Three thousand miles in exile

The good news was sent to the palace by express delivery, and Song Fenglin could finally let go of the worries that had been hanging over the past few days.

"Queen Qi, the King of Han invites you to go to Lufeng County to see the ships." The soldiers conveyed Liu Zhan's words after the victory.

Liu Zhan captured ten ships in this battle, which can be said to be a surprise.

When Song Fenglin came to Hecang County, the guards waiting here immediately led him to the river embankment.

Today's weather is just right, there are green rice fields along the Huangchuan River, but people are crowded on the embankment of the river, and soldiers keep chasing them away, but they can't stop more and more people coming after hearing the news.

There were people wherever there was a road in front of them, and the guards surrounded the queen and drove forward with difficulty.

"Why are the common people crowded here?" Song Fenglin lifted the curtain of the car.

Zhao Qianhu rode over to report: "The queen came to see the ship."

What kind of sea-going ship can make people flock to it?

Fences have been erected on the section of the embankment where the ships are moored, and there are layers of soldiers guarding them to prevent them from approaching. The people can only crowd and watch from a distance.

The queen drove forward slowly, and finally entered the area blocked by the soldiers.

When Song Fenglin got out of the car, he couldn't help being stunned by the huge building-like ship in front of him.

Siyang is on the bank of the Huai River, but it is located in the hinterland. Because the Huai River gets shallower as it goes inland, there are not many big ships in Siyang. The biggest ship Song Fenglin has ever seen is the three-masted merchant ship of his grandfather Lin.

He once heard that there is a huge ship in Fuzhou, with nine masts and twelve sails, the anchor weighs a thousand catties, it can carry a thousand people, and it has the power to break the waves.

The sea ship in front of me happened to have nine masts and twelve sails, as tall as a building, unrivaled.

"Queen!" Liu Zhan stood on the top of the ship building and waved to Song Fenglin.

Song Fenglin looked up.

The river embankment is much higher than the surface of the Huangchuan River, but the roof of the ship is several feet higher than the river embankment, which is really shockingly huge.

"Wait for me there, I'll pick you up." Liu Zhan smiled.

Ever since Liu Zhan joined the army, it had been a long time since Song Fenglin saw him smiling so happily, like a child with a big toy.

Not long after, the King of Han, dressed in a black dragon robe, strode forward, and couldn't help sharing the joy in his heart when he was far away.

"Queen, have you seen this boat! This is the sea boat I told you can cross the sea!"

Song Fenglin also laughed. "I was scared when I got out of the car just now."

Liu Zhan laughed out loud. "I'll take you up for a walk."

After the war, Liu Zhan ordered people to clean up the top and bottom of the ship. At this time, there was no trace of blood on the deck.

There are four floors above the cabin deck.

The first floor is an open space, the second floor is similar to the first floor, the third floor is divided into multiple rooms, there is a meeting hall, a shrine dedicated to the Sea Goddess, etc., and the fourth floor has only five rooms, all of which are luxuriously decorated.

Stepping on the top floor, you can look at both sides of the Huangchuan River for a while. Ten giant ships are moored by the riverside, making the Huangchuan River less scary.

Looking into the distance while leaning on the railing, Song Fenglin couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Liu Zhan put his arms around his shoulders, his eyes sparkled. "Queen, with these ships, our trade route is not limited to Dachu."

I especially remember that Liu Zhan said that there is a sky beyond the sky when he was running horses on the North Coast. Looking at these huge ships now, Song Fenglin firmly believed in the world described by Liu Zhan.

"Do you want to send someone to Fanbang by sea?" Song Fenglin was like a roundworm in Liu Zhan's stomach.

"There will be such a day." Liu Zhan smiled heartily. "Don't worry about it now."

Hearing that there was something in Liu Zhan's words, Song Fenglin turned his head to look at him. "what you up to?"

Liu Zhan has confidence in his eyes. "Nanwang can form a navy, why can't I?"

Rather than going abroad as an envoy, what Liu Zhan wanted to do at this time was to use these ships to decipher the secrets of making ships and form a navy.

Of course, this idealized goal will take time to practice.

navy?Song Fenglin was stunned.

In the past hundreds of years, Northern Xinjiang has changed hands successively. There have been so many generations of northern Xinjiang owners, and none of them have ever thought of forming a navy in Northern Xinjiang.

