Mrs. Rebirth

Just after it rained at night, the temperature in the morning dropped a bit, and it was a little chilly. Zuo Shaoqing put on a cloak and followed Lu Zheng to go out. He was accompanied by Liang Qi and various generals, while Zuo Xiaolang was left behind by him. In Caobang, Yang Yi was asked to take care of him.

The port of Crane City is huge, at least nothing Zuo Shaoqing has seen before can compare with it. There are a large number of merchant ships moored in the port. From a distance, the crowds are surging and the sails are everywhere, which is very spectacular.

Zuo Shaoqing put his hands on the canopy and looked from a distance, but the sea level in his vision made him even more amazed. The vastness, the Bohai Sea is shimmering, and the widest river he has seen before is not worth mentioning in front of the sea.

There was a merchant shouting, and the thick men in short shirts or bare upper body were unloading the goods step by step with loads that could bend people's backs. Enthusiastic eyes.

"Let's go." Lu Zheng rode his horse and led the people northward. This was not the destination of their trip.

About half an hour later, another harbor appeared before everyone's eyes, but it was different from the bustling before. It was extremely quiet here. Several large ships parked quietly by the seaside, occasionally seabirds flew up, and even the cheerful sound of spreading their wings could not be heard. can pass into the ear.

From a distance, I saw several guard posts and soldiers patrolling.

Standing in place for a while, I saw a group of soldiers running from far to near, but they were not wearing hard armor, but thin and thin rattan armor.

All the visitors knelt on one knee and saluted. Lu Zheng nodded and let them lead the way, heading towards the port where the boat stopped.

As he got closer, the ships in Zuo Shaoqing's field of vision seemed to get bigger and bigger. When he stood at the boarding place, he felt that even if he turned his head to ninety degrees, he couldn't see the main mast. the end.

The ship in front of me was about [-] feet long, its body was like a tall building, with five masts standing on it, varying in height, and the gray and hemp-colored sails were curled high, waiting for the moment when the sails were set off.

Most of the boats Zuo Shaoqing had seen were inland water transport boats, six to seven feet long. The official ships they took from Kyoto were relatively large, ten feet long. Much inferior.

A gray-haired old man was waiting beside the boat with a few middle-aged men. From their clothes, it could be seen that they were not soldiers of the Navy. Seeing Lu Zheng and the others, the old man walked up quickly, bowed his waist excitedly Said: "Grandpa Lu, this old man has lived up to his entrustment. I can see Dayang's warships in my lifetime. I will die without regret."

"Well, it's hard work." Lu Zheng stared at the ship and couldn't take his eyes off. He boarded the ship first, tapped his toes, jumped onto the highest deck, and looked at the sea from a distance.

Zuo Shaoqing followed him, stood beside him, took a deep breath of the sea-smelling air, closed his eyes and said, "Only when you stand here do you realize how small you are."

Lu Zheng held his hand and pointed to the vast sea, "This guild will make this boundless sea no longer a threat to Dayang, and will make this sea area a natural barrier to guard Dayang, blocking all enemies who try to invade. "

The corners of Zuo Shaoqing's mouth curled up slightly, his eyes brightened little by little, and he turned his head to look at Lu Zheng's resolute side face, feeling proud. This is his man, his husband, and also Dayang's patron saint .

He can't be as fearless as Lu Zheng, but he will support every decision he makes, even if he can't match him, he will always stand behind him and become his most reliable support.

The two came down from the heights and visited the ship under the guidance of the white-haired old man, "According to your request, the largest crossbow of this kind is installed on the bow and stern of the ship. This crossbow must have two warriors You have to work hard at the same time.”

Lu Zheng's hand touched the cold crossbow arrow, and the arrow body was as thick as a baby's arm glowing with black light, and the sharp arrow could definitely break through the defense of any ship.

"Very good." Lu Zheng cherished words like gold, but he best expressed his feelings.

"It's a pity that this kind of crossbow takes up space and requires a lot of consumables. If it can be installed on both sides, it will definitely make it impossible for any ship to get close."

