The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 125 Set Sail and Set Sail
"What did Shi Xie say?" Guan Feng picked up a piece of fruit and brought it to his mouth, chewing it carefully. The beautiful Dan Feng glanced at the tanned Sun Shao and asked with concern.

"Hey, don't dare to say anything else, at least my back should be safe." Sun Shao looked at Guan Feng whose face had returned to rosy, and heaved a sigh of relief: "Have you got an appetite these two days?"

"Yeah." Guan Feng blushed and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment: "I ate a lot, and I feel a lot fatter."

"It's better to be fatter, it's better to be fatter." Sun Shao couldn't stop laughing.

Guan Feng lowered his head, and carefully picked a piece of the best one and brought it to Sun Shao's mouth. Sun Shao bit his mouth, and before he had time to bite, he had already frowned, and spat it out with a "bah", repeatedly Speechless: "What is this, it's so sour."

"Sour?" Guan Feng was stunned.

"Of course it's sour." Sun Shao took a sip of tea and rinsed his mouth: "I see you eat it with gusto, and you still think how delicious it is, but I didn't expect it to be so sour. It's a shame you still eat it so deliciously."

"I think it's delicious." Guan Feng took another sip: "It's delicious to have a mouthful of fluid."

"I'm convinced." Sun Shao raised his hands in surrender, and then stared at Guan Feng's stomach, which had hardly noticed any movement, with uncontrollable excitement in his eyes: "Sour son, you look like a brat."

"I think so too." Guan Feng put down the spoon, rested her chin in one hand, her eyes sparkled, and she looked yearning: "Who do you think this child will look like?"

"Of course my son is like me, but my daughter is like you." Sun Shao said without hesitation, hugged Guan Feng, kissed her hard on the face, and laughed.

"Young master, madam..." Ge Heng stood awkwardly at the door holding the blueprint.Guan Feng was very embarrassed, and quickly got up and went into the inner room.Old Sun Shao had a thick skin, so he asked people to come in and clear away the fruits on the table, make tea, asked Ge Heng to sit down, and asked eagerly, "Is it done?"

Ge Heng nodded vigorously and spread the drawings on the table. "According to the young master's request, I have equipped all ten warships with four-stone crossbows with a range of two hundred steps. Instead, I use the reel to load the arrows, which can be operated by one person. Now it takes about twelve or three breaths to shoot one arrow. After proficiency in the operation, it should be able to increase to five breaths and one arrow. However, this is the most ideal speed. According to my estimation, the average rate of fire of ten ships should be about eight breaths."

One breath is one breath, and the normal human breath is sixteen breaths per minute. That is to say, each ship can shoot three arrows in one minute at the fastest speed, and the average speed is two arrows. in the case of.Sun Shao felt that it was still too slow, but he couldn't think of a better way for the time being.

"I'm improving the Liannu, but the progress is not fast." Ge Heng patted his head a little ashamedly: "I'm not very familiar with the aspect of armaments."

Sun Shao smiled and waved his hands: "It's okay, this matter can't be rushed, and the improvement is not small now."

"Young master, out of fifteen boats, only ten boats can be loaded. With the crossbow installed, the number of soldiers will inevitably be reduced, and the melee combat ability will be greatly reduced. In my opinion, it is still not comprehensive."

"What about the speed?" Sun Shao blinked, and instead of answering Ge Heng's question, he asked another question.Ge Heng made some calculations: "It shouldn't be affected, on the contrary, it will increase a bit. The crossbow probably occupies the positions of eight people, only two or three people are needed to operate it, and the weight is only equivalent to two people, and the overall weight is still reduced. .”

"Increase the speed a little bit more. In addition to the oarsman and the crossbowman, there will be another helmsman, and the spare helmsman will be the crossbowman." Sun Shao patted his thigh: "Damn it, can I still run if I can't beat it?"

Ge Heng's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood what Sun Shao meant, and nodded repeatedly.

"After the transformation plan is finalized, the specific matters will be handled by the person I arrange for you. Don't waste your time on these matters." Sun Shao winked his eyes, Ge Heng understood, and replied with a smile: "Don't worry, young master. , I know it in my heart."

