The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 397 The Distance from Confidence to Despair

Yes.

The Water Scale Guard has boats.

Your Highness said that we should hide our tracks well. So where is the Dayong ship hidden?

Ships used in naval warfare are naturally large and conspicuous, and the only place nearby where such large ships could dock is Haiyang County.

However, the sea was completely visible, and if there really was a ship, the people of Brown Country would have found it.

The people of the Brown Kingdom were of course unaware that the ships of the Great Yong Kingdom were at sea, and had even passed by them countless times.

However, due to the distance and the disguise of the ship, it looked like a protruding cliff.

This idea was naturally Xu Zhen's.

Everyone knows that it's not easy to disguise such massive ships.

But His Highness said they should do their best to hide their tracks.

In Xu Zhen's ears, the "effort" in "do your best" meant "even at the cost of your life".

He must fulfill His Highness's request.

Therefore, he put forward this idea.

When this idea was first proposed, no one thought it might actually come true.

Everyone objected for a long time, but in the end, because they had no better ideas, they had to compromise and let him give it a try.

Surprisingly, he actually succeeded.

Especially at night, unless you get close enough to look, no one would know that something is hidden there.

In the end, what the Brown Country people saw were giant ships that appeared out of nowhere.

Zhuo Mu didn't know when Dayong had deployed its troops in Haiyang County, and there was no point in thinking about it anymore.

The most important thing now is that they are surrounded.

Both on land and at sea, they are all people of Dayong.

Zhuo Mu frowned, pondering a solution.

His subordinates breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he had no intention of pursuing the matter.

Hoping to atone for their mistakes, they were all incredibly proactive.

"This navy doesn't seem to have been assembled in a day or two. Could it be that our intelligence in Dayong has deteriorated to such an extent that we didn't even know such a powerful enemy had appeared?"

"No, don't forget, Dayong is not without a navy. There is a Water Lin Guard in Tingzhou in the south of Dayong."

"Tingzhou is not close to here."

"This shows that Dayong was prepared. The opposing army knows this place very well and is very adapted to it, clearly having been stationed in Haiyang County for a long time."

"Whether they're the Water Scale Guard or any other guard, the real test will come in the end. General, why don't I go and meet them?"

"Relying on the advantages of Dayong and occupying the strategic location of Haiyang, the Water Scale Guard can advance or retreat as needed. What do you have to offer? You brute!"

Zhuo Mu rubbed his temples, feeling as if dozens of buzzing mosquitoes had swarmed around his ears: "Shut up, all of you."

"Lu Dachui, lead the way and we'll get ashore."

"General..."

"What's there to be afraid of? The Emperor has entrusted us with this first battle, so we must fight it brilliantly!"

Someone earnestly advised, "General! You mustn't! Da Yong is well-prepared; a direct attack would likely result in heavy losses!"

"Yes! The Great Yong's supplies are flowing in continuously, so we should avoid their sharp edge for now..."

Zhuo Mu looked over expressionlessly.

Under his indifferent gaze, the dissenting voices gradually faded away.

Only the hot-blooded Lu Dachui stepped forward and shouted, "General, this humble general is willing to go!"

……

On the other side, Che Zhong'an stood at the bow of the boat, his face solemn.

Once they left the Brown Kingdom, Zhuo Mu and his group had limited supplies; they were like trees without roots.

Shuilinwei, which is backed by Haiyang County, has a source of water.

At this point, it wouldn't matter if the other party got ashore.

Zhuo Mu had only one choice: to break through at any cost.

"Can we locate Zhuo Mu's position?"

"Reporting to the General! There are none at the moment."

"Attack with all your might and force him out!"

"Yes!"

"Have Chen Feng and Liu Hai lead their men to encircle the enemy from the north and south. Chiang Kai-shek's troops, be ready to provide support at any time. We must not allow any breach in the encirclement!"

His orders were quickly relayed down in paragraphs.

Che Zhong'an said fiercely, "Since you don't know Zhuo Mu's location, treat everyone the same. I'll force him to come see me."

On the other side, Zhuo Mu quickly noticed that Da Yong's attacks were becoming more intense.

"Didn't we bring heavenly thunder? With the full force of the army, we're going to attack the Northeast!"

"Yes!"

As if in response to his words, a series of booming sounds soon came from afar.

The deafening sound, accompanied by the surging waves, shook many people, causing them to stumble, and slowed down the loading of gunpowder.

Zhuo Mu roared, "Who! Who disregarded military orders and released the Heavenly Thunder ahead of schedule?"

"General! It's the Heavenly Thunder of the Great Yong!"

"Da Yong? Where did the heavenly lightning come from in Da Yong?"

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Zhuo Mu.

Where did his confidence come from? It came from having witnessed the power of heavenly lightning. With such a divine weapon, how could he not conquer the Great Yong?

Not long ago, he received a secret order from Qi Yongji, and he was still smug, thinking that he could grab the biggest credit!

Indeed, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Why does the Great Yong Dynasty also have heavenly lightning?

Such a miraculous artifact has never been heard of before, yet it has appeared all at once.

Is this what a time of great strife looks like?

He wiped his face, forcing himself to come back to his senses from the shock.

"Even heavenly lightning is much less effective at sea!"

That's what they say, but Zhuo Mu knows very well that they have lost all their advantages today and there is no possibility of them getting ashore.

What a formidable Water Scale Guard!

If they can defend Haiyang, how can they defend Tingzhou and Anzhou?

Although it's a long distance, the long voyage at sea will be detrimental to the exhausted army.

However, if the local defenses are weak, it is not impossible to launch a surprise attack.

Having figured out his future path, Zhuo Mu began to think about ways to survive.

He rolled his eyes and turned to his personal guard, "Give me your clothes."

The guard's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He wasn't stupid; how could he not know that Zhuo Mu intended for him to draw the enemy's attention?

Clearly, Zhuo Mu had completely given up on direct confrontation and was now focusing all his efforts on how to escape.

He knew that by changing his appearance, he would become an easy target.

But he had no chance to refuse.

Or rather, there is only one outcome whether you refuse or not.

"Yes!"

Zhuo Mu nodded matter-of-factly and looked at the people present: "I will pass down the order to protect this ship with all their might. Whether we survive or not is up to each of us."

The resentment of the crowd, who had initially been upset by his words, eased slightly.

Hidden among ordinary soldiers, they may not be conspicuous, but swords have no eyes, and without protection, they might die in an inconspicuous corner.

In their current situation, their fates are in the hands of fate, just like Zhuo Mu's.

It's a 50/50 chance whether they live or die.

Zhuo Mu gave them a deep look, then strode to the side of the boat and jumped into the sea.

The others were surprised by his decisiveness and looked at each other for a long time.

Finally, the guard swallowed hard, stood in the spot where Zhuo Mu usually stood, and said solemnly, "No one else can know that the general has left."

If they knew that Zhuo Mu had deserted in the face of battle, the morale of the army would surely collapse.

At that point, let alone protecting the ship, the wrath of the others will burn them to death first.

They only have a chance to live if everything continues as usual.