This new development meant that all previous battle plans had to be scrapped and reworked.
As Cui Xingzhou listened to his officers strategize multiple times, he still felt uneasy. That day, he deliberately returned to his residence early. Taking advantage of the time before the battle, he decided to seek advice from Lu Da Dangjia at his manor.
Meanwhile, after burying the silver, Mian Tang finally felt at ease. However, after two days, she suddenly became anxious again. If the Prince of Huaiyang suffered a devastating defeat and the Japanese returned to Beihai, life would become unbearable for the people. Even with silver in hand, it would be useless if food couldn’t be bought.
She felt this deeply. Years ago, when she was still Lu Da Dangjia of Yangshan, the Prince of Huaiyang had sealed off the mountain to eliminate them. At that time, they could count every grain of rice on the entire mountain. They had eaten all the ants, grasshoppers, and mantises on the mountain. If she hadn’t led a night raid on the Prince’s camp to break the blockade, they might have starved to death on the mountain.
Thinking of this, Mian Tang couldn’t sit still. She quickly summoned Lu Yi, gave him money to buy more food, and then led Lu Zhong and a few other brothers to bury the food in nearby caves, marking the locations. Only then did she feel at ease.
Over the past few days, she had gathered enough information. The Prince of Huaiyang had poor relationships in official circles, and if the battle in Beihai went poorly, there would be no reinforcements.
Therefore, escape plans needed to be foolproof.
Just as she was scratching her head, planning escape routes, the Prince of Huaiyang returned.
This time, however, he didn’t bring the street snacks Mian Tang loved. Instead, he carried models of cannons and warships used for military deployment, along with a sand table of Kudao.
After securing the sand table on the study room table, Cui Xingzhou pulled Mian Tang over to strategize with him once more.
Mian Tang found herself mesmerized by his handsome profile as he focused intently on the strategy, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
She thought to herself, “Not only is he handsome, but he’s also skilled in martial arts. He truly meets all my expectations. No wonder I agreed to marry him and have children.” However, when she imagined him looking just as dashing while planning to encircle Yangshan in the past, the former mountain bandit felt a bit uncomfortable and began to look at him with slight disdain.
As a result, when they faced off again, Mian Tang naturally put in more effort, imagining herself defending Kudao, eliminating the Beihai warships and troops one by one as they approached.
Once again, Cui Xingzhou witnessed the ruthless, no-holds-barred tactics he had encountered years ago in Yangshan. She was utterly relentless!
After suffering several setbacks, Liu Mian Tang smugly popped a plum into her mouth and tapped Cui Xingzhou’s shoulder. “Your Highness, are you deliberately going easy on me? Don’t worry, these are just sand table models. Don’t be afraid to attack…”
“You’re out of ammunition. How can you still attack?” Cui Xingzhou, having lost two large ships, suddenly found a weakness and grabbed Mian Tang’s slender wrist.
Mian Tang spat out the plum pit and pointed to a nearby sunken ship. “But your ships still have ammunition. When I sink your ships, I naturally salvage some supplies to use!”
Cui Xingzhou was both amused and exasperated by her twisted logic. He pinched her nose and said, “The gunpowder would be wet and unusable. How could you use it?”
At this point, Cui Xingzhou suddenly fell silent, staring at the water surface on the sand table.
Liu Mian Tang stopped her act and honestly said, “I’ve lost again. Do with me as you will, Your Highness!”
Cui Xingzhou, however, didn’t bother to deal with the slippery mountain bandit. He suddenly stood up, preparing to return to camp. But before leaving, he reminded Mian Tang, “It’s fine that you’ve buried some silver. But you should sell the food stored in the mountains soon. In a few days, it’ll be rainy, and the food you hastily hid in the mountains might sprout.”
Mian Tang, still sulking from her defeat, saw him teasing her again and retorted fiercely, “Focus on your battle! Otherwise, when the time comes, even if you want to eat sprouted rice, you’ll have to beg me. We’ll see if I’m kind enough to give you food!”
Her response was met with a hearty laugh that gradually faded away.
Mian Tang picked up little Yi’er, who was toddling in from the doorway and looked at his drooling mouth. “Your father is truly something else!”
When Cui Xingzhou returned to the camp in high spirits, Li Guangcai asked if the Prince wanted to postpone the attack on the island.
Cui Xingzhou was consulting a local guide about the weather for the next few days. The guide was skilled at reading cloud formations and had accurately predicted the weather for troop movements several times.
After hearing Li Guangcai’s question, Cui Xingzhou thought for a moment and said, “No, proceed as planned. Also… our soldiers have worked hard. Send a few jars of good wine to the western camp today. Let them relax a bit.”
Li Guangcai was surprised. The western camp was where the two imperial envoys and their entourage were detained. The soldiers there couldn’t afford to be negligent day or night, so how could they indulge in drinking? However, seeing Cui Xingzhou’s meaningful look, Li Guangcai understood and immediately made arrangements.
