The World Online
chapter-613

Translator: ryangohsf

Editor: Nora

Beihai Bay Harbor, Ouyang Shuo was sending off a person.

This man was middle-aged and looked exceedingly ordinary. If he did not wear his military uniform, others would think that he was a normal farmer.

Shi Lang came from Fujian, a famous General at the end of Ming Dynasty and the start of the Qing Dynasty. He was the deputy general of the likes of the Qing Army and the Fujian Navy Admiral; Emperor Kangxi trusted him greatly.

Shi Lang was good at leading troops, especially during naval battles. His troops were swift, fierce and were given the title of Ocean Lightning.

His most famous adventure was when he led the Qing Army in the conquest of Taiwan.

His stats were really eye-catching; Ouyang Shuo's luck seemed to have come at a right time, as he managed to recruit such a general.

Name: Shi Lang (Emperor Rank)

Title: Marquis Jinghai

Identity: Shanhai City General

Occupation: special rank general

Loyalty: 75

Command: 88

Force: 85

Intelligence: 75

Politics: 70

Specialty: Naval Battle (10% increase in cannon range and power, 30% increase in warship speed, 25% increase in warship defences, 35% increase in navy soldiers morale).

Cultivation method: Jinghai True Manual

Evaluation: General Shi Lang possesses rare knowledge and unprecedented brawn. He is accomplished in formations and naval warfare. Proficient at reading the weather while at sea; he is used to naval quests. He dares to speak up when others do not, and he dares to act when others do not.

On the topic of Shi Lang, some people might be a little unfamiliar with him.

On the contrary, the other famous general who occupied Yizhou-Zheng, Cheng Gong was praised by many.

For what reason?

Shi Lang had changed his allegiance continuously. He worked for the Ming Dynasty army twice and surrendered to the Qing Army twice. It was not surprising that descendants had mixed opinions about him. His position in history always remained a debate.

Was he the hero that occupied Taiwan, or was he the villain that kept changing sides?

Ming Dynasty General Zheng Cheng Gong took Yizhou from the Dutch before making it the base to go against the Qing. The Qing Army sent troops to attack Yizhou, but they returned in defeat many times.

During the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign, Shi Lang led twenty thousand elite troops and three hundred warships out to sea to take over Yizhou. With this success, Shi Lang was given the title of Marquis Jinghai, which could be inherited indiscriminately. At this stage, he reached the peak of his career.

From his ability to his achievements, Shi Lang was worth of everyone’s praise. He only angered people because he switched sides between the Ming and Qing armies multiple times.

Shi Lang was born in the ending years of the Ming Dynasty. In his early years, he was one of the subordinates of Zheng Zhilong, who was the father of Zheng Cheng Gong. When the Qing Army went down south, Zhen Zhilong's troops were defeated, and Shi Ling surrendered to the Qing Army.

The Qing Army ordered Zheng Zhilong to make his son surrender, but Zheng Cheng Gong was ashamed of his father and disowned him, continuing to fight the Qing. Zheng Cheng Gong admired Shi Ling's commanding ability, and he tried to persuade the latter to fight against the Qing. After many considerations, he decided to leave the Qing Army, and he returned to Zheng Cheng Gong's anti Qing Army once again.

Shi Lang was an open and straightforward person, daring to say anything; Zheng Cheng Gong had a straight temperament, and he had an explosive personality. Hence, the two of them would have conflicts and even fights. At that time, Shi Lang felt unhappy because Zheng Cheng Gong did not reward him for his efforts, while Zheng Cheng Gong distanced himself due to the arrogance of Shi Lang.

Zheng Cheng Gong linked this conflict and the conjecture that Shi Lang wanted to revolt together. In a fit of anger, he ordered men to surround the residence of Shi Lang and captured his father Shi Da Xuan and his brother Shi Xian.

After Shi Lang was captured, he was locked onto a boat. His subordinates and trusted allies empathised with him, so they released him secretly.

After he escaped, Shi Lang returned to the mainland and started to work for Zheng Cheng Gong's uncle, Zheng Zhibao, and he requested for the latter to help him solve the situation between them. However, Zheng Cheng Gong did not accept the reconciliation attempts, and he sent assassins to kill Shi Lang, determined to send him to hell.

Shi Lang managed to survive due to someone tipping him off, but this failure infuriated Zheng Cheng Gong. He ordered someone to kill Shi Lang’s father and brother. As a result, a blood animosity formed between them. Shi Lang had nowhere to go. However, he wanted revenge. With no other choice, he felt compelled to surrender to the Qing Dynasty.

Hence, circumstances had actually forced his so called changing sides.

Not Long after Shi Lang took over Yizhou, he wrote an article about the pros and cons of Yizhou to describe its importance to Emperor Kangxi. He also suggested for the emperor to push for the economic development of Yizhou, which would allow the emperor to obtain a prosperous island.

At the same time, he also persuaded Emperor Kangxi to get rid of the relocation and ocean ban order. In the end, Kangxi followed his suggestions and put tens of millions of residents out of their misery.

