Fang Er sat by the window with Chai Yue.
Outside, the waves surged, but Fang Er’s heart was surprisingly calm.
Meanwhile, on the shore, Chai Shao and the others searched for a long time with no success.
They hadn’t even figured out where the attackers who raided the village came from.
An hour later, three groups of people converged at the village and shook their heads at each other.
Chai Shao cursed, "Damn it! I can’t understand a word these people are saying!"
"Let’s head back to the ship and figure things out from there!"
And so, landing crafts carried them and the dozen women towards the Zhenyuan.
"Young Master, Duke Chai and the others are back."
Li Tai’s voice came from outside the door. Chai Yue, blushing, fled back to her room.
Fang Er casually straightened his clothes, which had been wrinkled by Chai Yue, and walked out.
"Where are they?"
Li Tai pointed towards the deck. Chai Shao was already on the deck, while Liu Meng and the others were still climbing up the rope ladders.
Fang Er went to meet them, circling Chai Shao. Fortunately, he was not injured.
"Father-in-law, what’s the situation on shore?"
Chai Shao shook his head.
"A bunch of beasts sacked a village, leaving only some women to be violated. Liu Meng rescued them."
"Also, the shore is covered in forests, and I can’t understand a single word those women are saying. I have no idea where this place is!"
"Ah, language barrier," Fang Er slapped his forehead.
"Damn it, I should have brought an interpreter, or at least one of the Tang envoys from the Imperial Academy."
"I was careless."
"Marquis!"
Liu Meng climbed onto the deck and came to salute Fang Er.
Fang Er nodded at him. "How are things? Any of our brothers injured?"
Liu Meng patted his chest. "These little monkeys couldn’t possibly injure us, heh heh. Marquis, I brought back over a dozen women."
He said this while pointing towards the side of the ship.
Several women then boarded the large ship, their faces filled with shock.
They had never seen such a large vessel before.
Looking at their military uniforms and Liu Meng wearing only shorts, Fang Er asked, "What’s the deal with your clothes?"
Liu Meng had to explain why he’d taken off his clothes for them.
Fang Er was furious upon hearing this.
"This is the inferiority of their race, their tendency to bully the weak! These women are of our Qin people’s blood, our sisters! If anything like this happens again, they will be killed without mercy!"
Liu Meng snapped to attention. "Marquis, rest assured, I’ve noted it down!"
Fang Er waved him away. "You may go. Make sure these women are well settled and treated with respect."
Liu Meng grinned and turned to run towards the women.
Chai Shao teased from the side, "You know, before you even take these people back, your subordinates are already eyeing them."
As a military man, he didn’t believe that women who had lost their chastity deserved to die, unlike some scholars.
Besides, they were merely victims.
Fang Er shook his head. "The Tian Huo Army has a rule. Nothing of that sort will happen before we return to court."
Chai Shao was astonished. "You’re being too strict!"
Fang Er smiled and pointed at the sea.
"From now on, this entire ocean will belong to the Great Tang. Can we afford not to be strict?"
"Uh."
Chai Shao was stunned. It took him a while to understand Fang Er’s meaning.
Only strict military discipline and excellent conduct could forge an iron army.
Therefore, Chai Shao no longer voiced any objections to the Tian Huo Army’s regulations.
After all, even his own Fierce Barbarian Annihilation Army had been trained following the Tian Huo Army’s methods.
Thinking of this, he nodded. "Good! Later, copy a set of your Tian Huo Army’s regulations for me. The Fierce Barbarian Annihilation Army will follow your rules as well!"
Fang Er certainly had no objections.
Looking at the Japanese women being led into the ship’s cabin, Fang Er scratched his head.
"Damn it, not knowing our location is making it hard to find the mines."
Li Tai had appeared at some point.
"Young Master, if you can’t pinpoint your location in the forest, why not observe from a higher vantage point?"
"Match the terrain with the map, wouldn’t that work?"
This remark sparked an idea in Fang Er.
"Climb high and look far!"
He looked up at the ship’s mast and shook his head.
The map was on such a large scale, and a mast only ten meters high certainly wouldn't allow him to see far.
Therefore, a higher vantage point was needed.
"A hot air balloon? I can’t make one of those now. Not to mention, we don’t have the fabric for the balloon on board."
Suddenly, a gust of sea breeze blew, and Fang Er slapped his forehead. "I’ve got it!"
"Father-in-law, please go and rest. I need to go prepare some things."
With that, he turned and headed towards the engine room.
He had Yan Shuangying summon all the craftsmen on board.
Fang Er found paper and a pen, placed them on the table, and started drawing while explaining.
"Now, we need a kite big enough! Big enough to carry a person into the sky."
"Make it according to this design. We have lumber and fabric on the ship. Any problems?"
Yan Shuangying glanced at the drawing. It was very simple.
"Marquis, don’t worry. It will take at most a day."
Fang Er nodded. "Once it’s done, notify me immediately."
He then handed over the task.
This wasn't a technically complex item. With their skills, it was perfectly manageable.
He glanced at the sky. The red sun was already setting, painting the sky with red clouds, signifying another good weather day tomorrow.
Back in the cabin, looking at the dishes on the table, Fang Er realized he was quite hungry.
Xiao Qing was serving rice. Seeing Fang Er, she said to Xing’er, "Sister Xing’er, quickly get some water for Young Master to wash his hands."
"Okay, coming!"
Xing’er brought a basin of water and handed it to Fang Er.
"Marquis, let me help you wash your hands."
She placed the basin down, took Fang Er’s hands, and put them into the water, gently washing them.
Fang Er had become accustomed to this.
He had refused once, but Xing’er immediately burst into tears, saying Fang Er disliked her.
This led to Chai Yue scolding Fang Er quite a bit.
Well, if he couldn’t resist, he might as well enjoy it.
Speaking of which, Xing’er’s hands were so smooth.
After washing his hands and drying them with a cloth, he sat at the table. Not seeing Chai Yue, he asked Xiao Qing.
"Where did Madam go?"
Xiao Qing pointed towards the room. "Madam said she felt a bit unwell, so she went back to her room to rest."
"Alright, calculating the days, it must be her monthly cycle."
He looked at the table, which was filled with various sea fish, with a plate of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs in the center.
Fang Er was a little surprised. "These tomatoes haven’t been finished yet?"
Xiao Qing said proudly, "No, the ones from home are all gone. These were grown by Qing’er on the ship."
"When we came, Qing’er had people dig up a few plants and put them in pots on the ship."
"My word!"
Indeed, the masters of agriculture are the Chinese. They can grow something anywhere!