Chapter 171: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 171: 

 

Eikushi-ji's lips curled into a smile as he instructed the Japanese to rush to the beach and kill the drowning Zhenzhou soldiers who were about to land.

Standing on the hillside, he watched his troops advance toward the beach, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the ships had vanished from sight.

For some reason, Eikushi-ji was feeling like something was off, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

At that moment, his subordinates were excitedly discussing, “Those ships sank pretty quickly. Could it be that the Great Yan's fleet is made of paper?”

Before the words were fully out, Eikushi-ji's eyes widened in shock. He slowly turned his gaze toward the subordinate who had spoken, causing the man to freeze, his smile vanishing from his face.

“Bastard, I’ve been tricked!” Eikushi-ji suddenly shouted, ordering the gunners who had left the gun platforms to scramble back up and prepare for battle.

At that moment, through the heavy rain and mist, several enormous dark shapes emerged—the latest warships of the North Sea Navy, completely unscathed, advancing rapidly like giant beasts approaching the Island.

In the meantime, the gunners on the gun platform were frantically trying to adjust their aim and reload under Eikushi-ji's furious shouts.

However, due to the earlier frequent firing and the angle of the cannons, a significant amount of rainwater had entered. Even with makeshift rain covers, they could not ignite the cannons. Even if they managed to light them, it would only result in a dull sound, with no power whatsoever.

As the large ships gradually closed in, Eikushi-ji's subordinates began to panic, asking him in a flustered manner, “General Eikushi-ji, how do they still have so many warships?”

Eikushi-ji's eyes were bloodshot—of course, there would be warships from the North Sea. The so-called ships they had just destroyed were nothing more than decoy vessels!

If they were real ships, they wouldn’t have sunk so quickly.

If it weren't for the foggy weather and the earlier confidential reports sent by Shi Yikuan, which had led Eikushi-ji to firmly believe that Cui Xingzhou would attack today, it would have been easy to notice the deception.

Now, Eikushi-ji finally understood: Cui Xingzhou had deliberately leaked information and chosen this weather to attack the island! He had actually employed this clever trick of using decoys!

At that moment, the large ships had already approached. Although the cannons on the warships were not as heavy as those on the beach of the Island, at close range, the shallows were within firing distance.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Prince Huaiyang raised his hand slightly and waved. The ten prepared cannons aimed at the shallows were ignited!

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the shallows erupted, and the five cannons were toppled over.

The Japanese soldiers who had been waiting on the shallows for the drowning North Sea soldiers were completely unprepared, blown to pieces, screaming for their parents.

Meanwhile, the Japanese on the shallows soon discovered that what was approaching was not exhausted Zhenzhou soldiers from the water, but boats full of soldiers breaking through the mist and rushing to the beach.

When Cui Xingzhou's troops finally landed on the shore in small boats, the Japanese soldiers had already been bombarded to the point of utter collapse, surrendering helplessly.

When the soldiers found Eikushi-ji, he was not dead yet but half of his body was crushed under the cannon, and he was severely injured.

Cui Xingzhou looked at him, blood bubbles frothing from his mouth, and coldly smiled. “Someone drag him out; we need to interrogate him thoroughly about his mysterious informant in the capital!”

This time, the attack on the island resulted in the North Sea navy suffering no losses as they successfully uprooted a long-standing scourge from the North Sea.

After the navy had swept through the Island and left behind soldiers to tally the spoils, they triumphantly returned.

At this moment, the heavy rain had ceased, and the sea stretched out beneath an endless blue sky washed clean by the water.

At the shipyard in Cangwu County, countless citizens were eagerly waiting for the ships to return.

Mian Tang sat in the carriage, holding little Yi'er and waiting for news.

Cui Fu was sitting atop a pair of luggage bundles but lost her balance for a moment. If it weren't for Mian Tang's quick reflexes in reaching out to steady her, she would have nearly fallen.

Still shaken, she rubbed her pregnant belly and couldn't help but complain, “You really are something! How could Xingzhou possibly suffer defeat? Why did he wrap up all the family belongings in the carriage? If he loses, are you just going to abandon him and run off on your own?”

Her brother had once told her that Liu Mian Tang would follow him to the northwest through thick and thin, determined to bring his remains back home, no matter what.

She had felt touched by that at the time. Who knew that upon seeing her in the North Sea, her sister-in-law would be ready to pack up and leave at any moment?

Liu Mian Tang was no longer as polite as before with Cui Fu. Hearing this, she stared at her and said, “In war, there are wins and losses. It's better to prepare early than to be caught off guard later. Besides, if your brother loses, the Japanese will surely land and plunder. What use would you be here?”

Cui Fu, being from a military family, had naturally been influenced by traditional values and shot back, “Even if we have to leave, we must do so with dignity. How can you think so far ahead? If Guangcai and Xingzhou die in battle... then you can take Jiner and go, but... I will definitely remain loyal and follow them in death...”

As she spoke, Cui Fu was overcome with sadness and couldn't help but shed tears.

