Warring States Eagle

Masara was inspecting the Luo family's shipbuilding workshop in Imari Bay, Hizen Matsuura County, when a Nanman ship was reported to have docked at Boxiang Bay on Hirado Island.

The workshop here was established last year, and currently there are only two shipwrights from the Ming Dynasty and a dozen or so local shipwrights working here.In order to prepare for this shipbuilding workshop, Zheng Liang sent people to various places to collect and buy a large amount of shipbuilding timber.Although most of the wood is temporarily unavailable, but be prepared.

At this time, the shipbuilding workshop did not have the ability to manufacture ships on its own, and could only repair the ships already in the territory itself.Zheng Liang has entrusted Wang Hai and others to find some shipbuilding technology and even craftsmen from the Ming Dynasty, and then plans to start building Ming ships by himself.

Zhengliang plans to build a large number of Ming Dynasty Haicang ships.According to the information provided by Wang Hai, this kind of boat is slightly smaller than the Fuchuan, with a draft of about seven or eight feet, and it can maneuver when the wind is low. It was used in the navy of the Ming Dynasty to cooperate with the Fuchuan.The navy of the Ming Dynasty generally equipped the ship with four thousand-jin Flang machines, three bowl-mouth guns, fifty spray tubes, eighty smoke cans, ten cannons, fifty fire bricks, two hundred rockets, and six crossbows. One hundred arrows.There were 53 crew members, nine sailors, and 44 fighters.

In Zhengliang's view, this kind of ship is better than the Japanese Guan ship.Of course, both the Fuchuan of the Ming Dynasty and the Anzhai Ship of Japan are better than this kind of ship.However, judging from the technical capabilities and resources currently possessed by the Luo family, it will take at least a period of time before they can consider the construction of these two types of ships.

After receiving the report of a Portuguese visit, Zheng Liang initially thought that it would be fine to just send Andel to communicate.But think about it.It seems that the Spaniards and the Portuguese are still fighting in the western waters?Finally dismissed the idea.Then.He is also going to send Shenya Shaoce, who is in charge of foreign trade in the territory, to negotiate.But after learning that there was a Ming man named "Wufeng" acting as an interpreter on that ship, Zheng Liang went there himself instead.

Others don't know who this "Five Peaks" guy is, but Zheng Liang does.This person is Wang Zhi, who is aliased as "Five Peaks".Two years ago, he took Wang Hai and others to smuggle and sell supplies at sea, but later he broke up with Wang Hai and others, and then followed a Japanese envoy (essentially a trade team under the guise of political exchanges) to work for them .Now, for some unknown reason, they got entangled with the Southern barbarians.

According to historical records.His cooperation with the southern barbarians will end soon, and then he will defect to his "little fellow countryman" Xu Dong.From Zheng Liang's point of view, perhaps, he felt that Xu Dong, the leader of the largest armed merchant group in the sea, would be able to do a more vigorous career by going to his "little fellow countryman", even if he was in Xu's "merchant group" than in the The Japanese "mission" was filled with more danger and blood.And in his blood, there is no lack of cruelty and adventurous spirit.Moreover, he will soon gain Xu Dong's trust, from "management of the treasury" to "management of the sentry", and become a powerful figure in the Xu's business group who holds military power.Since then, he has embarked on the road of gradually becoming "One Piece".

When I met this controversial figure in the future history in Hirado.Zheng Liang also took the opportunity to look at the other party.He was about 30 years old, and he was wearing a gray gown often worn by commoners in the Ming Dynasty.The appearance is very square.It is only estimated that due to the frequent exposure to the sea breeze, the skin is slightly darkened, but it is a healthy complexion.

"My lord, my lord." Seeing Zheng Liang walk into the meeting hall, Wang Zhi immediately saluted respectfully.The two Portuguese behind him also gave a standard noble salute to Zhengliang.

"What do you call these two?" Zheng Liang looked at the two Portuguese with a smile, and then asked Wang Zhi.

"This one is Sir Francisco, and this one is Sir Balmond." Wang Zhi immediately introduced.Generally, Westerners who come to the East like to give themselves the title of nobility.

"Welcome to my territory, Master Wufeng, Sir Francisco, and Sir Balmond." After learning the name of the guest, Zheng Liang naturally expressed his welcome first.

"It's a great honor to be received by you, my lord." After Wang Zhi's translation, Francisco and Balmond naturally expressed their gratitude to the director for being received.

"Shopkeeper Wufeng, from the accent, you seem to be from Zhili in the south of the Ming Dynasty?" Zheng Liang said first after the host and guest sat down.

"Oh? Your lord, have you ever been to the Ming Dynasty? I was indeed born in Guilin, Shexian County, Huizhou, South Zhili." Hearing Zheng Liang's accurate statement of his birthplace, Wang Zhi was surprised at first, and then immediately guessed that Zheng Liang should I have been to the Ming Dynasty.

"That's right, I had the honor to visit the Ming Kingdom a few years ago." Zheng Liang also nodded.Seeing Wang Zhi's surprised expression, Zheng Liang secretly smiled.Brother, you are from a later life, so you naturally know about your situation.

"Haha, from this point of view, I have a chance with the lord." Wang Zhi smiled immediately after receiving Zheng Liang's affirmative reply.Judging from the expression on his face, it seems that this person is a guy with a bold personality.But who would have thought that just a few years later, he would become the leader of the big pirates known for his cold-blooded treachery?However, in such an environment, if you are not cold-blooded and treacherous, how can you survive?Everything is due to chance and circumstances.

