September 17, Weihai Port.

Since the fleet went to sea in April, Weihai, which was originally full of friends and bustling, has finally been deserted.

Of course, this desertion is also relative to the previous few months, compared to a year or two ago, it is much more prosperous, not only the population has doubled, but also gradually formed a market town that is much better than the Wendeng county where it belongs, but there is no city wall around the county. All kinds of shops, wine shops, and even green buildings and gambling halls are constantly popping up, making it even more popular.

Therefore, such changes will naturally be due to the newly established port and dockyard. Even if there have been no more ships going to sea in recent months, the construction of the port is still going on, and there are still a large number of people trying to make the harbor wider and deeper, and the shipbuilding in the dockyard has not stopped, because as far as the government says, as long as this first voyage can be successful, then more ships will be sent into the vast sea to create a new situation.

As long as there is an ever-increasing population, business will naturally follow, and merchants will come up with various ways to meet everyone's needs in order to make money. Therefore, in just a few months, Weihai, a coastal bitter land where only one guard army was stationed, became a new town that could attract many surrounding people.

However, for many people here, everything in front of them is still not a certainty, and whether Weihai can really prosper depends on whether the opening of the sea can be done smoothly. To put it more bluntly, it is to see if the one that went to sea from here a few months ago can return safely and fully loaded.

With this in mind, many of those who had decided to put down roots here, especially the craftsmen in the dockyards, would always stand on the shore with anticipation and look out into the distance, hoping that the fleet would return safely and bring back the good news.

But after a few months, there was no news of the fleet, let alone returning, and there was no one to send back to report that it was safe. This makes many people feel a little more anxious in their hearts, for fear that the fleet will never return, and everything here will eventually become a mirror.

It was nearly dusk again, and the red sunset reflected on the sea, casting a brilliant golden light. After the two craftsmen in the dockyard had left their duties, they sold wine and bought some food as usual, and went to the beach together. While looking at the undulating sea, I drank and chatted.

After pouring a few mouthfuls of yellow soup, the big man also became melancholy, and before he knew it, the two talked about their future: "Lao Li, how long do you think we can stay here?" If you can't live such a good life in the future, what should you do? ”

This person told the truth, since they entered the dock to work, although they have been much busier than before, but their income has also increased several times, and they can even go to the newly opened Yanfang Building in the town market every month to enjoy a gentle taste, which is something that they never even dreamed of before.

Lao Li on the other side took another sip of wine before saying, "This is really hard to say." In the past, I also ran a boat, and in two or three months at most, I could run back and forth in Shandong, Jiangnan. But now, the fleet that went to sea has been gone for almost half a year, but there has been no news, so I am really worried. ”

"I look at it the same way, and I always feel unsure. However, I used to hear the old man in the dock say that when the Three Treasures Eunuch went to sea a few decades ago, he would be floating on the sea for many years, and he would often be gone for a year or two......"

"Is it that long? Is this overseas world really so big? Lao Li said, his eyes showing a little yearning.

But the companion next to him did not reply to his words, and just as he looked up and wanted to ask again, he found that the other party was staring at the sea in front of him with a look of surprise and surprise, and his body trembled slightly. This made him also move in his heart, and he hurriedly followed the direction of the other party's gaze as much as he could, and then he also saw the scene that made him excited-

I saw a few black dots faintly appearing in the distance at sea level. Soon, the black dot was closer, and it was clear that it was a large ship heading towards the harbor.

Under the surprise, the two couldn't help but rub their eyes, and Lao Li even twisted it his thigh. When the pain hit, he was convinced that what he was seeing was not a hallucination, but a fleet of ships returning from the sea.

After glancing at each other, the two of them no longer cared about the food and wine at hand, and hurriedly turned their heads, and hurried to the harbor and dock, shouting as they ran, "I'm back...... The flotilla that went to sea is finally back......"

Some sharp cries echoed in the Weihai Town Market, which immediately attracted the attention of countless people, and then some people hurriedly rushed out to see if it was as they said, and some people shouted along with it, and the whole market town, which had become calm because of the night, immediately boiled.

When the news reached the ears of the officials who remained there, they immediately threw away the other business at hand, took the men with them, and rushed out of the door in three steps and two paces, and hurried to the port.

