Soren did not wait for Hai Gang’s reply and directly ordered, “Fire!”
“Boom, boom, boom…”
Instantly, more than a hundred cannons on Soren’s fleet roared again in a fierce barrage.
A storm-like hail of shot once again smashed toward Hai Gang’s fleet.
“Ah… ah…” once again, earth-shaking screams rang out. Blood mist sprayed into the air, taking countless lives.
Hai Gang was truly on the verge of collapse. It was his first time encountering this kind of negotiation style, one that left no room for refusal, speaking entirely through cannon fire.
It really proved the saying, truth lies within the range of cannons.
“I agree, I agree!” Hai Gang quickly shouted, “Lord Soren, I agree to everything! I will send my children to you as hostages, I will even offer my wife!”
…
Thus, in order to avoid total annihilation of his main fleet, Hai Gang accepted Soren’s extremely harsh terms.
He personally sent his son Hai Wuyan and daughter Hai Na’er to Soren’s flagship as hostages.
Just a few hours earlier, he had been full of arrogance, confidently responding to Prince Chi Li’s call, swearing to eliminate Soren in the name of justice.
Soren had tried to reason with him until his mouth was dry, to no avail.
Yet now he came before Soren head lowered, humiliated and submissive, offering up his own children.
Not only that, but even his wife would soon be sent over as well.
Truly, if only he had known this earlier, why act as he did before? But this is how most people in the world are, they remember blows but not kindness.
When you speak sincerely and pour out your heart, they only think you are weak and easy to bully. But when you beat them hard, they become more obedient than anyone.
Seeing Hai Gang hunched over, Soren asked, “Regarding how to eliminate Yan Mo, what do you think?”
Hai Gang bowed and said, “I will follow Lord Soren’s instructions.”
Soren replied, “This is your matter, how can I take over and decide for you?”
Hai Gang said, “Because of my foolishness, I have angered Lord Soren. Now my main fleet is reduced to just over thirty thousand men. Although we still outnumber Yan Mo two to one, his fleet is fast, and it is impossible to catch and destroy him.”
At this point, Hai Gang’s heart was once again filled with bitter regret.
Just hours earlier, he had a fleet of fifty thousand, blocking Yan Mo’s path. With a three-to-one advantage, and Yan Mo already defeated and demoralised, annihilating him would have been entirely possible.
If he had destroyed Soren then, their enmity would have been settled, and the two could have worked together more than conflicted. From then on, Hai Gang would have become the strongest pirate force on the seas.
Yes, here the term “pirate” is used.
After destroying Yan Mo, Soren’s navy would undoubtedly become the number one power in the eastern seas of the continent. However, unlike the Yan Empire and Dongli Kingdom, Soren focused only on sea power and protecting maritime trade, and was not interested in plunder or sea protection fees. In that case, this huge profit would naturally have fallen to Hai Gang.
Such a perfect opportunity, yet Hai Gang had personally destroyed it.
He had been blinded by greed, not only missing the chance to eliminate Yan Mo, but also being used and manipulated into attacking Soren instead. As a result, he suffered a crushing defeat, lost over ten thousand men, and even had to sacrifice his wife and children just to survive.
He truly regretted it too late.
At this moment, Hai Gang even felt something strange.
Before, because Soren had killed his daughter, kicked his wife, and exposed his ugliness in front of everyone, humiliating him completely, he had harboured deep hatred for Soren.
But now, after suffering a crushing defeat at Soren’s hands, his hatred for Soren had actually lessened.
Instead, all his hatred had shifted entirely onto Yan Mo, to the point where he wanted nothing more than to skin him alive and tear him to pieces.
“If we chase all the way to Lei Islands, my remaining thirty thousand troops may not be enough,” Hai Gang said. “Although the islands have no major fortresses, Yan Mo has built many strongholds there, all very well-defended.”
Soren narrowed his eyes but did not respond.
He understood what Hai Gang wanted, he wanted Soren’s fleet to use its cannons to bombard Yan Mo’s fortresses.
