If this goes on, it’s not just the Ministry of War and Ministry of Revenue that will be anxious; Emperor Yanping himself is likely to bee worried.
"With the Marquis here, we are not afraid of them!"
"That’s right, we have been living so delightfully these days!"
Several people laughed.
How could they not be delighted?
Apart from the Tenglong Guard, all other naval forces were short on funds. In the past, asking the court for silver required an onerous effort, and even then it was uncertain how much money or provisions they could get.
But now, they can easily obtain full payment and provisions, as well as plete sets of armaments and warships.
They had never experienced such luxury before.
"Alright, it’s fine to joke around a bit, but we can’t just think about the benefits without putting in the work!" Yang Zhenshan gestured with a press of his hand for everyone to quiet down.
"It’s time to set out for battle!"
"Marquis, give your orders; we will forge ahead undaunted, unafraid of life and death!" Yu Tonghai declared solemnly.
Yang Zhenshan nodded, "According to intelligence provided by the Secret Martial Guards, the Star Moon Sect has already gathered nearly forty thousand pirates around Star Moon Island!"
With that, he beckoned, and his Personal Followers immediately brought up the prepared nautical chart.
Yang Zhenshan pointed to Star Moon Island on the chart and said, "The forty thousand pirates are distributed among the quarters of the Four Flag Army, but once we embark on our campaign, they will surely meet us in a decisive battle!"
"I have decided to set the location for the decisive battle one hundred miles to the west of Star Moon Island!"
"There are over a dozen small and large islands there, the largest of which is the base of the Full Moon Flag Army!"
"So for this battle, we need to proceed in four steps: the first is to rout the Star Moon Sect’s pirate army; the second, to capture Full Moon Island; the third, to land on Star Moon Island and annihilate the Star Moon Sect’s headquarters in one fell swoop; the fourth, to clean up the remnants of the Star Moon Sect’s forces."
"The most challenging parts will be the first and third steps. The Star Moon Sect might concentrate all their forces on the pirate army, but they might also fight a desperate battle on Star Moon Island!"
"Therefore, we must put our all into these two battles!"
After going through the overall plan, Yang Zhenshan started to issue orders.
"Yu Tonghai!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead the Tenglong Navy to take position here!" Yang Zhenshan pointed to an uninhabited island north of Star Moon Island, "Once the battle begins, you will be responsible for penetrating the enemy’s rear and cutting off their escape route!"
"Your subordinate obeys the mand!" declared Yu Tonghai.
"Bai Yuanxi!" Yang Zhenshan called out.
"Your servant is here!" Bai Yuanxi stepped forward.
Yang Zhenshan pointed toward the south of Full Moon Island, "After entering the Star Moon Sea Domain, you will lead the Jiujiang Central Guard to detach from the main forces, move first to penetrate the enemy’s southern side; the main army will do its utmost to drive the enemies to flee southward, where you will be responsible for intercepting them!"
"Your servant obeys the mand!" Bai Yuanxi responded.
Yang Zhenshan continued, "The rest of you will follow me in a direct assault on Full Moon Island; specific tactical arrangements will be made at that time. I have only one requirement for you all!"
"That is, the moment you receive the order, you charge forward for me, even if it’s into a mountain of blades and a sea of fire! And if anyone dares to shrink back in battle, even if we win this fight, I will have his head!"
Naval battles are extremely plicated to mand; once the forces are divided, it’s difficult to issue timely orders, so the success of the operations entirely depends on the main generals’ grasp of the battlefield situation.
Therefore, Yang Zhenshan did not dare to spread his forces too thinly and only allowed Yu Tonghai and Bai Yuanxi to take a guard of soldiers each for flexible maneuvers.
For the other naval forces, Yang Zhenshan had only one requirement, and that was to have the courage to charge forward.
In this battle, they held the advantage in numbers, and their warships were also superior to the enemy’s. As long as the soldiers were brave, defeat was unlikely in this fight; the worst-case scenario would merely be a tragic victory instead of a plete one.
"We will earnestly ply with the Marquis’s orders!" All the generals responded in unison.
Following the orders, the military began preparations for battle.
Armaments were ready; grain and freshwater, crossbow arrows and bows, all were loaded onto the warships. After a busy day, the next morning, Yang Zhenshan boarded the vessel of the Jin Hai Guard at the temporary harbor.
The vessel of the Jin Hai Guard was also a Da Fu Ship, similar to the Tenglong Advanced Guard’s, although its mounted crossbows were not as advanced because those on the Tenglong Advanced Guard had been personally modified by the Tenglong Guard, back when Yang Zhenshan was with them.
Yang Zhenshan chose the Jin Hai Guard’s Da Fu Ship as the flagship. Acpanying him, aside from his Personal Followers and trusted aides, were An Yuxing and six others.
With six Innate Martial Artists by his side, Yang Zhenshan felt that if they were to lose this battle, it would truly be an affront to the heavens.
The grand army set sail; thousands of warships charged mightily towards Star Moon Island. As they passed by Dongyang Island, Xue Ping also led two battalions of soldiers to follow the Tenglong Advanced Guard.
On Dongyang Island, Zhu Ming stood respectfully behind an elderly man, his eyes full of shock as he watched the mighty Navy.
"I only knew before that Da Rong was powerful, but I never imagined just how powerful. Today, I’ve seen firsthand that the prosperity of Da Rong is beyond my imagination!"
Zhu Ming remarked somewhat wistfully.
In terms of the number of warships, the current Four Seas Navy did not actually have many – just over a thousand.
The Star Moon Sect claimed to have three thousand warships.
However, the number of warships does not reflect strength – ten small ships are no match for one large ship; a hundred small ships are no match for one Da Fu Ship.
The true strength of the Four Seas Navy lies in those twenty-eight Da Fu Ships.
Out of the twenty-eight Da Fu Ships, ten originally belonged to the Tenglong Advanced Guard, Jin Hai Guard, Quanhai Guard, Leizhou Guard, and Hai State Left Guard as flagships, while the remaining eighteen had been converted from merchant ships by the Ministry of Industry over the last three months.
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