"There are water bandits blocking the road and asking for money?" Ruan Xiaoqi repeated, the black line at one end.

Chao Gai next to him said: "There are quite a lot of earth overlords in this Shuibo Liang Mountain, and I have encountered water bandits when I am almost home, you can deal with it." Chao Gai didn't care about them, and discussed with Wu Yongzheng how to cut down trees.

Ruan Xiaoqi mobilized the sailors and rowed the big boat over, and the front was already facing each other.

Ruan Xiaowu held a water-splitting reed leaf gun in his hand, and the bows and arrows of more than ten guards on the boat were full, and the water bandits on the opposite side were only four canopy boats, but there were quite a few people, and each boat was full of more than a dozen people.

Led by a water bandit, wearing shorts under his feet, with an open vest on his upper body, holding a short knife with ox ears in his hand, he scolded viciously: "Listen to Lao Tzu, Lao Tzu is a living Yama Ruan Xiaoqi, Lao Tzu can go under your boat with a fierce son and make a hole in your boat." Acquaintances hurry up and pay the money. ”

Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi and the people of their escort team were dumbfounded when they listened, what is the situation, when did there be so many Ruan Xiaoqi in Shuibo Liangshan.

Ruan Xiaoqi said: "Aren't you blind, four canopy boats dare to rob our fleet of more than ten boats?" ”

The bandit leader said: "I robbed you only when I saw that your fleet was huge, and the big fleet had a lot of oil and water." Lao Tzu doesn't ask for much, two hundred yuan, pay the money and let you go, and promise not to ask for it again when you go back. ”

Ruan Xiaoqi scolded: "Since you are begging for death yourself, don't blame us." Get them. He said that he and Ruan Xiaowu looked at each other, and issued an order for all the archers of the centipede boat to come out, and there were more than 100 hula lala.

The faces of the water bandits were ugly, especially the bandit leader who pretended to be Ruan Xiaoqi, he was stunned at the moment, his original intention was to see ten centipede ships that were rarely seen, thinking that they were merchant ships from the south, and he was not surprised to find more than ten archers just now, which merchant ship also has guards, but so many archers are clearly ten troop transport ships.

Ruan Xiaoqi said with a smile: "Your eyes are bright, Lao Tzu is Ruan Xiaoqi, lean over one by one, tie up your hands and feet, don't let us do it." ”

The leader of the water bandits was obviously unwilling and drilled into the water. More than 40 other bandits also got into the water. Ruan Xiaoqi waved his hand and jumped into the water with sixty people. In about a moment, the guards arrested the bandits one by one, especially the leader of the bandits, who was hit by Ruan Xiaoqi and had black eye sockets, but he was finally merciful, and it was cheap not to stab him to death.

The bandits were instigated, and one by one knelt on the ground and cried: "Go around us, this is our first time." ”

"When Lao Tzu is a chick, he pretends to be our brother and robs, and when he is caught, he says it is the first time. Be honest with me one by one, listen to the fall, and kill those who dare to run. ”

After Ruan Xiaoqi finished dealing with it, he came to the cabin and said to Chao Gai: "A total of forty-one water bandits, all of them were caught, and four canopy boats were seized, as well as dozens of short knives, and more than 100 copper coins. ”

"Okay, the first battle was beautiful, a good start, very good, very good." Chao Gai said.

Wu Yong smiled: "I heard that the water bandit seems to be pretending to be you to rob." ”

"Exactly, it ruined my reputation and made me beat me up."

There was such a small episode, and the fleet moved on.

Wu Yong asked: "After catching so many water bandits, how does my brother plan to use it?" Adapt? It's not as good as this, my brother secretly asked these bandits to listen to us, all merchant ships and passenger ships that come and go need to fly the flag of our Yuncheng regimental training, pay money every month, and if there are those who don't pay, let these bandits rob them, in order to show deterrence, and ensure that they can control this golden waterway from south to north. ”

"The good fishermen in the water pool can't use it, so why use these bandits." Chao Gai sighed, "Wu Junshi, your method is good, but Shuibo Liangshan is our own territory, considering long-term interests, let's manage it well, these water bandits have nothing to do with it, just let them be fishermen." ”

Wu Yong's old face flushed, and said: "What my brother has educated is that Wu Yong will consider the big picture in the future." ”

Chao Gai arranged Ruan Xiaoqi and said: "Arrange a task for you, and in half a month, all the large and small water bandits and water thieves in Liangshan will be arrested.

The return of the fleet to Luhua Village still caused a small sensation, and the ten centipede boats, each eighteen meters long and four meters wide, were not small.

As for how to practice the operation of the centipede boat, these are not Chao Gai's worries. Chao Gai took Wu Yong back, Wu Yong went to draw up a plan for the purchase of timber, and Chao Gai took it to find Chao Xun.

Now that the wheat harvest has been completed, Chao Gai asked Wu Yong, Li Kui, Hua Lei and others to return to the barracks, and returned to Chaojia Village with four escorts. The village has recently had a bumper harvest of wheat, and everyone's face is filled with happy smiles. Due to the early grazing of chickens and ducks in Chaogai, the wheat in Chaogaijia Village was not affected by locusts, and the woodworking workshop produced a large number of waterwheels, and eighty percent of the wheat in the village was harvested. After the wheat harvest, a part of the land has been dug a cross-shaped trench, ready to plant seedlings and carry out rice field fish farming, the variety selected by Chaojia Village is loach, this gray small fish is not very popular with everyone, but the fish industry said, the purchase price is higher than crucian carp and silver carp, and everyone is naturally happy to raise. There is also the fact that loaches are easier to raise than fish, and the requirements for water quality and environment are not so high. And raise loaches, as long as the pit in the middle of the field is dug a little deeper about one meter, the water is still there after harvesting rice, and when fishing for loaches, hundreds of larger breeding fish are left, and there is no need to put loach fry in the second year. An acre of paddy field can produce 100 catties of loach without feeding, and if there is surplus grain at home, a small amount of mixed feed of soybean cake and bran can be fed, and each mu can produce more than 150 catties.