Liu Zhan has far-sighted eyes. "Northern Xinjiang has the North Sea, which doesn't freeze in winter, and the Huangchuan River is deep enough to enter ships. This is a unique port."

As long as the sea route is opened, not only the formation of the navy, but also the sea trade route.

From then on, goods from the Han Kingdom could enter the Huai River by sea, or reach Chenliu by sea, not to mention saving time and manpower, and sea ships from the south of the Yangtze River could also go north to market goods.

After Song Fenglin figured out these joints, he felt his heart beating like a drum.

If the sea route is opened up, the prosperity of the Han Kingdom will definitely be raised to a higher level.

"If we want to open the sea route, we need people who can steer ships. Those captured boatmen may be useful." Song Fenglin immediately thought of the prisoners of the Southern Army who were detained in Lufeng County.

"Clock them up for a few days first, wear down their temper, and then interrogate them properly." Liu Zhan has always had his own method in this regard.

At that time, all the boatmen and handymen were imprisoned in the dungeon of Lufeng County.

The environment of the dungeon was dark and damp, and everyone was wearing heavy handcuffs and shackles. They couldn't see the sun regardless of day and night, so they didn't know how many days had passed.

Soldiers brought food every day, and the multigrain porridge was tasteless and not enough to eat.

Gradually, these boatmen and handymen showed despair.

They mostly worked on the bottom of the cabin on weekdays, and they were not affected during the war, but they did not follow up immediately because the news of the southern soldiers escaped, and they were not caught by the Han army.

It must be difficult to be a prisoner. At this moment, all these people think in their hearts is that they will spend the rest of their lives in the mines in the next life.

I don't know how many days passed, and then on a certain day, the soldiers of the Han army went to the prison to take people away, and those people who were taken away never came back.

The rest of the people were even more terrified.

At that time, Yang Xianwen's face was full of despair, and he completely lost his previous energy.

"Come out." The soldier came again to take the man away.

Yang Xianwen was suddenly pointed at, and he was both terrified and relieved. Finally, he no longer had to worry about it, and it was a relief to die.

Yang Xianwen, who had not seen the sun for many days and was suddenly brought to the ground, felt that the sun was glaring and uncomfortable.

"You are Yang Xianwen?" Zhang Xiaoman looked at the list in his hand.

"Exactly." Yang Xianwen replied weakly.

When his eyes gradually adapted, he could see the surroundings clearly. This is the county government office above the dungeon.

Zhang Xiaoman put together the list. "Come here, take him to wash up, and give him some food to make him full before going on the road."

Soon some soldiers brought Yang Xianwen into the side room, and some soldiers brought clean clothes, two dishes, one soup and one meal.

Yang Xianwen was stunned for a moment, Han Guo is so kind to death row prisoners?

Just now, the official said that he would go on the road after he was full, so he probably meant to escort him to the execution ground, right?

Thinking that he was completely unattached, Yang Xianwen calmly changed his clothes and ate.

When he stepped out of the room again, he didn't want Zhang Xiaoman to still be waiting there.

"Let's go when you're full." Zhang Xiaoman beckoned casually, and the soldiers immediately stepped forward and took Yang Xianwen to the carriage behind the county government's back door.

It was a carriage and not a prison carriage, Yang Xianwen was even more confused.

Lufeng County has been expanded year by year, and now it has formed an inner city and an outer city, with dense houses on both sides of the streets.

The prosperity seen in front of my eyes is not inferior to that of Jiangnan.

Northern Xinjiang has always been a barren and barren stereotype in the impression of the rich and prosperous Jiangnan people. Yang Xianwen thought that Northern Xinjiang would be ruins after being destroyed by war.

He was already very surprised when he was escorted to the dungeon that day. Now that he was on this road again and saw the endless rice fields outside the city again, Yang Xianwen felt that they had lost this battle well.

The carriage came to the embankment where the ship was moored.

The ten sea-going ships have been cleaned up, and there are Han soldiers guarding them up and down. It can be seen that the Han State attaches great importance to these sea-going ships.

Yang Xianwen became more and more confused until he was taken to the hall on the third floor.

As soon as he entered the door, he was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down.

On the main seat of the hall, two figures, one black and one white, were both wearing dragon robes. Naturally, only the king and queen of Han could be so honored in Han.

Yang Xianwen prostrated himself on the ground and felt confused, why did the king and queen summon him?

"Guan Zhang said that you are the pilot of the fleet?" came a cold and strange voice.

