Chapter 64

The atmosphere in the council hall of Prince An's mansion was so heavy it was almost palpable. Tang Pu sat in the main seat, his face ashen, his knuckles white from gripping a piece of intelligence tightly. In the hall, the generals of the Prince's mansion, the "Iron Face" head of the Donghai Security Company, and the manager of the Donghai branch of Yunjian Pavilion all bowed their heads, not daring to breathe.

"Iron Face, you tell me what exactly happened? Why did the fleet encounter pirates near the 'Devil's Fog Zone'? What are you people from the East China Sea Security Company doing?!" Tang Pu slammed the intelligence report on the table and roared angrily.

Iron Face quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, please calm down. The pirates our fleet encountered this time were extraordinary. They were numerous, well-equipped, and acted swiftly, clearly indicating that they had planned this in advance. Although our men fought back with all their might, we were outnumbered and overwhelmed by their firepower, and they eventually hijacked our fleet."

He paused, then added, "However, Your Highness, rest assured, we have already sent men to secretly track the pirate fleet and discovered that they are heading towards 'Dragon Tooth Island.' 'Dragon Tooth Island' was 'Black Shark's' former stronghold. Although 'Black Shark' has been wiped out by us, his remnants may still be entrenched there."

Cui Yunshu sat quietly to the side, listening to Tie Mian's report, her fingers lightly tapping the table. She had a feeling that something was off about this pirate hijacking incident. How could the remnants of "Black Shark" have such strength? And how could they know the Royal Ocean Trading Company's fleet's route and schedule so accurately? There must be someone secretly supporting them behind the scenes.

"Are you sure the pirates are heading towards 'Dragon Tooth Island'?" Cui Yunshu asked, her tone tinged with inquiry.

Iron Face nodded hurriedly: "Your Highness, our people have confirmed that the pirate fleet is indeed heading towards 'Dragon Tooth Island'. Moreover, we have also discovered that the style of several ships in the pirate fleet is very similar to the official ships of the British Duke's Mansion."

"The Duke of England's mansion?" Cui Yunshu and Tang Pu exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. Could this pirate hijacking incident be related to the Duke of England's mansion?

Tang Pu frowned, his tone furious: "What a disgrace to the Duke of England's mansion! They were always against us when we were suppressing pirates in the East China Sea, and now they dare to collude with pirates and hijack the Royal Maritime Trading Company's fleet! I must petition His Majesty to punish them!"

Cui Yunshu shook her head, her tone calm: "We can't be sure yet that the official ships in the pirate fleet belong to the Duke of England. We can't draw conclusions based on mere speculation. What if this is a trap set by someone to make us and the Duke of England suspicious of each other? Then we'll have fallen into their trap."

She paused, then said, "The most urgent task is to rescue the crew and recover the cargo. As for the mastermind behind this incident, we can investigate that later after we've rescued the fleet."

Tang Pu felt that Cui Yunshu made sense, and suppressed his anger, nodding: "Then how should we rescue them now? 'Dragon Tooth Island' is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the number of pirates is large. If we attack rashly, we may suffer great losses."

Cui Yunshu looked at Iron Face and asked calmly, "Iron Face, how much do you know about the terrain of 'Dragon Tooth Island' and the situation of the pirates?"

Iron Face hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, 'Dragon Tooth Island' is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one waterway leading in. The waterway is riddled with reefs, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The pirates have built strong fortifications on the island and are also equipped with Western cannons. However, when we wiped out 'Black Shark,' we left some informants on the island. Perhaps we can use them to launch an attack from within and without."

Cui Yunshu nodded, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes: "Alright! Then let's proceed according to your plan. We'll launch an attack from both inside and outside. Iron Face, you immediately lead the elite forces of the East China Sea Security Company to quietly approach 'Dragon Tooth Island,' make contact with the island's spies, and wait for the opportune moment. Tang Pu, you immediately dispatch part of the Northern Territory's navy to the East China Sea to coordinate with Iron Face's operation. In addition, have the Cloud Pavilion's branch in the East China Sea prepare sufficient food and supplies to support the rescue operation."

"Yes!" Iron Face and Tang Pu responded in unison, and immediately turned around to make arrangements.

Cui Yunshu watched their retreating figures, silently praying. She hoped the rescue operation would go smoothly; otherwise, not only would the Royal Ocean Trading Company suffer huge losses, but her escape plan would also be severely affected.

A few days later, in the East China Sea.

Iron Face led the elite forces of Donghai Security Company, boarding several small speedboats, and quietly approached "Dragon Tooth Island." They stopped a dozen miles away from "Dragon Tooth Island," waiting to make contact with their informants on the island.

Soon, a small boat sailed from the direction of "Dragon Tooth Island." The people on board, seeing Iron Face's fleet, sent a coded signal. Iron Face, recognizing the signal, knew that his spies from the island had arrived and immediately ordered the small boat to be allowed to pass.

