Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 162 Senior Brother: The Flower Language of Steel Wool is Forbearance

In the Tsushima Strait, both the Unmong Ghost and the Trinidad have disappeared from sight.

Wang Cheng left behind the professional water-based officers, "sea retrieval workers," "corpse retrievers," and logistics personnel to retrieve sunken ships, artillery pieces, and the bodies of the fallen.

He led a large force to escort the prisoners of war back to Pinghu Port.

With Wang Cheng quickly restoring order and the main force of the Five Peaks Banner returning, the riots in the port city were quickly quelled, and even the trade on the second day was not affected.

Wang Cheng ordered that, except for the necessary personnel who continued to stand guard, the rest of the main force should return to camp to rest. At noon, he would open the treasury to slaughter sheep and cattle to reward the army.

Another round of cheers erupted.

Wang Cheng himself returned to the palace with his core team and personal guards.

The first thing to do is to retrieve the gold seal left behind by Wang Zeng when he established his kingdom, and combine it with the Heavenly Seal representing royal power to obtain a real [Auspicious Talisman - Treasure of the King of Jinghai]!
Logically speaking, since it relates to the birth of a nation and the divine right of kings, this should be a national treasure.

Unfortunately, his Donghai Kingdom was merely a vassal state, and by the standards of the Great Zhao Dynasty, it could only be considered a treasure of one state at most.

Wang Cheng had anticipated this and was fairly satisfied.

"Although the two plaque sets only gave me a throne, they did not give me a supreme position like the Lord of the State, who ruled over the divine energy of the First Emperor of Han and all civil and military officials."

But it gave me a possibility with absolutely no upper limit.

I believe that as long as we conquer enough territory in the future, this royal seal will eventually become a national treasure!

For the first time, Wang Cheng became a creator of history, personally participating in it and knowing all the specific details.

With just the appraisal skill of Chao Fenglang, "listening to thunder," he easily learned all the secrets of this talisman.

[Rare Treasure: The King's Seal and the Treasure of the Sea (A Treasure of the State)]
Born in the Battle of Pinghu Port, the true founding of the Donghai Kingdom, the second Jinghai King Wang Cheng established the kingdom a second time after killing the traitor Black Kirin Mao Haifeng, and obtained the divinely granted royal power.

Unique Ability: Harmonizing Yin and Yang.

It was created in response to the strongest needs of the founders of the nation, as well as to prepare for the official position of "Water Balance Commandant" and the amulet of the Four Seas.

The Book of Documents, in the section on Zhou Guan, states: "Establish the Grand Tutor, the Grand Preceptor, and the Grand Protector. These three dukes discuss the Way, govern the state, and harmonize Yin and Yang."

The so-called harmonization of Yin and Yang is to assist the monarch in governing the country; it is a powerful tool for governing the country.

Holding the [Treasure of the King of Jinghai], Wang Cheng's inner light instantly merged with the surrounding Five Mountains Soaring and Beautiful, as well as the omnipresent incense offerings, prayers, and dragon energy.

His spirits soared, and he took in the entire Pinghu Port and the vast territory of Jiufan Island, which occupied the lands of seven vassal states.

"Population size, composition, and public opinion; fixed building area and function; coastal fort distribution map and personnel; quantity and type of farmland; port vessels."

A series of information related to the territory appeared before his eyes.

If you concentrate, you can also shift your focus to the top of a specific citizen of the East China Sea country, and by combining this with the ability to profit from rare goods, you can further uncover hidden secrets.

Wang Cheng could even turn the entire capital of Donghai into a digital model if he wanted to, easily gaining insight into the precise data that others would need to expend a lot of manpower and resources to obtain.

Wang Cheng was overjoyed; no one understood the importance of statistical information for a country or organization better than him.

"Harmonizing Yin and Yang, what a wonderful harmony of Yin and Yang."

I suspect that the Imperial Seal of the Great Zhao Dynasty, as well as the Golden Seal of the King of Han-Wa-Nu of various vassal states, the Seal of the King of Zhongshan of Ryukyu, and other royal seals, may each have their own mystical properties, but they certainly do not have this function.

The ability to accurately 'measure land' alone would make countless reformers who vowed to wage war against land annexation green with envy.

With a thought, his consciousness descended to the border along with the royal seal, transforming into a projection indistinguishable from a real person, and saw the "fog of war" beyond the border.

There are advantages and disadvantages, and this royal seal follows the principles of territoriality and personal ownership.

Its effective scope is only within its own country. Once it leaves its actual territory, it immediately becomes blind and can see nothing.

When you're in the country, you can't clearly see those who aren't your own citizens either.

Unless there are a large number of pro-civilization collaborators and traitors on lands outside the country's borders, it is impossible to break through this fog of war.

Looking around, Wang Cheng saw that most of the 3.6 square kilometers of land on Kowloon Island had been lit up, with only a small part in the north still shrouded in clouds and mist.

This is because, besides the East Sea Kingdom, there is another powerful vassal state that has not been conquered—the prestigious samurai family, the Ōtomo family.

“I remember that two years ago, Yoshishige Otomo was granted the title of Governor of Buzen Province and Chikuzen Province by Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, and was subsequently appointed as the ‘Gandai of the Nine Domains’.”

This position is equivalent to the governor-general who holds supreme military and political power on the nine islands.

