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

At the end of September, the battle report of the great victory in Quanzhou and Liu Jingshuang's letter requesting a combined land and sea encirclement were placed on the imperial desk in the Xinwu court.

The atmosphere in the Golden Palace was somewhat subtle.

After Wei Zhao briefly reported the contents of the battle report, the entire court was initially excited, but then fell into discussion because of Liu Jingshuang's bold plan.

"Your Majesty, I believe General Liu's plan is feasible!"

The first to step forward was Li Huai, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue.

Now that he holds the position of prime minister and is in charge of all finances, his words carry significantly more weight.

"After this battle, Ke Zhenchuan's main force has suffered nearly half its losses, and morale has plummeted. He is now at his last gasp. If we allow him to retreat to his stronghold in the South China Sea to lick his wounds and recover, the southeastern coast will surely be engulfed in war again next spring. By then, our dynasty will have spent several times more money, supplies, and manpower than we have today. We should strike while he's weakened, seize the opportunity, and remove this thorn in our side!"

Li Huai was calculating the big picture in his mind. As long as the southeastern sea route was completely peaceful, the benefits brought by opening up the sea for trade would be immeasurable.

Long-term pain is worse than short-term pain.

"Prime Minister Li is mistaken!"

An elderly minister with graying hair and beard immediately stepped forward to object: "Your Majesty, I have a dissenting opinion! South of the Qiongzhou Strait lies a wild and untamed land, untouched by our navy. The terrain is unfamiliar, and the waterways unknown. General Liu's twenty thousand iron cavalry are indeed unparalleled, but how can cavalry cross the sea? Lady Shang's fast ships are advantageous, but there are only eighteen of them. Once the army penetrates deep into the territory, the supply lines will be stretched too long. If the navy and cavalry fail to coordinate properly, and Ke Zhenchuan uses the terrain to defeat them piecemeal, then we will be the entire elite of the southeastern defense line trapped!"

This old minister's concerns also represented the opinions of most of the moderates in the court.

This is a high-stakes gamble. If we win, the southeast will be at peace; if we lose, the Xinwu Dynasty will be severely weakened.

For a time, the two factions advocating war and peace were locked in a heated debate in the imperial court.

Wei Zhao sat quietly on the dragon throne, listening to the argument below, his face expressionless.

He knew very well that what these ministers saw was only the risks, the consumption of money and grain, and the balance of military strength on paper.

They don't understand Ke Zhenchuan.

That wasn't just any ordinary pirate; it was a ruthless warlord lurking in the South China Sea.

You either have to kill this kind of person outright, or wait for them to recover and then bite you back even harder.

Giving him a chance to breathe is tantamount to sowing the seeds of future trouble for yourself.

"I will discuss this matter further."

Wei Zhao raised his hand, his voice not loud, but it instantly silenced the entire hall: "Dismiss the court."

After the court session ended, the Imperial Study was brightly lit.

Wei Zhao summoned Li Huai, Hua Jieyu, and the Imperial Advisor Fang Fuyao, who was dressed in white.

A huge map of the southeastern sea was spread out on the large imperial desk.

"Two of the three secret agents from the Embroidered Uniform Guard were killed before they were able to smuggle out this more detailed map from Ke Zhenchuan's lair."

Hua Jieyu's voice was very soft. She stretched out her slender fingers and traced the lines between the three large islands that formed a triangular shape on the map:

"The waterways between these three islands appear wide, but are actually riddled with reefs and whirlpools. Only during the two hours of high tide each day are there a few narrow, deep channels that large ships can pass through. Ke Zhenchuan's fleet is able to move freely between the three islands and support each other because of its familiarity with these channels."

After she finished speaking, she stepped aside.

Wei Zhao's gaze fell on the waterways marked with vermilion ink.

This is the death tunnel that Shang Wanqing planned to block with eighteen fast ships.

"Your Majesty, I have also done the math."

The Imperial Advisor, Fang Fuyao, spoke up. Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion, as if stating a cold, hard number: "The transport of grain from the Huainan forward warehouse to the north shore of Qiongzhou is already at its limit. If we want to support General Liu's 20,000 cavalry, plus the costs of crossing the sea for the operation, this supply line can only last for a month at most."

She paused, then added, "If this battle is not won within a month, the army will be in danger of running out of food."

One month.

A brief silence fell over the imperial study.

Everyone knows what this means.

This is no longer a simple military operation; it's a high-stakes gamble against time.

The entire process of encirclement, blockade, landing on the island, and annihilation of the enemy must be completed within one month. Any mistake in any of these steps would have unimaginable consequences.

Fine beads of sweat had already formed on Li Huai's forehead.

Although he advocated for war, he couldn't help but feel uneasy upon hearing about the time limit.

Wei Zhao laughed.

He knew very well that a month would be enough.

Ke Zhenchuan is now like a sick tiger, outwardly strong but inwardly weak. The battle of Quanzhou broke his spine; he may still appear fierce, but he's actually quite vulnerable. The longer it drags on, the more he'll recover. If we're going to fight, we have to do it now.

"Let's proceed according to General Liu's strategy," Wei Zhao finally said, making the final decision.

He looked at Li Huai and Hua Jieyu and issued a clear decree: "However, I have two conditions."

"First, send an edict to Shang Wanqing, before she leads her fleet north to blockade the Qiongzhou Strait, she must ensure that the ports of Quanzhou and Mingzhou have sufficient naval forces and coastal defense troops. I do not want to see our main force fighting to the death at the front while our home base is stolen by a detachment sent by Ke Zhenchuan."

"Second, send a decree to Liu Jingshuang: after her 20,000 cavalry advance to the north shore of Qiongzhou, they may deploy defenses along the coast, but they must not cross the sea to land on the island without authorization. We must wait until Shang Wanqing's sea blockade is fully formed and confirm that Ke Zhenchuan's fleet is completely blocked in his stronghold before coordinating our actions and launching a general offensive."

Wei Zhao's thinking was clear: he didn't seek a quick victory, but rather a steady and cautious approach. Every step he took aimed to minimize risk.

"Your Majesty, we obey!" Li Huai and Hua Jieyu bowed and accepted the order.

That night, the imperial edict was sent to Quanzhou by express courier.

The lights in the imperial study remained lit for a long time.

Wei Zhao sat alone at his desk, took out a blank edict from a locked black lacquered wooden box, and wrote down a few words in his hand.

This is for Liu Jingshuang alone.

"We do not seek a quick victory in this battle, but a complete one. If Ke Zhenchuan surrenders, we may spare his life."

"He is no ordinary bandit; he is a naval commander from the previous dynasty. If we can subdue him, we will no longer need to build beacon towers along the southeastern sea route."

After writing it, he carefully blew on the manuscript to dry it, sealed it with another sealing wax, and handed it to the secret agent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard waiting outside the door.

After doing all this, he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and gently rubbed his throbbing temples.

The autumn wind outside the window grew colder and colder, and on the imperial desk, the documents awaiting his review were still piled up like a small mountain.

The military expenses in the north, the trade routes in the west, and the ten restless rebel kings—each one of these matters is crucial to the lifeline of this nascent dynasty.