Dengzhou, the northernmost city of the Great Song Dynasty.

As one of the four major cities of the Great Song Dynasty, the existence of Dengzhou City has been tepid, and even closed for a time. Moreover, the location of the city has also changed, it used to be Mizhou, and then moved to Dengzhou.

Compared with several other cities, Hangzhou was originally a big city, Quanzhou is now the most important city of the Great Song Dynasty, Guangzhou City is the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road, Dengzhou can not compare with these few.

But Dengzhou City also has an advantage.

Dengzhou belongs to Jingdong East Road, Jishui is a canal that communicates Liangshanbo and the sea, and then passes through Liangshan to pass through Yongji Canal and Wuzhang River into Kaifeng Mansion.

It can be said that Dengzhou is the most important waterfront gateway of Kaifeng Province and the whole world. Although the role of the present day is only to transport grain and grass, if the emperor really paid attention to it, it would definitely not be what it is now, and it is not impossible to even become one of the largest cities in the north.

Dengzhou City Bosi is the only city Bosi in the Great Song Dynasty that can quickly reach Kaifeng Prefecture. Starting from the waterway, it only takes half a month from Kaifeng to Dengzhou, and you can reach the sea. This is already the fastest speed for the Central Plains to go to the beach.

Most of the reasons for the existence of this city are the transfer of goods from the north and south.

However, Dengzhou also has a unique geographical location, and the sea is Goryeo and Liao.

And the Liao State did not have a maritime and naval division at all. It is equivalent to saying that the coastal defense of the entire Liao State is a completely undefended existence for Dengzhou City. As for Goryeo? It's not good, the shipping depends on the merchant ships of the Great Song Dynasty, and the sailors can't talk about it.

In terms of strength on the sea, Dengzhou has 3,000 sailors. It was enough to crush the ambitions of Liao and Goryeo from the sea.

Li Kui chose Dengzhou, on the one hand, this is Jingdong East Road, which is his hometown and easy to operate. On the other hand, Dengzhou is a very ideal base for him to move forward.

The shipyard is on the coast of Penglai, the capital city of Dengzhou, not far from Long Island, which is dozens of miles away.

Long Island is not a separate island, but an archipelago, and within this archipelago is home to one of the most notorious penal colonies of the Great Song Dynasty, Salmon Island.

Standing on the edge of the harbor of the shipyard, Li Kui finally saw the big ship that he was haunted by.

It's really a big ship, not the foolish goods that Li Dalang was coaxed into building before.

"The villain Meng Kang has seen the proprietor."

"Get up!"

Li Kui turned his head to Jiao Ting and said, "Arrange for people to enter the camp to live, and Chao Gai and the others will follow me on the boat." ”

"My lord, how big is this ship?" Chao Gai asked in a shudder.

"Fifteen thousand."

Even Li Kui, when he said this number, he was quite emotional: "This is a big guy!" ”

Meng Kang, as the builder of the big ship, heard Li Kui's exclamation and said proudly: "Thanks to the proprietor's suggestion, I have the honor to build such a big ship." Compared with the southern ships, this new type of large ship is faster and heavier, especially the design of the artillery on the side, although there are not many of them, but they are enough to cope with all conditions at sea, and it is one of the best weapons in the world. ”

"Board the ship!"

Li Kui also couldn't wait to feel the power of the strongest warship of this era, although the construction of this battleship was still very unsuccessful, more like an armed merchant ship than a warship.

But the design that transcends the times completely allows this ship to exert combat power that no one can imagine.

However, the real thing is still a bit different from his original vision. The main thing is that the style of the big ship in front of him is closer to the East. The sail is completely made of oriental style, foldable oblique quadrangular tarpaulin sail. And it did not use the appearance of a European dhow, but the style of a Chinese sailboat. The canvas with pulleys is more convenient to lift. This is easier than a jib that requires multiple people to lift the canvas.

The sails are strained and do not have much to do with navigation. Even if a sailboat picks up, it can't be expected to outrun the speed of a steamer. After all, it is an unpowered ship, a tool that depends on the sky for food. The difference in the utilization rate of the wind is really not too big. Anyway, the big guy in front of him is about seventy meters long and more than ten meters wide. Such a large ship is not common at the moment.

The height is also very impressive, standing on the pier and looking up, it looks like a small castle.

"My lord, please see, this battleship is twenty-six zhang in its field and four zhang four in width, and ten eight-pound guns are stored under the upper deck, all of which have been installed. In addition, the design of the rudder has been changed according to the design of adults, and although it is not as light as the original, it is more convenient to use. There are six masts on the ship, three main masts and three secondary masts. All the sails are open, and if the wind is strong enough, it can run for 60 miles in an hour. ”

"60 miles? How can it be? ”

Liu Tang exclaimed in disbelief, the clippers in the rivers and lakes could not run at such a speed.

But for a sailboat that could reach a speed of 60 miles per hour, his perception was completely turned upside down.

On the contrary, Li Kui nodded and said, "This speed is good." ”

He thought in his heart that he should be able to reach a speed of about seven or eight knots, which must not be regarded as the best in sailing. But in the era of the Great Song Dynasty, it is really rare for a big ship to run at such a speed.

