Song Dynasty: Yuan Dynasty, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm still alive.

Upon learning that this tiny nation had dared to brazenly massacre the people of the Eastern Song Dynasty, even the usually tolerant Crown Prince Zhao Jing was enraged, his eyes blazing with disbelief. He slammed his fist on his desk and declared in a deep voice, "We must teach these little Japanese a lesson about the true nature of a king's army and the power of thunderous wrath!"

Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. The once-young and ambitious Wang Lin is now sixty years old, but as a leading figure of the radical faction, upon hearing of this matter, he almost instantly went to the palace to request permission to fight, his beard and hair bristling, his fighting spirit undiminished. Conservative leader Ye Li also agreed, arguing that with the national treasury full, a mere Japan was insufficient to affect Australia's development plans, and this was a perfect opportunity to establish authority. The Grand Secretaries of the Wenhua Pavilion unanimously voted to approve the proposal, and voices advocating war resounded throughout the court.

The memorial was quickly delivered to Emperor Zhao Shi. At that moment, Zhao Shi was meditating cross-legged in the deep palace, practicing the art of longevity. After Xiao Li respectfully read the memorial aloud, Zhao Shi slowly opened his eyes, his expression calm. He casually picked up a small hammer beside him and gently tapped the bronze bell next to him.

"Ding—" The clear sound of the bell echoed in the hall. Little Li understood immediately that this meant permission was granted, and he immediately wrote a red mark on the memorial.

The massive war machine of the Eastern Song Dynasty immediately roared into action. The gates of the Wanggongchang gunpowder depot were wide open, and cartloads of meticulously crafted granular gunpowder were loaded onto warships; the docks of various naval ports were bustling with activity, and the soldiers who had received the order to set out were all eager to fight, their eyes burning with anger—how dare little Japan offend the invincible Song Dynasty! This time, we will definitely teach them a lesson!

For this expedition, Wang Lin personally led two main warships, the "Xing Song" and five treasure ships, the "Gui Song", along with nearly a hundred smaller warships of various types, a navy of 10,000 and an army of 10,000, heading east in a grand procession.

After years of exploration and reform, the equipment of the Eastern Song Navy is now vastly different from what it used to be. The giant ships of the past, which integrated troop transport, artillery, and logistics, have been phased out due to their poor maneuverability and uneven firepower distribution. In their place are the "Xing Song" warships, which are specifically responsible for long-range firepower strikes, and the "Gui Song" treasure ships, which are dedicated to logistics and transportation.

The "Xing Song" warship was the most advanced main warship of the Eastern Song Dynasty, with a displacement of 1,000 tons. It was 35 meters long, 9 meters wide, and had a draft of 3.5 meters. On the bow deck, two imposing 18-centimeter caliber low-carbon steel main cannons stood guard, with a caliber ratio of 10:1, barrels 1.8 meters long, a muzzle velocity of 500 meters per second, an effective range of 500 meters, and a maximum range of 800 meters. The cannon barrels were made using seamless casting technology with low-carbon steel, making them sturdy and durable. They were loaded with granular modified gunpowder and specially made explosive shells.

This explosive shell was a masterpiece of the Eastern Song Dynasty's military industry. A solid iron bullet was hollowed out and filled with granular gunpowder and a sulfur-soaked hemp rope fuse (with a controllable burning rate). Upon impact, the fuse ignited the internal gunpowder, causing an instantaneous explosion. The fragmentation damage far exceeded that of a simple solid bullet. Within 500 meters, this main cannon was capable of penetrating 40-centimeter-thick teak planks. An explosive shell, upon impact, could directly tear apart the hull and ignite the hull, crippling a traditional galley sailing ship with a single shot.

On both sides of the ship, there were also twenty-four low-carbon steel secondary guns with a caliber of six centimeters, with an effective range of three hundred meters; at the stern and on the deck, there were twelve guerrilla guns that could be operated by one person, with an effective range of one hundred and fifty meters. A warship with thirty-eight cannons was a true "sea firepower monster".

For defense, the ship's hull was reinforced with 5mm thick low-carbon steel armor, covering the lower and middle sections of the hull. This armor was sufficient to withstand direct fire from enemy muskets and arrows, and also prevented the planks from cracking upon impact. Thick palm fiber was used to cushion the impact between the armor and the planks. The cost of this construction was terrifying; even Japan's annual silver and copper earnings might not have been enough to build just one ship. Even the extremely wealthy Eastern Song Dynasty had only managed to build five at this time, and two were deployed for this expedition.

As for the treasure ship "Gui Song," it was relatively simple, an improved version of the previous Fujian-style ships, with a displacement of 2,500 tons. Its huge cabins allowed it to transport massive amounts of cannonballs, gunpowder, food, and soldiers, making it a solid backbone of the fleet. Although it was also equipped with some light cannons for self-defense, it was far less formidable than the "Xing Song." The remaining nearly one hundred small warships, with displacements between five hundred and one thousand tons, balanced speed and firepower, each fulfilling its specific role.

Before his departure, Wang Lin specifically sought out Luo Zheng, a representative of the merchants traveling to Japan, to inquire in detail about the situation in Japan. Although the imperial court had a specialized intelligence agency, listening to all sides leads to clarity, while believing only one side leads to obscurity. War is a matter of vital importance to the state; it is a matter of life and death, a road to survival or destruction, and cannot be ignored. The two pieces of information corroborated each other, confirming the intelligence was accurate: Japan maintained a navy of over two hundred ships and approximately five thousand men in Hakata Bay (present-day Fukuoka); the highest military and political official in Kyushu, the Chinzai Tandai, was Hidetoki Hojo, a close confidant of the shogunate; and there was also a ten-thousand-strong samurai retinue on the shore.

