Meanwhile, in Songjiang Prefecture, Shi Cong's five ships and five thousand naval troops finally arrived at Wusong Wharf. The Seventeenth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince greeted them at the wharf, but the person who stepped off was someone they had never met before, which surprised the Thirteenth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince.
Upon seeing the Thirteenth and Seventeenth Princes, the man immediately bowed and introduced himself, saying, "I am Shi Cong, son of General Shi Lang. My father received an urgent letter from the Emperor and immediately gathered five thousand troops to come and provide support. However, due to his advanced age, it is not advisable for him to travel such a long distance, so he sent me to meet with the two princes..."
Upon hearing that he was the old general's son, Thirteenth Master warmly received him. After settling the boats and naval forces, the three of them went together to the county magistrate's office.
The three sat down, and the Seventeenth Master was eager to introduce the situation here to Shi Cong. Shi Cong didn't care at all, and was only focused on looking around. He laughed and said that he had never been to Songjiang Prefecture before and found everything new and interesting.
Thirteenth Master interrupted Shi Cong's interest by spreading out a map, which finally drew Shi Cong's attention back to the map.
Seventeenth Master pointed to the map and said earnestly, "Lord Shi, please look, the leader of the White Lotus Sect and all the branch leaders are hiding on this small island. Our people have already pinpointed their exact location..."
Shi Cong glanced at the map casually, then sat down to drink tea without a second thought. Seventeenth Master was somewhat displeased and asked directly, "Does Lord Shi find anything amiss?"
Shi Cong smiled and said, "There's nothing wrong with it, but I just think Your Highness might be making a mountain out of a molehill?"
The Thirteenth Prince stepped forward, waved for a maid to enter, and pointed to the teacup in Shi Cong's hand, saying, "Go and get Shi Cong a fresh cup of tea. Master Shi is used to drinking hot tea; I'm afraid if it's not hot enough, he'll find the tea less fragrant..."
Shi Cong failed to grasp the meaning behind Thirteen's words and even pushed her tea away, leering at the little maid who had entered, showing no regard for Thirteen and Seventeen.
The Seventeenth Prince glared angrily at the Thirteenth Prince, who gestured for him to calm down and said with a smile, "Does Lord Shi know anything about the White Lotus Sect?"
Shi Cong said, "I have indeed heard of the White Lotus Sect. I only know that this evil cult is composed of women who have been active in the martial arts world for some time, but they always do dirty tricks in secret. There are many small groups like this in our Zhejiang area, but none of them amount to anything... If I were to run into them, I would have wiped out their ancestors long ago..."
Upon hearing this, the Seventeenth Master flew into a rage and said indignantly, "Lord Shi may not have a comprehensive understanding of the White Lotus Sect. Although they are all women, they are all cunning and vicious, and extremely loyal to their leader. In just a few years, they have grown and expanded, and now they are spread throughout the country. They cannot be compared with the small gang that Lord Shi knows about..."
Shi Cong looked at his palm and asked dismissively, "Has Seventeenth Master ever been to the battlefield?" Seventeenth Master was taken aback and replied, "No..."
Shi Cong raised an eyebrow smugly and said, "Although I am young, I have been fighting for many years. The peace that exists in Zhejiang and Fujian today is all thanks to my artillery fire... As for those so-called evil sects, they are just a bunch of rabble and are not worth mentioning..."
Thirteenth Prince calmed himself and asked, "Then what does Lord Shi mean?"
Shi Cong glanced at the map, waved his hand generously, and said, "If the two princes trust me and give me three days, I refuse to believe that artillery fire cannot take it..."
Thirteenth Master and Seventeenth Master exchanged glances. They decided to let it go for the day. Thirteenth Master arranged for Shi Cong to rest at the county government office. Once outside the office, Seventeenth Master was still worried and grabbed Thirteenth Master, angrily saying, "Thirteenth Brother, look at this Shi Cong. He's utterly arrogant... He hasn't even grasped the current situation yet, but he dares to make such outrageous statements."
Thirteenth Prince shook his head helplessly, patted Seventeenth Prince's shoulder and comforted him, "Shi Cong is a descendant of the famous general Shi Lang. The peace in the Zhejiang and Fujian areas is indeed closely related to their family. Since he is so confident, it may not be a bad thing. Take him to visit again tomorrow, maybe things will change..."
Seventeenth Master stamped his foot and said urgently, "Thirteenth Brother, it's not that I don't trust him, but we've been besieging the White Lotus Sect for so long, and now is the time to close the net. If we miss this opportunity because he underestimates us, I'm afraid it will be difficult to catch him again later..."
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