Chapter 22: The Fleet

Under the scorching sun, a massive fleet drifted across the shimmering sea. Hundreds of merchant and transport ships of varying sizes sailed one after another across the Caribbean Strait. Although the fleet lacked a single warship equipped with cannons, its sheer scale was undeniably staggering.

This was indeed the fleet of Sun Li and his Song State army, secretly crossing the sea toward the hidden port provided by the Wood Elves in the Mexican region. Standing on the deck of the largest lead merchant ship with his hands behind his back, Sun Li pondered the risks of this amphibious landing.

The difficulties of overseas warfare far exceeded his imagination. The primitive navigation technology of this era severely hindered the transport of troops and supplies. While the Caribbean Strait was not wide, the three-day voyage required ruled out any possibility of transporting Song State troops to Mexico in staggered waves. Once such a large force landed, the massive British Empire Strait Fleet would surely emerge from its vacation ports to blockade the area. At that point, further transport would become nearly impossible, and even with his best efforts, Sun Li knew he could not contend with prepared enemy warships at sea.

Consequently, the heavy artillery, which took up so much space, could not be brought along. Firearms and ammunition were manageable due to their size, and the Wood Elves could provide sustenance, but the Song State generals simply could not scrounge up enough ships to transport the cannons. Funding was, after all, limited.

Fortunately, Sun Li did not rely heavily on artillery. The goal of this expedition was not to conquer cities, but to seize gold mines. To the Song State, major cities were far less valuable than the gold deposits in the remote regions. These mines were scattered, making it impossible to establish a single, heavily fortified stronghold. Simple guards, while perhaps difficult for the poorly organized and ill-equipped Wood Elves to overcome, were nothing more than a joke to the Song State’s army.

Sun Li was not bothered by the absence of artillery; as long as he had men, everything else could be managed.

However, Sun Li only now realized that warhorses were such troublesome creatures! Shipping them required as much space as artillery, and they came with a host of logistical demands. To keep the horses in fighting shape and prevent them from losing weight, their diet was incredibly complex. Sun Li felt that caring for a single horse was countless times more exhausting than caring for a person, and this disparity was magnified significantly on ships with limited resources.

Ultimately, Sun Li surrendered to reality. Aside from a small number of horses necessary for reconnaissance and command, the cavalry would have to stay behind to defend the homeland. Thus, Sun Li was forced to lead 40,000 pure infantry troops to crush the British Empire’s colonial forces.

What irked Sun Li was that the British Empire, with its powerful fleet and superior shipping, seemed to have no shortage of cavalry in its Mexican colony. Well, that was another piece of bad news. Without artillery or cavalry, Sun Li felt he had gone from "steamrolling" the enemy to merely "thumping" them. Though the difference was slight, he still found it irritating.

After discarding those so-called "burdens," the Song State fleet, fully loaded with weapons, ammunition, and 40,000 soldiers, sailed majestically toward the coast of Mexico. Sun Li hoped they wouldn't be unlucky enough to run into a British Empire cruiser.

Just then, he saw with dismay a cruiser flying the British Empire flag approaching from the distance.

In truth, this was a normal occurrence. Even though the Wood Elves and pirates had been largely wiped out by the British Empire's heavy-handed tactics, the powerful British Royal Navy would still regularly dispatch cruisers to patrol its waters—partly to maintain its sense of honor, and partly just to show off. The officers and sailors were quite fond of these patrols. And why wouldn't they be? They weren't particularly noble or patriotic; it was simply that checking merchant ships was a convenient way to earn some extra money for drinks.

If the merchants refused to pay? That wasn't a problem. Never underestimate the ingenuity of soldiers when it comes to extortion, especially in the middle of the open sea.

When this British cruiser suddenly discovered such a massive merchant fleet—for the Song State ships had no combat capability and were naturally disguised as merchant vessels—the officers assumed they had stumbled upon a windfall. At this time, there had been no formal declaration of war between the Song State and the British Empire. To facilitate his infiltration, Sun Li certainly wasn't foolish enough to shout in advance, "Hey, I'm coming to beat you up!"

Thus, the British officers naturally viewed Sun Li's fleet as fat sheep. These massive merchant ships, devoid of any visible warships, certainly looked the part.

