The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 576 The First Battle of Fubo: A Tiger's Might Swallows Ten Thousand Miles

Inside Yuqing Palace, Shen Ye was holding her son while listening to Wei Zhu read a memorial.

Normally, Shen Ye would read the memorials himself, but today, he wanted to play with the little one, so he could only listen to the memorials.

It was supposed to be play, but in reality, it was just the young master teasing the child unilaterally.

The little one in my arms stared with wide eyes, and I couldn't tell what was going on in his little head. His expression was so serious, as if he were contemplating matters of state.

As they continued to tease him, the little one, whether annoyed or hungry, pouted and burst into tears.

Good heavens, as soon as the heavy-hitting doll bomb went off, the palace maids and wet nurses, led by Xiao Rou, rushed in at lightning speed.

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess sent me to fetch the young master." Xiao Rou bowed respectfully.

Shen Ye looked at his son, who showed no respect for his father whatsoever, and helplessly handed him to Xiao Rou, saying with resentment:

"Tell the Crown Princess that I will be going back for lunch."

"This servant will remember!"

Xiao Rou's lips curled up slightly. She had always been Shi Jingrong's personal maid and couldn't wait for her mistress and her mistress to get along well.

After Xiaorou left with the baby, the study immediately became quiet.

Wei Zhu cleared her throat, preparing to continue reading.

"Alright, alright, stop reading. I know what he's going to say even with my eyes closed!"

"It's just urging me to increase the grain and salary taxes as soon as possible."

Shen Ye waved his hand, "But if we impose additional taxes during the spring famine, the whole country could descend into chaos!"

"Keep this memorial in the central government. Once the grain shipment arrives in Yangzhou in a couple of days, this matter will be settled naturally."

Upon hearing the Crown Prince's instructions, Wei Zhu carefully placed the memorial on the table.

Having served Emperor Qianxi for so many years, he was no stranger to handling state affairs.

The various correspondence with the emperor also gave him a very clear understanding of the ins and outs of the matter.

In his eyes, the Crown Prince had indeed taken a bit too much of a risk this time!
After all, this concerns the safety of the army on its long expedition. If the supply lines are disrupted, His Majesty will certainly punish those responsible upon his return.

Even the crown prince couldn't cover it up!
In case someone takes the opportunity to speak out, saying that the Crown Prince's refusal to levy additional grain taxes is disregard for the safety of Emperor Qianxi;
Or perhaps the crown prince did this intentionally, and to be accused of "eagerly hoping to ascend the throne" would be a fatal mistake.

Wei Zhu had developed some affection for the Crown Prince over the past few days, and although she had her doubts, she dared not utter a single word.

Eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in politics.

If he says anything more, it's like an old man eating poison; he's tired of living.

Just then, a palace servant trotted in with a memorial: "Your Highness, urgent report from Jiangnan."

Shen Ye took it and saw that it contained two thousand words, with only one core point: the grain ships bound for Yangzhou had departed on time.

Upon seeing this, Shen Ye's lips curled into a smile.

He also had another memorial in his hand, but this memorial was given to him by Zhou Bao; it was a memorial from the thirteenth prince.

In this memorial, the thirteenth prince completed his report in just over a hundred words.

The thirteenth prince has led five thousand Fubo soldiers, along with an alliance of twenty-five thousand pirates of varying ranks, to ambush outside Songjiang Estuary...

With 30,000 seasoned veterans at sea, dealing with the River Control Navy, which only operates on major rivers, would be a piece of cake, like catching a turtle in a jar!

By now, they've probably already started fighting...

In reality, the great battle had already ended on the azure sea.

The sea surface was littered with wrecked ship planks, floating corpses, and the burning tung oil on the water.

A major battle had just ended, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and seawater.

The thirteenth prince, Yunxiang, was dressed in full armor and surrounded by a group of young generals.

Although these people had a wide variety of appearances, they all had a sharp glint in their eyes.

They also have one thing in common:

These people were all second-generation members of various pirate groups sent to "invest" in the thirteenth prince.

Since the Crown Prince offered the double benefits of amnesty and making money, the pirate leaders, though still wary, have been sending their sons and adopted sons to the Thirteenth Prince.

For example, the Cheng family sent their second son, Cheng Xiaoxin;

The old sea serpent, who wanted to retire, sent his most valued adopted son over.

The thirteenth prince accepted all comers without exception.

With his innate talent for social interaction, he quickly became sworn brothers with the group of young men.

With their help, he trained the Fubo Navy.

The support of the imperial court, especially the reputation of the Fubo Navy, was also very effective for these pirates.

These pirates can now openly sell the stolen goods they've looted... no, I mean, the confiscated goods!

Even the Western fleet, upon seeing them, was no longer the target of pursuit, but rather the Fubo Navy.

Furthermore, the various supplies and resources that they could openly purchase under the Crown Prince's orders made them begin to depend on the Qingqiu Kingdom.

This is why the Thirteenth Prince was able to mobilize 25,000 people and over a hundred ships from various families this time.

"Thirteenth Master, this time we've caught a big one, a real fat fish!"

Cheng Xiaoxin leaped onto the thirteenth prince's command ship and excitedly shouted.

Behind him, several pirates were escorting a middle-aged man dressed as the commander of the river-controlling navy.

The man's face was pale, and most of his body was almost paralyzed. Before he could even assess the situation, he started shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Gentlemen! It was wrong of us to go to sea this time; we crossed the line and broke the rules of the trade!"

"But everything can be discussed, right? As long as you all show some mercy and let me go, just name your price—money or food!" "We have people in the Jiangnan region!"

