"Understood, Miss Bei. We'll head back to the mountain immediately and start work tomorrow morning." Uncle Lin was a straightforward man; with clear instructions, he could work tirelessly.
"If you need more hands, invite some neighbors from the nearby villages to help. We need to act quickly. Two days from now, I'll take some men and horses up the mountain to hunt wolves and wild oxen. For now, have some food and rest. Later, I'll have someone ride with you back to the mountain." Cheng Mo instructed Wind Feng and the other two riders to take them back after they finished their hot meal, while Tong Chen hurried off to arrange for the leatherworkers to prepare for the task.
"Young Master, Young Madam, how about we help with the hunting?" With no outsiders present, several members of the Cheng family's guards eagerly approached.
"I can't make that call; it's all up to you, Young Madam." Cheng Mo also felt the itch to join in, but he had promised earlier that the affairs in the mountains were Bei's private matter from her maternal family. He never dared to make decisions on his own.
With a group of eager men looking at her, Bei decided not to tease them any longer. "I know you're eager to participate. Since our guards can't easily go to the front lines during this military expedition, let's go to the mountains to stretch our muscles. We won't use anesthesia this time; those materials are precious and should be saved for the battlefield. We'll use bows, arrows, knives, and spears together, aiming for slaughter while maintaining the quality of the pelts as a competitive standard. With an army of twenty thousand, let's host a feast with beef and mutton, showing off our dominance in Dongbin! What do you think, Cheng Mo?"
"Thank you for your consideration, Young Madam! We'll make arrangements right away." Completely ignoring the fact that their lord had yet to speak, the group dispersed eagerly, eager to seize the opportunity. Being accustomed to being around the Young Master, they all knew that obeying the Young Madam's orders was a way of showing respect to the Young Master. Of course, not everyone had the privilege of being in the inner circle of the personal guards and close friends, so they didn't care much about the formalities.
Once the list was reported, all seven divisions of the Cheng family's guards who were able to fight were listed, numbering perhaps two or three thousand people. When Cheng Mo laid out the arranged personnel list on the table, Xiang Bei was simply stunned.
"They will be divided into five batches, each person equipped with twenty arrows, each arrow marked with a private symbol. Those who enter the field will be determined by combat, with those defeated mainly stationed on the periphery for containment. The last-ranked individuals will be responsible for skinning and processing, while new recruits will handle transportation and processing." The spectacle of the hunting operation was a bit grand, and Cheng Mo explained it with a hint of embarrassment.
"Understood. The Cheng family guards specialize in covert operations and aren't suited for direct confrontation, so it's a good opportunity to train them. However, Ah Mo, I have an idea. Let's discuss it privately, shall we?"
"Of course, we have no secrets between us, and there's nothing inappropriate about it." Cheng Mo particularly enjoyed the open and honest communication between himself and Bei.
"Well, you see, Admiral Old Qiao is getting old, and he's suffered quite a few injuries over the years. I reckon that in the future, the Qiao family's naval forces will be under the command of Brother Qiao Er. Once this battle is over and we've wiped out these ocean bandits, we probably won't need thousands of naval forces for coastal defense. Qiao Er Brother has been involved in business in the South Seas for years, so it's likely he has contacts and ships. Instead of waiting for him to come to us, why don't we start building some ships ourselves? We can send our Cheng family guards with the naval forces under the guise of business, embark on an expedition to the South Seas, establish maritime docks, and form a chain of islands for coastal defense." Xiang Bei had long desired to establish a chain of islands for maritime defense, and now that the opportunity had arisen, her idea had finally matured.
"You make a valid point. Father Emperor 's intention is indeed to transfer the authority of these twenty thousand troops into my hands permanently, to guard East Southern Sea Shore. I've also been considering whether to disperse the covert guards and embed them within the army. However, I'm not quite sure about the maritime docks and island chain you mentioned. Isn't defending the coastline enough?" Cheng Mo keenly grasped the two key words in Xiang Bei's thoughts.
"Have you ever seen a map of the sea routes to the South Seas? Well, let me simplify and sketch out the rough topography of the entire world for you." Xiang Bei quickly outlined the world map with simple lines, emphasizing the locations of Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hainan Island, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Cape Town (Cape of Good Hope). "The vast grasslands to the north have been the starting point of the ancient Silk Road since the Tang Dynasty, where the ancestors of the European continent opened up trade routes along the Hexi Corridor," Xiang Bei drew the starting point and route of the ancient Silk Road journey, then pointed out and explained the important islands along the maritime Silk Road route. "As for the South Sea merchant ships, according to Qiao Er Brother's friends, they should pass through the Yi Continent (modern-day Taiwan), sail past Qiongzhou Island (modern-day Hainan Province), traverse the Malay Archipelago towards the Asian-European continent. This is a narrow and long island chain surrounding the outer seas of my southern border. There's a narrow strait called the Ivory Strait (now the Malacca Strait), which is calm and strategically connects the Asian-European sea and land routes. The previous dynasty probably had merchants from the Tang Dynasty gathering there for trade, but the local Malay kingdoms, numbering perhaps up to thirty, are constantly in conflict. We must take absolute control of this island chain to ensure the safety and smoothness of long-distance trade."