"It is a foregone conclusion that Liuyan has colluded with domestic rebels."
"Sangji is a stubborn and self-willed man, but also suspicious and jealous."
"She, along with the leaders of those island nations they depend on, and those people within our ranks, are only united by shared interests. Once those interests are threatened, they will inevitably become suspicious of each other."
Zi Xi pointed her finger at a spot on the sea chart, where the main force of the Liuyan Fleet was marked.
"Does Your Highness intend to use a counter-espionage scheme?"
Ling Siran's gaze followed her fingertips closely.
"Not bad, not bad."
"Zui Chunfeng intercepted several secret letters between them, and with a few minor modifications, they can accomplish their goal."
"This letter inadvertently fell into the hands of Sanji's confidants."
"At the same time, let our people spread rumors among them that the leader is extremely dissatisfied with the conditions for Sanchi to monopolize the trading ports and has already developed disloyal intentions."
Zi Xi's lips curved into an appreciative smile.
She took out a forged letter, the contents of which pointed out that the leader of an island nation allied with Liuyan was secretly contacting Fengchao, intending to divide up a larger share of the spoils after the war.
"Then our army can feign defeat, abandon several forward strongholds, and lure the enemy deep into Luoxing Bay!"
A glint flashed in Ling Siran's eyes, and he immediately understood.
"The waters here are complex and turbulent, making it difficult for large warships to maneuver. It is the perfect place to set up an ambush!"
He pointed to a crescent-shaped bay on the nautical chart, with numerous reefs on both sides.
"Yes, that's right."
Zi Xi and he exchanged a smile, their tacit understanding unspoken.
Once the plan is decided, it should be executed immediately.
Soon, the modified secret letter was intercepted by Sanji's confidants at just the right moment, and at the same time, rumors about the instability of the allies were quietly spreading among the coalition forces.
Sangji was already suspicious, and upon seeing the irrefutable evidence and hearing the rumors, he immediately harbored murderous intent towards the island nation's leader.
After repeated difficulties were made at military conferences, cracks began to appear within the Allied forces.
Meanwhile, the Feng Kingdom army suffered repeated defeats as planned, abandoning several outer defensive lines and appearing demoralized.
Ling Siran even staged a scene of being seriously injured and bedridden to further lull the enemy into a false sense of security.
Sangji's judgment was clouded by successive victories and internal strife. Seeing that the Feng Dynasty's commander was seriously injured, he believed that the time had come to capture Jinzhou in one fell swoop and strike at the heart of the enemy.
Ignoring the advice of the suspected island nation leader, she insisted on leading the main fleet of the allied forces in a mighty charge towards Falling Star Bay, the direction in which the Phoenix Dynasty army had fled.
*
The Ryuen Allied Fleet surged into the bay, with the remaining ships of the Phoenix Dynasty looming ahead, seemingly in a panicked and disorganized manner.
Sangji was smug and completely ignored the warnings in the secret letters, directly ordering a full-speed pursuit.
Just as most of the Allied fleet entered the bay and their formation became slightly chaotic due to the pursuit.
Boom boom boom.
Three rockets, accompanied by a piercing whistle, soared into the sky.
In an instant, countless torches lit up the originally pitch-black cliffs on both sides of Falling Star Bay.
Hidden behind the reefs, countless small Phoenix warships swarmed out of the cave.
At the same time, the main force of the Phoenix Dynasty's warships, which had been lying in ambush at the mouth of the bay, stretched out and completely blocked their retreat.
"Release the arrows!"
"Fire ships, launch!"
Ling Siran's calm and powerful commands were transmitted throughout the army via flag signals and bugle calls.
His strong voice carried out, showing no trace of his serious injury.
"We've fallen for their trap! Retreat!"
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"Oh no! The back is blocked too!"
The allied fleet was thrown into chaos instantly.
The boats collided and squeezed against each other in the narrow bay, and the fire spread rapidly with the help of the wind, with screams and explosions ringing out incessantly.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the island leader suspected by Sanji tried to lead his troops to break out from the weak point on the flank.
However, they ran right into an ambush personally commanded by Ling Siran, who had been waiting in ambush and were wiped out.
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