Ryukyu, Naha Port.
Chen Hui stood on the boat, looked at Zhuang Zhengde, Yu Maoyan and others on the shore, and shouted: "You haven't boarded the boat for a long time, but you want to stay here?"
Zhuang Zhengde, Yu Maoyan and other shipwrights all shook their heads. Although the scenery of Da Liuqiu was beautiful, it was still a foreign country compared to their homeland. Their families were in the Ming Dynasty and their roots were in the Ming Dynasty.
However, Zhuang Zhengde kept sizing up the Dafu ship in front of him on the shore, and shouted to Chen Hui: "I said Deputy General Chen, who is so heartless that he cut off the mast? Maybe he has to take a test before returning to China?" Our ship repair skills?”
Chen Hui laughed loudly. After hearing this, Li Jian also walked to the side of the ship and replied with a smile: "This is a real treasure ship of the Ming Dynasty. It doesn't need masts or sails. It can still sail long distances."
Zhuang Zhengde didn't believe it, and Yu Maoyan also expressed doubts. As an old shipwright, he knew very well what was the driving force for the ship to move through the water. In addition to wind and water flow, it could only rely on human power.
But it's winter now, and the northwest wind blows from time to time. It's okay to walk against the current and against the wind, but if you walk a long way, many sergeants will be tired.
This is the first time I have seen a big fortune ship without sails or masts.
Pang Huan and Gu Yun looked at the forty or so people in front of them. They turned out to be pirates who committed murder and arson. However, at the last moment, they cooperated with the actions of the Security Bureau and immediately Credit goes.
The experience of living and dying together makes an emotion bind everyone.
Seeing that Yin Zhiguo, Sun Yan and others were worried, Pang Huan pointed to the ship not far away: "I give you one last chance to choose. The Dafu ship there has been requisitioned by the Security Bureau. You can sail away from Da Liuqiu at any time. No one will stop you. If you don’t choose to leave, you can only follow me back to the Ming capital and obey the emperor’s decision.”
"You should have heard that Emperor Jianwen made clear distinctions between rewards and punishments, and divided merits and demerits. As long as you are willing to surrender and become good and obedient citizens of the Ming Dynasty, I believe that the emperor will not embarrass you."
Yin Zhiguo, Sun Yan and others sighed secretly. It was impossible to escape. The firearms equipped by the Ming Dynasty Navy were enough to destroy a house in a short time. They became more and more powerful, enough to make their fellow pirates feel desperate.
Let's go with Pang Huan, he won't betray us. Emperor Jianwen is not stupid. I think he will consider everyone's merit and pardon the death penalty.
"Boss, we will follow you back. Whether you are alive or dead, we all know who you are."
Yin Zhiguo knew there was no retreat and calmly accepted his future.
Sun Yan and others expressed their intention to follow.
Pang Huan and Gu Yun were very pleased, ordered people to board the ship, and then said goodbye to Xu An and others. Xu An became the guardian of Da Liuqiu Island, responsible for the restoration, reconstruction, system change and management of Da Liuqiu Island.
The Ming Dynasty sergeant captured a group of prisoners. Considering that the steam engine ship could not transport all the prisoners at once, Xu An kept more than 2,000 prisoners and arranged for them to expand the Naha Port and build a large military camp to protect the port.
Pang Huan and Gu Yun got on the boat, and they were also very confused about where the mast of the Dafu ship had gone. There was a black pipe on the bow of the ship, and white smoke was spraying from the pipe.
Li Jian needed to return to the capital to tell Zhu Yunwen about the situation in Ryukyu. As for the main force of the navy, they were temporarily stationed in Ryukyu. The aquatic products here were very rich, and the supplies in the treasure ships were enough to support them until spring.
The signal to start the ship continued to spread, and the flags were played. Xu An and the sergeants saluted and said goodbye. Li Jian and others saluted and said goodbye. With the sound of steam, the propeller at the rear of the steam engine began to rotate, the waves turned and the water flowed, and the ship slowly Depart port.
Zhuang Zhengde and Yu Maoyan ran to both sides of the ship and stared carefully, but they did not see any sergeant stretching out the oar. The ship seemed to be moving forward on its own.
