The next day, the Thirteenth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince arrived at the county government office early, ready to discuss the battle plan with Shi Cong. However, they couldn't find Shi Cong anywhere. After searching around, they finally saw Shi Cong carrying several boxes of pastries, humming a little tune as he returned.
Seeing that the Thirteenth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince were still happily coming forward to pay their respects, he presented the pastries he had brought back to the Seventeenth Prince and said with a smile, "Good morning, Thirteenth Prince and Seventeenth Prince! I was attracted by the hawking sounds outside the mansion early this morning and couldn't sleep, so I got up and took a stroll. This place is indeed different from ours in the South, look..."
Shi Cong shook the box of pastries in her hand and said with a smile, "The pastries I'm eating are all unique..."
The Seventeenth Prince couldn't stand it any longer and turned to go inside. The Thirteenth Prince smiled and greeted Shi Cong, saying, "Since Lord Shi is interested, why don't we wipe out the White Lotus Sect as soon as possible and keep Lord Shi in Songjiang Prefecture for a few more days, so we can entertain him properly..."
Upon hearing this, Shi Cong immediately became interested and repeatedly agreed.
Shi Cong put down the snacks in her hand and perked up. She took the initiative to spread out the map and pointed to it, saying, "No need to wait any longer. If we finish the battle sooner, we can have a good look around Songjiang Prefecture..."
Thirteenth Master gestured to Seventeenth Master, who was standing to the side, who was fuming, and they all gathered around.
Shi Cong confidently pointed out the positions of his naval forces on the map, saying, "The White Lotus Sect is merely a heretical sect of the martial arts world. Since they dare not make a fuss, they must have limited power and can only hide on this remote island to eke out a living. The two princes are making a mountain out of a molehill. We cannot be fooled by their smokescreen any longer. In my opinion, we should launch a direct attack and catch them off guard..."
The Seventeenth Prince was dumbfounded and said angrily, "Lord Shi, this is not the waters of Zhejiang and Fujian. Does Shi Cong not understand the situation clearly? Aren't you afraid of being ambushed if you rashly send out troops?"
Shi Cong chuckled dismissively and patted his chest, saying, "Does Your Highness know what kind of ships I've brought? These five large ships are the most advanced and powerful warships of our Shi family. Forget ambushes, even a direct ramming would terrify the enemy..."
Thirteenth Prince, worried that the two would start arguing, pulled Seventeenth Prince away and explained with a smile, "Lord Shi, please don't be anxious. Seventeenth Brother is just worried about what might happen..."
Shi Cong laughed nonchalantly, "Your Highness need not worry, I have seen plenty of this kind of rabble..."
The Seventeenth Master sneered and deliberately spoke loudly, "The White Lotus Sect has been stationed here for many years and knows this area of the sea like the back of their hand. Lord Shi is probably speaking too soon. If we fail, it will be difficult to explain..."
Shi Cong was immediately enraged and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "If Your Highness does not trust me, please give me three days, and I will give Your Highness an explanation!"
Thirteenth Prince said, "Lord Shi, His Majesty attaches great importance to this campaign against the White Lotus Sect. I'm sure General Shi knows that the White Lotus Sect has many followers. If the campaign fails and we release them back into the wild, they may be difficult to capture again. I hope Lord Shi will take this seriously..."
Shi Cong couldn't refute it, so she patiently asked, "Then what does Your Highness mean?"
Thirteenth Master quickly pointed to a sea area on the map and analyzed, "Our idea is to be on the safe side and spread out to block their retreat routes one by one. Then, we can launch a three-pronged attack without fail..."
Seventeenth Master nodded in agreement, saying, "Only in this way can we ensure that the leader cannot escape. Only by capturing the leader will the rest of the White Lotus Sect surrender..."
Shi Cong shook his head, displeased, and said, "How many people can there be on a small island? Approaching slowly like this will only alert them. Since they are familiar with the waterways, they will definitely try to escape. It's better to attack directly and catch them off guard. Besides, once the forces are dispersed, it will inevitably weaken the navy, which is a major taboo on the battlefield..."
Seventeenth Master was unconvinced and stood up to retort: "On the battlefield, there are always coordinated attacks from within and without, forming a pincer movement... so why is there no such thing as a major taboo?"
Shi Cong scoffed, "That's a tactic we came up with because we didn't have enough troops... We have over eight thousand naval troops now, why would we be afraid of a small cult?"
The two argued back and forth for a while. Thirteenth Prince was already dizzy and couldn't stop them. Helpless, he had to sit down and wait for them to finish arguing before making any plans.
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