Chapter 859
Surrender
The army arrived at the Falkland Islands the following morning.
The German troops stationed on the Falklands were completely panicked by the approaching Chinese army.
Their own emperor, Lan Yu, was defeated by the Han army yesterday. Are they, these shrimp soldiers and crab generals, just waiting to die if they stay here?
Therefore, the garrison on Ma Island had completely withdrawn before the Han army arrived.
This place became a no-man's land, and the Han army occupied Mashima Island without bloodshed, advancing directly towards the Japanese mainland.
Meanwhile, Lan Yu had already fled to Fusang. After gathering the defeated troops, he discovered that the army of 15 had lost more than 10 in this great battle, and after gathering them together, the army was left with less than 5 men.
Lan Yu entered the city in disarray, having lost his armor and weapons. At this moment, Mu Ying, who was guarding the city, came forward to greet him. Upon seeing Lan Yu's condition, he asked, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Lan Yu waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright, it's just that of my 15 troops, I now have less than 5 left."
Mu Ying then looked at Lan Yu and said, "Fu Youde has become this powerful now."
Lan Yu replied, "It's not that Fu Youde is so powerful, it's just that I didn't expect the Han Dynasty's artillery to be so formidable."
"At the beginning of the battle, our army had the advantage, but Fu Youde suddenly ordered the artillery to fire all at once, and we immediately became targets, resulting in the destruction of all our warships and 15 of our 10 troops being fed to sharks."
"15 troops! That's the culmination of my hard work."
Lan Yu stamped his feet and beat his chest as he spoke, sighing and lamenting, his pain evident in his words.
Mu Ying sighed and said, "It is indeed a bit of a stretch to fight against the might of the Han army with an isolated island. Even when we were in power, we could not defeat Chen Jiu Si. You and I do not yet have the talent to take power, so how can we resist Chen Jiu Si's army?"
Lan Yu looked at Mu Ying and said, "What do you mean?"
Mu Ying remained calm and composed under Lan Yu's gaze, and simply said, "One cannot fight against the prevailing trend. Given the current situation, neither of us has any power to resist."
"Today, we are already in such a state because Fu Youde has only led 10 men. What if Chen Jiu Si leads his army?"
"Even if you and I defeat Fu Youde with all our might, Fu Youde only leads the tip of the iceberg of the Han Dynasty. They can come back at any time, and the next one will be Chen Jiu Si."
Mu Ying looked at Lan Yu, whose expression grew increasingly grim.
"What exactly do you mean?" Lan Yu asked in an icy voice.
Mu Ying then spoke up: "Back then, even I couldn't defeat Chen Jiu Si when I was in power, but now, you and I are like ants compared to Chen Jiu Si, who is a god-like being on land."
"Today it was Fu Youde who lost. Next time it might be Chen Jiu Si. Are you, Lan Yu, confident in defeating Chen Jiu Si?"
Mu Ying looked at Lan Yu and asked a heart-wrenching question.
Although Lan Yu was arrogant, he was not so arrogant as to think that he could defeat Chen Jiu Si. Chen Jiu Si was a man that even Zhu Chong Ba could not defeat. He was a powerful expert at the level of a terrestrial immortal. What was Lan Yu?
Lan Yu looked at Mu Ying and said, enunciating each word clearly, "So what do you want?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying said with a somber expression, "My superior once told me that one should not contend with the prevailing trend. Chen Jiu Si has become the ruler of China, which means that the trend has already been established. If we contend with him, it will be like throwing an egg against a rock, and we will only end up dead."
"So, we only have one path to take now."
"I surrender~" Lan Yu's voice was soft and dejected, like that of a loser.
After pondering for a while, he suddenly looked up at Mu Ying and asked, "Are you willing to surrender like this?"
Mu Ying sighed, "It's all about timing and fate. What can you do if you're unwilling to accept defeat when you encounter an opponent like Chen Jiu Si?"
"Surrender, there's no point in fighting anymore."
After Mu Ying finished speaking, she stopped talking. Lan Yu sighed and said, "Fine, since you've said so, let's surrender."
He was stunned by Fu Youde's cannons. Today's experience will be unforgettable for him. Those terrifying cannons were beyond human power to stop. Moreover, Mu Ying was right. Even if he could defeat Fu Youde, so what?
Behind Fu Youde is Chen Jiu Si, a figure like a celestial being on land. Who could possibly be his match?
Thinking of this, Lan Yu stood up, patted the dirt off his body, and said, "I'll leave the surrender to you. I'm tired."
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying looked at Lan Yu and said, "Then leave this matter to me. You go back and pack your things first. I don't think Commander Fu will refuse to give me face."
