【1116】Sever

"Focus your mind, hold onto the ghostly aura, slowly drive it, and let it circulate throughout your body."
General Lin stood in the cabin of Xiao Stone Bamboo, raised his eyebrows slightly, and then said, "Good, slowly control the ghostly aura back to your dantian."
Sitting cross-legged in front of her was Xiao Shizhu, with his eyes tightly closed.
Black Monkey and Qing Lan were by his side, silent and just gazing quietly. Sweat beads had already formed on Xiao Shizhu's forehead.
The eerie aura emanating from Xiao Shizhu gradually receded into his body, carrying with it the surrounding gloom.
After absorbing all of this gloom, the cabin not only became somewhat stuffy, but the moonlight shining through the window from outside also grew increasingly dim.
The once bright moonlight of the gloomy moon now seems like an elderly person who has lost their life, dimming down like when clouds obscure the moon.
After a moment, Xiao Shizhu withdrew all the eerie energy back into his body, slowly exhaling a breath of relief.
Previously, the moonlight was dim, but now it slowly brightened up.
As the moonlight grew bright once again, Xiao Shizhu slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze was as bright as the moonlight. It seemed like gemstones sparkling with a pearl-like light in the darkness of the night.
"The extraordinary healing technique of the Rakshasa clan is truly well-deserved of its reputation."
After taking a deep breath, Xiao Shizhu took the clean towel handed to him by Qing Lan and wiped the fine sweat off his forehead. Without waiting for Qing Lan to offer support, he stood up.
Compared to before, he has improved some mentally.
This is also another reason why he brought General Lin with him.
Ever since he had most of his ghost powers taken away in the Yellow Springs, Xiao Shizhu's body has been deteriorating further and further.
He himself can clearly feel that under his youthful appearance, his physical body is rapidly aging.
But strangely, the profound energy that he lost a large amount of previously is slowly replenishing, nurtured by the Yin energy of the underworld.
Keshao Shizhu has too many things to worry about, so naturally he didn't delve deep into it. But since his spiritual power has been replenished, he feels that he can manage with his deteriorating physical condition, relying on his spiritual power to hold on.
Therefore, he began to find time to practice some mystical techniques that could harness and channel Qi energy. By practicing these techniques, he aimed to achieve the effect of prolonging his life.
Xiao Shizhu moved his limbs a bit and handed the towel to Qing Lan. He then walked to the window and leaned against it, watching the waves under the moonlight outside. He accepted the teacup handed to him by Qing Lan.
In this tea cup, there is a pool of green soup, which is the medicine brewed for Xiao Shizhu.
Xiao Shizhu frowned and sighed before contemplating for a while. However, in the end, he tilted his head back and finished it in one gulp.
As he handed over an empty teacup, Qing Lan also handed him a peeled tangerine.
The bitter medicinal taste lingered in Xiao Shizhu's mouth, causing his eyebrows to furrow even tighter.
He stuffed the citrus into his mouth and bit into it as he walked towards the sand table. The tangy citrus juice alleviated some of the bitterness in his mouth. Xiao Shizhu chewed on the citrus as he advanced towards the sand table.
In addition to Hei Hou, Qing Lan and General Lin also followed.
"Lord," Qing Lan picked up the teapot next to him and poured a cup of tea for Xiao Shizhu.
Xiao Shizhu waved his hand, indicating that Qing Lan should wait and continued to focus on the eastern coast of Dongying Island on the sand table.
The entire sand table is meticulously crafted to depict the mountains, rivers, and veins of the Mingshou region. With towering mountains and flowing rivers, as well as vast plains and basins, everything is clearly visible within this small space.
沙盘之上，只要打眼一看，整个东瀛洲地貌，当即能看得明明白白。
而萧石竹看向的东海岸地区，海岸海湾不少。因此青丘狐国这些年，也建立了不少海岸港口。
Due to the deterrence of the Northern Yin Dynasty, most of the ports are only used for commercial purposes, serving as trading hubs. They allow other nations' merchant ships to engage in commercial trade by using these ports. The Qing Qiu Fox Nation dares not to anchor their navy warships in these areas.

However, the conversion of a commercial port into a military port is not something only Xiao Shizhu can do.
Back when he was on the Shuoyue Island, the intelligence about transforming a commercial port into a military port and converting merchant ships into warships for immediate combat readiness had already been discovered by foreign intelligence agents.
This is no longer some ghost country's exclusive technology.
"The intelligence you mentioned earlier." Xiao Shizhu's hands were pounding on the edge of the sand table, his eyes staring at the coastal area of the East China Sea on the sand table, and he said to General Lin beside him, "Continue."
Hearing this, General Lin nodded and continued, "A year ago, you had me infiltrate the Oni Investigation Unit in Dongying. During this time, we received some information. It is said that in the past three months, the Qingqiu Fox Nation has been mobilizing a large number of manpower, resources, and finances secretly to the eastern coast. This matter did not involve any generals from the Qingqiu Fox Nation and was fully handled by the Ministry of Works. That's why our operatives took some time to investigate."
General Lin, the purpose of my visit today is to report on this matter.
However, before I could finish speaking, Xiao Shizhu already entered a state of deep meditation. General Lin had no choice but to set this matter aside and assist Xiao Shizhu in cultivating and regulating his energy flow.
Talking about this, Xiao Shizhu is not shocked but laughs, saying, "The Qingqiu Fox Clan has also become clever. They know that by assigning this task to the generals, it will surely be discovered soon."
Everyone could guess the purpose of Qingqiu Fox Kingdom's actions, and Xiaoshi Zhu was no exception.
General Lin glanced over and saw a calmness in Xiaoshi Zhu's eyes.
"Go on." Xiaoshi Zhu suppressed his smile and continued to focus on the sand table.
