News that Peach Blossom Spring had crushed the Six Treasures Navy and captured its Deputy Pillar, Atlas the "Iron-Walled Water Buffalo," swept across the entire West Blue like a sudden storm, with far greater force than the destruction of the Black Tide Pirates!
This time, Peach Blossom Spring had faced no ragtag pirate crew, but the Six Treasures Navy-the proper regular forces of the Flower Country! And it had won an overwhelming victory! The news spread wildly through fleeing sailors, sharp-eyed News Coos, whispers aboard passing merchant ships, and certain secret channels unknown to others. The vast waters of the West Blue were like a tranquil lake struck by a boulder, suddenly rippling in every direction. The various powers reacted very differently, yet all shared a shock they could scarcely conceal.
The Flower Country, in the royal palace's great hall.
The atmosphere was almost suffocatingly heavy. On his throne, the king of the Flower Country looked livid, the battle report creaking in his clenched hand.
"Useless! Every last one of you!" The king hurled the report to the floor, his voice trembling with extreme anger. "Two thousand soldiers of the Six Treasures Navy! Deputy Pillar Atlas captured alive! Warships damaged! You have utterly disgraced me and the Flower Country! Chancellor! Is this the result of the forceful cleansing you so vehemently advocated?!"
The leader of the Pro-Cleansing Faction, the chancellor whose hair and beard were white but whose gaze remained as sharp as a hawk's, also looked grim. Still, he forced himself to remain composed, stepped forward, and bowed. "Please quell your anger, Your Majesty! Those bandits of Peach Blossom Spring are exceptionally cunning. They used the peculiar terrain to lay an ambush and launch a surprise attack. Deputy Pillar Atlas possesses ample valor, but she did indeed fall into their trap and underestimate the enemy, resulting in this defeat. Yet this battle proves precisely that Peach Blossom Spring has become a grave threat within our Flower Country! Unless we eradicate them before they fully develop, they will surely become a prairie fire, and our country will cease to be a country! I implore Your Majesty to issue an immediate decree dispatching the First Treasures Navy, or assembling the main forces of the Erbao and Third Treasures Navies. Let us descend upon them with overwhelming force and deliver a thunderous blow. We must raze Peach Blossom Spring and restore our national prestige!"
"The chancellor is mistaken!" Another minister immediately stepped forward to object. He represented the Pro-Pacification Faction. "Your Majesty! The Six Treasures Navy has just suffered defeat, and morale is low. Peach Blossom Spring defeated Atlas head-on, demonstrating strength whose depths we cannot fathom! If we insist on a punitive expedition, victory is uncertain, and even a costly victory would severely weaken our country! Moreover, intelligence from multiple sources indicates that although Peach Blossom Spring has gathered followers and occupied islands, it has not indiscriminately slaughtered innocents. Instead, it has punished local tyrants and sheltered refugees, winning considerable support among the common people. Its leader, Chen Yu, might be brought into the fold. If we could secure his allegiance, have him serve the country and guard the West Blue, would that not be wiser than mobilizing a great army and leaving both sides devastated?"
"Pacification? Bargaining with bandits? Where is the dignity of the royal family? Where is the authority of our laws?" Officials of the Pro-Cleansing Faction sternly denounced him.
"Would you rather drain the treasury and exhaust the resources of all eight navies, making us a laughingstock for those neighboring kingdoms eyeing us hungrily and those lawless pirates?" The Pro-Pacification Faction refused to yield an inch.
The two factions argued until their faces flushed, turning the court into a boiling cauldron. The king rubbed his throbbing temples, unable to decide. Peach Blossom Spring's display of strength had made him feel a genuine threat, but the risks of a large-scale expedition and its astronomical military costs left him wavering. In his mind, the scales swung violently between suppression and pacification.
Undercurrents stirred within the eight navies.
The Six Treasures Navy's crushing defeat was like a boulder thrown into the already delicate web of naval factions, sending waves through them.
