Chapter 793
Chapter 793
The encampment of Shen Lang's great army, established on the coast.
Whether they felt regret, pain, or fear, the one hundred thousand men here had no other choice. All that remained was to fight and die. They had already prepared themselves for this on their journey here.
'To hell with it, we'll die. Kill one and we break even; kill two and we profit.'
Even if they couldn't kill many of the Empire's soldiers, there was value in dying a sacrificial death. Even moths are drawn to a flame, so what of men? Besides, this sacrifice was not meaningless; it would, at the very least, illuminate the world for a fleeting moment. It would show the people of the world that the spirit of those who followed Jiang Li was not yet dead.
"An order from His Highness! An order from His Highness!"
A man on a swift boat landed on the coast. He was Jin Shiying, a warrior captain of the Jin Clan and a war refugee.
"Gong Qun, Aronana, Gao Duhuan. His Highness orders you to immediately lead the one hundred thousand south, enter the territory of the Nangou State, and without delay, push deep into the mountains and jungles of the Saman tribes. An order from His Highness. You are not to sacrifice a single person. Head south immediately!"
Jin Shiying then handed a secret letter to Gong Qun. The message was exceedingly simple, but it was written entirely in a secret code that only Gong Qun could decipher.
Jin Shiying also handed an object to Gong Qun.
"This is a strategic item His Highness has given you. He said that all matters on land are to be left to you. You are not to worry about achieving victory or losing territory, but only to preserve your lives. He said that if you preserve the embers, there will be hope for the future."
Gong Qun fell to his knees and accepted everything. Everyone gathered there was stunned.
'He's telling the one hundred thousand of us to just leave? We haven't done anything. We haven't achieved any merit. We were originally going to sacrifice our lives to ensure His Highness could escape out to sea smoothly. But now, His Highness is trying to save our lives?'
No one knew what had happened, but they clearly saw the Empire's legions retreating one after another, already twenty *li* away. His Highness must have worked another miracle.
"Is His Highness truly unharmed? Did he say he would definitely return?"
Gong Qun asked. Jin Shiying thought for a moment before replying.
"I do not know. But that is what he said."
To be honest, Jin Shiying understood Shen Lang even less than Gong Qun did.
"Understood! All troops, withdraw! Retreat!"
Gong Qun commanded.
'Preserve the embers and wait for His Highness's return.'
Aronana held her son and exchanged a look with Gao Duhuan.
'The hundred thousand of us are just leaving, without a fight, without any sacrifice? It feels like we just came for a gathering. What's the meaning of this?'
Of course, it had meaning. At the very least, it had united everyone's hearts. It was as if all the embers of loyalty to Jiang Li had been gathered and fanned into a roaring fire. On this beach, at least, they had affirmed their leader. Most of the hundred thousand gathered here had never even seen Shen Lang, but they knew that His Highness never disappointed. No matter how dire the straits, he could turn the tide and protect his people. He never made any grand pronouncements, but his actions spoke louder than a thousand words. He was truly the son of Prince Jiang Li.
"All troops, withdraw! Retreat!"
At the command of the three commanders, the one hundred thousand loyal to Shen Lang began a magnificent strategic retreat to the south.
* * *
"Long live His Highness! Long live! Long, long live!"
"Long live! Long live! Long, long live!"
By then, Shen Lang was already far from the coast, and he couldn't see everything that was happening there clearly. But he could hear the successive shouts from the land. The roar of a hundred thousand voices was deafening. Princess Xixuan's brow furrowed deeply upon hearing the chant. That was a cheer only one person in this world could use: her father, the Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty. Shen Lang's actions today had truly won him the hearts of countless people. From this day forward, the embers ignited in the hearts of these hundred thousand would never be extinguished. If Shen Lang gave the order, they would not hesitate to charge through fire and water.
"My dear sisters, don't overthink it. You know me. I have no desire to be the master of the world. Emperor? Lord of the lands? Please, spare me. The work would kill me. I'd much rather be doing *that* with my two dear sisters than playing emperor."
Hearing Shen Lang's words, the expressions of Xixuan and Yinghan turned frosty.
"What's wrong? Did my words offend you? But weren't we once engaged? It's perfectly normal for a fiancé to want to do that with his fiancée, isn't it? I'm not one for pretense; I just speak my mind."
Xixuan ignored him and said.
"Enough. The hundred thousand have already retreated, and the imperial army did not pursue them."
"Then we should officially begin our second negotiation. Let all my family go. Allow the several thousand people on the Jin Clan's ships to enter the Devil's Triangle."
Xixuan and Yinghan knew more about the Devil's Triangle than Shen Lang did. It was a forbidden zone in this world. For nearly a thousand years, countless ships had attempted to enter it, but all had been shattered to pieces or simply vanished. In a thousand years, not a single ship that entered had ever returned, including those from the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion and the Celestial Circuit Pavilion. In fact, three years ago, at a meeting of the Six Transcendent Powers, Princess Xixuan had proposed forming a joint fleet to explore the Devil's Triangle once more, but the proposal had been shelved ever since. Even a supreme adventurer like the Pavilion Master of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion had no desire to enter that Devil's Triangle.
