I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 338 Raking Ears
Blood gushed from the man in black's chest and dissipated in the cold seawater.

Tang Zhao kicked away the black-clad men who rushed at him, used the momentum of his feet to do a somersault to dodge the long knife behind him, grabbed the wrist of one of the black-clad men with his left hand and dragged him in front of him to block the knife, and swung his right hand back to stab the black-clad men who were attacking him from behind in the chest.

After dealing with the men in black who were attacking him, Gu Ci quickly swam towards Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao killed a man in black and made a hand gesture to Gu Ci.

Gu Ci nodded and took Tang Zhao's place in defending against the attack from the men in black.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tang Zhao swam towards the ship, gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, and thrust it upwards with force. The sword, which could cut through iron like mud, instantly sliced ​​through the bottom of the ship.

Tang Zhao pulled hard, and the sword cut a huge gash in the bottom of the ship, allowing seawater to rush into the cabin instantly.

"Boss, something terrible has happened!" The man in black guarding the cabin rushed out in a panic. "The hull has been breached, and the cabin is flooding!"

"Abandon ship!" the leader of the men in black ordered decisively. "Everyone, get into the water immediately and kill Tang Zhao and Gu Ci!"

At a command, the men in black who remained on the ship jumped into the sea like dumplings. The leader of the men in black searched the sea but could not find any trace of Tang Zhao and Gu Ci.

The leader of the men in black swam to the surface. "Where did they go?"

The man in black who had gone into the water earlier poked his head out of the water. "Leader, they stole our clothes and masks, disguised themselves as our people, and we don't know where they are hiding!"

The leader of the men in black gritted his teeth and sank into the water. The visibility in the pitch-black seawater was extremely low, and it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe from three feet away, let alone the fact that the enemy was wearing their clothes and disguising themselves as them.

The leader of the men in black made a hand gesture in the water, and the men in black around him passed the gesture down to the others.

Tang Zhao and Gu Ci mingled among the men in black and swam together toward the shore.

The leader of the men in black went ashore, found the torches that had been buried by the reef earlier, lit them, and then the men in black who swam ashore followed suit, lighting their torches as if it were daytime.

Tang Zhao and Gu Ci exchanged a glance, then turned and swam back into the sea.

The men in black who swam ashore checked each other's identities, trying to find the enemy mixed in with them.

"Chief! No enemies have infiltrated!"

"It's alright, we'll just stay here and keep watch."

Tang Zhao sabotaged the ships and disguised himself as them to confuse them and take advantage of the chaos to swim ashore with them.

The leader of the men in black took off his bow and arrows and stared intently at the sea by the firelight. As long as they guarded the shore, Tang Zhao would either drown in the sea or be shot dead the moment he surfaced.

"I'd like to see just how good they are at swimming!"

Underwater, Tang Zhao was struggling to hold her breath for so long. Gu Ci cupped Tang Zhao's face in his hands and breathed into her mouth.

Tang Zhao blinked: How much longer?

Gu Ci patted Tang Zhao on the back reassuringly: It'll be soon.

Sure enough, a battle cry suddenly came from the shore, accompanied by a rain of arrows.

While using his knife to deflect the rain of arrows, the leader of the men in black decisively ordered, "Extinguish the torches immediately!"

However, it was no use. The Jiangsu and Zhejiang naval forces rushed in, holding torches high, and surrounded the man in black like a fire dragon.

Grand Marshal Feng Jie of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Navy shouted, "Disarm and you will not be killed!"

Thousands of naval personnel from Jiangsu and Zhejiang roared in unison, "Disarm and you will not be killed!"

The leader of the men in black gritted his teeth, "Kill!"

The man in black charged forward with his knife, engaging in fierce combat with the Jiangsu and Zhejiang naval forces.

Gu Ci listened attentively to the sounds of fighting on the shore, and after confirming that the men in black were not paying attention to them, he swam to the shore with Tang Zhao.