In June, with the southerly wind getting stronger, Panyu Port began to be lively, and a large number of ships entered the port every day.There are Jiaozhou Navy stationed in Panyu Port, and the port is divided into several narrow waterways by several islands. They will venture into the port. They usually wait on the island outside the port. The merchant ships here are most concentrated. If you do it casually, the income will be good. It's like standing in a fish basin to catch fish. There are only big fish and small fish. , there will be no worry of failure.The navy usually does not go out to fight in the port. They protect the safety of the port, and the life and death of merchant ships outside the port has nothing to do with them.It would be too bad for them to run hundreds of miles just to protect a few merchant ships, unless it was for a specific purpose.

So this period of time is the harvest season for pirates. On the sea outside the port, there are robberies almost every day. Large and small merchant ships are like returning salmon, trying to rush into the port as quickly as possible. Rushing into the port means that their adventure is safe, and if they stay outside the port for one more day, it will be more dangerous, especially for those Western merchants who have traveled far and hard to get here after half a year. Being robbed by pirates at this time, that means traveling thousands of miles to die.

Therefore, in addition to the booming pirate business, the officials in charge of inspection and release at the port are now also earning a lot of money. Those merchants who want to enter the safe zone as soon as possible have to put money into their hands with smiling faces, striving for early release.

Buzhi, the governor of Jiaozhou, who received a large number of reports, couldn't sit still. These businessmen are the main source of tax revenue for Yi City in Panyu, and many of them are from local families in Nanhai County. There is no place to cry for the losses of the Yi people. They can't Although it is impossible for the government to compensate them for their losses, it is always possible to scold them twice to relieve their anger.After being quarreled for several days, Bu Zhi invited Sun Shao and Shi Wei over.

"You two, one of you is the prefect of the South China Sea, the general of Henghai, and the other is the general of Dinghai Zhonglang, who is in charge of the most powerful force of the Jiaozhou navy. Now that pirates are rampant, are you just sitting back and watching?"

Sun Shao burst out laughing, but remained silent.

Shiwei hesitated for a moment: "The humble position is all arranged by the governor and the general."

Bu Zhi knocked on a few cases, and reminded Sun Shao not to be too childish: "Fengxian, the barbarian merchants suffered heavy losses, and the tax revenue was greatly reduced. You, the governor of the South China Sea, should be responsible."

Sun Shao rolled his eyes: "Your Majesty, although I am the governor of the South China Sea, I am also in charge of the Yishi in the South China Sea, but the scope of my management is the Yishi. Those who enter the Yishi are under my management. Even the Panyu Port Those who didn’t get in, should I take care of them? That’s the responsibility of the Jiaozhou Navy, right?”

Bu Zhi frowned, and had no choice but to turn his gaze to Shi Wei again.But Shiwei smiled helplessly: "Your Majesty, I am just a general in Dinghai. How can I be the master in front of you and the general? Please order the general to lead the army, and I, Shiwei, will naturally follow to the death. Two words."

Bu Zhi nodded calmly: "The generals are high-spirited, loyal to the country, and deserve to be commended. Fengxian, although the outside of Hong Kong is not under the jurisdiction of Nanhai County, but don't forget, you are still General Henghai, the highest in Jiaozhou. Apart from General Zuo, you have the highest military rank. In the navy, your military rank is also the highest. You are duty-bound to ensure the safety of the sea. If this year’s tax is too much less than last year, I’m afraid the Supreme will blame you. You and I can't bear it."

Jiaozhou under the control of Buzhi is really ruled by Sun Quan, namely Nanhai County, Cangwu County, and Yulin County. The commercial tax of Nanhai County accounts for a large proportion of it. If the pirates make too much noise, the commercial tax will drop. It will indeed affect the tax revenue of the entire state.It was precisely because of this that Bu Zhi couldn't sit still, and held back his temper and invited Sun Shao and Shi Wei to discuss matters.

Sun Shao rubbed his chin and thought for a long time: "In this case, let's go to sea and fight to fight against the arrogance of those pirates, so that they will not be too rampant."

Bu Zhi was relieved, Shi Wei was in his arms, and both of them nodded in agreement.

