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

Clang.

The heavy planks creaked hollowly between the flagship's gunwale and the makeshift wooden dock.

Ke Zhenchuan walked down step by step.

He wasn't wearing armor; the old naval robe he wore from the previous dynasty was faded from washing, and his waist was empty. The sword that had been with him for thirty years had been thrown into the cold waters of Black Shark Island by his own hands the moment the commander's flag was lowered.

Behind him were several of his trusted leaders who had also been disarmed, each one hanging their heads dejectedly, like defeated roosters.

In the harbor, the docks and warships he had painstakingly built over the years were still billowing thick smoke, and the air was filled with a pungent and nauseating smell of burning wood and charred flesh.

Two newly trained cavalrymen stepped forward, one on the left and one on the right, ready to escort him away.

Liu Jingshuang raised her hand to stop them.

She sat quietly on her horse, looking down at the once notorious pirate who had stirred up the entire South China Sea, as he walked up to her.

Ke Zhenchuan did not kneel.

He simply raised his head, met Liu Jingshuang's icy gaze, looked at the dark, densely packed cavalry formation behind her, a forest of swords and spears, and then at the twelve black fast ships on the distant sea, like ghosts, locking the entire strait shut out.

After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice hoarse as if two rough stones were rubbing against each other.

"I lost."

Liu Jingshuang didn't speak, she just looked at him.

"Eight out of ten of the men under my command are coastal fishermen who couldn't make a living, or refugees whose families were destroyed by the government."

Ke Zhenchuan's gaze swept over the prisoners who were held captive by the cavalry on the shore, huddled together with their heads in their hands. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes: "They weren't born thieves. They just wanted to live."

His words were clever; they were both a plea for leniency and an attempt to exonerate himself.

A truly ruthless and cunning tyrant wouldn't care about the lives of his subordinates, but he said it anyway.

Liu Jingshuang knew perfectly well that this old fox was still scheming against people's hearts even at the last moment.

"I will verify."

Liu Jingshuang's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger: "Those who have committed numerous evils will be spared. Those who were coerced will be forgiven for their past misdeeds."

Ke Zhenchuan fell silent.

Himself?

He himself was a surrendered general of the previous dynasty, a pirate who occupied an island and ruled it, and a traitor who raised the banner of "restoring the Wei dynasty." No matter which one he was guilty of, he deserved to die.

Just then, Shang Wanqing walked over from the shore.

She had just stepped off the flagship, still carrying a faint smell of gunpowder, and her face showed signs of fatigue from not having slept all night, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

She happened to overhear their conversation.

She ignored the dejected prisoners and walked straight up to Ke Zhenchuan, looking him up and down with an expression that resembled that of a master craftsman examining a priceless tool rather than a prisoner.

"This person knows every harbor along the southeast coast where ships can hide, every dangerous reef, and every unpredictable ocean current."

Shang Wanqing turned to look at Liu Jingshuang, her voice not loud, but exceptionally clear: "Killing him would only relieve the immediate anger. But keeping him alive is more effective than building a hundred more beacon towers along the coast."

Ke Zhenchuan suddenly looked up, staring incredulously at the woman who had burned half of his fleet with kerosene canisters.

He had thought about dying, about being subjected to slow slicing, but he never imagined that the first person to offer to spare his life would be the very opponent who had driven him to the brink of despair.

Liu Jingshuang glanced at Shang Wanqing, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"You want to keep him?"

"I don't want to keep him here."

Shang Wanqing shook her head, her gaze returning to Ke Zhenchuan. The fanaticism in her eyes sent a chill down the spine of this ruthless pirate.

"I want to keep his brain. My ship is going to sail to more distant seas, and it needs the most accurate living nautical chart."

That afternoon, an urgent battle report was sent from Black Shark Island, heading straight for the capital.

In her letter, Liu Jingshuang detailed the entire process of the coordinated land and sea operations to capture Black Shark Island. She described in detail how Shang Wanqing lured the enemy and set fire to the camps, as well as how she led her troops to the island and forced the commander to surrender without bloodshed.

At the end of the battle report, she included her own suggestions.

"Ke Zhenchuan has surrendered, his main force has been wiped out, and all three islands in the South China Sea have been recovered. However, this man has been entrenched in the South China Sea for several years and knows the southeastern waters like the back of his hand. I believe that his crimes deserve to be punished, but his talents can be spared. I suggest that he be escorted to the capital and placed under the strict supervision of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. When Shang Wanqing's fleet explores the ocean again, he can serve as a ship's advisor to make the most of his abilities."

"Furthermore, of the more than three thousand prisoners captured in this battle, after screening, over seventy percent were found to be coastal refugees who had been coerced into joining the rebellion, not not notorious bandits. If they were all massacred, it would likely alienate the people. I humbly suggest that these individuals be released back to their places of origin and that their crimes of joining the rebels be forgiven, so as to demonstrate the boundless benevolence of our new Emperor Wu."

After writing it, she blew on the letter to dry it and sealed it with sealing wax.

She knew very well that Wei Zhao would approve the report once it was submitted.

Because this is not only her idea, but also Shang Wanqing's idea, and it must be the result that Wei Zhao himself wants.

To conquer the world, one needs the sword; to rule the world, one needs the hearts of the people.

Three days later, the imperial decree from the capital was sent back to Black Shark Island at a speed that exceeded everyone's expectations.

There were no lengthy praises, only Wei Zhao's familiar, elegant, and powerful words on the letter.

"allow."

"Ke Zhenchuan was put in charge of the Jinyige Pavilion and established the 'South China Sea Water Chart Office', which was in charge of drawing nautical charts of the southeastern coast and the outer seas."

When Shang Wanqing's fleet goes to sea, he may accompany her as a staff officer, but he may not command a ship alone, nor may he have access to weapons or mechanisms.

"The captured refugees shall be released and returned to their original places of residence on the spot, and shall be properly resettled by the local governments of Quanzhou and Mingzhou. No prefecture or county along the way shall make things difficult for them for any reason. Anyone who violates this rule shall be severely punished."

"The aftermath of the Southeast coastal defense will be coordinated by Liu Jingshuang, with Shang Wanqing assisting. After this battle, the Southeast coast can be at peace for several years, and there will be no need to build beacon towers again."

After reading it, Liu Jingshuang silently handed the letter to Shang Wanqing, who was standing next to her.

Shang Wanqing skimmed through the text, and when she saw the phrases "establish the South China Sea Water Culture Bureau" and "no need to repair the beacon towers anymore," a rare smile appeared on her usually expressionless face.

She knew that Wei Zhao understood them and had given them his utmost trust and support.

She carefully folded the letter and returned it to Liu Jingshuang.

"Then we can go back now."

Liu Jingshuang nodded, her gaze passing over the bustling harbor to the calm sea to the north. A rare softening appeared on her usually cold face.

"It's time to go back."

She spoke softly, as if to herself, and also as if to Shang Wanqing.

"If we don't go back soon, Wei Heng will turn the tables."