A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

When Hua Jieyu slapped the secret letter onto the imperial desk, Wei Zhao was still reading military reports from the Northwest.

Without looking up, he snatched the paper away.

"explain."

Hua Jieyu stood very straight and spoke quickly.

"The three prefectures along the southeast coast, Mingzhou, Yuezhou, and Quanzhou, were simultaneously attacked by pirates. Mingzhou Port has already fallen, and the pirates landed in three routes, burning, killing, and looting along the way, leaving without lingering for battle."

Wei Zhao paused for a moment, his hand holding the military report.

This is the kind of battle he fears most.

I won't fight you for cities, I won't fight you for camps, I won't fight you to the death. I'll come, slash you once, and then run away.

You're furious, but you still have to consider the people's welfare first.

If this kind of thing were allowed to run rampant in the southeast, the grain routes, salt routes, and canal routes of the three prefectures would all be thrown into chaos.

How many people?

Hua Jieyu pushed another folded note over.

"The current estimate is 12,000. The Embroidered Uniform Guard suspects this is just the vanguard. There are over a hundred ships, of various sizes and strange designs. They are not ships from the Central Plains; they are narrow and long, with a shallow draft, and they move quickly, able to graze the shallow waters near the shore with ease. We have deployed spies in the southeast for three years, but we have never seen this group of pirates before. It's as if they appeared out of nowhere."

After Wei Zhao finished scanning those lines, any lingering hope he had vanished.

They were not fishing thieves on the beach, nor were they a hastily assembled group of desperate criminals.

This is coming from the three southeastern prefectures.

"Mingzhou Port is lost, what about Yuezhou and Quanzhou?"

"The message is still on its way."

Hua Jieyu paused; "But the people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard said that the three attacks were too coordinated, as if they had calculated the timing in advance. Either someone was monitoring the port's layout, or they already knew which spot was the weakest."

Wei Zhao folded the secret letter back and pressed it under his fingertips.

He's quick-witted.

The fact that the pirates were able to strike simultaneously in the three southeastern prefectures shows that they didn't just stumble upon this place randomly.

The city defenses, patrol boats, and beacon towers along the southeast coast are usually quite presentable, but once these ships are allowed to approach the shallows, the heavy ships on land become useless.

If you chase them to the sea, you can't catch them; if you defend the shore, you must first protect the city.

The most troublesome thing is that they don't seize land or occupy cities; they just grab what they can and leave, not even giving you a chance to fight back.

That's truly disgusting.

"Call Li Huai here."

Wei Zhao looked up: "And Shang Wanqing."

Hua Jieyu responded and turned to leave.

Before long, several people squeezed into the Imperial Study.

As soon as Li Huai entered the room, he saw the Southeast China Maritime Chart on the table, and his brows furrowed immediately.

Shang Wanqing didn't look at the expression on the map. Instead, she looked at the ports and waterways on the nautical chart, and her eyes lit up.

Wei Zhao placed the secret letter on the table.

"At the same time, trouble broke out in the three southeastern prefectures. Mingzhou Port fell, and pirates numbered at least 12,000 with more than 100 ships, who attacked and then fled."

After listening, Li Huai uttered a sentence.

"This is a huge problem."

Wei Zhao looked at him.

"You think so too?"

"It's not that I want to."

Li Huai gave a wry smile: "The pirates are different from the Northern Rong and the Western Qiang. The Northern Rong come to seize land, and the Western Qiang come to stab us in the back at night. The pirates fight and then retreat. If you chase them to the sea, it's like chasing them into their own lair. Our warships are mostly large ships with a deep draft. If we really go to the nearshore area, it will be difficult to turn around."

Wei Zhao understood.

Li Huai put it tactfully.

To put it bluntly, the most capable soldiers in the new army are not so effective against the most unreasonable sea routes.

He wasn't afraid of the difficulty of the battle; what he feared was that the people couldn't wait.

With a population of several million in the three southeastern prefectures, if the ports were to descend into chaos, the prices of salt and grain would immediately skyrocket.