Immediately, Yang Xianwen was taken aback for a moment, what did Guanshi Zhang say?Has the Queen of Han also summoned Guan Zhang?

"The lower official is indeed the navigator." Yang Xianwen answered nah.

"Your daily job is to guide the fleet?" Another voice with awe-inspiring murderousness interjected.

Yang Xianwen didn't dare to raise his head, he thought that the Queen of Han knew about Zhang Guanshi, and Bi Ding had already asked other people about more things, so he didn't need to hide it.

"The lower officer is responsible for judging the route and forecasting the weather, and can act as a deputy in case of war."

This is the indispensable talent in the fleet!It is also Liu Zhan's most scarce talent right now!

Liu Zhan's eyes were shining with excitement, but he was not in a hurry to point it out. "Are there any other pilots in your fleet besides you?"

"In the fleet that entered Huangchuan, there was only one navigator, Xiaguan." Yang Xianwen said truthfully.

"Have you been to Huangchuan before?" Song Fenglin asked suddenly.

If he had never been here, how dare he bring in such a huge ship?Don't be afraid of being stranded and unable to advance or retreat.

"No, it was the master of the lower official who came here, and it was passed on by word of mouth." Yang Xianwen still had some reservations, the letter left by his master was his reliance for life, so naturally he couldn't reveal it casually.

"Is your master still alive?" Song Fenglin asked following his words.

"It's been more than five years since I passed away." Yang Xianwen still lowered his head.

Before summoning Yang Xianwen, Zhang Xiaoman had already interrogated other boatmen and stewards. It was Yang Xianwen's special status that Liu Zhan and Song Fenglin summoned in person.

According to Zhang Xiaoman's statement, Yang Xianwen is an orphan and has no relatives in Jiangnan.

This is easy to handle, the two looked at each other and smiled, tacit understanding.

"Come here, show Vice Envoy Yang a seat." Song Fenglin said.

The navigator was just a low-level official in the southern army. Yang Xianwen lived with his master on the ship for 15 years since he was ten years old, and he has seen Xie Yu no more than five times.

The sudden courtesy of the Queen of Han made Yang Xianwen at a loss.

Song Fenglin's posture is graceful, and he speaks neither in a hurry nor in a hurry. "There is no sea-going ship in Northern Xinjiang, please tell King Han about this sea-going ship for me."

Liu Zhan took a drink of tea, and the atmosphere in the hall eased a lot.

The river wind blows into the hall with a hint of coolness. It is already sweltering in the south of the Yangtze River at the turn of spring and summer, but it is still cool in northern Xinjiang.

His eyes were on the hem of the black dragon robe and the hem of the silver and white dragon robe. Yang Xianwen did not dare to look directly at them, nor could he disobey them, so he began to introduce the sea boat truthfully.

"This is the largest sea-going ship that Jiangnan Shipyard can manufacture. It is called the Five Thousand Materials Treasure Ship. It is 44 feet long and 3000 feet wide. It can accommodate [-] people when fully loaded."

Liu Zhan asked immediately. "Has your fleet ever been to Fanbang?"

Unexpectedly, the King of Han also knew that sea ships could go to Fanbang, Yang Xianwen was surprised and hurriedly said. "The furthest I have been to Luo and foreign countries, and no matter how far away, they are all uncivilized tribes."

"Do you have a chart?" Liu Zhan's eyes sparkled.

"I don't have a chart, but I can engrave a copy." Yang Xianwen didn't think too much, and still answered truthfully.

Little did he know that Liu Zhan was so excited that he couldn't hold it back. If Song Fenglin hadn't held his hand, he would have been able to coerce Yang Xianwen into drawing immediately.

Buying people's hearts still needs to be done step by step.

"This king just got these ten ships. It's the time when there is a shortage of people. Are you willing to serve as a pilot under my command? This king can give you a seventh-rank official position." Liu Zhan said bluntly.

Seventh-rank official position!

Yang Xianwen stood up in shock, his dark and young face was unbelievable. "Han, King of Han, do you believe me?"

At this moment, Yang Xianwen could clearly see King Han's face, young and sharp, with confidence in those black eyes.

It is Liu Zhan's self-confidence to employ people without doubt, and he is not worried about Yang Xianwen's disagreement at all.

Because anyone who betrayed him would end badly.

"As long as you do things for this king in a down-to-earth manner, you won't just wear the seventh-rank official uniform." Liu Zhan stared straight at him with sharp eyes. "After you draw a complete sea chart, the king will allow you to be the envoy of the fleet."

