This is excellent weather.
There is a gentle breeze, the sun is high in the sky, a few white clouds are floating slowly in the sky, and the blue sky is brightly colored. Just one look at it makes people relaxed and happy.
The sea is endless as far as the eye can see, with rolling waves, splashing white waves, and sparkling crystal waves. They appear the same color in the distance, and it is difficult to tell where is the sea and where is the sky.
This is a good day to go to sea.
Zhao Tong stood on the bow of the boat with his hands behind his hands, looking at the endless horizon in front of him. The sea and sky seemed to have no end, which made people's minds suddenly open and boundless.
What does fluttering look like? There is a sandy gull in the sky and the earth.
A few seagulls circled above, and occasionally they rushed into the sea like arrows, caught a fish, and jumped onto the deck to eat it, arrogantly and not afraid of people.
The two large ships were exquisitely made, with three sails and rudders at the front and rear, and they were able to cut through the waves.
The Song Dynasty had thousands of miles of sea territory, thousands of rivers, and countless large and small shipyards. The official shipyard was the first in Mingzhou, and the private shipyard was the first in Quanzhou.
These two ships naturally came from Mingzhou Shipyard. They looked like ordinary seagoing ships on the outside, but they had the structure of warships on the inside.
The best warships of the Song Dynasty were called Shenzhous. The most famous ones were the Lingxu Zhiyuan Anji Shenzhou and the Lingfei Shunji Shenzhou, which could carry tens of thousands of ships and carry hundreds of people.
Zhao Tong was thinking about these things in his mind, and Ma Zheng came over and said softly: "Your Majesty, do you want to go to Salmon Island?"
Salmon Island is an island where prisoners are exiled. This kind of exile is far inferior to being exiled to the army. The official food allotment is limited, and the prisoners on the exile island have a narrow escape.
Zhao Tong said: "I am not familiar with sea routes, but the place is unlucky, just watch and go."
Ma Zhengdao: "Originally, I had to go around there to keep it secret, but I was afraid that the prince would go to the island for inspection, so I asked this question on purpose."
Zhao Tong shook his head and smiled: "General Ma is too cautious. I don't care what happens there. I just follow the route you set."
Ma Zhengli said: "It's the prince, then follow the established route and walk thirty miles east of Salmon Island."
Zhao Tong nodded and suddenly said: "There won't be pirates, right?"
Ma Zheng was stunned and said: "Your Majesty, most pirates travel south of Dengzhou. Except for attacking Dengzhou, it is rare to go north."
The ship continued to move forward through the waves, and it was already noon in the blink of an eye. At this time, the two large ships had not yet arrived at Salmon Island, but were heading east.
In fact, it's not that far away. The ship is still in the Bohai Sea, just slightly off track. This is the route set by Ma Zhenghu Yanqing and the sailors on the ship.
If you go within Salmen Island, it will be too conspicuous. After all, if you take the next step forward, you are likely to encounter a Liao ship. However, if you go dozens of miles outside Salmen Island, it is not a detour. After all, even if measured in a straight line, the Liaodong Peninsula is still ahead.
After eating a little something in the cabin and watching the sun pass due south, Zhao Tong calculated in his mind that at this moment the two ships should have reached a position parallel to Salmon Island, but a few dozen miles to the east. Just meet.
After resting for a while, Zhao Tong was about to call Ma Kuan to come over and play chess. Suddenly, there was a loud noise on the deck outside, and there were even sailors calling to turn around.
Zhao Tong heard Ma Zheng's voice and Hu Yanqing's voice, which seemed to be shouting: "Don't panic, don't panic, it can't be a Goryeo ship!"
But the noise became louder and louder, gradually drowning out his two voices.
Zhao Tong sat in the cabin with a smile on his lips.
At this time, Ma Zheng ran down, but he put on armor and said nervously: "Your Majesty!"
Zhao Tong looked at him: "What's going on outside?"
Ma Zheng suddenly prostrated: "Your Majesty, Ma Zheng deserves to die, there are pirates outside."
Zhao Tong frowned slightly: "General Ma, didn't you say that pirates are rare going north from Dengzhou?"
Ma Zheng's face was full of confusion and he said: "Ma Zheng has been an official in Dengzhou for several years and has never seen pirates in the north. After the imperial court issued the secret decree, they even checked the sea records. In the past few decades, there have been no pirates north of Dengzhou. There are records of pirates appearing, and the last time... the last time they appeared was in the eighth year of Renzong Tiansheng's reign."
"Tian Sheng's eighth year?" Zhao Tong shook his head and said, "Didn't that still happen?"