Of course, if these were modern naval guns from Earth, it would be entirely possible. They were accurate and had extremely long range, over ten miles at least.
But with Soren’s current cannons, attacking fortresses was a joke.
His cannons worked well against ships and people, but against fortresses, unless explosive shells were fully developed and gunpowder had evolved into high explosives, solid cannonballs would be less effective than giant trebuchets.
Moreover, if Soren’s three large warships entered the waters of the Lei Islands, it would be no different from walking into a death trap.
That place was surrounded by islands, with complex waters and Yan Mo holding the geographical advantage. Large ships would struggle even to turn, and there was even a risk of running aground.
So once Yan Mo retreated into the Lei Islands, Soren would find it very difficult to deal with him.
The only effective strategy was a long-term blockade. The Lei Islands produced no food, everything had to be imported or plundered.
If the blockade lasted long enough, the islanders would eventually starve to death. To avoid starvation, Yan Mo’s pirates would be forced to leave the islands to raid.
Hai Gang said, “So the best strategy right now is for Lord Soren and my fleet to form an alliance and besiege the Lei Islands.”
Soren asked, “How much food stock does Yan Mo have on the Lei Islands?”
Hai Gang replied, “Not much, but not too little either. Yan Mo believes himself invincible at sea and has never worried about supplies. When needed, he simply raids or extorts nearby forces. Every month, merchant ships also deliver food to the islands. But the environment is humid, and food storage is difficult.”
Soren asked, “How much do they actually have?”
Hai Gang said, “Originally there were nearly one hundred thousand islanders, and they stored about one month’s worth of food. After this defeat, only about fifty thousand remain. So the current stock should last around two months.”
Soren said, “I do not have time to wait two months.”
Hai Gang replied, “No need to wait that long. Yan Mo has lost the battle, abandoned his comrades, and his authority has collapsed. Once we begin the blockade, internal conflict will erupt. If we then divide and destabilise them, Yan Mo may be dead in less than half a month.”
Soren stared at Hai Gang.
Hai Gang felt uneasy and said, “This is only my shallow opinion, I will obey your command in everything.”
Soren sighed. Hai Gang’s plan was undoubtedly the best, neither aggressive nor risky, yet highly effective.
At this moment, Hai Gang appeared wise and decisive. Yet just moments ago, why had he been so foolish and blind?
Human beings are truly strange creatures. Once blinded by interest or driven by emotion, they are capable of doing the most irrational things.
“Very well, we will proceed according to your plan,” Soren said.
“Yes!” Hai Gang replied.
…
Then, Hai Gang led his battered fleet north at full speed to pursue Yan Mo.
He had originally set out south with a mighty fleet of fifty thousand, determined to destroy Soren and claim maximum profit.
But within just over an hour of battle, he suffered heavy losses. Of more than four hundred warships, nearly half were damaged. From over fifty thousand sailors, only about thirty-five thousand remained.
Now he was being driven forward by Soren’s fleet to hunt Yan Mo.
Soren’s fleet did not sail alongside Hai Gang’s, but followed a few hundred metres behind, ensuring that Hai Gang’s fleet remained within cannon range at all times, keeping them under constant threat so they dared not act recklessly.
Returning to his flagship, Hai Gang immediately entered his cabin and lay down. He looked as though he had aged ten years.
He instinctively wanted to call for his children, only to remember that they had already been sent to Soren as hostages.
His son Hai Wuyan was not particularly intelligent, but he was filial and attentive.
He, Hai Gang, had lived a life of glory, yet now he had fallen into such a state, not only were his children hostages, but even his wife would be sent to another man’s bed. The fate of the entire fleet now rested entirely in Soren’s hands.
With a long sigh, tears rolled down Hai Gang’s face.
Since taking control of Yizhou Island, he had never suffered such a defeat or such humiliation.