"Although my military rank is high, I have never fought a war, so I should ask the general to command." Sun Shao said very modestly: "I am the brave of a man, and I will take my dozens of boats for the general Go ahead."

Shiwei was very happy in his heart, but he couldn't bear it on his face: "General, I'm just a general, how dare I command the general. It's better to ask Fujun to go out in person, we all obey the orders of Fujun. "

Bu Zhi glanced at Shi Wei, secretly laughing.In the past, when the navy went to war, Shi Wei would take care of everything, and he was not allowed to show up at all. In this way, not only did he alone get the credit, but also how much of the captured spoils fell into his own pocket, no one could figure out, anyway. In the end, he did not receive much money.This time, Sun Shao was squeezed into the naval division. Although his strength is not strong, his military rank is higher than him. It made him want to command, also known as being unjust and unsatisfactory. He passed the stallion.

"Since that's the case, then you all get ready, we'll set off on another day to wipe out the thieves."

"Here." Sun Shao and Shi Wei got up to answer, and then greeted each other hypocritically.

"Please take care of me, General."

"Each each other."

Three days later, the Jiaozhou Navy’s bandit suppression operation kicked off. Chinese and foreign businessmen who suffered from pirates rushed to the present to give them a farewell party. All the gentry were present, and many people even came from the surrounding areas.None of them knew that Bu Zhi personally led the team because the other two couldn't handle each other, so they had to choose a third party. They all thought that the government was determined to deal with the pirates, and they were quite excited, shouting long live, Of course, long live is shouted, but the object of many people shouting long live is not Bu Zhi, but Shi Xie.Just look at those warships. Of the nearly 300 warships, more than 100 hang the battle flag of Shiwei, and nearly [-] hang the battle flag of Buzhi. Yes, there are only [-] ships. These [-] ship lists are still worth looking at, at least the canopy is brand new, and the soldiers on them are considered energetic. But now they are moored next to Shiwei, which has a large number of people, how do you feel? funny.

Soon, the news spread that the handsome young man standing next to Lord Inspector was Henghai General Sun Shao, and those who had knowledge felt sorry for Sun Shao. Those who have no experience, really take Sun Shao as a joke, and it became the talk of Panyu City after dinner.

Sun Shao has a thick skin and is indifferent to those people's eyes. He can neither see anything unhappy nor happy.He calmly followed Bu Zhi onto his four-story boat and entered the royal room on the top floor (the bottom of the four-story boat is called the royal room), Bu Zhi sat on the main seat, and Sun Shao sat on his left hand side , Shi Wei sat on his right hand side.

"Both, let's study the situation of the war while the boat is sailing." Bu Zhi took a silk map from the entourage beside him and spread it on the desk.Sun Shao glanced at it and knew that it was a nautical chart near the port. The drawing was very simple, only marking the general shape and a few important islands, but the shape of Panyu Port still surprised him.There is a big difference between the Panyu Port in the picture before him and the Houguan Port (Fuzhou Port in later generations) he saw in the Houguan Shipyard.Houguan Port is stomach-shaped, with a narrow and long mouth, like a pipe. Although the interior of the port is much wider, it is not as wide as Panyu Port. It looks like a big gourd, with several big islands at the mouth , divided the port into three main waterways, the widest one in the east, called Ping'ankou, the narrowest one in the middle, called Pingbokou, and the west one called Yamenkou, which was quite different from the map of Guangzhou he had imagined.

"Pingbokou has a wide water surface, the most ships, and the navy guards are relatively strict. Except for the most powerful pirates who will venture in, usually nothing will happen. Pingbokou is the narrowest and long, with many hidden reefs, and basically no merchant ships pass by. Passing by there, the most pirates should be Yamenkou. Yamenkou is [-] to [-] steps wide, and it is the closest port for merchant ships from the West to enter the port. It is as busy as Pingankou, and it is also the place where pirates like to ambush merchant ships." Bu Zhi glanced at Shiwei inadvertently: "They move quickly and are familiar with the terrain. They are often difficult to find when they hide in the waterway. Once they succeed, they will quickly flee away. The navy can't react in time. When they arrive, they can only clean up. Endgame, rescue the wounded."

