What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 265 The Warships Set Sail! The Harvest Stuns the Empress!
The Empress wanted to capture a whale and bring it back to the capital, but with the country covered in ice and snow, the rivers frozen, and land transport difficult, Su Mo felt it was impractical.

Of course, he would not refute the Empress.

The Empress was well aware of her own capabilities and took on the entire task of procuring supplies for the voyage.

The important task of recruiting and training sailors naturally fell to Su Mo.

Su Mo originally intended to remind the Empress that when purchasing supplies, she should prepare enough fruits and vegetables to supplement vitamin C and prevent scurvy.

However, considering that even if they did go to sea, the first time wouldn't be long, they decided not to mention it, lest the Empress turn into a questioning child and keep asking questions.

Although Su Mo withdrew his divine power and the wind weakened rapidly, the ship still slowly moved out of the shallow water.

The Empress's powerful divine sense played a significant role, enabling her to clearly detect the hidden reefs on the seabed.

Under the Empress's guidance, Su Mo furled the sails and, relying entirely on the towing of the fishing boat, finally managed to drag the ship from the treacherous waters of Shenluo Bay all the way to a bay near the fishing village where the waves were slightly calmer.

After Su Mo lowered the anchor and secured the warship, he boarded one of the fishing boats and returned to shore.

They discovered that Nangong Sheyue and the others had also returned to the fishing village.

The fishing boats returned to port one by one.

Several hundred fishermen, dressed in rags and with rough, dark skin, looked at Su Mo with longing and awe.

Su Mo glanced at the fishermen and said loudly, "Thank you all for your help in towing the stranded ship back to safety!"

He then nodded to Zhang Xuzu.

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng immediately carried over a large box.

Upon opening the box, one is immediately struck by the sight of brand-new, gleaming silver ingots.

Ma Wei, the prefect of Wanghai County, who was standing to the side, felt a chill run down his spine.

He had previously tried to get close to Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng, subtly probing their backgrounds.

But neither Zhang Xuzu nor Cao Feng paid any attention to him, a third-rank prefect.

Ma Wei knew that they were either stupid or arrogant enough not to take him, a local official of the third rank, seriously.

Of course, the only possibility is the latter!
These two noble sons of such high status actually obeyed this ridiculously young Gu Fengshanzi as if he were their subordinate generals!
Ma Wei was increasingly shocked by Su Mo's background!
The fishermen stepped forward one by one and received their due silver without missing a single penny.

Su Mo surveyed the crowd with piercing eyes and said in a deep voice, "This large ship of mine is currently short of sailors. I need to recruit skilled sailors familiar with the ship's characteristics to take charge. The number of recruits will be between fifty and one hundred."

"The reward starts at one hundred coins per day! Three meals a day are provided on board! At the end of the month, a bonus will be awarded based on performance!"

"Those who are interested may register with me, or recommend skilled boatmen from nearby villages. If they are successfully selected, the recommender will receive one hundred coins!"

As soon as these words came out.

Whether it was the fishermen who had helped Su Mo tow the large boat earlier, or the bystanders who had come to watch the spectacle after hearing the news, they were all instantly astonished!

"One hundred coins a day?"

"After a month at sea, wouldn't you earn at least three thousand coins?"

"They even provide three meals a day! How can a person eat three meals a day? That would shorten their lifespan!"

"Is he trying to trick us?"

"It doesn't look like it! They said they'd give me ten taels of silver for towing the boat, and they really did give me ten taels. I thought I'd only get two or three taels at most!"

……

The fishermen began to discuss it amongst themselves.

But not a single person dared to step forward and sign up!

Su Mo gave so much that the fishermen could hardly believe it!

Most fishermen risk their lives at sea, but they may not earn three to five hundred dollars a month. Those who are unlucky may not only not get a penny, but may even lose their boats and lives!
The vast majority of fishermen have to risk being beheaded to secretly boil sea salt and sell it to smugglers in order to make a living!
Earning three thousand dollars a month at sea is something I wouldn't even dare to dream of!

Finally, the old fisherman who had guided Su Mo mustered his courage and stepped forward: "Sir... is what you said true?"

"You really get a hundred coins a day?"

Su Mo nodded: "I never lie!"

The old fisherman gritted his teeth: "If I die at sea, will there be any compensation?"

The other fishermen immediately perked up their ears!

