The matter was not as bad as Hong Tao thought. This fleet was indeed from the Straits Company. They were not hostage by the Southern Song Dynasty court. They really came to assist in the war. The day before yesterday, the fleet passed by Hong Tao and did not chase after him. Because they knew that they could not catch up, they had to go to the mouth of Qiantang River and encountered the ships of Zheng Qingzhi and Wen Nan. There were also Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty on these two ships. He heard that Zhao Fan's navy and Hong Tao's fleet had fierce friction and fired. The emperor could no longer sit still. Regardless of the obstruction of the ministers, he insisted on taking the imperial guards down the Qiantang River, not to settle the score with Hong Tao, but to persuade the fight.

Emperor Lizong and Zheng Qingzhi were both Song people who had the most contact with Hong Tao. They knew very well what the Song Dynasty would face in this situation once they lost Hong Tao's fleet. Others could make small moves in private, but they did not dare. Seeing their court, the country had just recovered and there would never be any civil strife again. However, they came too late and did not see Hong Tao but caught up with Luo Youde's volunteer fleet.

When Emperor Lizong learned that this fleet was spontaneously formed by the southern maritime merchants to help the court fight the Mongolian navy, he immediately had a little brainwashed. He had never encountered such a situation before. Why did the usual docile Chinese suddenly dare to spontaneously form a militia on the battlefield? Or faced with the Mongols with extremely strong combat power, this is irrelevant!

"The people's hearts can be used! My emperor's blessing! All people's blessing!" Zheng Qingzhi did not think clearly about the reason, but as the prime minister of the Song Dynasty, he was still very experienced in dealing with such problems. He first stabilized the scene. As long as these people were not here to make trouble, everything would be easy to say.

"Is this feasible?" Emperor Lizong made Zheng Qingzhi confused again. Is it really a good thing to let these ordinary people go to the battlefield? He is not sure.

"The official family, Zhao Fan's ship has been sunk by Hong Tao's fleet and no one is allowed to rescue him. I think that after half a day, the possibility of Lord Zhao's life is no longer great. Now is not the time to hold him accountable, but the court's face cannot be overcome. The ministers in the court who have always opposed the cooperation between the official and Hong Tao will not give up. Originally, this was a dead end, but with this volunteer army, it will be alive. In the past dynasties, there has never been a precedent for the people to take the initiative to fight the court on a large scale. If we make arrangements properly, let this situation ferment. It can not only inspire the morale of the frontline soldiers, but also make the reputation of the court and the officials unprecedented. I dare to ask for my orders and personally lead the soldiers of the navy to join the volunteer soldiers to fight the enemy north, and never return!"

Compared with Zhao Fan, Zheng Qingzhi's political skills and courage are one level higher. It is also a risky one. He must be more confident in taking this risk and his interests are much greater. As long as he does not return in a crushing defeat, it is unclear how high the reputation of the court can be. Anyway, he is the prime minister, and it will be difficult for anyone to challenge his authority in the future. The real-fire record is here, and more importantly, there are countless people in the Song Dynasty as witnesses, and afterwards, one will be known by everyone in the Song Dynasty. Although the common people are not a big deal, once there are too many, it is also an irreversible force.

I don’t know if Hong Tao is lucky or a little bit of a mistake. This sea battle was a turn of twists and turns. He had already lost, but suddenly hundreds of main forces of the Southern Song Navy and dozens of reinforcements from the Straits Company came, which was a bit like a salted fish turning over. What he couldn’t refuse was that Zheng Qingzhi was very low-standard, and even threatened to hand over the command of the Southern Song Navy and be unified in command. Then he also said a lot of heartwarming words, praising the contributions made by the Royal Navy to the Song Dynasty, and patted his chest to assure Hong Tao that after victory, he would definitely strive to give the court the highest courtesy and compensation to the dead and wounded soldiers of the Royal Fleet. He must not let the Song Dynasty benefactors shed blood and cry.

"Zheng Xiang is so serious. The Song Dynasty Navy and the Chinese Navy are not the same system. It's not that I don't want to command, but that I can't command it. Since Zheng Xiang is the commander, it's better to be commanded by Zheng Xiang. With Minister Wen by your side, we can help us communicate information with each other. Our two countries are allies, and it is normal for allies to cooperate with each other. There is no need to distinguish who is the master and who is the second." He would not believe that Zheng Qingzhi said is credible even if he believes in the words of a politician, he will be the first to die. This is the truth that has never changed forever.

But when things happened suddenly, Hong Tao did not have enough information to make a judgment. Although Wen Nan was there, he could not talk about Zheng Qingzhi and Wen Nan alone at this time. Since Wen Nan did not explicitly object, it means that these Southern Song navy was not here to harm him, and he should just regard it as the Allies united to fight against the enemy.

"It's good, I wonder what kind of tricks to get rid of the enemy?" Zheng Qingzhi gave up his money for his reputation throughout the ages. Not only was he gentle and reasonable, he also attached great importance to Hong Tao's opinions, as if Hong Tao said he would do whatever he said.

