Prince Qing got up very early today. As soon as he opened his eyes in bed, he began to think about what he needed to arrange next.
The prisoners need to be brought out of the prison, a process that requires a large number of troops. It is crucial to prevent thieves from taking advantage of the transfer to break into the prison.
After this step, the prisoners on the prison vans need to be paraded through the streets as a deterrent, thus warning those restless troublemakers.
The process of parading through the streets naturally requires more troops, not only to defend against the Red Tide rebels who may be hiding in the crowd, but also to prevent some foolish people who may be misled from doing impulsive things.
His worries were not unfounded. During the parade, his subordinates reported several times that some troublemakers in the crowd were deliberately causing trouble. Although they were trying their best to suppress them, the situation seemed to be escalating.
This really annoyed Prince Qing. He could only imagine that there were Red Tide rebels hiding among the masses, spreading rumors and deceiving some extremely foolish people.
In fact, Prince Qing had thought of this idea before going to sleep last night. Therefore, he had told his subordinates early on that during today's parade, they should keep their eyes open and their ears perked up to see who was secretly creating momentum.
Anyone who notices these people should be arrested and imprisoned immediately. After today's executions are over, these imprisoned individuals will be interrogated. If it is discovered that these people are colluding with the Red Tide rebels, they will be executed one by one.
This arrangement was undeniably meticulous; it could even be described as luring the snake out of its hole.
However, things took an unexpected turn. When his subordinates reported earlier, they said that perhaps half of the people were causing trouble. This really surprised Prince Qing. Of course, these people could not all be Red Tide rebels, but they were undoubtedly all extremely stupid.
It's unbelievable that there are so many idiots in Nangang!
Fortunately, there were enough troops deployed, and foreign gun corps were also sent to suppress the rebellion, so these people were not actually able to storm the execution ground and rescue the prisoners.
Dealing with these ordinary people is nothing to fear, and quite simple.
But now, looking at the endless, almost suffocating fleet of ships sailing in on the sea.
Prince Qing's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and a strong sense of unease filled his heart.
He stared at the sea with his mouth slightly open, not blinking, still not having recovered his senses.
Mai Lirui, who was holding a binoculars, was also looking at the sea, but then he handed the binoculars to Prince Qing, his face as gloomy as if covered by a dark cloud.
Prince Qing took the binoculars, and through the lenses, he could see the warships even more clearly.
He twisted his stiff neck, looking from left to right, and then from right to left.
The massive warships cut through the wind and waves, soaring across the vast sea in the scorching sun and howling winds. Hundreds of them? No, there seemed to be more behind them.
Was it the long-awaited foreign fleet? No.
The flag fluttering on the bow was the color that Prince Qing hated most; it was the symbol of the rebels and also the so-called "Yan Kingdom" flag.
He continued looking, his gaze settling on the ship in the very center.
The deck was lined with Yan soldiers, some carrying swords, spears, halberds, and daggers, others carrying firearms. The cannons on the ship were clearly visible, their dark muzzles resembling abysses.
Prince Qing's hand holding the binoculars trembled slightly. He opened his mouth, sweat dripped from his temples, and his back was slowly soaked with cold sweat.
His gaze swept over the soldiers and landed on the upper deck, where he saw burly generals with murderous expressions, their fierce faces like malevolent ghosts seeking death.
Prince Qing unconsciously took a step back, but did not lower the binoculars.
His gaze was now fixed on a chair among the generals, where a man was sitting. At that moment, the man was also holding a binocular and looking through it!
Prince Qing saw the man's grinning mouth and his gleaming white teeth. Then, the man lowered his binoculars, and Prince Qing finally got a clear look at his face.
It was a laughing face; it was Qin Ze.
"ah!!!"
"It's the traitor Qin Ze!!"
The moment he saw the face clearly, Prince Qing's expression twisted, and he let out a sharp, strange cry that sounded like a woman's howl.
Then, with a "thud," the telescope fell to the ground from Prince Qing's trembling hands, and Prince Qing suddenly stumbled backward, falling to the ground unprepared.
His face was deathly pale, covered in sweat, and Prince Qing's eyes were wide open, his fear evident.
In an instant, a thousand thoughts exploded in Prince Qing's mind.
How could a traitor bring a fleet to the South China Sea? The last news we received about Qin Ze was that he was fighting the Japanese in the East China Sea and had won a great victory.
But it hasn't even been a month yet, so why would he inexplicably bring a fleet to the South China Sea?!
Where did he get this fleet from?
Prince Qing had considered that the rebels might come to Nanze in the future, but he knew they would come from Jinling or the East China Sea. He never imagined that they would come from the sea.
And this day came so quickly, so quickly that it was unbelievable!
Of course, none of that matters now. The only important thing is what to do.
Mai Lirui's voice interrupted Prince Qing's thoughts: "I never expected them to come to Nan'gang at this time..."
"Your Highness, I'm afraid...we're in trouble." Mai Lirui said with a grim expression and a furrowed brow.
Prince Qing scrambled to his feet, his mind in turmoil, like a grasshopper on a hot plate. He impatiently said to Mai Lirui:
"We absolutely cannot let them land. Once they do, it's all over!"
"Sir, hurry! Quickly organize your men, use all your warships, and join us in intercepting the rebels!"
Mai Lirui raised an eyebrow, looked at the panicked Prince Qing, and said coldly:
"What are you talking about? Didn't you see? They have at least a thousand warships, and they have cannons on board. We only have a few dozen ships anchored in the harbor. Fighting them before our fleet has even arrived is just suicide."
"If they open fire directly, the entire port will be reduced to nothing."
Upon hearing this, Prince Qing was horrified, only then belatedly realizing how ridiculous his suggestion was.
With a grim face, Ma Lirui continued, "At this point, there's no way to stop them from landing."
"We absolutely cannot afford to clash with them now."
"Besides people from my Sa Ri Kingdom, there are people from other countries stationed here. I don't think they would actively seek conflict with us."
“But…” He squinted, looking at Prince Qing’s pale face.
Upon seeing that look, Prince Qing's pupils contracted, and he turned to shout at his soldiers:
"Quickly! Quickly! Retreat to Nanze immediately! Let's go!"
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