Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 200 Dismantling the Five Peaks Banner, and Hearing Another Loud Uproar of Filial Piety

Wang Cheng, along with the governor and the imperial inspector, walked out of the dilapidated naval headquarters, about to part ways.

Suddenly someone shouted on the dock:

"Look! Prince Jing's Five Peaks Banner is back!"

Upon hearing the name, Wang Cheng suddenly looked up and saw a large warship stumbling and lurching towards the dock.

The ship is designed in the style of a traditional Fujianese ship, nearly 100 meters long, with five tall masts and five huge hard sails of different colors: red, blue, black, yellow and white, corresponding to the Five Peaks Flag.

This was none other than the flagship that had been ambushed and sunk in Minzhou last year when the Wang family was being raided; it had now clearly joined the navy's fighting force.

The laborers, sailors, and merchants near the berth saw the ship as if it were a monstrous flood. After a shout, they scattered like birds and beasts, leaving a large empty circle.

A group of sea snails, possessing superhuman strength and the ability to lift heavy objects, were prepared and immediately swarmed aboard in small boats.

Pulling on the thick mooring ropes hanging from the ship, they chanted in unison as they tethered the warship to five or six mooring posts along the dock, binding it tightly like a spider web.

The few sailors on the ship also took out the talismans they had prepared beforehand and pasted them on various parts of the Five Peaks flag.

The way everyone was on high alert didn't seem like they were welcoming a naval warship; it looked more like they were dealing with a giant sea monster.

That's exactly what happened.

A naval officer was about to affix several "Taishan Golden Lock Talismans," specially used to seal and suppress evil spirits, to the rudder.

The overhead cable writhed like a snake, suddenly coiled around his calf, and instantly threw him far off the boat.

"what--!"

With a long, drawn-out scream, he traced an arc in mid-air and plunged into the sea with a "plop."

Several body retrievers who were on standby nearby sensed the situation carefully for a moment, then disappointedly lowered their hooks.

Two other fishermen rowed over and pulled the officer, who had been violently thrown into the water and knocked unconscious, out of the water.

Wang Cheng was not surprised at all by this scene.

"This is the flagship that accompanied my father for many years in his campaigns to conquer the East China Sea. It has been refined for many years by a second-rank living ghost god using the [Enlightenment] and the secret orthodox method [Together Shocking the Dragons]."

The crafting and control methods are exactly the same as those of the [Heavenly Treasure Ship - Mirage Cloud Dragon Ship].

Even without the other supporting hardware in Zheng He's treasure map, such as the Thunder and Fire Key, Lu Ban Pillar, Five Thunder God Cannon, and refining techniques, etc.

It has long possessed a high degree of spirituality, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a 'ship demon'.

How could just any Tom, Dick, or Harry possibly tame it?
Without the ship's own approval, it's impossible to send it out to battle; leaving it in port is itself the greatest danger.

Soon after, all the crew members on board were thrown out by the Five Peaks Flag, which sensed the threat.

Finally, only a middle-ranking official in silver armor remained, probably the bowman arranged by the navy, who drew his sword and cut the mooring rope that was grabbing him.

They tried to seal the ship demon again, but got entangled by more cables.

This time, the cable hurled him directly toward the shore where Wang Cheng and his group were. Without the water's cushioning, an ordinary person would have been killed instantly if they had been hit.

Fortunately, this man was quite capable. He summoned a strong gust of wind in mid-air and crashed to the ground in a rather disheveled manner, rolling to the feet of Governor You Zhende.

The governor of Minzhou's face darkened:
"You disgraceful thing, get back home now!"

Qingliu presided over the ambush, sacrificing the lives of several living ghosts and gods, and naturally, the final spoils fell into their hands.

The person assigned to lead the ship was named You Shuangxiong, who was You Zhende's nephew.

The latter stammered and dared not refute, his face flushed red, and he slunk back to the berth, but resolutely dared not risk boarding the ship again.

You Zhen's face darkened further, and he turned to Yu Zhifu, who had come out from behind him, and said:

"Lord Yu, from last year until now, no one has been able to subdue this ship in six months. Why not dismantle it and use the protective objects and precious materials on it to rebuild a new ship?"

The latter hesitated for a moment:

“Your Excellency, the Donghai Kingdom has now become the sixty-fourth vassal state of the Great Zhao. Since we cannot subdue this ship and are wasting our manpower, why not return it to the second-generation Prince Jinghai?”

"Once it reaches their hands, it will be a boost to pacifying the sea and securing the border."

Without the slightest hesitation, You Zhende decisively rejected the idea:
"Absolutely not! If we return this warship, what will become of the court's prestige?"

The imperial inspector Li Hu also echoed this sentiment.

The charge against Governor-General Hu Ruzhen was collusion with Japanese pirates. Now that we're in charge, we're following his example. Aren't we contradicting ourselves?
Furthermore, the actions of that Prince Jinghai don't seem like those of Emperor Guangwu, who had the magnanimity to forgive the murderer of his brother.

Their conflict with the Eastern Sea Kingdom is irreconcilable, so how could they possibly use such a precious treasure to aid the enemy?
Even if the emperor issues an order, they would not return it. They would simply bomb the ship halfway there and claim it was a shipwreck when they returned.

