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

Jia Nan never expected that she would hear a deafening explosion as soon as she arrived at the dock and before she could even see what was going on at sea.

By the time they came to their senses, the warship docked on the left side of the pier had been blasted into wreckage by a single shot.

The Lebanese soldiers on the ship had no idea what was happening; they were instantly launched into the sky by a single shot.

"What's going on?"

Kanan and the accompanying samurai instinctively lay down behind some cover and mustered their courage to peek outside.

"My God, what is that?!"

The moment they saw the two enormous ships on the sea, both Kanan and the accompanying samurai were shocked, their pupils dilating in disbelief, unable to utter a single word.

boom--

Just then, a second cannon shot rang out.

The 150mm armor-piercing shell pierced the hull of another Lebanese warship.

The Lebanese soldiers on the deck felt a violent tremor beneath their feet, and then they were thrown into the air.

"what--"

Jia Nan witnessed a Lebanese soldier scream as he spun 720 degrees in the air before crashing headfirst into a reef, his body mangled beyond recognition.

Seeing this, Jia Nan was trembling uncontrollably.

Looking at the giant ship at sea, he finally realized what was happening.

These two Chu warships are not here to negotiate.

"Quickly! Raise the white flag!"

Knowing the vast difference in strength, Jia Nan made a decisive decision and ordered his men to raise a white flag to signal a ceasefire and discuss negotiations.

Shen Lang, aboard the Po Jun, saw this scene through his binoculars and immediately told Zhou Ziyu, "Signal with flags, cease attack, and move towards the Three Pages Wharf."

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the signal, the Kaiyang also cancelled its attack preparations and followed the Pojun, slowly sailing into the Sanye Island pier.

When the massive ship appeared close enough to the eyes of Ganan and other Lebanese officials, a wave of shock surged through their very bones.

He had thought that Lebanon's ships were unique in the entire Southeast Asia, but now it seemed that Lebanon's ships were so small and vulnerable in front of this behemoth.

More importantly, these two giant ships were actually made of iron?

Good heavens, when did the shipbuilding technology of the Chu Kingdom become so advanced?

Just as Jia Nan was lost in thought, unsure of what to do next, Shen Lang, holding Jiang Mengxuan's hand, slowly stepped off the battleship.

"Is this the isolated territory of my Great Chu?"

Upon seeing the sight of Three Pages Island with her own eyes, Jiang Mengxuan couldn't help but sigh.

Shen Lang nodded vigorously: "Yes, from today onwards, the entire South Seas belong to our Great Chu territory. From now on, there will only be one ruler here, and that is the Empress of Great Chu."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled and turned her gaze to Jia Nan, who was kneeling on the ground. She said softly to Shen Lang, "These are probably the people from the Li Kingdom who have occupied the territory of my Great Chu, right?"

Shen Lang gently patted her delicate hand: "Leave it to me."

"Ah."

Jiang Mengxuan did not object at all, let go of his hand and sat on the mink chair that Amber had brought, tightening her cloak.

Soon, the heavily armed Chu soldiers quickly surrounded the Li natives kneeling on the dock.

Jia Nan raised his head, about to say something polite to inquire about the purpose of Chu's trip.

As a result, a nearby navy soldier hit him directly on the left cheek with the butt of his rifle.

"Stay still! Who told you to look up? Don't move!"

Jia Nan was immediately knocked to the ground, his left cheek was smashed open by the butt of the gun, and it was covered in blood.

Shen Lang and the other Chu soldiers looked at them coldly.

Regarding the enemy, Shen Lang had only one ambiguous principle for the army: just don't go too far.

As for whether doing this now is excessive?

Since Shen Lang hasn't spoken, it's not considered excessive.

Jia Nan struggled to his feet, covering half his cheek, and lowered his head, not daring to look up again. He said in a deep voice, "Your country is a land of etiquette. It is too much to humiliate an official from a friendly country like this."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang looked at the soldier who had just smashed Jia Nan Yi Tuo.

The soldier was taken aback, thinking he had made a mistake, and was about to salute in preparation for receiving military law.

But then Shen Lang said slowly, "Why didn't you smash him to death just now?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Nan was greatly alarmed.

He looked up, wanting to say something.

boom--

The next moment, the soldier's rifle butt slammed into his face again.

This time, it was a direct, head-on collision.

To demonstrate their worth, the soldiers showed no mercy this time, smashing Jia Nan's nose and breaking his upper and lower front teeth on the spot.

"Ah~"

Jia Nan clutched her blood-soaked cheek, rolling around on the ground in agony, letting out a piercing wail.

The other officials of the Li Kingdom were trembling with fear upon witnessing this scene.

These natives of the Li Kingdom were all bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. Now that the Chu Kingdom had taken a tough stance, they immediately reverted to their true nature and didn't dare utter a single word in the face of the Chu army's atrocities.

Not far away, Jiang Mengxuan held a piece of warm jade in her hands, quietly watching Shen Lang handle things, always maintaining a cool and noble image.

She understood that Shen Lang's purpose in doing this was to establish his authority over the Li people, while also reassuring the overseas Chinese who were secretly observing, and telling them that the Chu Kingdom had the ability to seek justice for them.

Seeing that the deterrent effect had been achieved, Shen Lang slowly walked up to the group of Li officials.

"I am the Duke of Zhenguo, personally appointed by Her Majesty the Empress of Great Chu, and I have come here by imperial decree to inspect the seas of Great Chu."

"I have heard that your Li Kingdom has occupied the territory of my Great Chu for many years. Today I have come here to give you some advice."

Shen Lang walked over to Jia Nan, who was still rolling around, and then stepped directly on his head with his leather boots.

"Our great Chu navy has come here from afar for only one purpose: to achieve fairness."

“We know that your Li Kingdom has been mistreating our Chu citizens while our Great Chu is preoccupied with overseas affairs.”

"Therefore, Her Majesty the Empress has issued a special decree to seek justice for the overseas Chinese of our Great Chu who have settled in Southeast Asia."

"We will repay you for how you oppressed them before."

"This is fairness. From now on, there will only be one ruler in Southeast Asia, and that is Great Chu."

"All those who settle on the islands of Southeast Asia must strictly abide by the laws and regulations of our Great Chu."

"If anyone doesn't comply, then don't blame our country for being ruthless."

As he spoke, he deliberately twirled his leather boots over Ganan's head twice.

The pain was so intense that he buried half of his cheek in the sand.

"waste."

Glancing at Jia Nan's disheveled appearance, Shen Lang dismissively uttered two words, then released his leg and addressed the surrounding soldiers.

"Arrest them all. Also, have the expatriates who have settled here send a few distinguished people to meet His Majesty. With His Majesty's personal presence, blessings will surely be bestowed."

As soon as he finished speaking, cries of "Dad, Mom!" immediately erupted on the beach.

After the Chu navy officers and soldiers brutally punched and kicked them, they dragged them toward Guhai City.

The overseas Chinese who witnessed this scene from afar were immediately moved to tears.

"The royal army has arrived! The royal army has finally arrived! The court has not forgotten us. I have finally made it to this day."

Overwhelmed with emotion, the group embraced each other and wept bitterly.

The young man at the head of the group trembled uncontrollably, his gaze fixed on the two magnificent battleships at the dock.