Bohai Sea. Qinbei Pavilion
"I didn't expect that there would be heavy fog these past few days, which delayed our trip."
Ruan Xiaoqi looked at the white fog and felt irritated. Ever since they entered the Bohai Sea, they encountered heavy fog only a few days ago. The visibility was less than three miles. The sea was so white that it was impossible to distinguish the southeast from the northwest.
"Xiao Qi, don't be impatient. This heavy fog has helped us. Otherwise, such a large fleet might have been discovered in Laizhou."
Xu Guanzhong said with a smile.
"Also, let the soldiers get used to the wind and waves on the sea."
Xu Guanzhong felt the giant ship swaying with the waves. It was also his first time to go to sea. Although he was fully prepared before coming, after the giant ship, which was originally as stable as a mountain, entered the sea, it could no longer be described as a small boat. It was just a drop in the ocean, and the wind and waves were like that. The helplessness without any resistance made him tremble a little.
In the first few days after entering the sea, many soldiers on the ship had some symptoms of seasickness. Fortunately, they were all elites who had been trained for a long time, so they would get used to it in a few days.
"Military advisor, I'm really anxious. We have to send back the good news as soon as possible. We can't keep my brother waiting for too long!"
Ruan Xiaoqi said with a grimace. He knew that no matter how anxious he was, it would be useless. The heavy fog on the sea was not something he could control.
"Complain less and do more! The fleet is now moving along the coast. If you have nothing to do, just go ahead and lead the way with the chart!"
Ruan Xiaoer glared at Ruan Xiaoqi. Because of the heavy fog, their fleet did not dare to go far from the coast. They were worried about getting lost in the sea, so they could only move slowly close to the coast.
But the biggest danger when approaching the coast is not being discovered, but being easily stranded on the rocks, so during this period they traveled day and night, and the leaders took turns driving small boats to explore the way ahead.
"Second brother, I'm in a hurry! I'll change my shift later!"
Ruan Xiaoqi replied.
"This matter cannot be rushed. The most important thing is that we proceed steadily."
Xu Guanzhong said with a smile.
"Military advisor, there are fishing boats ahead! There are about a dozen of them, all small boats, casting nets on the sea to catch fish."
Bu Qing climbed on the cable and jumped onto the boat to report.
"A dozen fishing boats?"
Ruan Xiaoer kept frowning. This was also a big trouble when sailing along the coast. Fishermen on the beach still had to eat, but because the boats were small, they generally did not dare to go too far from the sea. They were all near the coastline and were easily hit.
Liang Shan's current behavior is more like that of a knight-errant. He takes action when encountering injustices and takes care of villains when encountering them. However, he does not have the habit of killing civilians at will.
It is impossible to kill all the fishermen in these dozens of boats, but leaving them alone will delay the trip and even risk exposure.
"The distance from here is already within Dengzhou territory. Surround the fishermen and capture them all alive and bring them to the boat!"
Xu Guanzhong looked at Bu Qing and said, the fleet ahead today is Fei Bao's fourth fleet, and it shouldn't be a problem to capture more than a dozen fishing boats.
"Military advisor, what do you want these fishermen to do?"
Ruan Xiaoqi asked doubtfully, isn't this an active exposure?
"Fishing at sea is a hundred times more dangerous than in rivers and lakes. The fog has only been heavy for a few days, and these fishermen have taken the risk to go fishing in the sea, which shows the embarrassment of life."
Xu Guanzhong said with a smile that fishing at sea is inherently dangerous, and this foggy weather is even more life-threatening when going to sea. This shows that these fishermen have no food left at home.
Fei Bao, Bu Qing, and Di Cheng each led their ships in a fan shape to surround the fishermen heading forward.
In the vast white fog, more than a dozen old small fishing boats are pulling in nets for fishing. Fishing at sea requires large nets, which one or two people cannot pull. It is also extremely unsafe for a few boats to go to sea in heavy fog, so this The heavy fog caused all the boats in the small fishing village to be dispatched.
