Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 827 Brothers meet again
"This is not something that I alone can have the final say!" Sutuo smiled: "And there are still many places where prisoners are needed, such as building roads and draining swamps. Where is the need for manpower? If not for other things, you can also do it in Cangzhou. You see, there are as many people as there are in the salt farm, and some workshops even require children as young as seven or eight. I only asked for these fifty prisoners because of my brother!"

"What can a seven or eight-year-old child do?" He Wu was surprised.

"Boiling water and carding wool! These don't take much effort! Children don't need to be paid, they have to eat and have clothes to wear. All they need is a place to sleep. Sometimes it's more useful than adults!" Sutuo said: "I also came to Cangzhou and found that there were no beggars on the streets. After asking, I found out that no one is allowed to beg on the streets here. As long as they are unemployed beggars, they are all caught and sent to the camp. Then the workshop owners who are short of manpower come to pay for them. Go back, even if you are blind or have a broken leg, there will be people who want it!”

"What's the use of being blind and having a broken leg?"

"Twist the rope! How many ropes are needed for so many ships in Cangzhou! You can't see with your eyes, and you can't move your feet without hindering your work! So Yuanbao told me that this place in Cangzhou is really a place where every inch of land is precious, even if there are only a few rooms with different It's an unassuming shabby thatched house, with five or six Guizhou heads living in it, not much of a farm, and you might be able to earn three or four hundred guan a year, so you really can't judge a book by its appearance!"

"So that's it!" He Wu clicked his tongue and said, "If that's the case, there's really no way around the shortage of manpower on the ship!"

The conversation paused, and the aroma of tea filled the balcony of the stern building. Sutuo watched the Blue Bird, driven by the northeasterly wind, skirting the distant cape and sailing towards the wider sea. At this moment, he couldn't help but recall the days on the whaling ship. The strong wind mixed with snowflakes swept across the sea. The whale's huge back sometimes floated and sometimes sank on the sea. The sailors shouted loudly on the deck and turned the winch to lower the small boat. , brave people threw javelins at whales, and the giant beast turned over in pain, setting off huge waves. The rope at the tail of the javelin was stretched straight, dragging the speedboat as fast as it flew...

"Master, Master?" He Wu's voice pulled Sutuo out of his memories, and he smiled sheepishly: "I was a little distracted just now! I remembered what happened on the whaling ship before!"

"Whaling ships, that's a hard job!" He Wu smacked his tongue, "I heard that if you're lucky, it's very profitable. The owner of the ship can make back the ship once he goes to sea!"

"More than that!" Sutuo shook his head: "Whaling ships are different from other maritime businesses. The owner can only account for 70% at most, and the other 30% belongs to the sailors, because whaling requires people to risk their lives. No one works hard to make money, so naturally they can't catch whales. Let's put it this way. On the last whaling voyage I participated in, there were 25 crew members on the ship. We drifted at sea for almost four months, and finally we returned. When we were in Namba, there were 720 kilograms of whale blubber in the cabin alone. The oldest sailor on the ship stopped working. His savings were enough for him to buy a yard and 20 acres of vegetable land on the shores of Lake Nara. Retired!”

"I'm so envious!" He Wu's eyes shone with envy: "I hope I can afford the yard and vegetable garden by Lake Nara when I'm old. In this way, whaling is really profitable! I really hope that I can afford it when I am old. We can also encounter whales on this trip and make a fortune!”

"The lookouts on the mast should be alert. It's not easy to spot the whale's spray!" Sutuo said with a smile: "Also, various equipment must be prepared on the ship, such as harpoons and javelins, which can be up to two meters long. A hundred-step rope, a buoy, and a boat with two pointed ends must be prepared! Otherwise, you will just have to watch the whale swim away when the time comes. By the way, the most important thing is the barrel. , lots of wooden barrels, and big iron pots, without which you can’t pack the blubber, which is the most valuable thing on the whale!”

He Wu nodded and took out a small notebook to record, which made Su Tuo laugh: "You don't really plan to hunt whales, do you? Our voyage will indeed pass through waters with many whales, but believe me, this matter It’s not as simple as you think!”

"It all depends on people!" He Wu laughed: "Who would mind having too much money?"

