That day, Feng Jiutian pressed him relentlessly, forcing him to volunteer to Li Jun, offering to join the Peace Army's naval forces in the campaign against the Japanese. He explained his carefully considered strategy in detail, which finally earned Li Jun's approval. Ren Qian knew that if they couldn't defeat the Japanese, the Peace Army would likely immediately launch a northward attack to destroy the Su Kingdom. Therefore, he had to go all out to buy the Su Kingdom some time to recover. But in doing so, he feared he would become increasingly bound to the Peace Army.
Tu Longziyun gave orders to the crew: the Hailong and the five warships that followed changed course. They were determined to win this battle completely and not let the enemy escape.
When the Rain Maru spotted two warships flying the flags of the Soviet Navy coming towards it, Tu Long Ziyun once again ordered: "Full sails, full speed!"
The Sea Dragon sliced through the azure waves, kicking up white spray, and charged towards the Rain Maru like a fish. The Japanese were arrogant and had never taken the navies of the various countries of China seriously, so they were not afraid and prepared for battle.
"Release the arrows!"
Both sides gave the order at the same time. The Japanese chieftain on the Rain Maru smiled coldly: "The people of Shenzhou really don't understand naval warfare. They don't know how to attack from both sides and rush up to fight me at bay, but they're just wasting their arrows."
“The people of Shenzhou are cowardly and dare not fight us to the death. Why don’t we charge forward?” a Japanese pirate asked.
"Wait a minute. Right now, the Shenzhou people think they are fighting two against one and their morale is still high. After a while, they will realize that they are not effective against me and their fear of me will rise. Then, if we attack them again, we will be unstoppable."
Tu Longziyun, aboard the Hailong, frowned. Most of the arrows from both sides landed on the ship's deck, and after a while of exchanging fire, no one was injured. Such a battle was truly boring.
“Based on my past experience, the Japanese pirates should have charged immediately,” Tu Longzi said. “Mr. Ren, has the Japanese pirate seen through our plan?”
“If he sees through our plan, he will immediately turn back and escape,” Ren Qian said. “Commander, please order my ship to retreat slightly.”
The Hailong and another Peace Army warship suddenly turned their sails and left to the sides. The Japanese chieftain was overjoyed and said, "Just as I expected, after a long period of fruitless effort, the Shenzhou people will want to escape. Full sails, chase after the one flying the big flag."
The Rain Maru pressed close to the Sea Dragon. The shouts and curses of the Japanese pirates could still be clearly heard amidst the wind and waves. Some sailors had already put their swords in their mouths and grabbed the ropes, preparing to swing across. As both sides raced at high speed, their arrows lost their aim, so most of the sailors abandoned them and prepared for hand-to-hand combat.
With a loud bang, the two ships collided. Fortunately, the Kairyu had swayed slightly before the impact, avoiding direct hit from the ram of the Ame no Maru. Both ships rocked violently, and before they could regain their footing, the Japanese pirate Tesui leaped towards the Kairyu, shouting. Blades clashed, and a fierce battle ensued.
"kill!"
Just as the Japanese chieftain was laughing heartily, thinking that the Sea Dragon had fallen into his hands, a thunderous shout abruptly stopped his laughter.
Tu Long Ziyun charged out with his treasured sword. Ren Qian, hiding behind the soldiers, stamped his foot. If they waited any longer, the enemy would have nowhere to retreat, but Tu Long Ziyun couldn't wait.
"Raise the sails!" Ren Qian ordered. The Soviet naval flag on the mast of the Hailong was lowered, and a huge purple dragon flag took its place.
"Damn it, it's the Peace Army!"
The Japanese pirates stared in astonishment at this change. The Peace Army and the Japanese pirates had fought fiercely on land and sea several times, so the Japanese pirates all knew that the newly emerged Peace Army in China was quite troublesome. Now, seeing that the weak enemy had suddenly become a strong enemy, their morale was inevitably dampened.