"Your Majesty, the British cruiser has signaled us to heave to for inspection. We have no cannons; how should we respond?" an officer on the Song State's flagship asked Sun Li.

Seeing only one cruiser, Sun Li felt a sense of relief despite the tension. Thankfully, it wasn't an entire enemy fleet. Through repeated intelligence gathering by the Imperial Secret Police, they knew the British Empire didn't typically waste resources by sending all their ships out at once—which was exactly why Sun Li dared to attempt this landing with unarmed merchant ships. Thankfully, everything was going according to plan; that "one in a million" disaster had not occurred.

"Order them to raise the white flag. Prepare a small boat; I will go over and communicate with the British myself," Sun Li commanded with a smile, though there was a hint of cruelty in his expression.

The Song State fleet's approach was understandable. To avoid the trouble caused by these British sailors, many merchant caravans would send someone ahead to negotiate a "passage fee," bypassing the tedious boarding and inspection process. It wasn't wartime, after all; who had the time to cause trouble when there was money to be made? This phenomenon was also a product of the era's backward systems. Perhaps things were stricter on the European continent? Who knew! To Sun Li, this system was truly convenient.

Seeing the Song State fleet wisely raise a white flag and send someone to negotiate a "price," the cruiser’s captain lowered his guard. He donned his white gloves and crisp uniform, with a squad of rigid, chest-out Royal Marine musketeers standing behind him. He intended to show these merchants the might of the British Empire; it would make it easier to raise the price during negotiations.

Sun Li boarded the British cruiser without obstruction. With a finely crafted longsword at his waist, he looked at the stern British soldiers with a smile. These people were truly accommodating—standing in neat rows just to make it easier for him to harvest their heads?

The captain felt a strange sense of familiarity as Sun Li boarded. Had he seen this man before? He had indeed—he had caught a glimpse of him from afar when the Governor of Mexico welcomed the British special envoy, though the impression had been fleeting.

The British captain looked at Sun Li suspiciously. "Sir, have we met? May I ask your name?"

"I apologize, but I don't have the habit of introducing myself to the dead!"

With those words, a brilliant flash of battle aura erupted, cleanly severing the line of soldiers at the waist. The bewildered captain, splattered with blood, shuddered violently as he finally realized who this was!

"Enemy attack! He is the Song State's Great Knight, Sun Li!" The captain shouted his final words with every ounce of his remaining strength. Then, he felt as if he were flying—soaring high into the air. Below him, he saw a familiar, blood-spurting body. As his vision went black, he could never understand whose body it was.

"Ah, you devil!" Bang! Pop!

The cruiser’s deck erupted with the angry roars of the surviving soldiers and the intermittent cracks of musket fire. Sun Li had already activated his protective battle aura, rampaging in "Musou" mode, joyfully and easily reaping points.

In less than half an hour, the cruiser collapsed without firing a single cannon shot! More than a hundred British soldiers lay in various gruesome poses across the deck and cabins, their faces frozen in disbelief. The remaining non-combatants and the more pragmatic soldiers threw down their weapons in terror, only to be rounded up by Sun Li.

"You, the tall one. Take a few men and signal my fleet. Tell them it's over here. If you don't know how to signal, just hoist a white flag. I'm no demon; as long as you behave, I guarantee your safety," Sun Li ordered, pointing at a man at random.

Killing these captives wouldn't earn him any points anyway, so he might as well show a bit of mercy and leave them for the Wood Elves to deal with. Sun Li was certainly not a kind-hearted man.

Seeing the signal, the Song State fleet approached without hesitation. The subordinates had absolute faith in their monarch's martial prowess—a reputation built on the corpses of millions of orcs. The surrendered British soldiers stared in shock at the rows of Song State troops—marching in perfect unison, wearing red uniforms, white breeches, and boat-shaped caps. They were clearly professional soldiers!

They finally understood what kind of situation they had stumbled into. They couldn't help but feel terribly unlucky.

"Send some men to take over this cruiser. The cannons on board are good stuff—six-pounders. We can dismantle them and put them to use later. Plus, with an extra ship, our soldiers will have more room to stay comfortable. Ha!" Clearing an obstacle and capturing a warship—it was a joyous outcome from every perspective.

Watching his busy men, Sun Li thought to himself: *Given the habits of the British Empire, there shouldn't be any other cruisers on this route in the near future. Golden State, here I come!*