Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

The wind rises and the waves surge, smoke billows from the sea.

A total of 280 Lebanese warships, linked together, sailed in a grand procession to the waters off Sifang Island.

Admiral Zheng Haichao stood majestically on the flagship's deck, silently gazing into the darkness ahead.

Behind them, sailors were desperately pulling on the tow ropes to prevent the sails from being capsized by the sea breeze.

Inside the ship's cabin, the Lebanese sailors, in a state of extreme excitement, each held a crossbow and carried a scimitar, panting heavily as they awaited the arrival of war.

Their eyes were fearless, filled with an innocent naiveté, believing that this operation was nothing more than driving away a bunch of ignorant pirates, just like before.

"General, a warship has been spotted approaching on the left."

"Give the order to the other side!"

Soon, three lanterns were hung at the top of the mast.

Before long, lanterns also lit up on the sea to the left.

"General, it is Angbi's fleet, sent by the King to come to your aid."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Haichao's face darkened: "Your Majesty is being far too cautious. It's just two enemy ships. Is it really necessary to make such a big show of it?"

With a fleet like that, we could sweep across the entire South Pacific a dozen times over!

This wasn't just boasting; Le Nguyen's power in Southeast Asia stemmed from a fleet built up over generations, starting with Nguyen Ha Lai's great-grandfather.

Now, in Nguyen Ha Lai's generation, the Le Kingdom's fleet is among the largest in the entire ocean.

However, after Nguyen Ha Lai came to power, he only knew how to indulge in pleasure and did not care much about politics. He also greatly reduced the investment in the navy. In the thirty years since he ascended the throne, he only added thirteen new three-masted ships.

Even so, the Lebanese navy still boasts the most impressive naval strength among all Southeast Asian countries.

The massive fleet slowly sailed towards Sifang Island, and Zheng Haichao yawned as he returned to his cabin.

Meanwhile, on Sifang Island, Chu soldiers were holding guns to the heads of Li soldiers, forcing them to transport fresh water, alcohol, and other supplies to the warships.

Looking at the bustling scene on the deck, Jiang Mengxuan couldn't help but say to Shen Lang, "Ah Lang, the Li Kingdom's navy is probably already on its way. Are you really not going to make any preparations?"

Shen Lang countered, "What else do we need to prepare? The enemy ships primarily use bows and crossbows as long-range attack methods."

"Leaving aside the issue of accuracy on the vast sea, even the range is limited. Let's rest and recuperate here, and set off again after midnight."

Jiang Mengxuan wanted to refute it, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense.

Battleships possess absolute long-range attack capabilities, giving enemy ships no chance to get close. What threat could those bows, crossbows, and cannons pose?

"Alright, Xuan'er, you should rest for a while. Leave this to me. There will be a big battle tomorrow, so you need to get plenty of rest."

"Well, then don't overwork yourself."

Jiang Mengxuan obediently agreed and then went back to her cabin to rest.

After all, she lacked sufficient experience in naval combat, so it was better to leave it to Shen Lang and not cause him any trouble.

……

The following day, the sun slowly rose over the sea.

After a night of sailing, the Li Kingdom's fleet finally arrived at the waters around Sifang Island.

Under the bright sunlight, a large, solemn fleet was quietly sailing on the sea.

Compared to when it set sail yesterday evening, the Lebanese fleet is now much larger than before.

As the fleet sailed, other Li Kingdom ships that had received the king's orders gradually joined the fleet.

Currently, the Lebanese fleet has 320 three-masted warships, ready to be deployed in battle at any time.

Zheng Haichao, still half asleep, stepped out of the cabin and stood on the deck, gazing at the sea.

"Heh, Your Majesty's scale is truly impressive. Over three hundred warships to fight two? Even if the Sea God himself came, he'd probably have to give way."

He stretched and was just about to go get breakfast.

But at this moment——

"Woo——"

A long blast of a ship's horn came from the distant horizon.