Sun Shao didn't speak, and Shi Wei was also expressionless, as if what Bu Zhi said had nothing to do with him.

"What does the Lord Fu mean?" Sun Shao looked at Bu Zhi and asked calmly.

"I want to hear your opinions first." Bu Zhi stroked his beard and glanced at Shiwei calmly: "One of you is a hero who became famous at a young age, and the other is an experienced veteran. This battle is mainly up to you Fighting, I'm just sitting in the town to coordinate. Two, the pirates are not fair. We not only have the trust of the Supreme, but also our salary. Taxation should keep one side safe. If we still let it go, what will the people think of us? Even Xiyi will look down on us. To tell you the truth, I have already asked the supreme general for a partial general, who will do the most meritorious service this time , who does this partial general belong to?"

Shiwei frowned, and then lowered his eyelids.But this sudden change fell into Bu Zhi's eyes, and he looked at Sun Shao calmly: "Fengxian, do you have confidence?"

Sun Shao grinned happily: "Your Majesty, don't make fun of me. I can still do meritorious service with these fifteen boats? I'm lucky if I don't lose my life." He glanced at Shiwei: "Shiwei The general has strong soldiers and strong horses, so this partial general is naturally in his pocket."

Shi Wei also thought so, but on the surface, he still had to say a few words of modesty: "General Sun is joking, I just listen to the assignment of the governor and the general, even if I have a little merit, it is also the assignment of the governor and the general, how dare I expect more than that?" General's job."

Seeing that they were all modest, Bu Zhi waved his hand and interrupted their polite manners: "A position rewards ability, a noble rewards merit, this is an important weapon of the country, and you are not pushing each other. The general is just one of them. If you really want to win a big victory , Fenghou is not impossible."

Shiwei's heart was moved. If the partial general just now had desires, then he was extremely eager for the title.Generals are not hereditary, but marquises can be passed on to their sons.Although Shi Xie actually occupied Jiaozhou, his title was only Marquis of Longduting, the lowest among the marquises that could be passed on. If Bu Zhi hadn't been teasing him, then he might be the second marquis of the Shi family.

This temptation is too big.

Sun Shao laughed secretly, what kind of general and feudal lord are all floating clouds to him.He took the trouble to come to Jiaozhou, not because he wanted to be a general, if Guan Feng hadn't happened to be pregnant, he shouldn't be bumping around, and he didn't want to turn against Bu Zhi, he wouldn't have appeared on this occasion at all.It looks like everyone here is friendly, but in fact, everyone has their own little calculations, and no one has a good intention. It is really dangerous.He is not interested in these things anymore, so no matter how Bu Zhi provokes him, he is very calm. If he does not argue, Bu Zhi will have to throw out another Marquis, otherwise Shi Wei will not work too hard.

"In view of my humble position, I should go down to Ping'ankou first, bluff, and then patrol the sea for a week, and go straight to the Yashan Pass." Shiwei stretched out his thick fingers, swipe on the map, and then clenched his fists hard, as if he had already grasped the map. The Hou Yin was pinched in his hand: "In this way, there must be some gains, and the enemy's courage will be broken."

Bu Zhi was noncommittal, turned to look at Sun Shao: "Feng Xian, what do you think?"

Without hesitation, Sun Shao opened his mouth with pleasant words: "The general is indeed a battle-tested man. This trick is very clever. I agree with the general."

Shiwei grinned, showing his yellow teeth, and for the first time showed a sincere smile to Sun Shao.

"This method is good, but when we reach the Yashan Pass, we may not be able to stop the pirates, and we may be in vain." Bu Zhi's dead face showed no expression at this time: "If the pirates know that we are waiting If we go out and run away, so what should we do when we come back with no success?"

Shi Weigang's smile immediately froze.His original plan was not to really fight the pirates, but to patrol outside, scare the pirates away, and then come back. This is safe and he can get credit. Wouldn't it be better for a small fish and shrimp to make a little fortune than anything else?But according to what Bu Zhi said, he really wanted to fight the pirates.

This marquis seems to be not as easy to get as imagined.

(End of this chapter)