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

"Yo-ho yo-ho—"

On the waters off Sanye Island in the South China Sea, single-masted fishing boats are carrying out fishing operations.

The Lebanese fishermen on the boat sang folk songs as they cast their nets into the sea.

Looking into the distance, there are dozens of such fishing boats on the nearshore waters.

Besides fishermen from Lebanon, fishermen from other Southeast Asian countries also fish in this area.

However, the overseas Chinese from the State of Chu were nowhere to be seen.

A fishing boat rounded a reef and set sail for another area of ​​the sea.

An elderly fisherman on a fishing boat teaches his two sons to cast their nets into the sea.

The young son immediately began to clumsily imitate his father.

"Woo——"

Just then, a deafening whistle rang in my ears.

The three fishermen covered their ears and looked up toward the source of the sound, towards the horizon.

However, upon seeing this, the fishermen's pupils immediately contracted.

"Father, what...what kind of monster is that!"

The son pointed at the massive battleship billowing black smoke in the distance, completely bewildered.

The indigenous father looked completely bewildered.

After a long silence, he finally swallowed hard and said, "Could it be that the sea god has manifested himself?"

"Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo—"

No sooner had the words been spoken than the battleship sounded three short and one long blast of its horn, as if to warn of something.

But it was this sound of the ship's horn that convinced the fisherman's family that it was the incarnation of the sea god.

"Ah, may the sea god bless us, may the sea god bless us!"

So the whole family immediately dropped their tools and knelt down on the deck, devoutly worshipping the battleship.

At this moment, inside the battleship's command center.

Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan gazed silently ahead, while a young naval officer came to report from behind them.

"Reporting to the Commander, my flagship has already warned the way ahead and requested that the fishing boats clear the channel, but they are still blocking the channel. Acting Captain Zhou Ziyu has come to ask whether we should slow down and detour."

Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan exchanged a glance, then immediately gave the order: "Continue along the designated route. Since our Great Chu Navy has already given a warning, and they don't listen, then they can't blame us."

"Yes!"

Chou Tzu-yu accepted the order and immediately turned the rudder cockpit back.

"Is this how you lead troops?"

This was the first time Jiang Mengxuan had seen Shen Lang directing his subordinates, and she couldn't help but show a puzzled expression.

Shen Lang smiled faintly: "My Empress, this is a clash between barbarism and civilization. We are here to conquer this sea, so there is no need to be polite to them."

Jiang Mengxuan chuckled and shook her head: "That's not what I meant, I just found it very surprising."

“Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. When dealing with these two-faced natives, force is the best way to communicate.”

As he spoke, Shen Lang pulled out a nautical chart of various Southeast Asian countries.

"This is something your husband bought from an envoy stationed in Southeast Asia for a full thirteen taels of silver."

Look at the red circle marked above; there are rich copper and iron mines there.

And those blue circles indicate industries suitable for large-scale rubber cultivation.

This will provide ample resources for the research and development of armored forces in my Great Chu..."

Listening to Shen Lang's detailed account of the situation in various parts of Southeast Asia, and combining it with the areas shown on the sea map, Jiang Mengxuan finally understood that the vast sea area contained not only seafood, but also other abundant resources.

This is a huge fortune.

Thinking of this, she suddenly interrupted Shen Lang: "Ah Lang! Why don't we just give up on this colonial plan and simply annex the entire South Seas to our Great Chu territory?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang's lips curled into a smile: "Xuan'er, all we need are the cheap labor and abundant mineral resources of the Southeast Asian countries."

If a county system were to be established in Southeast Asia for direct rule, who knows when the benefits would be realized?

It's far less costly to bring the South Seas under the sphere of influence of the Great Chu than to rule an entire region. Once we conquer this sea area by force...

They must plunder the wealth here at all costs to strengthen their own national power and improve the livelihoods of their people.

A larger territory is not necessarily better; the essence of colonization is bloody plunder, not the transmission of benevolent principles.

Jiang Mengxuan pondered quietly for a moment, then looked up and replied, "You're right, I almost made a foolish mistake again."

Shen Lang held her hand: "Your not blaming me for being ruthless and cold-blooded is the greatest support you can give me."

"how could be,"

Jiang Mengxuan replied.

"If your ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness can bring long-term peace and well-being to your people and the rise and prosperity of the Chu Kingdom, how could I possibly not support you?"

Shen Lang smiled and said nothing more.

The most important thing between husband and wife is mutual trust. Since you've said it like that, Shen Lang has no reason not to believe you.

At that moment, Po Jun was in front, and Kai Yang was behind.

The two battleships continued to sail at a steady speed toward the location of the fishermen in the South Seas, without changing their course in the slightest.

The most devout fisherman in the family, kneeling in fear, felt his scalp tingle upon seeing the enormous creature approaching.

"This is not a sea god, it's a ship!"

"It's an iron ship, Father, look at the flags flying on it."

“That is, that looks like the flag of the Chu Kingdom.”

Just as the family was in shock, the battleship almost grazed the hull of the fishing boat.

Looking up at the giant ship, before they could even feel the oppressive force of the steel monster, a huge wave crashed in, causing the tiny fishing boat to shake violently.

"Ah~"

A scream rang out, and the fishing boat capsized.

A family of three fell into the sea together...

"Captain, someone has fallen overboard. Should we prepare for rescue?"

Chou Tzu-yu lowered her binoculars, her eyes expressionless, and calmly asked, "What is the extent of the damage to the hull?"

"The hull was not damaged; it was the waves generated during the Po Jun's voyage that capsized them."

Zhou Ziyu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "Since the ship is not damaged, let's not cause any more trouble and continue forward."

"But……"

"But what?"

"The one who fell into the water..."

"Ignore them and keep moving at a steady pace."

"Yes!"

Chou Tzu-yu sneered, raised her binoculars, and looked at the many fishing boats in the distance...

At this moment, the fishing boats in the distance finally spotted two steel fortresses from the State of Chu.

After a brief moment of shock, they finally realized what had happened when they saw the leading fisherman and his family fall into the sea, and they all erupted in chaos!

"Oh no! That monster is heading towards us!"

"Quickly gather the fishing nets, turn the boat around, and get out of here as soon as possible!"

Instantly, chaos erupted on the sea as all the fishermen frantically maneuvered their makeshift fishing boats, trying to get as far away as possible from the approaching "sea monster."

However, how can the primitive power of a sail be compared with mechanical technology?

Just as the fishing boats on the sea were in complete chaos...

The battleship Po Jun was the first to enter the fishing boat group.

"Ah~~"

A fisherman, covered in tattoos, saw the giant ship growing larger and larger in his pupils and couldn't help but roar loudly.

boom--

click-

The next moment, the broken warship rammed into the fishing boat.

With a cracking sound of wood breaking, the fishing boat was smashed into two pieces...