Don't look at the slender sea ships in Quanzhou in the Great Song Dynasty, look at the appearance of being very fast. However, the wind power is not used enough, and they dare not use the wind power unscrupulously, and the speed is far from reaching the speed of 30 miles per hour.

Ruan Xiaoqi has been in Dengzhou Shipyard, and he is quite disdainful of Liu Tang's uninformed eyesight: "Soil buns." ”

Liu Tang was humiliated by Li Kui, and most of the time he didn't dare to squeak.

But Ruan Xiaoqi is just a little kid!

Suddenly, he was furious and said: "Boy, report your name, don't say that I, Liu Tang, bullied you." ”

"Liu Tang?"

Ruan Xiaoqi tilted his head and thought about it, and suddenly smiled: "You are the ugly ghost who was whipped by my brother and cried?" ”

"No way, who is your brother?"

Regarding the dignity of a man, Liu Tang will never admit that he will be so unbearable.

I saw Ruan Xiaoqi laughing and said: "My brother is Ruan Xiaoer, he caught a lot of people in Yuncheng at the beginning, the young master said to fight to the death, and then there was a red-haired ugly ghost crying, looking at the appearance, it should be you." ”

"It's not!"

"That's you!"

"It's not!"

"It's useless to quibble, facts speak louder than words!"

"Why does it have to be targeted?" Liu Tang was about to go crazy, and the experience of being captured by Li Kui made him unforgettable for the rest of his life. Li Kui is also irritable, anyway, splitting his head and covering his face is a beating. Liu Tang remembered that he begged for mercy at the beginning, and Brother Chao Gai seemed to beg for mercy too, but begging for mercy was useless, and it simply didn't give people a way out.

As for Liu Tang's question, why did Ruan Xiaoqi have to target him?

The main reason is that Liu Tang's appearance is too easy to remember, and whoever he forgets, he can't forget him. Ruan Xiaoqi pouted and said, "Even if you have red hair, no one can forget you." ”

Liu Tang burst into tears, he was too difficult.

Ruan Xiaoer, the enemy, even has a brother?

I thought that there was a Ruan Xiaowu who was already very powerful. After all, Ruan Xiaowu's force value seems to be so much higher than him, and he doesn't know what level Ruan Xiaoqi is, but he is alone, fighting alone, and he has no hope of winning against these three brothers.

Pull up Brother Chaogai?

Maybe it can be compared with Ruan Xiaoer and Ruan Xiaowu, plus Ruan Xiaoqi......

As for the others, Liu Tang really doesn't like a few. That is, Mu Hong and Zhang Heng brothers are gone, otherwise they would not have the feeling of being alone.

Li Kui looked at Liu Tang and Ruan Xiaoqi arguing, and Ruan Xiaowu on the side was eager to try, just waiting for Liu Tang to make a move.

He wouldn't stand in the way, and would even be happy to see that happen. Even if Chao Gai joins, there is no hope of winning. Without Wu Song, Luda, Lin Chong and other fierce generals, Liangshan is just a stronger cottage than usual. The only difference is that other cottages do not have talents like Wu Yong, but Liangshan has.

This gave Liangshan a stronger cohesion.

Now Li Kui has no intention of breaking the small group of Liang Shan, anyway, Liang Shan can't be tossed in his hands.

After all, Chao Gai's subordinates have been interrupted from arrogance, but if these people get mixed up with their subordinates, it will be Li Kui's headache.

Infighting is good, and infighting can make them consume unnecessary energy.

There is no need to cover up possible crises with food as Jiao Ting did.

In Dengzhou City, the Li family's mansion.

Now Li Da, no one dares to call Da Lang in front of him anymore.

After Li Kui visited his mother, he met Li Dalang, who was getting richer and richer. Li Da was stared at by his own brother, he was uncomfortable, he couldn't do it in his heart, and he thought that his outer room was discovered by Li Kui.

Li Da trembled and said, "Brother, I want a son." ”

Li Kui glared and said angrily: "I am looking for a woman to give birth to myself, and ask me what I am doing?" ”

"I'm ......" Li Da is also a wretch, and he always can't raise his head in front of Li Kui. The two brothers, not to mention their personalities, the key is that their status in the family is completely incomparable. In addition, the old lady Zhang is also an eccentric person, which causes Li Da to always have a kind of fear of being disliked.

Li Kui waved his hand and said, "I came this time for two things. ”

"The people of the heroic mercenary group are all Liangshan bandits, and they are not more reliable than their families. But now that my Li family has a big business, I can't rush ahead, so I can only use these people first. They have a lot of people, and not all of them want to be thieves. You send people to identify them, and give them opportunities if they are willing to learn to work. Shipyards, masons, and those who appreciate to build a city can all be. ”

"In addition, although the ship has been built, it is too eye-catching in Dengzhou. I have to find an island to hide, or if someone doesn't open their eyes, I can't make a decision here. ”

Li Kui said calmly: "This is the first thing. The second thing is to train these people in Liangshan. All had no experience at sea. When the door is opened, it is time to prepare to go to sea. ”

"Brother, isn't it very detrimental to you to be an official if you do this?"