"I don't know the plan of the shopkeeper Wufeng and the two lords?" After some politeness, it was natural to get to the point, so Zheng Liang asked directly.

"Your lord, that's how it is. Sir Francisco and Sir Balmond are the pioneer merchant ships of Portugal, and they hope to establish a business relationship with your lord." Wang Zhi said immediately.

"Hehe, welcome, maybe you don't know, the island where the pier where your ships are docked is the place where our family trades with businessmen from all over the world. Trading on this island is There is no need to pay taxes at all, as long as you can abide by the rules of the island, then my family will protect everyone’s property and personal safety on the island.” Zheng Liang said immediately after hearing Wang Zhi’s explanation of his visit.

"My lord, is what you said true?" After listening to Wang Zhi's translation of Zheng Liang's words, Francisco and Balmond looked at each other in surprise, and then Francisco asked in disbelief road.

"It's true!" Zheng Liang said with certainty.at this time.Even the Shuangyu Island off the coast of the Ming Dynasty was occupied by pirates and was used to trade pirate supplies.It is also taxable.Now Zhengliang has created such a tax-free island.It is conceivable that as more and more sea ships discover this place, it will become more and more prosperous.

After receiving Zheng Liang's clear reply, with the help of Wang Zhi, Francisco and Balmond immediately put forward a lot of trading requests. In the end, they even took out a musket again in an attempt to attract Zheng Liang's attention.

"Hehe. The craftsmanship of this matchlock gun is good. It is indeed the work of a good craftsman." Zheng Liang took the matchlock gun directly handed over by Wang and began to operate it skillfully.

"My lord, have you ever seen this kind of musket?" Seeing that Zheng Liang was so familiar with this kind of musket, Wang Zhi's heart skipped a beat, so he asked hastily.

"Hehe, to be honest, you are not the first western ship to arrive here. Before you, there was already a Spanish merchant ship." Zheng Liang said.But they felt amused in their hearts, Wang Zhi and the three obviously hoped that Zheng Liang would be taken advantage of like Tanegashima Megumi.Thousands of taels of gold were used to buy these muskets, but now Zheng Liang easily provoked the conflict between the Portuguese and the Spaniards.

"Dear lord, please trust us, we can provide better things than the Spaniards." Sure enough, after learning that the Spaniards had arrived here one step ahead of them, the two Portuguese hurriedly asked Wang Zhi to express.

Afterwards, they offered a lot of discounts, and these Zhengliang asked them to discuss with Shenwu Shaoce, who was in charge of foreign trade in the Luo family.

However, at the last moment of the meeting, Zheng Liang offered to ask Francisco and Balmond to provide the manufacturing technology of their three-masted sailing ship and artillery. need these things.

After sending Wang Zhi and the others away, Zheng Liang sat quietly in the meeting hall.According to the historical development, after Wang Zhi returned to the Ming Dynasty and took refuge in Xu Dong, he would develop soon.

At this time, Xu Dong from She County was entrenched on Shuangyu Island [-] miles off the coast of Ningbo in the Ming Dynasty. He built a two-masted ship and used force as a guarantee to carry "prohibited" goods. He became an armed merchant group standing on the sea.They often do both business and robbery.

According to Zhengliang's own memory, in March of the 27th year of Jiajing (1548), Dusi Lu boring led a Fujian warship to the waters of Wenzhou.Before the arrival of the typhoon season that year, the Ming army launched a sudden and violent attack on Shuangyu.In April, Lu Tong lured Xu Dong's armed merchant fleet to leave Shuangyu, and the two armies fought fiercely in Jiushanyang.In the end, the armed business group was defeated and Xu Dong was captured. The remnants of Wang Zhizhi escaped from the encirclement by chance and fled to Zhoushan Islands with hatred.After the Battle of Shuangyu, Wang Zhi collected the remaining people and went north to Liebiao Mountain (also known as Liegang), which is [-] miles away from Zhoushan County.At that time, Wang Zhi had replaced Xu Dong's original status in the arena.

Afterwards, Wang Zhi gradually subdued the surrounding forces by means of sneak attack, assassination, and annexation, and finally established his position as the overlord of the sea. The southeast pirates could not survive unless they were controlled by him.

But in March of the 32nd year of Jiajing (1553), Wang Yu sent Yu Dayou and others to attack Hong Kong at night with more than a thousand troops.Yu Dayou led the sharp soldiers to ride the wind first, and Tang Kekuan led his troops to respond later, heading straight for the bandits.Wang Zhi was caught off guard and broke out by boat in a panic.The Ming army followed behind, and the pirates drowned and beheaded countless people.

It was after this battle that the young general Yu Dayou became famous at sea, and Wang Zhi led his remnant troops to the islands of Hirado and Satsuma out of shame and anger.Speaking of it, it was also because just a few years after Wang Zhi came to Japan, the whole of Japan experienced a large-scale harvest failure due to the outbreak of the Little Ice Age climate.As a result, a large number of desperate ronin became Wang Zhi's mercenaries.It has brought about the rapid recovery and re-emergence of Wang Zhi's power.

To be honest, no matter what the relationship between Zheng Liang and Wang Zhi will be in the future, from Zheng Liang's point of view, he does not want his territory to become the nest of another sea giant.So at this moment, Zheng Liang's idea of ​​speeding up the inclusion of the five islands into the territory of power and developing the navy is even stronger.

However, some people appeared at this time and hindered Zhengliang's plan. (To be continued..)