Lu Zheng shook his head, "In terms of power, this crossbow is not as good as gunpowder, and in terms of flexibility, it is not as good as a continuous-firing crossbow, but each has its own advantages and is indispensable."

Zuo Shaoqing was also shocked by this big black guy. He could imagine that if this thing hits a human body, it might leave a big hole.

Turning around and seeing Liang Qi hugging this big guy, touching and sighing, he joked amusedly: "If it wasn't for the wrong location, the lower officials would have thought Master Liang was holding the top card of Chunfeng Deyi Building."

"You don't understand..." Liang Qi narrowed his eyes and caressed the cold crossbow bolt under his hand with enjoyment, "This officer spent three months of hard work without seeing the sun to make it, and it is much more precious than women."

Speaking of this, Liang Qi couldn't keep his mouth shut. He grabbed Zuo Shaoqing and introduced, "Don't look at this thing as bulky, but it's actually very flexible."

He stretched out his hand and moved under the base of the crossbow, and then the crossbow changed direction with a crackling sound.

"I've thought about it. Naval battles are no better than land battles. A ship of this size cannot change direction arbitrarily and quickly, so it can only be manipulated under the base."

Zuo Shaoqing deeply agreed, let alone such a big boat, it would take a lot of effort for an ordinary small boat to turn around.

"Master Liang is deeply impressed by his accomplishments in machinery!" The white-haired old man thought of the weapons and equipment on the ship, and had a little respect for the seemingly incomprehensible young man in front of him.

"Mr. Xu, don't say that. No one in the Ministry of Industry can match your shipbuilding technology alone."

"Haha... I am a humble craftsman, but I can't compare with you adults." Since ancient times, the imperial court has emphasized morality and despise craftsmanship, and the status of craftsmen is not much higher than that of businessmen.

Lu Zheng stopped the conversation between the two of them, and led them to continue to learn about the ship.

Entering the cabin, the first floor is the meeting hall and the living room of the generals, the second floor is the residence of ordinary soldiers, and the bottom of the ship is the warehouse and the resident of the sailors.

Both sides of the ship are equipped with guard plates, and the blades cannot be seen from the outside at all. On both sides of the deck, there are metal plates with holes, which are used as shields in long-distance combat, and under each hole It is a small repeating crossbow with a long range.

"Prepare some kerosene, the rocket will be more useful when necessary."

The wooden warship, no matter how strong it is, cannot withstand the fire, and the general beside him immediately agreed.

Zuo Shaoqing reached out and knocked on the thick guard, then touched the back of his aching hand.

"This boat looks big, but the things on it are not light. The draft is too deep. I'm afraid a boat can't carry too many soldiers."

"Hmm." Lu Zheng wasn't worried about this. At present, their opponents were only pirates nearby, and the number of them would definitely not be too many. What's more, fighting at sea didn't depend on a large number of people.

From the curious eyes of the generals, Lu Zheng knew that such a ship had exceeded everyone's expectations, but Lu Zheng felt that it was not enough, and the attack power was too weak.

But all of this has to be tried before we know it. Lu Zheng made up his mind to take people out to sea after the other ships are built. Both the warship and the newly trained sailors must have experienced the baptism of war.

"Damn it, if there were such a ship last time, we would have wiped out all the pirates with ease!" Song Hanlin patted the hull of the ship and laughed.

"Aren't you scared? A landlubber entering the sea is like a fish landing on the shore. You are looking for death!" Liang Qi said while looking at the structural diagram of the warship in his hand.

"Hey, how do you, a weak and incompetent civil servant, know how powerful this general is? You think our months of training are all in vain?"

Liang Qi put away the blueprint in his hand, turned his head and stared at Song Hanlin with a smile, then suddenly kicked him off the boat by taking advantage of his unpreparedness, only to hear a "plop", and there was one person missing on the boat.

He withdrew his foot and walked past the stunned audience with his chest out.

