Ji Tang

Chapter 1007 Mysterious Fleet
After hearing Gu Yanzhi's words, Gou Changshi's expression changed.It's not that he's afraid of Gu Yanzhi, after all, they're all in the same camp now, so who doesn't know who the other is?
The main reason was that he didn't handle this matter well. He originally thought it was something that could be easily grasped, but who would have thought that in the end not only no one was able to find out, but one of his subordinates was also lost.

"Let me atone for your sins!"

Gou Changshi smiled bitterly and said: "This is because my subordinate did something wrong, please punish me!"

After saying that, he bowed and stopped making excuses.

Gu Yanzhi glanced at Gou Changshi, and instead of using the topic as he imagined, he asked: "What's going on? To be able to get the warship without anyone noticing, there must be powerful people from Chang'an behind it. It's just me." I'm a little curious, who dares to risk the world and sell the warship to others?"

Gou Changshi's head dropped lower. He just wanted to develop his family well under the wings of Mr. Xi. He didn't want to be too troublesome about other things.When he lost one of his men, he immediately retreated. Even if he was scolded by Gu Yanzhi, he was not prepared to interfere in the matter.

As the saying goes, when gods fight, little devils suffer, but he didn't have the guts to get involved in this matter.

As if he saw Gou Changshi's little thoughts, Gu Yanzhi said disdainfully: "You do know how to protect yourself wisely, but you just don't know that if you don't do anything, what's the use of others wanting you?"

Regardless of Gou Changshi's ugly expression, he said to the guard behind him: "Check, let me check carefully. This matter is not a trivial matter. Such a warship will be a force that can destroy a country when it goes overseas. . Let me find out who is behind this!"

"promise!"

After hearing the words, the man left quickly. Gou Changshi looked at the man's back thoughtfully.I heard that someone was ordered by His Majesty to form the Military Intelligence Department. That person is probably
"What are you thinking about? Are you interested in that person's identity?"

Suddenly, Gu Yanzhi looked at him without knowing it, and his half-smiling look made Gou Changshi tremble in his heart!

"No, no, how is it possible? Isn't that your bodyguard?"

Gou Changshi quickly denied it.

There are some things that can only be done but cannot be said.

No matter who that person is, it's not something he should know.Although he was very likely to take over the position of governor of Mingzhou, he had also heard about it.

As the two ports of Mingzhou and Dengzhou became more and more important in the Tang Dynasty, many people were already persuading His Majesty to split the administrative divisions.It is intended to completely separate the Mingzhou Governor's Department and Mingzhou Port.

In other words, if nothing unexpected happens, he is likely to succeed the governor of Mingzhou in the future, but Mingzhou Port has nothing to do with him.

At that time, the imperial court will send specialized personnel to form a department directly under the jurisdiction of Mingzhou Port. In the future, all appointments in Mingzhou will be directly appointed by the imperial court. Even taxation and management will be managed by personnel sent by the imperial court.

As a result, the status of the governor of Mingzhou plummeted, and his rank was likely to decline.

Therefore, the status between him and Gu Yanzhi not only did not shrink, but also grew further and further apart. Therefore, he did not dare to offend Gu Yanzhi.

"Really? I hope so!"

After taking a deep look at him, Gu Yanzhi couldn't deny it.Even if you see it, so what?That person was indeed from the Military Intelligence Department, who was sent by the imperial court to monitor the military situation in Mingzhou Port.

As one of the two largest ports in the Tang Dynasty, it shoulders extremely heavy responsibilities and taxation tasks. Can the court rest assured?

Not only were there people from the Military Intelligence Department, but also intelligence personnel were sent from Qilin Pavilion.Except for a few people, no one knows their true identity. They may be first-level officials or just a businessman.

And no one knows that apart from these people on the surface, how many people are secretly watching their every move.

The reason why he came here before leaving office was that he wanted to see the place where he had struggled for more than ten years.The second purpose is to explore the movements and foundation of the mysterious fleet.

The more than ten long-distance warships that came back from Yinzhou back then had already been riddled with holes after ten years of storms. They had been repaired countless times and it was time to retire.

Except for two ships left as souvenirs, the others are ready to be scrapped.

But a warship is a warship, even if it is an old ship more than ten years ago, it is not comparable to ordinary merchant ships.It would be a pity to just abandon it, but it cannot be used as a naval ship of the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, a group of shabby ships will make people see that the people of the Tang Dynasty are being lost.