The Japanese navy had also attempted to enter the Yellow Sea, but was indiscriminately sunk by Wang Lin. After that, the shogunate abandoned its plans to go to sea and turned to defense, which is why this 5,000-strong naval force was left behind.

Based on this, Wang Lin formulated a strategy: first, attack Hakata Port to annihilate the Japanese navy in one fell swoop and occupy Hakata as a foothold; then, lead the navy straight to the western gate of Kyoto (Tango Peninsula), land and strike directly at the shogunate, and behead its leader in one fell swoop.

……

Japan, Hakata Port.

Hidetoki Hojo, the envoy to the town, was angrily reprimanding Mr. Matsuura, who was in charge of local security.

"Baka! You actually allowed a bunch of merchants to occupy Hakata Castle! If I hadn't led my army to arrive in time, wouldn't Hakata Castle no longer belong to the shogunate?"

Matsuura bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching the ground: "I'm so sorry, Hojo-kun. It's not that I'm incompetent, but those samurai hired by the Song people betrayed the shogunate. They are utterly unworthy to be samurai of the divine kingdom!"

"You idiot!" Hojo Hidetoki roared in fury, slapping Matsuura across the face with such force that he fell to the ground. "It's clearly your incompetence that's causing this! You dare to make excuses! You should commit seppuku to atone for the Emperor's sins!"

Matsuura covered his burning cheek, lowering his head even further to conceal the fleeting ferocity and resentment in his eyes: "Private marriage, Hojo-kun."

Seeing this, Dazaifu Daini Kikuchi quickly intervened to smooth things over: "Hojo-kun, please calm down. The equipment those Song people provided to their samurai is far superior to what we produce. This shows that the strength of the Song Dynasty should not be underestimated."

Hidetoki Hojo threw his head back and laughed, his face full of disdain: "Decades ago, even the mighty Yuan Dynasty was defeated and routed before the Divine Kingdom. What is there to fear about these Song people who were utterly defeated by the Yuan Dynasty and appeared out of nowhere?"

"If they dare to come, the divine winds of the divine kingdom will teach them a lesson!" Hojo Hidetoki was brimming with confidence, as if victory was already in his grasp. However, despite his arrogant words, he still ordered increased defenses at Hakata Port to guard against a Song attack.

……

Two months later, sails began to appear on the horizon.

The Japanese samurai on guard at the mouth of Hakata Bay squinted at the distance, then suddenly his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Look! What's that?"

"What a huge ship... Is that a ship?"

"Quickly! Report to the Question Master!"

When Hojo Hidetoshi heard that the Song fleet had arrived, he was slightly surprised, not expecting that anyone would actually dare to invade the Divine Kingdom. He then sneered and ordered all the galleys to set sail to meet the enemy, intending to get close to the Song warships, board them, and engage in hand-to-hand combat, so that the Song people could witness the superb swordsmanship of the Divine Kingdom's warriors.

On the warship "Xing Song", Wang Lin held a brass-rimmed monocular telescope—a "thousand-mile eye" that could magnify distant objects—after the Gewu Academy improved the glassmaking process, making it transparent and clear. The navy was among the first to equip it with such devices. He was observing the approaching Japanese fleet with great interest.

"Tsk, these Japanese ships are still pretty much the same as they were twenty years ago." Wang Lin put down his binoculars and shook his head. These kinds of ships were easy to take down twenty years ago, and they are even easier to take down now.

He immediately ordered: "Two Xing Song ships, four main guns, aim at those four largest Japanese warships."

The tactic is simple: target the biggest threat and make an example of them.

"fire!"

With Wang Lin's command.

The gunner lit the fuse, and the granular gunpowder instantly burned violently inside the cannon barrel, releasing astonishing energy. The explosive shell, weighing several kilograms, flew out with a sharp whistle.

Eight hundred meters away, on the sea.

The Japanese naval commanders were overjoyed to see their fleet approaching the enemy ships. They drew their swords, ready to board and wreak havoc.

Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder boomed from afar.

The Japanese general was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to ask what the sound was, the warship beneath his feet suddenly shook violently, and a large hole was smashed into the hull.

"What?! What is that?!"

The Japanese general, still shaken, went to the entrance of the cave to take a look. He saw a dark iron ball, slightly smaller than a human head, embedded in a wooden plank on the other side of the cabin. It did not appear to have exploded.

"Phew..." The Japanese general breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest and saying, "Luckily, the hull wasn't breached, otherwise the ship would have started to leak."

Upon seeing this, the Japanese soldiers beside him also burst into laughter, mocking the Song people for their accurate weapons, but whose power seemed rather weak.

However, the next moment, a thunderous roar several times more intense than before exploded inside the cabin.

The fuse at the tail of the iron ball finally burned out, igniting the gunpowder inside.

"boom--!!"

The violent explosion instantly tore apart the ship's hull, sending flames and blasts soaring into the sky, igniting the debris inside the cabin. Countless sharp pieces of metal flew in all directions with the shockwave, instantly piercing through the Japanese general who was peering into the hole, leaving him mangled beyond recognition.

Just one shot.

This flagship, which the Japanese army was so proud of, rapidly tilted amidst the towering flames, and sank to the cold seabed, carrying countless terrified and screaming soldiers.