1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 2195
These boats commanded by Dai Chengrong are just ordinary sailing boats that are usually used to haul goods and occasionally take a few passengers along the way. Not to mention [-] miles of waterway a day, it is considered good if they can run [-] miles of waterway smoothly in a day.

Dai Chengrong wanted to shorten the voyage time as much as possible, so he had to travel day and night, which was not easy for the sailors. Moreover, the sight of the boat at night was limited, and it required a high level of concentration.But this is hard work for the crew, not necessarily for others.

After nightfall, the visibility on the river decreased, and the passengers on the various boats finally got a chance to relax on the deck, and the cursing finally subsided.The children of each family who had been suffocated during the day were finally able to sit on the deck and have dinner while blowing the cool river breeze.

Of course, there is absolutely no alcohol. In order to ensure the safety of the itinerary, these ships did not carry alcohol on board, and it is also expressly forbidden for anyone to carry in their luggage, even rice wine.Since violators will be sentenced to lose their qualifications for training, although there are many unruly people among these salt merchants' children, they still dare not violate this prohibition, lest they be returned before they arrive in Zhoushan, and they will not be able to explain after returning.

After being locked up in the cabin for a day, everyone has already scolded them several times if they could scold them, but at this time, they don't have the intention to continue scolding.After filling their stomachs, some people gathered together in twos and threes to discuss in low voices, some people were lying on the deck, staring at the dark night sky in a daze, and some people went to chat with the crew members and asked where they were at this time, but no one took any more. The matter of being locked in the cabin during the day and not being able to get out was noisy.

In fact, many of these children of salt merchants went out for business with their elders when they were young, and they are not unfamiliar with traveling by boat. Many of them have traveled the lower reaches of the Yangtze River more than once.But before going out to do things, it was not like being so sneaky and thieves, and they had to be restricted on the boat, which made them feel a little uncomfortable.

But it was this strict restriction that made them truly feel the special nature of this mission.These people have different information about this mission, and it was only at this time that they began to communicate with each other and share what they knew.

Because of the deep participation of the Dai family and the Ma family, the children of these two families actually have almost the same situation as Dai Chengrong, and they are also the part of the people who are most cooperative with the itinerary.However, the information obtained by the children of the other families is uneven, and almost all the people who complain the most during the day come from this group.

What was society like under Haihan's rule?Can you really learn the true skills of the Haihan Army by going to Zhoushan?In addition to military training, what other cooperation projects do you have with the Haihan people?In the future, will the private armed forces of the seven major surnames have to obey the command of the Dai family?If the young master of the Dai family fails to pass the training, who is qualified to take his place?
Everyone has many questions that need to be answered, but no one on board can answer all these questions, not even Dai Chengrong, one of the parties involved.It's just that Dai Chengrong has already roughly known the arrangements in Zhoushan, so he is not too worried about what will happen after entering the unknown environment.

Before dawn, everyone who stayed on the deck was driven back to the cabin. Although some people still expressed dissatisfaction with this, it was much less than the day before.More and more people have begun to realize that there is no practical significance in insisting on fighting for unnecessary treatment at this time. If it becomes a big mess, it will only hinder the speed of sailing and make the fleet delay longer on the way, while they themselves It will also result in being stuck on the ship for longer.

Dai Chengrong couldn't hold on until dawn, ate two meat buns, and then fell asleep soundly.When he woke up again, it was already noon, and the sailors who drove the boat had changed.

"Where is this?" Dai Chengrong couldn't tell where the river section in front of him was for a while, so he asked the sailors around him.

"Reporting to young master, we have arrived in Jiangyin, and the Jiangyin Guard's navy fort is in front of us!"

Dai Chengrong heard the words and looked towards the south bank, and indeed he could vaguely see the fortifications on the river bank.In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, a guard was set up in Jiangyin, and a navy was stationed there.However, it was actually eight years in Chongzhen that the fort was actually built to guard the Yangtze River.Not long before the fort was built, Haihan sent troops to Hangzhou Bay to force the Zhejiang government to grant trade rights, which made Daming very embarrassed.So this measure is to guard against who goes up the river, and its meaning is self-evident.