Liu Mian Tang, however, spoke with a serious expression, “It’s not just you and me who are leaving; the entire population of Cangwu County has to evacuate! Do you think your brother hasn’t considered other possibilities? He instructed the soldiers early on to prepare for a necessary evacuation. When the time comes, the citizens will need to follow us up the mountain. There's a sheer cliff up there that has been reinforced with a rolling stone gate. The food I’ve stored in the mountain isn’t just for me. If they die, why should you follow them into death? The enemies who killed them are still alive. We cannot die; we must conserve our strength to return and personally skin those thieves alive and crush their bones!”

As she spoke, Mian Tang gritted her teeth, her expression as if she were truly skinning someone alive. Even little Yi'er in her arms waved his arms, mimicking the roar of a little tiger.

Just then, the people outside the carriage erupted into a commotion, shouting and cheering.

Mian Tang handed little Yi'er to Fangxie and quickly stood up to gaze toward the horizon. She saw several warships slowly approaching the shipyard, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.

Mian Tang squinted her eyes, softly counting the flags waving on the ship's sides.

Those were the signals agreed upon between Cui Xingzhou, her, and the military general before his departure: if they returned victorious, it would be three flags up and two flags down.

If there was no flag signal, it would indicate that the ships did not belong to the Great Yan navy, prompting the troops on land to prepare early to cover her and the citizens' retreat.

Mian Tang looked at the flag signals of three up and two down, her lips trembling in excitement.

Although she knew he shouldn’t fail—after all, they had practiced so many times, even discussing and rehearsing their retreat in the event of a defeat—she still couldn’t remember the three years she spent with Cui Xingzhou. However, these days of living together had made her feel that she understood his feelings without needing a thousand words.

Especially when arranging military formations, there was always a sense of tacit understanding between them. Of course, if she annoyed him, he would press his lips against hers and kiss her fiercely. The harmony of their lips and tongues only made her heart race even more.

Now that he was finally returning victorious, Mian Tang couldn’t help but jump down from the carriage.

As the large ship docked, the handsome Prince Huaiyang, clad in golden armor, lifted his cloak and stepped off the ship, striding toward Mian Tang. He swept her up in his arms.

In the Northern Sea, the local customs were bold and free-spirited. Seeing the victorious prince embrace his charming princess truly made for a stunning pair, captivating everyone's attention! Instantly, the crowd erupted in cheers, and the atmosphere became incredibly lively.

Amid the cheers and congratulatory shouts, Cui Xingzhou leaned close to Mian Tang's ear and said, “You made a bet with me: if I didn’t lose a single ship, you would let me into your bed…”

Mian Tang was taken aback by his shameless words. Just as she was about to retort, she glanced over Cui Xingzhou’s shoulder and saw those battle ships—still as pristine as before their departure, with white sails billowing and bright decks shining. It looked as if they hadn’t even been hit by a single cannonball.

She was utterly astonished. If there were batches of captured Japanese soldiers being escorted off the ships, she would have suspected that Cui Xingzhou staged a fake battle, merely taking his subordinates out for a joyride. When she had initially made that joking remark, she never thought he would actually pull it off.

In a moment, Mian Tang couldn't help but ask Cui Xingzhou how he achieved this. Unfortunately, his lips were as tightly sealed as a clam that had drunk its fill of water, revealing no hints.

This left Mian Tang feeling restless, unable to enjoy the food and drink at the celebration banquet.

It wasn’t until after the banquet that, with the help of alcohol, Cui Xingzhou finally made his way to the big bed of their long-absent bedroom and revealed a bit of his secret: he had instructed the shipyard to construct dummy ship frames hidden in the fog, enticing the Japanese to fire wildly at them while also tilting the angle to let rainwater flood the cannon mouths.

Mian Tang was captivated by his tale, but when she came to her senses, she realized that her clothes were nearly being undone by the man.

She was both shy and annoyed, wanting to hit him, but Cui Xingzhou was a step ahead, binding her hands and feet. He leaned close to her ear and said, “Aren’t you interested in learning some martial arts from me? Actually, I have one more profound skill to teach you. Shall I show you slowly?”

What followed were overwhelming, fervent kisses that left her breathless and weak.

In her daze, Mian Tang finally understood that what he was teaching her was that… it was too late to resist. She was tightly held by the powerful man, unable to fend him off as he took over.

Cui Xingzhou never expected he would get to be a groom a second time.

This sweet woman, with her curious and adorably panicked expression, was simply irresistible.

And so, they indulged in each other for half the night. By the next morning, both of them were reluctant to leave their warm bed.

Li Mama was overjoyed to learn that the prince had finally spent the night with the princess. The next day, she specially prepared a breakfast of bird’s nest soup with egg for the princess to help replenish her strength.

Mian Tang found it too sweet and lazily lay in bed, refusing to drink it. However, Cui Xingzhou, wrapped in his clothes, brought the bowl to her. “Drink it all, or else you’ll be out of energy again later.”

Upon hearing this, Mian Tang widened her eyes in disbelief. But his handsome face wore a calm and composed expression, leading her to doubt her own thoughts. Perhaps his words didn’t carry the lewd meaning she had imagined?

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