Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 825 Lack of people
"You're right, this boat is really beautiful!" He admitted, "Is she really as fast as she looks?"

"As long as there are good helmsmen and sailors!" Yanagi Hiraki said categorically: "Also, these four ships all use the latest longitudinal sails, and they can sail even against the wind! That's why we can sail in the Cangzhou Port-Namba Tsu Regatta. Get first place!”

"Can you sail against the wind?" Sutuo thought for a moment and asked, "Are you talking about the 'zig-zag' sailing method?"

"Yes, Young Master actually knows this?" Liu Pingji was surprised.

"Well, I heard Shifa say it before on the island, and later I stayed on a whaling ship for two months, and I saw the sailors on the ship using it!" Sutuo said with a smile, "But this requires both sailors and the ship. It’s very high, so you have to keep adjusting the angle of the sail, otherwise the boat will yaw!”

"Young Master is an expert, so things will be much easier to handle!" Liu Pingji said with a smile: "I was originally worried about choosing a captain, but now it seems that I am worrying too much!"

"Why do you say that?" Sutuo asked.

"Since the young master has been on a ship, you should know that few captains are easy to talk to. The more capable you are, the more so! I am afraid that someone will conflict with the young master! So -"

"Haha! I understand. Let's get on the boat and have a look first!" Sutuo laughed when he heard this.

The scar-faced He Wu stood next to the tall bow of his longship, the Herring, looking down at the people coming on the trestle. There was a deep scar on his left cheek, almost splitting his face in two, and like most Like a sea boy, he rarely shaves his beard. His thick beard and hair are connected together, just like a savage. But there is nothing growing near the scar on his face, only a wrinkled and bright scar rolling up his face. The skin and flesh are like the canyons torn on the glacier. As for the origin of the scar, some said it was a pirate's scimitar, others said it was a shark's tooth that fell into the sea, and some said it was a fight in a port tavern, but no one dared to raise this question to He Wu face to face.

"Pingji! This is a good ship!" He Wu shouted from a height: "But where are my people? When will I get all the people? No matter how good the ship is, it can't work without people!"

"He Wu, you should be able to see that there is a shortage of people everywhere in Cangzhou!" Liu Pingji said with a smile: "Give me a little more time, and I will gather your crew together as soon as possible!"

"Give you a little more time? Feng waits for no one!" He Wu said coldly: "I'll give you another five days. If I don't see enough people, I will take people to tie them up myself. There are many people with sound hands and feet in the tavern. Man, as long as you set sail, you will have to worry about the rest!"

Faced with He Wu's threat, Liu Pingji could only smile bitterly. Even in modern society, ocean-going sailors are known for their heavy physical strength and high risks; this was especially true in ancient times when sails were powered by manpower. Not counting pirates who ran aground in storms, even if the voyage was safe, one-third of the crew was reduced due to epidemics and other factors. It is also commonplace. Therefore, the ancient navigation industry was actually an industry that required the continuous import of people, especially young and strong labor force. Without enough surplus young and strong labor force, it could not afford the navigation industry. Ancient sea trade center cities such as Athens, Rome, Constantinople, Lisbon, London, Amsterdam, and Venice were all filled with tens of thousands of unemployed refugees. The rulers of these cities were not unaware of the political importance of these unemployed refugees. It is a time bomb, but without retaining sufficient reserves of surplus labor, these cities cannot even maintain the ocean-going trade on which the city depends for survival.

Originally, this was not a problem. After all, as long as we entered agricultural society in ancient times, it was normal for a large surplus population to appear. There will be as many people as you want as long as it provides the hope of filling your stomach. But Cangzhou, which is undergoing rapid development, has provided a large number of employment opportunities. Although the work in salt industry, wool spinning, and building port roads is hard, it is still much better than going to sea to be a sailor. So when He Wu came to Cangzhou, he was surprised to find that he could not find a man to fill the vacancy of his sailors, so he had to plan to go to the tavern to kidnap people directly and pull them on the ship to serve as sailors.

"You are the captain, right?" Sutuo asked loudly: "You go to the tavern to kidnap people when you are short of sailors? Is there such a reason in the world? Even if you don't consider the court's laws, what's the point of kidnapping a group of drunkards and putting them on the ship? Are you afraid they will sink the ship?"