When they arrived at the port, it was already full of people who had heard the news, and torches and lanterns were quickly lit, illuminating the already dark port as if it were a blue sky and a white sun. At this time, everyone could already see the appearance of the ships that were approaching closer, and those with sharp eyes recognized that the head was the big ship that had left the port a few months ago.

While everyone was happy, they also felt a sense of relief. They all know very well what the safe return of this group of sea vessels means for Weihai Port. This time, the opening of the sea has been completely decided, Weihai will take advantage of this to gain a firm foothold, and everyone who makes a living here will also have a wonderful future.

Half an hour later, the first ship finally arrived in port, and at the moment when the big ship lowered its sails and anchored, there were bursts of cheers on the shore, and countless people were shouting and applauding to welcome the heroes who had gone to sea to return.

It was in such an environment that Yang Zhen took the lead in stepping off the big boat along the gangplank. At that time, after nearly half a year, when he set foot on the land of Daming again, his steps were a little weak. It turned out that Gu Jing Bubo's face also showed a rare look of excitement.

As the ships docked at the port one by one, the jubilant sound became louder, and the whole port, the entire Weihai, immediately became a sea of joy. Before they could stand firm, the crew members who had been coming ashore were swarmed by the excited people and thrown high into the air......

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Three days later, Lu Jin, who got the urgent report, left everything at hand and rushed to Weihai.

When the news of his safe return from the sea fleet, the previous entanglement and defeat with Shi Heng had already been thrown out of the clouds. For Lu Jin, the success of Kaihai is more important than anything else, which means that he can indeed change the established historical trend through hard work.

Therefore, after hearing the news, he hurried overnight, went straight to Weihai, and appeared in front of the warriors who had returned from the sea in time.

After learning that Lu Zhen was in a hurry, the local officials in Weihai and the sailors who were still resting at sea all rushed to the outside of the town to greet them. After looking at these crew members whose skin had already been tanned by the sun at sea, and whose footsteps were still vain and unstable, Lu Jin's face immediately showed a happy and sincere smile.

"I've seen the governor......" everyone bent down and bowed. And Lu Zhen hurriedly stepped forward and hugged Yang Zhen who was in the lead: "Thank you for your hard work." This time, you have taken great risks to go to sea to open up, and now you have successfully returned, it is the official who should greet you......" As he spoke, he bowed down and bowed to them.

This move once again made everyone grateful, because the identities of the two sides are too different, and now the Ming Dynasty is an era of extreme respect and inferiority, and an official can do this, which has given everyone enough face.

So when Lu Zhen straightened up, everyone bowed down again, and worked hard for a while before they could officially speak. After that, Lu Zhen said a lot of words of gratitude and encouragement, and promised that he would invite the imperial court to give them rewards for those who went to sea for meritorious service. This statement naturally aroused everyone's gratitude again......

When Lu Zhen calmed these people and came to the somewhat humble official office with the local officials and Yang Zhen, it had already been a long time.

After they were seated, Lu Zhen looked at Yang Zhen jokingly: "Originally, Brother Yang, you were calm, why did you go overseas and lose all your years of hard work?" ”

It turned out that along the way, Yang Zhen's whole person was always swaying, and he seemed to have no roots under his feet. Hearing this, the surrounding officials all showed a good-natured laugh, and Yang Zhen also smiled bitterly: "The power of the sea can be seen from this." Xia Guan really didn't expect that the wind and waves on this sea would be so big, and there were a few times that my ship was about to fall apart. After a few months of drifting on the sea, this foot has long lost its roots, but it makes you laugh. ”

Many people changed color when they said this. Everyone knows that Yang Zhen has a great martial arts, and now even he bluntly says so, then the danger on this sea is indeed great enough.

Lu Zhen also nodded: "Yes, the sea is far more powerful than we think, but there are also many more benefits hidden in it than we realize." By the way, is there any damage to this trip? Are you all safe? ”

Yang Zhen's face was solemn when he heard this, and then he sighed: "This time I went to sea, because I didn't have any experience, when I just encountered a strong wind and waves, I let the waves directly overturn three small boats, and only a few crew members were rescued." Coupled with some troubles and bad weather that followed, nearly 300 of the thousands of people who went to sea this time did not return safely. This is a lowly and ineffective job, and please punish the ......" As he spoke, he got up and bowed to Lu Jin.