Chapter 385: True Nature

Fanyang.

Chen Shou was somewhat bewildered.

Early this morning, Chang Wei suddenly arrived leading troops, and went straight to the Shipyard, looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

If he hadn't known this general was loyal to Yan Wang, he would have thought there was a mutiny.

"The sea bandits are here again!" After some questioning and learning the reason for the Prince's Army's arrival, Chen Shou nearly jumped up.

Chang Wei nodded slightly, "Although it is only His Highness's conjecture, we cannot afford not to be on guard; we cannot let these warships be destroyed by those with ulterior motives again."

As he spoke, Chang Wei looked toward the river.

Yan Wang had discussed the construction of these warships with him.

Every one of these warships used oak.

Even though he was just a rough man, he knew this wood was known for being as hard as iron.

But the trade-off was its exorbitant price.

The construction cost of each warship was therefore as high as several hundred thousand taels of Silver.

At present, twelve warships were being built in the shipyards by the river.

If they were destroyed, the loss would be over four million taels of Silver and half a year of time.

"Damn it." Chen Shou couldn't control himself and cursed.

When the warships in Jinghai County were destroyed, although Yan Wang did not severely reprimand him,

he had never forgiven himself in his heart.

That was hard-earned Silver and the painstaking efforts of the craftsmen.

"If they want to destroy the warships, they'll have to step over my dead body!" Chen Shou stomped his feet.

According to Yan Wang's requirements, he had built twelve Dry Docks by the river.

In each Dry Dock, a warship was under construction.

Now, the main bodies of the warships were largely completed, and in another three months, the scattered auxiliary structures would also be finished.

Then, after drying for two or three months and loading the Artillery, the warships would be able to set sail.

Now everything was proceeding perfectly,

how could he endure having his previous efforts wasted once again?

"Director Chen, do not be anxious. Didn't His Highness send me here? With me here, even if these sea bandits grew three heads, they wouldn't be able to destroy these warships under my, Chang Wei's, watch." Seeing Chen Shou's face purple with rage, Chang Wei hurriedly comforted him.

Hearing this, Chen Shou felt much more at ease, and he cupped his hands to Chang Wei, "General Chang, I leave this to you."

Chang Wei returned the salute and immediately ordered the officers to lead troops to the junction of the Fan River and the Canal to conduct strict inspections.

At the same time, he observed the terrain near the Shipyard for a while and had some soldiers lie in ambush on the side of the riverbank facing away from the Shipyard.

Because the river channel where the Shipyard was located was a dead-end river.

He also set up Artillery positions on the riverbank at the dead end, overlooking the entire Shipyard.

"Your Highness, the sea bandits who attacked Jinghai County have all been annihilated by this subordinate."

Jinghai County.

Bai Shang bowed deeply to Zhao Xu.

"Very good," Zhao Xu said, "Go back, and I will have Chang Wei record a merit for you and the soldiers."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Bai Shang and the officers beside him all revealed smiles.

At this moment, Zhao Xu climbed the city wall and looked at the distant sea surface with a Telescope.

More than thirty sea bandit Warships were still anchored in their original positions.

These Warships were the traditional Hard-sail Tower Ships of the Da Song.

Each Warship could carry over two hundred people.

"Your Highness, the day before yesterday there were seventy-two Warships on the sea, but when we woke up this morning, there were only thirty-something left," Bai Shang explained. "This subordinate sent men on small boats to try to capture these Warships, but the sea bandits left men on board and used Artillery to bombard our soldiers, so I ordered the soldiers to withdraw."

Speaking of this, Bai Shang felt a bit regretful.

The only flaw in this battle was failing to capture these Warships.

"Forty-something fewer?" Zhao Xu's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, Your Highness." Seeing Zhao Xu's gloomy expression, Bai Shang felt a bit uneasy, thinking he had done something wrong.

"You immediately send men to Fanyang and tell Chang Wei to order him to search the fleet in the Fan River," Zhao Xu said.

Although he knew it might be too late, it was still necessary to send someone to be absolutely sure.

