On the top deck of the Sheji, Zhang Hao looked north with a telescope. The weather was a bit gloomy and the visibility was not good. However, he could also see that the Yellow River that captured the Huai River and entered the sea made a large area of ​​water at the mouth of the sea. However, there were no enemy warships he wanted to see, even a small boat. There were nearly a thousand warships anchored several miles from the coast. On the inside were the blue-gray fleet of our First Navy Division, and the Goryeo navy with black and red hulls confronted far away across a sea area.

Zhang Hao looked at it for a long time before putting down the telescope, rubbed his eyes and looked into the distance. He couldn't tell his mood at this moment, and he could be said to be both excited and a little frightened. What was excited was that this was the first time he was the deputy commander of the imperial naval army to lead the army alone to command the battle. The frightened was that there was no little emperor around him, which made him feel unsure and as if he had lost his support. But you should know that his age is more than twice as old as the little emperor, so he shouldn't have such an idea, but he felt that there was no scolding from the little emperor around him, and he felt undescendant.

"How long will it take for Qin Sima to recede?" Zheng Yong asked the navy Sima around Qin Liangdao. The marching Sima was appointed by Zhao Bing as a position equivalent to the modern chief of staff. He was responsible for formulating combat plans, collecting enemy situations, assisting in command, managing the troops, and making reasonable suggestions. He was an important aide to the military chief.

"It's probably an hour left!" Qin Liang replied.

"I hope the sky will not be clear, otherwise it will be difficult to hide your tracks!" Zhang Hao looked at the sky again and said.

That night, the young emperor asked him to set sail immediately to the Huaihekou to reinforce Dong Yicheng's troops. Zhang Hao immediately ordered all ships to replenish grain and water to prepare for going to sea. At the same time, he used this short time to summon the commanders and staff of each team to explain the tasks. Because their main task this time was to block the Huaihekou and prevent the Mongol Yuan army from going out to sea from re-entering the Huaihe River. This was a raid. The main problem was how to hide oneself and not be discovered by the enemy before the battle broke out.

You should know that it is not easy to hide the journey of a fleet of more than 200 large and small warships on the sea. After discussing with the generals, they decided to sail eastward into the outer sea, away from the coast. In order to avoid danger and despair, merchant ships traveling around all chose a waterway near the coast to avoid being detected by the enemy. After approaching the destination, they used the dark night to enter the battlefield to hide and standby.

God seems to be deliberately testing Zhang Hao. Those two days were cloudy and it would rain lightly from time to time. Although the bad weather was convenient for hiding the tracks, they also made it impossible for them to judge the direction and direction based on the stars. All they could rely on was the chart and compass in their hands. By calculating the speed and mileage, the compass determine the direction, and then determine their own direction. This was like a blind man riding a blind horse. As long as there was a slight mistake, it would be a hundred miles away.

During the two days of rushing to the battlefield, Zhang Hao almost didn't close his eyes. He asked to measure the speed within half an hour and pay attention to the direction at all times. What's more troublesome is that it was headwinds, and the course needed to be adjusted continuously and sailed with wind. More precise data support was needed to determine his position through calculations and avoid destiny. The poor visibility also brought great difficulties to the ships. Zhang Hao strictly ordered each ship to maintain a distance of 150 steps, and the side lights and mast lights were not allowed to go out day and night, so that each ship could determine its position and course and avoid collisions.

After two days and one night of rapid movement, he finally entered the predetermined sea area with the cover of night. After contacting Dong Yicheng, Zhang Hao closed his eyes and took a nap, but he was not at ease. As soon as the sky brightened, he stood up to observe the enemy situation and chose a position. What he was most worried about was that he was discovered by the enemy and did not dare to fight. In this way, the hard work of the past two days was in vain.

"if……"

"It would be great if Your Majesty was here!" Before Zhang Hao finished speaking, Qin Liang smiled and said, "Commander, you have said this sentence dozens of times since you left the voyage. The lower official's ears are heard. Your Majesty knows that he must kick you!"

"Haha, it's not that exaggerated, right? I've said it so many times!" Zhang Hao also felt funny when he heard it.

"Yes, I've counted it. Since the commander of the departure, he mentioned His Majesty 80 times!" At this time, the recorder around him was holding a piece of paper covered with paintings and smiled.

