The surprise came far too suddenly.
So suddenly that Yang Ge could hardly believe things had gone this smoothly. He felt the same disbelief Jing Ke might have felt if, on his way to Xianyang to assassinate the King of Qin, he had stopped someone outside the city to ask directions-and happened to grab the fat king himself, out traveling incognito.
Could even Heaven want this bastard dead?
To avoid being fooled by a body double or some similar trick, the resourceful Yang Ge prudently suppressed his delight. With a false smile, he cupped his fists. "Would you kindly lift your esteemed foot, sir? You're stepping on my money."
Zhao Liang also felt that the surprise had come far too suddenly.
Lately, he had been troubled by Wang Zeng's Five Peaks Fleet slipping out of his control. He wanted to support another band of Japanese pirates to stabilize his power base, but his limited knowledge of maritime affairs and the foreign peoples of the West prevented him from laying long-term plans.
Who would have thought that what he lost at sunrise, he would regain at sunset?
He had only just lost a watchdog with rebellion bred into its bones, and now he had gained a great talent capable of opening frontiers and expanding his domain!
He was no ignorant fool. His fleets had traversed the Maritime Silk Road more than a decade ago, reaching as far as East Africa and Europe. Moreover, foreign peoples had visited Great Wei frequently in recent years and had extensive contact with the forces under his command. Thus, he had some understanding of the situation overseas. Even the "New Continent" this man had just mentioned was something he had heard a little about from Frankish merchants...
That was why, as soon as his subordinates reported