Of course, it is far from enough to completely seal off the three-mile-wide Yangtze River in wartime with this coastal defense battery with only a dozen artillery pieces, but if the naval forces stationed locally are added, It can still be done by delaying the enemy's time.One of the reasons why the Zhoushan authorities did not want to directly send troops to Yangzhou was also considering that there were some defensive measures deployed by the Ming Dynasty in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and it would be inconvenient for the naval fleet to enter these areas.

As for the voyage from Yangzhou to the mouth of the Yangtze River, it is almost exactly half of the voyage to Jiangyin.Dai Chengrong calculated the time, and it took about a day and a half. This speed is actually not slow, but it is definitely not up to the level he required.However, none of the six ships in the fleet are out of touch, and they are still maintaining a stable distance of less than a hundred feet. Maintain such a stable marching formation.

"Let's keep this speed!" Considering the condition of the sailors, Dai Chengrong didn't plan to order another advance. Although time was of the essence, he had to ensure that he arrived at the destination safely.If there is a safety accident on the way, the uncles and elders who are waiting for the news in Yangzhou may not be able to bear the excitement.

Of course, if several large ships are arranged from the beginning, and each ship can carry more people, then the difficulty of maintaining a consistent speed for the fleet will definitely be much less difficult, but the main reason why the Dai family made such an arrangement is to take care of these people on the way. Severe restrictions on movement on board could create tension between passengers and sailors.If there are too many people on a single ship, once someone disobeys the arrangement, the situation on the ship may get out of control.So after weighing it again and again, I finally decided to arrange a few more boats to reduce the number of people on each boat, so as to enhance the safety factor on the way.

But in fact, on the second day, the passengers on board basically got used to this special arrangement. Knowing that the protest was invalid, they honestly waited in the cabin for the round of release.But it was midsummer, and no matter how well ventilated the cabin was, it still couldn't resist the hot air. Even if everyone lay still, they would sweat profusely very quickly, which was really difficult.

By the evening of the third day, the fleet had already arrived at Songjiang Mansion, so there was no need to worry about their whereabouts being exposed when they went out to sea.Dai Chengrong ordered someone to issue a signal to lift all restrictions on activities on board.Then sail south for another day to reach the destination.

After dawn, everyone on the boat found out that they had reached the sea. After asking the sailors, they found out that they had sailed into the waters of Hangzhou Bay, which was actually Haihan's sphere of influence.More than 100 miles to the south is the destination of this trip, Zhoushan Island.

Although they didn't know anything about the situation on Zhoushan Island, most people couldn't help cheering when they learned that they were about to reach the finish line.For them, the past few days on the ship are really sad. Even though they know that the life after going ashore may be more difficult, they still hope that the life of semi-imprisonment on the ship will end as soon as possible.

Before sunset, they saw the outline of Zhoushan Island on the sea in the distance, but in fact, it was not until it was completely dark that the fleet could barely reach the waters north of the island.By the time the fleet circled from the west side of Zhoushan Island to Dinghai Port, it was already midnight.Dai Chengrong asked Yuan Tao for advice before he came, so he knew that he could not order to drive into the military port area at this time, otherwise he would be treated as a trespasser.I can only find a place to park nearby for half the night, and then move to the military port wharf after dawn.

In order to avoid complications, Dai Chengrong did not let the fleet enter the civilian port, but docked at Panzhi Island opposite the military port, and ordered that no one disembark.

The reason why there are such strict restrictions here is not that Dai Chengrong is unreasonable, or deliberately uses the power in his hands to disgust people, but because they have a special purpose in coming to Zhoushan, and it is not appropriate to expose their whereabouts.The most ideal state is to come silently and leave silently after completing the studies. Don't let any irrelevant people notice the existence of their team. Only in this way will it be possible to change the competition of Yangzhou salt merchants of a surprise soldier.

Four days had passed on the boat, and it was midnight. In fact, no one insisted on getting off the boat at this time and going out for a swim, so this ban did not attract any complaints, and it was carried out smoothly.When it was five watch, the fleet sailed away from Panzhi Island and headed for the military port in the north.