"What exactly is going on?"
Zhuang Zhengde was shocked, and Yu Maoyan and other shipwrights were also curious.
Pang Huan, Gu Yun, Yin Zhiguo, Sun Yan and others were also shocked by this scene. How could the boat run away on its own? What was the black smoke in front of it?
"Go check out the cabin!"
Pang Huan got into the cabin, and Zhuang Zhengde and others also followed. The cabin was different from the cabins of the Dafu ship in the past, especially the front part of the cabin. There were pipelines installed and a large iron box. There were people Throwing coal into the iron box, the connecting rods are constantly moving, the gears are constantly meshing...
"This is?"
Zhuang Zhengde and Yu Maoyan had never heard of a steam engine and had no idea what it was.
Jiang Lang was responsible for monitoring and maintaining the steam engine. Seeing Zhuang Zhengde, Pang Huan and others asking, he said with a bit of pride: "This is a national weapon of the Ming Dynasty. Ordinary people are not allowed to approach it. You are heroes and members of the Security Bureau." , it’s okay to talk about it, this is the masterpiece of the Imperial College, called the steam engine.”
Zhuang Zhengde frowned: "An opportunity to strive for success? How can this thing strive for success?"
Jiang Lang laughed and explained: "It's not about the breath, but the steam of water. In order to develop this steam engine, the imperial court mobilized the Second Artillery Bureau, the Imperial College of Artillery, the Science and Technology Bureau, the Military War Bureau, the Longjiang Shipyard... and the Ming Dynasty... The best craftsmen take a long time to create them. To talk about the arduous development process, we have to start with the craftsman academy..."
Pang Huan was a little annoyed when he heard this. This is nothing. We want to know what this is, who made it, why it was so hard, and how many people participated...
But Zhuang Zhengde, Yu Maoyan and others were very interested in this, and a group of craftsmen listened with rapt attention.
Pang Huan's legs were sore from standing. He finally understood that a steam engine is a water boiler. It boils water and then drives the rods, gears, and propellers to rotate. Although he didn't know how to make it, he finally understood that as long as there is water, this thing can work. Coal can be transported, whether it's going south in summer or north in winter, it's no problem.
Yin Zhiguo, Sun Yan and other pirates all turned pale. Damn it, if the Ming Navy had had this thing, Chen Zuyi would not have been able to escape when he attacked the Yangjiang Shipyard.
It's hard to get into the pirate business. If you keep doing it, it's very likely that one day when you're rowing a boat, someone else's steam engine ship will come over.
They said that Ming Dynasty was manufacturing pure iron ships. They also said that it was a lot of trouble to use steam engines to burn wooden ships. If the insulation was not good, the wooden boards would crack. How can we fight a pure iron ship? We don't even have a chance to build the ship...
Pang Huan was very happy. During his latent time, Ming Dynasty did not stagnate, but made great strides forward. Many new things appeared, and some new knowledge was also born.
go home!
Pang Huan missed Cong Pei'er very much and worried about the son he had never met.
On an unnamed island in the northeastern sea off Xiaoliuqiu Island, Zhu Quan is holding a mahogany sword and practicing a set of sword techniques with seven stars on his feet.
Yang Shan received a secret letter and rushed over, but did not interrupt Zhu Quan.
Zhu Quan put away his sword and stood up, asking, "Let's just talk about it."
Yang Shan said solemnly: "According to the news from Bloody Hand Yama, Liuqiu Island is under the control of the Ming Navy. A large port will be built there and it will become an important stronghold of the Ming Dynasty in the East China Sea."
Zhu Quan sheathed his sword, took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "The civil strife in Dayiuqiu Island indeed provided an opportunity for the court to intervene. Who controls Dayiuqiu Island now?"
Yang Shan handed over the letter: "Navy Commander Xu An."
After Zhu Quan saw it, he shook his head: "Pang Huan did things carefully, but he didn't think more deeply. Doesn't Xu An's control of the Ryukyu Islands mean that the Ming Dynasty occupied the Ryukyu Islands? If this news reaches Nanyang, it will Aren’t all the vassal states scared out of their wits?”
