“Your Highness, Your Highness…”
The calls of Li Zhu beside him gradually brought Zhi Li back to reality.
Just now, for a moment, his mind had been completely chaotic, even unable to think.
Then, he looked at the words on the secret letter once more. Although it was in secret code, he could still make out the four characters at a glance: Yan Mo crushingly defeated!
Instantly, his mind swam with dizziness again.
Yan Mo truly felt waves of unreality. How could this be possible?
How could such an absurd thing exist in the world? How could Yan Mo possibly lose?
This was completely different from all previous battles. Suo Lun’s naval strength was very weak. Just a few months ago, Suo Lun’s navy had not even dared to directly confront Gui Xingfu’s forty thousand naval troops, forced to retreat to land to hold defensive positions.
Yan Mo’s hundred thousand naval troops were several times stronger than Gui Xingfu’s forty thousand naval troops in terms of strength.
If Suo Lun’s navy did not even dare to fight Gui Xingfu’s navy, how could they possibly be a match for Yan Mo’s hundred thousand naval troops?
If Suo Lun could defeat Yan Mo, why had he gone to Yingzhou Island to beg bitterly for an alliance with Hai Gang?
Moreover, Suo Lun had to face not only Yan Mo’s hundred thousand naval troops, but also Hai Gang’s fifty thousand main naval troops.
Hai Gang had personally written to Zhi Li declaring his intention to march south to punish Suo Lun, and had even signed the proclamation denouncing the rebel.
So, it was absolutely impossible for Suo Lun to win.
Could this secret letter be wrong?
Could the Black Ice Mansion personnel in the Eastern Sea have been killed and replaced by Suo Lun, or bribed by Suo Lun, or could Yan Mo be using a feigned defeat to lure the enemy deep and annihilate Suo Lun in one fell swoop?
In a short time, Zhi Li imagined several possibilities, as if somewhat comforted, but his heart remained filled with boundless unease.
“Your Highness, what is the matter?” Li Zhu asked.
Yan Mo thought for a while, then handed the secret letter in his hand to the other.
Li Zhu immediately knelt down on both knees and received it with both hands.
He had handled Zhi Li’s secret letters countless times, yet had never truly read one.
Opening it, the eunuch Li Zhu also identified the secret code upon it at a glance, reading its meaning.
Yan Mo crushingly defeated!
Li Zhu’s body trembled. He looked at Zhi Li in disbelief and said, “Tha, that is impossible?”
Zhi Li said, “I also dare not believe it. Have any other outposts sent secret letters?”
Li Zhu said, “Not yet!”
Zhi Li said, “Do not publicise this. Do not let anyone know. You go to the Southeast Sea region at the fastest possible speed. Be sure to investigate the most authentic news, then send it back to Wangcheng by flying kite. I suspect the Black Ice Mansion outposts in the Southeast have already been destroyed by Suo Lun, or bribed by him.”
“Yes,” Li Zhu said.
Half an hour later, the eunuch Li Zhu disguised himself as a bearded traveller, riding a fast horse day and night without rest, heading toward the Southeast Sea region!
…
That same night, under the protection of Princess Zhi Yan and Zhuang Zhixuan, Suo Lun temporarily left the fleet and headed to Pirate Harbour.
Throughout the entire process, Suo Lun’s fleet never approached within thirty li of Pirate Harbour.
After Suo Lun, Hai Gang, and others arrived at Pirate Harbour, Queen Yan Chuo’er still led the two fleets southward, escorting over thirty thousand Yan commoners to settle on Tiansheng Island, leaving three griffin beasts for Suo Lun and the others.
That night, the largest and most magnificent banquet in history was held at Pirate Harbour.
It was also almost the most luxurious banquet Suo Lun had ever seen, with countless beautiful women shuttling through the castle hall.
Exorbitantly expensive food and fine wine flowed like water through the banquet hall.
Sea merchants, nobles, and pirate chiefs from all directions used every means to fawn upon Suo Lun.
At the banquet scene, Suo Lun sat upon a lofty golden throne.
Zhuang Zhixuan stood guard behind him with meticulous attention. Hai Die’er knelt below the throne, cutting meat and pouring wine for Suo Lun.