"Oh, when Your Majesty was there in the past, he always felt restrained and would be scolded if he made a mistake, so he was afraid that he would be by his side. But once his Majesty was not there, he would feel how happy he was in the past. There was no need to worry about everything, just follow the orders!" Zhang Hao sighed.

"It is because of Your Majesty's strict requirements that we can accurately reach the predetermined sea area through the work on the map. The commander was too lazy in the past. Now without Your Majesty, he had to command the important task of the entire army, and he had to have the confidence to complete the task, and never let down His Majesty's expectations." Sima Qin Liang said. He knew that the general was most afraid of hesitating when facing the enemy. His uncertainty would not only delay the opportunity for war, but also make the entire army at a loss.

"Thank you, Sima Qin!" Zhang Hao thanked, "I have seen it just now. Our fleet should be below the curvature of the sea line. It would be difficult to find if it was not close to the enemy. What worries me is that the Sheji hull is tall and the mast may expose our position."

"Don't worry, commander, today's weather is gloomy, our warships are almost the same as the sea and the sky, and the enemy does not have telescopes and sees it so far. And now the two armies are in a confrontation, and the merchant ships will not approach this sea area. What I am worried about is that after the battle begins, it will be difficult for us to join the battlefield just right and intercept the retreat path of the enemy's battlefield." Qin Liang said.

"Yes, we are still ten miles away from the battlefield at present. The enemy's navy sailed out of the sea estuary with a rapid tide. We cannot be exposed or approached the coast to prevent the warships from stranding on the shallows and quickly blocking the sea estuary. We must plan carefully." Zhang Hao nodded and said.

"Commander, I think we can launch attacks in batches without having to go out all the entire army at the same time. After all, the enemy's Huihui navy rushed out of the sea port with the help of the tide, so it is not easy to turn back." Qin Liang suggested.

"Qin Sima said very much. We agreed with Dong Dutong that after the enemy's return to the sea, it would launch an assault on the Goryeo navy to attract the attention of the Huihui navy. We can start operations after entering the battlefield, block the sea estuary, and block the enemy at the sea." Zhang Haoyan said, "I think after all the enemy's return to the sea, the dragon ship team and the small rocket ship team will use the advantages of fast speed and strong assault capabilities to form an assault fleet, and take the lead in entering the battlefield to disrupt the enemy's formation and alleviate the pressure on Dong Yicheng's troops to the enemy on both sides!"

"At the same time, the medium-sized gunship team set sail and put cameras into the battlefield, while large warships and baggage ships led by Sheji are responsible for blocking the estuary. They have strong firepower, equipped with rocket launchers and heavy artillery, which can cover the entire sea area of ​​the estuary, and can cooperate with the First Navy to complete the detour of the enemy after the battlefield is stable."

"The leader's plan is to stalk the cicada and the oriole behind him, and the officials thought it was feasible." Qin Liang said with a brief thought.

"Since that's the case, I will lead the assault fleet, and Sima will take charge of the central army, command all departments to dispatch the entire army, and coordinate operations with friendly forces!" Zhang Hao said.

"Does the commander remember His Majesty once said: The chief officer led the army to rush forward and escaped in the last battle? It is better for the subordinate officer to lead the assault fleet. As the chief officer, he should be in charge of the central army!" Qin Liang said with a smile.

"In fact, the one who should abide by this military order is His Majesty. Every time he goes to the battlefield, he has to come to the front line, which makes us subordinates nervous." Zhang Hao said angrily, "I have been commanding the dragon ship since I entered the left wing army. I am familiar with tactics, so I will go!"

"No, otherwise I will report to Your Majesty when I go back and say that the commander will escape at the last battle." Qin Liang said solemnly.

"It's not necessary!" Zhang Hao had served as the captain of the Warriors for a long time, and that was also considered his majesty's imperial ship. He naturally understood his temper. If he was accused of the lawsuit, he would be lightly scolded when he went back. He might have to be served by a military stick and was driven out of the imperial navy. As he spoke, his attitude immediately became soft.

"I heard that the emperor was coming this time, but he was watched by several empresses and was caught by the empress when he went out!" Qin Liang said whispering in his ear.

"Don't say anything, how could the empresses watch Your Majesty? You should know that although the empress dowager was very strict at that time, the ban on entering and leaving the palace was unobstructed. There must be something else that was hindered!" Zhang Hao did not cooperate with the little emperor in the past and acted as an accomplice to escape. How could he believe what he said? He curled his lips and said.

