After conquering the Kingdom of Jiaozhi, Li Bao was recommended by Yue Fei to become the first naval commander of the Song Dynasty. He remained loyal to his duties and diligently trained the Song Dynasty navy in Hangzhou Bay.

The Song Dynasty navy has now reached a considerable size, with 30,000 Song Dynasty naval personnel stationed in Hangzhou Bay.

There were ten warships in total.

The shipbuilding technology of the Song Dynasty was the most advanced and technologically superior on this planet, and there was absolutely no need for a time traveler like Zhao Huan to make improvements.

The Maritime Trade Office was elevated to a national strategic level during the reign of Emperor Zhao Kuangyin, and shipbuilding families passed down their expertise from generation to generation.

Shen Lang arrived in Hangzhou a month ago.

Zhao Gou was ordered to dispatch three warships, totaling 10,000 naval personnel, each equipped with ten cannons, led by Li Bao, who brought Shen Lang to the port of Japan.

When the pirates in the vicinity heard that Li Bao had taken three warships to Japan, they were overjoyed. The next day, they eagerly went to Hangzhou Bay to show off, only to be surrounded and attacked by seven Song Dynasty warships, and were beaten so badly that they didn't even recognize their own mothers.

Of the 10,000 pirates they brought, only 700 returned.

From then on, the pirates of the East China Sea kept a much lower profile.

After Shen Lang landed at a Japanese port, he was given a grand reception. On behalf of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty, he conveyed the Emperor's grace to Japan.

Piracy was rampant, severely impacting trade between the Song Dynasty and Japan. In order to protect the coastal order of Japan, the Song Dynasty planned to station a navy in Osaka Bay, Japan.

This proposal immediately drew strong opposition within Japan.

In particular, the old nobles and the Emperor's faction resolutely opposed the Song Dynasty's navy being stationed in Osaka Bay.

One former nobleman bluntly stated, "This is the intention of Emperor Sima Zhao of the Song Dynasty!"

Two days later, Shen Lang met with Taira no Tadamori, the leader of the Japanese samurai group, and made a demand of him: Osaka Bay must be protected by the Song Dynasty navy.

As a pro-Song figure, Taira no Tadamori was very resolute in his stance during the meeting, opposing the proposal to oppose the Song Dynasty for the first time.

What's remarkable is that the samurai group and the old Japanese nobility stood on the same side, refusing to let the Song Dynasty seize control of Osaka Bay.

The Song Dynasty envoy Shen Lang condemned Japan's ungrateful behavior, accusing the Japanese Emperor of endangering maritime trade between the two countries and plunging the people into misery.

Shen Lang then returned to the Song Dynasty warship.

The three Song Dynasty warships did not leave, but remained docked in Osaka Bay.

The conflict between the two sides suddenly escalated.

A few days later, all trade in Osaka Bay suddenly came to a standstill.

All the Song Dynasty merchant ships that came to the Osaka Bay port in Japan to ship fabrics turned back.

All Japanese merchant ships that shipped grain to Hangzhou Bay were seized on suspicion of colluding with pirates.

Subsequently, the Hangzhou Maritime Trade Office issued a warning to Japan, stating that Japanese merchants had colluded with pirates to plunder Song Dynasty merchant ships, a crime that was unforgivable.

After the first crime was sent to Japan, the former nobles and samurai groups of Japan were furious.

Immediately afterwards, the Song Dynasty announced its second charge against Japan: the Japanese Imperial Family harbored Shen Tu Xin, a traitor of the Song Dynasty, who attempted to oppose the Emperor, a crime punishable by death!

Normally, the emperor would not punish the kings of the surrounding kingdoms.

This is the first time such a situation has occurred.

This means that the two countries have entered a state of war.

Three days later, the Hangzhou Maritime Trade Office submitted a request to His Majesty the Emperor of the Song Dynasty to launch an attack on Japan, citing Japan's crimes. The capital city of Kaifeng immediately issued a proclamation to the entire world denouncing Japan's crimes and also issued a declaration of war against Japan.

At the same time, it requested that Goryeo send 30,000 troops to assist the Song Dynasty in its campaign against Japan.

Before this proclamation against the Japanese could reach Hangzhou, three Song warships—the Azure Wolf, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise—fired at Osaka Bay.

The artillery fire shattered Osaka Bay, shaking the very souls of everyone present.

Within a few days, Japan mobilized 30,000 troops in Osaka Bay, intending to go to war with the Song Dynasty.

At the same time, the Emperor wrote to the King of Goryeo, hoping to join forces with him to fight against the Song Dynasty.

The King of Goryeo was unwilling to send 30,000 troops to attack Japan. He believed that the decree of His Majesty the Emperor of Song was unreasonable and that Goryeo was not capable of sending 30,000 troops, so he adopted a delaying tactic.

Five days later, having received no response, the Song Dynasty immediately cut off all of Goryeo's cloth and food supplies.

For a short period of time, the top leaders of both countries were completely unaware and oblivious.

Seeing that the Song Dynasty warships only anchored in Osaka Bay and dared not disembark, the Japanese mocked the Song people as cowards.

Zhao Huan had just received the battle report from the front lines when he learned that some people were already itching to take military action against Japan.

The emperor personally ordered that the troops remain stationary, so the three warships remained motionless in Osaka harbor.

When Goryeo saw that the Song Dynasty had not taken any measures, some people privately said with disdain: "The Song Dynasty is nothing special."

Although war clouds loomed over the East China Sea, Zhao Huan did not pay much attention to it during this period, because the outcome of the war had already been decided.

Soon Japan will face a food shortage, which will lead to the collapse of people's livelihoods, domestic riots, starvation, and rampant epidemics.

Zhao Huan was just waiting for Japan to kneel before him and beg for grain as a reward.

The same was true for Goryeo. In the past two years, merchants in the countryside had long since shifted their focus to producing cloth to sell to the Song Dynasty in order to make money.

High-profit trade is like a drug; it's addictive.

Zhao Huan is now essentially cutting off the drug supply to an addict.

Having traversed Japan and Goryeo, Zhao Huan has recently been focusing on the grain production of the Song Dynasty itself.

March has arrived, a season of fluttering peach blossoms and also a busy season for farming.

The spring rains in the south nourish the fertile land, making this year a bountiful harvest season.

Some farmers have ripened sweet potatoes and are carrying them on shoulder poles to the market to sell.

The third batch of grain transported from Champa has also successfully arrived at Hangzhou Port and entered Jiangling Prefecture and the Central Plains.

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