Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 154 Wang Cheng Opens the Altar, Cutting Off the Fuel Under the Blade! (Seeking Votes)

In the distance, aboard the [Yun Jing Hao], Uncle Zhang, with his square face, frowned slightly.
"Xu Weixue and Peng Laosheng usually act so arrogant, but when it comes to real fighting, they are surprisingly weak."

This was because Mao Haifeng was under the influence of witchcraft and was in poor condition; those two old guys were truly shameful.

Furthermore, when did he learn the secret and orthodox technique of "Surging the Dragons Together" from his elder brother? And his skill level is quite high; he must have practiced it for at least a few years.

If he already harbored the ambition to murder his elder brother back then, and pretended to be a filial son and grandson for several years, then the depth of this traitor's thoughts is truly terrifying.

"Your Highness, let's not wait for the imperial delegation's fleet. I'll lead the men myself."

Wang Cheng waved his hand, signaling Zhang Sanshu to calm down:
"Neither of them, a peddler and a knife seller, are skilled in naval warfare. It's quite normal that they couldn't defeat the 'White Water Man,' who was a rank higher than them, at sea."

In my plan, their mission is now complete.

But Uncle San is right. Bringing the Xu and Peng families here was to weaken Mao Haifeng's strength, making it easier to control them by having them all suffer heavy losses.

We can't just watch them get beaten to death by Mao Haifeng and let those sailing warships and armed merchant ships that money can't buy get sunk in the civil war.

This is all our future assets; losing too much of it will make it impossible to control the East China Sea.

However, there's no need to trouble Uncle San to save them. I still have three cards to play; I'll play one now.

Everyone immediately turned their attention to him. Wang Cheng's calm and composed demeanor vaguely resembled that of the old ship owner, a general.

But he was a formidable figure who, after being promoted to the third rank, had never been defeated in naval battles.

Many of the other crew members and the Tanka people on nearby ships who had little contact with Prince Wang Cheng were whispering among themselves:

"Three cards left? Is our young master truly capable of strategizing and winning battles from afar?"

I think it's unlikely.

I heard that the young master has taken up the position of a seventh-rank official and sold a lot of copies of the "Thirty-Six Strategies Thunder God's Cloak and Mace" for the Black Peak Banner?
Could it be that the mace can be retrieved? Even if it could, it wouldn't make much difference in naval warfare.

"I think we should still send a squadron to participate in the battle."

Everyone wanted to know what this second-generation Sun, who seemed far inferior to the first-generation Sun, was capable of, and whether he could lead them to victory in their first campaign to quell the rebellion since his debut.

Then everyone saw that Wang Cheng chose to open an altar between a meeting and a war!
He took out the array diagram and waved his hand to set up a "Golden Toad Treasure Gathering Altar". He used the silver of the craftsman Ban, the magic weapon: the magic god, the token, the altar wood, the five-colored command flag and so on to suppress the altar.

Then, two protective objects, gold and silver coins (representing the evil master) and silver coins (representing the benevolent servant), were placed in the center of the altar.

Wang Cheng lit three incense sticks, burned the incense, and opened the altar. The Five Emperors Golden Coin Sword automatically jumped out of its scabbard and landed in his palm.

Then, with disheveled hair, he performed the Yu Step, brandished his sword, and chanted incantations:

"The mighty god of the southwest, Qian Liang, who dispels evil. Clad in black, wielding a sword, he drives away demons and monsters! By imperial decree!"

He bowed deeply towards the southwest.

Om-!
The two gold and silver coins on the altar immediately stood upright on their own, their golden and silver brilliance soaring into the sky, shining three feet above one's head.

Most of the "slaves to money" within the Black Peak Banner were activated in one go by Wang Cheng using the amplification of magic by the altar, and simultaneously received his order to betray them as their sovereign:

"Imperial Edict: Stab Mao Haifeng in the back!"

【Golden Evil Master】pays the target a large amount of "loans" in one go, turning the target into a diligent and loyal slave.

【Silver Servant】is a steady, long-term approach, where a small, regular wage is paid to buy out a segment of the other person's life.

The former is simple and efficient, while the latter is inexpensive.

Wang Cheng also distinguished between the Black Peak Flag and the other two different entities within the organization.

The twenty-four generals, thirty-six fierce warriors, and their elite personal guards are all brave and daring, making them the reliable choice and winning alliance in critical moments.

Wang Cheng didn't provoke the twenty-four generals and thirty-six fierce warriors of the middle-ranking third grade; instead, he targeted their most loyal personal guards and ordinary people working in key departments.

They bribed a large number of capable personnel.

In just over ten days, the carrying capacity of the [Golden Evil Master] and [Silver Benevolent Servant] has almost reached its limit.

At this moment, they launched a fatal attack on Mao Haifeng, cutting off his supply lines.

"Follow the order!"

The sailors and helmsmen in the sailing fleet had golden and silver eyes that shone with magical light. Suddenly, they controlled their warships to break away from the fleet and set their broadside cannons on the flagship, the Santiago.

Then the gunners in key positions took over.

Each gun crew on a sailing warship usually consists of five people, but now, one gun crew after another has defected, their golden and silver eyes fixed on Mao Haifeng on the flagship.

He quickly adjusted the firing arc and swiftly swung the matchlock rod, igniting the gunpowder in the cannon's powder bath.

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
The scorching cast iron shells suddenly pierced through the unsuspecting stern and midships of the Santiago, catching Mao Haifeng completely off guard.

The relentless pursuit of Xu Weixue and Peng Laosheng had to come to an abrupt end.