"What other wonderful strategies are there? The Mongolian navy was crippled by us! You have so many ships and so many soldiers. You can rush up to deal with one of them. You can bite them all to death with your teeth. Stop counting on us. My uncle's younger brother is killed in battle!" Zheng Qingzhi's question made Weng Ya furious. The Southern Song Dynasty's navy was endless, with no one thousand ships and eight hundred ships, including tall tower ships, broad ships, and blessed ships. Although the speed may not be as fast as the Mongolian navy, what kind of tricks do you need to do in this number? Just rush forward. As long as you dare to fight, there will be no one who loses.

"Your Majesty's younger brother..." Zheng Qingzhi did not go to argue with Weng Ya. He could not have thought that Hong Tao's younger brother would die in battle. This favor would be too great. If some soldiers were killed, the Song Dynasty court would be easy. No certificates were needed, and some money and goods were rewarded. However, the brother of the emperor of the Allied Kingdom died in battle. It would be a bit troublesome to mourn the things in terms of the specifications. There was no such precedent before.

"Qihong died for his country!? This... how is this possible? I... I came to Lin'an last year and he took me on a boat..." Wen Nan was really surprised. He and Chen Qihong were more familiar with Hong Tao. Because Hong Tao was not in Jinhe City most of the time, and Wen Nan would always have the opportunity to come into contact with these people, whether in the Song Dynasty or Jinhe City.

"His warship was surrounded by the Mongolian navy, and he was seriously injured and unable to move. Finally, he detonated the ammunition depot and died with the enemy... This was released in advance. He died in battle for the Jinhe Empire. This is the destination of the soldiers. He died unjustly or cowardly. As for how to evaluate his achievements, after returning, I will submit a proposal to the parliament and will treat him reasonably. My fleet has indeed suffered a lot. Just look at my flagship. If God had not favored me, I might have been gone long ago."

"What Captain Weng said makes sense. At this time, the Mongolian navy was also a remnant army. More than half of the losses were lost, and about three hundred ships were left. We caught up, and they had no way to go. Captain Kong, the combat power of the Navy of the Song Dynasty, told me that it was no worse than them. Now our morale is strong and people are available. There is no tactics or tactics, just fight. My fleet first splits half to the flanks and disturbs their attention. The remaining half of them are seriously injured, so they can only stay behind the Navy of the Song Dynasty to watch the battle. If there are fish that escapes the net, they can't escape with the speed of my ship. I wonder what Zheng Xiang thought about it?"

Hong Tao did not take too much responsibility this time, and he tried his best to give as much help as possible, and did not force himself to support the situation where he could not do anything. Weng Ya was right, he should not be fully responsible for the future of the Song Dynasty, and he must also be allowed to participate. If they do not want to live, it would be useless for them to do artificial respiration every day.

"Your Majesty said so! Then let me take a step first, please let Your Majesty watch the enemy! Please don't take risks in person, and don't go near the front line, so he will accompany Your Majesty." Zheng Qingzhi understood it, and it was worthy of both the Mongolian Navy and Hong Tao's fleet. This is a perfect match. The remaining 300 warships are not enemies, and that is his credit! This number is just right, and it doesn't seem that he is taking the opportunity to get a bargain, and there will be no danger. If the Southern Song Navy can't defeat a remnant army of the Mongolian Navy, then don't mess around. Surrender quickly to avoid more deaths.

When the ships of the Southern Song Navy drove northwards, Hong Tao did not break his promise. He sent the more mature Kong Pei to select six more complete Jiaosha-class warships from the two attack fleets, and used his speed advantage to cross the Southern Song Navy to search for traces of the Mongolian Navy first. However, he specifically instructed Kong Pei that after discovering that the Mongolian Navy could only harass and shoot at 500 meters away, and could not get close to Hubo. This is the only remaining maritime power of the Royal Navy of the Jinhe Empire. You should not have the intention to harm others, and you must be careful of others. You can only think badly about the Southern Song court, and you cannot be optimistic at all.

Subsequently, with the help of merchant ships such as Luo Youde, Hong Tao transferred all the wounded in the fleet. The living conditions on the merchant ship were more comfortable. After loading the wounded, he immediately returned to Ximaozhou Island. There were special medical courses in the navigation school, and those teachers were the best candidates for trauma treatment. There were more medical conditions and equipment there than anywhere else, and they were all advanced.

"Your Majesty, this matter should not be mentioned now, but I am afraid of any sequelae, so I'd better tell it first. You killed the commander of the Lianghuai, the commander of the Yangtze River, and the commander of the navy Zhao Fan. The Zhao family has a deep foundation in the court. When Shi Miyuan was in power, he dared not touch the Zhao family easily. I'm afraid that someone in the court would slander his slander will not be good for Your Majesty." After finishing these things, Luo Youde got into Hong Tao's cabin, looked at the big holes above his head, and began to ask Hong Tao's plans in a low voice.
Chapter completed!