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At noon on the third day after entering the Yellow Sea, the fleet arrived at Zhouliu Port, but only stayed here for one day. They transported some fresh vegetables and fruits from the shore, added fresh water, and then set sail. The ships headed towards the Korean Peninsula. The coastline on the Yellow Sea side sailed southeast, then turned north at the Tsushima Strait, entered the Seto Inland Sea, and sailed all the way to Namba Kyo, the capital and largest port of the Japanese nation at the time.

Very early in the morning, the lookout saw the wine boat coming from Owari Province, which meant that they were not far from their target. At that time, Soda was immersed in the green sea water. Except for the Herring, there was no one he could see except the Herring. There is sea everywhere. He swam on the surface of the sea and dived down again. The cool water passed through his hair and slid over his smooth skin. He enjoyed the refreshing and surging feeling of the sea water. He felt as if he was back in his mother's womb, relaxed and safe. During the time away from the ship, he did not have to think about countless questions: the people on the ship, the rivalry between the brothers, the hull, the rigging, the ship's course. When he stayed on the deck, his mind was always Being entangled by all these ropes, I can't relax.

"Sir, are you okay?" He Wu shouted loudly.

"I'm fine!" Sutuo shouted loudly: "Don't worry, I have been in this area often since I was a child, and I am very familiar with the sea here!"

"There is a ship!" At this time, the lookout on the forecastle shouted loudly: "There is one sailboat, not two, but three, coming from the northwest, pulling the horizontal sail!"

"What the hell!" He Wu cursed in a low voice. He raised his voice and shouted to Sutuo in the water: "We have to be ready for battle. I'll put the cable down. You can grab it quickly!"

Sutuo responded. He swam to the rope dropped by He Wu in twos and twos, tied the end of it around his waist, and then swam to the stern of the ship easily. He pulled it up to the deck, and the sailors sent it on He wiped his body with a dry towel, put on his pullover, and looked in the direction pointed by his hand.

"This is a ship carrying annual tribute!" Sutuo said in a very positive tone: "We should be not far from Namba Kyo!"

"That's great!" He Wu said with a smile: "The Herring is leaking a little, and the bowmast has been blown a little, and the sailors are also frustrated. It's best to arrive at Namba Tsu as soon as possible, repair the ship, and let the sailors Have fun ashore!”

"It's best not to cause trouble!" Sutuo stared into He Wu's eyes: "According to the plan, we can only stay in Nambazu for three or four days, and then continue north. Time is very tight for us!"

"Don't worry! I won't forget the plan, everything is here!" He Wu pointed to his forehead.

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It has been four years since he last left Namba Kyo. Soda stood by the side of the ship and looked at everything on the shore: temples and palaces, gardens and fountains, orchards and fields, winding rivers, jasper-like Lake Nara, A pagoda on a raised hill. Compared to when she left, Namba Kyo became richer and more beautiful. She was like a beautiful lady, graceful and elegant, and her brother was the king, god and master here. "Honorable Master Sutuo!" An officer in purple robes stood under the springboard. Behind him were twenty fully armed warriors. He bowed slightly to Sutuo: "I am Gao Yannian, your Majesty's friend. I have been ordered to welcome you. Please disembark and follow me to the Wannian Palace, where Your Majesty is waiting for you!"

"Wannian Palace?" Sutuo asked curiously: "Where is that? I don't remember that there is such a palace in Namba!"

"It's in the old residence of General He Ba Yong!" Gao Yannian said with a smile: "After General He Ba's death, His Majesty took back this residence, converted it into his own residence, and renamed it Wannian Palace!"

"Brother confiscated General Heba's old residence?" Sutuo was surprised: "How is this possible? I remember my father once said that General Heba's past affairs are not allowed to be pursued!"

"Haha!" Gao Yannian said with a smile: "Sir, your Majesty did not pursue General Heba's old affairs, nor did he confiscate the mansion. Instead, he bought it from General Heba's sons with money and farmland. To be honest, that mansion The scale and magnificence are too much, and it is not a place for people to live. Your Majesty, this is for the benefit of General Heba’s descendants!”

Sutuo frowned. He had been following Wang Wenzuo for so many years and was no longer the ignorant young man he was. Naturally, he knew that his brother had not taken back He Bayong's old mansion for his own enjoyment. He had done so to pay tribute to the Japanese state. Everyone above and below proves one thing - he is the supreme master of the Japanese country, and anyone who tries to be above him will be knocked to the ground. This is indeed true in theory, but deep down in his heart, Sutuo still has a little problem with Yanliang's behavior.

