Shi Xuanwei's fleet puffed up its sails, with the passion and bloodshed after the war, galloped all the way, and soon arrived at Changxing Island, Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture.

Changxing Island is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and the water depth can moor a large sea ship of thousands of stones.

Peng Yulin's sailors traveled between Huguang and Shandong, and Changxing Island was a must-pass place. As early as a few years ago, Peng Yulin began to operate and build Changxing Island, turning the small island into a second base for sailors, docks, barracks, warehouses, docks, repair shops, taverns and restaurants, and brothels...... Everything but the kitchen sink.

Under Zhu Shunming's order, a large number of grain ships went to Beishan by sea, and Changxing Island suddenly became a buffer place for temporary storage and transshipment of grain, and it became busy and tense.

"Brother Peng, your island is good, it's still refreshing on the sea," Shi Xuanwei said with some envy: "How vast the sea is, it's like an inland river, you can't let go of your hands and feet, and you have to be restricted from traveling a ship, for fear of hitting a merchant ship......"

Peng Yulin smiled heartily: "No matter how big the sea is, we still have to abide by the rules, only a true dragon can do whatever he wants." Looking at the boss's movements, is it about to start? ”

Before Peng Yulin joined Zhu Shunming's team, he was so poor that he was about to starve to death. Now Peng Yulin has wealth and status, and his heart has long been biased towards Zhu Shunming, and he has lost his respect and loyalty to the imperial court.

Speaking of this, Shi Xuanwei grinned and said, "Our old Shi Ke has enjoyed this time. bombarded Wuchang City, killing the rogues; Open the mouth of the Yangtze River, blood stains the river red, happy. Boss Zhu came back from Jiangnan, and he was much bolder. If you want me to say, Boss Zhu should have let go of his steps a long time ago......"

"My Lao Shi is a rough person, I don't understand the big truth, I only know that the people under the boss's rule have food, clothing, and live with dignity. If it's the boss...... I think it is a blessing for the people of the Ming Dynasty. ”

Both of them were deeply touched and thought so.

………………

The grain was unloaded on Changxing Island, then loaded onto a large sea ship, waiting to be grouped north together.

With such a huge throughput, the required manpower has gone to the sea.

Peng Yulin had already recruited a large number of laborers in Songjiang and Suzhou, and tens of thousands of people gathered on Changxing Island, forming a huge consumer market. The merchants and tertiary industry that followed made the entire Changxing Island deformed and prosperous. As long as Zhu Shunming's grain shipping continues, Changxing Island will become a lively city just around the corner.

"Brother, what did you do before? Look at the sack you carry quite quickly. ”

The old ghost laughed and said, "Everyone calls me the old ghost." Our old ghost used to carry sacks on the canal. At that time, I was young, and it was easy to hold a bag in one hand. Now the strength is almost enough, one pack at a time is still not a problem. ”

"Then why are you running here? Isn't it good to dry on the canal? ”

"Those damn rats," the old ghost said angrily, "those who work can't make money, and they will boast that the sycophants take the big head, so the ghosts will do it for them?" It's not like this......" The old ghost laughed and said, "How much work you do, how much money you get." Working here for a day is comparable to working on the canal for half a month. If only I could keep doing it......"

"Work until the New Year, buy a good padded jacket for my family. You don't know, my family is twenty years younger than me. Why? Not a fate yet? went south to flee, my mother-in-law died, she died her husband and children, and the two of them made do with each other. I'll tell you, my family's ......" The old ghost laughed proudly and lewdly.

………………

On Changxing Island, on the second floor of the "Jufu Building", the boat owner met Wang Xingfang by chance in Juqian, and immediately greeted each other lively, drinking and chatting together.

"Brother Yu, aren't you going east to do business in the Japanese Kingdom? Why did you come to Nan Zhili? ”

"It's not easy to do business in the Japanese country" Yu Juqian took a sip of the wine in his glass, shook his head and said: "Last year, Zheng Zhilong of Fujian Province unified the sea, and business was even more difficult. The Zheng family is really greedy, and after a sea trip, the Zheng family will at least share more than 50% of the gross profit. The remaining fifty percent has to pay for the crew's salaries, food and drink, ship repairs, and the maintenance of Japanese officials...... It's good to say that it's always a bit of hard money. In the event of storms, pirates, or plagues...... Losing money is a trivial matter, and I'm afraid that I won't even have my life......"