Such high pay is obviously money earned by risking one's life. Nine times out of ten, one has to fight to the death with knives, guns, and harpoons. Therefore, compensation is of utmost importance!

Su Mo thought for a moment and said, "Those who cannot survive due to injury will receive twenty taels of silver, and those who die will receive fifty taels of silver!"

Anyway, Su Mo didn't intend to make them fight to the death, so it was fine to give them a higher compensation.

These words shocked not only the fishermen, but also Ma Wei, who was secretly taken aback!
The imperial soldiers who died in battle received only ten taels of silver as compensation, and in reality, they received less than five taels. Those who were seriously wounded or retired received not a single coin!

If they were really given that much money, wouldn't the fishermen fight tooth and nail for this isolated mountain?

They might even deliberately commit suicide so that their family can get a large sum of money, marry and have children, buy land and new boats, and thus become rich.

Ma Wei couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

This kid from the capital really doesn't know his place, daring to flaunt his wealth like that. He'll suffer a great loss sooner or later!

However, given that they have a powerful expert at the Heavenly Infant Realm as their backer, it's quite reasonable for them to be unaware of the gravity of the situation.

The old fisherman was stunned for a long time after hearing Su Mo's words, then his eyes lit up!

If I could get on that big ship, I would deliberately walk into the line of fire when we encounter pirates.

With three single sons, wouldn't all the money for them to get married and have children be gone?

He hurriedly asked, "Sir, although we have been begging for food at sea for decades, we have never seen a ship like yours before and do not know how to maneuver it."

Su Mo smiled and said, "That's fine."

"The method of maneuvering this ship is not much different from that of ordinary rigid sailing ships. I will teach you myself."

Previously, Su Mo had thrown out three or four hundred taels of silver without batting an eye or holding back.

The persona of being rich, foolish, and trustworthy is immediately established.

They're only recruiting fifty to one hundred people. If we hesitate even slightly, they might fill all the positions!

At worst, I'll work for nothing. If he really doesn't pay me, I won't work for him next time!
Seeing that the old fisherman and his eldest son were already eagerly stepping forward to sign up.

The other fishermen could no longer contain themselves and rushed towards Su Mo.

They all make a living at sea, and mastering a hard-hulled sailboat is a skill that earns them a living. Who doesn't know how to master it?
Selecting sailors was also simple for Su Mo.

They asked some basic questions about the sea and how to sail, and then selected the physically fit individuals.

Before long, all one hundred sailors had been recruited.

……

Su Mo's preparations were in full swing, and he personally went aboard the boat to teach the fishermen how to operate the soft-sail warship.

The Empress's side was naturally not delayed either.

It would be very difficult for just a few people to procure enough supplies for a hundred people.

But there's a prefectural governor named Wanghai right next to it!
In recent days, oxcarts have been coming to the fishing village, fully loaded with goods.

What Su Mo considered a complex and tedious procurement process was nothing more than a matter of a single sentence in the eyes of Prefect Ma Wei.

However, the departure date was one day later than Su Mo had expected.

The bay's docks can only accommodate small fishing boats; warships cannot dock there. Supplies have to be transferred to warships via fishing boats, which takes a lot of extra time.

There's nothing we can do about it.

After all, finding a suitable deep-water area and building a dock that can accommodate warships is not a simple project, nor can it be built by just a few hundred or thousand people from the fishing village.

On the fifth day, the weather was fine with a gentle breeze and calm sea, perfect for going out to sea!

The warships anchored in the bay, under the control of their sailors, lowered their anchors and slowly and clumsily raised their sails.

To be on the safe side, Su Mo spent a lot of money to have two slightly larger fishing boats follow behind the warship, and the three boats, one large and two small, slowly sailed out of the bay.

Su Mo watched as the middle-aged fisherman, his body bulging with muscles, steered the boat safely out of the bay.

He couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Although no one knew who this fisherman, who called himself Zhao Laoliu, was.

Moreover, even though the other party deliberately concealed it, the Empress and Nangong Sheyue could still tell at a glance that Zhao Laoliu was definitely a first-class expert.

His combat skills might even be three points stronger than someone like Zhang Xuzu who has little practical experience.

Moreover, he seemed to have previously piloted large ships, and with a little guidance from Su Mo, he mastered the steering techniques skillfully.

