Chapter 4: The Doomsday Lord (Part 1)

  The imperial court would not accept defeat, and in 1724, Emperor Tang Rong ordered three central army corps to suppress the uprising, intending to annihilate the rebel forces. However, they were met with fierce resistance from the rebels and suffered a crushing defeat. From then on, the Minis region was almost completely separated from the imperial court, achieving victory for the uprising. However, this victory soon turned into nothingness due to internal divisions within the rebel army. Due to power struggles and disputes over interests, different factions of the rebel army began to fight each other, waging war endlessly over land, population, and benefits.

  The old man let out a heavy sigh, seeming to be slightly dizzy, and then took another big gulp of wine. He didn't even wipe the wine from his mouth as he spoke in a weak and listless tone: "Nowadays, Menis is in complete chaos. The rioters sometimes attack the government army, and sometimes they attack each other. In the areas they occupy, local officials and lords are collectively slaughtered without any humanity. We have fourteen lord families in the Far East region, including Suma Tianqin, Yuan Fuleixin, Yang Shuanduanmu, and Cai Dongxuejin. Now, the families of Suma Tianqin and Yuan Fuleixin have all been wiped out. Although our South Sea area has not been affected for the time being, it's only a matter of time before we are too. The two remaining border defense regiments of Menis can only retreat to the strategic fortress of Zichuandao, abandoning all other places. Our hometown is also among those that have been abandoned. Therefore, we cannot go back. If we do, there will be nothing but death waiting for us."

  The old man spoke as he drank, and when he finished speaking, the wine was also finished. He casually threw the bottle out of the window, and in the stillness of the deep night, a crisp explosion sound came from the broken bottle, causing people's hearts to tremble slightly.

  "How could the situation in Meini deteriorate so quickly?" Yang Suofeng said in surprise. He involuntarily touched the imperial edict in his bosom and the sword on his knee, with a cold glint flashing in his eyes, but this expression quickly passed, and he regained his composure. Finally, he silently rubbed his nose, the air in the carriage was indeed not very good, making him feel itchy.

  "I don't know either, it seems like everything was arranged by others and I woke up to find myself in an irretrievable state. Your father couldn't accept this reality, became depressed and soon passed away, you already know about this so there's no need for me to say more. Alas, Tang Ming is not a good person, the decree he issued was a death sentence, and we are nothing but the masters of death. This trick of killing with a borrowed knife is something every emperor in every dynasty would do, when the bird dies, the dog is cooked, the bow is hidden after the birds are gone, and now we are just like that hunting dog waiting to jump into the boiling pot! If we don't leave, their butcher's knife will come down on us." The old man said quietly, his voice filled with desolation.

  Yang Shuangfeng sneered slightly: "Joke! Does Tang Ming want us to die, and we will go to death easily? He doesn't trust us, how can we trust him? What is the plan at home now? Is it war or escape?"

  The old man drew open the curtains and looked out at the deep, dark night. He said bitterly: "Our strength is too weak, war is definitely not possible. After a family meeting, it was decided that I would take you to find a safe place abroad first, and then secretly bring them over from Menis. I am currently contacting some friends on the Fire Dragon Peninsula, as for whether we will succeed or not, only heaven knows."

  Yang Shuangfeng shook his head slightly, thought for a moment, and said firmly: "Second Uncle, I think our foothold is still in Menis. Our roots are all there, our strength is also there. Only there can Emperor Tang Ming not reach us with a long whip. Otherwise, no matter where we escape to, Emperor Tang Ming can easily catch us. Don't think that moving to the Fire Dragon Half Island will allow us to survive in hiding, he can still use diplomatic relations to have us killed. Besides, living under someone else's roof is not easy, being controlled everywhere. Only by relying on ourselves and establishing our own power is the most reliable! Think about it, if our ancestors hadn't been soft-hearted, this emperor position might not be theirs, the Tang family's! Now we have a chance to correct our ancestors' mistake, I don't want to let it go!"

  The old man nodded silently and didn't say anything.

  After a moment of contemplation, Yang Suofeng said: "Second Uncle, you must tell me the truth, how many combat-effective troops do we still have in our family?"

  The old man let out a desolate, bitter laugh and said in a low, obscure tone: "Feng, I know you don't want to be beholden to others, wanting to stand up straight and be your own person. But I have to tell you, it's really, really difficult. Your father, in order to avoid the Empire's suspicion and unnecessary trouble, began to gradually disband the army after you were forcibly sent to Niluo Divine Capital that year. By the time of his death, the army had less than 2,000 people left. At the time of his death, he once again ordered the complete disbandment of the army, leaving only a few warships behind. Now, apart from Old Foad who still leads over a hundred men to guard the house and courtyard, we no longer have any other armed forces on land."

  Yang Shuangfeng was stunned, and then tightly clenched his fists and said: "Why is it like this? Why did my father want to disband the army? Doesn't he know that in the Menis region, only fists are true power?"

  The old man waved his hand, signaling Yang Shuangfeng not to get excited. He took a deep breath and said weakly: "Our family's situation is much worse than before. We can't afford to support so many troops! In fact, the situation of all the lords in the Minis region is much worse than before. The emperor is always thinking of ways to weaken our power and restrict our activities. Whatever we do, the government doesn't approve it. They don't allow us to buy land, do business, open factories, or operate mines. They don't give us anything, forcing us to just sit and wait for death. If we didn't have a few ships left to trade with the Ronisia Federation, we would have starved to death long ago. In recent years, your father has been kind-hearted and accepted many technical workers who escaped from the rebel areas. He gave them a place to live, food to eat, and spent a lot of money every day. They left the factory and didn't know how to farm, so they could only wait for relief. With such a large group of people eating and drinking for free, our situation naturally gets worse year by year."