"You don't understand officialdom, don't get involved. I'm an official...... It's likely to be the end of the seat. Li Kui didn't say a word, unless the emperor died, and he was a relative and the power of the government and the opposition, it was impossible for him to be promoted. But this is a big rebellion, even if the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty no longer likes to kill people, if he really finds that the important ministers of the court wish he died, he will not be able to help but kill people.

Hearing this, Li Da was shocked and exclaimed: "Brother, you have made such a great contribution to the imperial court, doesn't the imperial court remember your merits, and you want to unload the mill and kill the donkey?" ”

Li Kui snorted coldly: "I can't compare it, don't talk nonsense." ”

"I'm only twenty-five years old, and now I'm a civil official from the third grade, a marquis of the founding country, 3,000 households, and a straight bachelor, do you think such an official position can be promoted in the short term?" Li Kui rebuked angrily. He didn't say a word, and there was no chance of promotion in the long run. It is even possible to fall into the capital and be unable to extricate itself.

Li Da patted his chest with confidence and said, "So that's the case, I'm scared to death as a brother." ”

Li Da knows very well that the wealth of the Li family is not due to the Taishi, let alone the Li family's business is now spread throughout the Central Plains. It's Li Kui who is an official, not only an official, but also a high-grade civil official.

If there was no Li Kui, the Li family wouldn't dare to say that it would fall in an instant, right?

It certainly wouldn't be where it is today.

The Taishifu is only a temporary power at most. Even, the Li family can become a vassal of the Liu family. This is difficult for the arrogant Li family to accept.

But standing on your own, I'm afraid this is far behind.

And Li Kui's layout seems to have a heart to go overseas, which makes Li Da worry. Under such a situation, Li Kui will definitely lose the opportunity to be promoted in the court.

This is also Li Da's own cleverness, Li Kui has understood his situation since he returned to the capital from the front line of the Northern Expedition. He even gave up greater feats at the last moment, just to be able to get out.

He was not accepted by the reformers, at least not as one of their own. is also not recognized by conservatives, because he is very close to Zhang Dian and others, but in fact, Li Kui is more like a marginal person who is outside the two sides.

This is also the reason why he was promoted quickly, but if he really made meritorious contributions, he was pulled back from the front line when he was about to be crowned king.

He left the capital, on the one hand, to express his dissatisfaction; On the other hand, he didn't want to continue to be involved with both sides.

Although it was Zhang Dian and Su Zhe, in his opinion, although the former showed an enterprising appearance, for the Great Song Dynasty, such an enterprising spirit was only more radical than the emperor.

The latter is safe, but it lacks a pioneering heart, and it is not liked by Li Kui.

Coupled with his embarrassing identity, let alone the position of prime minister, there is no hope for even the ministry of the key department. This made him a little disheartened by officialdom. And he understood that it was impossible for the Great Song Dynasty to let a civilian official who was surprised on the battlefield serve as the prime minister. The risk of a coup d'état is approaching that of the original Taizu, and the emperor is not at ease.

For this reason, Li Kui took retreat as advance and simply ran away.

Take a step back and open the sky.

At the same time, it also gets a wider space.

As for Emperor Zhao Xu, it has been almost seven or eight years since he was in power, and his level of being an emperor is getting higher and higher. The emperors of the Great Song Dynasty are all good at balancing, even if there is a faint monarch who has lost the country.

With the successive victories of the Great Song Dynasty's foreign wars, an official like Li Kui who has made too many meritorious contributions will definitely be feared by Zhao Xu.

It's not that the cunning rabbit is dead and the lackey is cooking, the bird is good and the bow is hidden, and Zhao Xu doesn't dare to reuse Li Kui. His ancestor, Emperor Taizu, stole the throne by holding military power. If Li Kui led his troops to conquer the sixteen states of Yanyun a few years later, Li Kui guessed that he would probably be raised by the emperor in the capital, and the high-ranking officials would not even be able to get out of the capital. will even give him a knighthood.

This kind of life in captivity, Li Kui said that he would not be willing to say anything.

Thinking about it, I can only find another way.

In fact, when he left the palace, Zhao Xu also thought of Li Kui's thoughts, and the reason why he didn't stop Li Kui. That's because now that Li Kui is in the military, the influence in the court will not threaten the imperial power. And between the monarch and the minister, there is still that love, so Li Kui was let go. It can be said that Li Kui, who walked out of the capital, has already understood that he will never be reused one day.

In that case, why didn't he make a big one?

Within a few days, Li Kui had a problem for his subordinates, he wanted to cruise the Liaodong Inland Sea.

Chao Gai, Liu Tang, and several Liangshan leaders were selected, as well as the shipwrights of Dengzhou Shipyard, many of whom were good at operating ships, plus the Li family, with a mighty 500 people, who would be divided into three ships and go to sea to cruise.

On the trestle, Li Kui stood on the side of the boat expressionlessly, overlooking the crowd under the side of the ship, and said coldly: "Put the cable and start the boat." ”