Chapter 584 The Goddess of Justice
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Li Shiyue was in charge of the "Breaking Waves No. 2". She stood at the bow of the ship and coldly surveyed the entire battlefield.
Through the golden eagle's vision, she quickly informed the armored warriors beside her, using flag signals to constantly fine-tune the fleet's attack direction, directing the fleet to efficiently harvest the Japanese pirates.
Her ruthlessness was on full display at this moment. She refused to accept surrender, showed no mercy, and the core of all her orders was only one thing—to completely annihilate them!
The battle lasted from the afternoon until the sun began to set.
The combined fleet of Japanese pirates had collapsed; more than two-thirds of the ships had been sunk or burned, and the sea was stained a pale red.
Finally, the remaining Japanese pirates completely lost their will to resist, and the pirates on the remaining twenty-odd ships of various types knelt on the deck and kowtowed for mercy.
"General, they've surrendered!"
Sun Xiaoliu excitedly reported this.
Li Shiyue looked at the kneeling Japanese pirates without the slightest fluctuation in his eyes.
"surrender?"
She sneered, “Tell them to lay down all their weapons and unite on one ship.”
Any act of dissent will be met with death!
Li Shiyue certainly wouldn't massacre prisoners who had already laid down their weapons at sea, but that didn't mean she would let them go.
These prisoners will be excellent laborers and also bargaining chips for future "talks" with certain forces in Japan.
Taking stock of the results, this battle can be described as brilliant.
They sank and burned nearly thirty Japanese ships, killed more than 1,500 Japanese pirates, and captured nearly 1,000!
The captured supplies piled up like mountains, especially the few Fujian ships that were not completely destroyed, from which the Xuanjia Army found a large amount of gold, silver, treasures, food and weapons.
Li Shiyue never expected that these people would dare to bring so much gold and silver when they went to sea to fight.
Li Shiyue's side only lost less than ten warships converted from captured Japanese ships, and suffered fewer than two hundred casualties. The core steel-hulled Fujian ships were mostly undamaged except for some wear and deformation at the bow ram.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the sea, reflecting the floating wreckage and surrendered ships.
Li Shiyue still stood at the bow of the ship, with the same golden eagle perched on her shoulder. Behind her were the burning battlefield and the dejected Japanese pirate prisoners.
After this battle, the main force of the Japanese pirates was wiped out, and their strength was severely damaged. For at least three years, they should no longer be able to organize a large-scale westward invasion.
Li Shiyue fulfilled her vow in the most direct and violent way—those who violate my maritime borders, no matter how far away, shall be punished!
Her fame will, with this overwhelming victory, completely shake the entire East China Sea and even reach back to the Japanese mainland.
With his golden eagle vision and "spiritual motor" warship, Li Shiyue is destined to become the uncrowned king of this vast sea!
Everywhere she looked, there was a hunting ground.
The next step is to consolidate the peace and security of the coastal regions that were won with blood.
And how to use the resources at hand to gain greater strategic initiative.
The sea had changed color in front of Li Shiyue.
Li Shiyue led the main warship "Breaking Waves" to stop outside Snake Coil Island, while Sun Xiaoliu led more than ten small sea boats to approach Snake Coil Island.
He was acting on Li Shiyue's orders, one of which was to kill all the Japanese pirates left on Shepan Island;
Secondly, they went to the island to plunder any supplies that the Japanese pirates might have left behind;
Although a considerable amount of gold, silver, food, and weapons were found on the Japanese pirates' warships;
But it must be said that there are definitely still supplies on Snake Coil Island, the stronghold of the Japanese pirates!
After all, they had been burning, killing, and looting for so long, it was impossible for them to transport all the looted items back to Japan.
Thirdly, we went to see if there were any Han Chinese who had been captured by Japanese pirates on the larger island of Shepan Island.
These are our own people, we have to rescue them.
Once Snake Coil Island was thoroughly searched, those who should be killed were killed, those who should be tied up were tied up, those who should be moved were moved, and those who should be taken away were taken away;
Li issued the order in October—return to Jian'an!
By mid-October, the Jian'an Port was filled with masts, and the triumphant fleet slowly sailed in.
Unlike the somber atmosphere when they set off for war, the port was now bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of gongs and drums.
The news had already spread like wildfire throughout Jian'an City—General Li had won another battle!
An unprecedented victory!
Before the ship had even come to a complete stop, the dense crowd on the shore erupted in deafening cheers.
General Li!
"The Empress Dowager is mighty!"
"Look! That's 'Breaking the Waves'!"
That's a boat that gods ride in!
People stood on tiptoe, craned their necks, and eagerly watched the legendary Fujianese ship that could sail without a sail, in the harbor, on the beach, and on the rocks.
When Li Shiyue, clad in black armor and with a golden eagle perched on his shoulder, appeared at the bow of the "Breaking Waves II," the cheers from the shore reached their peak.
The sunlight shone on her, as if a divine halo had truly appeared around her.
Li Shiyue's gaze swept calmly over the bustling crowd, her face showing little joy, she simply nodded slightly.
Sun Xiaoliu had already escorted back some of the prisoners and spoils of war.
The glorious achievements of the Battle of Snake Coil Island, including the burning of dozens of Japanese ships and the beheading and capture of thousands of Japanese pirates, have long been embellished and turned into myths for everyone to praise.
Now that the protagonist has returned, the myth has been completely confirmed!
"Well done! Slaughter all those damned Japanese pirates!"
"My son is a soldier on General Li's ship, and he has made a great contribution this time!"
"From now on, we won't have to worry about anything when we go out to sea to fish!"
Amid the cheers, the people expressed their most genuine gratitude and joy.
After nearly two months of continuous maritime operations, the coastal area of Jian'an was permeated with a faint, lingering smell of blood.
But this smell also brought people an unprecedented sense of security.
The once arrogant Japanese pirates are now just numbers on Li Shiyue's merit list and trembling prisoners about to enter the hard labor camp.
The nearly one thousand captured Japanese pirates were immediately escorted by the fierce garrison soldiers, put in heavy shackles, and sent to the mines and river channels in Jian'an that needed dredging.
They replaced the able-bodied men of Jian'an who were originally required to perform corvée labor, and took on these dirtiest, most tiring, and most dangerous jobs.
The local people only needed to undertake some "light work" such as building fortifications, patrolling, and transporting military supplies, and they could even receive some grain or copper coins as payment for it.
In comparison, Li Shiyue's prestige in the hearts of the people of Jian'an reached its peak immediately.
"Your Majesty the Righteous One!"
She is truly a benevolent and compassionate savior!
"Isn't that right?"
If it weren't for the general, how could we have fished in peace this year?
They were all looted and killed by the Japanese pirates long ago!
"I've heard that the Empress is a goddess of war descended from heaven to save the people of Jian'an!"
In the streets and alleys, in teahouses and taverns, the title "Goddess of Justice" spread like wildfire, becoming more and more widely known and increasingly mystical.
People are genuinely grateful for the peace that Li Shiyue brought, and they place their hopes for the future on her.
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