Su Mo left his second and third uncles in the captain's cabin, then smiled at the Empress and Nangong Sheyue and said, "The weather is nice today, would you like to go out for some sea breeze, my lord?"

The Empress nodded: "Alright!"

The Empress thought Su Mo would take them to the bow of the ship, but to her surprise, Su Mo went to the stern.

Seeing several fishermen preparing an outrageously large net, he couldn't help but wonder, "Su Lang, what are you doing?"

Su Mo explained, "This is our first time at sea, and we'll only be operating in coastal waters. We might not encounter the giant Kun."

"This is what I asked the fishermen to do overnight, to connect the original fishing nets together to form a trawl, to see if they could catch some seafood and avoid returning empty-handed."

Hearing Su Mo say this, the Empress was somewhat unconvinced.

It's just a fishing net, maybe a bit big, but how much seafood can it catch?

The Empress's mind was entirely focused on the giant Kun that Su Mo had mentioned.

After all, according to Su Mo, a giant Kun is worth three or four thousand taels of silver, and if you catch three or four a month, you can earn more than ten thousand a month!

If it is confirmed that the seagoing vessel can capture the giant Kun, then such seagoing vessels can be manufactured on a large scale. Wouldn't that bring in 100,000 taels of silver or even more per month?
I looked around the ship for a while.

The Empress then dragged Su Mo up to the watchtower with great interest, and with binoculars in hand, looked around in search of the giant Kun that Su Mo had mentioned, weighing hundreds of thousands of kilograms.

Unfortunately, after searching for almost half an hour, they couldn't even spot a whale.

However, Su Mo did discover several schools of dark fish!

Seeing that the Empress still hadn't given up on finding the whale, Su Mo was speechless and made an excuse to slip away.

The Empress did not stop Su Mo, but instead summoned Nangong Sheyue, who had better eyesight, to the lookout tower.

After getting rid of the Empress, Su Mo decided to test the effectiveness of the trawling net.

Although trawls are rudimentary, they yield a large catch and might even cover the cost of the trip.

Su Mo didn't really have much confidence in this whaling expedition.

If they return empty-handed, not only will Su Mo lose face, but the Empress will also lose face.

Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng probably also felt that there was no profit to be made in shipbuilding and going to sea.

He directed the sailors to slowly lower the trawl net, which was over a hundred meters long, into the sea, and then slowly cruised in the nearshore waters, allowing the sailors to gradually become proficient in maneuvering the soft sail.

This was the first time Zhang and Cao had ever seen the sea, and also the first time they had ever gone out to sea on a ship.

Zhang Xuzu was vomiting terribly. Despite his superb skills, he couldn't withstand the seasickness and could only rest in the cabin.

In contrast, Cao Feng, who was also going to sea for the first time, showed no signs of seasickness.

He looked curiously at the faintly visible trawl net, and then looked at Su Mo with some confusion: "Lord Su, can you catch sea fish by just lowering the net like this?"

Su Mo smiled and said, "Just trying it out."

"Well, it's about time."

As he spoke, Su Mo directed the sailors to turn the huge winch and retrieve the trawl net.

Because of the lack of machinery, the turntable requires a considerable number of people to operate it manually.

Ten burly sailors, working together and shouting commands that Su Mo couldn't hear, strained to turn the winch!
The trawl net was slowly pulled in.

The Empress on the lookout tower put down her binoculars and watched the sailors operate the net with curiosity. Then she turned her gaze to Nangong Sheyue and asked, "Do you think Su Mo's trawl net can catch any fish?"

Nangong Sheyue thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this is not advisable."

The Empress looked at Nangong Sheyue with great interest: "Why?"

Nangong Sheyue explained, "The speed of a sea vessel is too slow, probably far slower than the swimming speed of a sea fish. Why would a fish willingly walk into a net?"

"Even if they manage to break into the net, the net is too slow to close, so they should be able to escape."

The Empress smiled and said, "I don't think so."

Nangong Sheyue was taken aback: "Your Majesty thinks you can catch fish?"

The Empress shook her head: "I don't think so either."

Nangong Shoots the Moon...

The Empress chuckled: "But I believe in Su Mo!"

Nangong Sheyue remained silent for a moment, then finally said with a bitter smile, "I have nothing to say!"

As the emperor and his minister were talking, the empress's expression suddenly changed slightly!
Nangong Sheyue stared in disbelief as the fishing net slowly tightened.

