The three women in the tent felt embarrassed to hear them talking about beautiful women so loudly, but since they didn't seem to be stopping, the three of them left together, leaving the group of stinky men to talk about trivial things. Before leaving, Chen Ying glared at Song Yun, warning him not to talk or do anything reckless. Although Song Yun was simple and honest, he understood what his wife was worried about. He clenched his fist as if to swear an oath, and only then did Chen Ying leave triumphantly.
After leaving the camp, the three came to a lakeside. Willows by the pond swayed in the water, creating gentle ripples. A breeze from the sea carried a slightly sweet and fishy smell, and the dampness made the sweltering heat feel a bit cooler.
“Sister Ji Su, you actually look much better without your helmet. A woman dresses up for the one she loves. If you don’t show your beauty to the person you like, how can you expect him to like you?” Chen Ying said. Although the three of them had a good relationship, she couldn’t be too direct about this kind of thing and could only hint at it indirectly.
"Is that so..." Ji Su pondered Chen Ying's words repeatedly, and unconsciously blushed. In the mirror-like lake water, although the tiny ripples made the reflections of the three people somewhat scattered, their three pink and beautiful faces still shone brightly.
Mo Rong seemed not to have heard their conversation, and was looking at the three figures with a somewhat absent-minded expression. Of the three, Hao was the shortest, only reaching the chest of Chen Ying and Ji Su. Although she was petite, seeing the other two's slender figures made her feel a little wistful.
"If only I were a normal person..." Never in her life had Mo Rong so strongly wished she weren't a short Yue person. As a Yue person with a strong sense of pride, she had always been proud of herself, but now, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Compared to Ji Su, a Rong person, the difference in her appearance between herself and ordinary people was simply too great. Although the Yue people valued petite stature, the thought of standing next to Li Jun or Lei Hun, making her look more like a little sister, filled even the cheerful Mo Rong with a touch of sadness.
"Why did I think of comparing myself to Li Jun and Lei Hun when they stood paring..." Mo Rong abruptly omitted the word "well-matched" from her thoughts. It was one thing to have a special feeling for Lei Hun, but why did she also have such special feelings for Li Jun, whom she had always regarded as a younger brother? Could it be that she, like Tu Long Ziyun, was someone who fell in love with every woman she met?
The idea nearly terrified Mo Rong so much that she failed to hear Ji Su calling her.
"Sister Mo, Sister Mo..."
"Ah, ah, I'm here." Her face flushed as if she were drunk, and Mo Rong finally came to her senses. She whispered, "What's wrong?"
"Sister Mo, you know...you've known him the longest. What kind of person is he?" Ji Su hesitated slightly when mentioning Li Jun, seemingly reluctant to call him by name. Compared to Chen Ying, who was more reserved, she was almost direct in saying the name of the "one who pleases her," but she was still a little shy and didn't say Li Jun's name directly.
"Oh...it's getting late. I still need to go to the city to see him...about him, you can ask him yourself later." Although Mo Rong was open-minded and cheerful, when it came to matters of the heart, everyone is the same—somewhat selfish and somewhat confused. She had to find an excuse to get rid of this unbearable state.
Watching Mo Rong leave, Ji Su and Chen Ying exchanged a suspicious glance. Ji Su was suspicious because Mo Rong seemed to be ill, while Chen Ying's suspicion was closer to the truth.
"This...this is a huge problem..." Chen Ying groaned inwardly, "Why didn't we notice this before...it's not Li Jun's fault for being so oblivious, even I didn't notice. Could it be that Sister Mo Rong also likes him?"
Then a discovery that she found somewhat interesting came to mind: "Those who fall in love with Li Jun seem to be no ordinary people. What if, in the future, some Yi or Qiang girls fall in love with this young general? If it's a Yi girl, that would be better, but if it's a Qiang girl who's two heads taller than Li Jun... good heavens, that would be even more troublesome!"
She wouldn't share her wild thoughts with anyone, not even her husband, Song Yun. She certainly wouldn't dare discuss them with Li Jun. Meanwhile, Li Jun had no idea that he was the source of trouble in someone's eyes. He was currently discussing with Song Yun, Jiang Tang, and Tu Longziyun how to deal with the Japanese pirates.
