139: Ships are built on the sea frontier, sweeping across the vast ocean.

Chapter 2: Building Ships in the Coastal Waters, Sweeping Across the Waves

On the beach of Fuxing Island, a metal pedestal emitted a cold, silver-blue glow. It had been less than half an incense stick's time since the Emergency Construction Drones finished their deployment, and the Primary Island Base Core was now completely formed. A translucent Energy Barrier, like an inverted dome, firmly covered the core area. It was impenetrable to blades, spears, and arrows—an unsolvable natural defense in the cold weapon battlefields of the thirteenth century.

Lu Xiufu and over a hundred Southern Song Dynasty remnants knelt on the beach, not daring to rise for a long time. The steel buildings appearing out of thin air, the flowing energy patterns, and the silently operating mechanical components far exceeded their understanding of the world. they only thought that the Great Song's fortune had not yet run out, and the Heavenly Emperor had sent down divine weapons and tools to assist the Little Emperor in restoring the state.

Lin Zhou stepped across the soft sand and walked to the control console of the base core. His youthful palm pressed against the smooth metal panel, and his Sea of Consciousness completed a deep connection with the red alert system. The resource distribution of the entire island, the maritime situation, the construction queue, and resource reserves all transformed into a stream of data before his eyes.

Ten thousand units of steel, five thousand of fuel, eight thousand of ore, and one energy core—the initial resources were barely enough to support basic infrastructure and the first batch of naval combat units. To control the surrounding waters, he had to sustain war through war and use the islands to support his ships. He needed to use the Yuan Army's warships, merchant supplies, and the minerals of deserted islands to fill the red alert system's resource pool.

"Chancellor Lu, please rise." Lin Zhou's voice still carried the innocence of a child, yet it possessed a natural majesty that could command a thousand armies. "This is no miracle of the gods, but the foundation of the empire in my hands. From now on, all buildings, weaponry, and soldiers on this island shall be under my command. You need only follow my decrees. To recover our territory and wash away the Shame of Yashan is within our reach."

Lu Xiufu rose tremblingly, straightened his tattered official robes, and bowed deeply. "Your servant obeys. I shall follow Your Majesty's lead, even if it means ten thousand deaths." His heart was still filled with turbulent waves, but the thought of throwing himself into the sea for his country was gone. The Little Emperor before him had completely transformed, and this steel base appearing out of nowhere was the hope for the Great Song's rebirth.

Lin Zhou did not explain the origin of the red alert system too much. In this era, there was no need to discuss scientific principles; he only needed to set rules with imperial authority. He turned to the console and issued the first naval construction command in his Sea of Consciousness. The system's electronic voice immediately echoed in his mind.

[Ding—Command received: Starting construction of Primary Shipyard. Consuming 3,000 steel, 2,000 ore, and 1,000 fuel. Construction time: 1 hour.]

[Command received: Pre-manufacturing 4x Red Alert High-speed Patrol Boats. Each boat consumes 800 steel and 300 fuel. To be launched immediately upon shipyard completion.]

[Command received: Starting full-power operation of the Resource Converter. Collecting island rocks and sand to convert into steel and ore. Continuous output of basic resources.]

In the shallow waters on the west side of the beach, blue light bloomed once more. A massive shipyard module extended from the base core. metal docks sank into the seawater, and mechanical arms, welding chambers, and storage bins were quickly assembled. The light humming of machinery replaced the sound of the waves. A maritime workshop capable of building ships across eras took root in the blue waves of the South Sea.

Lin Zhou then deployed the Southern Song Dynasty remnants, assigning clear responsibilities: twenty strong soldiers were to scout the island, marking forests, freshwater sources, and potential mineral sites to prepare for future resource expansion; thirty sailors skilled in swimming and rowing were assigned to a temporary naval combat unit to learn patrol boat operations and naval tactics from Mechanical Instructors generated by the red alert system; the remaining soldiers were to guard the perimeter of the base barrier, set up temporary tents, calm the troops, and keep watch over the surrounding waters.

Lu Xiufu watched as the originally scattered remnants quickly organized under Lin Zhou's commands, each performing their duties in an orderly fashion. His heart grew even more filled with awe. This eight-year-old child seemed to be a born commander. The coordination ability shown in his every move was something even the famous generals of the Southern Song Dynasty could hardly match.

The one-hour wait passed in an instant amidst the tense atmosphere.

[Ding—Primary Shipyard construction complete. Capable of manufacturing small naval combat vessels.]

[Ding—4x Red Alert High-speed Patrol Boats completed. Moored at the shipyard docks, ready for departure at any time.]

Lin Zhou stepped toward the shallow sea. Four silver-gray, sleek high-speed patrol boats floated quietly on the water. The hulls were equipped with Twin-linked Rapid-fire Machine Guns and Light Torpedo Launchers. Their top speed far exceeded all sailing ships of this era, and their armor could easily withstand arrows, firearms, and cold weapon strikes. The combat power of a single boat was enough to sweep through a fleet of Yuan Army small and medium-sized fast ships.

The Southern Song Dynasty sailors gathered at the shore, staring dumbfounded at these strange boats that had no sails, no oars, and no rudders yet could float on the sea. They reached out to touch the cold hulls, finding them smooth and hard, wondering what kind of divine material they were made of.

"Select forty men to board the four boats and set sail with me." Lin Zhou leaped onto the lead patrol boat. The control console lit up automatically, and various data refreshed in real-time. The Sea Area Radar scanning radius covered fifty li around them. Ships, reefs, and islands in the surrounding waters were all marked on the Holographic Panel.