When the banquet reached its climax, it arrived at the moment for Suo Lun to make his great fortune.
All the sea merchants, nobles, and pirate chiefs present began presenting gifts.
Apart from salt and magic mirrors, there were all manner of gifts, and the most numerous were gold coins.
The people in the banquet hall tonight were perhaps the wealthiest group apart from the four secret continents.
Over the past one or two months, many of those present had sought death by standing on Yan Mo’s side, participating in the blockade of Suo Lun’s maritime trade.
Now, Suo Lun did not take their lives and still allowed them to remain in their original positions. This was naturally a tremendous grace.
But if they thought all this was taken for granted, that would be too foolish.
Post-hoc compensation and filial respect were absolutely unavoidable.
In the past, every time the Maritime Guild changed its leader, the people below had to offer their respects.
Hai Gang had received them. Yan Mo had also received them. Now it was Suo Lun’s turn.
And because Suo Lun’s situation was especially special, the lives of everyone present were entirely in Suo Lun’s hands. So the weight of this respect was particularly terrifying.
“This lowly one presents twenty thousand gold coins, respectfully wishing His Majesty Suo Lun and Her Majesty Zhi Yan early success in their great cause!”
“This lowly one presents one million seven hundred thousand jin of iron materials, and twelve thousand three hundred fifty jin of various secret metals, respectfully wishing both Your Majesties early success in their great cause!”
“This lowly one presents thirty thousand shi of grain and one thousand three hundred sets of armour, respectfully wishing both Your Majesties early success in their great cause!”
The gifts presented by the Maritime Guild bigwigs were nearly astronomical figures. Even though these people were as wealthy as nations, this was still a massive bloodletting.
Fifteen bigwigs had actually presented gifts worth over two hundred thousand gold coins.
These were merely the large gifts. There were also countless rare treasures and precious items sent to Princess Zhi Yan, to Yan Nai’er, to Suo Ningbing, to little Qin Qin, to Yan Chuo’er, to Hai Die’er by Suo Lun’s side.
In a short moment, the gifts before Suo Lun piled up like a mountain.
Suo Lun could sense how blazingly bright the light radiating from Hai Die’er’s beautiful eyes was.
Because the gifts in her name were already countless, their specific value utterly incalculable. In short, they were at least ten times more than when she sat by Yan Mo’s side.
Because Suo Lun would soon depart, and Hai Die’er would represent Suo Lun in fulfilling duties and powers within the Maritime Guild.
Thus, the person everyone present needed to heavily fawn upon would be her, Hai Die’er. So the gifts were especially generous.
After the fifteen Maritime Guild bigwigs finished presenting their gifts, it was the turn of the other sea merchants and pirate chiefs to offer their respects.
Over a hundred people attended the banquet, and each one presented generous gifts.
…
Eventually, after eating and drinking their fill, Suo Lun entered the highest and most magnificent room within the castle to rest.
Hai Die’er calculated for over half an hour, finally arriving at a jaw-dropping figure.
“Five hundred thirty thousand gold coins,” Hai Die’er said. “The gold coins and gifts presented by the Maritime Guild, numerous sea merchants, and pirate chiefs are worth approximately five hundred thirty thousand gold coins in total.”
This figure was already so enormous as to be nearly exaggerated, equivalent to nearly half of the Furious Wave Kingdom’s annual tax revenue.
In this naval battle, Suo Lun’s military expenditures, including the costs of the practical exercises over the previous month, amounted to roughly one hundred thousand gold coins.
After the great battle’s victory, not only did he recover the gold coins and goods Yan Mo had stolen, he also received a ship of gold coins offered up by the Yan Clan, and today received the respects of the Maritime Guild and numerous pirates and sea merchants. Added together, his income was actually nearly a million gold coins, a colossal sum.
This sum was already sufficient for Suo Lun’s expenses for the coming year.
Previously, this one million gold coins would have been sufficient to launch an expedition with several hundred thousand troops.
The sea was truly a treasure basin!
“Master, the night has grown deep. This servant maid shall attend to Master’s rest.” Hai Die’er stepped forward with incomparable deference and fawning.
