"Naval Battle"

"What is that?"

Qiao Zhenggang frowned. A few days ago, this stretch of sea had still been completely empty. Now this thing had appeared, indicating that it was capable of moving. Yet after an hour and a half of travel, it still floated far out at sea, and was likely slower than even a sailboard.

"Reporting to you, sir," the staff officer at his side said with cupped hands, "the intelligence sent back from Jinxia previously stated that a group of long-eared Yao lived upon a floating island made of trees. The locals called it a Tree Boat, though it was actually more like a small sea reef. I suspect this thing was sent by the people of Jinxia."

"An enemy from Jinxia..." Qiao Zhenggang revealed a contemplative look. Bloodthirsty as he was, he was no brainless brute; otherwise, he could never have climbed his way to the position of Sentinel. Country folk had no ability to resist, so they could be kneaded and squeezed however he pleased. But Jinxia was different—it was a formidable enemy that had defeated the Shangyuan Bureau of Military Affairs. "If I understand correctly, it is essentially an enormous troop transport?"

"The intelligence did not mention it possessing any armament." The staff officer shook his head. "However, if a Tree Boat can transport troops, it can naturally transport weapons as well. Ordinary cannons fear unstable footing most of all. If they can be mounted upon a floating island of such astonishing size, both their power and accuracy will likely remain at quite a high level."

Cannons...

The intelligence had indeed mentioned that Jinxia had delved deeply into firearms. The source of it all was a traitor within the Mechanical Bureau, allowing those rebels' Mechanism Art to advance by leaps and bounds. During their battle with