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

On the morning of the tenth day, Shang Wanqing's boat arrived half a day earlier than agreed.

When Liu Jingshuang arrived at the dock after receiving the message, the three ships were already moored at the deepest berth in the harbor.

The ship was narrow and long, with a shallower draft than any warship she had ever seen. Its bottom was covered with a layer of iron-gray slabs that gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

Shang Wanqing was squatting on the deck, hammering a rivet. Her trousers were rolled up to her knees, her hair was tied up haphazardly with a strip of cloth, and her hands were covered in grease.

"You arrived early." Liu Jingshuang stood by the dock, not boarding the ship.

Shang Wanqing didn't even look up: "The wind has shifted ahead of schedule. We've been traveling for ages."

Liu Jingshuang looked at the three ships, calculating in her mind.

The ship was narrower than the pirates' ships, and the way the sails were tied was completely different from the existing warships of Xinwu. The mast was forward and the sails were relatively small.

She didn't know anything about shipbuilding, but she could tell that this thing wasn't meant for direct confrontation.

It's for running.

"Can we catch up with them?"

Shang Wanqing finally stood up and tucked the hammer into her belt.

"We have more than enough time to catch up. Time is too tight, so we can only modify three ships, but that should be enough for a surprise attack."

She jumped off the deck, her feet landing on the stone slabs of the dock, and she swayed for a moment before regaining her balance.

"How do you plan to use it?"

Liu Jingshuang did not answer immediately.

She turned and walked back to the temporary tent, spreading the nautical chart on the table.

Shang Wanqing followed her in, carrying the smell of sawdust and tung oil.

Liu Jingshuang's finger landed on a mark on the nautical chart.

"Ke Zhenchuan's main fleet was anchored near these islands and reefs in the near sea, about fifteen miles from the coast. The Embroidered Uniform Guard's spies had been watching for three days, and his grain ships were anchored behind the fleet, some distance away from the warships."

Shang Wanqing leaned closer to take a look.

Liu Jingshuang continued, "Three fast ships left the port under cover of night, circled around to their rear, and burned the grain ships. They had more people and more ships, but once the grain ships were burned, the more than 10,000 people at sea would not be able to sit still. They dared not waste any more time."

She'd been calculating this for days.

Ke Zhenchuan's greatest confidence at sea was not his large army, but his abundant food supplies.

The ports on the shore were locked down, so he couldn't get any new grain and had to rely on what was stored on the ships to survive.

Once the food runs out, those ten thousand or so people who "followed their leader to conquer the world" will go from "following their leader to starve to death at sea." Within ten days, some of them will start to have other ideas.

Shang Wanqing stared at the nautical chart for a long time, then drew a line with her finger on the sea between the islands and the grain ships.

"Setting fire to three ships is not enough."

Liu Jingshuang looked at her.

Shang Wanqing looked up, her eyes holding a light she recognized very well.

She had seen that kind of light when Shang Wanqing modified crossbows, cast arrowheads, and dismantled enemy weapons.

It's the excitement of finally finding work to do.

"I'll add something."

Shang Wanqing turned and left the tent, returning a moment later with a wooden box.

The box wasn't big; it was lined with thick cotton cloth and contained three earthenware jars.

The mouth of the jar was sealed tightly with wax, and two layers of hemp rope were wrapped around the outside.

She took out a ceramic jar, held it in her hand, and weighed it in her hand.

"Oil. I tried making it when I was still in Mojiabao, and used it to set fire to the city gate."

She placed the jar on the table and scratched the edge of the wax seal with her fingernail.

"If you pour this stuff on canvas, it will catch fire and you can't put it out. The more water you pour on it, the more it burns. The wind is strong at sea, and it can spread out quickly."

Liu Jingshuang looked down at the pottery jar.

It was about the size of a fist, dusty and gray, and looked just like the vinegar jars sold on the street.

But the tone of Shang Wanqing's voice when she said "cannot be destroyed" sent a chill down her spine.

What's in this woman's head is sometimes more frightening than a battlefield.

"Give me three ships,"

Shang Wanqing looked up at Liu Jingshuang: "I'm in charge of delivering kerosene onto the ship."