Lan Yu nodded slightly, turned and left, her destination the magnificent palace she had recently built.
Standing outside the palace, looking at the blue jade tiles on the roof, he sighed, "What is not yours can never be kept."
Lan Yu went straight into the palace and summoned the palace maids to indulge in pleasure. As for whether he was truly happy, only he himself knew.
That's how people are. Sometimes they seem to be doing things that make them happy, but no one knows the bitterness in their hearts.
Lan Yu was a proud man who believed that his literary and martial skills were both first-rate. However, he found that there was a man like Chen Jiu Si in this world. Compared to him, he felt like a joke.
In terms of governance, Chen Jiusi brought order and efficiency to the vast land of China. Farmers lived in peace and prosperity. Every household enjoyed bountiful harvests, living a life they had never dared to dream of before.
As for myself, I've incurred the wrath of both heaven and man in this island nation. When I first submitted to the government, I killed hundreds of thousands of people, and in recent years, my tyrannical rule and military buildup have led to the starvation of tens of thousands more. Looking back now, it truly reflects my incompetence.
Fortunately, they weren't Han Chinese, so Lan Yu felt less guilty.
Looking at military equipment, this is what Lan Yu is most proud of. He believes that his military strategy is the best in the world. But now, under Chen Jiu Si's cannons, all his civil and military achievements, all his troop deployments, have become a joke.
Those terrifying cannons taught every self-proclaimed master of military strategy a lesson, making them realize how ridiculous they were.
We can't beat them, we really can't beat them.
Lan Yu is now disheartened and has completely lost the courage and determination to resist Chen Jiu Si.
If we can't compete in civil administration, and we can't compete in military preparedness, then how can we compete in martial arts?
In terms of martial arts, Chen Jiu Si is at the level of a terrestrial immortal. As for him, he is only at the Furnace Realm. Compared to Chen Jiu Si, he is probably just an insignificant ant.
We can't beat them, so let's just surrender.
Lan Yu thought he would just pull a beautiful woman to sit on his lap.
"Come and drink with me."
Lan Yu picked up his wine glass and began drinking heartily with the beautiful woman. He didn't care about the country or the army at this moment. He just wanted to live a life of drunken stupor and escape reality. This was the incompetent method of a loser.
On the other hand, after settling the troops, Mu Ying sailed to Ma Island to meet Fu Youde.
By this time, Fu Youde had already established a stronghold on Falkland Island, his army forming a formidable presence that seemed to blot out the sky. Those cannons, still exposed, were enormous weapons of mass destruction, exuding a terrifying pressure.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Mu Ying looked at the mighty army before him and couldn't help but sigh. The might of the Han army was even greater than before.
At this moment, the soldiers guarding the island also saw Mu Ying's ship. Some went to report to Fu Youde, and another group immediately sailed to intercept it.
Two Han army ships intercepted Mu Ying's vessel at sea.
"Halt! Who goes there?" the soldiers shouted from the ship, standing ready to attack.
Upon seeing this, Mu Ying immediately ordered the boats to stop and had someone shout a warning.
"I am Mu Ying, the peerless king of the Great De Empire. I have come to see your army commander. Please announce my arrival."
Upon hearing this, the Han soldiers immediately went to report to Fu Youde.
At this moment, Fu Youde was in his tent discussing with Tang Shengzong and Lu Zhongheng how to attack Fusang Island when he heard a soldier come to report from outside.
"Reporting to the Commander, a ship has arrived outside. The people on board say that Mu Ying, the First Prince of the Great De Empire, has come to see the Commander."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde, who was arranging the attack, stopped what he was doing and looked up at the soldiers with some surprise. Then he sat back down in the main seat.
Lu Zhongheng then looked at Fu Youde and asked, "What's Mu Ying doing here?"
Emperor Shengzong of Tang laughed from the side, "Could it be that Lan Yu sent Mu Ying to persuade them to surrender?"
"It's strange, really. Given Mu Ying's status, why would he let Lan Yu become emperor? Mu Ying was the adopted son of the one who came to power back then. In terms of status, he should be more noble than Lan Yu."
Lu Zhongheng said, "What's so strange about that? Lan Yu has always liked to take charge, while Mu Ying doesn't like to compete. So naturally, the emperor position was given to Lan Yu."
"And Mu Ying isn't just any ordinary prince; he's a prince of equal rank, which means he has almost the same power as the emperor. So he's not at a disadvantage."