Yang Shan said puzzledly: "The letter said that it was Shang Bazhi of Shannan Kingdom who first launched an army to kill King Wang Yingzu, and then invaded Shuri City and killed Wu Ning..."
Zhu Quan interrupted Yang Shan and looked into the depths of the sea: "These explanations are pale, and the countries in Nanyang may not believe them. After all, putting Xu An on the table, others can only guess that Ming Dynasty dominated all this. In the end, The appropriate approach is to find a puppet and then give up the puppet after a few years."
Yang Shan thought that what Zhu Quan said made sense and suggested: "In this case, should we write a letter to the court to explain something?"
Zhu Quan was silent.
With Zhu Yunwen's intelligence, he would not have thought of this. He has been plotting against Liuqiu Island for many years, so it is impossible that he does not know the benefits of puppets on the table.
Besides, there were many smart people in the civil and military circles of the Manchu Dynasty. They would not refuse to advise me, so I should stay overseas and live my own leisurely life.
Da Liuqiu Island has entered the hands of Zhu Yunqiu, and Xiao Liuqiu Island is not far away. After Zhu Yunqiu has achieved control of Da Liuqiu and the surrounding islands, Ming Dynasty's only enemy in the East China Sea will be the Japanese country!
Zhu Quan didn't know where Zhu Yunwen's expansion would end, but he could feel that the Ming Dynasty's foreign wars would not end after the Great and Little Ryukyu Islands.
】
Keshan walked in a hurry and saw Zhu Quan in front. He hurriedly walked over and handed over an urgent letter: "Top secret letter, letter from the capital."
Zhu Quan took the letter and couldn't help but stare at the familiar words.
This is Zhu Yunwen's handwriting.
Zhu Quan watched as he walked. Keshan and Yangshan were following not far away.
The content of the letter is very simple. Zhu Yunwen commended Zhu Quan, which provided sufficient reasons for Ming Dynasty to enter Xiaoliuqiu Island.
Zhu Quan looked at this letter, and there was something strange in it.
Zhu Yunwen was a very purposeful person. He usually gave orders very concisely and explained things neatly, but a letter like this one seemed wordy.
The letter was five pages long. It described the importance of Xiaoliuqiu Island, the voyage trade, and the arrest of Fujian Chief Minister Wang Zhonghe for his rebellion. He even wrote such nonsense as the cold in the capital. Got in.
After Zhu Quan read it, he was confused and didn't understand what Zhu Yunwen's purpose was in writing such an urgent letter. It didn't seem like a complete compliment to praise himself, and there was no reprimand between the lines. Instead, Zhu Quan was not interested, and Zhu Yunwen was not interested either. if.
"But the Emperor wants us to go back?"
When Yang Shan saw Zhu Quan put away the letter, he couldn't help but stepped forward to ask.
Zhu Quan put his hands behind his back and stared at the sea: "The Navy has not yet set foot on Xiaoliuqiu Island, and it is not time for us to return home."
Yang Shan was a little surprised. The imperial court had already decided on the strategy of conquering and controlling Xiaoliuqiu Island. However, it was only because of the incident on Daliuqiu Island that it temporarily changed the direction of march. Now that the problem of Daliuqiu was solved, when should Xiaoliuqiu be taken over? A “whatever you want” thing?
Xiaoliuqiu Island will not escape. The Ming government and the public have reached a consensus that conquering it is a sure thing. There is no need for the Qingyuan Pirates to exist. If they don’t get rid of it, these people will really become pirates...
Zhu Quan ignored Yang Shan and Keshan, but speculated on what Zhu Yunwen wanted to express in the letter and what he was telling himself.
Interesting facts about the capital?
Strange stories from the Western Regions?
Fujian disaster?
what exactly is it?
Zhu Quan took out the letter again and looked at it for a long time. His eyes were fixed on the words of Fujian Chief Minister Wang Zhonghe. His face became solemn and he whispered to himself: "Could he be bitten by Wang Zhonghe?"
Impossible. I just wanted to do some business with him. He only knew the identity behind him. Even if the Security Bureau interrogated Wang Zhonghe, it would have nothing to do with him. Your Majesty, I, Zhu Quan, am innocent...
