On the island of Ryukyu, there are more than a dozen villages, most of which are built on the banks of small streams, some of which have more than 300 households, and some of which have only about 50 households, and the number of people is uneven. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoMost of these villages are clustered together as family units.

Most of the people in the village were in the war at the end of the Tang Dynasty, and with the merchant ships coming here, although it was a little hard in the Ryukyus, and the products were not rich, but they were finally far away from the war, and their lives were unhindered, and they were considered a paradise.

Although there are also natives on the big island of Ryukyu, these natives with bamboo bows, bamboo arrows and bamboo spears obviously do not pose much threat, but the Han people of the Central Plains who entered the Ryukyus in batches compete for more and more resources on the Ryukyus.

Ryukyu was located in the middle of the Central Plains and the Wa Kingdom, and since the Sui and Tang dynasties, the ties between the two places have been strengthened, and the Central Plains have transported fine porcelain, silk and other goods to the Wa Kingdom for sale, and the Wa Kingdom has produced gold and silver, which has also been brought back by caravans.

Ryukyu had a natural harbor, many ships came here to supply fresh water, and there were clever merchants who saw business opportunities and brought iron and grain, which made Ryukyu gradually prosperous. The Han people bought iron tools and made iron pots, weapons, hoes, etc., and the villages with weapons were particularly arrogant, not only repelling the attacks of the natives, but also plundering the nearby villages. In order to buy iron tools and increase their strength, each village and village was very good to the merchants who rushed to it.

Lu Zhan, a merchant of the Wu Yue Kingdom, saw this business opportunity, and was the first to sell iron tools to the Ryukyus, and had trade links with several of the largest villages, and the Ryukyuan people received gold and silver from the Japanese people, and nine times out of ten fell into the hands of the merchants of the Wu Yue Kingdom.

Lu Zhan took five merchant ships this time and prepared to go to the Wa Kingdom to sell porcelain, but he didn't expect to encounter a strong wind on the way, and two merchant ships were destroyed by the gale, so he could only flee to the island of Ryukyu. The porcelain in the merchant ships was almost all damaged, and the Ryukyuan people, except for a very few people who could afford it, the rest of the people were running for a living and could not afford to buy porcelain at all.

Finally escaped to the Ryukyu Island, the remaining merchant ships were also damaged, and the voyage was not possible, and the ships had to be repaired before they could return to Wuyue.

This trip was a loss, Lu Zhan was very depressed, he planned to ask the Ryukyuan people to repair the merchant ships, sail back to Wuyue, get another batch of porcelain, and sell it to the Wa Kingdom. Looking at the Ryukyu craftsmen who were repairing merchant ships in ping-pong, Lu Zhan's mood was very depressed, pacing on the humble dock with his hands in his hands, looking at the dark sky from time to time, and couldn't help but sigh.

Lu Zhan knows that Wu Yue is fighting with the Tang Dynasty, I'm afraid that there will not be a few times to go to the Wa Kingdom to do business, once the war is tense, I'm afraid he won't even be able to go out of the sea, the Tang Dynasty also has a navy, and it will definitely advance by land and water, attacking Wu Yue, Wu Yue's sailors will definitely block the coastline, and it will be very difficult to go to sea.

When Lu Zhan was pacing with his hands, the sky gradually darkened, and the waves crashed on the shore, and the sound of the waves made Lu Zhan feel that he was on the edge of the Qiantang River. Lu Zhan stopped on the dock for a moment, and slowly paced towards the village where he lived. I had just walked more than 100 steps when I suddenly heard an exclamation.

Lu Zhan looked back, and with a glimmer of light, he could clearly see that there was a mast on the sea in the east, it was a ship, and it was a big ship! Lu Zhan was a little excited, there was a merchant ship, which meant that he could return to Wu Yue Kingdom, Lu Zhan walked quickly to the edge of the dock and watched intently.

But soon, Lu Zhan's face changed, the mast was a ship, and it seemed to be a big ship, more like a warship! The warship appeared here, and it was obviously not Wu Yueguo's warship, and it was impossible for Wu Yueguo to send a sailor to such a distant place. So, these sailors are Tang people? Wolver?

Lu Zhan was uneasy, just as he was thinking, the battleship had already taken advantage of the wind, getting closer and closer, Lu Zhan's eyes widened, it was the battleship of the Tang Dynasty! The flag hanging on the mast says it all.

Lu Zhan's face changed greatly, he wanted to scream, but found that his neck seemed to be choked, making him unable to breathe, and he wanted to escape, and his legs were like being filled with lead, unable to move. At this time, the battleship was getting closer and closer, and the Tang army put down the boat and rowed over.

The Ryukyuan people who were working on the docks seemed to realize something, and they shouted and ran towards the village, when it was getting late, and the village was cooking, and when they heard of the appearance of the army, the elders of the clan were very shocked, and he immediately organized the strong men of the village, with weapons in their hands, to fight the enemy.

The villagers, armed with torches, rushed to the dock, and by this time, the first soldiers of the Don army had already disembarked, and they captured several Ryukyuans, but did not kill them.

