Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 831 Ambition
Only now did the ambushers realize that they had fallen into a trap. They stopped and shouted each other's names in panic, looking around blankly for the whereabouts of the arrows. And it couldn't be better for Sotuo. Now he doesn't need to find a target, he only needs to draw the bow and release the arrow. Starting from the target closest to him, he first shoots down a man holding a two-handed axe, and his companion next to him. He squatted down to see how injured he was, but Sutuo hit him in the thigh with an arrow. Damn it! I missed the shot! But this guy has also lost his fighting ability! Sota thought.

At this time, someone finally discovered Sutuo. He pointed at the big stone where Sutuo was hiding and shouted loudly, as if calling his companions to join in the siege. Sutuo calmly shot the caller through the shoulder, and the rest of the people immediately hesitated. At this time, the two followers who had pretended to escape also came back, and the ambushers' weak desire to fight suddenly collapsed, and they scattered one after another.

"Sir, let's get back to the boat quickly!" said the older attendant: "This island is deserted. As long as you have the boat in your hands, these clowns won't be able to do anything!"

"You're not busy!" Sutuo walked up to the guy who had just been shot through the shoulder and asked in a deep voice, "Who asked you to harm me?"

"I, I -" The man was already frightened at this time, and he was so trembling that he couldn't even speak a complete sentence. The older attendant shouted: "Who is your leader?"

"Just, right over there!" The man finally regained his composure and pointed at a corpse not far away: "He led us to do it, I don't know anything!"

"This guy can still walk!" the older attendant whispered: "It's getting late. If I continue to drag him on, I'm afraid I'll have more nightmares. It's better to take him back to the ship and interrogate him carefully!"

Sutuo nodded, and the entourage casually tore off a few rags from the corpse on the ground, casually bandaged the guy with the injured shoulder, tied his hands behind his back, and headed to the berth of the ship together. By the time they got back to the boat, it was getting dark.

"What, someone is secretly ambushing the young master on the shore?" He Wu was shocked: "How could this happen?"

"On our way back, we met this group of thieves. If it hadn't been for your bravery, we would have died!" The older attendant said: "Captain, there should be remnants of this group of people on the ship. We must be tortured severely. Take them one by one!”

"That's natural, that's natural!" He Wu was already sweating profusely. Of course he knew that if Sutuo had an accident on his ship, he would definitely be involved. He immediately ordered someone to keep an eye on the weapons depot. , and then tortured the prisoner severely, and soon the result was obtained. A total of twenty-two people participated in the conspiracy. Eighteen of the twenty-two people were prisoners who had boarded the ship in Cangzhou Port, and the remaining four The man was a sailor on the ship, and he was recruited by this group of people on the ship.

"This subordinate deserves to die, this subordinate deserves to die!" He Wu knelt on the ground, his face livid: "Such a major event happened on the ship, and my subordinates didn't know anything about it, so why don't you ask me to punish you!"

"Well, I can't blame you!" Sutuo said: "You fell down a few days ago and couldn't move while lying on the bed. What can you do about it? And even if you weren't injured, you would still be tired from resisting the storm. I’m so exhausted that I don’t have the energy to guard against this!”

"Thank you, Master!" Seeing that Sutuo did not pursue him, He Wu breathed a sigh of relief: "These bitches dare to attack the Master's rich body. I think they should be severely punished!"

Sutuo waved his hand: "The laws on the ship are already strict enough. A person can only die once at most, and it is impossible to die twice. How else can we punish him severely? It's getting late, let everyone rest separately! We'll talk about anything after dawn tomorrow !”

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The night is already dark, and the Herring rises and falls gently with the waves. Sutuo stood on the poop, gazing at the sea in the distance. The moonlight reflected on the sea, which was quiet and peaceful. No one could have imagined that not long ago, a violent fight took place here.

"Son!"

"Taoist Master!" Sutuo turned around and said, "You haven't slept either!"

"I'm old. Two hours a night is enough. No more and I won't be able to sleep!" Chongjing said with a smile, "Are you still worried about things during the day?"

"Yeah!" Sutuo nodded: "Taoist Priest, I really don't understand why Yuan Bao did this."