The once calm sea suddenly exploded as if it had been blown apart.

An enormous black shadow suddenly appeared inside the net!

Countless dark shadows darted wildly underwater, pulling the entire trawl net taut with the fish!

Even the warships slowed down by a third!

Cao Feng stared in disbelief at the scene before him, then looked at Su Mo, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Su Mo could hardly contain his excitement!
Is this... an encounter with a school of large yellow croakers?
In later generations, large yellow croakers have become extremely rare, and large wild yellow croakers are more valuable than gold!
Of course, the large yellow croaker shouldn't be worth much money at this time, but Su Mo couldn't resist its allure!
"Quickly! Close the net!"

Su Mo took a deep breath and immediately gave instructions in a deep voice to the sailors operating the winch!

The ten sailors gritted their teeth and used all their strength to turn the increasingly heavy winch!
Just then, a voice suddenly came from the side: "Sir, wait!"

Su Mo stared in astonishment at the old fisherman who had suddenly spoken.

The old fisherman who led the way was named Zhao Laoyao. He was quite old, and Su Mo hadn't originally planned to recruit him. However, he and his son were the first to sign up, and the boat needed an experienced person to watch over it, so he took them on.

After boarding the ship, he wasn't assigned any tasks.

"Why?" Su Mo frowned as she looked at Zhao Laoyao.

Zhao Laoyao hurriedly said, "Sir, your trawling net has caught too many yellow croakers, and the boat is too high to be pulled up by force, otherwise... the net will definitely break and the fish will escape."

Su Mo then realized that the fishing net at this time was made of hemp fiber, and its strength was far less than that of fishing nets in later generations.

He frowned and asked, "What should we do?"

Zhao Laoyao was indeed very experienced. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "We can only postpone pulling in the net and let some of the yellow croakers escape."

"Or slowly sail back to the dock and try to catch the yellow croaker."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo immediately became conflicted.

He turned to look at the Empress on the watchtower, who looked utterly shocked, and finally sighed, saying dejectedly, "Release some of the yellow croakers!"

After a pause, he said to Zhao Laoyao, "You'll be in charge!"

Zhao Laoyao was dumbfounded...

……

A full hour later.

The Empress, Nangong Sheyue, Cao Feng, Chen Zhong, Chen Qian, and Zhang Xuzu, who had barely managed to get out of the cabin, all swallowed hard as they looked at the mountain of large yellow croakers!

Not only were they shocked, but the sailors on the ship were also dumbfounded!

This single net caught at least 5,000 jin of large yellow croaker!

This was after they deliberately released most of the yellow croakers!
The empress was stunned for a long time before she finally looked away from the large yellow croakers, each weighing almost seven or eight pounds.

"Su Lang, this... this net caught so many sea fish?"

The Empress took a deep breath: "How much is this worth?"

Su Mo...

The Empress's biggest concern is still money!

He didn't actually know the value of the large yellow croaker, and turned his gaze to Zhao Laoyao.

Zhao Laoyao quickly said, "Sir, this yellow croaker can sell for five coins a pound!"

He looked at Su Mo with awe: "Sir, this net of yours can be sold for at least twenty-five taels of silver."

Su Mo...

Upon hearing this, the Empress was somewhat disappointed: "Only twenty-five taels of silver?"

Zhao Laoyao quickly added, "My lady, this is quite a lot!"

"The catch from the seaside is worthless, but if you take it to the market, you can sell it for fifty taels of silver."

"This is just the catch from one net. If we catch a few more, we can make several hundred taels of silver a day! And if we have a few more big boats, it will be even more incredible!"

Zhao Laoyao almost drooled.

In his more than 20 years in the industry, he has never seen or even heard of a single net that can catch several thousand kilograms of fish!
No wonder this young man was willing to pay such a high price to hire us fishermen!
Upon hearing this, the Empress felt that there was some truth to it.

Fifty taels of silver per hour, and several hundred taels of silver in a day.

A month at sea, wouldn't that be tens of thousands of taels of silver?
If there were ten ships...

Just as the Empress was calculating her income, Cao Feng suddenly trembled, pointed to the left front, and exclaimed in shock, "Lord Su, look! That... isn't that the giant Kun you were talking about?"

Everyone looked in the direction Cao Feng was pointing!
Less than thirty feet away from the warship, more than a dozen enormous black shadows were seen swimming on the sea!

(End of this chapter)