Chapter 311 Island Conquest

Having brought back another batch of wealth, the first phase of the naval fleet's mission was considered complete. From now on, they would no longer be tasked with going out to sea to rake in money, but would instead transform into a proper naval force—a navy.

In the war room of the Governors Office, Cao Xing strode in and bowed respectfully to Gao Yuan, saying, "Greetings, My Lord."

Gao Yuan turned back and looked Cao Xing over, revealing a smile. "You look to be in good spirits. It seems you've rested well these past few days!"

"Thank you for your concern, My Lord. This humble general has already recovered, and now I only await your command to set sail once again."

Gao Yuan was very satisfied with Cao Xing's attitude and nodded slightly. "That is exactly what I was waiting to hear. Come here!"

Cao Xing quickly walked to Gao Yuan's side, and he soon noticed the areas Gao Yuan had circled, his heart immediately filling with excitement.

Seeing that he had already guessed something, Gao Yuan did not hold back and pointed directly at the islands on the map, stating his purpose. "This is Yizhou as recorded in the books, and this is Penghu, the gateway to Yizhou."

After speaking, he moved his finger upward, pointing to the location of the future Zhoushan Islands. "This is Wenzhou. I need you to first establish naval ports and towns in Penghu and Yizhou, then advance step by step to Wenzhou. Once war breaks out in the future, we will be able to take them by surprise. Do you understand?"

Cao Xing knew this was a daunting task, but he was also very clear that as long as he completed this work well, being enfeoffed as a marquis or becoming a high-ranking official in the future would be a matter of course.

Ever since he had been enfeoffed as General of Pacifying the Seas and granted the title of County Earl, the number of people visiting his home to offer gifts had increased, which made him start to feel dissatisfied with the status quo.

He wanted to climb higher and go further, so he needed to prove his worth and take on more important tasks.

This was clearly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so without the slightest hesitation, he stood up and bowed to Gao Yuan, saying, "Rest assured, My Lord. This humble general will certainly not let down your heavy trust."

Gao Yuan nodded slightly and immediately dangled a carrot for Cao Xing. "As long as you can complete this task within five years, I will recommend you to be the Marquis of Pacifying the Seas."

Cao Xing was overjoyed. Although there was only a one-rank difference between a County Earl and a County Marquis, those in the know understood just how vast the gap was; this was not something that could be obtained just by performing some casual military service.

He was well aware of his own level; his archery was first-class, but other than that, he was completely mediocre. To try and hack out achievements through combat like Xia Luqi and the others would be like a fool dreaming.

And now, a heaven-sent opportunity was laid out before him. He even pondered why Gao Yuan was spending so much effort to build these maritime bases.

After returning home and carefully examining the map, he understood. The Wenzhou Islands were but a stone's throw from the Capital City. Did that not mean he would be able to follow Gao Yuan to strike at the heart of the enemy in the future?

If that were indeed the case, then a mere marquis title would hardly be enough to reward such merit! If he could perform enough service to be enfeoffed as a County Duke or even a Commandery Duke, it would not be impossible for him to advance further and don the purple robes on the day Gao Yuan ascended the throne!

The more he thought about it, the more motivated he felt. That night, he was so excited he couldn't sleep, and he gathered his trusted subordinates to study the map all night long.

The naval fleet, officially renamed the Daqian Navy, rested at Panyu Port for only a month before setting off again. This time, they did not deploy their entire force, taking only eighty heavy Treasure Ships.

The remaining eighty-plus light and heavy Treasure Ships were led by Cao Xing's deputy, Su Yue, stationed in the Panyu Port area, ready to provide paid escort services for the merchant fleets about to set sail.

For these merchant ships, Gao Yuan allowed them to carry limited weapons for self-defense, but only basic melee weapons like swords, spears, and halberds.

If anyone dared to carry heavy long-range weapons like ballistae or catapults, they would be treated as pirates, and the navy would directly annihilate anyone who did not comply.

With experienced naval officers to lead and escort them, and with the reasonable prices Gao Yuan offered, those Powerful Families and wealthy merchants naturally would not think of tweaking the tiger's whiskers, so they all agreed.

Contrary to what Gao Yuan had envisioned, Cao Xing bypassed the Penghu Islands, the gateway to Yizhou, and landed directly on the main island of Yizhou.

Besides the naval officers and soldiers, he initially brought along many death-row prisoners from the prisons, their families, as well as supplies like cement and grain seeds.

These people had been hiding in the ship's hold, terrified for half a month. Finally stepping onto land, before they had even recovered, Cao Xing began to speak to them: "You were all people of heinous crimes, originally with absolutely no chance of survival. However, Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, and my lord, the Duke of Yue, is willing to give you a chance to live. This is Yizhou. From now on, you can reclaim land here, build your homes, and lead a stable life again. However, I emphasize this once: anyone who commits crimes again will be directly beheaded. I hope everyone keeps this in mind and does not waste this rare opportunity."

For these death-row prisoners, they had originally faced certain death, and they had even implicated their families, causing them to be unable to hold their heads up. Now that they had such an opportunity, how could they not cherish it?

Subsequently, the navy made several more trips, transporting large numbers of prisoners, supplies, and farming tools from various places. This desolate land gradually began to liven up, and soon a town was established.

As for this port, after Gao Yuan carefully inquired and determined its location, he waved his brush and gave the town a name—Kaohsiung County, and the port was also called Kaohsiung Port.

Following that, those prisoners, along with the first batch of immigrants and soldiers, multiplied and thrived there, quickly turning it into a bustling city with a population of over tens of thousands, and it became an important naval port base.

Of course, these are stories for another time.

In short, Cao Xing did not remain idle. After Kaohsiung Port began to take shape, he arranged for people to communicate with the local indigenous people while also heading north along Dongning Island, establishing a second port base, Keelung Port.

As for the indigenous people on the island, those who could communicate and reason were naturally all absorbed to join in reclaiming land and building towns, while those who were stubborn and refused to listen were, of course, dispatched with troops and annihilated.

Thanks to the fact that the Southwest was a place covered in dense jungles, a large number of soldiers in the Yue army were extremely familiar with jungle warfare. The advantages held by those indigenous people vanished completely in the face of these soldiers.

Coupled with the fact that compliant indigenous people acted as guides, Cao Xing spent less than half a year clearing out all the indigenous tribes near Kaohsiung and Keelung.

With the stubborn ones serving as a warning, the subsequent work of incorporating the indigenous tribes became much simpler, and indigenous people constantly walked out of the mountains and forests to voluntarily join the construction army.

In a place unknown to everyone, Gao Yuan had once again completed an expansion of territory, and Cao Xing had also received his second task—to exterminate the pirates.

The Wenzhou area was teeming with pirates, which provided a natural breeding ground for them. These pirates frequently plundered passing ships and coastal residents, burning, killing, and looting, stopping at nothing.

Exterminating the pirates would not only allow them to seize the pirates' wealth for their own use, but more importantly, it would achieve the goal of drilling the troops.

By the sixth month of the fifth year of the Jian'an era, when the massive fleet was preparing to set sail, the Yue Navy already possessed a massive force of 120 heavy Treasure Ships, 70 fast Treasure Ships, and nearly 30,000 soldiers.

It is no exaggeration to say that at this time, this fleet was the "Invincible Armada" of the Asian region.

Once the cannons were cast, this fleet would be able to sweep across the entire coastal region, including the Daqian Capital City, the Capital City.