Tower ship!
These large warships, capable of transporting large numbers of troops, are not something that ordinary people can build. It is indeed hard to believe that pirates possess such towering ships.
The level of technology involved is truly impressive, as these multi-story ships can accommodate nearly two thousand people.
Moving such a massive load in water would require considerable technology, something that pirates, lacking any real skill, would theoretically be completely incapable of.
Zhang Zinong took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, these warships are not something ordinary pirates could build. If the battle report hadn't stated that these warships weren't of the Xiliang style, I would have thought that Xiliang was behind it all!"
Xiliang!
Upon hearing those two words, Li Anlan instinctively frowned. To be honest, his first thought was that Xiliang was behind it all.
However, the battle report specifically emphasized that these pirates' warships were different from those of Xiliang and were even more powerful, which made him abandon the idea. Lin Yi had no reason to use second-rate goods himself.
He glanced at the Blood Guard Commander, Wei Kuang, who was also completely bewildered. He had indeed found no information about any pirates, and Wei Kuang's innocent look nearly drove Li Anlan crazy.
"Your Majesty, our naval forces have suffered heavy losses, and our commander has been killed in action. We must strengthen our defenses, as their strength has already threatened the defenses along the Min River!" Qin Li said with a grave expression.
As a Grand Commandant, he naturally knew what tens of thousands of pirates, plus three or four hundred ships, meant. This meant that if these pirates wanted to, they were fully capable of attacking the coastal areas.
The coastal areas, which were originally free of any external enemies, now face enormous threats.
In some ways, these pirates are more terrifying than some countries; they have no bottom line.
"My God, Great Ning is in big trouble!"
"The enemy is fully capable of attacking the Great Ning, or even directly invading Great Ning. This is definitely not good news."
"Tens of thousands of miles of coastline will all need to be defended from now on. From now on..."
Oh My God!
All the ministers felt a chill run down their spines; everyone realized the gravity of the matter. The impact of this terrifying pirate force was undoubtedly enormous.
It even subtly altered the landscape of Great Ning, giving Great Ning an additional key defensive focus.
Previously, there were no enemies on the sea; it could even be described as a natural barrier, because no one could cross the sea and harm Great Ning in the slightest. But now, a group of pirates has suddenly appeared, and that's when the threat comes.
The opposing side not only possesses advanced and powerful warships, but also a navy of tens of thousands of men, and crucially, they harbor hostility towards Great Ning. This is undoubtedly the most terrifying thing.
This means that Great Ning now has tens of thousands of miles of additional sea line to defend, which is an incredibly terrifying number.
Defending such a long coastline would require a large navy and garrison, which would likely cost an astronomical sum.
"Damn it, I thought I could finally deal with Lin Yi without worry, but a new storm is brewing!"
Li Anlan's face was extremely grim. As an emperor who had fought in wars, he naturally understood the problems with these coastlines, which were definitely extremely troublesome.
The coastline is so long that many places can serve as landing points.
If the defending forces are too small, they simply cannot hold the line and will be ravaged by the enemy. However, if the defending forces are too large, the military expenditure will be an incredibly terrifying figure.
After this series of actions, Great Ning's resources will likely be wiped out instantly, and there might even be insufficient resources.
He shook his head violently; such passive defense was definitely not a solution!
Especially now that Lin Yi in the north is gradually growing stronger, if I have to be distracted by dealing with these pirates, the consequences will be unimaginable.
The best option is probably to eliminate them. This is the least costly choice, and it's a permanent solution that will eliminate future worries.
He looked at Qin Li and said in a deep voice, "Grand Commandant, is there any way to wipe out these pirates? If we let them run rampant like this, it will definitely not be a good thing for our Great Ning!"
"This..."
Qin Li smiled wryly. This was a real problem for him. The enemy didn't have many people, but the question was how to break through their numbers.
They're in the middle of a vast ocean; surely your army can get through.
After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, it's almost impossible to wipe them out on our own initiative, unless they voluntarily enter our territory. If we then lay an ambush, we might be able to annihilate them completely."
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
This method sounds plausible, but here's the problem: the other party won't be that stupid!
Forehead!
Li Anlan frowned slightly, but didn't blame Qin Li. With limited naval warships, they really couldn't do anything to him.
After much thought, the only option left is to lure the enemy deep into our territory and then annihilate them.
However, this method is too passive and requires too much intelligence from the other party, so the chances of success are slim.
At that moment, he felt incredibly frustrated!
My own mighty Great Ning Dynasty can't even handle a bunch of pirates. The worst part is, they only rob my Great Ning. If they rob Xiliang, I'll feel a little better.
Li Anlan couldn't help but get angry and said, "Just who are these East Sea Pirates? Why aren't they attacking Lin Yi's Brocade Sail Battalion? Why are they targeting our Great Ning? Could it be that they're in cahoots?"
He was very indignant; this was unfair!
"Well, it's not impossible, but the problem is that Lin Yi's navy hasn't moved at all. It's just that a small force has gone into the ocean to fish. There can't possibly be so many people!" Qin Li said with a gloomy face.
Since the troops of Prince Ning Kun entered Great Wasteland Commandery, Xiliang has been on high alert. Except for a few who went out to sea to fish, the rest of Gan Ning's Brocade Sail Navy were stationed at the port and could not spare tens of thousands of men to attack Great Ning.
This raises questions about the origins of these pirates. Could they be from overseas?
"Etc!"
At this moment, Tan Cheng suddenly thought of a problem, quickly stepped forward, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, could it be the men of Li Sanjiang, the Prince of Min?"
" Li Sanjiang, the Prince of Min!"
Upon hearing this name, everyone suddenly realized that it was indeed possible; the coastal area was Li Sanjiang's territory after all.
Li Anlan's pupils contracted; that was quite possible!
Seeing the Emperor nod, Tan Cheng continued, " Prince of Min Li Sanjiang of Min is an ambitious regional lord. He must have been planning something treacherous for a long time. These tens of thousands of people must be his hidden forces in the ocean!"
Because of Li Sanjiang's death, those people believed it was the Emperor's doing, which is why they attacked my Great Ning Navy —they wanted to avenge the Prince of Min."
"To avenge Li Sanjiang?"
Upon hearing this, Li Anlan's expression changed drastically.
This is indeed the most likely possibility; otherwise, the other side would never have gone to such lengths to kill Great Ning. They must be harboring a deep grudge.