"I heard that Songjiang Prefecture recruits large sea ships, from Songjiang to Tianjin, all of them are offshore, and the money given is not low. No, my brother came over to take a look. If it's a good run, even if you earn less, it's okay, and you don't have to take a big risk. Brother, why are you here too? You're not doing it in Shandong...... That's it? ”

Wang Xingfang said with a smile: "I have already stopped." Now that the price of salt in Shandong and Nanzhili has fallen so much that they can't even earn freight, who is still doing that business? ”

Wang Xingfang lowered his voice and said: "The salt in the Denglai area was transported to Nanzhili by boat, and the grain, cotton cloth, and tea were transported back to Shandong by boat. The flow of water is constant, and it is all wealth. ”

"When I inquired, everyone could do this business. Whether it is transportation or sales, there is no entry threshold at all. Lao Wang gritted his teeth, bought a 2,000-stone sea boat, and specially ran the sea, only going from Dengzhou to Songjiang. The profit is a thin point, as the old brother said, the risk is small. ”

Yu Juqian said with some envy: "I knew that I would have come early, and I would be tired and tired of running to the country, and I don't know when I will be buried at the bottom of the sea." Hey, you say, Shandong, Nanzhili, Caoliang shipping...... Who is so big? ”

………………

In three days, the first batch of seaborne grain was reloaded into sea ships and set sail for northward transportation.

Peng Yulin said goodbye to Shi Xuanwei and said with a smile: "My brother wants to soar on the sea, but my brother wants to be able to follow his steps in the calm river." Why don't you apply to the boss and we can change them? ”

Shi Xuanwei said angrily: "What's the spirit?" Get lost. Sooner or later, Lao Tzu will fly in the sea. ”

In winter, the sea is dark green, calm and calm, with only fine waves; From time to time, seabirds landed on the side of the ship, eating the food left on the deck by the sailors; The sailman tries his best to find the right direction and let the sail eat the wind; The helmsman steers the tail rudder and makes the boat meander north along the coastline; From time to time, the captain checks the compass and checks the nautical charts to correct the direction of the ship.

Zhu Shunming chose to ship in early winter, taking into account all factors, weather factors are the main reason, winter is the calmest season of the year in the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the Bohai Sea.

In the early years of the previous dynasty (Yuan Dynasty), grain from the south was also transported to Dadu (i.e., Beijing) by sea, but later it was found that there were too many losses and limitations, and it was gradually abolished in the middle and late Yuan Dynasty and replaced with the current Grand Canal.

In addition to the irrationality of the system (officials are responsible for ship damage, but officials are not responsible for sinking ships, so that officials unintentionally or intentionally let the ships sink), the main reason is that bad weather makes ships sink and excessive wear and tear.

Zhu Shunming certainly didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past.

This time, the change of grain river transportation to sea seems to be hasty, but in fact, Zhu Shunming has been brewing for a long time.

From the fifth year of Chongzhen, Zhu Shunming led the sailors to the Denglai area, Zhu Shunming had the idea of changing river transportation to sea transportation.

Western countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have begun or are about to begin global colonization, but the Ming Dynasty is resting on its laurels and in turmoil.

The Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains and closed off the country, and Great China gradually fell from the top of the world to a delicious cake that anyone could take a bite of.

Land training can be completed in three years; The Navy must be more than 10 years old.

In the fourth year of Chongzhen, Zhu Shunming settled in Chengbu County, Baoqing Prefecture, Huguang, and never stopped the training, expansion, and combat of the army.

The skirmishes near Chengbu, the counterinsurgency in Changsha Province, the suppression of the Turen rebellion in the southwest, and the fierce fighting of the Liukou under the city of Wuchang...... It fully proves that the army under Zhu Shunming's command has a certain combat effectiveness, which is enough to compete with a group of heroes in the land of the Ming Dynasty.

As for the sailors, apart from sporadic battles with the water bandits, they had never encountered large-scale naval divisions.

The report on Zheng Zhilong in Fujian Province reported by the Intelligence Department shocked Zhu Shunming. To reach the current level of Zheng Zhilong's sailors, Zhu Shunming's sailors will take at least five years or more. And can he win against Zheng Zhilong's sailor in five years...... You'll have to find out after the fight.

Zhu Shunming's current operation of shipping grain by sea has strong political and military overtones, and its economic role is not very direct and obvious. Perhaps the economic value of shipping will not be revealed until it becomes large-scale and normal.