The boss of a foreign organization called the police, claiming that he was defrauded by me

Peony's cheeks flushed instantly, and she quickly waved her hand: "No, Lord Mengyin. Inside are just some things that His Majesty usually uses—there's his favorite Yunwu tea, which I specially had someone bring from the tea mountain; there are also a few cotton coats that I sewed myself, because it's colder in Yan Kingdom than in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I was afraid His Majesty would get cold; and there are also some calming herbs, because His Majesty often stays up late handling official business, and drinking them will help him..."

As she spoke, she explained in detail, her eyes filled with concern for Yang Xia. Meng Yin listened, feeling a pang of envy—it was truly rare for Yang Xia to have someone who cared about him so constantly. He patted his chest and said earnestly, "Don't worry, Miss Peony, I will take good care of this bundle. When we arrive in Yan Kingdom, I will personally hand it over to the King and ensure that nothing inside is damaged."

Peony was relieved and then instructed, "Lord Mengyin, please be careful on your journey and take good care of yourself. If you see the King, please tell him that I am waiting for him to return in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and tell him not to overwork himself and to take care of his health."

“I understand.” Meng Yin nodded in agreement. “It’s getting late, we should head to the port. Miss Peony, you should go back too, take good care of yourself, and wait for our good news.”

Peony nodded, watching Mengyin and Mengyu turn and walk towards the port. Only when their figures disappeared around the street corner did she reluctantly turn and leave.

Carrying the heavy bundle, Meng Yin followed behind Meng Yu, secretly marveling: just because of a casual remark he made, Shao Yao had prepared so many things with such care. It seems she truly has Yang Xia in her heart and longs to return to his side as soon as possible.

Meng Yin watched as Shaoyao blushed and remained silent, only stuffing the bundle into his hands. Though filled with curiosity, he didn't press her for more information. After all, he had already wasted considerable time escaping from the Atlan Empire, and now Yang Xia's orders were urgent; not a single second could be wasted. How could he possibly have the mind to worry about the contents of the bundle?
He gently patted Peony's shoulder, his tone sincere: "Miss Peony, don't worry, I will take good care of this bundle. When I see King Yang Xia, I will personally hand it over to him and make sure that nothing inside is damaged. If the King knows how much you care about him, he will be very happy and will understand your good intentions."

Peony then raised her head, her eyes sparkling, and nodded vigorously: "Thank you very much, Lord Mengyin. I'll leave it to you then."

Meng Yin turned to the guards behind him and ordered, "Someone, move this bundle to the innermost storage room in the cabin. Keep a close watch on it, make sure it's not bumped or damaged, and don't let anyone else rummage through it."

"Yes, Lord Meng!" Two guards stepped forward, carefully took the bundle, and walked briskly toward the ship moored on the shore.

Mengyin looked at Shaoyao again and said gently, "It's getting late, we should set off. You should go back and take good care of yourself. After we complete our mission, I will tell the King everything about the situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and I will also bring back news as soon as possible, so you don't need to worry too much."

Peony looked at Mengyin with eyes full of reluctance, but still managed to suppress her emotions and waved her hand: "Lord Mengyin, you must be careful on your journey and pay attention to safety. Don't delay the mission, fulfilling the King's instructions is the most important thing."

Meng Yin nodded in agreement, and after a hasty farewell to Shaoyao, he and his men quickly boarded the ship. With a clear horn blast, the ship slowly sailed away from the harbor, heading towards the Yan Kingdom. Shaoyao stood on the shore, watching the ship's silhouette gradually shrink until it was completely out of sight, before reluctantly turning away.

Meanwhile, inside the council hall of the Yan Kingdom, Yang Xia stared intently at a massive nautical chart spread out on the table, his brow furrowed. For the past few days, he had barely slept, working tirelessly to study the Xingyun Kingdom's shipping routes, finally devising a meticulous interception plan. The chart was marked with different colored ink lines indicating the routes of each fleet, accompanied by detailed troop deployments and timelines; every aspect was meticulously considered.

Looking at this plan that had consumed countless hours of his effort, Yang Xia smiled with satisfaction. He gently ran his hand over the ink lines on the nautical chart, secretly calculating in his mind: as long as this plan is executed, we will definitely be able to intercept the second batch of ships transporting weapons from the Nebula Kingdom, cutting off their reinforcements. At that time, the Yan Kingdom and the Great Zhou Dynasty will join forces to deal with the Nebula Kingdom, which will be much easier.

