Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 481 The Crown Princess (Part 7)

When the composed woman finally stopped what she was doing, the black-helmeted pirate who had been shouting was now unrecognizable, his head swollen like a rotten watermelon, red, white, and yellow bloodstains scattered all over the ground.

The pirates who had initially intended to take the opportunity to humiliate the woman immediately fell silent upon seeing this, wishing they had never had mouths, lest they utter even the slightest sound offend this humanoid monster. Yes, this wasn't human; how could a human possess such strength? Especially since she was a woman, and not particularly robust in appearance, yet possessed such strength—what else could she be but a monster?!

It's really terrible.

Jiu Que felt no remorse whatsoever when he casually tossed the pirate into the sea to feed the sharks. After all, what kind of evil hadn't these pirates committed, killing and arson? Killing him like this made Jiu Que feel like he'd gotten off easy.

"I need a few obedient people to guide me. Of course, those who are disobedient have no reason to live. Whoever is willing to guide me, or whoever wants to be the loyal one, I will grant their request."

Jiu Que spoke these words in the Southern Mandarin, so the pirates kneeling there heard them clearly. Of course, they were unwilling, but after witnessing the woman's extraordinary strength, few of them could muster the will to resist.

Of course, some of these pirates were truly fearless and immediately cursed out. Then, the soldiers of the Great Jing Dynasty standing behind them snapped their necks without hesitation.

After killing more than a dozen people, the remaining people finally realized reality and knelt on the ground, shouting frantically.

"Then let them lead the way."

Jiu Que wiped the blood from his hands, turned around, and returned to his own large ship via the deck. He also brought over the group of Da Jing people who had been imprisoned in the bottom of the cabin. They probably didn't want to stay on the enemy's ship either. He also rewarded the soldier who dared to pretend to be an ordinary civilian and be captured along with the pirates of Nan Yu Kingdom.

This enormous warship moved at a great speed, thanks not only to soldiers rowing vigorously in the hull, but also to five large machines. Otherwise, the ship would not have been able to travel at such a speed.

Chunyu Shuang held a telescope, peering out through the transparent cabin. Although she couldn't see much except for the endless sea, she found it quite interesting. The Southern Feather Kingdom, surrounded by the sea on all sides, wasn't large. She wondered where they got the audacity to attack Great Jing. Moreover, they had abducted many citizens and property from Great Jing. When the country was weak, they couldn't make a decision, but now Great Jing's power was rising rapidly, and its navy was growing stronger. Whatever they had taken from Great Jing, they now had to return, and even pay back double.

The wind howled in our ears, and after an hour's journey, land finally came into view in the distance.

The Southern Feather Kingdom, relying on its superb shipbuilding skills, made its living by robbing passing merchant and fishing boats. They never imagined that someone would come to plunder their country while they were sitting at home. Their country was surrounded by sea on all sides, with no navigational landmarks around, and only their own people could find their way home. This was one of the reasons why they were able to go out and plunder on a large scale.

"Your Highness, we are here."

Upon hearing this, Jiu Que put down the cloth she was using to wipe the sword blade, slowly rose, and walked onto the high platform, where soldiers below were looking at her with admiring eyes.

The South China Sea Navy can almost be said to have been built up single-handedly by the Crown Princess. Faced with unfamiliar waters, some in the court did not agree with the plan. After all, both the development of ships and the selection and training of personnel required substantial expenditures of gold and silver. However, Her Highness the Crown Princess overruled the objections and even used her own private treasury to provide funding, thus allowing the navy to take shape.

For this navy, Her Highness the Crown Princess is their mentor and the monarch they must serve. It is said that it takes ten years to hone a sword, and now it is time for them to let the world know their strength. The Southern Feather Kingdom will be their first touchstone.

Everyone was barely able to contain their excitement. But when Jiu Que appeared, everyone immediately looked over. Jiu Que knew everyone's excitement and eagerness, so he didn't say anything unnecessary, but simply stretched out his hand and pointed in the direction of the Southern Feather Kingdom.

"My lords and soldiers, the Southern Feather Kingdom previously took advantage of our Great Jing's lack of a navy and ships, coming to our South China Sea border to wantonly burn, kill, and plunder, even abducting our compatriots. We remained silent before because we lacked sufficient strength. But now, look at the swords and spears in your hands, step on the sturdy ships beneath your feet, and look at these incredibly powerful cannons. We now have enough strength to launch a counterattack, but is that all we must do? No, we must make all the nations that have bullied us pay the price! The Southern Feather Kingdom has no reason to exist. In this battle, we will not only defeat them, but utterly crush them! We will rescue our compatriots! We will plant the flag of Great Jing on this land!"

"Gentlemen, are you willing to fight alongside me?"

"war!"

"war--"

The crowd was indignant, and the rows of arms below gave Jiu Que the best answer.

"it is good!"

Then fight!
Meanwhile, on the coast of Nanyu Kingdom, many fishing boats were busy returning home. Numerous Nanyu people bustled about, making it the liveliest time of day, with many waiting for their family members to return. Many whispered among themselves, wondering how many fat sheep their family members had caught this time. They still needed a large number of Great Jing slaves to cultivate the land and ensure their quality of life. Unfortunately, although those Great Jing slaves were very useful, they died too quickly; many died before they were even put to use, a real waste of resources…

Suddenly someone spotted a ship sailing in the distance and shouted with delight.

"They're back! They're back!"

"Where is it? It really is. Why are you back so late today? I thought something had happened..."

More and more people noticed the ships heading this way, but gradually some people realized something was wrong. Were there really this many ships when they went out hunting before? And weren't these ships a bit too big?
Could it be that the men who went out hunting simply brought back new ships?
However, it wasn't long before someone noticed something amiss: the flags flying on those ships didn't seem to belong to them. Especially the enormous ship sailing in the middle—it was so tall it looked like it was on land. Could men who went out hunting really have brought it back?

At this moment, someone squinted and finally saw what the flags hanging on the ships said. Coincidentally, this person also knew the local dialect, and his originally relaxed and curious expression immediately turned into horror.

"It's a Da Jing ship! A Da Jing ship is attacking! Run—"

"Boom!"

Along with those words, the deafening roar of artillery shells hitting the land echoed!

(End of this chapter)