"Who are you?" The patriarch's name was Deng Cheng, about sixty years old, not tall, and relatively thin, but a pair of eyes were bright, and he looked very shrewd, and he realized that the people were caught, but they were not killed, proving that these soldiers did not land on the island to kill.

The Don soldiers did not answer, they were on guard to prevent the attack of the villagers. Not far away, the oars rowed the sea water and slowly approached the shore, Yang Lian and Lin Renzhao landed on the shore, and a soldier walked briskly to inform him of the situation.

Yang Lian nodded, walked over quickly, glanced at the excited villagers, and said loudly: "Which of you is the one in charge, I want to talk to him." ”

Deng Cheng's eyes narrowed, he wasn't quite sure what these people wanted to do, so he didn't dare to answer. However, Yang Lian saw the difference between Deng Cheng and Deng Cheng by the light of the fire.

"You're the village chief?" Yang Lian raised his voice, his eyes were like a sharp knife, stabbing into Deng Cheng's heart, which made him startled.

Deng Cheng was seen, pursed his lips, stepped forward, and several strong clansmen behind him also followed, still holding a long knife in his hand, looking vigilant. Deng Cheng arched his hand and said: "The old Deng Cheng is the village chief of Dengjiazhuang, dare to ask who the general is and where he comes from?" ”

Yang Lian smiled and said, "I am Yang Lian of the Tang Dynasty, and I came to Ryukyu to find some people. ”

"Dare to ask the general who he is looking for?" Deng Cheng said.

"Looking for Wu Yueren." Yang Lian said.

"Wu Yueren?" Deng Cheng was shocked, Wu Yue was in the village, he knew. When Wu Yue people came to the village, they asked for money to eat, drink, and Lazar, and he was naturally happy. At this time, when he heard that General Yang of the Tang Dynasty was coming to find Wu Yueren, he couldn't help but be silent.

Although Ryukyu is remote, but through the merchants, he still knows some information, now the Tang Dynasty and Wu Yue are at war, if he helps the Tang people, in the future, Wu Yue people will be liquidated, what should he do? Wu Yueguo was relatively close to Ryukyu, but the Tang people hardly knew about the existence of Ryukyu and could not help him at all. If you offend the people of Wuyue, not to mention the food and iron tools, the people of the entire village will probably die.

"General Yang, there are no Wu Yue people in the village." Deng Cheng shook his head.

"There are no Wu Yue people?" Yang Lian smiled faintly, waved his hand, and pointed to the merchant ship not far away, where the flag of Wu Yueguo was still hanging on it: "What is that?" ”

Deng Cheng didn't panic when he saw that it was exposed, and said: "General Yang, this is a strong wind a few days ago, which blew the merchant ships of the Wuyue people here, and due to the strong wind, these Wuyue people are already dead. The old man thought about repairing these ships, and he could sail to the Central Plains in the future. ”

Yang Lian smiled faintly, looked at Deng Cheng seriously, and said, "Sure enough?" ”

"Sure enough!" Deng Cheng said.

"Haha!" Yang Lian let out a long series of laughter, and the laughter was full of sarcasm, which made Deng Cheng very flustered in his heart, he forced himself to calm down, and looked at Yang Lian without changing his face.

"Old man, do you think Yang is a confused person? If you don't hand over the Wuyue people, the people of your village will become dead souls under the sword! Yang Lian said that he didn't want to kill innocent people, but if Deng Cheng was stubborn, Yang Lian wouldn't mind killing.

Deng Cheng pursed his lips and glanced at the Tang army in full armor, in the distance, the Tang army's warships were like mountains, standing in the sea, Deng Cheng was a little afraid in his heart, in the face of life and death, Wu Yue people are not so important.

The soldiers of the Tang Army were very cooperative, and after Yang Lian finished saying this, the soldiers drew their long knives in unison and let out a shout, the sound was like thunder, and it went straight to the sky.

Although the villagers of Dengjiazhuang are also brave in the Ryukyus, they are not regular troops after all, and when they heard the shocking momentum of the Tang army, and saw the shining armor on their bodies, and the blades emitted bloodthirsty light, they couldn't help but be shocked in their hearts, and many people's faces immediately turned pale.

Lu Zhan hid in the crowd and wanted to retreat, but at this time, several villagers from Dengjiazhuang blocked him and pushed him forward.

"He is Wu Yueren!" Several village names shouted, Deng Cheng wanted to stop it, but he couldn't react.

Yang Lian narrowed his eyes, this is good! He waved his hand and asked the soldiers to escort Lu Zhan over. Looking at the frightened Lu Zhan, Yang Lian spoke lightly.

"What's your name? What does it do? Yang Lian asked.

