The mighty fleet of the Dai Viet Imperial Navy slowly altered its course. The red sails, proudly embroidered with the character "Ly" (李), gradually faded beyond the horizon, leaving behind an empty expanse of sea and a heavy, oppressive silence. The threat of annihilation had temporarily passed, but for Flood Dragon Island, an even grander and far more perilous gamble had just begun.
Aboard the black ship, there was no rejoicing typical of those who had just escaped the jaws of death. The Vice Island Masters and ship captains all gazed in silence at their New King, their eyes brimming with complexity. They did not understand. Why hadn't the Exalted Lord chosen to fight? Why had he chosen the path of submitting to the Imperial Court, a faction that they, as pirates, detested to the very marrow of their bones?
"Exalted Lord," a Vice Island Master who had followed the Black Flood Dragon King for many years could no longer hold back and stepped forward. "Are we... truly going to become running dogs for the Imperial Court?"
Tran Kien did not turn his head. He continued to gaze quietly in the direction the fleet had departed. He knew this was the most critical juncture to win over the hearts of his men.
"Running dogs?" He offered a faint, cold smile. "Do you truly believe that Ly Kinh Thien trusts us?"
He turned around, his profound eyes sweeping over each and every one of them. "That old man does not trust us. He is merely giving us an opportunity—a chance to prove our worth. At the same time, this is the stratagem of 'Borrowing a knife to kill another'. He wishes to use our hands to eradicate Black Water Island, another loyal hound of Marquis Vinh An, without expending a single soldier. On this chessboard, we are nothing but sacrificial pawns."
Tran Kien's cold, ruthless analysis left everyone completely dumbfounded.
"Then... then what should we do?"
"A sacrificial pawn, at times, can be the very piece that decides the outcome of the entire board," Tran Kien said, his voice suddenly surging with majestic resonance. "Did you think I was truly submitting to the Imperial Court? No! I submit to no one! I am merely borrowing the Imperial Court's ship to sail our own path!"
He unfurled a nautical chart. "Black Water Island is ruled by 'Old Eccentric Black Water'. His cultivation base is also at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, and his temperament is cautious and deeply paranoid. Their lair is heavily fortified, and their forces are no less formidable than our Flood Dragon Island was in the past. In a frontal assault, even if we emerge victorious, we would suffer catastrophic losses."
"However," the corners of his mouth curled upward, "every person possesses a weakness. And the weakness of a paranoid man is his very own paranoia."
He looked at the ledger seized from the Black Eagle Fort. "It is recorded herein that Old Eccentric Black Water and 'Blood Smelter' of the Myriad Snake Cave once engaged in an illicit transaction, which ended in conflict over an uneven split of the spoils. Although Marquis Vinh An stepped in to mediate the feud, the enmity undoubtedly remains."
An audacious and incredibly intricate plan began to take shape.
"Barbarian Bull!"
"This subordinate is here!"
"Select five of our finest Sea Dragon Guards, those most skilled in disguise and concealment. Take the tokens of Blood Smelter that we seized, and head to Black Water Island. There is no need to meet Old Eccentric Black Water. You must merely 'accidentally' expose your tracks, allowing his eyes and ears to see 'men of the Black Dragon Stronghold' prowling near their lair. Afterward, withdraw immediately."
This was the stratagem of "Creating something out of nothing," planting the seeds of suspicion.
"To the remaining Vice Island Masters!"
"Here!"
"Lead half of the fleet toward the east. Deliberately create a massive uproar and feign an attack against another pirate crew."
This was the stratagem of "Making a feint to the east while attacking in the west."
"As for me," he looked toward Old Whale and the most elite members of the Sea Dragon Guards. "I shall lead our main force to lie in ambush at the 'Fangs of the Sea Beast,' a treacherous stretch of water that Black Water Island frequently uses as a secret shipping route."
"Once Old Eccentric Black Water sees the men of the Black Dragon Stronghold, his heart will surely fill with doubt. He will assume the Black Dragon Stronghold is playing both sides, attempting to swallow him whole. Simultaneously, upon seeing our main force heading east, he will inevitably lower his guard along his other routes. And that, is our perfect opportunity!"
"We will not assault their lair. We shall sever their path of retreat and burn their storehouses to the ground! A python that loses its den and its food, no matter how powerful, can only flee in panic."
"And when it runs, the only path it can take," Tran Kien pointed a finger at the nautical chart, directly at the location where Ly Kinh Thien's fleet was conducting their "military drill." "...is straight into the jaws of the waiting shark."
Everyone was astounded. This multi-layered plan not only exploited the enemy but also utilized their "ally," the Imperial Navy. It transformed a passive mission into a grand play directed by his own hand.
This New King possessed stratagems that had truly reached a realm of unfathomable, ghostly brilliance!
"YOUR WILL SHALL BE DONE!" Barbarian Bull and the Vice Island Masters dropped to one knee in unison. In their eyes, not a shred of hesitation remained—only absolute veneration and unyielding trust.
The fleet of Flood Dragon Island quickly split into three directions. Like three dark daggers, they silently merged into the nocturnal embrace of the sea.
A new chessboard had been set. This time, Tran Kien was no longer merely a chess piece. He had become a true Grandmaster, capable of manipulating even the most ferocious sharks upon this oceanic board.