The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 398 Strategy

In this life-or-death moment, everyone united like never before.

None of them had ever been a general.

But what soldier hasn't dreamed of becoming a general?

With the help of the military books he had read and what he had learned from his time with Zhuo Mu, the guard began to learn how to be a general.

"The current situation is extremely unfavorable for us, but it is not without hope."

The guard dipped his finger in saliva and drew the distribution of Dayong's troops on the ground: "The general's order is correct. A joint breakout is our only option. However, I think it would be best to attack from a slightly southerly direction."

He drew a long arc.

"Although the Water Scale Guards behind us are forming a north-south encirclement, the seawater flows from north to south from our location, so the northern troops will be faster. If we want to break out before the encirclement is complete, we must move slightly south."

The others immediately looked at him with new respect.

"Then shall I go and relay the order?"

"But the order was just issued, wouldn't it be inappropriate to change it suddenly?"

“It’s alright,” the guard said quietly. “The situation on the battlefield can change in an instant. Before the breakout begins, the sooner we can send the order, the better.”

Zhuo Mu could recognize the situation, and so could everyone else. Everyone knew there was no chance of winning, so no one would question their orders.

"Okay! I'll go!"

The guard scratched his head and pondered for a moment: "We are not actually without advantages."

"Where to begin?"

"We have more people than Da Yong."

"What's the use of having more? Half of them are landlubbers..."

The guard shook his head: "Fewer people means their encirclement will inevitably have weaknesses at every turn before it can be tightened..."

He pondered for a moment: "That's right! I remember there was someone in our army named Liu Ruilin?"

“Yes!” The speaker wrinkled his nose. “However, Liu Ruilin is neither good at academics nor martial arts, and he’s like a child, greedy for food and fun. Otherwise, his family wouldn’t have had the heart to send him to the army.”

“No matter how incompetent he may be, there is one undeniable fact that he cares deeply about his family,” the torch beside him flickered in the night wind, casting a dim light on the guard’s face. “Go tell him that if he can lead a ship, loaded with thunderbolts, and break through the encirclement, the general will promise to spare his family’s lives.”

When he said the word "general," his tone became much more forceful.

He himself didn't realize that he looked exactly like Zhuo Mu at that moment.

"But the general has already fled, how can we possibly protect his family?"

Liu Ruilin's family was implicated in the eleventh prince's rebellion. Although they were temporarily spared because of their distant relationship, they could not escape punishment due to the opportunistic attacks from their enemies.

This incident also helped Liu Ruilin mature a lot.

The guard looked up but didn't speak.

The others suddenly understood what he meant.

Yes, Liu Ruilin will die, but how will he know what happens after he dies?

The promise he made was made by a "general," but what does that have to do with them?

Silence spreads.

The guards remained silent; he knew they were weighing their options.

Weighing the weight between morality and survival.

"One Liu Ruilin isn't enough..."

The guard forced a smile: "So, there won't be just one Liu Ruilin."

Humans are a peculiar species; most of them appear ruthless, yet they are easily influenced by all sorts of emotions.

Once their weaknesses are identified, they are exceptionally easy to control.

With everyone's tacit agreement, the plan was thus finalized.

At this moment, Xu Zhen was holding a telescope and keeping a close eye on the movements of the Brown Kingdom's ships.

Although the darkness could conceal many details, the gunpowder attack exposed the Brown Kingdom's ships completely.

He had a high vantage point and a broad perspective, giving him a complete overview of the situation. He was also the first to notice the anomaly.

"Has Zhuo Mu finally figured it out?"

But for some reason, Xu Zhen felt something was off.

He didn't ignore his intuition, but he couldn't figure out where this anomaly came from.

Time passed little by little.

The ships of Dayong and Heguo were getting closer and closer.

Because Zheng Xun had already predicted that the country of He had gunpowder, the ships of Dayong had already made improvements in structure and materials.

Although it was still vulnerable to gunpowder, it was still more durable than the ships of the Brown Kingdom.

For the first time, Che Zhong'an, who had never believed in gods or Buddhas, put his hands together in prayer and offered sincere thanks.

Of course, he thanked not the gods or Buddhas, but His Highness.

Human strength is so insignificant; without gunpowder, Dayong would certainly not be a match for the He Kingdom.

At that moment, he seemed to see through the smoke of battle the tragic trajectory of the Great Yong Dynasty.

Fortunately, they are still alive.

Fortunately, it's not too late.

"Commander! Mr. Xu has sent word that the Brown Kingdom's ships have veered off course!"

"Which way is it leaning? How much is it deviating?"

Che Zhong'an frowned, beginning to wonder if Zhuo Mu was still unwilling to give up and wanted to attack Haiyang County again.

"It's only shifted this far south..."

The messenger was a new recruit and unfamiliar with many of the technical terms, so he kept his thumb and forefinger spread apart at a fixed angle.

Now that he was in front of Che Zhong'an, he quickly raised his hand, gesturing for Che Zhong'an to look.

Che Zhong'an's expression was somewhat complicated.

"Understood. Tell them to change direction, speed up, and block their path!"

Seeing that the soldier was about to leave, Che Zhong'an called out to him, "Go back and study hard!"

The soldier smiled sheepishly but didn't agree; he ran off in a flash.

Che Zhong'an shook his head and personally went to keep an eye on the helmsman to make it easier to adjust the direction.

His ship was positioned towards the front, but not so far as to withstand the first wave of impact.

The smoke and heat waves from the gunpowder explosion ahead rushed towards us, only to be quickly dispersed by the sea breeze.

Someone behind him sighed, "The advent of gunpowder, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."

Even after witnessing the mountains of corpses and seas of blood caused by cold weapons, the power of gunpowder still sends shivers down one's spine.

Such a terrifying weapon will surely claim countless lives.

Che Zhong'an said calmly, "Instead of worrying about these things, we should be glad that we also have the weapons in our hands."

Such concerns may arise in times of peace, but should not arise on the battlefield.

He stretched out his hand and measured the distance between himself and the enemy.

"Keep your distance, be mindful of your energy expenditure, and don't get too close for now."

At this time, Dayong held an absolute advantage.

Che Zhong'an was certainly able to achieve a crushing victory, and as such, he would undoubtedly be adored by countless admirers, and history books would be filled with praise for him.

However, if this honor is built on the lives of our compatriots, then we should not accept it.

At that moment, he was unaware of the enemy's strategy, nor did he know how many sacrifices this principle had prevented.

"Commander! Several ships are approaching us!"

Che Zhong'an stood on a high place and raised his telescope, and sure enough, he saw several large ships rapidly approaching.

Despite the constant barrage of artillery fire, they silently advanced, occasionally throwing out small amounts of gunpowder to hinder the Dayong's offensive.