Meanwhile, uprisings also occurred on several other warships, with subordinates rebelling and loyal guards betraying their commanders at the bow.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Traitors deserve to die!"

"May the traitor be punished by Heaven!"

Since even the "limbs and bones" had begun to rebel, the [Dragon Horror] was naturally difficult to maintain, and the dragon shadows formed by the white mist gradually dissipated. Wang Cheng's loyal Tanka followers naturally saw him perform the ritual, and a scene of great chaos followed within the Black Peak Banner.

Although they couldn't understand what kind of extraordinary skill the prince was using, they at least knew that "burning incense and opening the altar" was a skill that only those of the middle-ranking third grade could acquire after "opening the five internal organs."

This means:

"Our young master is actually a genius!"

"Everyone says that someone weighing two ounces and eight qian is a wretched man, but he is a sixth-rank official who is eighteen years old in the traditional Chinese age system but has not even celebrated his seventeenth birthday yet. Even the old ship owner at this age is no better than him, right?"

"The old ship owner was the strongest water collector in the world during his lifetime. The young ship owner also has the potential to inherit the old ship owner's mantle in the path of the gods, and even surpass his master!"

Many elderly people among the Tanka people who had watched him grow up were so moved that their eyes reddened and tears welled up in their eyes.

Even though Wang Cheng was wearing a dark black python robe, the invisible light he emanated still made them feel that it was somewhat dazzling.

Most of the Tanka soldiers who were unaware of the inside story came here out of concern for the interests of the Tanka people and to protect the legitimate successor of the King of Jinghai.

It's really hard to have too many expectations for this prince who was born with a weight of only two taels and eight mace.

But today, they suddenly tested their skills, and while they didn't exactly obliterate the enemy's ships and towers with a few words, they still managed to bring the Black Peak Flag fleet back to its original state with a single blow.

Looking at that tall, imposing figure standing with a sword in hand, having the "beautiful maid" re-tied his hair, some people stopped calling him "Prince" and started shouting directly:

"King Jinghai!"

"Your Majesty, a thousand years old!"

On the Santiago, Mao Haifeng held a pair of divine weapons, the Iron Spine Horizontal Mace, and suddenly held them up in front of his face, blocking a shell fragment.

clang--!
There were an unusually large number of stray bullets aimed at him today, especially those fired from behind, which were particularly deadly.

He couldn't help but roar, "Ah! Traitors deserve to die!"

He only realized something was wrong after he shouted it out; his confidants around him were all looking at him with strange eyes, this number one traitor on the battlefield.

If he could "have the law in his mouth and his words become law," he would probably be dead by now.

Even after calming down, Mao Haifeng couldn't immediately distinguish who his loyal subjects were and who his treacherous subjects were.

Besides the middle and lower-level elites who have already been exposed, are there any traitors who are even more deeply hidden?

The fleet was thrown into chaos, and in the ensuing infighting, there was no longer any trust in the other comrades, for fear of being betrayed at any moment.

At this time, the Tanka people were united and in high spirits, while the rebels were in disarray and at a loss. The "destiny" naturally shifted again, affecting Wang Cheng and Mao Haifeng respectively.

"Well!"

Mao Haifeng felt dizzy and was helped back to his feet by Gao Ren, who was his loyal personal attendant.

But his fate seemed to be teetering on the edge of a cliff, and he didn't know when he might accidentally fall to his death.

At that moment, a 500-ton warship flying the flag of the mission burst into the battlefield and rushed to the side of the Santiago amidst the gunfire.

Jiang Wenyuan, his face equally ashen, flew over and, after seeing the dire situation in the fleet, decisively said:
"Big ship, I'm here to help you!"

As he spoke, he raised the military treatise he had been clutching tightly in his hand.

—The Secret Manual of Military Strategy: Yangming's Art of Military Training - Cultivating a Calm Mind!
It comes from "Yangming Bingce", one of the four great military treatises of the sage Wang Bo'an. "Ce" is interchangeable with "ce", so it can also be called "Yangming Bingce".

This Confucian sage had always been in poor health.

He once described himself as follows: "At the age of thirty-seven, my teeth began to loosen, one or two strands of my hair turned white, my eyesight was only a foot wide, my voice could be heard from a distance of several feet, and I often stayed in bed for months at a time, almost like a disabled person."

What is little known is that Wang Bo'an faced extremely difficult circumstances when he made a series of military achievements.

Not only was his health poor, but he never gained the full trust and understanding of that absurd emperor. He did not receive the rewards he deserved for his outstanding military achievements, but was often framed and persecuted.

He lacked fierce generals, and most of the generals under his command were civil officials who had never had any combat experience.
He lacked elite troops, and most of the soldiers under his command were weak and easily defeated.

He lacked money and supplies, and in many cases he had to find ways to raise them himself or find ways to waste more money and supplies.

He lacked his own elite troops, and most of the troops under his command were hastily assembled.

It can be said that apart from him, this half-crippled "saint", his subordinates were often a motley crew of disunited people, the old, weak and disabled.

But he just happens to be able to win against the odds!

It relies on this state of mind of "cultivating stillness": "The intelligence of ordinary people is not far apart, and the outcome of victory or defeat does not depend on divination on the battlefield, but only on whether the mind is moved or not."

It is just right for the soldiers whose morale is wavering.

Just as the military atmosphere above them was surging, seemingly poised to surrender, the mission's fleet finally arrived.

The two like-minded individuals noticed each other immediately, their gazes turning sinister.

Luo Wenlong wished he could devour its flesh raw.

"Mao Haifeng, you thief, give me back my wife right now!"

(End of this chapter)