The Combined Fleet on the other side.

On the night of Wang Rulong's death, Ma Yinglong, the police commissioner of the Combined Fleet on the Chixiao, Lin Feng, the deputy commander-in-chief on the Chengsheng Wanli, Xiang Xuehai, the commander-in-chief of the Shangfeng Fleet on the Wanren, and other senior fleet officials, upon hearing the news, rushed to the Kaiyuan one after another to keep vigil for the commander-in-chief.

In the temporary mourning hall, after discussion among the members of the Front Committee, it was decided to divide the fleet into two, with Ma Yinglong leading two battleships to escort the coffins of the commander-in-chief and the fallen soldiers, as well as the wounded and sick on each ship, back to Yongxia immediately.

Xiang Xuehai led the severely damaged warships to the nearby base in Sanmao Strait for simple repairs, and then returned to Yongxia for rest.

Lin Feng led the remaining 90 warships, escorting the 120 captured Spanish warships, and slowly moved back.

The reason for escorting so many warships was not just for safety, but the key reason was that the surrendered Spanish warships had basically lost their masts and sails, turning into wooden boxes without power.

Because of the "Anti-epidemic Regulations", the Marines could not be sent on board the ship before complete isolation and disinfection, so they could only connect the captured ship bow to stern like a string of candied haws and slowly tow it back.

It's headwindy this season, and even if we try our best, we can't travel more than a hundred miles a day, so we'd better just move slowly at the back.

However, the fleet has already sent pigeons to the war zone, requesting that a tugboat fleet be dispatched as planned, and the rescue will be completed in about three to five days.

~~

The fleet escorting the coffins and the wounded faced the same problem. Although the voyage back to Yongxia was only 800 kilometers, the north wind would take the fleet eight to ten days.

The situation for the wounded was not so bad. In this battle, Zhao Hao innovatively added a hospital ship, drew on the elite forces of the Coast Guard General Hospital, and moved a full set of medical equipment and medicines onto the ship for battlefield rescue.

The fleet had more than 600 seriously injured soldiers, which made the two hospital ships overcrowded. Fortunately, the medical strength of the group is far better than before. Jiangnan Medical College has graduated eight medical and nursing classes, and the later established Southeast Medical College has also graduated five classes. In addition, the Coast Guard Medical College has also been established.

The Jiangnan Pharmaceutical Factory and the Southeast Pharmaceutical Factory had also been built and put into production a long time ago, producing various finished medicines. There were enough medical staff and medicines on the medical ship to treat the wounded, so they could remain calm.

Even more troublesome was the remains of Wang Rulong and 366 martyrs on the Kaiyuan. Although it was almost the twelfth lunar month, the so-called cool season in this hellhole of Luzon was close to 30 degrees during the day. In such a hot and humid environment, the remains would rot quickly.

Ma Yinglong, Meiling and others definitely don't want to let Lao Wang and the brothers who sacrificed their lives suffer a second injury. Not only will they not be able to explain to the commander-in-chief, they will also be unable to pass this test themselves.

In fact, according to the Coast Guard Regulations, during ocean voyages where it is not possible to transport intact bodies back, the commander can decide to choose sea burial for the deceased.

At this time, the distance to Yongxia was 800 kilometers, which was definitely far enough to reach the ocean. However, Chinese people all wanted to be buried in peace. Ma Yinglong and his men still tried their best to bury Lao Wang and the fallen soldiers in Yongxia's Cemetery of Heroes.

We still need to ask the experts of the Coast Guard General Hospital to help solve this problem. If it was just Lao Wang, it would be easy to deal with, just soak him in medical alcohol, but there are 366 martyrs, where can we get so much alcohol?

Fortunately, Chen Shigong was still teaching chemistry in the medical school. He came up with the idea of ​​using saltpeter to make ice and building a cold storage to store the remains of the martyrs.

There is nothing wrong with this method, except that it requires a large amount of saltpeter.

Although the fleet only had a few cans of saltpeter used as an analgesic and diuretic, it had several tons of black powder...

"Gunpowder?" Mei Ling was dumbfounded when he heard this. "It's true that there is saltpeter in it, but it's all mixed together. How can you separate the saltpeter from the gunpowder?"

"Don't you have chemistry classes in the Coast Guard School?" Chen Shigong pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and asked, "Don't you know that sulfur and charcoal powder are insoluble in water, while potassium nitrate is easily soluble in water?"

"What is potassium nitrate?" Mei Ling asked in a low voice.

"It's saltpeter." Ma Yinglong said with a bit of embarrassment, "President Chen, just tell me how to do it."

Chen Shigong then proposed his plan: pour gunpowder into water to dissolve it, filter it to get potassium nitrate solution, and separate the saltpeter by evaporation and crystallization.

Then fill a copper basin with water and place it in a bucket. Keep adding saltpeter to the bucket until the water in the copper basin freezes and can be used. After that, the saltpeter can be evaporated and crystallized for reuse.

Although the coast guard officers and soldiers are not very smart, their execution ability is invincible. After they come up with a solution, they immediately make a plan and go all out to take action!

A group of people immediately set up a pot on the forecastle deck to extract saltpeter.

Another group of people cleared the gun deck of Kaiyuan, transferred all the guns to the weather deck, and then closed all the gun windows and hatches, leaving only one entrance covered with a thick quilt to be used as a cold storage.