"They're all backed by the gentry and nobles of Jiangnan!"

"This trip was also at the behest of Lord Zhang Yushu..."

She had only spoken halfway when she glanced up and saw the gleaming prince's armor on the thirteenth prince, and immediately stopped, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.

The thirteenth prince immediately laughed and punched Cheng Xiaoxin on the shoulder:

"Cheng Lao Er, you're something else! You actually caught a useful one. This is truly a big fat fish!"

The thirteenth prince leaned closer to the ashen-faced prisoner and said with a smile:

"If I'm not mistaken, you are Guan Shaopeng of the Yangtze River Naval Command, right? A high-ranking leader among the rebels!"

"Guan Shaopeng, you just mentioned Zhang Yushu? Go on, what happened to Lord Zhang?"

Guan Shaopeng's mind was completely muddled at this moment.

He stared wide-eyed at the "Fubo Navy" flag fluttering at the bow of the boat, then glanced at the group of people around him:
If you were to call them officers and soldiers, they all reeked of the sea and had a bandit-like air about them;
If you say they're pirates, their formation and imposing manner clearly indicate they're from the military.

This made him very uneasy: What exactly is going on here?

I was thinking that if we encountered pirates, we could just pay them off to avoid trouble, but who knew that we would run into a group of government soldiers, and on the vast ocean!
Soldiers and pirates are all mixed up together. When did the world become like this?

He swallowed hard, then looked timidly at the thirteenth prince: "Who...who exactly are you?"

"I am Yunxiang, the thirteenth prince of His Majesty. As for my brothers—"

The thirteenth prince waved his arm and gestured around, saying, "They are all legitimate naval forces under General Fubo."

The thirteenth prince's smile vanished, and his tone turned cold:

“From the moment you set sail, you have already walked into the trap set by the Crown Prince.”

"Now confess honestly who ordered you, and at least you'll be given a proper burial."

"Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make you regret your decision."

Upon hearing the title "General Fubo," Guan Shaopeng felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

When I first heard that the Crown Prince had asked Emperor Qianxi for the title of General Fubo, I thought it was a joke.

After all, this was unheard of; how could a crown prince become a general?

Only now do I realize that this joke is not funny at all; it's a matter of life and death.

However, he was a seasoned veteran, and after a moment of panic, he quickly calmed down.

At this time, it's best not to reveal Lord Zhang Yushu's identity, otherwise there will be no way out.

"Thirteenth Master, why don't you leave this tough nut to me?"

A young man with a sinister look in his eyes licked his lips.

“Thirteenth Master, we have a family-inherited method here.”

"You don't need anything else, just a small knife and a jar of salt, and even a stone can speak."

"My subordinate may not be good at anything else, but he's skilled with a knife. He can slowly slice through the wounds, making three thousand cuts without repeating a single one, and I can guarantee he'll be fully conscious throughout the ordeal."

Guan Shaopeng felt a chill run down his spine. Seeing that the other party was really about to pull out a knife, all his backbone vanished, and he immediately backed down, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"No, no, no! Thirteenth Master, let's talk this out! I'll talk! I just beg you to guarantee my safety!"

After these days of trials, the thirteenth prince is no longer the boy he once was in the deep palace.

"Guan Shaopeng, I cannot say you will be spared the death penalty!"

"However, as long as you cooperate obediently, I can guarantee that your whole family will leave Jiangnan alive."

"You can go to the capital, Qingqiu, or Southeast Asia!"

"The premise is that you don't try anything funny, you just tell the truth and cooperate obediently."

Guan Shaopeng was a pragmatic and capable man; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to join Zhang Yushu in the rebellion.

Upon hearing the thirteenth prince's conditions, he immediately bowed his head:
"As long as the Thirteenth Prince can guarantee the safety of my entire family, I will follow his arrangements."

The thirteenth prince looked at the sea littered with corpses, pondered for a moment, and asked, "How many people are left in your stronghold?"

"Less than a thousand, and they are all newly recruited soldiers. If the Thirteenth Prince wants to take them, he can do so in one fell swoop, with ease."

The thirteenth prince nodded and immediately shouted at Cheng Xiaoxin:

"Second Brother Cheng, the silver dollars bestowed by the Crown Prince have already been transported to Yuqing Bank in Qingqiu."

"Brothers, just go and get it anytime!"

"Who's willing to take on the job of eradicating the Taihu Lake bandits this time?"

Immediately, a chorus of shouts erupted from below: "I'll do it!" "Let me do it!"

The saying goes, "An emperor will not send out soldiers who are starving," and Crown Prince Shen Ye was well aware of this principle.

This time, in addition to the various benefits given to the thirteenth prince in the past, he also gave him a generous amount of silver when he sent the pirates out to fight.

These wolf cubs at sea are all incredibly enthusiastic, doing everything with great passion and hitting the target with deadly precision!
The thirteenth prince watched the vast fleet of grain ships sailing away in the distance, a smirk playing on his lips.

He couldn't wait to see the expressions on the faces of those in the capital who were waiting to see the Crown Prince make a fool of himself when they heard that the grain transport ships had safely arrived in Yangzhou.

He really wanted to tell these people: I'm sorry to have disappointed you all!

Unfortunately, after this battle, the Fubo Navy could no longer hide.

I wonder what my father will think when he learns that his "sea weapon" has already begun to show its sharpness!
Is it relief or apprehension?

After assembling and gradually taking command of the Fubo Navy, the Thirteenth Prince could increasingly feel the power of this army.

If used properly, those vast waters may one day become yours to roam freely!
(End of this chapter)