“The Japanese pirates have found Kuanglan City so quickly. I suspect there is an internal traitor. Otherwise, they wouldn’t know the sailing time and route of Kuanglan City’s ships so clearly. Someone in the city must have made this deal with them.” Jiang Tang became extremely meticulous when it came to business. He raised this point first. “To eliminate the Japanese pirates, we must first eliminate their eyes and ears.”
"Would someone collude with the Japanese pirates?" Song Yun seemed to have doubts about this. "This person is really asking a tiger for its skin."
“I think someone is colluding with the Japanese pirates.” Tu Longzi Yun deeply agreed with Jiang Tang’s words. Although he couldn’t help but be infatuated with beautiful women, he was also quite meticulous and skilled in naval warfare. Li Jun had already learned this after Tu Longzi Yun’s slaying of the dragon on Jiaolong Island.
Li Jun frowned. If the enemy had spies on his side, and these spies were extremely knowledgeable about the situation in Kuanglan City, then knowing himself but not his enemy would mean he was already half defeated before he even launched an attack. This was a major taboo in military strategy.
"How about we search the city?" Song Yun's suggestion was immediately opposed by Jiang Tang. He said, "No, there are more than three thousand people coming and going in Kuanglan City every day. Checking all these thousands of people would be a waste of manpower and resources, and would also cause panic among the people. It is definitely not a good deal."
“If we can’t search the city, we won’t be able to find the Japanese spies, and we won’t be able to gain the upper hand in the battle against the Japanese.” Tu Longzi Yun clearly agreed with Song Yun’s suggestion. After thinking for a moment, he added, “From what I saw on the Hai Kuo ship, the number of Japanese pirates is very large, and it is very likely that they are constantly increasing. We must eliminate them as soon as possible.”
"If we absolutely have to search, we can't make a big fuss about it, otherwise the spies will know this deal is going to be a loss and they'll have already run away," Jiang Tang added. If it's absolutely necessary to find the traitor, he also hopes to keep the scope of the investigation small so that it will have less impact on Kuanglan City's economy and trade.
“I do have a concern…” Li Jun’s tightly furrowed brows did not relax. He suddenly slapped the hilt of his sword and said, “Could it be like this!”
Section 2
Li Jun's expression was quite grim. If his guess was correct, then those who colluded with the Japanese were probably his most formidable opponents so far.
Only Peng Yuancheng possessed such cunning. He forced an alliance of four forces, and then harassed the Zhu family and Peng Yuancheng's alliance from three directions—Dagu City and Leiming City—aiming to keep Peng and Zhu constantly on the move, ultimately weakening their fighting strength to the point of defeat. He could even exploit the escalating tensions during the battle to induce Peng Yuancheng to surrender. After losing the Zhu family's support and his base in Dagu City, this was the only thing he could do.
But Peng Yuancheng probably has other plans. Based on his performance so far, he must be able to see through my strategic intentions. So, if he continues to act according to my strategic intentions, he must have other plans. I deduce that he may find an opportunity to annex the Zhu family. But I'm afraid Peng Yuancheng is not content to just perform on the stage I have set up. Instead, he wants to participate in the design of this performance.
For Peng Yuancheng, the best plan was to keep Li Jun preoccupied and unable to interfere with his plan to gradually annex the Zhu family. The best way to do this was naturally to directly cause trouble for the Peace Army's stronghold, Kuanglan City.
If these Japanese pirates were indeed provoked by Peng Yuancheng, then Peng Yuancheng's ruthless methods to achieve his goals make one deeply wary. Should such a person really be brought under one's command?
“Since there is undoubtedly an enemy spy in the city, we must find a way to find him. If we can’t find him, we must devise a plan to make him work for us.” Li Jun finally spoke, which reassured everyone.
"False intelligence?" Tu Longziyun's eyes lit up. "If that's the case, having the enemy's spies spread false information for us isn't a bad idea."
"Exactly!" Li Jun nodded, but in his heart, he couldn't help but change his assessment of Peng Yuancheng a bit. This man not only had first-rate tactical skills, but if the hypothesis was true, he also had a first-rate strategic mind.