And just at this moment, Princess Zhi Yan set down the book in her hands and said in a delicate voice, “Husband, the night has grown deep. It is time to rest.”
Zhuang Zhixuan could not help but purse her lips and smile.
Suo Lun’s scalp went numb, and he shivered.
For the next full two hours, Suo Lun experienced the taste of heaven and hell.
Zhi Yan once again used spirit techniques, dragon power absorption, and so on…
In short, she battered Suo Lun until his forces were utterly routed, caught between life and death. And Hai Die’er, listening from the side, felt her heart sway with envy and secret hatred.
…
Wangcheng Zhidu!
Before the eunuch Li Zhu had even reached the Southeast coast, Zhi Li had already received a second and third secret letter.
These two secret letters arrived almost simultaneously. One was sent by the Black Ice Mansion’s Southeast division. The other was sent by the Hidden Continent forces.
But the contents of the two secret letters were almost identical.
Yan Mo crushingly defeated, leading over ten thousand Yan Pirates to flee back to the Thunder Archipelago. The Suo Lun and Hai Gang coalition pursued northward to kill Yan Mo!
In the tripartite great battle between Suo Lun, Yan Mo, and Hai Gang, not a single ship dared to observe from nearby. The specific battle process was unknown to any outside force.
So even the most brilliant spy could only obtain very crude information.
For example, the previous Black Ice Mansion secret letter had only four simple characters: Yan Mo crushingly defeated.
This was because the Black Ice Mansion spy hiding on a deserted island in the waters of Tianshui City discovered that Suo Lun’s fleet was actually escorting tens of thousands of Yan Pirate captives back.
So the Black Ice Mansion spy drew the conclusion: Yan Mo crushingly defeated!
Then the Black Ice Mansion sent this intelligence to Wangcheng Zhidu by flying kite at the first opportunity, which was the first secret letter Zhi Li received.
And a few days later, Black Ice Mansion spies hidden on deserted islands in the northeastern sea region discovered that Yan Mo’s fleet was actually fleeing, and with merely a little over ten thousand Yan Pirates.
Moreover, the Suo Lun and Hai Gang coalition was actually jointly pursuing Yan Mo’s fleet.
Thus, they sent the second secret letter.
As for why Hai Gang had allied with Suo Lun, this was not information the Black Ice Mansion spies could discover.
…
Reading the second secret letter again and again.
All hope was shattered. Yan Mo had simply lost. Suo Lun had simply won.
Zhi Li once again felt ice cold throughout his body, his frame swaying again and again.
Because he had been implanted with demon blood, his stomach and intestines would no longer convulse and vomit blood.
But his spirit still swam with dizziness and blackness again and again.
No wonder Suo Lun could win! It must certainly be that old thief Hai Gang who had launched a sneak attack on Yan Mo from behind, attacking from front and rear with Suo Lun’s fleet, which had caused Yan Mo’s crushing defeat!
That old thief Hai Gang had declared with utmost sincerity that he was marching south to punish Suo Lun, yet he had long since signed a secret agreement with Suo Lun. His falling out with Suo Lun had been entirely an act!
Zhi Li constantly filled in the blanks in his mind. He had no idea that Hai Gang had been beaten painfully by Suo Lun before being forced to ally with Suo Lun once more to pursue Yan Mo.
But how could Zhi Li be willing to believe that Suo Lun had defeated Yan Mo through his own strength? He naturally needed a reason, and Hai Gang’s betrayal was the best reason.
“Old thief Hai Gang, I will tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces, tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!” Zhi Li roared, then his mind swam with dizziness, and he crashed heavily onto the carpet.
Instantly, Li Chenglian rushed in swiftly and helped Zhi Li up.
“Quickly, send letters to all the feudal lords and provincial governors, telling them to lead their armies to assemble at Wangcheng at the fastest possible speed, then immediately dispatch troops to punish Suo Lun!” Zhi Li said in a severe voice.
“Yes,” Li Chenglian said!
“Has Tu Lingduo’s vengeance army arrived?” Zhi Li asked.
“Soon, only a little over a hundred li from Wangcheng,” Li Chenglian said.
“Have her speed up,” Zhi Li said. “Her vengeance army can ignite the flames of destroying Suo Lun.”