The mysterious Pillar of the First Treasures Navy, who remained stationed in the core region year-round, maintained an intriguing silence.
At the Two Treasures Navy's base, its Pillar, Qi Ming (Qili's father), a composed middle-aged commander, listened to the detailed battle report, and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. He told his trusted subordinates calmly, "To defeat that brute Atlas head-on... this Peach Blossom Spring is no ordinary force. Send orders to every ship: increase vigilance. Without a royal command, no one is to act independently." Perhaps he was calculating how to use this outside force to increase the Two Treasures Navy's influence within the eight-navy system.
The Third and Fourth Treasures Navies remained noncommittal, clearly adopting a wait-and-see stance.
The Pillar of the Five Treasures Navy, meanwhile, developed a keen interest in the unusual tactics Peach Blossom Spring had displayed, especially its almost miraculous sniping and ghost-swift surprise attacks.
The Seven Treasures Navy was busy cleaning up the mess and replenishing its personnel and ships, utterly overwhelmed.
Within the Happo Navy—the Chinjao family—the reaction was even more complicated. Upon hearing the news, the semiretired former Pillar Chinjao seemed to sway even his signature Drill Head. A trace of reminiscence and an indescribable expression flickered through his cloudy eyes as he murmured, "They beat that reckless youngster Atlas... tsk, another remarkable character has emerged in the West Blue." His young successor Sai, along with Abu and the others, seemed to glimpse, beyond their shock, a subtle possibility of challenging the old order, and a faint excitement stirred in their hearts.
As for Gan Ning, who had long since secretly pledged allegiance to Peach Blossom Spring, his performance among the eight navies was flawless. Outwardly, he shared their indignation against a common enemy. In secret, he used his own channels to continually relay every development at court and within the navies back to Peach Blossom Spring. He also actively followed Guo Jia's plans, moving among officials of the Pro-Pacification Faction and wavering commanders, magnifying the threat posed by Peach Blossom Spring while laying out the enormous benefits of bringing it into the fold.
Other powers in the West Blue, such as independent merchant alliances, several small kingdoms, and even some sizable pirate crews, also turned scrutinizing, wary, and even expectant eyes toward Peach Blossom Spring. This force that had emerged from nowhere was not only formidable on land-it had also inflicted a heavy defeat on the Flower Country's regular forces at sea! Its leader, Chen Yu, and the officers under him with their exceptional strength and bizarre abilities became the focus of intelligence agencies willing to pay heavily for information. Some powers that had long suffered under the Flower Country's suppression or harbored dissatisfaction with the World Government began to entertain other ideas about this rising star, Peach Blossom Spring.
Within Peach Blossom Spring, after the celebrations of victory, the core leadership remained exceptionally calm.
Inside the council hall, the atmosphere was lively but orderly. The principal officers had all assembled.
"Big brother! Master Fengxiao! We've really made our name this time! Should we take the initiative next and seize those annoying islands nearby?" Zhang Fei rubbed his fists, his excitement plain to see.
Guan Yu stroked his chest-length beard and shook his head calmly. "Fourth brother, be patient. The tallest tree draws the fiercest wind. We have become the center of attention. Our immediate priorities are to consolidate our foundations, absorb our gains, and guard strictly against an enemy counterattack."
Zhao Yun continued, "The spoils were considerable. In particular, the Six Treasures Navy's standard weapons, equipment, and usable warships have greatly replenished our military resources. We need to formulate a plan for handling the nearly one thousand captured sailors as soon as possible."
Huang Zhong added, "There are noticeably more prying eyes in the surrounding waters. Every island needs to raise its alert level."
Concern on his face, Liu Bei looked toward Chen Yu and Guo Jia. "We have now all but openly broken with the Flower Country. Whether peace or war follows concerns our very survival. We must settle on a broader plan soon. How should we deal with that captured Deputy Pillar Atlas?"
Everyone's gaze finally settled on Chen Yu and Guo Jia.