He recalled Soren’s words: “Hai Gang, you are clever but harmed by your own cleverness.” If he had formed an alliance at the beginning and offered nothing but sincerity, Soren would have given him far more in return, even a promise.
At that time, Hai Gang had scoffed at those words.
Now, he deeply felt their weight.
If he had been farsighted and offered help in times of need, joining hands with Soren from the start, the Hai clan would already be the leading power in the eastern seas, equal partners with Soren.
But now, instead of being allies, he was being driven like a slave with a whip at his back.
Too late for regret, far too late.
Then Hai Gang thought of something even more important.
After Soren’s victory over Yan Mo, how would his conflict with Chi Li change?
The world was now gathering forces against Soren, with eight hundred thousand troops assembling to attack Tian Shui City.
Could Soren survive this?
He did not know. Truly, he did not know.
Before, he had believed Soren would surely die.
But now, he recalled those hundreds of cannons, firing like a storm of steel.
And if those cannons were placed upon city walls, when Chi Li’s army of hundreds of thousands advanced within two or three hundred metres…
Boom, boom, boom…
What would happen then?
It would be like hell on earth. Not war, but slaughter.
Moreover, after defeating Yan Mo, Soren now dominated the entire eastern seas. Even if defeated on land, he still had the sea as an escape route. Meanwhile, Chi Li had no navy left.
Soren was already almost invincible.
So what should Hai Gang do?
Then he thought of Gui Xingfu.
This man had suffered humiliation from Soren far greater than his own. They were mortal enemies.
Yet now Gui Xingfu had become the head of civil administration in the southeastern province. Though he held no official title, he governed all civil affairs as Soren’s envoy.
If Gui Xingfu could rise again, why could he not?
But would he truly be willing to surrender?
Yet unwillingness meant nothing. His life and death were now entirely in another’s hands.
Taking a deep breath, Hai Gang suddenly sat up and wrote a secret letter.
It began: My daughter Die’er, I have not seen you for many days, your father misses you deeply…
The letter was over a thousand words long. After completing it, he sent it via falcon post through Pirate Harbour, then to Yizhou City, and finally by secret messenger to Hai Die’er in the Lei Islands.
Hai Die’er, Yan Mo’s wife, a woman who had suffered humiliation since childhood, yet was ambitious and full of resentment.
…
One and a half days later, that is, eighteen hours later.
Yan Mo’s surviving main fleet had escaped over sixteen hundred miles, still more than three thousand miles from the Lei Islands.
The pirates on board had never felt such longing for home, for wives and children.
Before, they never missed home. Life at sea was endless battle, plunder, and indulgence, like paradise.
But now, after defeat, they were like stray dogs fleeing for their lives.
…
In the new Yan Royal Palace on the Lei Islands.
Hai Die’er held a letter sent by her father Hai Gang, delivered by her own biological mother.
The letter stated that Yan Mo had suffered a crushing defeat and nearly his entire fleet had been destroyed, leaving only a little over ten thousand ships fleeing back to the Lei Islands, with his authority collapsing and morale shattered.
Furthermore, Soren and the Hai clan had formed an alliance and were pursuing them relentlessly. Even if Yan Mo returned, he would face blockade and siege.
With food running out and morale destroyed, rebellion within the Yan clan was inevitable, and Yan Mo would surely die.
As Yan Mo’s wife, Hai Die’er’s fate would also be miserable.
Therefore, Hai Gang urged her to atone for her sins by assassinating Yan Mo, ending the war early for Soren.
In return, she would be pardoned and rewarded.
He even promised that the Hai clan intended to marry her to Soren, though only as a concubine. Still, Soren would become a prince-regent, and she would enjoy endless luxury.
If she succeeded, she would also receive a quarter of the Hai family’s inheritance.
All of this required only one thing: kill her husband, Yan Mo.
After reading the letter again and again, Hai Die’er closed her eyes in deep thought.
Yan Mo was extremely powerful. Killing him would not be easy. But if the attacker was someone he trusted most, it might be effortless.