The giant ship broke through the fog and slowly appeared around the fishing boats. The fishermen who were still fishing were shocked and couldn't move. They didn't know where the ship came from.
"Don't move around, just be obedient and we won't harm your life!"
Di Cheng looked at the stunned fishermen and shouted that soldiers had already surrounded them in small boats and did not allow the fishermen to say anything.
Fei Bao and others took the fishermen to the flagship.
"Are you local fishermen? Why do you go fishing in foggy weather?"
At this time, Xu Guanzhong was wearing pirate clothes, and Ruan Xiaoer and Ruan Xiaoqi beside him looked like fierce bandits at sea.
"You are...pirates!"
Only then did the fishermen notice the skull and crossbones flag on the mast. Although they had never seen it before, the gloomy murderous look made the fishermen shudder.
"Yes, we are pirates from the south, answer my question!"
Xu Guanzhong asked coldly. He wanted to say that he was from the outer sea, but when he said the outer sea, it became Korea and Japan. Pretending to be a foreigner would easily lead to gangs, so why not pretend to be a pirate from the south.
"The little people are local fishermen who fish on the beach all year round. There has been heavy fog these days. The little people have nothing to eat if they don't go to the sea. The bigger the fog, the more expensive the fish. So they ventured out to sea to catch some fresh fish to Dengzhou. Sell."
The leading fisherman said that they had to risk going out to sea for the sake of the lake entrance.
"How far is it from Dengzhou?"
Xu Guanzhong continued to ask.
"This is Huang County, about fifty miles away from Dengzhou!"
A fisherman points the way along the coast.
"I heard that there is a navy in Dengzhou?"
Xu Guanzhong asked again. Since he was pretending to be a pirate, he naturally wanted to inquire about the garrison situation in Dengzhou, the largest port in the north.
"Yes, yes, there are more than 2,000 people just east of Dengzhou, all in the Swordfish Village!"
The fishermen replied that they were familiar with the Dengzhou navy.
"Sword Fish Village? Tell me what you know."
Xu Guanzhong asked.
"There are many large ships. There are five such large ships and a dozen smaller ones!"
The fisherman pointed to the loach warship next to him and said.
"You know it very well?"
Xu Guanzhong was a little surprised to see these fishermen answering without hesitation. These fishermen seemed to know too well about the saury fish village where Dengzhou Navy was located.
"We are local fishermen and know how to repair boats. We go to Dengzhou every year to serve in boat repairs."
the fishermen replied.
Xu Guanzhong nodded. He was going to work as a corvee to repair the ship. No wonder he was so familiar.
"Where are the islands on Salmon Island?"
Xu Guanzhong asked again with a smile. It is impossible for local fishermen not to know the islands of Salmon Island.
"Returning to the king, it is a group of islands. There are countless islands stretching for hundreds of miles. The largest ones are Shamen, Touji, Qianniu, Dazhu, and Xiaozhu. Among them, Shamen Island is the closest to Dengzhou, only ten miles away. , is the place where criminals are distributed.”
The fishermen replied that they had also been to that island group, and it was very good to go fishing there when the weather was good.
"Apart from Salmon Island, are there any residents on the other islands?"
Xu Guanzhong continued to ask.
"Your Majesty, those are desert islands, far away from the state capital. The islands are full of rocks and trees. There is no place for people to live there!"
The fishermen shook their heads and said that it is difficult to be self-sufficient on those islands. It is definitely more comfortable to rely on the coastal states to survive.
"I'll let you go back, but you'd better pretend you haven't met us. We remember this place. I hope you won't let us come back!"
Xu Guanzhong nodded with satisfaction, and then frightened the fishermen. They were pirates, and the fishermen who relied on the sea for a living did not dare to offend them.
"Yes Yes Yes!"
A group of fishermen quickly pointed at the sea and swore.
"Get them off the boat!"
Xu Guanzhong waved his hand, and the soldiers took the fishermen off the boat.
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