Chapter 2195

The ships commanded by Dai Chengrong were all ordinary sailing ships that were used to haul cargo and occasionally pick up a few passengers along the way. Not to mention the eight hundred miles of waterway per day, it would be considered good if they could smoothly cover the two hundred miles of waterway 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, sailing at night had limited vision, and required high concentration and no carelessness. However, this was hard work for the crew.

Things may not be the same for others.

After nightfall, the visibility on the river dropped. Passengers on each boat finally got the opportunity to go to the deck to ventilate, and the cursing voices finally subsided. The children of various families who had been suffocating during the day were finally able to sit on the deck.

, and had dinner while enjoying the cool river breeze.

Of course, there is definitely no alcohol. In order to ensure the safety of the trip, no alcohol is carried on these ships, and it is expressly prohibited for anyone to carry it in the luggage, even rice wine. Since violators will be disqualified from training, so

Although there are many rebellious and 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 when they return.

After being cooped up in the cabin for a day, everyone had already scolded them several times if they could. At this time, they had no intention of continuing to scold. After filling their stomachs, some people gathered in twos and threes and whispered, and some people were lying on the deck with big words.

On board, they stared at the dark night sky in a daze, and some people ran to chat with the crew and asked where they were at this time, but no one made a fuss about being locked in the cabin during the day and being unable to get out.

In fact, many of these children of salt merchants have been doing business with their elders since they were young. They are not unfamiliar with traveling by boat. Many of them have traveled through this waterway in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River more than once. But in the past, going out to do things was not a problem.

Being so sneaky is like being a thief, and their movements are restricted on the ship, which makes them feel a little uncomfortable.

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

part.

Because the Dai family and the Ma family are deeply involved, the information that the children of these two families have is almost the same as that of Dai Chengrong, and they are also some of the people who are most cooperative with the itinerary. The information that the children of the other families have is different.

After all, during the day, those who complained the most came from this group.

What is the society like under the rule of Haihan? Can you really learn the true skills of the Haihan Army by going to Zhoushan? In addition to military training, what other cooperation projects with the Haihan people are there? In the future, will all the private armed forces of the seven major surnames be included?

Do you have to obey the orders 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 to seek answers to, but no one on the ship can answer all these questions, not even Dai Chengrong, one of the parties involved. However, Dai Chengrong already roughly knows the arrangements in Zhoushan, so it is not too difficult.

Worry about what will happen after entering an unknown environment.

Before dawn, everyone who stayed on the deck was driven back to the cabin. Although some people still expressed dissatisfaction, it was much less than the previous day. More and more people have begun to realize that at this time

In fact, there is no practical significance in insisting on some unnecessary treatment. If it makes a big fuss, it will only hinder the sailing speed, causing the fleet to be delayed longer on the way, and they themselves will be trapped on the ship for a longer period of time.

Dai Chengrong couldn't hold on until dawn, so he gnawed two meat buns, and then fell asleep. When he woke up again, it was already noon, and the crew of the boat had also changed.

"Where are we?" 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 the young master, we are now in Jiangyin. In front of us is Jiangyin Guard's naval fort!"

After hearing this, Dai Chengrong 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 garrison was set up in Jiangyin and a naval force was stationed. However, the actual construction of forts to guard the Yangtze River was actually in

Chongzhen for eight years. Shortly before the fort was built, Haihan sent troops to Hangzhou Bay to force the Zhejiang government to grant trade rights, which made the Ming Dynasty very disgraceful. Therefore, this measure was to guard against anyone coming up the river. Its meaning is self-evident.

.

Of course, it is far from enough to completely block the Yangtze River, which is three miles wide, in wartime with only a dozen or so cannons. But if you add the locally stationed naval forces, it will be impossible.

It can still be done by delaying the enemy's time. One of the reasons why the Zhoushan authorities do not want to directly send troops to Yangzhou is also considering that there are some defense measures deployed by the Ming Dynasty in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and it will be inconvenient for the naval fleet to enter these areas.

The voyage from Yangzhou to the mouth of the Yangtze River was almost exactly half the voyage to Jiangyin. Dai Chengrong calculated the time and found that it took almost a day and a half. This speed was not actually slow, but it was 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. This fact makes him quite satisfied. Although the ships are quite ordinary, the sailors equipped with them are all experienced people with talents.

Maintain such a stable marching formation.

"Just keep this speed!" Taking into account the condition of the sailors, Dai Chengrong did not intend to order any more sudden advances. Although time was of the essence, he had to ensure that he arrived at the destination safely. If there was a safety incident on the way, he would wait in Yangzhou.

The uncles and elders who heard the news may not be able to bear the excitement.

Of course, if several large ships were arranged from the beginning, and each ship could carry more people, it would definitely be much less difficult for the fleet to maintain a consistent speed. However, the Dai family made such an arrangement mainly because they had to deal with these people on the way.

Strict restrictions on movement on the ship may cause conflicts 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 careful consideration, in the end it is better to

It was decided to arrange a few more boats and reduce the number of people on each boat to enhance the safety factor on the way.

However, in fact, by the second day, the passengers on the ship had basically adapted to this special arrangement. Knowing that the protest was ineffective, they just stayed in the cabin and waited for the wind release. But it was midsummer, and no matter how good the ventilation conditions were in the cabin,

There was still no way to resist the hot air. Everyone would sweat profusely even if they lay still, which was really uncomfortable.