Once ashore, Gu Ci escorted Tang Zhao to Feng Jie's side, then took the spear thrown to him by Chao Yi and brandished it as he charged toward the leader of the men in black.

Tang Zhao also wanted to go up, but Feng Jie stopped her, saying, "Please, Your Highness, take care of your health." Tang Zhao raised her hand to press her aching chest, and finally suppressed her pain, her eyes fixed on Gu Ci.

With each thrust and parry of his spear, the long tassels flew as Gu Ci blocked the black-clad leader's horizontal slash with his spear. After parrying, he thrust, parried, and parried, advancing and retreating with skillful maneuvering, engaging in several rounds of close combat and firmly suppressing the black-clad leader who was trying to escape.

The men in black from the surrounding units tried to help, but were blocked by the Jiangsu and Zhejiang naval forces and were all killed.

Seeing the heavy casualties on his side, the leader of the men in black gritted his teeth, knowing that there was no way to escape, and directly slashed his own neck with his sword.

With lightning speed, Gu Ci unleashed a counterattack, the spear springing up like a bow, its tip piercing the wrist of the man holding the knife and embedding itself in the shoulder of the leader of the men in black before being swiftly pulled out.

The long sword fell to the ground, and the leader of the men in black couldn't help but cry out in pain.

Chaohui and Chaoyi stepped forward, removed the arms of the leader of the men in black, bound him, and brought him before Gu Ci.

Gu Ci reached out and tore off the veil of the leader of the men in black.

Tang Zhao stood on tiptoe and craned her neck to look, but she didn't recognize it.

"do you know?"

Feng Jie shook his head, "This humble subject has never seen it."

Tang Zhao looked at Gu Ci, who shook his head. "I'm not from one of the four great families."

Tang Zhao looked at the pale-faced leader of the men in black with displeasure, "Since you are not a member of the four great families, nor are you a famous hero, why are you wearing a veil?"

Tang Zhao had been so excited, thinking it was some amazing big fish, but he was disappointed.

The leader of the men in black felt his blood surging.

They were private soldiers of the four great families, ordered to assassinate the princess and the prince. What they did was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of their families. Naturally, they had to hide their true faces to avoid implicating their families.

Tang Zhao was stunned. "You have family?"

Didn't he get expelled from his family for doing such dangerous and dangerous things that bring disaster to his family?

Whether from anger or from excessive blood loss and exhaustion, the leader of the men in black fainted.

Feng Jie explained the enormous benefits that the profession of private soldier brings to one's family behind the scenes.

Tang Zhao:. . . . . .

I'm sorry, I was being narrow-minded.

Feng Jie respectfully asked Gu Ci, "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Gu Ci said, "I will follow the princess's arrangements."

Feng Jie: . . . . . .

Feng Jie's expression was complicated. He had previously heard that His Highness the War King was completely obedient to Princess Zhaoshan, and he had scoffed at it, thinking that a dignified man should not be controlled by a woman.
But now that I see him, His Highness the War King is not only obedient, he's practically a henpecked husband!

Even if you're afraid of your wife, you can't be so blatant. You should at least try to hide it from your ministers and soldiers!

What about the dignity of a prince and the prestige of a general?!

Feng Jie roared inwardly, but remained calm on the surface. "Please give your instructions, Princess."

"Take them all away, put them in jail and keep them under guard. Interrogate them if necessary, torture them if necessary. Just remember, don't let them die. When I return to the capital, I will take them all with me," and add them to the personal guards of the Protector General's Mansion.

Looking at this group of private soldiers she had carefully raised, Tang Zhao felt a surge of pleasure, as if someone else was raising her son for her.

Feng Jie, a seasoned and shrewd man, managed to discern a hint of self-interest beneath Tang Zhao's seemingly selfless smile.

He glanced at Gu Ci, who looked back at him, puzzled.

Well, he really is a henpecked husband.