The clear light of the East China Sea is full of floating gold and shining shadows; the spring dawn of the West is like a painted screen.
It’s time to smell the spring breeze in the north, and the ground in Fujian is already covered with flowers.
At the mouth of the Shijing River, countless ships come and go. What you bring is wealth, and what you bring away is even more wealth.
The person who controls all this is sitting on the dock, admiring his masterpiece with great satisfaction.
In the distance, several centipede boats led a lucky boat into the harbor, which attracted Zheng Zhilong's attention.
After a while, the boat stopped and a young man came running quickly. Before he could speak, Zheng Zhilong asked first.
"Hong Xu, I asked you to guard Zhoushan, why did you come back without permission?"
It was the tough young man Liao Zhongjian met on Zhoushan Island, Hong Xu, one of Zheng Chenggong's generals in the future.
However, Hong Xu is still very young today and can only be regarded as a underachiever within the Zheng Zhilong Group.
Therefore, he was sent to Zhoushan in the north to be in charge of trade along the coast of Zhejiang.
Zheng Zhilong couldn't help but feel a little angry when he came back without being summoned this time.
Hong Xu didn't care about this.
"General Rong, Shandong Zuo Mengeng sent people here and also sent them excellent things."
"oh……"
Zheng Zhilong was very puzzled when he heard that Zuo Menggeng had sent someone.
After meeting Zuo Mengeng last time in Nanjing, the two established business contacts. However, it was limited to business and trade, and there was no further involvement.
Why did Zuo Mengeng suddenly send someone over?
"Liao Zhongjian, I met an official."
The title of Liao Zhongjian made Zheng Zhilong happy.
Although he is now a pirate leader, he is also the chief soldier of the imperial court. But he prefers others to call him Yiguan, which is so cordial.
"Brother Zuo is busy with things. I heard that he did a lot of important things in the north. Why did you think of Zheng?"
Before coming to Fujian, Liao Zhongjian did very detailed homework.
He was familiar with Zheng Zhilong's temperament, hobbies, and the vital interests of the Zheng Group, and knew how to deal with these pirates.
"To be honest, my general is really looking for an official."
Zheng Zhilong speaks impeccably.
"When Brother Zuo promised me the glass trade, he was so affectionate that Zheng didn't dare or forget it. If you are ordered to do so, just ask, and Zheng will do his best."
Whether it can be done is another matter...
Liao Zhongjian didn't care about this.
"As a Shandong general, my general has always worked hard and loyally to quell the White Lotus Sect and the Dongjiang rebellion. However, traitors and traitors are rampant in the court, and they actually slandered my general as having second thoughts, and monstrous disaster is not far away. My general is naturally bright. The wind is bright and the moon is strong, and there is nothing to be afraid of. But my wife’s house is in Songjiang, and there may be changes overnight. Therefore, my general plans to send a troop of troops to Songjiang by sea to cope with the unbearable changes. The sea is naturally owned by an official. In the world, it is inevitable that one official will misunderstand me, so I have specially ordered you to come here. Please give me your permission."
Zheng Zhilong was stunned. He didn't expect Zuo Mengeng to play so big.
What changes should not be tolerated...
How did he, Zheng Zhilong, get started? He was very knowledgeable about this kind of thing.
Obviously, Zuo Mengeng had some trouble with the imperial court, and it was certain that he had evil intentions.
However, for such a big matter, Zuo Mengeng sent someone to inform him in advance, which still made Zheng Zhilong very satisfied.
This shows that Zuo Menggen respects his status as the maritime overlord and does not want to challenge his authority.
But Zheng Zhilong was still quite hesitant about Zuo Mengeng's actions.
"Songjiang Mansion is the best place in the world. If there is a sudden change, I'm afraid the court will not let it go."
Liao Zhongjian suddenly understood his thoughts.
"My general said that he met an official in Nanjing that day, and he felt like old friends at first sight. He heard that the Dutch were aggressive today, plundered merchants, and killed our Han people. They were cruel and brutal, and people and gods were outraged. My general knew that an official would not tolerate the arrogance of the Dutch. , How can I, a dignified Han, be reduced to a foreign lamb? But I have no skills, and I am helpless. I can only express my feelings, hoping to help an official."
Things were brought up.
Remove the oilcloth, and it will exude a charming light under the sun.
An artillery piece.
Although it is not big, it looks like a very sophisticated artillery piece.
Unlike any artillery today.
First of all, this gun doesn't look very big. The barrel is very tight and the whole body is glowing with blue-black light.
The most important thing is that the gun body is smooth, like glazed porcelain.
It is completely different from the crude artillery that can be seen everywhere today.
Secondly, the gun mount under the gun is very simple. It is mostly made of a combination of solid wood and iron, which looks very light at first glance.
Again, this cannon has two very huge wheels. The wheels are also covered with iron, so they must be very wear-resistant.
There is a curved bracket on the back of the cannon.
When the artillery is placed, the bracket just rests on the ground, which plays a balancing role.
"This is……"
Zheng Zhilong was shocked.
Zheng Zhibao, Zheng Zhihu, Shi Daxuan and others who came after hearing the news had already pounced on it, carefully stroking every part of the cannon as if they were seeing their beloved woman.
They are all experts in fighting, and they can tell at a glance whether a cannon is good or not.
Compared with the artillery currently used by the Zheng Group, this cannon is far superior in terms of material and forging technology.
And this gun is lighter.
Zheng Zhihu and Shi Daxuan worked together to lift the gun mount and dragged it for a few steps, then they knew what was going on.
"I'm afraid this cannon weighs less than a thousand pounds. I don't know why?"
Liao Zhongjian is full of confidence.
"I'll give you a demonstration."
He brought people over and immediately started operating on the spot.
The fixed gunpowder contained in the paper case was stuffed into the muzzle of the gun, and then a palm-sized iron ball was put in, and it was pushed into the innermost part with just a push of a wooden pole.
Another gunner stabbed the hole in the tail with a pick and inserted the fuse.
"boom……"
In the diffuse white smoke, a stone wall 300 meters away immediately collapsed and no longer looked like it was before.
It was a target made of two layers of blue bricks, but it was completely destroyed so easily.
Zheng Zhilong and others could not sit still.
Of course they know what this means.
The two-layer blue brick wall cannot block this shot, which means that ships on the sea can also be penetrated.
This cannon doesn't look big, but it's so powerful.
Liao Zhongjian took in everyone's expressions and signaled, and the gunners began their second demonstration.
This time the target was a target five hundred meters away, and he still hit it accurately.
With just these two shots, Zheng Zhilong was conquered in no time.
"Mr. Liao, this gun..."
Liao Zhongjian showed a confident smile.
"This cannon was made by me in Shandong. If an official needs it, I will give you a discount based on the friendship between our two families."
But he was very puzzled in his heart.
Zuo Menggeng sold such a bad thing to Zheng Zhilong, but Zheng Zhilong still felt like he had found a treasure.
What's wrong?
How did he know that he was used to seeing rifled steel cannons using guncotton explosives in Shandong, so looking at this old-fashioned front-loaded smoothbore cannon, he naturally felt unsightly.
But in the eyes of Zheng Zhilong and others, this artillery piece that was abandoned by the New Army was definitely the top weapon in the world.