As the small boat drew near, a man with a scar on his face jumped aboard Ironface's boat. He was an informant Ironface had left on the island, known as "Scarface."

"Brother Iron Face, you've finally arrived!" Scarface said excitedly. "The situation on the island is very bad. The pirates have imprisoned the members of the hijacked fleet in the island's prisons, and they are constantly reinforcing the defenses. It seems they intend to hold out for a long time."

Iron Face nodded, his tone grave: "Scarface, do you have any way to secretly send our people into the island? We want to launch an attack from the inside out."

Scarface thought for a moment and said, “I have a way. There’s an abandoned secret passage on the island, built by ‘Black Shark’ for escape in times of crisis. The entrance to the passage is on the back of the island, and few people know about it. We can use the passage to secretly send your people into the island.”

“Good!” Iron Face’s eyes lit up. “Take us to the entrance of the secret passage now. Also, find a way to draw a detailed map of the pirates’ defenses on the island and the locations where the fleet members are being held, and give it to us.”

“No problem!” Scarface nodded quickly, turned around and led Ironface’s fleet toward the back of “Dragon Tooth Island”.

Meanwhile, Tang Pu, leading the Northern Navy, had also arrived in the East Sea. They stopped a few dozen miles from "Dragon Tooth Island," awaiting news from Iron Face.

Tang Pu stood at the bow of the flagship, gazing at "Dragon Tooth Island" in the distance, his heart filled with anticipation. He hoped that this time they could successfully rescue the fleet members, recover the cargo, and also uncover the mastermind behind this incident.

A few days later, Iron Face finally sent word. They had sent a portion of their elite forces into the island through a secret passage and had ascertained the island's pirate defenses and the locations where the fleet members were being held.

Upon receiving the news, Tang Pu immediately ordered the naval fleet to head towards "Dragon Tooth Island".

Soon, the naval fleet arrived near Dragon Tooth Island. Tang Pu stood at the bow of his flagship, looking at the island's fortifications, a cold smile playing on his lips. He said to the messenger beside him, "Pass down the order: the naval fleet, prepare for battle, await my command, and launch the attack!"

"Yes!" the messenger replied quickly and turned to relay the order.

On the island, Iron Face led his elite infiltrators, stealthily approaching the pirate fortifications. Following their pre-arranged plan, they first eliminated the pirate sentries within the fortifications, then swiftly took control of them.

"Attack!" With a command from Iron Face, the elite troops who had infiltrated the island immediately launched their attack. As they charged toward the pirate camp, they sent signals to notify the naval fleet outside.

Upon seeing the signal coming from the island, Tang Pu immediately ordered, "Attack!"

The navy's cannons roared instantly, and cannonballs flew towards the pirate camp on the island. The pirates on the island were caught off guard by this sudden attack and were thrown into chaos.

Iron Face led his elite infiltrators into the island, seizing the opportunity to storm the pirate camp and engage in fierce combat. Although the pirates outnumbered them, they were quickly defeated under the combined attack of the naval fleet and the infiltrators.

After several hours of fierce fighting, the pirates on the island were finally wiped out. Iron Face led his men to rescue the imprisoned fleet members and recover the hijacked cargo.

Tang Pu landed on "Dragon Tooth Island," and a smile spread across his face as he looked at the mess. He walked up to Iron Face and patted him on the shoulder: "Well done! You've done a great job in this rescue operation!"

Iron Face quickly bowed and said, "This is all thanks to Your Highness and Princess. I was just following orders."

Tang Pu smiled but didn't say anything. He knew in his heart that the successful rescue operation was largely due to Cui Yunshu's meticulous planning.

Just then, a naval soldier rushed over, holding something in his hand: "Your Highness, we found this in the pirate camp."

Tang Pu took the item and examined it closely, discovering it was a token. The token was engraved with the character "Zhou," and its design was exactly the same as the tokens of the Duke of England's mansion.

"The Duke of England's mansion!" Tang Pu's face instantly turned ashen, and he roared angrily, "It really was them! They actually colluded with pirates and hijacked the Royal Maritime Trading Company's fleet! I must petition His Majesty to punish them!"

Iron Face and the generals around him were also furious. The Duke of Ying's mansion, as a long-established noble family of the Great Qin, had actually done something so despicable as to collude with pirates and harm the interests of the country.

Tang Pu, holding the token, turned to the messenger beside him and said, "Prepare the ship immediately. I will personally return to the capital to report this matter to His Majesty!"

"Yes!" the messenger replied quickly and turned to make the arrangements.

Tang Pu stared at the token in his hand, his heart filled with rage. He was determined to make the Duke of Ying's mansion pay the price for their actions!