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With the army in ruins and attacked from both sides, there was no chance of a decisive victory. The battle was over quickly, and even with the Long Whale Gang's best efforts, only a few ships escaped. The only problem was the unknown fate of the leader, Xu Hei. After all, taking the head of a general in the midst of chaos was a legendary tale, difficult even on land, let alone at sea. However, his life or death was of little importance. A pirate leader who had lost his elite troops was probably worse off dead than alive.

After quickly clearing the battlefield and sending the wounded and damaged ships back, Cheng Xi didn't stop, but continued onward. This was also to intimidate the remaining Changjing remnants, making it impossible for them to gain a foothold on Qiongzhou Island. Naturally, the Qingfeng Gang would also accompany them to strengthen their presence.

However, before the battle was over, Shen Feng abandoned his own fleet and boarded Cheng Xi's flagship in a swaggering manner.

"I didn't expect this battle to be won so easily. How did you come up with the idea of ​​doing it right under their noses?" Compared to his previous miserable appearance, Shen Feng looked much better, more relaxed, and dressed in a brocade dress, looking even more gorgeous. But compared to his showy attitude, the question he asked was probably the key.

"Where there is oppression, there will be resistance. I just pointed a way for those people." Cheng Xi did not hide it. In fact, the infiltration of faith in Hepu and Qiongzhou was the real key to this battle.

When the Pearl River people refused to come all the way to surrender, Cheng Xi knew the pressure on the coastal residents had reached its peak, and all it needed to ignite it was a fire. Qiongzhou was already an island with a weak grip on the imperial court, and when the Long Whale Gang rashly intervened and negotiated a transfer of control with the government, the pressure was bound to be vented on them.

Those members of the Changjing Gang who converted to General Zhenhai were just the surface. Hidden beneath them were countless working people who were incited by hope and desire. However, these people were never seen in the eyes of those in power, and would not be taken seriously by a group of pirates.

"This is even more arrogant than 'acting justice on behalf of heaven,'" Shen Feng laughed. "But this alone isn't enough, is it? It's not enough to persuade the barbarians, but even the government troops can be persuaded. This is not something that ordinary people can do."

This statement seemed like praise, but in reality it was a test of her attitude towards the imperial court. Shen Feng likely saw no reason why a pirate with a deep-seated vendetta against the imperial court, who had actually rebelled, would easily change her stance and surrender to the imperial court. Therefore, the matter of inviting the imperial army was worthy of further investigation.

Facing Shen Feng's veiled question, Cheng Xi said calmly, "If the Long Whale Gang were just pirates, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do anything about them. But now that they've been canonized by the imperial court, the situation is completely different."

Shen Feng immediately became excited: "What's the difference? If I join the imperial court, won't that be something I can rely on?"

"If used well, it can be relied upon, but if used poorly, it can become a burden." Cheng Xi glanced at him. "You certainly can't imagine the key, but there are people around me who can."

This is the barrier to knowledge and perception brought about by identity. It is common to see officials and bandits in cahoots on the coast, and pirates supported by large families are endless. However, no matter how close they are and how happily they cooperate, officials and bandits are still two completely different identities. Their attitudes towards the court are even more different, especially at this critical juncture when the central control is declining and the world is on the verge of chaos.

Therefore, when the Long Whale Gang continued to use their previous methods to rampage, it would provoke a strong backlash from the officialdom. Shen Feng might not be able to figure out the subtleties of this. But Cheng Xi could, and so could the people around her.

Although each of them had defied their former status, Yan Yuan had once held the rank of Lieutenant General, Tian Yu had served as a county magistrate, and Lu Jian came from a prominent family, with a father who had risen to the rank of Vice Minister of Personnel. Their understanding of officialdom far surpassed that of these pirates, allowing them to achieve seemingly impossible goals with ease.

It could be said that when the Long Whale Gang offended the entire Panyu maritime merchant community, and the Red Flag Gang won them over, everything was settled. This actually had little to do with the imperial court, and whether she was willing to surrender was irrelevant.

Hearing this answer, Shen Feng tutted his words, but did not ask any further questions. He just winked at her and said, "From now on, you are the only one who has the final say in the South China Sea. We are also friends who have risked our lives together. You can't just abandon me after having an affair with me."

Such frivolous words made the guards standing beside him look gloomy, but Cheng Xi nodded: "Indeed, there is still something I can trouble you with..."

…

Different people have different opinions on when a war ends. But for those on Luoling Island, it might just be when the last batch of wounded soldiers arrives.

The smell of gunpowder, the smell of coke, and the smell of blood, however, on the dock filled with these smells, the cheers still drowned out the cries of the wounded.