"Hahaha!" Chongjing laughed: "Actually, there is nothing strange about this. Young Master, you don't need to worry about these things. It is more serious to do the things you are doing right now!"

"Yes!" Sutuo nodded: "Taoist Priest, what do you think I should do with these people?"

"Before you go up, those who expose the blade will die! Those who set up an ambush to harm the young master will definitely die!"

"Well, what about the others?" Sutuo asked.

"Then leave it on this desert island!" Chongjing said: "We can't stay on the island for too long anyway!" "That's fine!" Sutuo nodded: "Time is very tight, every day When it gets colder, we repair the ship and leave immediately!”

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Fan Yang, the General's Mansion.

"General, this is a letter from Master Xutuo, sent from Zhenbei Fort!" Lu Zhaolin said.

"Oh! He has arrived at Zhenbei Fort safely?" Wang Wenzuo happily took the letter and opened it, only to see Sutuo's familiar neat handwriting on it:
"Father, my son is very lucky. When we arrived at Zhenbeibao, we found that the ship that was blown away by the sea wind had arrived early. This means that although the four ships that went out to sea from Cangzhou were encountered on the way, There were some twists and turns, but we all arrived at Zhenbeibao safely. This shows that the gods and Buddhas are blessing the child. The child will definitely be able to find the end of the land under our feet and discover the new world that your father talks about!
Before coming here, the child thought that Zhenbeibao was an extremely desolate place with year-round wind and snow, and the residents were in great poverty. But when the child arrived, he found that was not the case. Yes, it is indeed very desolate and the weather is very cold here. It started to snow only in September, but the residents here are actually living a pretty good life. At least they have abundant food and all kinds of supplies needed for daily life, except salt and iron. Apart from food and clothing, they have enough money and even live better than most people in Hebei. This is not nonsense. You know that Zhenbeibao is located at the mouth of a large river. Every autumn, many big fish will swim upstream. The local residents can easily catch a large number of fish and dry them for food. reserve.

I saw with my own eyes a large amount of dried fish stored in the cellars of residents' homes. Some people even stacked the dried fish on top of each other outside the house, like a pile of firewood. Due to the severe cold weather here in winter, there is no need to worry about the dried fish rotting. bad. However, this also has a disadvantage. Dried fish outdoors may attract bears, and some bears may go out looking for food during hibernation. In addition to dried fish, there are also a large number of dried berries, dried bracken and dried mushrooms. I heard from local residents that every autumn, there are as many of these things in the forest as possible. As long as you are diligent, you can make them in just seven or eight days. Filling their cellars, the only question is whether there will be enough sunny days to dry the harvest. In addition, they can also trade with the barbarians on both sides of the river. A little salt and an iron knife can be exchanged for a large bag of honey, bearskin, amber, and even women.

Really, I believe that if the people of Hebei could see with their own eyes the lives of the residents of Zhenbeibao, they would find a way to migrate here. The food is very filling and good, a lot of fish, mushrooms, wild boar, vegetables, a small amount of grains, in your words, father, they eat very healthily! There is no need to do endless farm work all year round, there is almost no rent and tax, and there is no labor. For half a year, you can lie comfortably next to the fire pot. If you are smart, you can make money through trade, marry yourself a barbarian wife, give birth to a bunch of cubs, raise pigs, catch fish to feed yourself, and then you can live on your own. I could lie under the tree with mead and birch sap and get drunk. The prisoners I sent from Hebei this time all expressed their willingness to stay after seeing the life of the locals with their own eyes. Some even asked the clerk on the ship to write letters for them and take them back to tell their families about the situation here.

If we want to talk about the problem of Zhenbeibao, it is that there are too few people; no one cuts down trees, no one reclaims land, no one builds new docks, and no one builds brick kilns. Really, the most lacking thing here is people. If the population of Zhenbeibao doubles, it can become a good whaling dock. I saw many whales in the sea near me. If there were enough people here to make barrels, repair ships, blacksmith, and make ropes, Zhenbeibao would be able to produce 10,000 barrels of blubber every year, allowing all scholars in the Tang Dynasty to use high-quality candles. This will make you a prosperous town, sufficient to support our fleet as it continues its journey north. And all this must be based on attracting 3,000 young male residents. The people of Hebei and Datang must know the situation here, and let them know that although it is cold here, they can make a fortune and live a life like their hometown. A life that will never be lived. "

"This boy Sutuo has made some progress!" Seeing this, Wang Wenzuo raised the corners of his mouth slightly and showed a proud smile. This made Lu Zhaolin on the side slightly stunned. He had not seen such a look on Wang Wenzuo's face for a long time. He smiled proudly and asked cautiously: "Master Xutuo, is he still well in Zhenbei Castle?"

