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

"What! Gone?! It's only been a short time! You bunch of useless trash! What on earth did you do?!"

Just as Nguyen Ha Lai and his son, along with a group of officials and Shi Mingzhu, arrived at Cape of Hope harbor, they heard the news that the Le Kingdom fleet had been defeated and five warships had been sunk.

Enraged, he grabbed the officer on the last remaining warship and pulled him close, slapping him twice across the face.

The officer, who had been slapped twice, dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. He immediately knelt on the ground, head bowed, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This is the first time I have ever seen such a massive warship."

This was the first time I had ever seen such a terrifying weapon. It was even more frightening than a martial artist's outward display of spiritual energy; a single strike could easily pierce through our ship's hull.

Furthermore, those two giant ships were also incredibly fast; they could move forward on their own without sails or oars, and wherever they went...

It can stir up monstrous waves; even small ships will be capsized by the aftershocks. Your Majesty, this is simply beyond human capability to contend with.

Ruan Xialai was furious: "Even now, you still dare to make excuses for your defeat! Guards! Drag him away and subject him to salt torture!"

The officer was terrified and cried out, "Your Majesty, spare me! Spare me!"

Shi Mingzhu, who was standing to the side, looked at the Li Kingdom official who had been beaten, and a plan immediately came to her mind.

He bowed to Nguyen Ha Lai and said, "Your Majesty, may I have a word to say?"

Ruan Xialai immediately changed her expression and returned the greeting, saying, "Angel, please speak freely."

Shi Mingzhu said, "Your Majesty, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. The most urgent task is to understand the specific situation at sea."

Since the general's claim of having personally witnessed the appearance of that large ship is an important clue,

We should inquire about the military situation directly right now, so as to make plans for what to do next.

Besides, today is the Empress Dowager's birthday; bloodshed is considered unlucky.

Ruan Xialai thought about it and felt that it made sense. She immediately said to the official in charge, "Since the envoy of the Celestial Empire is pleading for you, I'll spare your head for a while longer. Now tell me what you know?"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

Once the officer realized he had saved his head, he immediately recounted what he had seen.

He then embellished the story, describing the encounter with the battleship in detail: a dragon's roar that destroyed the heavens and the earth, a wave of the hand that reduced everything to ashes—he exaggerated it as much as possible, leaving the listeners dumbfounded.

When he mentioned that the two battleships were from the State of Chu, both Nguyen Ha Lai and Tse Minh Chu fell into an unusual silence.

After a long pause, Ruan Xialai asked uncertainly, "Are you really sure that was a warship from the Chu Kingdom?"

The officer, without batting an eye, replied, "I am absolutely certain that it was a warship of the Chu Kingdom. I and all the crew members on board were unfortunately captured."

Later, their commander saw that I was handsome and that I had sworn to fight to the death, which deeply moved them, so he released me and allowed me to return to my post.

Before leaving, he asked if I was interested in becoming a son-in-law of the State of Chu, but I firmly refused.

At this point, the officer seemed to remember something, took out a letter from his pocket, and presented it to Nguyen Ha Lai with both hands.

"Your Majesty, this is a letter from Shen Lang, the Duke of Zhenguo of Great Chu, which I have asked you to pass on. Please take a look."

Ruan Xialai snatched the letter away, not even bothering to consider how illogical his words were.

After opening it, I couldn't help but gasp in shock.

The letter contained very little, just one line:

Nanyang was an inherent territory of the Great Chu.

"Yeah!"

Ruan Xialai trembled with anger, her voice shaking slightly as she spoke.

"I never expected that the State of Chu would actually dare to attack my State of Li."

Shi Mingzhu asked curiously, "Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?"

Ruan Xialai: "Angel, the messenger I sent to Chu has delivered a message to me, saying that Chu's shipyards are building two giant ships."

Upon learning of this, I immediately dispatched someone to the State of Chu to negotiate, urging the Chu court to promptly sink the vessel to prevent any disruption to the Southeast Asian order.

It seems that the State of Chu has completely disregarded the warnings from the State of Li.