That evening, each soldier in the western camp received a jug of wine. They gathered in their tents to drink, and even the tent housing the two detained imperial envoys received a few jugs of wine.
The two envoys, confined there and both hating and fearing the Prince of Huaiyang, were in no mood to drink. They gave the wine to the soldiers guarding them.
The soldiers, who already had their ration of wine from the camp, were delighted to receive the fine wine from the envoys. After a few jugs, one soldier asked, “I wonder what occasion this is, to be rewarded with so much wine. If only it could be like this more often.”
Another soldier said, “Perhaps it’s because we’ve been training so hard lately, and they want to let us relax?”
The leader hiccupped and lowered his voice, “I have a brother who serves under the camp commander. He heard that it’s partly to reward us for our training, and partly to help us relax before we attack Kudao the day after tomorrow. Keep this to yourselves, don’t spread it around.”
The two envoys, overhearing this, exchanged glances. After a while, as the soldiers gradually passed out drunk, the envoys sent their servants to check. Discovering that the soldiers were truly unconscious, they quickly left the tent. They found that only the camp entrance was guarded, while the other soldiers were all sound asleep in their tents.
When the servants returned with this information, the envoys immediately decided to seize the opportunity. They knew they had to leave now, fearing what else the Prince of Huaiyang might do to them.
Taking advantage of the mostly drunk guards, they hurried to escape and report the Prince’s misconduct to the imperial court.
Fortunately, they were confined near the edge of the camp. After walking a short distance, they reached the wooden camp wall. With the help of their servants, the two envoys managed to climb over the wall with great effort and escaped, stumbling through the mud.
One of the envoys cursed, “I’ve lived half my life and have never been so wretched!”
The other, trudging through the mud, said, “He’s offended more than just us two… Once we reach the forward garrison, I have ways to contact Stone Guozhang’s people… The Prince of Huaiyang is set to attack Kudao the day after tomorrow. Wouldn’t it be a shame if no one gave him a ‘helping hand’?”
At this, both men chuckled and continued their journey… They had to hurry so they could help the Prince of Huaiyang march towards his doom more quickly!
Meanwhile, on Kudao, the great general Takatsuji was also cursing the Prince of Huaiyang.
Takatsuji had fortified his stronghold for years, and the Japanese had always returned from their raids on Beihai with full loads. As a result, the island was well-stocked with food and weapons for defense.
Most importantly, they had five newly cast large cannons. These were the island’s greatest treasures, capable of obliterating the Beihai navy with a single volley.
However, this arsenal was a secret on Kudao. To deceive the Prince of Huaiyang, Takatsuji had hidden food in mountain caves and deliberately withheld food from the weak and sick Japanese, causing many to flee. He had also repeatedly sent Japanese to Beihai to purchase grain, intending to make the Prince underestimate them and attack confidently.
But Cui Xingzhou seemed to be waiting for something, showing no signs of movement.
Suddenly, Takatsuji received news from Stone Guozhang’s subordinates that the Huaiyang army had finally begun preparations and would attack Kudao the next day.
Takatsuji had been planning for this moment for a long time. He immediately summoned his capable subordinates, ordering them to prepare bows, arrows, and ammunition for the next day’s battle. He also inspected the island to ensure everything was perfect.
Before dawn, the Japanese climbed to the mountaintops and high watchtowers at the docks, using Western telescopes to scan the sea for signs of the Zhenzhou army.
Soon, a heavy fog rose over the sea. In the misty haze, several ship silhouettes appeared, moving towards Kudao, fading in and out of view.
When Takatsuji spotted the Beihai warships, he was overjoyed. He immediately ordered his men to prepare the cannons, intending to sink the Prince of Huaiyang’s prized ships before they could even reach Kudao’s shores, avenging his previous defeat.
Due to the fog, the warships kept appearing and disappearing, hesitant to approach.
Takatsuji knew these large ships wouldn’t come to the shallows, so he planned to sink them as soon as they were within range, not giving them a chance to launch smaller boats.
However, the large ships dropped anchor early and stopped. The Japanese gunners had to elevate the cannon barrels to reach the warships.
With a thunderous boom, the hillside where the cannons were positioned seemed to shake. The five giant cannons fired in rotation. Soon, the mast of a distant warship fell, and the other ships quickly dispersed to avoid the cannonballs.
As the cannons fired, heavy rain began to fall. Water flowed into the cannon barrels, gradually accumulating at the bottom. The Japanese had to lower the barrels after every few shots to pour out the collected rainwater. However, the repeated accumulation of rainwater seriously affected the cannons. The subsequent shots fell increasingly short and off-target, until finally, they couldn’t reach the sea at all.
Fortunately, the Zhenzhou warships seemed to have met their end as well. In the end, only a few lonely masts were barely visible through the fog and rain, gradually disappearing on the horizon.
The Japanese on Kudao erupted in cheers.