The children of the salt merchants, including Dai Chengrong, finally saw with their own eyes how magnificent the legendary Haihan Navy Fleet is. Compared with the sailing warships parked at the pier, the sailboats they were riding on were simply inconspicuous small sampans. .Many people opened their mouths wide, not knowing how to describe the scene they saw before them.

Although they had heard more or less rumors about how the Haihan Navy knew about Haihan Navy before they came, most of them would tacitly associate its image with the Daming Navy that they are more familiar with, but now they see it with their own eyes. Seeing this, I realized that the shape of this Haihan warship is completely different from that of the Daming Navy. Moreover, looking at the port from east to west, there are dozens of warships moored in a row, and its scale is far larger than that of their lives. Any naval fleet I have ever seen.

When Dai Chengrong saw it, he realized that there was news that the Haihan army stationed in Zhoushan had just conquered Hirado, Japan.

While being shocked, it also greatly increased the confidence of these salt merchants' children in Haihan.As the saying goes, seeing is believing, such a powerful armed fleet in front of them is more effective than a thousand words of boasting.

When they heard that the Haihan people controlled the coastal waters of Zhejiang, most of them would have three words in their minds. Why?Until today, when they came to Zhoushan and saw the Haihan East China Sea Fleet stationed here, the question that had troubled them for a long time finally had an answer.

"It's no wonder that shopkeeper Yuan is still so confident after arriving in Yangzhou. If it were me, I'm afraid he would be ten times more arrogant than him!" Dai Chengrong recalled the self-confidence and calmness revealed in Yuan Tao's words and deeds, and finally understood the other party. where the confidence lies.

At this time, a guiding ship had already come forward, and after asking about the identity and purpose of the fleet, they were led to an empty pier.At this time, the salt merchants on the ship were not in any hurry to go ashore, and they even hoped to stay here for a while, so that they could appreciate these Haihan warships again.

Ma Zhengping had already entrusted his relationship yesterday and ran to the military port to wait, but he was in vain.According to the time provided by the Haihan people, the trainees from Yangzhou are expected to arrive in these two days, and as the only patriarch of the seven surnames in Zhoushan, he naturally has to take on the task of welcoming these children.So he even put aside the construction site of the warehouse that had just started, and came to the port to wait for the arrival of the fleet.

In fact, when the fleet arrived here last night, the naval post had already noticed the fleet and roughly guessed its identity.However, the military port generally does not accept non-naval ships to dock at the port at night, so they only reported and did not send ships to guide them into the port.In this way, the officials also have one night to do some necessary preparations, and the officials who should come forward have time to arrange their time.

Judging from the report sent back by Yuan Tao, Huizhou salt merchants have given a high degree of cooperation in Yangzhou, and their willingness to cooperate is relatively strong, so Zhoushan authorities have also increased their attention to this matter. Shi Diwen will be present in person today , to welcome the arrival of this group of special students.

However, Shi Diwen's status is honorable, so it is definitely impossible to wait at the port in advance, so the one who is accompanying Ma Zhengping to wait for the fleet to dock here is Lieutenant Commander Duan Tiancheng who will be in charge of training this group of students.

"Boss Ma, the children you sent here will be pulled into the camp after the welcoming ceremony, so if you have anything to say to them, remember to hurry up after the ceremony is over." Duan Tiancheng talked to Ma these days Zhengping met several times, and also received a lot of benefits from the other party in various names, so he should mention Ma Zhengping, and now he will take the initiative to say a few words.

Ma Zhengping quickly thanked him, and then asked: "These people have rushed to Zhoushan from Yangzhou, and their appearance will inevitably be a little messy. I hope that Mr. Duan will say something nice in front of the general, and don't let the general think that we sent them here." People are slovenly."

Duan Tiancheng said with a smile: "You can rest assured. General Shi knew that they came from Yangzhou day and night, and he had already asked me to arrange a bathhouse in the camp area in advance. After the ceremony, he would take them to wash themselves well."

(End of this chapter)