Lu Zhan didn't dare to resist, so he had to say: "General Qiyu, my name is Lu Zhan, and I am a merchant of Wu Yueguo. ”

Yang Lian nodded and said, "So, Wu Yueguo's side, you are very familiar?" ”

Lu Zhan hesitated for a moment, but nodded and replied, "Yes, the Lu family has been doing business in Wuyue for many years, and they are very familiar with Zhoushan and Hangzhou. ”

Yang Lian's eyes lit up, familiar with Zhoushan? This is a good thing, Yang Lian wants to attack Wu Yueguo, he must pass through Zhoushan in order to kill the area of Hangzhou, Yang Lian's plan was originally to use Zhoushan as a base to gradually occupy the essence of the coastal area of Wu Yueguo. Of course, how to occupy Zhoushan, this is the biggest problem, only by annihilating Wu Yueguo's sailors first, Yang Lian can get the right to control the sea, and can he gain a firm foothold in Zhoushan.

"Very good, I think Mr. Lu is very clear about the current situation, you know what to do, right?" Yang Lian asked.

Lu Zhan pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said, "I already understand what General Yang means, but can General Yang succeed in doing this?" ”

"It's one thing whether you can succeed or not, I just want to know if you will cooperate, Lu Zhan, if I take Zhoushan, your Lu family will enjoy endless benefits." Yang Lian said.

Lu Zhan didn't answer, but his mind was spinning rapidly, he knew that if he didn't agree, this life would definitely be gone, and he didn't want to die, so he could only choose to cooperate.

Yang Lian was very satisfied with this, and he took Lu Zhan and his men back to the battleship and put them under strict supervision. That night on the battleship rest, the next day, Yang Lian sent 500 people stationed on the Ryukyu Island, the Ryukyu Island geography is special, Yang Lian will not give up, he plans to use this as a base, attack Zhoushan, if the war is unfavorable, you can also supply on the spot, if the war is smooth, you can also use this as a springboard in the future, jump out of the restrictions of the mainland, and enter the ocean.

Yang Lian accelerated the repair of the merchant ship, and with sufficient manpower, two days later, the merchant ship had been repaired, and Yang Lian planned to leave.

Deng Cheng was very worried at first when he saw that Yang Lian had sent people to settle in Ryukyu, but when he found that the nearby villages had sent people to curry favor with him, he suddenly felt that it was not without benefit for the Tang people to settle in Ryukyu. He decided to curry favor with Yang Lian, and before Yang Lian left, he sent people to send enough fresh water, fresh vegetables, and more than a dozen craftsmen who were good at repairing ships.

Yang Lian naturally understood what Deng Cheng meant, so he smiled. After another day's rest, he first asked Lin Renzhao to escort Lu Zhan to Zhoushan, and he set off later.

Lin Renzhao and Lu Zhan took a merchant ship and sailed in the northwest direction, Lu Zhan was very familiar with this road, and the sailors skillfully steered the ships, and took advantage of the wind to arrive in Zhoushan ten days later. Lu Zhan has been doing business in Zhoushan for many years, and Wu Yueguo's sailors are quite familiar with him, and after offering some money, it is even more unimpeded.

The Zhoushan Islands are like a series of pearls, scattered on the sea beyond Hangzhou Bay, guarding the most elite areas of Wuyue such as Hangzhou and Mingzhou, in the north of the Zhoushan Islands, is the Shengsi Islands, the main island of the North Boundary Mountain is the largest island, with a population of about 2,000 households, famous for winemaking.

Wu Yueguo built a lot of wharves in the area of the North Boundary Mountain, and the naval division had more than 20 warships, and the combat effectiveness was very strong. Coupled with more than 30 warships in the Zhoushan Islands, Datang did not dare to underestimate it. After Lin Renzhao arrived in Zhoushan, he understood everything clearly, although Wu Yueguo's sailor power was not weak, he was confident in capturing Zhoushan.

As the northernmost line of the Zhoushan Islands to defend the Tang Dynasty, the Shengsi Islands are relatively the most important, accounting for almost half of the entire Zhoushan Islands, Lin Renzhao is waiting for an opportunity, so he is not in a hurry to send someone to return to Yang Lian.

Deng Cheng was shocked, but he was strictly controlled by Lin Renzhao, and there was no way at all. In Zhoushan, Lin Renzhao got more news, and what shocked him was that the Khitan had actually undergone a change, but the new Khitan emperor Yelu Jing was a person who was very happy, and he couldn't wait to move his troops when he first ascended to the throne, and the Khitan Emperor who was killed was no different.

In addition, Lin Renzhao also got more news, that is, in order to attack Changzhou, Wu Yueguo transferred the elites of Mingzhou, Yuezhou, and Xiuzhou to fight with the Tang army in Changzhou, and even the Yijin army in the west of Hangzhou also sent 5,000 people to support.

In this way, the soldiers and horses of Mingzhou, Xiuzhou, and Yuezhou were weakened again, of course, compared to Yang Lian's army, they still had the upper hand. The combined strength of these states and counties is at least 30,000 or 40,000 people, and Yang Lian is only more than 10,000 people, and a considerable part of them are sailors.

Lin Renzhao waited for a few more days, and after thoroughly understanding the situation of Wu Yueguo, he secretly sent someone to inform Yang Lian of Wu Yueguo's situation. (To be continued.) )