Feng Yuanbao kowtowed to Han Mo again as he spoke, kneeling on the ground with sincerity.
When he was in Neihuang County, although he had already joined Han Mo's sect, their relationship at that time was less like that of master and servant and more like that of partners.
After this incident, Feng Yuanbao, after deep reflection, decided to completely sell himself to Han Mo.
He knew very well how capable he was.
His escape from death this time was partly due to his good reputation in Neihuang County; the impoverished people he had helped also provided him with considerable assistance on his escape route.
However, a larger part of it was because he bore Han Mo's mark.
Both Lü Ying and Yue Fei acted entirely out of consideration for Han Mo, not for him personally.
If he were to sever ties with Han Mo from now on, he might be able to live a peaceful life with his family using the money.
But in the current situation, even Jiangnan, the heartland of the Song Dynasty, was at war. How could he dare to expect to live peacefully in Mingzhou City?
If he were to encounter a similar incident again, there would be no second Lü Ying or second Yue Fei to save his life.
It was precisely for this reason that, after much deliberation, he decided to visit Han Mo again.
"As long as Your Lord can take care of my little Ping'an, I will dedicate my life to Your Lord!"
As Feng Yuanbao spoke, he kowtowed heavily to Han Mo again.
"You may rise. There is no rush for this matter. You can ponder it further. If, after careful consideration, you still decide this, come back in three days!"
After looking at him deeply, Han Mo spoke again.
"My Lord, I have thought it over very clearly. I implore Your Lord to accept me. If you refuse to agree, I will kneel here until I die today!"
As Feng Yuanbao spoke, large tears began to stream down his face again.
"What are you doing? Rise, quickly rise! I'll accept you, alright?"
With Feng Yuanbao having spoken to this extent, Han Mo could no longer turn a blind eye.
"Thank you, My Lord, for fulfilling my wish!"
Seeing that Han Mo had agreed, Feng Yuanbao wiped away his tears, stood up with a smile, and thanked him.
"In a few months, I do have a grand plan. I need someone to go to Wokou in my stead. This journey will last at least three years, and perhaps up to ten. You must think this through carefully!"
Feng Yuanbao was shrewd in his dealings and had spent a long time in the business world.
With a little cultivation, he would be competent enough to deal with the people of Wokou and handle various matters. Han Mo had no great reservations about this.
However, he was concerned whether Feng Yuanbao could put aside his family.
"My Lord, please rest assured. What is Wokou? Although the food is a bit crude, as long as I bring a cook, I will be fine!"
Feng Yuanbao chuckled as he spoke.
"Since you say so, I will not say any more. You may return to prepare yourself. I also need to make some preparations. Come back to me in seven days!"
The preparations for the Mingzhou Navy were almost complete. The selection of personnel and the modification of warships had been largely finished.
What remained was the synchronization between the personnel and the ships, but Han Mo found this to be a much simpler matter.
After all, Mingzhou was originally a coastal area.
Many of these Xiang Army soldiers came from fishing families. With a little training, they would quickly grasp the ways of the navy.
Moreover, their equipment offered a significant advantage over their opponents.
Although the Mingzhou Armory had not yet achieved significant success with gunpowder weapons, their improvements to the trebuchet had begun to show results.
While this new type of trebuchet did not show significant improvement in range or power, its accuracy had greatly surpassed its previous capabilities.
On average, six to seven out of ten shots could hit the target.
With such trebuchets that could be used on ships, combined with the high-proof liquor produced through distillation, they could still be used to burn enemy warships even without gunpowder weapons.
Of course, every advantage has its disadvantages. This thing was good, but it was also incredibly expensive.
Each jar of liquor thrown out cost at least three guan!
And with the rising price of grain, the cost of this item was likely to continue to increase.
If it weren't for the great use of silver and gold mines in Wokou to Han Mo, he wouldn't be willing to spend money like this.
——————————————————————
"Have Liu Yutang and the others sent any news?"
In Jiaozhi, thousands of miles away, Liu Siye sat at home, restless.
Three days had passed, yet there was still no news from Liu Yutang and his group, which filled Liu Siye with unease.
Normally, even if they had failed, they should have at least sent him a message. However, he had received absolutely no news to date.
"We haven't received any news from them yet, but I don't think anything will go wrong. After all, they are all experienced. Perhaps their ship sailed too far and they are unable to return immediately..."
Seeing Liu Siye's flustered state, Liu Heng quickly said in a low voice.
"It's been three days. No matter what, they should have sent a message back..."
"Send some people to guard the coast. Report immediately if there is any news!"
After taking a deep breath, Liu Siye still instructed him with a worried tone.
"Yes!"
Since Liu Siye had said so, Liu Heng could only agree for the time being.
"Liu Lang, something is wrong! The merchant fleet from Song has returned?"
As Liu Heng finished speaking, a servant rushed in from outside the door.
"What did you say?"
Hearing this, Liu Siye shuddered. What a joke! That fleet was carrying so much grain, and after being at sea for several days, it had now managed to escape and return.
"The merchant fleet from Song has returned. I saw the leader of the escort. They are now disembarking on the coast. It is said that they encountered pirates at sea, and they have captured the pirate leader and are preparing to escort him to the authorities..."
"Pirate leader?"
Upon hearing these four words, Liu Siye felt his vision go black.
"Go, go and find out exactly what happened!"