"I'm afraid you'll have to handle this matter. I need to return to Thunder City immediately. If I'm not mistaken, Peng Yuancheng caused trouble in Kuanglan City with the aim of transferring me away from the front lines. He also anticipated that I would use a scheme to deal with the Japanese pirates. Knowing that I couldn't leave Kuanglan City, he would definitely seize the opportunity to take over the Zhu family's military power." Li Jun stood up, and with a cold smile on his lips, Tu Longziyun felt as if he had seen that murderous young mercenary again.
"What about the business here..." Jiang Tang asked, somewhat confused.
"Brother Ziyun, I'll have to trouble you with the task of dealing with the Japanese pirates in Kuanglan City. If we're talking about the navy, you're probably the most suitable!" At this moment, Li Jun wasn't radiating killing intent, but rather an aura of domineering power. Tu Long Ziyun hesitated, seemingly wanting to refuse, but Li Jun's domineering aura vanished instantly, replaced by a genuine smile: "Don't forget, Kuanglan City is teeming with beauties. If you can rid Kuanglan City of this great threat, Brother Ziyun, you'll immediately become a hero of Kuanglan City!"
Tu Longziyun smiled deeply. Suddenly, the image of the tearful face of the unknown foreign girl on the Haikuo ship appeared in his mind. So he reached out and struck Li Jun with his palm, saying, "Alright, I will get rid of these Japanese pirates for you, but not for you, but so that the beauties in this city will not shed tears for their families."
Li Jun did not leave immediately. He had been traveling back and forth, and he had a lot to say to Mo Rong. So he came to the construction site alone and met Mo Rong, who was directing the work there.
"Did you come up with anything?" Mo Rong asked first, trying to hide her inner turmoil. She was on the construction site, but her mind was still preoccupied with why she had lost her composure earlier. Seeing Li Jun only made her more uneasy.
"It's nothing." It wasn't that Li Jun was unwilling to tell her the truth; there were just too many people at the construction site. So he simply led her over quietly and then said, "Sister Mo, you've worked hard these past few days."
Mo Rong's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Li Jun's simple thank you was full of profound meaning for her, who was particularly sensitive at this moment.
“It’s nothing, I’d be happy to help you,” she said in a voice so low it was almost inaudible. Her eyebrows drooped slightly as she looked at the ground, where their shadows overlapped in the sunlight.
"Um... Sister Mo, I'm going to Thunder City again. Take care, I'll come back to see you in a while." For a moment, Li Jun suddenly felt that he had a thousand words to say, but he didn't know where to start, so he could only say goodbye.
Mo Rong gave a somewhat disappointed "Oh," and lightly rubbed the ground with her foot. Li Jun, of course, was unaware of the complex emotions, worries, desires, and melancholy in her heart at that moment. Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, he said, "Then, I'm leaving."
"Goodbye..." Mo Rong said softly. Suddenly, she raised her head and smiled like a flower, saying, "By the way, be nice to Sister Ji Su. She's all alone by your side, so don't bully her!"
Li Jun couldn't detect any bitterness, resentment, or probing in her words. He laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'll be grateful if she doesn't bully me. I wouldn't dare to bully her. I'll take good care of her."
Watching Li Jun depart again, a tear unknowingly slid down Mo Rong's cheek, dripping onto the earth of Kuanglan City, and quickly disappearing without a trace.
"Aren't you tired of running around like this?"
Ji Su finally broke the silence and began to speak to Li Jun. Chen Ying's advice to her when they parted in Kuanglan City still echoed in her ears: "You can't be cold all the time. For a woman, gentleness is the best weapon. No man is willing to bow down to a woman who is stronger than him, and no man can resist a woman's gentleness."
Unfortunately, she didn't seem to know how to express her gentleness. At least, the feeling Li Jun got from those words was completely opposite to the reaction she wanted to get when expressing her concern. If Li Jun suffered from "gynophobia" and was not good at interacting with women, then Ji Su suffered from "rage syndrome" and didn't know how to express her gentleness.