There were too many unsolved mysteries in this world, and the ancient ruins alone were enough to keep the great masters busy for a thousand years. A dreadful place like the Devil's Triangle could wait to be explored in another thousand years, after all other research was complete. To go there now was to vanish from the world completely.
"And what about you?"
"Of course I'm not going. I intend to let my two dear sisters have their way with me. You wouldn't let me live, would you? You wouldn't spare me just because I'm your fiancé, would you? You wouldn't let me off just because I'm this handsome, would you?"
Shen Lang then took out another hourglass and placed it before Xixuan. At the sight of it, her beautiful face instantly turned ashen. Every time Shen Lang took out an hourglass, a city was destroyed. What was he planning to do this time?
"I have many people lying in wait in Yanjing. When the time comes, they will immediately release the Black Death plague virus. And they'll do it in the most densely populated areas. So, nothing can happen to my family. If anything happens to them, a million people in Yanjing will be buried with them. A million people in Yanjing. If the Black Death were to break out in the heart of your Xi Clan's imperial power, wouldn't that be a fatal blow to the Great Yan Dynasty?"
Hearing this, Xixuan's sword was instantly at Shen Lang's throat.
"Careful now. Be careful. If you kill me now, how will you stop my people in Yanjing? It takes at least half a month to get from here to Yanjing, even at the fastest speed. Fifteen days from now is the nineteenth of June! If the signal to not release the virus doesn't reach Yanjing, my hundreds of agents hiding there will act. When that happens, not even the great city of Yanjing will be able to escape a fatal disaster. Xixuan, Yinghan, you have to believe me. I absolutely, absolutely do not want to do this. I don't want to do something that will bring heavenly retribution, nor do I want to harm a single innocent commoner. So, nothing can happen to my family. If anything happens to them, I will have the entire world buried with them."
Xixuan asked coldly.
"What is the signal to stop them?"
"Your fleet will definitely not attack my family's fleet for the next few days?"
"I can guarantee that!"
Shen Lang opened a box in front of him, took out a firework, and lit it.
*Swoosh.*
The firework shot into the sky and exploded into a red, five-pointed star shape. It was already dusk, and the explosion in the sky was truly beautiful.
"My dear sisters, how romantic is it that your husband has set off fireworks for you at sea? Aren't you moved? This red, five-pointed star firework is the first signal. It tells my people in Yanjing to temporarily delay their action! Remember, this is only the first signal to temporarily delay the action. The crisis has not yet been averted. You'd better decide quickly. Any later, and it will be irreversible! I have a whole box of these five-pointed star fireworks, enough to keep the show going for a while. The people of Yanjing will get quite a spectacle."
Hearing this, Xixuan immediately grabbed the box of fireworks. A small boat quickly approached her, carrying a dozen top masters from the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion.
"Deliver this box to Yanjing at the fastest possible speed. It must be lit before the nineteenth of June. If you are late, ten generations of your clans will be exterminated."
"As you command!"
The small boat took the box and departed in a hurry. The top masters from the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion aboard would protect the fireworks with their lives, for the lives of a million people depended on that box.
"Make way, make way! Clear a path!"
The small boat sped north at full throttle, immediately flanked by dozens of other vessels escorting it.
* * *
After the situation was settled, the Jin Clan's fleet continued to sail southeast. The Empire's joint fleet still surrounded them, layer upon layer. The vast armada sailed south in a grand procession, and no other ships were seen on the sea. Neither merchant ships nor pirate vessels dared to appear in these waters. Wherever the fleet passed, birds and fish fled in all directions, having never witnessed such a massive fleet in their lives.
For three days and three nights, the two fleets sailed for twenty-five hundred *li*. There were no incidents along the way, and the Empire's joint fleet made no move against the Jin Clan's fleet.
* * *
"Auntie, don't think I'll forgive you just because you're trying to curry favor with me."
Shen Lang was lounging comfortably on a long chair while Xue Yin gave him a massage. Not far away, Xixuan and Yinghan watched the entire scene with cold glares. At Shen Lang's words, Xue Yin immediately spread her legs and sat on Shen Lang's waist.
'What a shameless pair.'
Shen Lang quickly sat up and said.
"Please don't. Just a normal massage. No special services."
'My wife may be twenty *li* away, but her eyes are incredibly sharp. It wouldn't be good for her to see this.'
Shen Lang walked over to Xixuan and said.
"My dear sisters, it's time for more fireworks."
He then lit another firework.
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.*
A blue firework exploded in the sky, its pattern even stranger than the previous red one. It formed the shape of a large smiling face. Such a bizarre technique would be impossible to replicate.
"Send this to Yanjing and have it lit before the twenty-seventh of June. When my people see this firework, they will once again delay their action for a time. Remember, it must be lit before the twenty-seventh of June. If you're late, a fatal disaster will befall Yanjing! And remember, this is only a temporary delay. The crisis of Yanjing's destruction has not yet been averted."
Xixuan took the box as another boat quickly approached. This time, it carried top martial arts masters from the Celestial Circuit Pavilion. After receiving the box of fireworks, they immediately set off north toward Yanjing at top speed.