This battle was not won easily for them. Many people died in order to defend the camp and repel the enemy. However, they still won. Facing a strong enemy, they won the battle again.

In the hospital, Huang Yuefei rushed in and pushed open the door: "Ahao, we won!"

The shout was so loud that it jolted the person lying on the bed. Shi Hao struggled to get up, but the nurse beside him pushed him back down: "Lie down in bed! And you, this is a ward, don't yell!"

Huang Yue couldn't help but shrink her head after being scolded by the nurse, but she laughed again: "Second Aunt, we won..."

The older nurse said coldly, "I don't care about the outcome. The work at the hospital isn't over yet."

These words were like pouring a bucket of water on the two girls' heads, making their excitement fade a little. However, the next moment, Shi Hao muttered: "We will always win. If we win, no one will die."

Her injuries and the blood of those selected forwards were not shed in vain; this was a victory they achieved together.

The nurse's expression softened a bit. She patted the girl's forehead and turned to Huang Yue, saying, "Don't be lazy. There's still a lot of work to do. Hurry up and get moving."

Huang Yue nodded vigorously, but also rushed to Shi Hao's side and grabbed her hand: "I heard that it was a great victory. The long whale bandits' lair was completely wiped out by us. If you hadn't blown up the barbarian's ship, it would definitely not have been so easy. This is a great achievement. There will definitely be a reward when the gang leader returns. You must get better quickly!"

The hand she held in her palm was still somewhat hot. Severely injured and exhausted, with blood loss and hypothermia, Shi Hao had truly walked back and forth between life and death, relying solely on his vital energy to pull through. That was why Huang Yue had to bring her this good news, hoping she would recover quickly.

Even though his hands were weak, Shi Hao still managed to grab Huang Yue's hand and grinned. She was looking forward to standing on the stage with those men and being rewarded by the gang leader. She couldn't miss it!

However, Cheng Xi did not return to Luoling Island immediately because he had to complete a scene.

…

"The Long Whale Thief has been completely defeated this time." Someone sighed in a low voice.

"That's right. They clearly have more ships than the Red Flag Gang, and they're the powerful ones occupying the South Seas. Who could have imagined they would be defeated so easily..."

"She's Qiu Sheng's daughter. I wonder how many connections she has. Do you think she'll actually surrender this time?"

"If we persuade her to surrender, how should we reward her? We can't let her become an official, right?"

"It's difficult to redress the Qiu family. It's likely that this will never be accomplished. Speaking of which, the person in the palace is probably about to collapse. If someone else were to take over..."

"Shh, keep your voice down, is that something you can just say casually?"

"Yes, yes. What does it have to do with us? Winning this battle is the key."

"I heard that those families who participated in the war all gained benefits."

"You only see people eating meat, but you don't see anyone being beaten. Old Zhou's nephew has died..."

"If it can bring me great benefits, even the death of a son is not a loss."

"Haha, look at what you said..."

A group of people were discussing something when the hall door suddenly opened, instantly silencing the chatter and turning everyone's gaze towards the newcomer. It was Lu Jian, Lu Mingde. It was rumored that he had persuaded Prefect Liu to dispatch the navy. Despite falling out with his family, he had easily secured the support of the Red Flag Gang and even managed a major bank, becoming a formidable figure.

However, when he moved his eyes back and saw the person standing behind him, there was a loud noise and countless people pushed away their chairs and stood up in panic.

A woman in a red dress walked into the hall. She was not wearing any makeup or any decorations, only a gold hairpin in her hair. She did not look noble or respectable at all. However, everyone lowered their heads and looked away, not daring to look at her directly, for fear that one careless mistake would bring disaster upon themselves.

Fortunately, the woman didn't look at anyone. She just strode forward, came to the main seat, turned around and sat down.

Next to her, another handsome man in brocade clothes also sat down, holding his chin with one hand, and looked at the crowd with interest. Some of the people present had seen this man before, while others had never met him before, but they had all heard of his famous name.

Why did these two people come together, and why did they show up in Panyu? No one knows the answer.

In the dead silence, Lu Jian slowly walked to Cheng Xi's side, glanced at Shen Feng who was sitting on the side seat, and sat down on the other side.

"I have invited you all here today to celebrate our success and to discuss matters. Please take a seat."

The cold female voice from the main seat made everyone's heart tighten, and they sat down cautiously. No matter how polite the other party's words were, no one dared to be presumptuous in front of her now. Even if they were much older or wealthy, they had to bow their heads and obey her orders.

Faced with the new Lord of the South China Sea, these merchants are far from being able to compete with him.