Beginning with the Ubume Bird
Chapter 714 - Chapter 714 Chapter 3 Parting Sorrow (Part 1)

Chapter 714: Chapter 3 Parting Sorrow (Part 1) Chapter 714: Chapter 3 Parting Sorrow (Part 1) Li Yan watched Xue Ba and Qian Tuo leave first. He also roughly understood that this was precisely Xiu’er’s clever tactic.

With the skills of a Gaoli ghost, killing Yang Feng and the other in the Martial Arts Hall wouldn’t be a hard task, but the aftermath would be troublesome. With a formidable enemy at hand, rashly spilling blood would surely cause restlessness among the people. Even if the evidence was irrefutable, it would still provoke resentment and disillusion among other leaders. Therefore, Xiu’er had planted Nanny Qiuru as a fishhook in reverse; as long as Yang Zuowu and Feng Kaiming dared to make a move, they would lose nine-tenths of their fortunes and lives.

Nanny Qiuru’s appearance didn’t need to be biting back, for it was unrealistic to expect a woman of around forty or fifty years old, who was illiterate, to speak with clarity and fluency. It would also be easy for others to spot the flaws. She just needed to give a rough account, presenting testimony of Yang Feng slandering the Zheng Family. Then, upon hitting the table and fainting, with rotten flesh and blood, the shock would be substantial–the goal was to be swift, accurate, and ruthless. With the so-called absence of counter-evidence, Yang Zuowu and Feng Kaiming would find it difficult to exonerate themselves. Xiu’er would then detain the two individuals with thunderous methods, expressing a stance to uncover the truth, and no one could object to that.

Then Zheng Xiu would have Xue Ba and Qian Tuo, who had always been close to Yang Feng, take over their ships and men. This arrangement was both reasonable and appropriate, and others would naturally not overthink it. Once the encirclement of the officials was repelled, slowly dealing with Yang Zuowu and Feng Kaiming would be a mere trifle.

However…

Li Yan silently looked at the girl who, at just twelve years old, was at ease and maneuvering strategically among these combatants, having crawled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

As for what happened with Madam Shi and Zheng Yiguai, how much she knew, Li Yan would never ask in his lifetime.

In the Martial Arts Hall, Zheng Xiu unconsciously steered the discussion towards how to deal with the official encirclement. This was indeed an urgent matter.

In fact, the Red Flag Gang had dealt with encirclements by the officials dozens of times, and its leaders were already well-experienced. As soon as Zheng Xiu brought it up, the group exploded into discussion, whether about taking the initiative to attack, engage in naval guerrilla warfare, or to fortify their positions; everyone had different suggestions.

Li Yan gave Cha Xiaodao a look and conversed with him briefly.

Cha Xiaodao, listening silently, asked with some surprise, “Are you serious?”

“Of course, just say it.”

Seeing Li Yan persist, Cha Xiaodao coughed and said, “Everyone’s ideas are naturally good, but as the saying goes, ‘do not ponder victory, but consider the possibility of defeat first.’ If we can’t hold off the government forces, then what?”

His words were indeed chilling, and everyone’s expressions soured.

“We were able to repel dozens of encirclements by the official forces in the past because we had three main advantages: first, the Red Flag Gang had numerous soldiers and generals, and countless artillery ships. Even in a head-on sea battle, we wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, but times have changed. The official forces have allied with the Red Hair and gathered a pack of lapdogs like Zhufen and Shi Tianying. They surpass us in ships, manpower, and artillery supply. That’s the first point.”

“Secondly, in the past, the Five Flags supported each other, and with the Demon Thief Yishi lurking, the officials, unable to overcome us quickly, feared leaving the city empty and other bandits stirring trouble, thus they were bound to have thoughts of retreat. But now, with the sea cleared and the Treasure Ship King having his own troubles, the officials have no worries about their rear. That’s the second point.”

“And the third, Lantau Island is a natural stronghold with clusters of hidden reefs underwater, where only seasoned sailors can navigate smoothly. The official forces have repeatedly suffered setbacks due to this. But now, with no other pirates to worry about, even if the official forces cannot take down Lantau Island, they can encircle us to death, starve us to death. Even with our natural defenses, how many months can our current supply of food and freshwater last?”