One could say that Shi Ling did not just occupu Taiwan, he also helped protect it.

……

After Shi Ling was summoned, Ouyang Shuo immediately appointed him as the fleet admiral of the Jiaozhou Squadron. At the same time, he gave him the title of 3rd grade general, Sea Crossing General.

Such treatment was extremely special and honorable.

Naturally, Ouyang Shuo took into account the general’s familiarity toward Jiaozhou and Quanzhou when appointing him as the Jiaozhou Squadron fleet admiral. He would be a massive help to Ouyang Shuo's future plans.

His mission was to train the Jiaozhou Squadron into shape within half a year.

After obtaining the Beihai Bay Treasure, Ouyang Shuo's ambition also grew. He was not satisfied with the three squadrons being filled in a year; he wanted the matter accomplished in six months.

As for the 1st squadron chief general Yanhuo Yaonie, he would follow Ouyang Shuo in his expedition. The 1st division that he led would temporarily be housed in Beihai Bay.

For Ouyang Shuo to decide to bring him along as the general, he naturally had his considerations. The territory's few navy generals were basically all river and close sea generals; they had basically no ocean generals.

Not to mention Shanhai City, it would probably be difficult to find a navy general proficient in long distance ocean battle in the entirety of China.

As such, the territory needed to train up such generals themselves.

Compared to Cai Mao and Pei Donglai, Yanhuo Yaonie was a player. Not only did he possess terrifying talent, he also had foresight and knowledge that the ancient Chinese did not have. His potential was shocking, and he was a moldable talent. Naturally, he was the best choice for the future general of the long distance travelling ships.

……

After sending Shi Lang away, Ouyang Shuo started to prepare for the impending voyaging expedition.

Gaia had already disbanded Chang An Night News and the other two publications, causing an uproar in the wilderness. Ouyang Shuo did not bother about the fates of those players. Naturally, someone would deal with them.

The Four Seas Bank had once again set on the right path; they did not need Ouyang Shuo to worry. After this set back, Meng Zhida would definitely start a revolution in the bank.

The territory had the four directors and the various governors, so everything was well ran.

First, Ouyang Shuo needed to distribute the millions from the treasure. After the jewels and gems were evaluated, they were deemed to have a value of above 3.3 million.

Along with the 3.85 million gold, the treasure amounted to more than seven million.

Such a vast sum made all the directors and governors drool. Unfortunately, Ouyang Shuo's one sentence destroyed all their dreams and hopes.

"The financial budget that has been adjusted once will not be adjusted a second time. The seven million will be used for the specially planned specific purposes." Ouyang Shuo made it clear.

Firstly, Ouyang Shuo took out two million to support the Black Snake Guards, the Shanhai Guards, and Military Intelligence Division.

The use of intel had grown more and more apparent.

Ouyang Shuo did not mind spending a vast amount. Once again, he placed his hopes on the three intel organizations to reap huge rewards. During this round of investment, the roles of the three organizations were tweaked.

Firstly, the scope of activity of the Shanhai Guards was not limited to the territory anymore.

Both the Shanhai Guards and the Black Snake Guards would cover the entire region. The difference would be that the Shanhai Guards would focus on natives, while the Black Snake Guards on players.

Neither interfered with the other; they worked hand in hand.

Apart from that, the two intel organizations would continue to extend into the territories of the Yanhuang Alliance.

Being on the back foot and being hit was not his style.

Secondly, they would expand the overseas version of the intel organizations.

The Black Snake Guards, apart from the local intel work, would also start to acquire international intel to prepare for future country battles.

The first target would be Annan, which Ouyang Shuo had played for a fool.

Just this aim emphasized the ambition of Ouyang Shuo. When Black Snake heard the command, he could feel his blood boil. As an international mercenary, his foresight was truly wide.

Black Snake was going to show off his might once more.

To fulfil the two goals, two million gold was just a start.

The next day, Ouyang Shuo sent five hundred thousand to the Honglu Temple. The first half of the year would be when the Honglu Temple led by Zhang Yi showed their skills. Naturally, Ouyang Shuo needed to support him.

Travelling, canvassing support, and alienating one person from another; such tasks needed actual funds.

Following which, Ouyang Shuo turned his eyes to Xinan University and the Army Military Academy.

In the end, these two education organizations were going to propel the future of the territory. After all, more than half of the officials and generals in the territory had benefited from them.

The schools were holy places of culture, so talk of money seemed a bit too vulgar.

However, in reality...

Hiring hundreds and thousands of lecturers, perfect facilities, and paying for tens of thousands of scholars; each aspect was a huge expenditure.

The education organizations in history were all backed by the entire country's finances.

Hence, Ouyang Shuo did not mind spending one million gold in hope that the territory would have its next talent explosion. He hoped that these two schools would become the best school in Xinan or even the entirety of China.

"Accepting talents and scholars from everywhere, accepting everyone regardless of background, with a dominating strength to swallow up tens of thousands of miles."

This was Ouyang Shuo's ambition.