Guo Jia leaned languidly against his chair, his signature faint smile at his lips, while his eyes shone with a light that seemed to see through everything. "The situation remains broadly within expectations. The dispute between suppression and pacification at the Flower Country's court has reached a stalemate. They will have difficulty organizing a more effective expedition in the short term, which has won us precious breathing room. We have three immediate priorities-"
He raised three fingers:
"First, absorb the gains of battle and strengthen ourselves. Accelerate the training and reorganization of our troops, especially the navy. They must become proficient with the newly captured equipment and ships. The nearly one thousand prisoners are valuable labor as well as bargaining chips for future negotiations. They must be properly managed, and we can also try to divide them and recruit some."
"Second, use our bargaining chips to take the lead in peace talks. Atlas and the prisoners are the trump cards in our hands. Through Gan Ning or secret channels, we can signal our willingness to negotiate to the Flower Country's royal family and the Pro-Pacification Faction. Our terms might as well be somewhat 'extravagant'-for example, demanding that the Flower Country recognize Peach Blossom Spring's autonomy, open specific trade routes, and even pay a massive sum in 'war reparations.' The primary purpose is to intensify their internal disputes and gain more time for our development."
"Third, cultivate friendly ties widely and quietly position our pieces. While our fame is spreading, we should take the initiative to approach merchant associations, local powers, and other potential allies dissatisfied with the Flower Country. We can display our strength where appropriate, but more importantly, we must demonstrate our 'righteousness' and 'trustworthiness,' weaving our own network of connections across the West Blue."
Chen Yu nodded firmly, his sharp gaze sweeping over every companion present. "What Fengxiao has outlined will be our strategy going forward. Victory is not the end, but the beginning of new challenges. Everyone-"
"Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, I leave reorganizing and equipping the troops to you. Joint land and sea operations, in particular, must receive focused training."
"Liu Bei, you will oversee domestic administration, the people's livelihoods, refugee resettlement, and the development of production. Make certain that everyone benefits from the fruits of victory."
"Fengxiao will have full authority over negotiations and dealings with the Flower Country. I will personally meet that Deputy Pillar Atlas. At the same time, attempt to contact potential collaborators within the Two Treasures Navy and the Happo Navy."
"Fengxiao will coordinate the planning for external contacts and expanding our influence."
He rose, his presence steady and imposing. "We no longer have any path of retreat. We can only ride the wind and waves and forge ahead! It is time for the skies over this West Blue to change!"
"Yes! We obey your orders, big brother-my lord!" Everyone answered in unison, their morale soaring.
After the meeting, Chen Yu met the imprisoned Atlas in a specially arranged room. The Deputy Pillar was wounded and listless, but a stubborn refusal to admit defeat still lingered deep in her eyes.
Chen Yu neither threatened nor tempted her. He merely calmly analyzed with him the corruption of the Flower Country's court, the infighting among its nobles, and the conflicts within the eight navies. He hinted that beyond the shackles of the old order, there might be another path better suited to realizing personal worth and ambition. Atlas initially responded with silence, but as he listened to Chen Yu's precise, incisive analysis of the situation, the surprise, doubt, and wavering in his eyes became increasingly apparent.
Meanwhile, Guo Jia's strategy quietly unfolded. Hints of peace talks were skillfully released, and the arguments at the Flower Country's court grew fiercer. Gan Ning secretly fanned the flames. Detailed accounts of how Peach Blossom Spring had been "forced to defend itself" and had "defeated the strong as the weaker side" also began circulating in certain circles, subtly shaping public opinion.
Across the West Blue, Peach Blossom Spring's astonishing battle had set powerful currents surging beneath the tranquil surface. The contest over peace talks and the reshuffling of powers were both proceeding fiercely and silently. Peach Blossom Spring, a ship that had just cut through towering waves, was adjusting its sails and checking its compass, preparing to sail toward deeper, wider seas that were certain to hold even greater turbulence. Only now had the true voyage begun!
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