Upon hearing Lu Zhongheng's words, Tang Shengzong muttered with a hint of jealousy, "Those two lads really got a good time. I wish I had followed them to this island nation to be an emperor for a few years, to have some fun as a prince."
Lu Zhongheng obediently replied, "Hmph, when our Great Han's Heavenly Army arrives, you'd better be prepared to lose your head. Old Lu won't hold back."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Shengzong of Tang replied, "Go to hell! I would never betray Your Majesty."
"Alright, alright." Fu Youde picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of tea, put the teacup down, and said, "Have someone bring Mu Ying in."
Upon hearing this, the soldier immediately agreed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and left the military tent.
The soldiers quickly arrived outside and, seeing Mu Ying waiting there, said, "Come in, our commander summons you."
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying straightened her clothes and slowly walked towards the military tent.
Along the way, he witnessed the majesty of the Han army. It was an iron-willed army, with every soldier's eyes gleaming, looking like fierce beasts.
The soldiers had ruddy complexions, clearly indicating they ate meat regularly. Don't underestimate the power of eating meat. In this world, very few armies can afford to eat meat regularly.
Soldiers in armies with insufficient meat supplies often suffer from malnutrition, resulting in them being far weaker than those in armies that receive meat. This is the difference in the quality of the soldiers.
Mu Ying looked up at the warships not far away, where hundreds of ships were neatly moored, each with a dark cannon on its side, the muzzle of which looked terrifying.
Mu Ying took a deep breath. This must be the divine weapon that drove Lan Yu to despair.
Finally, after walking through the long military formation, they arrived at Fu Youde's command tent.
The soldier guarding the entrance to the commander's tent then called out, "The guest has arrived."
At the same time, Mu Ying drew back the curtain of the commander's tent and slowly walked in. He saw Fu Youde sitting at a military desk. Behind him hung a map of the island nation of Fusang. To his left stood Tang Shengzong, and to his right stood Lu Zongheng.
Mu Ying then cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Marshal Fu, General Tang, and General Lu."
Tang Shengzong and Lu Zongheng remained silent. Fu Youde then saw Mu Ying and said, "Oh, isn't this the Prince of Yizi Bingjian?"
Mu Ying smiled wryly and said, "Commander Fu, please stop teasing me. What 'King of One Word'? It's just children playing house."
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde said, "Hey, that's too modest. Occupying a huge island and having a population of over a million and an army of two hundred thousand. How can such a country be considered child's play?"
Mu Ying smiled wryly and said, "General Fu, please don't mock me. Compared to the might of the Han army, what is my little bit of wealth?"
"I have come here today to surrender to Commander Fu. My Great De Empire is powerless to resist the might of the Han army. Therefore, my king has ordered me to come here today to discuss the matter of surrender with you."
Upon hearing this, Fu Youde's eyes lit up and he smiled, instantly dispelling the imposing aura he had exuded earlier. He gestured for Tang Shengzong and Lu Zongheng to step forward.
Upon receiving Fu Youde's signal, the two immediately stepped forward. Tang Shengzong put his arm around Mu Ying's shoulder and said, "You're quite something, kid. You actually managed to become a prince with the same rank as the first-rank prince. Tell me, isn't it great to be a prince?"
Mu Ying was immediately affected by the atmosphere, and all her energy was released. She said with a bitter face, "Please don't tease me, brothers. I really don't want to be a prince."
"The people on this wretched island are stupid and foolish. They don't even bother to cultivate the land properly. All they think about all day is petty theft and thievery, making them incredibly difficult to manage. Lan Yu is also a handful, always busy preparing for war and never caring about the lives of the people. I've been the one mediating all these years, otherwise this country would have fallen apart long ago..."
Mu Ying lowered her guard and poured out her grievances. They were not strangers; they were brothers who had worked together in the past, so there was nothing they couldn't say to each other.
After the three talked for a while, Lu Zhongheng spoke up: "Brother Mu Ying, why did you have such a stupid idea? Why did you come to this crappy island country with Lan Yu to be a prince?"
"With your abilities, if you had joined the brothers in surrendering to His Majesty back then, you would at least be a marquis now. A marquis in the Han Dynasty is much more powerful than a prince like you."
"Moreover, your defection back then greatly displeased Commander Xu. If you come back to the Great Han with us this time, you'd better be careful when you meet Commander Xu."
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying said with remorse, "I have failed my master."
Seeing this, Tang Shengzong said, "Haha, it's alright. Commander Xu has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He will forgive you when we get to the Han Dynasty."
Mu Ying remained silent.
At this moment, seeing that the situation was about right, Fu Youde said, "Mu Ying, you can state your conditions for surrendering now." (End of this chapter)