He turned to look at Ren Ning, "What's going on with King Qi? Is he dead or alive?"
Baekje is only a small place.
As long as all parties want to find someone, no matter whether Chen Xiuzhu is alive or dead, they should have found him long ago.
Ren Ning smiled bitterly and spread his hands.
"General Yuan, you should know my schedule. I had been leading troops to fight against Japanese pirates in the Yuanyeong Mountains near the east coast of Baekje."
"As for King Qi, I really don't know."
————
Baekje Peninsula, Golden Dragon Beach.
The main ship of the East China Sea Barrier, the Protector.
Lu Fuhai stood at the bow of the ship, patted the heavy bump on the bow, and then looked at the blue sea in front of him without saying a word.
"General, all ships are in preparation. Soldiers and materials have been boarded in full, and the fleet is ready to set off at any time."
Lu Fuhai nodded, "Pass this general's order and set off immediately!"
Wow.
The flag on the mast waved.
Zhizhizhi.
Numerous oars cut through the waves.
The huge hull of the Huguo slowly drove out of Jinlongtan Pier and slowly turned to the east.
Other battleships followed suit.
"General," Deputy General Xinou couldn't help but walk to Lu Fuhai, "How about you think about it again?"
"What are you considering?" Lu Fuhai was a little careless.
Yu Xin'ou bit the bullet and pointed to the west, "Such as returning to our country and helping coastal counties resist Japanese pirates?"
He chuckled and explained, "After all, that is our main job at the East China Sea Barrier."
Lu Fuhai looked at him deeply.
"How many times have I told you? Let's attack the only food island of the Japanese pirates now. This is to help the mainland resist the Japanese pirates' attack."
"This is an act of undermining the firepower. Do you understand?"
"General, you are right. But..." Yu Xinou hesitated.
"But the soldiers under my command didn't understand, and the people in the country couldn't see it. They only knew that when the Japanese pirates appeared, we, as navy troops, did not show up; but usually when the Japanese pirates did not appear, we kept wandering along the coast.
"
"I heard...many people are scolding us now for not knowing what we are talking about and only doing military work without doing any work."
Ha ha.
"I don't know what you mean?" Lu Fuhai laughed disapprovingly.
"This is why I am a general, and they are just soldiers or ordinary people."
"This is called pattern, this is called vision! I believe Your Majesty and Lord Guan, Minister of War, will understand."
Yu Xin'ou was speechless and changed the topic after a long while.
"General, if we destroy the only remaining Dongjing Island left by the Japanese pirates during this trip, will we continue to be stationed at Jinlongtan or return directly?"
Lu Fuhai couldn't help but frown, "Why do you ask?"
"General," Yu Xinou's voice was a little excited.
"To put it bluntly, there are many officers and men on warships, from captains and generals to sailors and cooks. Many of them cannot understand what you mean. Therefore, they all have low morale."
"If you don't believe it, general, please look back at the speed of each ship and the appearance and spirit of the officers and men..."
War pays attention to the right time, place and people.
The Japanese pirates only have this one food island left, and Kudo Naoto will protect it at all costs.
Under such circumstances, if the East China Sea Barrier tries to attack Dongjing Island by force, it will probably only end in disgrace, and it may even result in a defeat, and in the end the gains outweigh the losses.
Lu Fuhai couldn't help but look back, and soon his expression became serious.
Yu Xin'ou was overjoyed and hurriedly struck while the iron was hot.
"General, if you have a definite plan, such as immediately returning to the Yunchui mainland after attacking Dongjing Island or attacking the Sishan Islands occupied by Japanese pirates, it will give the soldiers a shot in the arm. I estimate that everyone's fighting spirit will be much higher during this trip.
"
At that time, even if Naoto Kudo mobilizes his entire army to resist to the death, even if the East China Sea Barrier cannot defeat Tokei Island, they will not suffer any big losses.
Lu Fuhai nodded, thinking deeply, but then an idea flashed in his mind.
He turned his head abruptly and looked at Yu Xinou with burning eyes.
"Are these your own ideas, or did someone send you to tell them?"
Yu Xinou's heart skipped a beat.
"General, why do you say this? My subordinates have been by your side since joining the army. They have always been loyal and proud to be a member of the East China Sea Barrier. You know all of this."
"As for what I just said, these are the thoughts of the officers and men on each ship. I know that you don't like to hear it, but you still insist on saying it. You just don't want us to lose the battle."
Lu Fuhai pondered for a long time before his stern eyes went away.
He patted Yu Xinou's shoulder and said, "I will keep your words in mind and consider them carefully."
Phew~
Yu Xinou breathed a sigh of relief.
It didn't take long for him to regain his courage.
"General, there is no one else around now. I still have something to say that has been buried in my heart for a long time. I just don't know whether I should say it or not?"
"What are you talking about? Say it!"
Yu Xin'ou nodded and looked back in the direction of Jinlongtan.
He pondered for a while before speaking hesitantly.
"General, I think you should no longer put all your eyes and future on King Qi."
Lu Fuhai's face straightened, and he tightened his hands, almost crushing the thick side of the Protector's ship.
He stared at Yu Xinou with a murderous look, "What did you say? Say it again?"
cough.
Yu Xinou coughed.
Now that the words have been spoken, he feels much calmer and his sentences become fluent.
"General, please don't get angry. No matter how strong-minded I am, I will never say nonsense for no reason to make you angry. Right?"
"Why don't you listen to your subordinate's reasons first?"
Lu Fuhai stared at him with twinkling eyes, and after a long time he nodded gently.
He looked deeply at the calm sea in the distance again, "Let's talk."
cough.
Yu Xinou organized his thoughts.
He looked around a few times and made sure that the nearest guards were three feet away and could not hear the conversation between the two before he continued.
"First of all, after so long, there is still no news from His Highness King Qi. We cannot rule out the possibility that he is no longer alive."
Lu Fuhai sighed slightly.
Apparently not only Yu Xinou, he also had these thoughts.
But in the face of the imperial envoy sent by Emperor Changxing, he could only bite the bullet and continue looking.
In fact, as time passed, Lu Fuhai became discouraged.
They simply used the excuse to attack Dongjing Island and left Jinlongtan directly.
Otherwise, if the news about Chen Xiuzhu's accident was discovered, the imperial envoy or Emperor Changxing would write him off again.
Yu Xin'ou didn't know what the general was thinking, so he continued talking.
"Secondly, even if His Highness King Qi is still alive and in good physical and mental health, after this disaster, his infamous reputation has been widely known throughout Yunchui through newspapers."
"General, please think about it. Although the King of Qi is relatively outstanding among the princes, His Majesty does not have no other choices. Will he still choose King Qi as the crown prince?"
"Notorious?"
Lu Fuhai suddenly sneered.
"Didn't His Highness just go out and have a tryst with a woman when he was resting in the army? What kind of reputation is this?"
In folk rumors, this kind of story has always been very popular among the people. If it falls on one's own daughter, let alone any blame, it will be too late to rejoice.
"Even if King Qi disappears for a while because he sticks to flowers and messes with grass, it's not a big deal. Which prince didn't paint when he was young?"
For example, when the princes were abroad for training, King Qin incurred a lot of romantic debts in Yanhui County, and even gave birth to two concubine children.
Isn’t King Qin still alive and well now?
Not to mention the common people, even Emperor Changxing would not blame him, and even praised King Qin for strengthening the heirs of the Chen royal family.