"Several docks are now being used to receive supplies sent by the North Yin Dynasty, mostly located near the northern region. These supplies come from the Northern Land Three Continents and are disguised on the outside. They consist of Ghost Cannon and Flame Bullets, as well as numerous iron-made arrowheads and javelins." General Lin nodded and continued to provide detailed intelligence to Xiao Shizhu. "This includes some reinforcements sent by the North Yin Dynasty, which will all be landed in these locations. They will then change into the armors of the Qingqiu Fox Kingdom before heading south into the war zone."
"And various supplies, such as food and forage, provided by the Bei Yin Dynasty, were mostly landed near the Qingqiu Mountain. A small portion of the soldiers who came to assist were also in this area. However, all the warships were disguised, and they didn't dare to fly the dragon flag. Instead, they flew the flags of merchant ships or the Qingqiu Fox Country." At this point, General Lin pointed to several ports near Qingqiu Mountain on the sand table. "Even the Bei Yin Dynasty dares not openly support Qingqiu Fox Country." Please let me know if you need any further assistance with the translation.
Xiao Stone Bamboo's gaze followed, sweeping over those several ports.
On the detailed sand table, one could see that these several ports were all connected to three to five inland rivers. And these rivers went westward, crossing the entire East Edo continent.
The convenience of waterways allows these several ports to be connected to the inland rivers, along with most of the regions and cities within the continent.
"Isn't that how supply lines are formed?" Xiao Stone Bamboo asked thoughtfully, his gaze following the paths of these rivers that connect the inland areas, slowly moving towards the center and ultimately settling on the northern part of the Xuan Ni Mountain region.
General Lin nodded without hesitation, and she also thought the same.
The vast and labyrinthine waterways of Dongying Island could be effectively utilized. Establishing a well-connected transportation network would facilitate the transportation of supplies and even troops, continuously delivering them to the desired locations.
Xiao Shizhu pondered for a moment, then turned to Qing Lan and asked, "Where is Gong Gong?"
Since the enemy wanted to engage in a water battle, Xiao Shizhu had already made preparations by dispatching Gong Gong, who could come in handy.
Qing Lan thought for a moment and replied: "According to the contact three days ago, the Governor-General has already arrived in the southern part of Dongyi Island. The fleet reported that it is currently the season of headwinds, so the large ships are progressing slowly."
Xiao Shizhu was obviously dissatisfied with the result. He raised his hands and quickly brought them down with a heavy clap on the edge of the sand table.
After a dull thud, several artificial plants on the sand table trembled.
"Too slow." A deep voice sounded from Xiao Shizhu's mouth.
"My lord, it's not General Gonggong's fault." Seeing Xiao Shizhu's displeasure, Qing Lan quickly said, "General Gonggong was urgently summoned from Minghai this time, and the fleet he led was equipped with many new Xuanwu-class warships. Those are all large ships, so they naturally lack in speed. Moreover, there are now many north winds on the sea, and he is sailing against the wind, causing the fleet to move slower. It's understandable."
This remark reminded Xiao Stone Bamboo, and the displeasure on his face disappeared in an instant.
If it weren't for Qinglan's reminder, Xiao Stone Bamboo would have forgotten about this. In addition to his current mission, Gonggong also intends to test the combat effectiveness of the latest warship from the Nine Nether Country.
These latest Iron Dragon warships of the Jiuyou Nation will continue production if they perform well in combat.
They will then become one of the main naval vessels of the Jiuyou Nation.
"Alright, let Gonggong block off these ports for me," said Xiao Shizhu calmly. After thinking for a moment, he gave an order, "Sink any enemy warship disguised as ships from the Northern Yin Dynasty."
Since the Northern Yin Dynasty is relying on disguises to support the Green Hill Fox Country, it is evident that they are unwilling to provoke a direct conflict with the Jiuyou Kingdom.
Therefore, Xiao Shizhu devised a plan to feign ignorance and took those warships, which are obviously from the Northern Yin Dynasty, as a bluff. We will send one large ship after another and fight against their forces one by one.
Although the two countries have a peace agreement in hand, they can only maintain a superficial peace.
Both Xiao Shizhu and Emperor Fengdu understand that between them, there are only two options: life or death.
Maintaining a superficial harmony is just a temporary necessity. However, behind the scenes, there has been a constant back-and-forth between us.
And it is the same this time.
"So, does this aim to cut off support to the Northern Yin Dynasty and aid the Qingqiu Fox Nation?" General Lin spoke, as he glanced at the eastern coastal region of Dongying Continent on the sand table.
Xiao Shizhu nodded slightly as Qing Lan beside him voiced her advice, saying, "Should we appoint Gong Gong as the commander-in-chief and have the fleet hoist the flag of the Qingqiu Fox Kingdom, pretending to launch a surprise attack on the warships of the Northern Yin Dynasty...".
"No need."
Before Qing Lan finished speaking, Xiao Shizhu interrupted him and bluntly said, "Even if we openly attack and deliberately cut off the supply to the Northern Yin Dynasty, he can only suffer in silence."
General Lin also nodded in agreement; on this point, she had already anticipated that neither the Northern Shadow Dynasty nor the Qingqiu Fox Nation would dare to openly announce the Nine Hades Kingdom's attacks on their ships.
Once acknowledged, it means declaring that the Northern Yin Dynasty is secretly supporting the Qingqiu Fox Nation to resist the Jiuyou Nation.
Both the Northern Yin Dynasty and the Qingqiu Fox Nation are wary of the Jiuyou Nation's pervasive propaganda machinery and its growing influence in the underworld of the Ming Realm in recent years.
So there is no need for such fuss.
At this moment, a report suddenly came from outside the door, saying, "Master, Yun Mo has awakened. She wants to see you."