Then, Yang Xia picked up the planning documents on the table and walked towards Sun Zhengming's residence. Sun Zhengming was the naval commander of Yan Kingdom, experienced and knowledgeable about the seas. This interception operation would only proceed smoothly with his cooperation.

As soon as he arrived at the gate of Sun Zhengming's residence, the guards recognized Yang Xia and quickly stepped forward to bow and greet him: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Yang Xia waved his hand and said calmly, "No need for formalities. Is Lord Sun at home? I have important matters to discuss with him."

"Your Majesty, Lord Sun is in his study handling official business. I will go and inform him immediately." After saying this, the guard turned and quickly ran into the mansion.

Before long, Sun Zhengming hurriedly came out of the mansion to greet him, his face full of respectful smiles: "Your Majesty's esteemed presence is a great honor to my humble abode. Please come in. May I ask what Your Majesty wishes to do for me today?"

Yang Xia followed Sun Zhengming into the study. After the servants served tea and left, Yang Xia handed over the plan document in his hand and said bluntly, "Lord Sun, I have drafted a plan to intercept the Nebula Kingdom's weapon fleet in the past few days. Please take a look and we can discuss it together."

Sun Zhengming took the document and began to carefully read it. The more he read, the more serious he became, his brows furrowing and relaxing at times, his fingers occasionally tapping lightly on the paper, clearly pondering every detail of the plan. About half an hour later, Sun Zhengming put down the document, looked up at Yang Xia, and waited for his further instructions.

Seeing this, Yang Xia explained, "Lord Sun, according to my plan, you need to first divide the Yan Kingdom's speedboat fleet into six squadrons. These six squadrons will be responsible for the guard duties in the six sea areas surrounding the Yan Kingdom. Each squadron must assign a dedicated person to closely monitor the sea situation. Once the traces of the second batch of weapon ships from the Xingyun Kingdom are discovered, the other squadrons must be notified immediately with a signal flare to ensure that the message can be transmitted quickly."

He paused, then pointed to the markings on the nautical chart and continued, "Once all the fleets have received the message, they will proceed slowly towards the Nebula Kingdom's weapon fleet from six different directions, following the routes on the chart. At that time, we will coordinate with the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet to launch a pincer attack—part of the Yan Kingdom's fleet will be responsible for cutting off their retreat to prevent them from turning back and escaping; another part will harass them from the left and right flanks to disrupt their formation; and the task of the frontal assault will be assigned to the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet, namely the fifty ships that Meng Yin mobilized this time."

Sun Zhengming listened attentively to Yang Xia's arrangements, but when he heard "the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet will be responsible for the frontal assault," a look of doubt appeared on his face. He frowned and asked in bewilderment, "Your Majesty, forgive my frankness, but I really don't understand why you made this arrangement. The frontal assault is the most dangerous part of the entire operation. The Xingyun Kingdom's fleet not only has a large number of ships, but they are also equipped with a large amount of weaponry. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet also has a certain strength, directly facing the Xingyun Kingdom's frontal firepower will likely result in heavy losses."

He paused, his tone becoming more urgent: "Moreover, the Yan Kingdom's speedboat fleet is fast and has strong firepower, making them more suitable for frontal assaults. Yet you've assigned us to cut off their retreat and flanking maneuvers. This arrangement seems somewhat unreasonable. Your Majesty, this is no small matter. The Xingyun Kingdom's strength is far beyond what we imagine to be easily dealt with. Please reconsider your actions!"

Yang Xia naturally understood Sun Zhengming's concerns, knowing he was worried the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet would suffer significant losses. However, his arrangement was also the result of careful consideration. While the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet was slower than Yan Kingdom's speedboats, its ships were larger, more heavily armored, and better suited to withstand a direct impact. Moreover, the success of this interception would further enhance the Great Zhou Dynasty's influence in the maritime domain, which would be highly beneficial for future cooperation between the two countries.