It's a pity to discard it, and it can't be used, so what should I do?
So an official whose family was engaged in maritime business made a suggestion, which was to sell these ships.Regarding the complete dismantling of the military and then repairing it, at least you can't look at it with chills.

Finally, thanks to his matchmaking, many maritime businessmen came after hearing the news.

After the on-site inspection, all the officials were dumbfounded. These businessmen were like flies seeing dog poop and insisted on buying it. They were all jealous like crazy rabbits.

The court was also very happy after hearing this. After all, it can be used to make a lot of money for the court, right?For the sake of fairness, a small auction was randomly organized. In short, the highest bidder wins.

But what is surprising is that the auction, which was expected to have few people, turned out to have hundreds of maritime merchants or families who wanted to engage in maritime merchants, all wanting to take pictures of these warships.

Anyway, the organization officials were stunned when a ship that was supposed to be disposed of as garbage was auctioned for a sky-high price of [-] guan.

Don't think it's not much, you have to know that the original cost was only four to five thousand guan, but after more than ten years of use, it was sold for twice the price. Some people have to believe this!
So, after selling ten ships, the imperial court received [-] yuan. Xie Lian, who was still the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue at the time, placed an order for the shipyard with a wave of his hand.

In this way, not only did the navy not suffer any losses, but it also got money to build more than ten warships for free, which made some people extremely beautiful.

In fact, it is not certain who will get the advantage. In order to build a ship that can travel far and resist wind and waves, Ji Song thought of many ways.Using the finest wood, the finest craftsmen, and the finest polishing.

It can be said that the original thirteen voyage ships were the product of continuous improvement.Although it may be in tatters, as long as the keel is not broken and the general frame is not broken, after repairs, it will not be a problem to use it for another ten years.

When Ji Song learned that those bastards had sold the boat, he was even more angry and cursed them!But that was a done deal. Unless the imperial court became shameless and openly repented, no one would be able to get it back.

Moreover, all the military-related items on these warships have been removed, but after all, they are built for war. As long as the missing things are replaced, it will be another powerful weapon at sea.

Those who can afford it are not from aristocratic families?Will these things be lacking?Even if you don't dare to use it in Datang, if you go overseas, isn't that going sideways?
In the end, in order to remedy the situation, the imperial court forced these people not to sell ships exclusively regardless of their face, unless they went through the transfer procedures with the government, otherwise they would be severely punished if found out.

But now Gu Yanzhi discovered an unidentified ship.Don't be mistaken, these ships were all built in Mingzhou, and he worked on them from beginning to end. Even if they were burned to ashes, he would not admit his mistake.

He knew how much Duke Xi attached importance to the navy, and would rather not interfere with the military forces on land than to preserve the power at sea.

Maybe others don't understand it very well, and they may even think that Ji Songshi was smart and confused for a while, and picked the sesame seeds instead of the watermelon.

But having been in charge of Mingzhou Port, he knew how unique Mr. Hao's vision was.So what if there are more armies on land?What's more, that is simply the way to death.

But the sea is different. He has been the governor of Mingzhou for so many years, and the things he receives and comes into contact with every day are basically related to the sea.

He knows too much about overseas customs, geographical environment, and resource distribution.But it’s because I know so much that I understand how terrifying overseas wealth is!
Just go overseas, it doesn't take long, to Japan, Mayi and other places, bring silk, tea, porcelain, and when you come back, the ship will be loaded with gold, silver and copper.

Things that were worthless in the Tang Dynasty became sacred objects when they went overseas, and were snatched for them. As for the price?Haha, no matter what the price is, if you grab it, you will make money. No matter how outrageous the price is, there will be people who want it.

How do those country bumpkins know that the sea is the source of wealth, and how many can they dig in the fields all day long?
Duke Xi jumped directly out of the mainland's interests and allowed them to fight over each other, while they made a fortune in silence.

No matter how many aristocratic families are going to sea, the ones who make the most money in the end are those who control the supply of materials and goods.

The aristocratic family has a profound foundation, but is it ridiculous to establish a territory?My family's thousand-year wealth flows out like running water, but the construction of the territory is like a bottomless pit with no end at all.

Therefore, he must find out who is behind these people?Why are they so hidden?Mingzhou does not need any uncertainties, not even a little!
"You must have heard about it too!" Gu Yanzhi looked at Gou Changshi and said.

