A small steamer sailed out of Wusongkou, and the small steamer suddenly roared and emitted black smoke, forming a strong contrast on the blue sea. Strangely enough, there are three fishing boats in tow at the stern of the small steamer, which is incredible. At this time, Deng Zixuan, Wan'er, and Lin Haisheng stood on the bow of the boat, raising their eyes to look at the sea. Wan'er was the happiest of all, she was traveling on the sea for the first time, and she was thrilled by the sight of the sea and sky.

In August, the installation work of the machine factory came to an end, and the rest was the pre-production commissioning work, and Deng Zixuan did not need to worry about it. He arranged for the children of the Deng family class to continue their internships in the factory, and he and Wan'er embarked on a sea trip. Sheng Huaiyin was very efficient, and sent someone to communicate with the county magistrate of Jinshan County, and after some consultation, Jinshan Island successfully entered Deng Zixuan's hands.

Tang Zixuan purchased a second-hand small steamer through Mr. Charlie of Jardine Matheson. The small steamer has just arrived, and it just happened to complete this sea trip. At present, Mr. Charlie almost responds to Deng Zixuan's requests, the key is that the benefits of the match factory make Charlie make a lot of money, and the huge interests have prompted him to become Deng Zixuan's most loyal partner, and this community of interests is becoming stronger and stronger. In particular, safety matches are sold to Japan, the Philippines, and the South Seas, and the profit is dozens of times. It is conceivable how respectful Charlie is to Deng Zixuan.

"Mr. Deng, it's still a foreigner's steamer, a sailboat needs a monsoon to sail, a steamer can travel anytime and anywhere, and it's fast, it's really not easy for a foreigner." Lin Haisheng stood aside and sighed. Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "In the future, I will also build a steamship in the Qing Dynasty, and we will soon be able to see our own steamship on the sea." Deng Zixuan was full of confidence.

Lin Haisheng whispered: "Mr. Deng, you said that Mawei Shipyard can sell us steamers, I really can't wait to drive a freighter on the sea immediately, what a spectacular it is!" Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "Next year, Mawei Shipyard will produce cargo ships for us, and the shipyard promises to deliver two steamers by the end of next year, and all 10 steamships will be delivered within three years, and we will have the fastest transport fleet in the Qing Dynasty." "Great! I can't wait for that day to come! Lin Haisheng was overjoyed and indulged in reverie.

Wan'er is still interested and dizzying. At this time, Deng Zixuan was caught in the entanglement of Jinshan Island. "Mr. Deng, if you want to fish, you don't need to occupy a small island! In addition, it is necessary to build a dock and waste money in vain! Lin Haisheng seemed to remember something. Deng Zixuan said: "I occupy a small island, fishing is a cover, I have other uses, as for what use I can't tell you now." Your task is to go to Jinshan Island with me to investigate, after the investigation I will give you a detailed jihua, I am ready to hand over Jinshan Island to you to deal with! "It's the subordinates who will live up to the high expectations of Mr.!"

After Lin Haisheng left, Wan'er seemed to be active and said: "Husband, the sea is so beautiful, look at the blue water, the blue sky, and how many seabirds are flying with you." I haven't had the opportunity to come to sea before, and it's hard to imagine how gentle and quiet the sea is. "Wan'er, you didn't see the sea lose your temper, if that scene was presented in front of you, you would feel like the sky was falling." "You're talking about the storm, I've heard Daddy say that." "Only when you are there will you really feel the horror of the sea!" "Husband! We won't have a storm! "Wan'er is a little apprehensive!

Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "There was a storm just a few days ago, and it is estimated that there will be no storm in the next few days." By the way, Wan'er, I once said that the earth is round, especially on the sea. You can observe the sailboat behind us, you can see that his hull is almost gone, and the weishenme sail can still be seen clearly, and give you a closer look through the telescope to compare. Wan'er took the binoculars and looked at them carefully.

Soon, the sailboat that was gradually moving away behind disappeared, Wan'er put down the binoculars and said, "That ship seems to have suddenly sunk into the water, husband, now I believe that the earth you said is round." Deng Zixuan smiled: "Now we are daytime, but under our feet opposite the United States of America, it is night. "It's true!" Wan'er exclaimed. "This shijie is amazing! Just like the sea, 70 percent of the whole earth is seawater and 30 percent is land, to be precise, the earth we live on is a water ball. ”

Wan'er looked at Deng Zixuan with a pair of bright eyes and said in admiration: "Husband, you know so many unknown things, you are comparable to immortals!" Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "This is the liliang of knowledge, Wan'er, you have made great progress in English now, you will understand the books of foreigners in the future, when you really understand this shijie, you will not be surprised." Wan'er looked at her husband happily and said, "Husband, I want to work hard to learn English, I want to understand this shijie." ”

At about 2 p.m., the small steamer sailed near a small island. Circle around the island, choose a landing spot and gradually get closer to the island. About 30 meters away from the shore, Lin Haifeng instructed the crew to go into the water to check the water, if the steamer ran aground, it would not be a joke. Then several strong men jumped into the water to dive to check the situation on the bottom of the sea. Under the guidance of the crew, the steamer gradually moved closer to the shore. It was still about ten meters from the shore, and the small steamer stopped moving forward under the guidance of the crew.