By the evening of the third day, the fleet had arrived at Songjiang Prefecture, and they no longer had to worry about their whereabouts being exposed when they went out to sea. Dai Chengrong ordered people to send out a signal to lift all restrictions on activities on board. After another day of sailing south, they could arrive

The destination.

After dawn, everyone on the boat found that they had reached the sea. After asking the sailors, they found out that they had sailed into the waters of Hangzhou Bay, and this was actually Haihan's sphere of influence. More than a hundred miles to the south was the purpose of this trip.

It’s Zhoushan Island.

Although they still knew nothing about the situation on Zhoushan Island, most people couldn't help but cheered when they learned that they were about to reach the destination. It was really sad for them to be on the ship for the past few days, even though they knew that the days after landing would be very difficult.

It will be even more painful, so I still hope to end my semi-imprisonment life on this ship as soon as possible.

Before sunset, they saw the outline of Zhoushan Island on the distant sea, but in fact it was not until dark that the fleet could sail to the northern waters of the island. When the fleet arrived at Dinghai Port from the west side of Zhoushan Island,

It was already midnight. Dai Chengrong specifically consulted Yuan Tao before arriving, so he knew that he could not order sailing into the military port area at this time, otherwise he would easily be treated as a trespasser. He could only find a place to park half a mile nearby.

In the evening, wait until dawn before moving to the military port pier.

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

The reason why there are such strict restrictions here is not because Dai Chengrong is unreasonable or deliberately uses his power to disgust people, but because this group of people came to Zhoushan for a special purpose and should not expose their whereabouts. In the most ideal situation,

Just come quietly and leave quietly after completing your studies. Do not let any irrelevant people notice the existence of their team. Only in this way can they become a surprise force that changes the power competition of Yangzhou salt merchants in the future.

It had been four days on the boat, and it was the third watch in the middle of the night. In fact, no one insisted on getting off the boat at this time to go for a swim, so this ban did not attract any complaints and was implemented smoothly. By the time of the fifth watch,

, the fleet then sailed away from Panzhi Island and headed for the military port in the north.

The children of these salt merchants, including Dai Chengrong, finally witnessed how spectacular the legendary Haihan naval fleet was. Compared with the sailing warships parked at the dock, the sailing ships they were traveling on were simply insignificant sampans.

.Many people opened their mouths, not knowing how to describe what they saw in front of them.

Although they had heard more or less rumors about how they knew the Haihan Navy before they came, most of them would still associate its image with the Ming Navy that they were more familiar with by default, but now they see it with their own eyes.

Only when they saw it did they realize that the appearance of the Haihan warship was completely different from the warships of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, looking at the port from east to west, there were dozens of warships of various sizes moored in a row. The scale was far beyond what they had ever seen in their lives.

Any naval fleet I have ever seen.

When Dai Chengrong saw it, he understood that there was news that the Haihan Army stationed in Zhoushan had just conquered Hirado, Japan. It was no joke. How could such a huge fleet go anywhere in the world?

While being shocked, these salt merchants' children also had a great deal of confidence in Haihan. As the saying goes, seeing is believing, and with such a powerful armed fleet in front of them, the effect is greater than a thousand words of bragging.

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

.

"No wonder shopkeeper Yuan was still so confident after arriving in Yangzhou. If it were me, I would be ten times more arrogant than him!" Dai Chengrong thought of the confidence and calmness revealed in Yuan Tao's words and deeds, and finally understood him.

The confidence lies.

At this time, a guide boat had already come forward to greet them. After asking about the identity and purpose of this fleet, they led them to an empty dock. At this time, the salt merchants' children on the boat were no longer in a hurry to go ashore.

They even hoped to stay here for a while longer so that they could admire these Haihan warships again.

Ma Zhengping had already trusted his connections 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 were expected to arrive in the next two days, and he

As the only family head of the seven surnames living in Zhoushan, he naturally had to shoulder the task of welcoming these children. So he even put aside the commercial warehouse site that had just started construction and came to the port specially 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, military ports generally do not accept non-naval ships to dock at night, so they just reported it and

No ship was sent to bring them into the port. This way, the officials had one night to make some necessary preparations, and the officials who should come forward had 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 have a strong willingness to cooperate. Therefore, the Zhoushan authorities have also increased their attention to this matter. Today Shi Diwen will be present in person.

, welcome the arrival of this special group of students.

However, because of Shi Diwen's distinguished status, it is certainly impossible to come to the port in advance and wait, so the person currently accompanying Ma Zhengping here while waiting for the fleet to dock is Navy Lieutenant Commander Duan Tiancheng, who will be responsible for training this group of trainees.

"Boss Ma, these boys you sent 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." Duan Tiancheng has been talking to Ma these days.

Zhengping has met Ma Zhengping several times and received many benefits from him in various names. Therefore, when it is time to mention something about Ma Zhengping, he will now take the initiative to say a few words.

Ma Zhengping thanked him quickly and then asked: "These people have come to Zhoushan from Yangzhou, so their appearance will be a little messy. I hope Sir Duan can say something nice in front of the general, so that the general doesn't think we are here."

People are slovenly people."

Duan Tiancheng smiled and said: "You can rest assured about this. General Shi learned that they came from Yangzhou around the clock and had already asked me to arrange the bathhouse in the camp in advance. After the ceremony, I will take them to have a good wash."
Chapter completed!