Although many people do not know about loaches in terms of edible value, loaches are delicious, nutritious and high in protein. It can be eaten fresh, but also dried into dried loaches, which can be stored for more than half a year.

Chao Xun was in the hall to reconcile accounts with the account room, treasury management, cashier and others, and saw Chao Gai come in and said with a smile: "The owner of the village is back, the wheat harvest is complete, the average harvest per mu is 350 catties, and there are still 320 catties left after removing the 30 catties of agricultural tax, and the 30 catties of wheat per mu of our tenants have also been harvested, which can be described as a bumper harvest." Liu Youtian has organized 200 head of cattle, 200 mules have finished plowing the land, and will soon sow Tianwang rice, and the 20,000 acres of land in Jeju have already recruited 200 villagers, and in a few days to transfer 2 or 300 cattle and horses over, it will take less than a few days to cultivate the land, and this year sowing the most nutritious soybeans, so as to better plant Tianwang rice next year. ”

"Very good, it seems that this waterwheel is a good thing, arrange a woodworking workshop to increase production this winter, and sell more next year." Liu Youtian also has experience in sowing the king of rice, after all, I have planted it, and I will take a look at it when the time comes. Chao Gai laughed.

"Kong Jiazhuang, Kong Yang is here, saying that he is looking for you, it just so happened that you went to Jeju, and I arranged for him to live in the village inn." Chao Xun Road.

"Kong Yang? It's the Kongjia Village next to Wheat Ears Lake, the one who asked Ren Batian to borrow money? Chao Gai asked.

"Yes, he came here to thank you, and he wanted to come over to join the escort team, I didn't ask much about the specifics."

Chao Gai said that he knew, went straight to the inn in the village, knocked on the door of Kongyang's guest room, and saw a big man, more than one meter eight tall, with a thin waist and a very handsome face, but there was a scar on the left side of his face.

"May I ask who you are?" The man asked.

"In Xia Chaogai, may I ask you are Kong Yang." Chao Gai said.

The big man said: "It turned out to be Brother Chao Gai, in Xia Kongyang." Thank you for doing a great deed to the people of our village, and now the situation in the village is much better. And the last time you helped me get rid of the troublemakers, you saved my father. ”

Kong Yang thanked him again and again, and Chao Gai said: "Some small things are not enough to worry about, Brother Kong is a maritime businessman?" ”

"I did it for several years, went south to Ryukyu and Champong, encountered typhoons and pirates, and went north to Goryeo, but was confiscated by the Dengzhou sailors, and I almost didn't die outside, and I tossed for several years to borrow usury, which made my brother smile." Kong Yang laughed at himself.

"As you can see, how can you be a successful maritime businessman?" Chao Gai asked.

Kong Yang said: "I can't say it well, I summarized a few reasons for my failure, which may not be right. First, the maritime merchant must be large-scale, with at least 1,000 people and several large ships, especially in the South China Sea, where there are many typhoons, and if there are no large ships of 15 or 6 zhang, it is very easy to have accidents.

Second, there were many pirates at sea, and many of the maritime merchants were robbing and doing business at the same time, so they had to have a considerable number of sailors equipped with powerful weapons for protection.

Third, there must be a stable supply of goods, like when I come back from overseas, I organize the supply by myself, and if I delay it for a few months, the business opportunity will be fleeting, and the business will be gone. ”

Kong Yang said that the head was the Tao, and Chao Gai asked some more about the customs of the South China Sea, and Kong Yang replied fluently, obviously he had been to the South China Sea in person.

Chao Gai said: "I plan to do maritime trade, but not to the south, only to the north of Liao, Jin, Goryeo and east of Fuso. At present, when it comes to choosing a ship type, what kind of ship do you think is suitable for you? ”

"If you only go to Liao, Jin, and Goryeo centipede ships, you can do it, but to the east Fusang is different, where the wind and waves are strong. Choosing a lucky boat is the best choice, but considering the cost and flexibility, it is enough to choose a bird boat in the Zhejiang area. Kong Yang replied.

"Bird boats? Is that the ship nicknamed the Green Eyebrows? The bow is high, and the shape is like a bird's beak. Chao Gai asked rhetorically?

"It is this ship, the ship has fast speed, good stability, good wind and wave resistance, and is suitable for the northern seas." Kong Yang replied.

Chao Gai nodded secretly, this Kong Yang's insight is really extraordinary.

"I don't know what Brother Kong's plans are in the future." Chao Gai asked.

Kong Yang got up and hugged his fists and said: "The younger brother admires his brother's personality, and he is willing to devote himself to his brother's water escort team and be a pawn." ”

"You have experience in maritime business, wouldn't it be a pity to be a guardian, why don't I invest your money, how about you continue to be a maritime businessman?" Chao Gai proposed.

Kong Yang shook his head: "I don't want to be a maritime merchant anymore, I prefer the escort team in comparison, and if I join the escort team, I can escort my brother's maritime team in the future." ”