After acquiring the weapon reserves from Spirit Hall City, Ye Tian wasted no time and hurried back to East Sea City.
Butterfly Farm.
Upon receiving the news, Chen Jian came out to greet him from afar, standing at the entrance.
"Young master, welcome home."
"It's been a whole year since I left," Ye Tian sighed with emotion.
"There are many new faces here," Chen Jian remarked with a pleased expression as he noticed Gu Yuena and the others.
Their young master had finally grown up.
"The farm's provisions and ships are all prepared," Chen Jian brought up the main matter.
Some time ago, he had received Ye Tian's letter.
Upon learning that they were about to mobilize against the Star Luo Empire, the entire Butterfly Farm had sprung into action.
Almost day and night, they had been transporting provisions and delivering them to the docks of East Sea City.
"How many ships have you prepared?" Ye Tian looked up and asked.
He had only instructed Chen Jian to make arrangements but had never inquired about the specifics.
Chen Jian pondered for a moment before replying, "The ones produced by our own shipyard are all warships—31 in total."
"The transport ships were provided by the Li Family of Golden Turtle Island—16 large ships and 59 small to medium-sized vessels, all capable of long-distance voyages."
"Additionally, I contacted Zi Zhenzhu of Pearl Island. She brought all 37 of her armed warships capable of long voyages."
"However, most of Zi Zhenzhu's ships are modified merchant vessels with limited combat capabilities."
After understanding the number of ships, Ye Tian had a clearer picture. "How much food has been prepared?"
"A total of 2.1 million dan, enough to feed 200,000 troops for half a year. Transporting all this food would require every ship to make four round trips," Chen Jian explained.
Zhou Long, standing nearby, smiled faintly. "Time is the one thing we have plenty of. If anything, it's the Star Luo Empire that should be in a hurry."
Not long after returning to the farmhouse, Ye Tian met with Thirteen, who was in charge of intelligence.
"Young master, the 5,000 Heavenly Strategy Army in the Sea Soul Valley have already assembled and are ready to depart at any time."
"The 5,000 Heavenly Strategy Army training on Pearl Island have also boarded Zi Zhenzhu's ships and are expected to arrive at Golden Ao Island tonight."
"Good," Ye Tian nodded slightly. "Let them stay on Golden Turtle Island for now. We'll regroup when it's time to set off."
"Notify all department heads and have Zi Zhenzhu and the Li Family head come here. We'll hold a meeting tomorrow evening."
Though time was tight, pre-departure arrangements still had to be made.
"Yes," Thirteen bowed and withdrew.
"Brother, is this your home?" Gu Yuena looked around curiously at the flower-filled farmhouse, taking a deep breath. "It's so peaceful here!"
Ye Tian smiled and took Gu Yuena's hand. "Once the matter with the Star Luo Empire is settled, we can stay here for a long time."
Before he could say much more, Zhou Long hurried over.
"Young master, the armor we brought back has already been transported to the docks for loading."
"The ammunition freshly produced by the workshops is also being shipped over in batches."
"But young master, I've noticed that medical supplies are somewhat lacking."
Zhou Long pointed out the oversight.
He continued, "Although the Heavenly Strategy Army has medics assigned, Zi Zhenzhu's pirate forces and the sailors on the Li Family's ships don't have many medical supplies."
"How could I forget about that?" Ye Tian patted his head.
Next, he needed to embed himself like a nail deep into the heart of the Star Luo Empire.
Once they landed in the eastern province of the Star Luo Empire, major battles would be inevitable.
This would undoubtedly result in heavy casualties.
After a moment of thought, Ye Tian looked up and said, "Send someone to East Sea Academy immediately and gather the students there."
"Also, notify the village doctors from all the nearby villages and have them assemble here at the farm."
The Butterfly Farm's warehouse had a large stock of medicinal herbs, so shortages weren't a concern.
As long as the personnel arrived, they could immediately begin refining healing pills.
Ye Tian didn't demand too much.
He only needed a batch of pills to be ready before the ships set sail.
The rest could be supplemented later.
...
The next day.
Night fell.
The entire farm remained brightly lit.
This had been the norm for the past few days—and would continue for several more.
In the farmhouse courtyard, Dai Ya, Gu Yuena, and the others had all arrived.
Li Family's patriarch, Li Haitian, and Zi Zhenzhu were also present.
Li Haitian stepped forward and exchanged pleasantries. "Young Master Ye Tian, it's been a while."
"It certainly has," Ye Tian smiled slightly and bowed in return.
"...Ye Tian, we meet again."
Behind Li Haitian, Li Jiuchan, dressed in a pink dress, mustered her courage to step forward.
Her beautiful eyes fixed on Ye Tian, then glanced at Gu Yuena, who was holding his hand.
A hint of relief and disappointment flickered in her heart.
She was relieved that the person beside him wasn't Hu Lie'na.
This meant she still had a chance.
At the same time, she was disappointed that the one standing beside Ye Tian wasn't her.
Ye Tian, however, didn't pay much attention to Li Jiuchan's expression.
He turned to Zi Zhenzhu and greeted her:
"Thank you, Sister Zi Zhenzhu, for coming to lend your support."
"Don't mention it," Zi Zhenzhu replied with a faint smile. "If Young Master Ye Tian has a request, we pirates would go through fire and water to fulfill it."
She had witnessed the training of the Heavenly Strategy Army on Pearl Island.
Even if she had five times the number of ships under her command, Zi Zhenzhu knew she stood no chance against them.
With such overwhelming military power, when Chen Jian made the request, Zi Zhenzhu agreed without hesitation.
After all, Ye Tian's forces were simply too formidable.
Had she refused, the Heavenly Strategy Army would likely have overrun Pearl Island the very next day.
Though her compliance was partly due to Ye Tian's military might, Zi Zhenzhu didn't feel shortchanged.
Chen Jian had already promised her that once this campaign was over, Pearl Island would gain permanent trading rights in the Star Luo Empire's waters.
This was the maritime trade rights of an entire nation!
Far more promising than remaining a pirate in some small corner for the rest of her life.
Even if she didn't think for herself, Zi Zhenzhu had to consider the future of her long-time followers.
These followers had families.
No one wanted their descendants to be pirates forever.
"Let's cut to the chase," Ye Tian took a map of the Star Luo Empire from Zhou Long and pointed to a stretch of coastline in the east. "This is the Tianxing Province of the Star Luo Empire."
"According to intelligence from Spirit Hall's spies, Tianxing Province is one of the hardest-hit areas by the disaster."
"The local fishermen have launched several uprisings, storming the castles of local nobles to seize food."
"But most were suppressed."
"Our destination is Tianxing Harbor, the largest port in Tianxing Province!"
Looking at the map, Li Haitian stepped forward. "I've been to Tianxing Harbor. The port is flanked by two large mountains—a natural harbor."
"But there's a tricky aspect."
Li Haitian frowned slightly.
"On these two mountains are two massive soul-guided artillery cannons. If we launch a surprise attack, we'll be the ones suffering losses."
(End of Chapter)