Chao Gai and Hu Sanniang's family affairs have basically been decided, at least Hu Cheng this cheap uncle is very worried about Chao Gai, this is not some time ago Chao Gai said to build a ship, Hu Chengcheng mobilized Zhuang Ke to cut down more than 20,000 trees, Chao Gai wanted to go to sea, Hu Chengcheng went to buy a sea boat.

In the living room, Liu Liang was accompanied by Hu Cheng, Chao Gai, Wu Yong, and Zhu Wu came, the five of them sat down, Zhuang Ke looked at the tea, and Hu Cheng said: "This time I went south to Yangzhou and harvested a lot, and I happened to meet a maritime merchant who had something to do, and shot five bird boats, all of which were about four or five years old, and experienced wind and waves, and the price was not expensive, one was only five hundred, which was a bargain, and I wanted two on the village, and the remaining three Chao Zhuang owners to arrange." ”

"Oh, what size is the Bird Boat?" Chao Gai asked.

Hu Chengdao: "The ship is parked at the port of Shijie Village, and the dimensions are thirty meters long, six meters and five meters wide, four meters deep, and the deepest draft is two meters. Three masts and six sails, this ship has a pointed bottom and a bow, the speed is very fast when the wind is good, the ship is tall and has strong wind resistance, even if it is to run Fuso, there is no problem. ”

"Great, now I can go to the north, I have tea leaves, ceramic pots, porcelain, and silk ready." Chao Gai said happily.

Wu Yong said: "Winter in the Northland comes early, and if you want to go, you need to prepare as soon as possible." ”

Liu Liang said: "The goods are ready-made, and the ship will set off immediately, but it is unusual to go to sea, and you also need to choose a good day and an auspicious day, and you can only go to sea after the sacrifice is turned." ”

Zhu Wudao: "I haven't seen a sea ship since I was a child, and I don't know much about sea ships, so let's go to the port and have a look." ”

"Okay, according to Mr. Zhu Wu's opinion, let's go to the dock first to see what the ship is discussing other things." Chao Gai said.

The crowd drank tea in the living room, and then rode straight to the docks. At a glance, the sea ship is extraordinary, and it looks much taller and more powerful than the centipede ship. Zhu Wu praised the ship to watch, there are several cabins, which can hold a lot of goods.

"Isn't this ship capable of carrying a lot of cargo?" Zhu Wudao.

Hu Chengdao: "It can carry up to 240,000 catties of cargo and 50 sailors." Being able to catch up with the volume of hundreds of horse-drawn carriages, the advantage of water transportation is here. ”

Chao Gai took out a tape measure, carefully measured it, and calculated the displacement, which was about two hundred and twenty tons. It is still very reasonable to load 200,000 catties of goods, and the ship is made of exquisite materials and fine production, which is indeed a good merchant ship.

Chao Gai called his eldest brother over and said: "Don't talk to two families, you have two, I have three, and the goods you lack are directly purchased from my firm, and the price is directly given to the cost price." I will send Chao Wei to study with you, send one hundred and fifty sailors, three centipede boats, and one hundred soldiers, and let Ruan Xiaoqi and Kong Yang lead people to escort you. The navy does not interfere in any business, and is only responsible for dealing with pirates and bandits. ”

Hu Cheng was very happy: "Okay, just do what you say." ”

Trade with Liao, the ship only needs to pass through the Bohai Sea, the Bohai Sea is shallow, the sea conditions are good, and the sailor captain is very familiar with the Bohai Sea, the risk of nature such as wind and waves is almost zero, and the biggest risk in the Bohai Sea comes from pirates and Dengzhou sailors.

Chao Gai said: "You and Liu Liang discuss the specific details in detail, and the brothers have to settle accounts, after all, we are going to cooperate for a long time, and now the trade with Liao and Jin is just the beginning, and in the future, we will trade with many tribes and countries such as Goryeo and Fusang." ”

In business, Hu Cheng and Liu Liang will negotiate the details.

Hu Chengdao: "The sailors and even the captain of the ship are very superstitious, because many sailors will have unexplained hemorrhage, so everyone thinks that it is the kraken, so every time before going to sea, there is a good day to choose an auspicious day." ”

Because of the slow speed of the sailboat and the lack of accurate navigation, the sailors could not eat fresh vegetables for a long time, lacked vitamin C, and were prone to sepsis, but this was not a big problem.

It's just that if Chao Gai says it directly, the effect may not be good, Chao Gai said: "It's better to sacrifice tomorrow and ask when to leave." ”

"That's exactly what it means." Humane.

Early the next morning, more than 100 sailors from the Hu family, more than 100 sailors led by Chao Wei, and 100 sailors led by Ruan Xiaoqi and Kong Yang. A Taoist priest, four Taoist boys, kill black pigs and white sheep to sacrifice to the god of heaven and earth, Liangshan is not near the sea, and can only be sacrificed by the lake. The Taoist priest's troubled mommy Ma Hong flipped over, and finally as if he had been shocked, he trembled all over, and said: "The day after tomorrow is the auspicious day of the zodiac, which is suitable for going to sea, and people and goods are safe." ”

The sailors were very happy to hear this, and one by one they were ready to go to sea.

Chao Gai said again: "I dreamed last night that a white-bearded immortal, holding Buddha dust in his hand, gave me a side, saying that it can cure hemorrhagic disease, and all the people on the ship will not get hemorrhagic disease by secretly practicing this method, and I then handed over the secret recipe to the pharmaceutical factory and dispensed a large number of medicines." ”

When the sailors asked what the method was, Chao Gai said, "Don't ask more, just keep you safe." ”

Ruan Xiaoqi snickered below, secretly saying that Brother Chao Gai has the talent to be a god stick. The quality of the navy is much better than that of ordinary sailors, and they are basically men who are not afraid of death.