Bai Shang suddenly realized, and he immediately ordered a team of Cavalry to go.

"This subordinate just thought these sea bandits were arrogant; I didn't expect them to play a feint to the east while attacking in the west," Bai Shang spat.

Then he said, "Your Highness, this subordinate captured an Eastern Japanese, and other sea bandits confessed that he is the deputy to the Vice Island Master, Hei Shan."

"Did you get anything out of him?" Zhao Xu said.

"The other sea bandits don't know much, but this Yamada Ichino has a very stiff mouth and refuses to open it no matter what," Bai Shang said.

Hearing this, Zhao Xu sneered, "Bring him out; I have plenty of ways to make him talk."

In Zhao Xu's view, the nation of Dongying was much the same as a certain country of his own time.

After all, a large part of an island nation's aggressiveness and extremism is determined by its geographical environment.

It is the same principle as "oranges grown south of the Huai River are oranges, but north of the Huai River they become trifoliate oranges."

Dongying's narrow territory, lack of resources, and the narrow-minded national character shaped by being surrounded by the sea and lacking ethnic integration destined it to be full of aggression and extremism.

The only reason they would not invade is that they lack the strength.

Whenever they have the strength, they will inevitably provoke a war.

According to what he knew, during the late Qing Dynasty before the Great Song, pirates composed of Eastern Japanese constantly raided the southeastern coast.

The Eastern Japanese even invaded Gaoli at that time.

After the Great Song was founded, these raids never ceased.

Coupled with the Age of Discovery, with pirates and Privateer Ship running rampant across the entire ocean, the Great Song now has its maritime ban.

"Yes, Your Highness." Bai Shang ordered a commander to bring Yamada Ichino out from the prison.

The two descended the city wall and waited outside the East Gate.

Before long, a person was dragged to the gate by soldiers.

Upon reaching them, Zhao Xu was slightly taken aback.

Even the attire was so similar to the samurai of the contemporary Wa state.

"Baka, koro shite yaru..." Yamada Ichino's eyes turned red with rage upon seeing Bai Shang, and he cursed incessantly.

The Wangfu Army soldiers then threw him hard onto the ground.

"What kind of bird language is he speaking!" Bai Shang frowned; although he could not understand it, he knew it was definitely not anything good.

"He is calling you a bastard and saying he wants to kill you," Zhao Xu said.

"Screw your mother!" Upon hearing this, Bai Shang kicked Yamada Ichino, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Yet Yamada Ichino no longer paid attention to Bai Shang at this moment; he stood up and stared fixedly at Zhao Xu, "Who are you? How do you know the Dongying language?"

Bai Shang was respectful toward this person, so he clearly looked like a high-ranking official.

And it was impossible for Great Song officials to know the Dongying language, so he asked again in the Dongying language.

"I am Yan Wang!" Zhao Xu said.

Yamada Ichino's eyes narrowed, then he said angrily, "I advise you to let me go, otherwise Wufeng Island will not let you off, and from now on, your Yanzhou coast will never have a day of peace..."

Zhao Xu only sneered.

These pirates had long plundered the coast, and because local officials would flee at the first sign of them, they had evidently developed an extremely Hegemony habit.

They thought that by making a few threats, he would be like the officials in the southeast, treating them to good Wine and food before sending them back.

"This King knows thirty-four categories and over five hundred types of torture; it is said your mouth is very hard, and this King would like to test whether your mouth is harder or these tortures are," Zhao Xu sneered repeatedly.

The tortures he spoke of were the methods used by the contemporary Japanese army to persecute the common people when they invaded China.

The level of cruelty was hair-raising.

If he had not come here, he feared the Great Song and its future descendants would have suffered the same tragedy.

Upon hearing this, Bai Shang chuckled coldly.

Over these years, he did not know how many Great Song commoners had died miserably at the hands of these pirates.

According to rumors, these pirates often took pleasure in killing, sparing neither the elderly, the young, nor women and children.

To him, no matter what torture was used against this Yamada Ichino, it would not be excessive.