Chapter 50
Cui Yunshu felt that she should hang a plaque in her study.
Four large characters were written on it:
Since we're already here...
Since she's already here, and has accepted the imperial decree to force her into the Duke of England's mansion, what else can she do?
Since we're already here, and that hot-blooded "ally" has made the whole thing public knowledge, what else can we do?
Now that we're here, and that old fox Emperor has already set up a "hero's trap," using her as a prize and hanging her in front of everyone, what else can we do?
Cold dish.
She sat in Qing Shu Courtyard, holding a cup of tea that had gone cold, listening expressionlessly as the steward reported on the commotion outside.
The British Duke's Mansion, wealthy and powerful, acted swiftly, like a shark that had smelled blood. The day after the imperial edict was issued, they used their connections with the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War to mobilize part of the East China Sea Navy's patrol battalion and requisition more than a dozen official ships, forming a mighty "bandit suppression fleet" that set sail for the East China Sea with great fanfare.
All the gambling dens in the capital opened for this purpose.
The odds for the British Duke's Mansion against the Prince of Anjun's Mansion are 1 to 10.
Everyone thought the competition was over.
One is a "national team" with strong military strength and official backing.
The other one was a makeshift troupe consisting of only a reckless prince and a few hundred personal guards.
How do we compare them?
Are you going to compare it with your head?
Once again, the entire Cui household was shrouded in a gloomy, suffocating atmosphere of despair and helplessness.
As Cui Yunshu listened, she felt an unprecedented calm in her heart.
She even felt a little like laughing.
She remembered a joke she had read in her past life.
Q: How do you put an elephant in a refrigerator?
A: First, open the refrigerator door. Second, put the elephant inside. Third, close the refrigerator door.
Now, the problem she faces is: how to get a prince with only a few hundred soldiers to wipe out a group of fierce pirates that even the navy finds troublesome within three months.
Her answer was:
The first step is to give him a "divine warship" that can crush all other ships of this era.
The second step is to give him a "full-map perspective" map that shows the location of all enemies.
The third step is to give him an indestructible, infinitely replenished logistical line.
Then, watch him perform.
I'm too lazy to think about it.
Things have come to this point; wallowing in self-pity will only drive you crazy.
She, Cui Yunshu, was never one to sit idly by and wait for death.
The emperor wanted to watch a play?
Then she'll direct a grand show that could overturn his dragon throne!
...
The "strategic meeting" was held in a secret room in the Cui residence.
This was the first time Cui Yunshu had taken the initiative to invite Tang Pu to her territory to discuss "serious business."
When Tang Pu arrived, he was travel-worn, with sunken eyes and bloodshot eyes. It was clear that he hadn't slept well these past few days.
As soon as he entered, he saw Cui Yunshu sitting at a huge table covered with nautical charts, holding a pen in her hand, writing or drawing something.
On her face, there was no anxiety or panic as he had imagined, only a reassuring, absolute, and icy calm.
"You've arrived." She looked up and pointed to the chair opposite her.
"The Duke of England's mansion has already set sail." Tang Pu sat down, his voice hoarse, carrying a hint of anxiety he himself was unwilling to admit. "They've mobilized the navy and requisitioned government ships. We..."
“I know,” Cui Yunshu interrupted him, “They’re just a bunch of headless flies.”
Tang Pu was taken aback.
"What?"
“I said,” Cui Yunshu put down her pen, her dark eyes, like two cold stars, staring at him quietly, “they are a bunch of headless flies. They seem to have a lot of influence, but in reality, they don’t even know where their prey is.”
As she spoke, she pushed a brand-new nautical chart in front of Tang Pu.
There were no shipping routes marked on that nautical chart.
Only on some seemingly inconspicuous islets and reefs that don't even have names are small, bright red crosses drawn.
"This is..." Tang Pu's breath hitched.
"These are all the known and secret supply points, disposal points, and temporary anchorages of the 'Black Shark' pirate crew along the entire East China Sea coast." Cui Yunshu's voice was devoid of any emotion, as if she were reciting a dry textbook. "The intelligence comes from the managers and staff of all the 'Cloud Pavilion's' coastal branches. They pieced it together bit by bit from the mouths of sailors coming and going, from the mouths of fishmongers who disposed of stolen goods, and from the mouths of merchants who were lucky enough to escape after being robbed by pirates."
Tang Pu's fingers traced over the red crosses.
He could almost see an invisible, enormous net, already silently spread out in a place he couldn't see.
He looked at Cui Yunshu, and in her bloodshot eyes, which were filled with the marks of staying up all night, there was not only fervor, but also a deep, deep... awe that he himself did not realize.
"Master strategist...you..."
“Intelligence is only one aspect.” Cui Yunshu didn’t give him time to be shocked. She pulled out another document from the side and pushed it over.
That was a... transfer order.
It bears the dual seals of the Cui family head and the general manager of the "Royal Ocean Trading Company".
"From this day forward, all thirty-seven merchant ships belonging to the Cui family sailing on the East China Sea route will be under your command. You can use them to transport supplies, as bait, or to confuse the enemy. They are the eyes, ears, and granaries of your fleet."
Tang Pu looked at the transfer order and felt his hands trembling.
Thirty-seven merchant ships!
That's almost half of the Cui family's naval power!
She just handed it over to me so casually?
“But…our warships…” he began with difficulty, “we only have merchant ships, none of them are capable of fighting…”
"Who says we don't have any?"
Cui Yunshu smiled.
She stood up and walked to the deepest part of the secret room, where a huge landscape painting hung, covering the entire wall.
She reached out and slowly rolled up the painting.
There is no wall behind the painting.
It's a picture.
A colossal, structurally complex sheet, so large it was breathtaking, made Tang Pu's blood freeze the moment he saw it...
The final design drawings of the "Divine Machine Ship".
“Master Lu sent me news yesterday,” Cui Yunshu said, her finger lightly touching the ship’s majestic hull on the blueprints, “that it has completed the final keel reinforcement and deck laying. Although it hasn’t been officially launched yet, it’s already…ready to set sail.”
Her voice was soft, yet it was like a thunderclap, exploding in Tang Pu's mind.
Intelligence is key to victory.
Logistics are not a problem.
Overwhelming equipment.
Everything, all the problems he thought were insurmountable obstacles, became so vulnerable in front of her.
She was like a true deity, sitting on a cloud, gently moving the chess pieces. And he, and his enemies, were merely pathetic pieces on her chessboard, moving along her predetermined paths.
He looked at her, at her calm face, which appeared somewhat pale in the dim light.
He suddenly realized how ridiculous the emperor's so-called "heroic scheme" was.
This is not a competition at all.
This is a...
It was a carefully planned operation by his strategist to test the combat capabilities of their "new army" and to demonstrate the fangs of their "great cause" to the world...
A magnificent opening ceremony.
"I see!"
Tang Pu abruptly stood up, his anxiety and unease vanishing without a trace. In his place was the soaring, fervent fighting spirit of someone about to embark on a great and certain victory!
"Master strategist! Please give the order!" He knelt on one knee, his voice booming with unparalleled confidence, "Yuanzhi, I will die a thousand deaths for you!"
Cui Yunshu looked at him.
Looking at this ally who had been fooled by him to the point of being completely lost, a passionate, foolish, yet damnably reliable ally.
She nodded slowly.
"Go."
Her voice was calm, yet it carried a hint of madness, a desperate urge that she herself was unaware of, a madness born of being driven to the brink of despair.
"Go and tell them who the true master of this sea is."
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