On the fifth day of the first month of April, Sun Tu led his troops to Haicang Town, Laizhou, and met Tong Guan and others who were waiting here, and finally confirmed that the other party was really going to sea this time.

The Great Song Dynasty was able to remain prosperous when almost half of the northern country fell into the hands of foreigners, and even far surpassed the Han, Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties in terms of economic strength. Because of the heavy merchant, the circulation of people and goods was far more active than in other dynasties, and the government and the people were also broad enough to know that it was not enough to earn more money on land alone, so they opened up a large sea trade route, thus opening up a maritime Silk Road that has been passed down to future generations, comparable to the Silk Road opened in the Han Dynasty.

As its own land is not too fertile, but it is located by the sea, Shandong also supports and attaches great importance to maritime trade, as long as it is engaged in related professions, the government can even make concessions in some places. At the beginning, Sun Tu's family was able to open a tavern in Yuncheng County, relying on the benefits obtained by his father and brother who went to sea to do business.

Although the high risk of sea storms and waves is extremely high, because it may bring a lot of wealth to people, there are naturally several maritime merchant forces in Shandong, even if it cannot be compared with some maritime merchants in the south, it is also the existence of stomping on the ground to make the ground tremble. As the next extremely important port to the sea in Laizhou Prefecture, Haicang Town is naturally bustling here.

This town has more population than the average county seat, and there are many shops, gambling halls, and green buildings in the city. From morning to night, the town is bustling with activity, once a sea ship goes out to sea and docks, it will attract a large number of people who make a living by the sea to gather at the wharf, and the scene is not under the temple fair of the Dazhou capital.

Today, there are more than a dozen large and small sea ships parked at the wharf outside the town, and three of them are even twenty or thirty zhang long, with five masts, and only one is more than all the merchant ships that have entered and exited here in recent years. According to the past practice, the area around the pier will be completely overcrowded today, but now the inside and outside of Haicang Town are quiet, and there is hardly a single figure in sight.

It's not because the people here have suddenly changed their sex, but because since the fight started three days ago, this Haicang town has been surrounded by officials and soldiers, and all the idlers and miscellaneous people have been driven out, and even the residents here are also restricted from staying at home and not going out. With such a fuss, everyone knows that there will be big people who want to go to sea through this, and even the local government must obediently cooperate, and ordinary people naturally dare not have any objections.

So when Sun Tu and the others arrived at Haicang Town, they saw such a slightly deserted scene, only the twenty or thirty large and small sea boats leaning at the dock, waiting to leave. Seeing this, the others didn't have much thought, after all, everyone knew that it was Tong Guan who would go to sea this time, and it was reasonable to do so as he was, but Sun Tu had some doubts, if he went to sea with such fanfare, if it was really for what he thought, would it be too ostentatious?

But Tong Guan did not give him much time to think and seek answers, and only half a day later, they quickly boarded the ship under Tong Guan's orders, and then the whole fleet slowly left the dock and sailed into the sea full of mystery and danger for many people today.

After the fleet had been out to sea for half a day, Sun Tu found that the largest ship he was riding on had gradually separated from the other ships, and in the end only three slightly smaller ships were still following and headed north. And it was only at this time that Tong Guan finally asked Sun Tu, who was full of doubts, to call him to drink and watch the scenery on the upper deck, and at the same time talk about the ultimate purpose of this trip.

Sun Tu had been staying in the cabin since he got on the ship, but he didn't feel anything, but now he was able to come to the upper deck, and he really appreciated how developed the shipbuilding industry of the Great Song Dynasty is today. In this era when only hand-made and planks were used to build ships, they actually built such a huge ship, although this big ship could not be compared with later generations, but it was shocking enough - from beginning to end, this ship was seventeen or eighteen zhang long, and the left and right sides also reached five zhang wide, and there were five masts on it.

Originally, when he heard about the maritime trade of the Great Song Dynasty, Sun Tu was still thinking about what would happen if he encountered pirates. Especially when he was in Jiangzhou City, he fought with the gang of Jiangjiao, and let him know that these bandits on the water are not easier to deal with than those on land.

But after seeing this huge ship, Sun Tu felt that his worries were really a bit unfounded. Such a large ship does not even need to be touched by the guards above, and the mere collision can destroy most of the enemies at sea. Compared with this boat, there was no difference between the boats and toys of the enemy and us on the Xunyang River before, and they would be crushed if they rubbed it.

And what is even more terrifying is that ten ballistae were placed on the sides of the ship on both sides of the big ship at this time, which was a sharp weapon used for siege warfare, several zhang thick, and the solid wall made of masonry could be broken by it, and the arrows alone were the thickness of the bowl mouth, I am afraid that the average ship would be smashed by an arrow.

