Honey Pomelo

Chapter 883 Diplomacy and Attack

"Why chase them? They've already been defeated, and returning would mean certain death. Let them flee on their own!" Li Bao said with a cold sneer after glancing out at the sea.

"Understood!" Though the various officers were reluctant, they could do nothing more now that Li Bao had spoken. They responded and began to clear the battlefield.

"Sir, what about these wrecked ships?" While many ships had been taken by the fleeing soldiers, numerous empty vessels still drifted on the sea.

"Drag these derelicts ashore. We'll find an opportunity to sell these pieces of junk for a hefty price!" Neither Li Bao nor Yuan Xingchi thought much of these wrecks, but that didn't mean they lacked value. At the very least, they were a viable option for the Wokou.

"But if we sell these things back to them, won't they just attack us again next time?" Hearing this, Li Bao was immediately displeased. Wasn't this aiding the enemy?

"You're overthinking this. Haven't you read that small booklet? This entire Wokou territory is divided into so many regions. Don't you see this as a golden opportunity?" Yuan Xingchi lowered his voice after ushering the soldiers out of the cabin.

"I still don't quite understand where the opportunity lies." Despite Yuan Xingchi's straightforward explanation, Li Bao looked at him, still bewildered.

"During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, why was Qin able to unify the six states?" Yuan Xingchi sighed and continued as he watched Li Bao's confused expression.

"Of course, it's because Qin soldiers were mighty and the Qin state was powerful!" Li Bao answered almost without hesitation.

"No, you've only told half the story. The reason Qin unified the six states, and the high quality of Qin soldiers and the state's strength were indeed factors, but Qin's path to dominance wasn't solely reliant on these!"

"Then what else?"

"The policy of forging alliances with distant states and attacking nearby ones!"

"Forging alliances with distant states and attacking nearby ones? You mean... we should keep these wrecked ships and sell them to those..." Li Bao's eyes lit up after hearing Yuan Xingchi's words.

"Didn't the Lord say before coming here? He wishes that in ten years, there will be no more Wokou operating freely on this island. You've seen it yourself; this island is neither vast nor small. With our current numbers, eradicating them all won't be an easy task!"

"So you mean we can also employ a 'forge distant alliances, attack the near' strategy, and focus on cultivating a few of the smaller, more distant countries?"

"Exactly! That's the idea! Let them fight amongst themselves first, and we'll advance from south to north, step by step. Then, from the east, west, and north, we'll pick a few opponents to help us kill!"

Li Bao fell silent after hearing Yuan Xingchi's explanation. When he looked at Yuan Xingchi again, there was a clear hint of apprehension in his eyes. Indeed, the most ruthless in this world weren't the generals wielding swords, but these scholars! If they harbored wicked intentions, their killing speed would far surpass that of generals holding the reins of power.

"But aren't you afraid they'll eventually unite against us?" Li Bao asked after a long hesitation.

"What do you think we're fighting here? This island is barren. Look at what these soldiers are wearing, what they're holding. Can't you tell? Even without the Western Army, if we pick out 6,000 veteran soldiers from Mingzhou City who participated in the Mingzhou Defense Battle, even if the enemy has ten times the manpower, what can they do to us?" Yuan Xingchi said dismissively.

Li Bao fell silent again after hearing Yuan Xingchi's words. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the situation seemed to be exactly as Yuan Xingchi described. While Han Mo might not have the strength to field 6,000 veterans at this moment, with the support of the major families and Han Mo's strategic planning, given three to five years, raising twenty to thirty thousand men wouldn't be an issue. Ordinary auxiliary troops were indeed rotten, but the Mingzhou navy and Quanzhou navy trained by Han Shizhong were not to be trifled with. First-class treatment, superior equipment, and generous rewards meant that even with many new recruits, it would only take one to two years of integration for Li Bao to be certain that these men would become renowned strong armies.

"Alright, as I said, the best strategist is one who wins without great fanfare. We are merely extensions of the Lord's will. We just need to execute the plan step by step. General Li, promotion and fortune await you!" Yuan Xingchi patted Li Bao's shoulder again and lost interest in further conversation. Even though the soldiers had begun rinsing the decks with seawater, a strong smell of blood still permeated the air. Coupled with the irritating screams from outside, even Yuan Xingchi felt a sense of unease.

"Damn it, tell them to shut up! Anyone who dares to yelp again will be killed and fed to the fish!" Although Li Bao knew Yuan Xingchi's words were true and entirely correct, he still felt a sense of discomfort. Seeing Yuan Xingchi's furrowed brow, he couldn't help but push open the cabin door and roar angrily.

"Understood!" The soldiers who were dealing with the Wokou captives turned and responded.

"What the hell are you doing? The General is just annoyed by their screaming. Just stuff their mouths, don't kill them all! Are you going to haul stones or will I dig sand?" Seeing a soldier about to draw his knife and kill, Feng Yuanbao kicked him in the backside. Although there were military doctors on board, getting them to use their precious medicine on these Wokou was out of the question, not only for the doctors themselves but also for the accompanying soldiers. Without any medication, cutting open flesh to remove shrapnel would undoubtedly cause screams; it would be strange if they didn't.