  Yang Shuang's eyes flickered slightly as he said urgently, "You're saying that my father accepted many technical workers?"

  The old man nodded and said, "Yes, I also advised him against it that day. With so many people, there were several thousand of them, waiting for relief. What kind of expenses would that be? They had no way to make a living on their own, most of them were workers from the steel mill and military shoe factory. Alas, your father was always kind-hearted, thinking that good deeds would bring good rewards. But who can clearly say what happens in this world? Heaven is often dozing off! Feng, if we have the chance to return to Menis in the future, the first thing you must do is order Old Foad to drive all those people away. Otherwise, after a few more months, we'll be waiting for the northwest wind!"

  The old man paused, then continued heavily: "When the Imperial Navy completely withdrew from the Menis region, they also abandoned the Piao Island military port to us. The shipyard, steel mill, arsenal, cannon factory, and ammunition depot that came with it were all dumped on us as well. Good heavens, do you know what a heavy burden that is? When I heard the news, I almost fainted. There are three or four thousand workers and sailors whose lives have been turned upside down! What can they do? They can only wait for death there... If it weren't for that despicable Fletcher, if it weren't for that damned Fletcher..."

  Yang Shuangfeng's spirit stirred slightly, and he asked urgently: "How is Fletcher?"

  The old man sighed and said dejectedly, "My intention and your mother's were to disband all the sailors and workers at Piao Zhou Military Port because we really can't afford it. However, Fletcher strongly opposed it, insisting that these people be kept, saying they would definitely come in handy in the future. Alas, if not for Old Lord Fao's unprecedented contributions to our Yang family, I would have driven his unruly son out of the family meeting."

  Yang Shuang said resolutely: "Fletcher is a genius, we can't do this."

  The old man shook his head and said, "Fletcher is indeed a genius, a sea genius. I have to admit that there is no better fleet commander in the entire Nice Sea than him. Even if others call him a pirate behind his back, he is still the best pirate. But, as the saying goes, 'a clever woman cannot cook without rice', even if he is the best commander, what use is it if there are not enough ships? Can he come ashore to duel?"

  Yang Shuang's disappointed eyes unreservedly revealed a painful expression, wanting to speak but hesitating. After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Then how many ships do we have left? Don't tell me we don't have any ships now."

  The old man's expression was also quite painful, and he groaned in his throat for a while before saying sorrowfully: "I know you must be thinking of asking this question but didn't dare to ask. But now, everything is no longer important, it has all become the past. Our ships... we used to have so many ships, we used to have such a brilliant fleet... but now we only have three ships left... The expenses at home are huge, and we can only rely on selling ships to make ends meet... Fortunately, the merchants of our neighboring Ronisia Federation still have some interest in our ships..."

  Yang Shuang's face was almost twisted, he suddenly stood up, even if his head hit the top of the carriage hard, there was no reaction. He was almost out of control, shouting hysterically: "What? Our fleet has been sold?! How can this be?! Those were our ships! Those were our ships!"

  The old man seemed to be used to other people's scolding, and was unmoved by Yang Shuangfeng's scolding. He said woodenly: "Apart from our ship, what else do we have that is worth money? We can't think of anything else that can support the lives of tens of thousands of people. This matter is something that even Fletcher did not oppose. You should know that the ship is his life, he was born at sea, grew up at sea, and spent his whole life struggling in the waves. To sell the ship would be to take his life, but he actually nodded in agreement..."

  Yang Shuangfeng completely fell into a hysterical state, his eyes were bloodshot, like a gambler who had lost big in the casino, he danced with his hands and feet and loudly shouted: "How many ships do we have left now? Tell me! How many ships do we still have?"

  The old man said expressionlessly: "We now have the last three battleships left! They are Prairie Dawn, Sunset Angel and Adriano."

  Yang Shuang's eyes suddenly widened, then dimmed. He slammed his fist onto the carriage's dashboard, almost crushing it. He buried his face in his chest, his ten fingers grasping his hair as he sobbed like a child who had lost its favorite toy: "We only have three ships left now... Fengyun is gone, Yingxiong is gone, Baofeng is gone, Ziran Nüshen is also gone... our battleships are all gone, all gone..."

  In the fourteen lordly families of Minas, the Yang family from Nanhai is the only one that has its own domain and private navy. At its peak, it had eleven large battleships and more than twenty dragon-toothed warships. On the surface of the sea of Nis, even facing the navies of surrounding countries, they were not at a disadvantage. But now, everything is gone. How can Yang Suofeng, who is full of passion, not feel heart-wrenching pain?

  The old man looked at the young man in the neat and tidy Imperial Navy lieutenant general's uniform, who was curled up in the corner of the car, shrinking tighter and tighter, finally huddled into a ball, as if trying to squeeze himself into that dark corner. The sorrowful sobs spread out softly in the silent night sky, occasionally accompanied by one or two mournful meows, making this desolate night even more desolate.

  "Maple." The old man said in a hoarse voice, wanting to say something, but didn't get it out, and just let out a long sigh.