However, time was of the essence, and Yang Xia didn't have much time to explain the reasons in detail. He only needed Sun Zhengming to execute the plan. So, he said firmly, "Lord Sun, I understand your concerns and know that you are thinking of the bigger picture. But I have carefully considered this plan repeatedly, and there is a reason for this arrangement. You can rest assured that I know what I am doing. This mission is of great importance. No matter how great the danger, whether it is the Yan Kingdom's fleet or the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet, we must do our best to complete it. There is no turning back."

Seeing Yang Xia's resolute attitude and lack of any intention to change the plan, Sun Zhengming grew even more anxious. He felt there was a hidden danger in the arrangement, but he couldn't find a suitable reason to refute Yang Xia. He could only worry inwardly, fearing that unexpected situations might arise during the operation, causing the entire interception plan to fail.

Sun Zhengming still tried to dissuade Yang Xia, hoping he would reconsider his decision at this crucial moment and not act recklessly. However, Yang Xia merely smiled easily, a mysterious expression appearing on his face. He leaned forward slightly and whispered to Sun Zhengming:
"Lord Sun, please rest assured, even the heavens are on my side." Yang Xia's tone was playful yet exuded an undeniable confidence. "Please trust me and my arrangements. You know I never joke about such important matters."

Seeing Yang Xia's mysterious demeanor, Sun Zhengming's unease intensified. He unconsciously frowned, looking at Yang Xia with disbelief:
"God's help? This...this is too outrageous!" Sun Zhengming's tone was clearly puzzled and worried. "You are the ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty, how could you say such a thing? If this gets out, won't people laugh at you?"

Seeing that Sun Zhengming completely disbelieved his explanation, Yang Xia didn't want to reveal the truth. He smiled slightly, offered a seemingly reasonable yet dubious excuse, and explained in a calm tone:
"Lord Sun, please rest assured and trust me. Since I am able to become the king of this island nation of the Great Zhou Dynasty, I naturally know the climate and environment of the surrounding seas like the back of my hand. When the wind rises, when the waves surge, and which sea areas will have moving deep-sea reefs... I know all of these things clearly."

As Yang Xia spoke, a confident glint in his eyes: "So what I just said wasn't unfounded. It may sound unbelievable to you, but it is indeed my real ability. Whether you believe it or not, I can predict changes at sea. Please have more faith in me."

Hearing this explanation, Sun Zhengming found it even more unbelievable. He simply couldn't comprehend such a miraculous thing, and he couldn't believe that Yang Xia possessed such extraordinary abilities. Although he knew that as the king of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Yang Xia did indeed have exceptional wisdom and skill, this matter was beyond the scope of common sense.

Sun Zhengming sighed helplessly and looked at Yang Xia with a serious expression:
"Your Majesty, can we please stop talking about such mystical things? This is not the time for jokes. When will you be able to be a little more reliable? Do you really think you can predict the future with divine wisdom? That's simply impossible. Let's stop daydreaming here."

Sun Zhengming earnestly tried to persuade Yang Xia to abandon these unrealistic ideas and deal with the current situation in a down-to-earth manner. He knew that the situation might become very serious, and if Yang Xia continued to handle the problem with this attitude, it could lead to disaster.

If the joint fleet of Yan Kingdom and Great Zhou Dynasty were to suffer any mishap, the consequences would be something neither of them could afford.

Faced with Sun Zhengming's questioning, Yang Xia felt somewhat helpless. He smiled mysteriously and said:
"If you really don't believe me, then let the results speak for themselves. I will definitely impress you and let you witness my amazing abilities firsthand. But there's a condition—you must arrange for the Yan Kingdom's fleet to keep them occupied. Only then can I successfully complete my plan."

Yang Xia's enigmatic attitude left Sun Zhengming with mixed feelings. He didn't know whether he should trust Yang Xia. If he didn't, the subsequent cooperation would be difficult to carry out; but if he did trust him, Yang Xia's words and actions were truly unacceptable to him. Especially those strange ideas, which always made Sun Zhengming feel that something was amiss.

His inner unease was written all over his face. Yang Xia had already seen through Sun Zhengming's thoughts. He stepped forward and solemnly patted Sun Zhengming on the shoulder:

"Relax, there's no need to be so tense. I'm well aware of the importance of this matter and have been planning it for a long time. I will absolutely not allow Yan Kingdom and the Great Zhou Dynasty to suffer any losses, and I can guarantee that we will definitely be able to obtain the second batch of weapons from Xingyun Kingdom." (End of Chapter)