Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

In late September, Shen Lang once again boarded a ship bound for the Song Kingdom.

Ban Dingyuan was among those who accompanied him.

After this period of advanced study at the military academy, Ban Dingyuan has gained a broader perspective and a more refined demeanor compared to a few months ago.

Beside Ban Dingyuan, Ye Fan calmly gazed at the rolling blue waves of the sea.

"The political situation is more important than practicality. If one were a martial artist with cultivation, one could use internal energy to accelerate the journey, so there would be no need for such a difficult process."

For the past two weeks, he has had virtually nothing to do, simply wandering around the Ministry of Rites in the Ministry of Rites, with nothing to attend to.

After all, Ye Fan's heroic deeds made his colleagues keep their distance from him.

If a promising young man dares to bribe his superiors in the Ministry of Justice and get dismissed, and then shamelessly goes into the water to catch fish for the Duke of Zhenguo in exchange for a promotion, who would dare to get too close to him?

Ye Fan was naturally aware that he had a very stereotypical image in the eyes of these officials, but he didn't care at all.

These humiliations are only temporary. Once he holds power, he will surely drive out these parasites who mocked him in the past, and then bring his fellow disciples into the court, determined to restore the immortal dynasty that has been lost for tens of thousands of years.

Fortunately, none of the people present, including Shen Lang, had the ability to hear other people's thoughts. Otherwise, if they knew this guy was planning to turn back the clock, they probably would have thrown him into the sea to feed the fish.

As the official ship passed by the Jinling Shipyard, two battleships that had been under construction for nearly three years came into view.

Upon seeing such a colossal creature, Shen Lang couldn't help but smile slightly.

This is the source of Great Chu's confidence in expanding into new territories overseas.

"Duke Zhenguo, in another half month, the battleships will be able to go to sea for sea trials. In this way, the navy of our Great Chu will have the capability for long-range operations."

At that time, the advantages of the Li Kingdom will vanish, and the Great Chu will rise to prominence overseas, inevitably shaking the world.

Ban Dingyuan felt genuinely proud that Great Chu possessed the world's most powerful naval force, and his tone was full of anticipation and praise for the future.

Only Ye Fan, standing to the side, had his brows furrowed.

He was truly awestruck when he saw the two enormous ships.

But more than anything, people expressed disdain for these strange and ingenious skills.

Hearing Ban Dingyuan say this, he subconsciously said, "Please forgive me for not agreeing with what Staff Officer Ban said. Although these two ironclad ships look very magnificent..."

However, it is merely a facade; in naval battles with enemy nations, it is easy to expose its position, at which point the enemy can easily trap the ironclad ships with just a few small, fast boats.

Wouldn't that mean losing the initiative? In my opinion, building these ironclad ships is a waste of national resources and money; they serve no great purpose.

"Ha ha……"

Unexpectedly, his words caused not only Ban Dingyuan to burst out laughing, but also the guards behind him.

Even Shen Lang let out a couple of soft hums.

If the ignorant do not speak, no one will know that they are ignorant.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he revealed his lack of knowledge.

Ye Fan is that kind of person; he has always revered cultivation above all else.

He holds a negative attitude towards other matters, considering them all insignificant.

Ban Dingyuan couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Ye, may I ask if you have ever set foot on the lands of my Great Chu?"

Ye Fan shook his head: "Never."

"So, Young Master Ye still doesn't know what the territory of the Great Chu Seas looks like?"

"The Great Chu is a vast and abundant land, and I fear I will never be able to explore every corner of it in my lifetime."

"Since Young Master Ye knows nothing about the affairs of our Great Chu Sea, how can he speak so carelessly as to say that this warship is useless?"

Ye Fan remained silent, realizing that he had spoken out of turn.

But Ban Dingyuan pressed on, "Does Young Master Ye know how much of our Great Chu's maritime territory the Li Kingdom and other foreign states have seized, and how many of our citizens living overseas have been killed?"

Ye Fan shook his head again, indicating that he didn't know.