"Hehe, it's not as good as before. The empresses live in the same room with His Majesty, and every move is in front of you. It's not easy for Your Majesty to be as good as before, and there are still several people." Qin Liang said with a very unkind smile.

"To be honest, Your Majesty should be in charge. Every time Your Majesty leads the army to personally fight, as long as I get on my boat, my heart will be hanging, for fear of something going wrong. But when Your Majesty becomes anxious, he will seize my command power and he is not able to do anything at all. There are things he should pay attention to before, but now he is in his twilight years and is gradually losing his power. Now that the empresses are watching, we subordinates can feel at ease." Zhang Hao said with emotion.

"No one in the Song Dynasty can do it now, but you can't lose Your Majesty. As long as Your Majesty is here, even if you lose Jiangnan, you can regroup and restore the mountains and rivers!" Qin Liang also said with emotion, "In this case, Wang Meng will lead the assault team. He and the commander will enter the Imperial Navy at the same time and work on the dragon boat for a long time. You still have to believe in his ability and don't take away all the credit!"

"Oh, that's good!" Zhang Hao pondered for a moment, and nodded reluctantly, "But Du Meng was transferred to the medium-sized warship squad for a short time. I was worried that he would not have enough experience in the battle, so he asked Sima to go to supervise the battle. How about it?"

"The last general is obeying the general's order. Then we will pass the boat. The commander should take care of him!" Qin Liang immediately saluted and accepted the order...

As time went by, the sky became brighter and brighter. The sky that had been gloomy for several days began to clear up. God seemed to want to see this sea battle. Zhang Hao felt that the hull began to swing, indicating that the tide had begun to fade. He immediately stood up and returned to the deck and looked towards the estuary. In the rippling waves, the figure of the enemy ship finally appeared.

"Rise the anchor and prepare for the battle!" Zhang Hao ordered the battle flag to raise the battle flag, each ship raised the anchor, and the crew entered the battle post.

"Report to the commander, the enemy's Hui navy had about 200 warships, with large warships in front, and two columns were flowing downstream. The vanguard had already left the sea estuary!" The lookout whistle on the hanging bucket on the main mast reported.

"Let the assault fleet be dispatched to attack the enemy ship's rear team from the flanks and disrupt its offensive formation!" Zhang Haoyan said, now he is still ten miles away from the battlefield, which is basically similar to the array of the enemy ship and the First Navy. If you want to intercept the Hui Hui navy, you should be dispatched halfway.

As the flag swings, the orders were transmitted to each ship. The Brave took the lead in starting. The entire team was in front of the arrow formation, and the rocket ship was sailing behind the formation. These small and medium-sized warships were all powered by sails. Because of the wind, they all used oars to hit the water. Wang Meng was also very experienced. He did not choose a straight line, but instead attacked the enemy ships in an oblique way. This would speed up with the help of the low tide water and save manpower.

"Report to the commander, the First Navy began to adjust its formation and wanted to launch an attack on the Goryeo Navy Army, and raised a flag and fired cannons to indicate that we would act together!" The lookout whistle reported again.

"Rise the flag of the Imperial Navy and inform the First Navy that our army has begun to take action and cooperate with their rear army to attack the enemy Hui Navy!" Zhang Hao ordered.

"Report to the commander, the Goryeo Navy seems to be adjusting its formation, and it seems to be turning to the southeast!" The lookout sent out again.

"Is the Goryeo Navy trying to bypass the First Navy and take advantage of the wind to seize the flank battle position?" Zhang Hao was a little confused. If he turned to the south, he would be at a disadvantage, and would be hit by the First Navy. But when he thought about it, he realized that the Goryeo Navy wanted to get rid of its own attack first, rather than assisting the Huihui Navy to attack the First Navy. He wanted to turn back and flee into Haikou. As for the friendly troops who rescued them, they would probably become their shield.

"Tell us, the gunship team set sail and intercept the Goryeo Navy. Never let it meet with the Hui Hui navy who was supporting!" After seeing the situation, Zhang Hao decisively changed his previous plan and asked the gunship team to join the battle in advance.

"Commander, should we take action too? Otherwise, it might be stranded here." The gunship detachment left the formation and headed out to the sea, and the fleet of the Returning Navy was exposed in sight, Xu Feng said.
Chapter completed!