He Wu glanced at Sutuo and sneered: "Pingji, where did you get the doll, and how dare you act so carelessly in front of me?"

"He Wu, shut up!" Liu Pingji shouted: "This is the general's son Xutuo. You are under his command this time when you go to sea. Why don't you apologize to the master!"

"The son of the general? Are we going to sea under his command this time?" He Wu looked down at Sutuo. After a moment, he nodded: "In that case, let's get on my ship first!"

The springboard was put down, and Sutuo quickly climbed onto it. He Wu didn't bow to him. Sutuo was not surprised. He knew it when he was on the whaling ship incognito: every captain is the king of his own ship. When they are on their own deck, it is very difficult to get them to bend the knee to others.

Sutuo jumped onto the deck, and could see that the narrow deck of the Herring was smooth and clean. At this time, a gust of sea wind blew, and the deck was still shaking violently. Sutuo spread his legs and stood very firmly. Seeing Sotuo's skill, He Wu's eyes showed a hint of solemnity.

"Master Sutuo, there is still some rice wine on the boat! That's my room over there!" He Wu pointed to the stern of the boat: "Would you like to pay me a favor and sit down for a drink?"

"Okay!" Sutuo, who had experience living on a ship, immediately understood the other party's kindness. He nodded: "Why not? Wine is better than water!"

"Not bad!" A smile finally appeared on He Wu's ugly face.

The "room" He Wu mentioned was actually just a narrow cabin, no more than seven feet long and five feet wide, with room for only a single bed and a low table. He Wu skillfully turned the bed over, took out three cushions, and the three of them sat down cross-legged around the shorter ones. He Wu took out three horn cups and distributed them to the three of them to fill them up one by one. He said: "The ship is like this. Even the captain can only live in this big place. Master, if you really want to go to sea with us this time, , I’m afraid the boat needs to be rebuilt, otherwise even the largest boat will only have so much room for you!”

"No need! Every cabin on this ship has rules. If it is remodeled, it will not be beautiful!" Sutuo said with a smile: "I used to be a seaman on a whaling ship! I still slept in a hammock! Not so pampered! "

"What? Master, you actually worked as a sailor on a whaling ship?" He Wu was startled. He guessed that Master Sutuo had gone to sea, but he didn't expect that he was a sailor on a whaling ship. It should be noted that even among sea-going ships, whalers are among the hardest and most dangerous. After all, in order to catch prey, whalers travel to much farther sea areas than other merchant ships and cargo ships, and the cabins of whalers will be extremely smelly. , catching whales itself is hard and dangerous. Sutuo, with his dignity as a general and a prince, could actually do such dangerous and lowly work.

"Why don't you believe it?" Sutuo laughed: "How about I climb the mast and see how long it takes to climb back and forth?"

"No, no, just send me a message!" He Wu hurriedly waved his hands to refuse. Climbing the mast on a rocking ship is what sailors do every day, and it is also the first hurdle for those who have just boarded the ship. This Master Sutuo was of high status, so how could He Wu dare to let him climb the mast in front of him? If anything happened, he would not be able to chop off a hundred heads.

"You said no!" Sutuo laughed: "Other, I just asked you about kidnapping people from the tavern to be sailors, but you haven't answered me yet!" "Haha!" He Wugan laughed twice. : "I was just talking nonsense, sir, you don't have to take it seriously!"

"I'm afraid not!" Sutuo glanced at Liu Pingji who was standing aside: "I'm afraid you have done this kind of thing in the past, Pingji, don't you think so?"

"That's right, that's right!" He Wu knew that he couldn't get away with it, and said with a bitter smile: "Actually, this kind of thing is nothing! Just take places like Zhouliucheng and Nambajin. There are plenty of idle people, and there is no need to spend money. With this kind of thinking, if there is a shortage of people on the ship, as long as a few people are sent to the shore, given two full meals and clean clothes, there will naturally be men who are willing to get on the ship. Anyway, the first thing they can do is wipe the deck, move things, and haul things. After staying on the ship for three to five months, I gradually learned how to climb the mast, set the sail, and mend the ship. If there were no people in Cangzhou, I would not have thought of this trick!"