After the sacrifice was completed, Hu Cheng came to Chao Gai in a hurry: "You really have a way to sail on the sea without having hemorrhage." ”

Chao Gai said: "It's true, this method is very effective, but you must not spread it." Don't tell the sailors, I'll ask the infirmary to prepare some pills and take them to the big guys once a day. ”

Chao Gai Hucheng, Liu Liang, Chao Wei and others began to prepare for the loading of goods on ships and discuss trade routes. Chao Gai called Ruan Xiaoqi over.

"Xiao Qi, Kong Yang's first mission to go to sea has been handed over to you. You have the best military quality in the navy, you must do a good job this time, otherwise the sailors will have no confidence in the later stage, Ruan Xiaoqi is the positive, Kong Yang is the deputy. Chao Gai said.

Ruan Xiaoqi said with a smile: "Brother, don't worry, whether it is a pirate or a sailor, I will definitely act when I have the opportunity." ”

"Since it is going to sea, the enemy you face is unpredictable, load crossbows, equip artillery, and find a secret place to train for three days." Chao Gai immediately deployed the Divine Arm Giant Crossbow, and the navy chose a long-range giant crossbow, which can shoot 350 meters, but it can only be fired single-shot, and the two-and-a-half-meter-long giant rocket is launched into the enemy's warship, and the big arrow is tied with flammable materials, which can ignite the enemy ship.

Kong Yang said: "This giant crossbow can turn freely, and it can be adjusted up and down, which can be described as ingenious." ”

"Is there such a god?" Ruan Xiaoqi asked.

"The sailor's giant crossbow is not as good as ours." Kong Yang Road.

"Each ship is equipped with six giant crossbows, plus two reclining cannons." Chao Gai said.

The personnel of the Giant Crossbow Navy have been in contact, but it is the first time that the Lying Niu Cannon has seen it, and this guy who is not good-looking and black and does not slip away is not so conspicuous compared to the Divine Arm Crossbow.

Ruan Xiaoqi smiled: "It's just an iron pipe." ”

"If I didn't go to sea, I really wouldn't be willing to take it out, and each ship is equipped with two doors, so I must have taken a good look." Chao Gai said.

Ruan Xiaoqi saw that Chao Gai said solemnly, and he was not joking, and immediately said: "Brother don't worry, I must be optimistic, just how to use it." ”

Chao Gai asked the gunners of the cannon foundry to demonstrate, load the shells of the paper tube, and then stuff the fuse into the tail, and then ignite, boom, the lying cow cannon made a sound like a cow's roar, and the muzzle of the cannon spewed out countless iron sand, hitting 200 meters away.

Ruan Xiaoqi was a little shocked, and Kong Yang was also surprised, he didn't expect this thing to be so powerful.

Chao Gai said: "This Woniu cannon can hit 200 meters, and it fires iron sand, mainly against enemy sailors, and it covers a large area, because it is a paper tube shell, so the firing speed is also very fast." A skilled gunner can fire two cannons in sixty breaths. ”

Ruan Xiaoqi and Kong Yang immediately chose a smart navy to train the Lying Niu Cannon, and there was a roar on the water surface from time to time, but fortunately, the area of Shuibo Liangshan was large and there were many reeds.

I still like this first type of artillery, although this cannon is only fifty centimeters long and has a caliber of only fifty-five millimeters, at best it can only be regarded as a large troll. But after all, it is a thermal weapon, and people have an instinctive fear of something that makes a loud noise and smokes, which has a great effect on deterring the enemy. What's more, the big troll of the Lying Niu Cannon covers a wide area, and hundreds of rounds of iron sand are shot out at once, which is too easy to use against infantry, especially the unarmored infantry, and a large area will be injured by one shot.

Ruan Xiaoqi considered that neither the divine arm crossbow nor the lying bull cannon should be something that the Yuncheng regiment should have for the training of the navy, so after it was assembled on the ship, it could be pushed into the cabin at any time and covered with a cloak to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After three days of training, the 100 sailors fired hundreds of rounds of giant crossbows and hundreds of crouching bull cannons, and they were basically proficient in using them. On the day of going to sea, Chao Gai, Wu Yong, Zhu Wu and their cavalry, infantry, and generals of the navy came to see him off.

Five bird ships were in the center, three centipede ships were guarded on the periphery, and as the horn sounded, the fleet set sail, and the letter cannon sounded with a majestic sound.

Chao Gai sighed a little, went to sea, and finally took this step, a miscellaneous fleet of ships, five cargo ships, three warships, and a total of only three hundred people.

Li Kui looked at Chao Gai with some emotion, and asked curiously: "Brother, isn't it just going to sea, are you so excited?" ”

Chao Gai smiled: "You don't understand the vastness of the ocean, the future is the world of the ocean. I'll find out when I arrange for you to go to sea a few times in the future. ”

Niu Gao shouted: "If you want to send him, I will go too, otherwise he will definitely show me when he comes back." ”

Zhu Wu proposed: "Brother, the two projects that Mr. Wu and I have done are very smooth, and the Tianwang rice seeds have obtained a huge amount of grain, since the money and food are sufficient, we must recruit more talents, and the soldiers cannot be recruited more, we can recruit more capable people and people with high skills." ”

Chao Gai nodded, agreeing.

"That's the reason, Bian Xiang's mountain combat platoon has just been recruited with full manpower recently, and I will go out to recruit some talents after training for half a month." Chao Gai said.

The mountain platoon has the prototype of special operations, with platoon commander Bian Xiang and two deputy platoon commanders Xie Zhen and treasure. The fifty soldiers were all hunters who walked the mountains and forests, and were proficient in hunting, traps, and bows and arrows. Know the dangers in the mountains.