At this time, this big ship was a mobile sea fortress in Sun Tu's eyes, and unless the steam ironclad ships of later generations appeared, it would be impossible for an opponent to appear. And this is Tong Guan's main ship to go to sea this time, coupled with the five hundred elite soldiers he brought from Qingzhou, as well as Tong Guan's own hundreds of personal soldiers, this combat power can destroy some small maritime countries. In this way, Sun Tu was even more curious about the true purpose of Tong Guan's going to sea.

Seeing Sun Tu carefully looking at everything on the ship with such attention, Tong Guan laughed: "Have you ever been to sea thousands of miles ago?" can know that there are many dangers at sea, so the old man will make more preparations this time. ”

Sun Tu also laughed and said: "Although Xia Guan has never been to the sea, he has also heard my father and brother talk about some dangerous past events at sea. However, with all due respect, Tong Shuai should not have made this arrangement to deal with the wind and waves at sea or bandits or anything. ”

"Haha, Qianli is really quick-minded, then guess again, what is the old man going to sea for?" Tong Guan didn't think it was angry, and after sipping the wine with a smile, he asked again.

Sun Tu looked at the two people guarding Tong Guan's back like sculptures, and then he considered and said: "Tong Shuai told Xia Guan before that you will be an envoy to Liao, but if this is the case, it will not appear at the boundary of Shandong at all, let alone go to sea at this time." After all, although the Liao State is also connected to the sea, its four capitals are all inland, so it is the opposite of the other. And Tong Shuai did all this, I am afraid that he has another deep meaning, although the lower officials dare not guess, but they think that this business also has something to do with the Liao State, but it is not to make friends with them, but to avoid their ears and eyes......"

This analysis once again provoked Tong Guan's laughter: "Well said, Qianli, you are really quick thinking, far beyond others." Yes, the old man went to sea this time to deal with the Liao, so as to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun as soon as possible! As he spoke, he looked at Sun Tu, but found that the latter also showed a hint of understanding on his face: "What, you have already guessed the answer?" ”

"A few years ago, Xia Guan put forward an idea to unite the Jurchens to attack the Liao State in the north and south, so that my Great Song Dynasty is very likely to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, could it be that Tong Shuai went to sea for this reason?" Sun Tu's face also became serious, but he didn't mean to hide it.

Tong Guan smiled again, and then nodded: "What you said is right, the old man is here for this this time!" The Jurchens have had contact with my Great Song Dynasty for many years, but they have always been vassals of the Liao State, so most of this contact is hidden in secret. In order to show the sincerity of our Song court, the official family asked the old man, a privy envoy, to come and meet with the Jurchen dignitaries.

"In addition, in order to hide people's eyes, especially not to let the Liao State and some mediocre and timid people in my Great Song Dynasty know about this alliance, so I will choose to meet at sea later. No one on any side would have imagined that we and the Jurchens would meet on this vast sea. ”

Sun Tu nodded to show that he understood, and at the same time knew that there should be something clear in the other party's words. For example, why did they meet at sea, instead of letting the Jurchens secretly come to Song, I am afraid that there is still suspicion between the two sides, and no one is worried about anyone's performance. Only by choosing the place on the sea, which is not under the jurisdiction of the two sides, will both sides be reassured.

In addition, Tong Guan's statement to Liao this time is probably to let him meet with the Jurchens as a cover. After all, the sudden departure of his important minister and privy envoy from Tokyo will inevitably attract attention, and only by sending an envoy to Daliao under the pretext can he be justified. And who would have thought that he, the envoy who went to the Liao State, would secretly go to the sea to form an alliance with the Jurchens to deal with the Liao State?

Thinking about all this, even Sun Tu had to say a word of admiration in his heart, this kind of arrangement is indeed ingenious, enough to hide from the vast majority of people in the world, whether it is the Liao or the Song people.

Tong Guan's words continued: "And the old man will let you bring troops with him for two purposes, one is to deter the Jurchens, after all, they are also aliens, he may become a great enemy one day, so he has to be cautious." Second, we will go to Liao again after that, and we must always be prepared just in case. ”

Sun Tu understood, and then he struggled for a while and said: "Tong Shuai, aren't we afraid of seeking skin with the tiger, but in the end, we will let the Jurchens get the greatest benefit?" "If he hadn't known the final result of the Northern Song Dynasty, he would really think that this was a good practice, but now...... But he didn't dare to say it too clearly.

"No matter how strong the Jurchens are, they can't compare to the Liao State, and once a war starts, they will definitely be damaged, which will make them unable to compete with my Great Song Dynasty. Once I let the Great Song Dynasty recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, then we will have the gateway to defend the Central Plains, and we can also obtain a large number of war horses, and by then with the wealth of my Great Song Dynasty, it will be enough to restore the prestige of the Tang Dynasty in a few years, and what is the Jurchen family? Tong Guan has his own opinions.

Sun Tu was speechless, he knew that no matter what he said now, it was false, whether it was Tong Guan or the emperor, it was impossible to accept it. Only he, a traveler, knew that with the alliance between the Song and Jin, the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty had entered the countdown, and he became a direct participant in this historical moment......