Not to mention that there are maritime trade, canal transport, and textile manufacturing industries there; if something goes wrong in one place, the whole area will tremble.

He has a fair number of people at his disposal, but none of them can immediately plunge into the sea and crush that group.

"The boat can be modified," Shang Wanqing suddenly said.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Li Huai turned to look at her.

"What did you say?"

Shang Wanqing stared at the nautical chart, her tone flat.

"Their boats can navigate shallow waters, and so can ours. We can narrow the hull, reduce weight, lower the draft, and change the sails and rudder. Give me a picture of their boat, and in two months, I can build you a boat that can keep up."

Li Huai opened his mouth.

"Two months?"

Shang Wanqing looked up at him.

"Too slow?"

Li Huai was speechless for a moment, unable to even manage a dry laugh.

Wei Zhao did not laugh.

two months.

In the three southeastern prefectures, there are hardly two months to give her a test ship.

He stared at Shang Wanqing and asked directly.

"You want the blueprints, not ship materials?"

"right."

Shang Wanqing nodded: "Without a ship's blueprint, I can only guess. Whether the ship can be launched depends entirely on luck. I don't like relying on luck."

Wei Zhao immediately understood.

The woman's meaning was very clear from the moment she opened her mouth.

She didn't say it was impossible; she said it was too late.

But two months is two months. The pirates have already set foot on land. By the time she gets the new ship ready, it will be too late.

He turned to look at Li Huai.

"You just said you couldn't catch up."

"right."

"Then we won't pursue it."

Li Huai was taken aback.

Wei Zhao placed his hand on the nautical chart, his finger pointing to the coastline between Mingzhou, Yuezhou, and Quanzhou.

"First, send troops to stabilize the shore. Don't try to seize the ports by force yet; block the inland routes of the three prefectures first. If the pirates land, block them; if they go to sea, let them go. Don't send troops out to sea to feed the fish."

Hua Jieyu, standing to the side, felt a little calmer upon hearing this.

Before she sent the secret letter, her biggest fear was that Wei Zhao would get angry and immediately order the pursuit of Hai.

If that were to happen, the southeastern coast would be dragged into a quagmire at sea, and the spies planted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard would be uprooted.

If he holds down the land, the game can continue.

"Who will go?" Wei Zhao asked.

Before Li Huai could speak, Wei Zhao had already looked at Liu Jingshuang.

Liu Jingshuang stood to the side of the hall, still dressed in plain, close-fitting clothes, her face bearing the weariness left from Yangguan.

She had just finished her morning ritual and should have been taking a break, but her back was still ramrod straight.

Wei Zhao looked at her, his tone steady.

"You've just finished attacking Yangguan, now head to the southeast. Take 20,000 cavalry to the border of the three prefectures to set up defenses and guard the inland passage."

Liu Jingshuang did not answer immediately.

Her thoughts were different from others.

The 20,000 cavalrymen weren't sent to chase pirates; they were sent to block the road.

Pirates could plunder the land, loot a bit, and then retreat back to their ships.

But once the inland routes are cut off, it won't be so easy for them to use the stolen goods and people to sneak in again.

She understood what he meant and knew why Wei Zhao had chosen her.

Because she is ruthless and steady.

"We block the pirates when they land, but let them go into the sea."

Wei Zhao continued, "Don't waste time with them on the beach. Let's hold the rear of the three prefectures first, and prevent them from emptying the people on the shore."

Liu Jingshuang looked up at him.

"How many days do you want me to have?"

"Hold on in these three states for now, and wait for news."

Wei Zhao replied quickly: "Shang Wanqing is changing ships, and Hua Jieyu is keeping an eye on the pirates' movements. When you go, just make sure to block up the inland passage."

Liu Jingshuang nodded.

"With the loss of Mingzhou Port, the people on the shore are probably already in chaos. I need 20,000 cavalry, not just for show."

"Whatever you want, I will give you."

Wei Zhao said, "I'll provide you with everything I can: grain, crossbows, kerosene, horse feed."

Liu Jingshuang stared at him for a couple of moments, then suddenly spoke.

"it is good."