"The imperial court intends to separate the Mingzhou Governor's Department and Mingzhou Port. After that, the Mingzhou Governor's Department will be the Mingzhou Governor's Department, and Mingzhou Port will be Mingzhou Port, regardless of interference. And, if nothing else happens, Mingzhou Port and Mingzhou Port will Dengzhou Port will be placed under the direct jurisdiction of Chang'an, and all personnel transfers and government affairs will be under the control of the imperial court."

"I just want to tell you this. No, it should be a warning!"

Gu Yanzhi suddenly became very serious and said solemnly: "From now on, just be your governor. Don't worry about those who shouldn't be involved. Don't ask about those who don't need to be asked."

"Although I don't know who will take over Mingzhou Port, but if the prediction is correct, it must not be our group. There will definitely be some turmoil when the time comes. When I go back, I will tell them that as long as they do their job well, they can do whatever he asks. Don't worry about anything else and don't cause trouble to Mr. Hao."

Gou Changshi was covered in cold sweat. He finally understood that his current position was basically a hot potato, so he was still complacent, and others might have avoided him long ago.

No matter who comes to Mingzhou Port, without exception, they are definitely important officials of the imperial court, and they are not able to deal with Duke Hao.Gu Yanzhi will be gone by then, but he will still be there?

Now that you have governed a country within a country, what should you do then?
"Your Majesty, save me!"

The more Gou Changshi thought about it, the more frightened he became, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he was being treated as an outcast.It's no wonder he thinks so. He was able to enter this circle before because of the generosity of Mr. Hao.But the magnanimity of Mr. Xi does not mean that others are magnanimous. He was so arrogant in the official circles of Mingzhou Port, but now some people hope that he will die soon.If he hadn't been suppressed by the above, all the bones would have been eaten long ago.

Gu Yanzhi was filled with contempt in his heart. He didn't know what Mr. Xi was thinking about leaving him in Mingzhou?
"Why are you so anxious? You're so scared before anyone comes? If that day really comes, why don't you be scared to death? Look how promising you are?"

Looking at the eager Gou Changshi, Gu Yanzhi no matter how much he hated this person, but since he was chosen by Chang'an, there must be a reason for it, and he would not dare to ruin Gong Gou's plan!

"In this case, I will go to Chang'an soon. I am afraid that things here are beyond my reach. I will give you some clear directions before leaving."

"Gong Hao has a disciple in Mingzhou. If you have any undecided matters, you can go to her to discuss it. But remember, you must not reveal any information about her, otherwise I will not be able to save you."

Gou Changshi was overjoyed when he heard this. Duke Hao actually had a disciple under his nose?This is great!

Since the four heroes of the Ji family have been knighted one after another, who in the world doesn't know the four major disciples of Duke Xi?Any one of them would be considered a hero in the world. Who would have thought that there would be one in Mingzhou?
"But according to Xianguan's knowledge, Marquis Yingchuan and Bossi Qishan are on a mission, Marquis Longmen is at the border, and Marquis Weiyuan is in Zhongshu Province. Didn't Xianguan hear that they left Chang'an?"

Of course Gou Changshi knew the four major disciples of Duke Xin, but they all had important matters now, so how could they have time to come here?

"Who told you that Duke Xi only had four disciples?"

Hearing Gu Yanzhi's words, Gou Changshi was stunned. If it wasn't the four major disciples, how many were there?
Suddenly, as if he thought of something, his eyes lit up and he said, "You mean?"

Gu Yanzhi interrupted him and admonished: "You just need to know about this. That person is the front man for the second young master. In the future, when the second young master gets married, he will definitely go south to establish a branch of the Ji family. How can that person be sent out by Mr. Xi?" A common person?"

"Remember, don't disturb her if there's nothing important!"

"The lower official understands, the lower official understands!"

Gou Changshi had completely put his heart into his stomach at this time. Although he didn't know what that person was, Gu Yanzhi was so confident that he would believe him for the time being.

Then he explained some things to Gou Changshi, and Gu Yanzhi left.

But just when they were about to return to Mingzhou City, they turned directly to the southeast. When they passed a mountain and crossed a river, a valley sandwiched between two mountains appeared in front of them.

Just when they were about to reach the front, a group of guards suddenly appeared. Although there were not many in number, their evil aura frightened Gu Yanzhi, who had not experienced much war!
"Please inform me that an old friend of Mr. Xi is here to pay a visit!"

The guard glanced at Gu Yanzhi and sent one person to report, while the others stared at Gu Yanzhi and others closely, so that Gu Yanzhi did not dare to make the slightest move!
(End of this chapter)