How could Yang Xianwen have imagined that half a day ago, he was still a prisoner, and only half a day later, his fate would undergo an earth-shaking change.

He who regards the ship as his home, if he can become the captain of the fleet, he will have no regrets in this life!

"Thank you King of Han!" Yang Xianwen hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, his eyes flushed with joy for a moment.

On this day, Liu Zhan and Song Fenglin talked with Yang Xianwen for a whole day, and learned a lot about sea ships from Yang Xianwen.

For example, sea-going ships can be divided into three thousand materials, two thousand materials, and one thousand materials.

From Yang Xianwen's overview, Liu Zhan infers that the fleet has traveled as far as Southeast Asia, which is also the limit of the current fleet's ability to navigate.

But enough is enough. Liu Zhan's purpose is to develop maritime trade routes and attract seagoing ships from all over the world to go north to sell goods, so as to bring the prosperity of northern Xinjiang to a higher level.

As for the development of the navy, a long-term plan is needed, and it cannot be achieved overnight.

The next day Song Fenglin allocated a sum of money to prepare for the shipyard, and also recruited shipbuilding talents from all over the world.

Naturally, we can't build a large ship at the beginning, so we can build a ship with a thousand materials, step by step, and one day we will find a clear way.

At the same time, Liu Zhan ordered people to build Lufeng Wharf, and also expanded Luming Ferry as a wharf to prepare for future maritime trade routes.

The Han Kingdom has won the battle and won the treasure ship, and the new docks and shipyards are in full swing, and the Daliang court of this matter is getting bad news one after another.

First, the Northern Expeditionary Army composed of the Qing Army and the Southern Army was completely defeated.

Immediately afterwards, Xirong captured Yumen Pass!Hanzhong is in a hurry!

King Qing pointed out in the memorial that it was Emperor Liang who asked him to divide his troops to attack Han, which caused Hanzhong to be empty and lost Yumen Pass. In order to make up for his loss, King Qing begged Emperor Liang to send troops to help him take back Yumen Pass.

This memorial immediately caused an uproar among the courtiers, not to mention how ugly Liang Tianzi's face was, all the officials immediately quarreled.

"The military strength of the Western Army is as high as 50. It is not easy for Hanzhong to resist foreign enemies. Peisi Nong's strategy of attacking Han has harmed Hanzhong!"

"Your Majesty! I have said at the beginning that defeating the Han is the next strategy, but now that one is neglecting the other, Hanzhong is in danger!"

"I implore His Majesty to take away Pei Si Nong's official position, so as to outrage the common people!"

The courtiers who did not deal with Pei Gongli fell into trouble one after another.

But after these years of management, Pei Gongli also has his own faction, and he immediately retorted.

"King Qing was defeated in the battle against Han, and now he has lost Yumen Pass. The responsibility for the defeat lies with King Qing, so what has he to do with Pei Si Nong!"

"King Qing sits in Hanzhong and has millions of people. Even the Xirong can't resist him. He is really a fool."

"Your Majesty, this memorial is just an excuse for King Qing to shirk responsibility."

The two sides insisted on their own opinions, and finally the topic returned to whether or not to increase troops in Hanzhong to help King Qing.

"Hmph, it's not that there is no one left in Hanzhong. King Qing can conscript troops to resist, and ask the court for troops at every turn. It's too easy for him to be a vassal king."

"That's exactly the case. If the Tang Corporation doesn't show some ability, how can it be worthy of this super king."

"But if King Qing can't defend Hanzhong, once Xirong goes south, the imperial capital will be in danger!"

"It's really alarmist!"

The ministers were arguing endlessly about the increase of troops in Hanzhong, and Liang Tianzi only felt a splitting headache.

He also took care of these people when he presided over the state affairs in the previous dynasty, but he felt even more tired when facing these people after ascending to the throne.

"The imperial court should focus on the overall situation. From Hanzhong to the Central Plains, one must not lose the barrier. Yumen Pass must be taken back."

"This is something King Qing should consider. The court will do everything for him, so what do you want him to do!"

The conferment of kings with different surnames has already made some aristocratic families very dissatisfied, and the increase in troops became the first thing they broke out.

To put it bluntly, it is jealousy. The so-called not worry about the few but the uneven, the different surnames have broken the hierarchical rules between the families, which makes people's hearts boil, and the families are even more discordant.