of supplies alone is enough to make them suffer."
White Wolf said seriously.
"We can only go south and join forces with Black King. If the two kings work together and take advantage of the geographical advantage, they may be able to deal with the Imperial Court's army for a while. The Imperial Court's army is far from the rear and can't last long."
His subordinate said.
"Don't talk nonsense. Go back and prepare!"
White Wolf said impatiently.
Near the wharf in Guangzhou, the Tang Dynasty Army had been drilling. The Sky Army, the armored artillery vehicles, and the steam gunships were all training hard. Their combat effectiveness was steadily improving.
"Big Brother, ten days have passed, and the pirates haven't even replied. It seems that they don't take us seriously at all."
Li Feiyu said angrily.
"That's right! The pirates don't give us face. It's time to teach them a lesson. The soldiers must be impatient! It's time to take action. "
Ang Lee said lightly.
"Big Brother, when will we go south?"
Li Feiyu asked eagerly.
"Tonight. Immediately give the order and let the soldiers get ready to go."
Ang Lee ordered seriously.
The army needed to prepare a lot of things to go south, such as sufficient food and water, sufficient weapons and equipment, and so on.
The soldiers began to prepare in the morning and didn't finish until the evening. After dinner, they prepared on their warships and waited for the order to set off at any time.
The large scale preparations of more than ten thousand men naturally caused quite a commotion. Very quickly, Zhang Batian's subordinates discovered this important situation and immediately reported it to him.
"Brother Zhang, the imperial army has been preparing for a whole day. It seems that they will go south tomorrow morning. You're wise!"
Sun Liu hurriedly ran over and said.
"How do you know it's tomorrow morning? Maybe they'll go south today."
Zhang Batian chuckled.
"Brother Zhang, it's so dark. How dare they go out of the harbor? Aren't they afraid of going the wrong way? "
Sun Liu couldn't believe it.
"You don't know yet, do you? The steam ships of the imperial court are equipped with compasses that can point the way. They can tell the direction even when it's dark. "
Zhang Batian said.
"They're so powerful. Should we immediately send someone to inform our men in advance and get rid of our letters as soon as possible?"
Sun Liu said.
Zhang Batian nodded and said, "There's no time to lose. Men …"
Soon, a small fishing boat sailed away from the wharf and headed for the Paracel Islands.
After the evening, the sky was completely dark. However, all the steam ships were equipped with searchlights. All the searchlights were turned on at the same time, illuminating the harbor as if it was daytime.
Li An led a group of subordinates and appeared at the port. They boarded a large steamship.
"Big Brother, all the soldiers are ready."
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