Then Lin Haifeng ordered to put down the boat, and Deng Zixuan and Wan'er got on the boat. Lin Haifeng personally rowed the boat ashore. "Mr. Deng, it's good to build a dock in this location, but the main thing at the moment is that the underwater situation is not clear, otherwise the small steamer can directly dock." "Going around the island, I guess 20 square kilometres is enough for us. Jinhua Island is about 30 nautical miles from the shore, which is a good distance. As he spoke, Deng Zixuan pulled Wan'er and walked forward, crossing a reef, and lush vegetation appeared in front of him.

"Wan'er, there is a sound of rushing water ahead, it must be a stream!" Deng Zixuan said happily. The husband and wife ran forward hand in hand, Lin Haisheng was in a hurry behind, and hurriedly followed, but seeing the intimacy of the husband and wife, they had to keep their distance. In order to prevent accidents, Lin Haisheng took out his revolver and loaded it, vigilantly watching the surrounding situation.

A small stream flows through the lush vegetation of the forest, and the rippling water of the stream rolls the crystal waves, and it is very pleasant to the ear. "Husband, look how cool the creek is! The scenery here is beautiful! Wan'er praised and couldn't help but take off her shoes and go into the water. Yikes! The water is so cold! Wan'er exclaimed and retracted her feet. Wan'er, this is a stream in the forest, and the water is naturally cold, but it must be cool to drink a few sips. Deng Zixuan squatted beside the stream, holding the stream water in his hand and drinking it in a big gulp, Wan'er couldn't help but squat down and drink water when she saw this.

At this moment, a green cobra with an upright head and a whisker in its mouth slowly approached Wan'er. At this time, Wan'er didn't know that her snow-white little feet were bare, which looked particularly eye-catching. At the moment when the cobra was about to attack, only to hear a shot, Lin Haifeng swung his gun and exploded the snake's head.

Wan'er exclaimed in fright, and flew into Deng Zixuan's arms, a false alarm. "Madam, it's so hanging!" Lin Haifeng picked up the snake that was still wriggling and threw it into the stream. "Wan'er, don't be afraid to be a little snake!" Seeing Wan'er's pale face, Deng Zixuan comforted. In fact, Deng Zixuan was also very afraid, if Lin Haifeng hadn't made a timely move, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Then Lin Haifeng opened the way in front, and Deng Zixuan and Wan'er followed behind. Walking out of this woodland, the front suddenly opens up. This kung fu Wan'er seemed to recover and said: "Husband, it turns out that this is a desert island, and there is no one in Weishenme?" Deng Zixuan sighed slightly: "For a long time, the imperial court has implemented a sea ban, which is the main factor causing the island to be uninhabited. In addition, the rampant bandits are also the reason why fishermen do not dare to survive on the island. ”

"Husband, do you want this island to moor fishing boats?" Wan'er asked. "Wan'er, don't hide it. My plan is to use the island to moor fishing boats. On the one hand, it is provided for us to eat, and on the other hand, in the off-season of fishing, the sea fish caught in the peak season are dried on the island, so that we have fish to eat all year round. At present, there are more people under his command, and this is also done to reduce costs. In fact, it is impossible for Deng Zixuan to tell Wan'er the true purpose.

After a round walk around the hinterland of the island, I returned to sleep on the small steamer after dusk. Wan'er went to bed early after eating tiredly, and Deng Zixuan and Lin Haifeng continued to talk without sleepiness. At this time, a piece of paper appeared in front of Deng Zixuan, and he said while waving: "The location of the wharf is located in the southeast corner, according to the underwater situation of the crew, after the wharf is built in the future, there will be no problem to berth 500-ton cargo ships, so you must build the wharf before the end of the year." ”

"Mr. Deng, don't worry, there is no problem!" Lin Haifeng nodded in agreement. "In addition, we want to use the Jinshan Wharf, Jinshan Island is about 30 nautical miles away from the Jinshan Wharf, and it is very convenient for us to transport goods from Pudong here, and we will establish a convenient channel in the future." Deng Zixuan continued to sketch.