"My father has spent a lot of effort in Cangzhou, and there is so much work on the shore that he can't finish it. I'm afraid there won't be many idle men to eat on the ship in a short time!" Sutuo smiled: "As for manpower, can prisoners be used? "

"Okay -" He Wu said with a smile: "There are not many serious people who can eat this bowl of rice anyway. I don't care what they do on the shore. As long as they get on the boat, even the King of Heaven will have to squat for me!" At this point, he suddenly realized that what he just said violated a taboo, and hurriedly explained: "Sir, that's not what I meant, I -"

"Okay, then I'll ask for fifty people! Is that enough?" Sutuo laughed.

"That's enough, that's enough!" He Wuxi said, "Thank you so much, Master!"

"You don't have to thank me. I'm doing this for myself! If there are not enough sailors, the trip will be delayed!" Sutuo smiled: "My affairs have been taken care of, and the rest is up to you!"

"It's easy to say, easy to say. Please don't worry, sir, everything will be taken care of by He Wu!" He Wu hurriedly patted his chest and promised. Sutuo asked some more about navigation. Sure enough, He Wu knew a lot about all aspects and was a good person. A rare talent. Finally, it was almost dinner time, and Sotuo left peacefully.

After returning to the post house, Sutuo immediately wrote a letter, telling the story of the lack of sailors on the voyage ships, and then recounted his plan to supplement the sailors with prisoners, and finally asked Yuan Bao to allocate fifty physical prisoners from Cangzhou Prison. Strong prisoners, preferably those who know a little about water, come and be at your disposal.

"Come here, please send this letter to the Governor's Mansion and hand it over to Master Yuanbao!"

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Cangzhou Governor's Mansion, study.

"Master Fu, Mr. Sutuo has sent someone to deliver a message. They are waiting outside!" the attendant said.

Yuan Bao put down the brush in his hand: "Sutuo's messenger? Well, let him come in!"

"As ordered!"

Yuan Bao took the letter from the attendant, opened it and looked at it, his eyebrows raised, and he suddenly looked happy. He coughed, suppressed his smile, and asked, "What other instructions does your young master have for you?"

"No!" said the messenger.

"Well, then I won't reply. You go back and tell Sutuo that I already know. I will send him there at the latest tomorrow night to reassure him!"

"Yes!" The messenger kowtowed and retreated. Yuan Bao stood up and walked back and forth in the study for a few times. He suddenly stopped and shouted: "Come here, I am going to inspect the prison in the state capital now. Prepare your carriage and horses immediately!"

The effect of Xutuo's letter was immediate. At noon the next day, Yuanbao sent fifty prisoners, all of them strong. He Wu saw this and smiled from ear to ear, patting his chest. Promise Sotuo that he will make preparations for going to sea in as many as seven days and as little as five days. If there is anything wrong, you can ask him.

"Master!" Chongjing whispered: "Look at these prisoners, do you think they are all vicious and not like good people?"

"They are all prisoners, of course they are not good people!" Sutuo laughed: "As for you saying that they are evil and evil, there is nothing you can do about it. It would be too much to take those prisoners who have committed petty crimes to the sea!"

"What you said is true, but you must be on guard against others!" Chongjing whispered: "Have you forgotten those things about Mr. Yuanbao before? The matter of going to sea this time is of great importance. If Mr. Yuanbao wants to do something, this It’s a great opportunity!”

"Then, what should I do?" Sutuo asked.

Chongjing thought for a moment: "Otherwise, Pindao and the people around the young master would be an eyesore. If Mr. Yuanbao had any ill intentions, he would have warned these people long ago. It would be better to let Pindao's disciples pretend to be sailors on the ship. , hang out with those people, and spy on them. He is still young and will not attract other people's attention, so he will get twice the result with half the effort!"

"Well, this is a good idea, but it will make Senior Brother Pushan suffer!" Sutuo said with a smile.

"What does it mean to suffer a little? We are all on the same boat. If something happens, no one can escape! It's just a good time to work hard, otherwise how can we become successful?" Chongjing called Pu Shan, explained his plan, and finally said : "Pushan, except for the captain, all the sailors don't know your identity, and no one will pay attention to you. You can carefully observe the prisoners who board the ship. Don't miss it, or you will harm the young master!"