"Retreat!" The Japanese chieftain made a decisive decision. The Peace Army was not so easy to deal with; his earlier show of weakness was merely a ruse. He had to break free from this contact before the enemy could fully unleash their scheme. Under his command, the Japanese retreated, but the Peace Army soldiers followed closely. The chieftain gritted his teeth and said, "Cut the mooring lines and load the gunboats!"
The mooring lines that had been holding the two ships together were all cut, and the Rain Maru, disregarding the Japanese pirates still on the Kairyu, attempted to leave the battlefield. Seeing that they could not return to their own ships, the Japanese pirates on the Kairyu went mad, brandishing their swords and cursing loudly.
"Drop your swords and you won't be killed! Drop your swords and you won't be killed!" The Peace Army naval forces shouted in the few Japanese phrases they knew, but these Japanese pirates, like trapped beasts, paid no heed to the Peace Army's cries and charged forward recklessly. Several Peace Army soldiers, thinking the situation was under control, were becoming complacent when the attack struck them and they immediately fell. "Stop the ship! Kill them all!" Tu Longziyun roared in fury, when suddenly he heard Ren Qian from the stern shout, "Don't get entangled with them! Go after the enemy ships immediately!"
Even on the blood-stained deck, Tu Long Ziyun could still sense the hatred in Ren Qian's words. It seemed that this staff officer's hatred for the Japanese had penetrated to the bone. Tu Long Ziyun originally thought that killing these Japanese did not require his own hands, but now, also spurred on by Ren Qian's resentment, he personally drew his sword and charged into the ranks of the Japanese pirates. The other soldiers of the Peace Army also used their anger as swords to surround them. These dozens of Japanese were quite tough, and not one of them knelt down. The corpses left behind were all severely wounded with more than ten wounds.
The Rain Maru abandoned its companions who were attacking the Sea Dragon and fled with all its might, but another warship that had originally bypassed it intercepted it at this time. The Rain Maru was smaller and easier to turn than the Peace Army's warships, so it turned its bow again and accelerated away with the help of the westerly wind.
Seeing that they could leave the danger, the Japanese chieftain breathed a sigh of relief. The appearance of the Peace Army's navy near Sekigahara Island was really unexpected. If they could bring this news back to Sekigahara Island and gather their strength to destroy the Peace Army's limited navy, and if they could take advantage of the Peace Army's navy to plunder Kuanglan City, it would greatly enhance the prestige of the Japanese. What is a small setback?
He was secretly calculating in his heart when suddenly everything went dark. He saw three warships flying purple dragon flags blocking his way back. The Rain Maru had already fallen into an encirclement!
"Why were the Shenzhou people prepared in advance? Could there be a spy among our people from the Shenzhou?" The Japanese chieftain was stunned for a moment, then thought in despair.
"That's good. With this Rain Pill, we can proceed according to plan."
Ren Qian boarded the Ame no Maru, where sailors were cleaning the bloodstains from the deck and carrying the Japanese corpses one by one. If it weren't for the need to capture the Ame no Maru intact, there would have been no need to suffer hundreds of casualties.
"Mr. Ren's plan is brilliant! This time, we'll teach the Japanese pirates a lesson they won't forget. They've been robbing us for years, but now we'll give them a taste of their own medicine!" a foreign general said through gritted teeth.
Tu Longziyun glanced uneasily at Ren Qian, who had just preemptively ordered the attack, nearly allowing the Rain Maru to escape. Given the Peace Army's strength, a full-scale battle with the Japanese pirates on land would be evenly matched, while at sea they could barely defend themselves. However, Li Jun's order was to launch a preemptive strike against the pirates; without a clever strategy, they would likely be sent to their deaths. Therefore, Tu Longziyun knew that if the Rain Maru successfully escaped, the Peace Army's entire plan would be ruined.
