The strength of the Pirate Alliance had long since declined.
Furthermore, with Liu Kai Xuan's air force providing support, Sen Kai was confident of victory in this battle.
After the Imperial Army completely blockaded Wanglan Island, the drone formations took off from Hero Island and arrived on time, launching a precise aerial strike on Wanglan Island.
The aerial strike plan was a great success, with the pirate gang's docks and camps suffering heavy bombardment.
The pirate gang suffered extremely heavy losses, but after all, they had already landed.
The terrestrial environment was far more complex than the marine environment.
It was unrealistic to completely eliminate the pirates hiding on land through aerial strikes alone.
After one round of bombing, the Imperial Army launched a landing operation on Wanglan Island.
However, a severe mistake occurred during this phase.
The pirate fleet and the Imperial Army's naval fleet became mixed up in the convoluted river bend, making identification difficult.
The Imperial Army's ships flew white flags, as did the pirate ships.
They looked exactly the same, making identification impossible.
The Imperial Army and the pirate fleet engaged in chaotic fighting in the island's river bends for over an hour, and the battle ended inconclusively!
The Imperial Army general's report to Sen Kai stated: All pirates have been eliminated!
The Imperial Army found over 100 pirate corpses on Wanglan Island.
At the same time, they captured over 40 prisoners, a glorious victory.
However, Liu Kai Xuan, through drone surveillance, discovered that a significant number of pirates had successfully escaped the Imperial Army's encirclement!
According to Remy's statistics, at least over half of the pirate ships escaped.
Moreover, the escaping pirate ships were generally newer, representing the core strength of the pirate forces.
Their escape would undoubtedly pose a severe threat to Liu Kai Xuan's oil transport routes in the future.
However, there was nothing that could be done!
The situation at the time was too chaotic, with Imperial Army warships and pirate ships entangled in the narrow waters.
All vessels flew white flags at their bows.
The drones circling overhead were unable to accurately identify the pirate ships.
Any hasty bombing would inevitably lead to friendly fire.
In the end, Liu Kai Xuan could only watch as the remaining pirate forces slipped away.
This incident made Liu Kai Xuan realize a very real problem!
There was a high probability of collusion between the pirate forces and the noble forces of Senluo Kingdom.
When the battle first began, Liu Kai Xuan's drones had already inflicted severe damage on the pirate forces.
Logically, the Imperial Army should have been able to easily sweep the island and clear up the battlefield.
There was no need for them to clash with the pirates, let alone fight them at close quarters.
Upon discovering enemy traces, they could have simply telephoned the Air Force Command and launched precise airstrikes.
Unfortunately, the Imperial Army adopted the most foolish tactic, allowing the pirates to escape.
Although they failed to eliminate them completely this time, there were still some results from the battle.
Liu Kai Xuan kept his word and decided to invest in Senluo Kingdom.
The investment of one billion yuan would be gradually injected in batches over the next three years.
Furthermore, Liu Kai Xuan proposed several conditions for his investment cooperation to Sen Kai.
The first year of investment would be a capital injection period, during which Senluo Kingdom would implement a tax-exempt policy for Liu Kai Xuan's investment regions!
After the one-year investment period, the company would pay taxes in full to Senluo Kingdom.
Senluo Kingdom needed to designate a piece of land near Kai Xuan City on its southern border for Liu Kai Xuan to develop.
The area of this land would be a region measuring 50 kilometers in length and width.
Such conditions were generally reciprocal.
The piece of land Liu Kai Xuan demanded with such a "lion's mouth" was a strategically important area for Senluo Kingdom.
More than half of this area was plain, with nearly two million mu of arable land.
It was an important grain-producing region for Senluo Kingdom, and these millions of mu of land would generate considerable income even if used solely for growing grain.
With such an extravagant demand, Sen Kai naturally could not agree.
Sen Kai's suggestion was for Liu Kai Xuan to develop in the Imperial Capital Circle.
The capital circle was more densely populated, with a greater demand for jobs.
However, Liu Kai Xuan certainly would not relocate his industries to Senluo Kingdom's capital circle.
After a week of negotiations, Sen Kai finally agreed to Liu Kai Xuan's demands.
There was no other choice; this commercial cooperation with Liu Kai Xuan was too enticing.
Sen Kai had many economic experts by his side.
These individuals, drawing salaries from Sen Kai, were able to provide him with valuable advice.
For a small kingdom like Senluo Kingdom, the simplest way to achieve development was: assistance from benefactors!
To put it plainly, someone had to invest and develop industry.
According to the projections of business experts, if a large industrial enterprise with an asset value of over one billion yuan could be established within Senluo Kingdom, it would, over time, generate at least three billion yuan in industrial output for the kingdom.
Firstly, the establishment of the enterprise in Senluo Kingdom would provide a stable source of tax revenue.
This money would be a direct benefit to the imperial treasury.
Simultaneously, with the completion of an enterprise valued at one billion yuan, it would create at least ten thousand job opportunities for Senluo Kingdom.
Ten thousand impoverished families would be able to earn a stable income through these jobs.
These ten thousand families, lifted above the poverty line, would begin to live normal lives.
With the wages they earned, these individuals would have the capacity to consume, inevitably stimulating commercial activity.
Thus, at least the economy in the area of the economic development zone would be revitalized.
Currently, Senluo Kingdom was stagnant, like a dead pool, with various factions counterbalancing each other.
In such circumstances, the economic development of Senluo Kingdom was like rowing upstream against a strong current.
Progress was slow, and a single misstep could lead to significant regression.
If Liu Kai Xuan's modern industrial enterprise could serve as a locomotive, it would be a tremendous piece of good news for Senluo Kingdom.
One might ask, if this ten-billion-yuan investment truly held such immense power, why didn't Sen Kai invest the money himself? Why did he have to sacrifice significant benefits and implore Liu Kai Xuan to invest?
There were, of course, reasons for this.
It was because the problem of class stratification in Senluo Kingdom was too severe!
If Sen Kai were to invest in development, only the powerful nobles would ultimately benefit.