…
At this moment, the area around Wangcheng Zhidu had already become an incomparably massive military camp!
Countless armies were converging upon Wangcheng from all directions of the Furious Wave Kingdom!
It was not that all eight hundred thousand punitive troops were assembling at Wangcheng Zhidu. Among them, one hundred fifty thousand troops would assemble at the Nu River Province, because most of these one hundred fifty thousand troops came from the eastern regions of the kingdom, too far from Wangcheng.
The Nu River Province was roughly seven hundred li from Tianshui City, adjacent to the Southeast Province.
After the six hundred thousand plus troops assembled at Wangcheng, they would march to the Nu River Province to rendezvous with the one hundred fifty thousand troops there, then the eight hundred thousand troops would march east to punish Suo Lun.
But there was one army that was very special, and that was the vengeance army from Luanyang City!
Luanyang City was in the eastern part of the Furious Wave Kingdom, only a little over a thousand li from Tianshui City, and several thousand li from Wangcheng. They should have gone to the Nu River Province to assemble.
But instead, they first travelled west by ship, trekking several thousand li to come to Wangcheng, first to be inspected by the crown prince Zhi Li. Then they would follow the main punitive army eastward to punish Suo Lun.
Moreover, the Luanyang City vengeance army was also the only army permitted to enter Wangcheng.
Having been defeated in the previous wars to destroy Suo Lun, the Luanyang City navy had been completely lost. Now, Tu Lingduo had completely smashed the pot and sold the iron, conscripting every single soldier in her territory, finally obtaining a vengeance army of over ten thousand from Luanyang City.
As the widow of Tuli Yang, due to her previous series of performances, she possessed supreme prestige in Luanyang City, completely calling the wind and summoning the rain, without peer for a time.
This time, the supreme commander of Luanyang City’s ten thousand vengeance army was she, Tu Lingduo.
She still wore a white mourning garment. The two hundred Luanyang City family warriors around her also wore white mourning garments. The ten thousand vengeance army behind her similarly wore white mourning garments.
Every vengeance soldier had a blood-red headband tied upon their forehead, upon which was written: Heaven shall destroy Suo Lun, avenge our wrongs!
This army sought to avenge Tuli Wen and Tuli Yang! And the enemy was, of course, Suo Lun.
When Tu Lingduo led her ten thousand vengeance army into Wangcheng Zhidu, the crowds of onlookers were mountains and seas of people. She once again received the treatment of a holy maiden.
Countless Wangcheng citizens shouted her name, sharing her hatred for the same enemy.
Gazing at the countless onlookers, Tu Lingduo shouted loudly, “Heaven shall destroy Suo Lun, avenge our wrongs!”
Instantly, the ten thousand vengeance army behind her raised their arms in unison and shouted, “Heaven shall destroy Suo Lun, avenge our wrongs!”
Infected by this tragic and heroic atmosphere, the countless onlookers also raised their arms and shouted.
“Heaven shall destroy Suo Lun, avenge our wrongs!”
“Heaven shall destroy Suo Lun, avenge our wrongs!”
Then, amidst these earth-shaking cries, the ten thousand vengeance army led by Tu Lingduo headed toward the square before the palace.
Tonight, they would camp in the square for one night.
Tomorrow morning, Zhi Li would personally inspect this army, then grant the vengeance army its banner.
After the inspection, Zhi Li and Tu Lingduo would lead this vengeance army away from Wangcheng, rendezvous with the punitive army outside, and march in grand array toward Tianshui City to launch the righteous great battle of heaven destroying Suo Lun.
…
That night, as the ten thousand vengeance army from Luanyang City was camping before the palace square, Tu Lingduo went to the Duke Tu Ling’s residence to pay her respects to her father.
At this moment, Tu Lingduo’s face was flushed red, her eyes glowing, filled with excitement.
“Father, how goes the great naval battle over there?” Tu Lingduo said triumphantly, “Has Suo Lun’s navy been completely annihilated, already at his wit’s end?”
“The great naval battle has already concluded. Suo Lun won a great victory,” Duke Tu Lingtuo said in a cold voice.
Instantly, Tu Lingduo seemed struck by a whip, standing frozen in place.