Zheng Haichao raised an eyebrow and immediately leaned on the deck to look in the direction of the sound.

The first thing that catches the eye is a ring of black smoke.

Immediately afterwards, two battleships slowly appeared on the horizon.

"Sound the horn! Enemy ships spotted! Prepare for battle!"

Zheng Haichao immediately issued combat orders. Even though he had never seen what the Chu warships looked like, he knew that the enemy he was about to fight was the one he was going to face.

woo-

The sound of bugles immediately echoed throughout the fleet.

All officers and soldiers immediately sprang into action, quickly emerging from the cabin doors and standing on the deck in a state of alert.

"Pass on my order: the left and right flanks shall raise all sails, encircle and approach the enemy ships, then unleash a barrage of crossbow fire to force them to stop, and seek an opportunity to board them."

"The rest of the warships shall continue to advance at a constant speed and await my orders at any time!"

Having traversed the South China Sea for over thirty years, Zheng Haichao was naturally intimately familiar with naval tactics and could calmly issue combat orders.

Soon, after the order was relayed, sixty warships on the left and right flanks of the fleet gradually left the main force, hoisted their sails, and sped toward the Po Jun and Kai Yang.

On the Po Jun, Yue Pengju looked at the luxurious fleet opposite him and shook his head in disappointment.

Shen Lang, who was beside him, put down his binoculars and asked, "What's wrong, Pengju? Do you have any objections?"

Yue Pengju shook his head: "Principal, I only feel sorry for the commander of this Lebanese fleet. He obviously doesn't know what kind of fleet he's encountered."

Shen Lang snorted lightly: "When you possess absolute power, no strategy from your enemy can shake you. That is power. Do you understand?"

Yue Pengju clenched his fists, his fierce eyes fixed on the approaching Li Kingdom navy in the distance.

"Ugh……"

Finally, he let out a helpless sigh.

It seemed as if they were lamenting the fate of the Li Kingdom's navy, and also sighing at the current predicament of the Song Kingdom.

At this moment, the main guns on the Po Jun and Kai Yang ships were also in position, waiting for Shen Lang's order to launch a fierce counterattack.

The Li Kingdom's navy clearly did not notice this, and the ship's commander became arrogant when he saw that the Chu Kingdom's navy had not made any further moves.

"Everyone, give it your all! Get closer! We're less than a nautical mile away!"

"Don't be afraid. That thing is just a bit big, but it's very bulky. Once we get close, we'll unleash a barrage of arrows and fire a volley of crossbows. All the warriors will board the ship, and we'll achieve an unparalleled feat in no time."

"We'll take everything off the ship before we start chiseling it. Don't worry, everyone gets a share. Hang in there!"

Instantly, the officers and soldiers of the Li Kingdom's navy were as if they had been injected with chicken blood, all rubbing their hands together and their eyes were full of anticipation.

boom--

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard.

Before anyone could react, a scorching armor-piercing shell shattered the mast of a Lebanese navy ship.

"what--"

The observer, who was daydreaming on the mast, was jolted awake as the mast fell, letting out a pig-like scream before plunging into the sea.

The armor-piercing shell continued its trajectory, grazing the deck of another warship at high speed.

Instantly, a long crack appeared on the deck, and scattered debris pierced the sailors on deck, causing them immense suffering. Some were even carried into the air by the blast wave, experiencing firsthand what it means to fly freely with the last warmth of their lives.

boom--

Finally, the speeding armor-piercing shell struck the hull of the third warship.

With a loud bang, a hole as tall as a person appeared in the hull.

The naval officers and soldiers standing on the deck had no time to react and were immediately thrown about by a violent tremor. Some even had their skulls hit the inside of the ship's side and died on the spot.

"Oh no, water's coming in!"

As a large amount of seawater poured into the ship's hold through the breach, the sailors inside let out a piercing scream, and the Battle of the South Pacific officially began.