Meanwhile, the capital city of Tokyo had already arranged for the allocation of fiefdoms to the various kingdoms of the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, on the front lines of the South China Sea, after Li Bao captured Lingyamen, the letter of accusation had already been sent to Srivijaya.

They also issued an ultimatum to the King of Srivijaya, demanding the immediate release of the prisoners.

On this day, Zhao Yan met King Hachi of Srivijaya at the royal palace in Palembang (the capital of Srivijaya).

"Your Majesty, the Song army numbered only three thousand men. I was betrayed and defeated!"

Zhao Yan, with snot and tears streaming down his face, said, "The Song army is determined to attack Your Majesty this time. The Song generals said that you should surrender and then go to the capital of Song and kneel before the Song emperor."

Originally, Srivijaya was a vassal state of the Song Dynasty.

Historically, they have visited the Central Plains to pay tribute on numerous occasions.

For example, during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of Song, the Song Dynasty launched two attacks on the Celestial Empire.

The special envoy of Srivijaya, Pi Wa, was also awarded the title of General Huaiyuan.

The King of Srivijaya wasn't deliberately making things difficult for Song; it was just that Song merchants had recently insisted on using some kind of paper money, causing widespread resentment among Srivijaya merchants, especially the lower-ranking nobles.

That's when the conflict erupted.

Xia Chi originally had some concerns about this matter.

But Zhao Yan said that the Celestial Empire is currently at war with the barbarians further north, and will absolutely not send troops to the South China Sea within the next few years.

Even if the war ends a few years later, the Song emperor will not launch a long-distance expedition.

Therefore, he ordered the imprisonment of Song merchants and, in alliance with Zhao Yan, closed Song's only seaport to the West, effectively cutting off Song's trade with the West.

I thought there wouldn't be any problems, but I didn't expect the State of Song to attack so quickly.

Xia Chi still harbored some concerns: "Did the Song army really only send three thousand men?"

"It's absolutely true! If Li Guiyi hadn't betrayed me, I would have wiped out the Song army long ago!"

"So what should we do now?"

"Naturally, we should mobilize all our forces and annihilate the Song army!"

Xia Chi hesitated.

"Your Majesty, the Song army is on a long and arduous campaign and cannot sustain this effort for long. We need not worry about it."

“What you say makes sense, but I’ve heard that the Song army is powerful. They’ve destroyed Jiaozhi and Champa in the north, and many of their nobles are still with me.”

“Your Majesty, that was on land. Now that the Song army is flying over here, aren’t we just meat on the chopping block?” Zhao Yan continued, “Are we going to be forced to use paper money in the future? Ordinary people simply don’t accept that stuff. If that happens, Your Majesty’s country will inevitably fall into chaos.”

Since Zhao Yan had already been defeated by the Song army, he felt that he needed to take someone down with him, or at least find a way to drive the Song army away.

Otherwise, he would die a terrible death.

The best course of action is to urge Srivijaya to immediately launch an attack on the Song army.

Seeing that Xia Chi was still hesitant, Zhao Yan said, "His Majesty has already placed more than a hundred Song merchants under house arrest and has broken with the Song Kingdom. The Song army has come here to demand an explanation!"

Xia Chi asked the ministers around him, and they all agreed with Zhao Yan's statement.

Thus, although Xia Chi was still extremely worried, the die was cast, and he could only order the army to be assembled.

Srivijaya is the most powerful country among the nations of the South China Sea, with an army of 50,000, a number that many smaller countries in the South China Sea would not even dare to dream of.

Moreover, Srivijaya's army is renowned for its strength in the South China Sea, and no small country dares to disobey it.

This is also the source of Srivijaya's confidence in seizing Song Dynasty merchant ships.

Having just finished discussing matters with the ministers and heard Zhao Yan's description, Xia Chi received Li Bao's letter of accusation.

After hearing what the ministers said, Xia Chi's confidence was greatly boosted, and he immediately wrote back to Li Bao, indicating that he was ready to go to war at any time.

On the third day, Li Bao left two thousand Song soldiers to guard Lingya Gate.

Then he led five warships and a total of eight thousand Song soldiers to Srivijaya across the strait.

The sun shines brightly near the equator. There is no wind or cloud today, and the sunlight makes the calm, silky blue sea sparkle.

The Song army's warships were like large sea monsters moving on the sea.

The Song army's warships sailed very fast, but Li Bao timed it perfectly: the Song army had to arrive at the port of Srivijaya during the day, preferably in the morning.

Because this is naval warfare, the maneuverability is not as flexible as in grassland warfare.

Therefore, Li Bao planned to fight a direct annihilation battle.

The Song army's warships were far larger than those of Srivijaya, and their firearms could overwhelm the enemy.

There is absolutely no need for a surprise attack or blitzkrieg.

The best time to launch a direct attack is during the day.

Li Bao timed it perfectly, and the Song army arrived at the port of Srivijaya around the morning of the next day.

That harbor used to be a trading hub with the Song Dynasty.

Since the imperial court increased overseas trade in the second year of the Jingkang era, trade between Srivijaya and the Song Dynasty has flourished, and this seaport has become increasingly prosperous.

But now, there are no merchant ships anchored here, only Srivijaya warships.

Calling them warships is giving them too much credit.

The largest warship in Srivijaya was less than one-tenth the size of a Song Dynasty warship.

When the Srivijaya naval commander, Yili, saw five giant warships approaching, he was completely stunned.

He had never seen such a huge warship in his entire life.

"That bastard Zhao Yan lied to us!"

Compared to the Song Dynasty's warships, the warships of Srivijaya were like beggars on the roadside versus wealthy and talented princes.

The morale of the troops was immediately shaken.

However, the army was still a regular army. Under Yi Li's call, the entire army immediately reorganized its formation, and the warships were lined up densely on the sea, rushing towards the Song army's warships like swimming fish.

After Li Baoyong spotted the enemy ships ahead using the Qianliwang (a sleight of hand) system, he ordered the entire army to prepare.

After the Srivijaya army entered the range of the Song army's artillery, the five warships simultaneously began firing their cannons.

The deafening roar of cannons echoed across the sea.

boom……

One of the Srivijaya warships was hit squarely by a cannonball, its deck was smashed to pieces, and it exploded, killing the three Srivijaya soldiers on board and then bursting into flames.

Five warships, each equipped with ten cannons, for a total of fifty cannons.

Launched simultaneously, its power seemed to overturn the sea in front of it.

The Srivijaya navy, which had just begun its assault, was instantly terrified by the Song Dynasty's cannons. Many were completely bewildered and had no idea what was happening.

Having never seen artillery before, some people's willpower collapsed instantly.

Screams and shouts echoed across the sea.

In a mere few hundred meters, more than thirty Srivijaya warships were sunk, and many people died on the spot.

When the Song army warships rolled over and were only two hundred meters away, the musketeers in their uniforms lined up and began to execute them.

Bang bang bang...

They originally thought that with the approaching attack and their numbers and ships, they could take down the Song army's warships.

Unexpectedly, upon getting closer, another mysterious weapon appeared.

In an instant, more than fifty Srivijaya soldiers were hit, some died on the spot, and others lay on the ground groaning.