Liu Jingshuang's fingers stopped on the table.

She could tell.

Shang Wanqing didn't say "send someone to deliver it," she said "I'll be responsible for delivering it."

"You're going yourself?"

"I modified the ship, and I made the kerosene."

Shang Wanqing spoke as if she were reporting an account, listing off each point one by one: "How to adjust the sail ropes, what angle the rudder blade should be at for the fastest rotation, where to throw the kerosene canister for the furthest distance, and what to do if something goes wrong along the way. Only I know how to fix it. If someone else went, they would have to stop if a rope broke, and once they stopped, they wouldn't be able to escape."

Liu Jingshuang remained silent.

She was weighing the options in her mind.

Shang Wanqing is right.

She modified all three ships herself, inside and out, and knew the location of every single nail better than anyone else.

If we really send someone else, they might not even be able to handle how to properly retract the sail.

Unlike on land, there's nowhere to stop and figure things out when something goes wrong at sea.

But Shang Wanqing is not a soldier.

She is the one who creates things.

She was skilled at making crossbows, ships, and arrowheads, with a steady hand and considerable courage, yet she was not the type to kill with a knife.

Throwing her in front of the pirate fleet is no different than throwing a blacksmith into a wolf's den.

"You mean it's too dangerous?" Shang Wanqing spoke first.

Liu Jingshuang looked at her.

Shang Wanqing's lips twitched, but it didn't look like a smile; rather, it looked like she was annoyed by Shang Wanqing's nagging.

"Liu Jingshuang, I used the nails from two wrecked boats to sink fifty pirates in that fishing village in Quanzhou. Do you think I'm afraid of boats?"

These words left Liu Jingshuang speechless.

She really forgot.

In the battle at the fishing village, Shang Wanqing's twelve archers and a pile of rotten planks took down fifty pirates, none of whom survived.

This woman looks like a craftswoman who spends all her time in her workshop, but when pushed to the limit, she can be ruthless than anyone else.

Liu Jingshuang remained silent for a few moments.

The sea breeze blew in from outside the tent, making the nautical chart on the table rustle loudly.

"Then you have to come back alive."

Shang Wanqing gently placed the pottery jar back into the wooden box, as if she were putting away a precious item she had just made.

"I haven't given birth to a child for Wei Zhao yet, I won't die."

Liu Jingshuang was momentarily speechless after hearing those words.

She wanted to curse, but seeing the slightly smirking look on Shang Wanqing's face when she said that, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

That's just how women are; the more life-threatening the situation, the more nonsensical things they spout.

But she could also tell that Shang Wanqing wasn't joking.

She was saying that she still had reasons to come back.

Liu Jingshuang didn't say anything more.

She checked the routes on the nautical chart again, comparing the tide times, wind direction changes, and the locations of islands and reefs with Shang Wanqing.

Shang Wanqing has a good memory; she can memorize everything after hearing it just once.

As expected, the wind shifted to the north after nightfall.

Only a few dim lights remained on the dock.

Three converted speedboats sat quietly at their berths, their sails already halfway up and their ropes taut.

Six sailors have already boarded the ship.

They were all handpicked by Liu Jingshuang from the army; they were good swimmers, bold, and intelligent.

Each person had a short knife at their waist and a kerosene can tied to their back.

Shang Wanqing was the last to board the ship.

She glanced back at the shore as she stepped onto the deck.

Liu Jingshuang stood at the end of the dock, her plain-colored outfit fluttering in the sea breeze, one hand resting on the hilt of her knife.

The two exchanged a glance from a few steps apart.

Shang Wanqing didn't speak, she just raised her chin.

The meaning was clear—wait for me to come back.

Liu Jingshuang didn't say anything, she just nodded.

The cable was untied.

Three fast boats glided silently out of the harbor, their hulls cutting through the sea without even splashing up much water.

As soon as the sail caught the wind, the boat's speed suddenly increased, even faster than Liu Jingshuang had expected.

She stood on the dock, watching the three dark figures grow smaller and smaller until they were completely swallowed by the night.

Nothing could be seen on the sea. Only the sound of the wind and waves could be heard.