On the radar screen, three red dots were particularly piercing, located thirty li northeast of Fuxing Island. They were exactly the three Yuan Army fast ships in pursuit, carrying over a hundred Yuan soldiers equipped with scimitars, bows, and incendiary tools. They were clearly following the Song soldiers' route to pull them up by the roots.

Lu Xiufu boarded the boat and looked at the flowing lights of the console and the dots on the radar screen. He exclaimed in shock, "Your Majesty, this ship can actually detect the enemy's tracks from a hundred li away! It is truly a peerless wonder! The Yuan Army pursuers have arrived; how should we face the enemy?"

"Face the enemy?" A cold arc curved at the corner of Lin Zhou's mouth, revealing the murderous aura of a commander of a steel torrent from his past life in the apocalypse. "It's not facing them; it's a purge. From today on, no warships of the Mongol Yuan shall be allowed to run rampant in these waters."

He pressed the start button on the hull. The engines of the four patrol boats roared, and light blue propulsion wakes exploded on the sea surface. They sped toward the northeast like arrows released from a bow, their speed so fast that they carved four snow-white trails in the water, several times faster than the Yuan Army's sailing ships.

In less than fifteen minutes, the three Yuan Army fast ships appeared in sight. When the Yuan soldiers on board saw the four sail-less strange boats speeding toward them, they were first stunned, then began brandishing their scimitars and howling, drawing their bows. A dense rain of arrows shot toward the patrol boats.

The arrows struck the alloy armor of the hulls and all bounced off, without leaving even a single white mark.

"Machine guns ready, fire at will," Lin Zhou ordered calmly.

The Twin-linked Rapid-fire Machine Guns of the four patrol boats opened fire simultaneously. The metal roar of 'da-da-da' echoed across the sea as tongues of fire spewed out. Bullets swept toward the Yuan Army fast ships like a rainstorm. Soldiers of the cold weapon era had never seen such a terrifyingly lethal weapon. Yuan soldiers fell in swaths, the ship planks were blasted into flying wood chips, the sail ropes were all severed, and the hulls were instantly riddled with holes.

A Yuan Army Centurion roared an order to set fires, holding a torch to throw at a patrol boat, but he was directly shot in the head by a bullet, his body falling into the sea. In just a short while, the three Yuan Army fast ships were blasted to pieces. The Yuan soldiers on board were either dead or wounded, falling one after another into the cold seawater and struggling as they sank to the bottom.

[Ding—Destroyed the Yuan Army pursuer fleet. Resource rewards obtained: 1,500 steel, 800 fuel, 1,000 ore, 20 Technology Points.]

[Ding—Unlocked Sea Area Occupation Rights. You can now mark and control sea areas and collect transit resources from passing merchant ships.]

Lin Zhou stood at the bow, looking at the Yuan Army wreckage and corpses floating on the sea without the slightest pity. The blood feud of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians at Yashan would be repaid with interest, starting from these three fast ships.

"Order: turn southeast. Sweep the three surrounding uninhabited islands. Clear any pirates or Yuan Army scouts that may exist on the islands. Mark mineral and vegetation resources and bring them under the jurisdiction of Fuxing Island."

The four patrol boats changed course and galloped through the blue waves of the South Sea. Wherever they went, pirate dens were leveled by machine guns, and Yuan Army scout outposts were destroyed by torpedoes. The flags symbolizing red alert and the Great Song's restoration were planted on the three deserted islands one after another. The Resource Converter operated continuously, as rocks, timber, and sea sand from the islands were steadily converted into infrastructure resources, quickly filling the shipyard's resource reserves.

On the return journey, the radar captured two Southern Song Dynasty merchant ships in exile. Upon hearing that the Little Emperor had occupied a deserted island and crushed the Yuan Army, the ship owners immediately sailed over to surrender, offering grain, cloth, ironware, and shipbuilding timber, seeking only protection.

Lin Zhou ordered the acceptance of the merchant ships and converted all supplies into red alert resources. At the same time, he issued new construction commands: expand the Primary Shipyard, increase the number of patrol boats to eight, start research on Light Corvette blueprints, and set up a sea area warning network to completely control the hundred-li coastal waters around Fuxing Island.

As the sun set, its afterglow spilled over the South Sea. The four patrol boats returned in formation and docked at the Fuxing Island shipyard. On the beach, the Southern Song Dynasty remnants and merchant ship crews lined up to welcome them, shouting "Long live!" their voices echoing across the island.

Lin Zhou stepped off the patrol boat and looked toward the vast South Sea, his gaze penetrating the layers of waves toward the Central Plains and toward the even more distant five continents and four seas.

The primary naval combat force was established, the surrounding coastal waters were under control, and the foundation of Fuxing Island was firmly set.

Next was to expand the fleet, swallow up pirate forces, incorporate the exiled navies, monopolize the South Sea trade, and use the island as a fulcrum and the fleet as claws to gradually erode the Mongol Yuan's control of the seas, eventually spreading the red alert's steel fleets across every ocean on the globe.

Lu Xiufu walked to Lin Zhou's side, looking at the steel fleet under the setting sun, his eyes full of hot tears. "Your Majesty, with such divine weapons, there is hope for the Great Song's restoration. The Han Civilization will eventually return to the Central Plains."

Lin Zhou nodded slightly. The system panel in his Sea of Consciousness was constantly refreshing; new construction queues, technology research, and sea area expansion plans were all arranged.

"This is only the beginning."

"What I want is not just the restoration of the Song, not just the Central Plains."

"I want these four seas and eight directions, all oceans and lands, to be my territory and to fly my flag."