"I never thought Mr. Liang would be so domineering!" Zuo Shaoqing smiled and shook his head. He had already guessed that Liang Qi was not a simple civil servant. From his actions just now, it could be seen that everyone's internal strength was not low.

That kick seemed simple, but to launch a general who has practiced martial arts all year round and his body has formed a habit of self-defense, it takes more than just strength.

"Wow..." A black head came out of the water, Song Hanlin took two sips of water, and shouted at the boat: "Liang Qi, you bastard, shameless scholar! I'm not playing with you!"

"Hmph, I'm afraid you won't succeed!" Liang Qi looked down at him, if there were not too many people around, he would have done even more shameless things.

When Song Hanlin crawled out of the water, his wet clothes stuck to his body, describing that not only was he not in a mess, but he also exposed his well-proportioned muscles to others.

As soon as he stepped forward, he chased after Liang Qi for revenge. The two of them showed their lightness and ran from the bow to the stern, and then from the stern to the bow, which relieved the boredom of the onlookers.

Zuo Shaoqing stood beside Lu Zheng, pushed him with his shoulder, and asked in a low voice, "What is the origin of this servant Liang?"

Ordinary civil servants are limited to ordinary riding, shooting, fisting and kicking even if they can do a few strokes. There are not many civil servants like Liang Qi who can compete with military generals.

Lu Zheng looked at him from the side, and stretched out his hand to straighten the hair on his shoulders that was blown tousled by the sea breeze, "Didn't I tell you? Liang Qi's father is his father's bodyguard. Originally, he should be my lord's bodyguard." , but his ambition is not here."

Although Zuo Shaoqing knew that the relationship between the two was unusual, he didn't expect it to be so, and he remembered that Liang Qi didn't live in Zhen Guogong's mansion.

"Then his father...?"

"Dead...died in Northern Xinjiang." Lu Zheng's calm voice reached Zuo Shaoqing's ears, but it was inexplicably emotional.

In those years, there were too many people who died on the battlefield, some familiar and some unfamiliar. Uh, watching the people around him leave one by one is not a good feeling, but Lu Zheng, who is used to seeing life and death, has no time to be sad.

Just when Liang Qi was about to kick a crossbow, a piece of wood flew past his ankle, scratching the outer trousers, revealing a white ankle.

"Ah..." Liang Qi jumped up with his feet in his arms, looked carefully and carefully, and he was relieved after confirming that there was no wound.

He looked innocently and blankly at Lu Zheng who made the shot, "Master, you are too ruthless in your strike, if you deflect it a little bit, the lower official's leg will be useless."

Lu Zheng looked at him coldly, "If you break the equipment on this ship, I will have your legs disabled!"

Liang Qi felt that the cut ankle was chilly, couldn't help shivering, and flatteringly replied: "Yes, I will never do anything on the boat after I get off the job!"

Seeing that his master had made a move, Song Hanlin couldn't continue chasing Liang Qi. Without any scruples, he took off his coat and wrung out the water in public, put it back on his body, and snorted coldly at Liang Qi.

Liang Qi raised his chin and gave him an arrogant smile, then hummed a little tune and went to discuss things with the white-haired old man.

Although his talent in shipbuilding is not as good as that of the old man, he has been immersed in ordnance for many years, so he can still raise a little opinion.

Zuo Shaoqing acted as an audience, nodding thoughtfully from time to time, until the light dimmed, and he suddenly felt the passage of time.

The sunset on the sea is very beautiful, it is a thrilling beauty, the disc-sized sun is dotted on the horizon, sliding down bit by bit, the afterglow of the setting sun is sprinkled in the sea water, reflecting an orange-red water light .

Zuo Shaoqing found Lu Zheng's position, smiled at him, and got a puzzled look from Lu Zheng.

He turned his head, knowing that his smile just now must be silly, but so what?

It wasn't until the sunset was completely set that a group of people got off the boat, and when they rode by the bustling port before, they couldn't help getting off their horses and strolling around.