Another group of people pieced together the brothers' bodies as best they could, took off their bloodstained sailor shirts and leggings, washed their bodies thoroughly, and then cut their nails and trimmed their beards.

Then they were given clean white shirts, their police uniforms and straight trousers were ironed, and their ship leather boots were polished with tears and shoe polish.

Finally, they were carefully carried into simple coffins. The Logistics Department specially ordered a batch of such rectangular boxes before the war, which could be used to store various supplies and used as coffins for the fallen soldiers after the war.

There is a layer of water-absorbing lime at the bottom of the box, and a blue blanket is laid on it. This is where the heroes rest temporarily before returning home.

The soldiers carefully covered the coffin, inserted the wedges, and then sent it to the cold storage.

During the next ten days of the voyage, the coast guard officers and soldiers followed Chen Shigong's plan meticulously, extracting saltpeter day and night to make enough ice to reduce the entire deck to below zero degrees. Then they replaced the ice every six hours, and they lasted for eight days.

~~

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month in the seventh year of the Wanli reign, twenty-one cannon salutes were fired at the Yongxia Port dock.

Amid the sound of low gunfire, the escorting warships, with full flags, guided the Kaiyuan and two hospital ships slowly into the vacated berth at Pier No. 1.

The dock was solemn. All the coast guard officers, security guards, soldiers and reserve forces in Yongxia were all in uniform and lined up neatly at the dock early in the morning to welcome the martyrs home with the highest etiquette.

The coast guard officers and soldiers all had a black ribbon wrapped around their hats and helmets, with the two ends of the ribbon hanging behind their heads as a token of mourning for their comrades.

In addition to the uniformed troops that looked like blocks of tofu, there were the people of Yongxia who came spontaneously to welcome General Wang and the martyrs.

On the 26th of last month, the Luzon Daily and Jiangnan Weekly published a full page report on the victory of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, detailing every aspect of this great victory from various angles.

They also published a personal letter from Mr. Zhao to all soldiers and civilians, the first paragraph of which was:

"I don't know whether I should cheer or mourn. We are united and have just achieved an unprecedented glorious victory, but the price is extremely high - we lost the great fleet commander Wang Rulong and 366 brave coast guard brothers..."

Therefore, today, the streets of Yongxia City are deserted. People, bringing their old and young, with black veils on their arms, all come to the dock to welcome the heroic spirit home, and many of them are holding white guns in their hands.

In the very center of the dock, on the high platform where Master Zhao sent off the fleet last month, the original slogan has been covered with a black curtain, and the mourning banner hangs low, with the words "Soul Return" and "Eternal Immortality" written on it, a pair of extremely eye-catching mourning couplets!

Zhao Hao and Jin Ke had already rushed to Chenmei Island by boat three days ago to welcome the martyrs back, and had boarded the Kaiyuan yesterday. Then they spent a day replacing the black lacquered coffins with golden anchors on top and woolen lining for all the martyrs.

This batch of expensive oak coffins, all made of wood from Spanish galleons captured in the last Battle of Luzon, is Zhao Hao's final gift to the heroic spirits.

Before sealing the coffin, he personally pinned the "Battle of Leyte Gulf" medal, a combat hero medal and a martyr medal on the medals of each fallen soldier's police uniform.

~~

The Kaiyuan slowly approached the shore. Amid the sound of solemn funeral music, led by a guard of honor holding the Coast Guard flag, Zhao Hao, Jin Ke, Ma Yinglong and Wang Duoyu, carried Wang Rulong's coffin and slowly got off the ship.

There are three golden stars on Wang Rulong's coffin, distinguishing him from those of other officers and soldiers.

Following behind were four police officers, all in dress uniforms and white gloves, carrying the coffin of a mid-level police inspector and walking slowly off the boat at the same pace.

There was a long line of carriages parked on the quay.

The first two-horse carriage, pulled by two tall black horses, stopped in front of the Kaiyuan.

Zhao Hao and four other men placed Wang Rulong's coffin steadily on the carriage, and then slowly followed the carriage forward.

The second carriage came forward, and four police officers placed the coffin of the mid-level police inspector steadily on the carriage.

On the gangway behind, there were already four more officers carrying the coffin and they couldn't get off...

~~

It is three kilometers from the pier to the Yongxia Cemetery of Heroes. The white cement road has long been swept spotlessly clean and was sprinkled with water in the morning.

A flag bearer led the way, followed by two flag bearers and two drummers, and behind them was a squadron of honor guards, leading the hearse procession slowly towards the cemetery.

On both sides of the road, every 2 meters there were two soldiers wearing crisp white military uniforms and black military caps, with a bright red kapok flower pinned on their chests, standing opposite each other with guns like green pines.

When the first hearse arrived, two soldiers saluted with their guns raised. Wherever the hearse passed, the soldiers saluted together, and the scene was solemn and dignified.

There was no funeral music, no monks or Taoist priests, not even the paper flowers, paper money, and crying that are required at a funeral. There was only the low beat of drums and the neat sound of the guards' boots marching on the road.

Everything was suffocatingly solemn, but people clearly felt that there was no funeral more solemn than this.

That is the highest respect and condolence for the martyrs!