"This kid did a good job!" Wang Wenzuo laughed loudly: "I will spend the winter in Zhenbeibao and continue northward in the spring next year! The little guy has made progress, look at it!"

He was like those fathers in later generations who showed off to Lu Zhaolin with their sons' high-scoring test papers.

"Oh!" Lu Zhaolin took the letter and while reading it, carefully looked at Wang Wenzuo's face with the corner of his eye.

"How's it going?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Others say it's a land of ice and snow, with nothing there, but this guy can see so many good things, just like when I went to Baekje and the Japanese country, this is up to me!"

"Sutuo is the son of a great general, so naturally he behaves like a great general!" Lu Zhaolin said hurriedly.

"Haha!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "I know many of you are thinking that I will lead the troops south and west, and it is best to capture Chang'an and become the emperor. You think it is a waste of time for me to stay in Hebei and spend money to go to Haidong. . Have you ever thought that except for the Han Dynasty, no dynasty has lasted more than three hundred years? Even if I, Wang Wenzuo, are like what you said, what if I become the emperor? Behind them are useless people who were "born in deep palaces and grew out of women's hands" sitting on the throne, wasting the blood and sweat of the people in the world for their own enjoyment, using fame and wealth as bait, attracting the world's talents and heroes. Drive. It may take three hundred years at most, or two hundred years at least. All the glory and achievements will be burned and turned into flying smoke. In the end, gods like Chang'an and Luoyang will be nothing more than Lili. Do you think this is good? ?"

After hearing Wang Wenzuo's deviant words, Lu Zhaolin felt as if a huge pottery wheel was spinning in his head, turning everything upside down and turning everything upside down. He is familiar with history books, and of course he knows what Wang Wenzuo said is right, but isn't it enough that one family and one surname can dominate the world for three hundred years? Isn't it enough to possess the divine weapon and carry out the destiny? For a moment, he felt that he could no longer see through the man in front of him.

"Then my subordinate dares to ask what the general wants?"

"Naturally, it is for the sake of future generations, not only for future generations, but also for everyone on this land!" Wang Wenzuo said.

"Eternals? Everyone on this land?" Lu Zhaolin asked.

"Well, if it's just for my own children, ascending the throne as emperor is not a bad choice. Although most of the children of the Tian family will not be able to escape when the dynasty changes hundreds of years later, after all, they have reproduced for hundreds of years, and the branches are luxuriant. The descendants of the branch cannot escape, and the descendants of the distant branch are mostly unharmed. Anyway, in the eyes of my ancestor, the nearby branch and the distant branch are all the same. But if we can find a land with two or three Tang Dynasty, which is more prosperous and fertile, let's take a look at it. The people of the Tang Dynasty migrated there, and although they may become a country on their own, even if the Tang Dynasty is about to run out of power hundreds of years later, there will still be lands in the distance that can inherit its destiny and if it rises again, it will not be cut off!"

"The general has such great ambitions!" Lu Zhaolin sighed: "No wonder he loves Mr. Sutuo so much!"

"Yes, Yanliang, Huliang, and Yuanbao are all good children, but they all eat from the bowl. Only Sutuo, the child, eats from outside the bowl. No matter how much stock there is, it is still stock. Increase No matter how small the amount is, it is still an increase. Naturally, I take Sutuo more seriously!"

After Lu Zhaolin left Wang Wenzuo's study, Wang Wenzuo's voice was still echoing in his ears. Obviously, Sutuo had taken the lead in this competition. Before that, everyone thought it should be Mr. Sheng or Yan Liangzhan. Those who had the advantage, and some even considered Hu Liang, but no one thought that Sutuo, the young master, had already gone to sea on a boat. Most people thought that this meant that he was out of the game.