Chapter 1469 – Attack on Nie Liang, Assault on Yang Tao, Aiming for the World (Part 9)
The water bandit’s mouth wasn’t as tight-lipped as expected; instead, it was quite loose. In just a few exchanges, he yielded under pressure.
Li Yun asked, “What’s the Military Adviser’s plan? Are we going to take down every water post one by one?”
Yang Si replied, “What else can we do? It’s clear that Yang Tao’s forces have abandoned this region. We should take this opportunity to capture more water bandits—first, to get familiar with naval warfare, second, to understand the terrain, and third, to build some reputation. Recently, I found out that many of the Common People still remember Yang Jian fondly. Once Yang Jian is gone, that goodwill will shift to Yang Tao. Our reasons for deploying troops are a bit flimsy; even if we spread rumors that our Leader is the ‘Child of Destiny,’ the locals will still be resistant to us. It’s better to do some good deeds and build rapport.”
Yang Si was a pragmatic man who put his thoughts into action.
He intended to use the “Mountain Spirit” to boost Jiang Pengji’s reputation and would not hesitate in executing his plan.
Yang Si sent someone to turn the story of the “Mountain Spirit” into a nursery rhyme, allowing street urchins and beggars to spread it. In just three days, the news reached Yang Tao and the others. The ignorant believed it, but Yang Tao and the others recognized it for what it was—a deliberate ploy.
“A scheme to win hearts and minds?”
Yan Lin scoffed, tossing aside a scroll. He had no faith in the so-called “divine will.”
How many emperors throughout history have claimed to have celestial blessings to enhance their image?
What good is it if there’s a strange phenomenon at birth or if the mother has odd dreams? These are just lies to deceive the gullible.
If one were truly favored by heaven, why do so many of them die before reaching a hundred?
What’s all this talk of “longevity matching heaven” and “long live”?
Nonsense.
Yan Lin’s views were shared by Jiang Pengji.
In ancient times, such tactics were “myth,” while in the future, they would just be considered “marketing”—particularly the shameless brainwashing kind.
Qian Su chuckled, “If this kind of hype backfires and Liu Xi loses, it’ll be quite amusing.”
Yan Lin lowered his gaze, sneering. “The officials under Liu Xi are no different from their leader; both are proud and stubborn. They probably realized our Leader’s reputation in Zhangzhou is unshakable and are concerned that the Common People might cause trouble at critical moments, hence resorting to this desperate scheme to bolster Liu Xi’s image.”
Little did they know, this very hype pushed their own Leader into the spotlight.
Divine will?
As long as the one who ultimately sits on the throne isn’t Jiang Pengji, she would become a laughingstock for generations.
This hype has both advantages and disadvantages. If successful, a mysterious halo would surround her, as the ignorant populace wouldn’t dare to oppose the “divine being.” If it fails, it’s just another amusing tale for casual conversation in history.
Qian Su asked, “Is Liu Xi declaring her ambition to the world?”
Yan Lin replied, “Even if she doesn’t say it, who in this world doesn’t know about her ambitions?”
Qian Su chuckled, “There’s a difference between everyone knowing and her publicly admitting it.”
This situation didn’t cause much of a stir; Yan Lin and the others didn’t take the “Mountain Spirit granting shipbuilding skills” too seriously.
The secret of shipbuilding was a closely guarded technique, and renowned craftsmen from the south had already been recruited under Yang Tao’s banner.
Those not recruited were likely being supported by others.
How high could the quality of Jiang Pengji’s warships be?
Could it surpass theirs?
The waters south of Zhangzhou were quite advanced, with shipbuilding techniques developed and refined over generations; it was deemed the best in the world. Most of Jiang Pengji’s troops were northern folks, and even if she had been planning for years to build a navy, shipbuilding is not something Qi Kuang could easily improve upon in a short time. According to Yan Lin and the others’ estimates, Jiang Pengji’s warships would likely be somewhat inferior.
Naval warfare not only demands high standards of the navy but also requires top-notch warships.
Even with a supremely strong navy, without sturdy and powerful ships, they wouldn’t be able to defeat the enemy.
Yang Si continued his dual task of fishing and cleaning up water bandits, refining the nautical charts of the local waters to perfection.
Such movements couldn’t escape Yan Lin’s watchful eyes.
Yang Tao said, “Why not send someone to test their naval strength first?”
Yan Lin agreed, “Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”
So, a group disguised as merchants and another group posing as water bandits unexpectedly encountered each other in certain waters.
After a brief skirmish, Yang Si sensed something was off and decisively ordered a retreat.
Yan Lin’s group didn’t pursue.
“What’s the situation?”
To ensure security, Yang Tao, Yan Lin, and the others didn’t go personally but sent an experienced Deputy General to command the operation.
Both sides had only about a thousand men, and the engagement didn’t last long since it was just a reconnaissance; the exchange wasn’t particularly fierce.
The Deputy General, being an experienced veteran, managed to gather some information on the enemy.
He said, “The enemy might be more troublesome than we anticipated.”
Yan Lin raised an eyebrow, surprised by this response.
“What kind of ships were they using?”
The Deputy General responded, “From my judgment, they are probably all civilian fishing vessels from the local wealthy families.”
Civilian ships can’t compare in size and sturdiness to warships; however, we also didn’t use warships to avoid startling the grass snakes, opting instead for the same civilian boats the bandits used. In terms of ships, both forces were on even ground; the difference lay in the combat effectiveness of the personnel.
Yan Lin asked about the opponent’s combat capabilities, and the Deputy General reported honestly as well.
In short, if he hadn’t been pre-warned that the enemy consisted of northern landlubbers, he wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart from the southern navy.
They had good seamanship, coordinated well, and maneuvered with no signs of panic.
These were clearly elite soldiers of a well-trained navy.
Had it not been for the Deputy General’s timely retreat, they might have gotten tangled up and revealed their weaknesses.
Nonetheless, he felt the enemy had already caught on.
Yang Si naturally figured it out; the water bandits they faced were extremely coordinated, showing clear signs of being a regular army instead of a ragtag group.
Yang Tao frowned tightly, looking towards Yan Lin with a questioning gaze.
Yan Lin said, “I humbly request that our Leader give the order to send someone to continue the reconnaissance so we can gauge their true strength.”
No one knew if this thousand-strong naval force belonged to Jiang Pengji’s elite units or if they were just average; the difference could be significant.
Yang Tao also knew not to rush and agreed with Yan Lin’s suggestion.
Both sides began to test each other, and as tensions rose, Jiang Pengji’s forces were not idle either.
“Since we’ve confirmed that Nie Liang won’t last long, let’s add some fuel to the fire and send him off in style.”
Qi Guanrang asked her, “Does the Leader mean… to deploy troops now?”
That seemed rather aggressive and impulsive.
“How could that possibly work? You must know both yourself and your enemy to achieve victory in battles. I’m not a fool. Nie Liang indeed doesn’t have long to live, but he’s not dead yet. He still has over 200,000 elite soldiers, not to be underestimated.” Jiang Pengji shook her head, refusing, “I plan to send scouts to investigate first. Once we know the situation, we can dispatch people for a surprise attack and see how Nie Liang reacts.”
