Liu Yutang and his men had taken out over thirty ships, which were essentially the secret reserves of the Liu family.
Jiaozhi was a small country to begin with, and with frequent internal conflicts over the years, the military's access to resources was extremely limited.
From these limited resources, even less was allocated to the navy, let alone what their Liu family could secretly pocket.
If these over thirty warships and the loyal soldiers on board were all lost at once, it would be a heavy blow to the Liu family.
A scapegoat was necessary for such a major incident. He was merely a concubine's son within the family. If things turned out as he suspected, he would likely lose his position and influence within the family soon after.
Having been born into a large family, he knew firsthand how desolate the lives of those who lost their family standing could be.
"Six-Six Lang, someone said that person looked very much like Liu Yutang..."
"Impossible, how could that be? He went out with so many people, how could he be captured alive at sea?"
Upon hearing this news, Liu Siye collapsed onto the ground with a thud.
"Six Lang, it's just a resemblance. The news isn't confirmed yet. You must not panic!"
Seeing his distraught state, Liu Heng quickly said from the side.
"Yes, yes, you're right. You set off now, go personally and confirm the truth of this news!"
Hearing Liu Heng's words, Liu Siye clutched Liu Heng's hand as if he had grasped a lifeline.
"Why are you all standing there stunned? Hurry and help Six Lang up, let him go back and rest!"
At this moment, Liu Heng was also extremely anxious. The wealth and lives of his entire family now rested entirely on Liu Siye. If anything happened to him, they would all lose their standing within the Liu family.
With his scolding, the stunned servants nearby finally rushed forward to help Liu Siye to a nearby bed to rest.
After settling Liu Siye, Liu Heng hurried out of the room and headed straight for an inn in the city.
"Sir, how should we handle this fellow?"
After explaining the events at sea to Shao Bowen, Zhe Shijiu excitedly pointed to the prisoner's cart outside.
"No rush. Let him stay out there for a while longer. I believe many people are waiting to watch the show by now!"
As Shao Bowen said this, a cold sneer appeared on his face. They needed to make an example of someone.
No matter whose chicken it was, now that it was in their hands, it would be impossible to get it back.
What's more, those berserk fighters, after killing with abandon, didn't care about whether it was worth it or not. Their perfectly fine warships were all sent directly into the sea.
However, regardless of the circumstances, this was their first battle after setting sail. Achieving victory was considered a good start.
"By the way, this is that fellow's confession! I thought this kid was a tough nut to crack, but I never expected that after just hanging him from the ship's side for less than an hour, he spilled all the beans!"
Zhe Shijiu spoke animatedly, his face beaming with pride.
Of course, the minor detail that their ship was covered in corpses and sharks gnawing on them was not worth mentioning to outsiders.
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Shao Bowen felt a jolt and took Liu Yutang's confession, reading it carefully. After finishing the entire confession, Shao Bowen's expression turned grim. The situation seemed to have become a bit troublesome.
Originally, they had expected that after the Liu family suffered such heavy losses, they would not trouble them again for a long time.
But unexpectedly, their victory was too brilliant, destroying over thirty ships. And to this day, except for Liu Yutang, the rest of the people had essentially been fed to the sharks in the sea.
Now, he was even worried that his unintentional mistake might directly disrupt the political balance within Jiaozhi.
"Let them see clearly. The captured pirate is a pirate, he is Liu Yutang of the Liu family!"
After a moment of hesitation, Shao Bowen spoke again.
"Yes!"
Liu Yutang's incident quickly spread throughout Su Mao City. Many people were now watching with schadenfreude to see how it would end.
---
"These men have trained very well. It seems you've been quite resolute!"
A thousand miles away in Mingzhou City, Han Mo arrived at the Mingzhou Navy's stationed area again to inspect their training progress.
"Thank you for your praise, my lord!"
Being praised by Han Mo, Han Shizhong felt quite pleased.
Especially since this unit was one he had personally selected and trained to this point.
Although their combat effectiveness might not be exceptionally strong yet, compared to their previous state, they could definitely be considered reborn.
Ordinary provincial troops in this era were like mud.
Not only was the issue of empty payroll severe, but their own lack of potential was also a significant reason.
After all, the elites among these men were selected annually and replenished into the Imperial Army.
The remaining failures would continue to stay in the provincial army, cycling year after year. With each added humiliation, even good people would likely turn bad.
Not to mention, if their family conditions weren't dire, who would be willing to join the army?
"I'm not just praising you. This has been done remarkably well! By the way, where are Yue Fei and the others?"
After patting Han Shizhong's shoulder again, Han Mo asked.
"Lu Ying is still recovering from his injuries and has not fully recovered. Yue Fei is currently leading the newly recruited soldiers in land-based training!"
Although Han Shizhong and Yue Fei had not competed, Yue Fei's resolute action in defense of Feng Yuanbao had earned Han Shizhong's respect.
Of course, more importantly, Yue Fei truly possessed outstanding abilities.