Ma Zheng's mind was in a state of confusion. Even though he didn't want to defend himself, he still couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, for the sake of confidentiality, anyone would choose this route."
Zhao Tong sneered in his heart, yes, anyone would choose this route!
He stood up and said, "I will go out and take a look."
Ma Zheng was shocked when he heard this: "Your Majesty, please don't leave the cabin for a long time. The pirates are ferocious, and they have bows, arrows and spearguns for long-distance attack. If you injure your Majesty..."
Zhao Tong said: "Is it okay for me to sit in this cabin? There are only a few pirate ships on the left and right, and you brought two disguised soldiers with you!"
Ma Zheng grinned: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, it's not just a few pirate ships..."
Zhao Tong said: "General Ma, you also fought in the Western Army. You are just a pirate. Why are you like this?"
Ma Zheng lowered his head and said nothing. He didn't know how to explain it at this moment.
The sounds outside became more and more chaotic. Zhao Tong frowned and said, "Follow me and go out to see!"
Ma Zheng gritted his teeth and stood up helplessly, but walked in front of Zhao Tong, wanting to use his body to cover Zhao Tong.
After a while, the two stood on the deck. Zhao Tong looked forward, even though he was already prepared, he still raised his eyebrows.
I saw endless white sails on the vast sea in front of me, as if they were overwhelming the sky. The densely packed ships, which seemed to have no end in sight, and no one knew how many there were, were blocking the sea road in front of them arrogantly.
Zhao Tao suddenly turned around, and there was still the same scene behind his two ships. The sea was full of white sails, and the ships were like weaving, which made people feel desperate.
He looked at Ma Zheng and said angrily: "General Ma, is this what you said about no pirates?"
Ma Zheng was in a daze. He couldn't tell what he was thinking. He wanted to pull out his sword and wipe his neck directly. But when he looked at Zhao Tong, he didn't know. If something happened to King Qi, it would definitely shock the government and the public. How could he die? Then you can hide!
Zhao Tong looked at the largest ship that was slowly approaching in front of him. The ship was flying a high flag, but without writing, it actually had a big tiger head painted on it. It looked ferocious and ferocious, as if it was looking down at the two Song Dynasty ships in front of it. sea ship.
Zhao Tong's face turned pale and he held onto the wooden railing: "This kind of flag is really a pirate!"
Ma Zheng lowered his head and trembled all over.
Zhao Tong's expression gradually changed, and his voice slowly lowered: "Two generals, do you think... is it possible to fight?"
Ma Zheng and Hu Yanqing looked at Zhao Tong blankly after hearing this. Do you want to fight? What fight? How to fight?
The opponent has no fewer than 150 large-scale ships, at least several thousand pirates, and possibly tens of thousands of people. He has two ships and a hundred soldiers. Is it true that even the Jurchens cannot fight here? No, no, no, this is the sea. Even if the Jurchens were given ten times as many thousand people, they would not be able to fight.
"Two generals, so... we can no longer fight?" Zhao Tong took a step back: "Then what should we do?"
Ma Zheng and Hu Yanqing looked at each other. Needless to say, this is of course surrender. There may still be a chance of survival if they compromise. If they fight to the death, they will be chopped down and thrown into the sea to feed the fishes in less than half a moment.
However, both of them knew that the word "surrender" could not come out of their own mouths. Let alone King Qi here, if he was lucky enough to save his life, the court would definitely hold him accountable in the future. Whoever said surrender first would be held accountable first.
At this time, the fleet in front was approaching, and the pirates on the ship could already be seen. They all looked ferocious and ferocious, and they were dressed in all kinds of colors, including armor, shirtless, barefoot, and tattoos all over their bodies. have.
He was also holding many weapons, bows and arrows. The swords and guns were swaying under the sunlight. The soldiers on the boat couldn't help but retreat one after another, and Zhao Tong and the other three were actually moved forward.
A voice shouted from the bow of the ship on the opposite side: "People on the ship in front, listen, if you don't put down your weapons and surrender, don't blame us for charging and killing them all!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tong looked at Ma Zheng and Hu Yanqing. Unexpectedly, the two of them lowered their heads as if they had already made a secret agreement.
When Zhao Tong saw this, he suddenly shouted "Ah!", rolled his eyes, and fell to the deck with a "pop" and passed out.
Ma Zheng and the two were immediately shocked. They looked at Zhao Tao who was unconscious on the ground and at the murderous ship opposite, and they couldn't help but scream in their hearts...
An hour later, Zhao Tao stood on the bow of the largest pirate ship in white clothes, looking ahead with a leisurely expression.
Several people stood behind him, and several boats followed behind him, sailing slowly toward the east under the sunlight.
(Also, it may be later)
(End of chapter)