Ban Dingyuan said, "Since Young Master Ye knows nothing, what gives him the audacity to mock the powerful weapons of my Great Chu Sea?"

Ye Fan frowned and immediately replied, "Officer Ban, although I am not very familiar with the situation in the waters of Great Chu, I do know that the people on the overseas islands are less than one ten-thousandth of those on the mainland of Great Chu."

To expend such enormous financial and material resources to wage war against the Li Kingdom for these unnecessary things is truly unwise!

Upon hearing this, the way the guards around Ye Fan looked at him changed completely.

Ban Dingyuan closed his eyes: "So, according to Young Master Ye's meaning, the territory of our Great Chu's sea area can only be occupied by those foreign countries, or even ceded to them?"

"I know this might sound discouraging, but I still have to say it: this is the best option right now," Ye Fan said, feigning a sigh. "To launch a long and arduous expedition, to go to war with the Li Kingdom, just for those insignificant islands, is simply not worth the effort."

"Let's just give all these useless territories to the foreign states; that way, we can demonstrate the grandeur of our great Chu nation."

"Hahaha."

Ban Dingyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He shook his head when he looked at Ye Fan again.

"Young Master Ye, if I may say something you don't like to hear, based on what you just said, it wouldn't be hard to call you a traitor."

Ye Fan's pupils contracted, never expecting to receive such a vicious evaluation in his lifetime.

He was about to argue when Ban Dingyuan's expression turned stern as he said, "Not an inch of the Great Chu's land shall be allowed to be occupied by any other country."

There is no reason for us to offer land to other states in exchange for favors. This is clearly stipulated in the newly enacted laws of our Great Chu. Does Young Master Ye not know this at all?

I never imagined that someone as cautious and dedicated to the country as Prime Minister Ye could have such an ungrateful son as you.

Fortunately, you are not currently in charge of the Six Ministries; otherwise, no amount of territory in the Great Chu would be enough for you to cede to alone!

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan immediately retorted, "Staff Officer Ban, that's not what I meant. I was just saying that sending troops on a long expedition would be unwise."

It's not that I'm trying to betray the country, but why do you have to put it so harshly?

Ban Dingyuan waved his hand: "Young Master Ye, there's no need to say more. We don't see eye to eye, so it's best if we don't associate with each other anymore. I'm afraid of being misunderstood."

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan was furious.

Do you think associating with me will make you lose face?

When did I, Ye Fan, become so disliked?

He wanted to say a few more words, but Shen Lang spoke up: "Enough, Young Master Ye, aren't you embarrassed enough already?"

One sentence left Ye Fan speechless, stunned.

Shen Lang glanced at him, too lazy to say another word, and asked Ban Dingyuan, "How is the naval training plan coming along?"

Ban Dingyuan: "Everything is proceeding according to the Duke of Zhenguo's instructions, step by step."

"That's good. Now that we have the ship, we can't let the training of the naval officers and soldiers fall behind. A large number of naval soldiers are needed to operate the battleship."

"Please rest assured, Zhenguo, and ensure that the training of the first batch of naval officers and soldiers can be completed within the designated time limit."

"Well, I'll wait and see."

Seeing that the official ship had already left Jinling Port, Shen Lang turned around and went straight into the cabin.

He didn't even glance at Ye Fan once, his contempt practically written all over his face.

This was unbearable for Ye Fan, so he immediately summoned the system in his mind.

"System, assign me the task of assassinating Shen Lang."

"I'm sorry, host, you have not yet completed the main mission of assassinating Ye Mo, so we cannot assign you any other missions at this time."

"Could you make an exception? I really want to get rid of Shen Lang right now."

"Based on system analysis, given the host's current state, we are temporarily unable to issue you a side quest with the difficulty level of Hell Abyss."

"What? The abyss of hell?"

Upon hearing the system's notification, Ye Fan was instantly dumbfounded.

"Is this Shen Lang really that terrifying?"

"Based on system analysis, the host's current abilities are insufficient to perform this task."

Ye Fan clenched his fists, his eyes filled with resentment.