Yu Zhifu had long been well aware of these colleagues who were full of self-interest and scheming, so saying that sending them back was just a rhetorical device, and he naturally took a step back:
"Then let all the officers and generals of the Twenty-Four Guards give it a try. Since your nephew has failed to subdue it after half a year, give each officer and general who is willing to try ten days. It's not too late to deal with it after everyone has tried and confirmed that it cannot be subdued."

After thinking for a moment, You Zhende realized that Governor-General Hu Ruzhen was still in office, and Minzhou was not a place where he could have absolute power. So he added another condition and agreed:
"Only commanders of the guards who have reached the fifth rank or above, as well as officers and soldiers under the General's Office, are qualified to attempt to subdue this [Five Peaks Banner]."

In addition, officials from our state government can also try.

If no one can steer this ship by the end of June, I will send it to the Longjiang Shipyard in Southern Zhili for complete dismantling!
If anyone has something to blame later, it's only because they lack the ability.

The reason he didn't say to send them to the Wuhumen Shipyard, which was under his jurisdiction, was because he knew that Qingliu had kidnapped Zheng's two sons, so how could he take that risk?

The logistical handling of these spoils of war was not a matter of battlefield military affairs, but rather fell under the jurisdiction of the governor. Yu Zhifu had little to say and reluctantly agreed to the two-month deadline.

He was already calculating which of his subordinates had a chance of subduing the ship.

Beside him, Wang Cheng's heart stirred:
"I've wanted to take back the Wufeng banner for a long time, but I haven't found the right opportunity yet."

Even if the imperial court is in chaos, it is still a behemoth to me. I cannot seize it by force, but only by strategy.

My current status is fine, but my official rank is not high enough. I must be promoted to the fifth rank [Bai Shui Lang] by the end of June!
I wonder how well my Uncle Zhu is preparing the two types of Five Temples God-Hidden Flowers. On my own, I might not even be able to burn the remaining Lung and Spleen Temples this year.”

You Zhen was in a bad mood and was about to storm off.

"Sir! It's not good!"

One of the attendants who had stayed on the official ship rushed over, howling as he ran.

You Zhende angrily rebuked:

"What are you shouting for? Are you announcing a death?"

Upon hearing this, the attendant, acting on professional instinct, immediately gave a thumbs-up and flattered him:
"How did you know? You are truly a prophet!"

You Zhen's body trembled, he grabbed his collar and shouted:
"Who died?"

The attendant, not daring to be negligent, quickly replied:

"It is Lord Wang Bengu!"

He will soon depart for Yongzhou. People from his hometown have already come to help him pack. He just went to the yamen to report that he and Xing Baichuan, the commander of Zhenhaiwei, have been out for a day and night and have not returned.

So they sent a message to the Wang clan to check the spirit lamps enshrined in the ancestral hall of the old house, only to find that Lord Wang's lamp had been extinguished long ago.

Lord Xing Baichuan is in the same boat. Just now, the Xing family also came to report that the soul lamp they worship has also gone out.

The yamen (government office) immediately burned incense and reported this to you.

You Zhen abandoned his entourage, incredulous:
"This plan hasn't even started yet."

The plan's proposers and implementers have both vanished?! Who killed them?
"I will certainly tear him to pieces and exterminate his entire family!"

He glanced at the official seal and document in Wang Cheng's hand, and found them incredibly irritating, his mind in turmoil.

Unable to sit still any longer, he and the imperial inspector beside him, whose expression had also changed drastically, boarded the official boat and hurriedly left.

They were completely unaware that the murderer was right in front of them, and that his entire family had already been wiped out.

Wang Cheng seemed indifferent to the matter, and followed the clerk to take up his post, where he received several government-owned houses.

Contacting the four Zhenhai Generals and eight Daohai Generals couldn't be done by the Chief Water Officer alone; a group of subordinate officials and soldiers were also assigned to the task.

However, there is still a serious shortage of personnel, which he needs to fill himself.

So, they left behind Zhang Wen, a silversmith with a rudimentary understanding of literature, and placed him and seven or eight elite soldiers they had trained over a long period of time in various positions.

Finally, they successfully extended their reach to the Minzhou Naval Commandery, the core department of the entire Dazhao coastal defense, and then continued to split and assimilate it.

Only when you lose are you accused of forming cliques for personal gain and harboring ulterior motives! If you win, it's called "righteous prosperity" and "backdoor listing"!

Before leaving, he made sure to deliver the bundle filled with gold and silver directly to Yu Zhifu's house and hand it over to his family, saying that he was just giving them some local specialties to try.

I originally planned to take the two beauties on a leisurely trip back to Yuegang, and also get to know my two older sisters better.

Suddenly, he received a message from his superior, Lu Yunchen.

He immediately ordered the vice-captain Zhang Wu to return to port at full speed.

Shen Yueye asked curiously:
"Junior brother, what's wrong?"

Wang Cheng handed her the letter delivered by wild geese, his expression somewhat strange:
Three days later, Xing Baichuan, the commander of Zhenhaiwei, held a funeral at his home.

His son sent invitations to all the officers and soldiers of Zhenhaiwei, asking each of us to bring at least one hundred taels of silver as a gift to the banquet.

(End of this chapter)