Although the Muromachi Shogunate itself was already in decline after the Onin War, the position of Tandai was naturally rendered meaningless.

However, the shogunate's attitude towards our Donghai Kingdom is also evident; they want to use local lords to restrain our Donghai Kingdom, this dragon crossing the river.

To be honest, if it weren't for the chaotic war among the sixty-six kingdoms of Yingzhou, my father and his people probably wouldn't have dared to openly establish a kingdom here. Although many people from the Great Zhao Kingdom jokingly refer to the Warring States period of Yingzhou as a village chief's war, anyone who dared to underestimate the Japanese would have suffered a great loss.

They are very good at learning and adapting to different strengths to make up for their weaknesses.

For example, Yoshishige Otomo was the twenty-first lord of the Otomo clan. After converting to the church and being baptized, he had another baptismal name: "Don Francisco".

Because of his conversion to the Western Church of the Holy Cross and his active introduction of Western culture and technology, he was referred to by others as "the great name of the church".

This man had a good relationship with the Franks and possessed sailing warships and a considerable number of firearms and cannons, making him the most stubborn obstacle to the Donghai Kingdom's unification of the nine islands.

"Once I take over Jiufan Island, I can use it as a base to interfere in the affairs of this state, implement offshore balancing tactics, and support agents to form alliances."

If the Franks could conquer most of the New World with only a few thousand colonists, why can't I take advantage of the chaos and seize the four islands of Yingzhou?

Fifteen years ago, the Francois discovered the Potosí silver mine in the New World, which produced half of the world's silver annually, so much so that a special fleet of treasures was needed to transport it.

At its peak, the Iwami Silver Mine in Yingzhou produced one-third of the world's silver annually, second only to it.

With this, you'll never have to worry about not having enough money to unleash your financial power.

As for whether I am qualified to have my hands on Yingzhou?

After all, this is the ancestral temple of the Wang family, and it has been there since ancient times, starting with me.

Wang Cheng turned his attention back to the internal affairs of the Donghai Kingdom.

Although the Cai Shui Wang family claimed to be a king and ruled over the thirty-six islands of the East China Sea, possessing thousands of warships and hundreds of thousands of followers, the total population of the four islands of Yingzhou Wa (Japan) was a staggering 1200 million.

Even if the evil spirits and their loyal followers reside here and plot step by step, it wouldn't be a matter of a python swallowing an elephant overnight.

The only saving grace is that the hidden dangers within the East China Sea have been eliminated.

Currently, there are approximately 450 warships of 400 tons or more that serve as the main force. Not many sailing warships, cruisers, and converted Western armed merchant ships have been sunk; in total, there are probably still about 50 remaining.

After being incorporated, this force will need some time to reorganize until it becomes a regular navy.

The Eastern Sea Kingdom also needs to win over more allies of the Great Zhao Kingdom to help them swallow up the big piece of meat that is Yingzhou.

"I've also identified a potential ally, for example: my senior brother Zhang Quan!"

On the other side, Wang Fugui, the Yang body king, in the Golden Jade Workshop, looked up at the luxurious courtyard in front of him, then turned to Shen Yueye beside him and asked:

"Senior sister, did you really see senior brother just now?"

Shen Yueye rolled her eyes at him in displeasure:
"How could this be fake? I would still recognize my senior brother even if he turned to ashes."

This time, not only did the eldest brother come, but the famous female pirate Zheng Shiniang also came.

Although there are many merchants and pirates in the East China Sea, most of them are not very strong after being dealt with several times by Prince Jing.

Aside from your Donghai Kingdom, their Red Flag Gang is also one of the top forces. How could they possibly miss this grand ceremony where the imperial court bestows official titles?

Before Wang Cheng left, his master told him that his senior brother Zhang Quan was the second-in-command of the famous female pirate Zheng Shiniang, and that he could ask him for help if he encountered danger.

The Red Flag Gang, also known as the Tanka Thieves, is mainly composed of Tanka people, just like the Wufeng Banner Gang. The vanguard of the gang that recently cheated customers at the Bangnu Koujiao Tavern was their leader.

Wang Cheng knew that this force had been stationed on Yizhou, the island opposite Minzhou, for many years.

It is particularly worth mentioning that the island of Yizhou is the same size as Jiufan Island, both being 3.6 square kilometers.

Taking over that place would also establish a foundation for a maritime empire, making it an excellent partner for cooperation.

Before knocking on the door, Wang Cheng first used the [Treasure of the King of Jinghai] to peek inside.

Then, as if electrocuted, he immediately withdrew his hand and said to Shen Yueye very solemnly:
"Senior sister, let's not go in yet."

Shen Yueye wondered:
"What's wrong? Do you feel uncomfortable with Zheng Shiniang here?"
It's alright. My senior brother told me that he was highly regarded by the head of the Red Flag Gang, and Zheng Shiniang took him everywhere she went.

Moreover, he was given exceptionally generous gifts, and he often returned home adorned with gold and jade to show off.

Otherwise, when the eldest brother graduated, he wouldn't have given up the naval officer position your master had found for him, and instead eagerly went to be a female pirate's first mate.

"Highly valued? Taken everywhere you go? That's not wrong."

Wang Cheng looked at his senior sister's alluring fox-like eyes strangely and said something that left her somewhat puzzled:

"However, the flower language of steel wool is forbearance and cough, but also wealth."

(End of this chapter)