"Sever all four corpses of the Japanese pirates! Cut off their heads too!" Ren Qian suddenly said, looking at the Japanese pirate corpses scattered all over the ground.
The soldiers were taken aback and stopped what they were doing to look at Ren Qian. Ren Qian's face was normal, and he did not look extremely angry at all. However, it was indeed he who had just given the order to destroy the dead body.
"The blood debts of these Japanese pirates accumulated over generations on the continent cannot be washed away even by the waters of the Eastern Sea." Seeing the hesitant expressions on everyone's faces, Ren Qian said, "What do the various ethnic groups of our continent have to do with these Japanese? We have never taken an inch of their land or a penny of their silver. On the contrary, we have taught them everything, from papermaking and porcelain making to iron casting and even writing. Yet, for thousands of years, the Japanese have repaid kindness with ingratitude, committing heinous crimes of burning, killing, raping, and looting. Therefore, no matter what, we have done them justice."
His words dispelled the doubts in the hearts of the soldiers and further aroused their anger and hatred. Most of the Peace Army's navy were barbarians. These people, who had lived by the sea for generations, were mortal enemies of the Japanese. The pain they had suffered from the Japanese aggression was far greater than that of ordinary people in the inland. Therefore, they were particularly ruthless in their actions. In less than half a day, all the Japanese corpses had been dismembered and thrown into the sea.
"Good, this way no one will escape, and we won't have to worry about the Japanese discovering the corpses on the sea." Seeing the dismembered bodies attracting a large number of carnivorous fish, Ren Qian smiled slightly. He knew that the dead are unconscious and unaware, and dismembering corpses was a purely brutal act, but firstly, it could intensify the hatred of the soldiers; secondly, it could also make the relatively weaker Peace Army navy ruthless in killing the enemy; and thirdly, it destroyed the corpses and evidence, so the Japanese wouldn't be able to deduce the Peace Army's attack from the corpses. With these three benefits, he would accept the reputation of being brutal.
※※※
"Grand Marshal, I would like to see Qin Qianli."
Before leaving, Ximen Rang suddenly said to Liu Guang.
“I cannot let Qin Qianli go no matter what. I can spare his entire family, but his whole family must be punished.” Liu Guang frowned and said, “Doctor Ximen has always been at odds with Qin Qianli, why go to see him?”
Ximen Rang pondered for a moment, then said, "I would like to inquire about Qin Qianli's matter. I humbly request the Grand Marshal's permission."
“If it were for your own sake, you would never have asked for my permission.” Liu Guang chuckled and patted Ximen Rangzhi on the shoulder. “Doctor Ximen, my mind is made up. You may see Qin Qianli, but please don’t try to persuade me anymore.”
Ximen Rang raised his head, wanting to speak again, but Liu Guang had already turned away, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter further. Ximen Rang sighed deeply, silently bowed, and left.
After leaving the Grand Marshal's Mansion, he went directly to the Heavenly Prison. The accompanying marshal's guards took out Liu Guang's command token, and only then did the guards of the Heavenly Prison let Ximen Rang into the cell.
What are you doing here?
Upon seeing Ximen Rang, Qin Qianli's eyes widened in anger, and he said, "Why aren't you here offering advice to that old scoundrel Liu Guang on how to seize your sovereign's kingdom?"
"You may all leave now." Ximen Rang dismissed the people around him, and even the warriors sent by Liu Guang withdrew from the prison. After the door was closed, the prison fell into a deathly silence, with only Qin Qianli's rough breathing proving that someone was still there.
"What exactly do you want? Did Liu Guang send you to interrogate me? Or do you want to see what happens to me?" Qin Qianli finally couldn't overcome his fear of the darkness and shouted.
"Lord Qin, although we have always been at odds, you should know very well who I, Ximen Rang, am." Ximen Rang's eerie voice came from the darkness. Qin Qianli stared wide-eyed, but could only see his blurry shadow.