"It's about 300 meters from the creek and easy access to water to build a house. It is necessary to level the site here, and strive to have all the functions of the island within a year, and I will have a great ・・・・・・ for this island in the year after tomorrow. Deng Zixuan chattered endlessly, and explained the sketch of Haode to Lin Haisheng. Although Lin Haisheng was itching in his heart, Deng Zixuan had something to say first, and he didn't dare to ask what Xiao Dao would do in the future.

The next day, the small steamer continued to set sail, and the three fishing boats remained on Jinhua Island for the time being. At Jinhua Wharf, Lin Haisheng disembarked and rushed back to Shanghai by land, and the next step was to go all out to build the infrastructure of Jinhua Island. Deng Zixuan and his wife took a small steamer south to Fuzhou, and he wanted to go to Fuzhou to meet with Hu Xueyan to meet the Minister of Shipping.

At present, Hu Xueyan is fully engaged in assisting the Minister of Shipping Shen Baozhen to supervise the construction of the Mawei Shipyard in Fuzhou, and Deng Zixuan also invested 500,000 taels of silver in the Mawei Shipyard through Hu Xueyan's Fukang Qian Village, which was highly appreciated by Shen Baozhen, and promised that the Mawei Shipyard would build ships in the next step and give priority to Deng Zixuan's civilian merchant ships.

Deng Zixuan went to Fuzhou for three purposes: first, to formally sign an agreement with the Harbour Master for the purchase of cargo ships, and second, to get acquainted with Shen Baozhen and to clear the way for his mediation. Third, in addition to visiting the Mawei Shipyard, he made suggestions for speeding up the progress of the shipyard project, and at the same time provided suggestions for how to improve the work efficiency of shipbuilding on a large scale in the later stage, so as to increase the benign and rapid development of the Mawei Shipyard within a few years.

The sea is still blue, and Wan'er seems to have a soft spot for the sea. At this time, the couple stood on the side of the boat and stared at the vast sea. "Husband! Husband! I found a big island, just a little blurry in sight! Wan'er shouted excitedly with a telescope in her hand, like a child. That's the island of Taiwan, a very beautiful island! ”

"Is there anyone living on that island?" Wan'er put down the binoculars and asked curiously. Deng Zixuan said with a smile: "Wan'er, you are really lonely, when the Qing army entered the customs, the remnants of the Ming Dynasty shili Zheng Chenggong zuihou ran to Taiwan Island to survive N years, zuihou Taiwan Island was captured and recovered by Shi Lang, do you say that there can be no one on Taiwan Island?" And there are primitive inhabitants on the island of Taiwan, have you heard of the Gaoshan tribe? Wan'er shook her head honestly and said, "Husband! To tell you the truth, I haven't heard of it, tell me what happened back then? ”

It seems that the historical popularization of the Manchu Dynasty was limited to the scholar class, and many historical truths were almost blank among the people. Deng Zixuan sighed, and then described that period of history in detail. Wan'er sighed: "It seems that Emperor Kangxi is really a generation of Ming Jun, respectable and lamentable!" ”

"Bullshit Mingjun, I'm not interested in Kangxi. It was he who followed the stupid policy of the Ming Dynasty and issued a ban on the sea, restricting China's exchanges with the outside world, and cutting off China's Maritime Silk Road. This created a link between China and the outside world, and the Kangxi Emperor was complacent and short-sighted, using all-encompassing means to consolidate his dominance, which in turn led to China's current backwardness. This is the shame of my Chinese nation, which is tolerable and unbearable! ”

"Husband! This is a head-killing word! Wan'er glanced around in alarm. Deng Zixuan's face was grim and said, "Wan'er! If one day I rebelled and overthrew this chaotic dynasty, would you support me? "Could it be that all you are doing now is to prepare for a rebellion?" Wan'er was shocked. Deng Zixuan nodded solemnly and said, "Yes, everything I do now is to prepare for the rebellion!" ”

Seeing Deng Zixuan's calm face, Wan'er suddenly had the courage to say: "Husband, as long as you choose to take this road, the slave family has no hesitation, and I will accompany you to the guillotine!" Deng Zixuan took Wan'er into his arms and said with a smile: "Wan'er, go to the guillotine, where do you want to go!" One day I will take your hand and climb the palace tower, that day will be the glorious moment of your mother's world, please believe me! ”

Wan'er held her husband's hand and nodded solemnly. From this day on, Wan'er suddenly matured, and at the same time, she also had more thoughts to assist her husband.