Everything is ready, and there is no need for the east wind

The personal guards were baffled, naturally, but orders issued from the Grand Commander’s camp still had to be carried out to the letter.

Before long, this nonsensical order had spread throughout the entire naval camp, instantly causing a commotion.

“Grand Commander, what… what are we supposed to do?”

“What does this mean? Connect all the boats, large and small? We’ve never fought like this before.”

“Why does this feel like the infantry’s way of fighting on water? Once all the boats are connected, the formation will be much steadier on the river, allowing the infantry to ignore the dangers of the water. But we’re the navy—do we really need to do this?”

“I’ve lived along the Yangtze since I was a child. They call me White Stripe in the Waves. And now you want me to adopt the infantry’s methods? Isn’t that just slapping me in the face?”

“Perhaps the Grand Commander has a deeper purpose?”

“Whatever the reason, an order that comes from the Grand Commander’s camp is a military order, and military orders must be obeyed. Stop talking nonsense and figure out how to make the modifications.”

…

Many of the soldiers were puzzled, but few were truly suspicious.

This completely confirmed Ruan Fei’s earlier assertion.

Whatever Miss Ruan said was exactly the same as what Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan said. Since the soldiers and officers obeyed Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan’s orders, they would naturally obey hers as well.

Still, there were always a few “bad apples” who were not entirely convinced and intended to investigate. Most of them were among Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan’s closest confidants.

Thus, that night, beneath a sky bright with stars and under the dim, silent cover of the military camp, several trusted aides quietly made their way to the vicinity of Grand Commander Zhou Mengyan’s tent and watched the main tent from a distance.

The tent appeared no different from before, presenting a completely calm and peaceful scene. The only difference was that the guards stationed around it were far more vigilant and refused to allow anyone to conduct any kind of investigation.

“There’s definitely something wrong!”

“There has to be!”

“We have to take a look!”

The trusted aides knew the patrol patterns around the main tent extremely well, so they were easily able to find an opening and quietly approach. Soon, they had crept to the side of the tent and begun listening.

At first, everything they heard seemed perfectly normal. Then, suddenly, one of them flushed.

After listening a little longer, his face turned even redder.

And then… they did not dare listen any further.

There was only one thought in their minds.

“The Grand Commander has completely handed authority over to Miss Ruan. But… given how far things have progressed between them, perhaps it isn’t so strange for him to do so.”

The confidants’ suspicions were dispelled by Miss Ruan’s initiative inside the tent. After that, they stopped thinking about it and devoted themselves to modifying the navy’s vessels according to Miss Ruan’s constant instructions.

Before long, the entire military camp was filled with noise and activity, bustling with energy.

The sight left Zhang Shi so excited that he could hardly sleep for several days.

“Excellent! Excellent! It really worked!”

“And it worked so easily!”

“The difficulty was far lower than I had imagined—far, far lower!”

“It seems…”

“Now, I truly understand!”

“After putting it into practice, I’ve confirmed it completely.”

Zhang Shi’s eyes gleamed with light, and he was filled with confidence. At that moment, he felt that the little city of Yunjing was nothing more than a pack of chickens and dogs—utterly incapable of putting up a fight.

Of course, Zhang Shi did not allow himself to become carried away. The lesson he had received before had been far too painful—truly excruciating.

He immediately summoned Zhou Buzhang and instructed him, “Buzhang, you’ve seen the situation in the military camp, haven’t you?”

Before Zhang Shi could finish, Zhou Buzhang immediately replied, “General Zhang Shi, rest assured. I will keep a close eye on the navy’s modifications to the warships, especially the matter of connecting the vessels, large and small, into a single formation.”

“I was the one who proposed this idea, so I know best how it should be carried out—how to ensure that everyone feels there is nothing wrong with it while making it especially advantageous to Lord Duke.”

Zhang Shi slapped Zhou Buzhang on the shoulder and laughed. “Good!”

“Then keep a close watch on everything.”

“Once Lord Duke captures the Yangtze defense line this time, I’ll request a reward for you from him. I guarantee you’ll receive tremendous merit.”

“When the time comes, if you still want to remain in the military, the choice is yours!”

“If you want to retire and return to your hometown, that will be up to you as well!”

“Of course, I can also ask Lord Su Jin to arrange a fine marriage for you. I guarantee that when you marry again, things won’t turn out like they did for Shen Zhian.”

Zhou Buzhang immediately dropped to his knees and bowed deeply. “Thank you, General Zhang Shi!”

“I’ll leave at once.”

“I will make certain that Lord Duke crosses over smoothly!”

In the days that followed, Zhou Buzhang devoted all his attention to the military camp. Before long, he had overseen the connection of the large and small vessels along the Yangtze defense line, forming a massive floating fortress that looked imposing and mighty on the river—an impregnable giant city.

Just as this giant city was completed, Ren Tianye’s preparations were also declared finished.

Indeed, in order to seize the excellent opportunity created by Ruan Fei, Ren Tianye had issued orders to accelerate every step of the preparations. By now, they were essentially complete.

They could launch a fierce assault on the Yangtze defense line.

“Wu Xingzhou!”

“Your subordinate is here!”

Inside the military camp, Ren Tianye’s expression was stern as he issued his orders. “From this point onward, it all depends on you.”

“Whether we can successfully defeat the elite forces guarding the Yangtze defense line and capture it will depend on the fire you set.”

“This time, do not disappoint me!”

Wu Xingzhou fell to his knees. “Lord Duke, rest assured!”

“If I fail again this time, I will bring you my head!”

Wu Xingzhou had also hardened his resolve. After receiving his orders, he made one final inspection of everything he had brought when he “surrendered.”

Everything was loaded onto several small boats, which appeared to contain all his worldly possessions. They were covered with bolts of cloth, but beneath those cloths lay nothing but highly flammable materials.

They had also been drenched in countless amounts of lamp oil.

Once he led his personal guards down the Yangtze with the wind at their backs toward the defense line, all it would take was a single fire. The small boats would instantly be engulfed in roaring flames.

With the wind fanning the fire, the scene that followed would be so magnificent that it was almost impossible to imagine.

“Everything is ready. We can send word to General Zhang Shi.”

Wu Xingzhou’s expression was grim as he ordered someone to deliver a letter to Zhang Shi.

…