Cha Xiaodao’s words left everyone speechless, deep in thought. Zheng Xiu looked at Cha Xiaodao a few more times before smiling and saying, “I’ve always known Mr. Cha to be warmhearted and anxious for others, always adored by our gang members. I had not expected you to have such strategy. No wonder Tianbao always sees you with a special regard.”

Cha Xiaodao, having been promoted by Tianbao himself, was undoubtedly part of Tianbao’s direct lineage in the eyes of other leaders, hence Zheng Xiu’s comment.

“However, since Mr. Cha has mentioned it, surely you must have a way to resolve this crisis?”

“I have a way that is not really a way.”

Cha Xiaodao still glanced at Li Yan, and seeing him nod, he sighed and said, “Abandon Lantau Island.”

At these words, whether it was Zheng Xiu of Chaoyi or the other dozen or so leaders, all their faces changed dramatically.

“Impossible! Lantau Island is the century-old foundation of our Red Flag Gang. How can we easily let it fall into the hands of the officials, where the loyal servants and descendants of the Zheng Family have been buried?!”

Elder Ning struck the floor excitedly with his dragon head cane.

“The Red Flag has operated Lantau Island for five generations. If we lose it, how can we face our ancestors?”

The Red Flag leader who spoke was Zhang Shen, nicknamed Shark Shen. Six years ago, during the relief of the siege of Guangzhou, he had charged ahead of his troops and became a key figure in the Red Flag ranks.

“The sea is vast and boundless. Even if we abandon Lantau Island, do you really think the authorities will simply let bygones be bygones? Without the natural defense of Lantau Island, where can we flee where we won’t meet the same end? It’s better to fight the government to the death!”

“Right, if we must die, let it be on our doorstep!”

The Red Flag leaders were intensely agitated, glaring angrily at Cha Xiaodao. Cha Xiaodao spread his hands helplessly, while Zhao Xiaoyi and Zhi Nong kept their heads down, saying nothing.

Li Yan, standing aside, silently considered the difficulty of the situation. It came as no surprise to him that the eleven Red Flag leaders and the elders were fiercely resistant; this was exactly why he hadn’t spoken out himself and instead had let Cha Xiaodao face this unpopular task.

Giving up Lantau Island was indeed Li Yan’s idea.

The Red Hairs, the government forces, pirates willing to accept amnesty–all tangled together accounted for no fewer than a hundred thousand men.

Li Yan, candidly speaking, believed that with his current capabilities, leading the Red Flag to a decisive victory over the government coalition wasn’t necessarily impossible. However, such a victory would come at a terrible cost to the Red Flag Gang! Not to mention the firepower of the Red Hairs, the Force of Ten Thousand Aspects did not discriminate…

On the other hand, if the Red Flag Gang withdrew from Lantau Island, Li Yan might be able to act more freely.

Moreover, Lantau Island was resource-poor and sparsely populated. On his return, Li Yan was not satisfied with having just a small Lantau Island as his base. He had his eyes set on two other strongholds: one was Hainan Prefecture, later known as Hainan Island, and the other went without saying–it was Treasure Island, formerly occupied by the Zheng Family.

It was just too early to talk about these things now.

He gestured forcefully at Cha Xiaodao: You still have to be the bad guy!

Left with no choice, Cha Xiaodao boldly said, “If we preserve people but lose land, we keep both; if we preserve land but lose people, we lose both. The South Seas are vast; there will always be a place for the Red Flag. It may take a year or two, or maybe four or five, but we can always return later. If we fight the government and lose all our brothers, leaving no chance for a comeback, that would truly dishonor our ancestors.”

“Preserve people but lose land, we keep both; preserve land but lose people, we lose both–I have learned something today.”

Zheng Xiu’s expression was very unpleasant as Madam Shi’s remains were buried on Lantau Island. It was clear that she didn’t appreciate Cha’s idea. But after giving it some thought, Zheng Xiu had to admit that what Cha Xiaodao, or the person pulling his strings, said made sense.

“I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about. At the end of the day, doesn’t the Tianbao Dragon Head make the final decisions for the Red Flag?”

Finally, Zhi Nong spoke up.

“Even if the Tianbao Dragon Head were here, I would never agree,” Elder Ning said with a stern face.

Zhi Nong rolled his eyes and remained silent.

“Zhi Nong makes sense,” Zhao Xiaoyi chimed in: “Leader Xiu, at the end of the day, we need the Tianbao Dragon Head to take charge of the situation. Only then can everyone have a leader to rally behind.”