Under the guidance of Gao Yannian, Sutuo and his party came to the Wannian Palace. A maid helped him bathe and change clothes, and then led him to the cool shade of a tree. Sutuo saw his brother sitting on an hu bed, with a guqin on his knees, and four people standing or sitting next to him. Five men of similar age - all wearing purple robes.

"Look who is here!" Yanliang stood up from the bed and opened his arms excitedly: "Sutuo, you have grown taller and stronger, and you are now completely a man!"

"Thank you!" Sutuo was a little embarrassed and hugged Yanliang. He noticed that his brother had a beard on his chin and upper lip. Maybe he wanted to make himself look more majestic: "Nice to see you again, brother! "

"I've heard something about you!" Yanliang grabbed Sutuo's arm and asked him to sit side by side on the bed. "Huliang became the emperor's sister-in-law, and he also led troops to conquer the bandits in Shu. Ingots should be used as treasures." He became the governor of Cangzhou and was in charge of the salt industry, and you are even more remarkable. My father has entrusted you with the business of opening up the sea frontier!"

"This is all inseparable from the help of my brothers!" Sutuo whispered: "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to do anything!"

"You don't have to worry about this!" Yan Liang said with a smile: "What my father cares about most is you, and the bigger the territory you open up in Haidong, the more beneficial it is to me. I will definitely be on your side!" Having said this, he winked at Sutuo intimately.

"The more beneficial it is to you, brother? Brother, what do you mean by this?" Sutuo asked cautiously with his heart pounding.

"Don't you understand this?" Yanliang said with a smile: "The direction you are exploring is to the northeast, right? It is just across the water from Ezo Island in Japan. The larger the territory you develop there, the more convenient the route will be. In the future, the Japanese country will have more places to go. Although the Tang Dynasty is powerful, in the final analysis, the capital is in Chang'an. It is far enough to go to the Japanese country, and it will be further to go further east and north. Even if it is occupied, it will take a long time. I can’t control it, so no matter how good those places are, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty has no interest in them!”

Yanliang's words were like a falling stone, which immediately caused ripples in Sutuo's heart. As Yanliang said, geographically speaking, the Japanese country with the Nara Basin of Honshu Island in Japan as its core is indeed better than the Japanese country with Chang'an and Luoyang as its core. It was more convenient for Datang to expand to the Haidong region. Since the Yanliang brothers did not know the existence of the New World at this time, of course they could only limit Wang Wenzuo's exploration to today's Northeast and Outer Northeast regions.

"But brother, have you ever considered your father's thoughts?" Sutuo whispered.

Yanliang waved his hand, and the people in purple clothes beside him walked away, leaving only the two brothers beside Hu's bed.

"Father is already fifty! People always have to die!" Yan Liang said with a smile: "Although he has lofty ambitions and unparalleled talents, he is only a human being after all. It would be good if he can take care of everything during his lifetime. Things after his death are still just We can rely on ourselves.”

"Brother, what do you mean?" Sutuo asked.

"Sutuo, I heard from Yuan Bao that Mrs. Cui beside my father has danced very hard in the past few years. You have suffered a lot from her, right?" Yanliang asked suddenly.

"That's not true. After all, she is my father's wife!" Sutuo said.

"Lead wife?" Yanliang laughed: "Suda, you remember what I said. There is only one head wife of my father, and that is my mother, Princess Saitama. She is the only one who has the blood of Amaterasu. She is worthy of being my father’s wife!”

"This -" Hearing Yanliang's words, Sutuo couldn't help but became speechless. After a moment, he said: "Brother, although your mother is noble, she has passed away long ago. It is okay for your father to marry Cui as his successor, right?"

"If it is to be renewed, it should be Her Royal Highness the Princess. In terms of identity, closeness, and relationship, it should be Her Royal Highness the Princess!" Yan Liang said sternly: "If nothing else, how did Her Royal Highness treat us back then? If she became my father's wife, how could she have happened so much? She wouldn't treat you badly, would she? "

Hearing Yanliang mention Li Xiayu, Sutuo couldn't help but feel sad: "Yes, His Highness did treat me very well, but, there is nothing we can do about this matter, we can't force it!"