Li Bao led three thousand sailors, loaded with military provisions, and sailed towards Guangzhou Bay.
The following night, Li Bao's warship was only a hundred miles away from Guangzhou Bay.
In the southeast of Guangzhou Port, there is an island that is under the jurisdiction of Dongguan County, the new prefecture of Guangzhou.
It was an important military base for the Song army in the South China Sea.
Because it was a spice export hub in the South China Sea, some people called it Hong Kong Village.
At the southernmost part of Hong Kong Village is the naval base.
After the scouts returned, they told Li Bao that the navy in Hong Kong Village had not fallen and that the Song army was holding Hong Kong Island.
The rebels launched two landing raids, but were driven back both times.
It's a war of attrition now. Fortunately, Hong Kong Island has plenty of tropical rainforest and fruit, so even though we don't have strong military rations, at least we won't starve.
Xiao Yi's men, who were sent to Kowloon Bay for help, have been there for a month. A few days ago, they were informed by the rebels that they had been intercepted at sea and their heads were hung on the opposite bank of the river at the northernmost point of Hong Kong Island.
The morale of the troops was somewhat affected, but fortunately, the navy personnel were all highly trained.
That night, Xiao Yi received a secret message from Li Bao's messenger, instructing him to remain still and await reinforcements.
Li Bao did not rush ashore, nor did he reveal his troops.
Only Xiao Yi knew about Li Baolai.
As night deepened, Xu Yunsheng was summoned to Li Bao's boat.
He went inside the cabin.
"Greetings, Commander Li."
Li Bao handed Xiao Yi's letter to Xu Yunsheng, who was slightly taken aback. Li Bao explained, "It's a report written by Xiao Yi."
Xu Yunsheng was even more surprised, and his eyes were filled with awe and respect when he looked at Li Bao.
He felt trusted.
"The rebel army has grown to 60,000 men, and its momentum is enormous. No wonder Guangzhou fell so quickly. Xiao Yi chose to remain inactive."
"Sixty thousand people!" Xu Yunsheng exclaimed in disbelief. "The imperial court has been very generous to Guangzhou, and the people are living better lives than before. Why would so many people rebel?"
"There's probably more to this than meets the eye."
Li Bao sighed inwardly: "Aren't ordinary people the easiest to be incited throughout history?"
No wonder Xiao Yi held firm rather than taking the initiative.
He's taking the initiative to attack, killing only his own people; he probably can't bring himself to do it.
But if this unrest does not subside, even more people will obviously die.
Li Bao said, "I will rush to Kowloon Bay overnight to call for reinforcements. You will stay here and not go ashore. Stay a little further away so that you are not discovered. There are two months' worth of rations on the ship, enough for me to return."
"yes!"
"Remember, don't tell anyone."
Xu Yunsheng nodded emphatically.
That night, Li Bao led his men and drove at full speed southwest.
In order to avoid being discovered on the way, Li Bao deliberately took a detour.
He conquered the entire South China Sea, and he knows the South China Sea inside and out.
Half a month later, Li Bao, who had taken a detour, arrived at Jiulong Port, the southernmost point of Jiaozhou.
As an important port at the southernmost tip of the mainland, Kowloon Bay has a navy of 60,000.
On the day Li Bao arrived, the entire army was in an uproar.
Li Bao has been in the capital for several months, and they miss this commander-in-chief terribly.
The sun in Kowloon Harbour was very strong, and Zhao Shen was tanned to a deep, glossy black.
He swore that when he was in Yingtianfu, he hadn't been exposed to the sun in a whole year as much as he had in a month here.
It was too hot inside the carriage, so he decided not to use it and instead found a small donkey to ride by himself.
Zhao Shen, who is eleven years old this year, looks rather young. Like most boys his age, he is active and likes to laugh loudly.
But his unintentional actions made him seem completely different from other teenagers.
"Duke Chong, Zhao Shen has arrived."
Zhao Chen was changing his clothes when he heard that Li Bao had returned, and he was going to pay his respects to Li Bao.
Li Bao was the Commander-in-Chief of the South China Sea and a famous general of the Song Dynasty. How could Zhao Chen ignore such a person?
He needs to cultivate a good relationship with Li Bao, as it will be of great use in the future.
Zhao Chen wore a navy blue military uniform, clean and simple, made of cotton, which looked very elegant and appropriate.
He turned around: "Zhao Shen, what brings him here? Let him in quickly."
"Zhao Shen paid homage to the Duke of Chongguo."
"Please, no need for formalities, Zhao Shen. What are you doing here?"
Zhao Shen is only eleven years old this year. In ancient times, people were given a courtesy name by their elders when they reached adulthood, so Zhao Shen called him by his given name.
"Duke Chong, I have come here to tell you something very important, something that concerns your future."
"Oh, what is it?"
Are you aware of the Guangzhou rebellion?
Zhao Chen shook his head; how could he know?
This is Jiulongjiang, separated from Guangzhou by a vast expanse of sea.
Why did the Guangzhou rebellion occur?
"The Chen family colluded with foreign merchants and incited the people."
"Then what are we waiting for? Quickly gather some men to quell the rebellion!" Zhao Chen said anxiously.
"Duke Chongguo, please don't be too hasty. Has Commander Li returned?"
"Yes, that's right."
"The imperial court sent Commander Li to Guangzhou to quell the rebellion, but it seems they didn't have enough troops, so they came back to seek reinforcements."
Zhao Chen was slightly taken aback and asked cautiously, "Is the Guangzhou rebellion that serious?"
“Rebellions have always been dangerous, not child’s play.” Zhao Shen revealed his pearly white teeth. “This Guangzhou rebellion is an opportunity for the Duke of Chong.”
"You want me to go with Commander Li to quell the rebellion?"
“That’s right. Commander Li is the Lingnan Pacification Commissioner personally appointed by His Majesty. If Duke Chong makes a contribution in this pacification, he will surely be promoted to Commander-in-Chief.”
"But the Guangzhou riots are extremely dangerous. What if something happens to me?"
Zhao Shen laughed heartily, "Don't worry about that. I will accompany you to Guangzhou and help you establish your own true merit in this war!"
"Only in this way will His Majesty favor you even more, and the future Song Dynasty will be yours."
Zhao Chen nodded in agreement: "You're right. This is an opportunity, and I must seize it."
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