Shi Mingzhu narrowed her eyes, thinking to herself: Listening to this, it seems that your Li Kingdom is the suzerain state of Chu Kingdom? A small vassal state dares to make such excessive demands on the suzerain state. It seems that the Li Kingdom really doesn't know how to spell the word "death". How can such a two-faced scoundrel be a vassal of my Wuzhao?

"So, Your Majesty, what do you intend to do now?"

"The South Seas, also known as the Southern Dragon Sea, have always been dominated by my Li Kingdom. For the Chu Kingdom to attempt to enter this territory is tantamount to killing my parents."

"I will teach the State of Chu a profound lesson and show them who truly reigns supreme at sea!"

After speaking, he asked his superior, "Where have those two giant ships gone? Do you know?"

"Your Majesty, the Chu warships have headed towards Sifang Island."

"hateful!"

Nguyen Ha Lai was furious and immediately turned to all the officials, saying:

"My subjects! The people of Chu have broken the agreement and openly invaded the sea upon which we depend for survival!"

Now let our Li Kingdom's navy strike and give these foreign invaders a lasting memory!

"Oooooooo-"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the officials shouted in unison.

boom--

But just then, a cannon shot rang out, shaking the port violently.

boom--

Suddenly, a grenade exploded directly on the port wall.

In an instant, more than a dozen defenders were blown off the wall by the shockwave and shrapnel from the shell.

"How is this going?"

Ruan Xialai, Shi Mingzhu, and all the officials were already so frightened that they lay prostrate on the ground.

The officer knelt before him and explained, "Your Majesty, these are the weapons of the giant ship."

Ruan Xialai craned her neck to look at the sea, then quickly pulled her head back: "Where is the giant ship? Why can't I see it?"

"Your Majesty, a single shot from a giant warship can reach over ten miles away, so it's normal that we can't see it now."

"Nonsense! Immediately order the navy to launch a full-scale attack and sink the Chu warships!"

"Yes!"

……

The Le Kingdom's navy acted swiftly; within just one hour of Nguyen Ha Lai's order, the 280 three-masted warships anchored on the south bank of Wangjiao had all raised their sails.

Thirty-two thousand officers and soldiers of the Lebanese navy (including sailors and laborers) stood resolutely at the bow of the ship, their eyes fixed on the shore...

It was found on a shaman who performed a ritual dance.

The wizard, wearing only a loincloth and bare-chested, danced around for a while before throwing a ball of powder into the campfire.

As a long plume of smoke rose from the campfire, Commander Zheng Haichao suddenly drew his longsword and gave a command towards the sea: "Brave and fearless naval warriors!"

Let us protect this sea that belongs to us with our lives.

Perhaps we will all die, perhaps we will all sleep forever in this sea.

But even now, we remain the world's strongest navy, and no one can defeat us.

Let us join hands and face the roar of the waves together.

Summon your courage, follow me, and let us meet our formidable foe!

"Ouch, ouch, ouch—"

The officers and soldiers on board roared deafeningly, and then, under the helmsman's control, slowly steered the main ship away from the port.

woo-

Hundreds of horns sounded in unison, their roar creating ripples on the sea.

As dusk fell, a full 280 three-masted warships sailed away from the south bank port in an orderly fashion, heading straight for the battlefield.

Looking at the warships on the sea, Shi Mingzhu frowned and muttered to herself, "Even with such a magnificent fleet, can it be threatened?"

Standing beside him, Ruan Xialai didn't hear what Shi Mingzhu said, but proudly told him, "My angel,"

"My Li Kingdom still possesses hundreds of such warships; these are now less than half of our fleet. They have never disappointed me, and they will certainly defeat the Chu Kingdom's warships."

Shi Mingzhu nodded: "Yes, such a magnificent warship is unparalleled in the world, and we are sure to win a great victory."

Ruan Xialai: "I'm sorry to have disappointed Your Excellency today. Please return to the palace to rest. I will prepare a new banquet for you."

"Ah."

Shi Mingzhu responded and walked towards the palace.

Ruan Xialai kept staring at the departing warship, patting the wall, her eyes filled with excitement.