When Yang Zhen and others came down from the Golden Mountain Fort and arrived at the Donggang Pier in Lushunkou, there were already many people on the pier.

Zhang Degui, Zhang Chen and Li Lu had also heard about the return of the fleet outside Lushun Port, and had rushed to the dock one step ahead.

When the crowd saw Yang Zhen and his entourage approaching, they quickly separated a road on the pier pier, saluted Yang Zhen and invited Yang Zhen and his entourage to pass.

When Yang Zhen led everyone to the end of the pier, the fleet that was still outside the port had already entered the port following the ship that went to inquire about the situation.

"Captain, it's true that Yan Shengsan, Guo Xiaowu and the others are back!"

"Yes, it's the right time to come back now. If it's a few months later, things will be delayed!"

"Yes, depending on the situation, they did not return empty-handed. Look at their fleet. Not only do they have twice as many ships, they also have a heavy draft. Eighty percent of them return fully loaded!"

Zhang Degui, Zhang Chen, and Li Lu gathered around Yang Zhen, talking to each other with joy on their faces.

Others may not know how much Yang Zhen's expectations are placed on this southbound fleet, but they know it clearly.

The present of Jinhai Town is certainly based on their victory in the recent war, but the future of Jinhai Town, including the longer-term future of the various people under Yang Zhen’s command, will be based on this small group going south.

Based on whether the small fleet can return smoothly.

Now he is indeed back, and it seems that he is not returning empty-handed.

In this way, all Yang Zhen's previous ideas, all ideas about the future of Jinhaizhen, suddenly became within reach.

While everyone was talking, almost all the returning fleet entered the harbor, and the first ship even passed through the Tiger Tail Channel, getting closer and closer to Donggang Pier.

The bow of the boat was also crowded with people, some were jumping, shouting, dancing, and the sound of cheering could be heard faintly in the wind.

"Captain, it's really them. I've already seen Guo Xiaowu!"

Zhang Chen, who was following Yang Zhen, put down the telescope in his hand, turned around and said to Yang Zhen with a smile.

"Yes, it's them, I saw them too."

After the other party's first ship entered the port, it was not far from the dock where Yang Zhen was located. Even without a telescope, you could basically see clearly the crowd of people standing on the bow of the ship.

It was only at this moment that Yang Zhen's worried heart was completely relieved, and he confirmed that they had indeed returned home with a full load.

Because if they had not achieved the goal they had set for them, not to mention they would not have returned to Lushunkou at this time. Even if they had gone back to Lushunkou, they would not have been so happy, or they would not have dared to do so.

Happy.

The people who greeted him at the pier soon started cheering and cheering after seeing clearly who was coming on the boat.

Amidst cheers, the first ship of the returning fleet slowly moored next to the pier. Guo Xiaowu, who was standing on the bow of the ship, shouted to Yang Zhen and others before he could get off the ship:

"Captain, Governor, we are back, we are back! Not only did we buy sweet potatoes and shipbuilding materials, we also invited some masters to teach sweet potato cultivation to the Governor!"

Hearing Guo Xiaowu's shout, Yang Zhen's recent worries were instantly swept away. He happily said loudly to Guo Xiaowu and the people in the fleet that was moored at the shore:

"Okay! Very good! Welcome back, thank you for your hard work!"

As Yang Zhen spoke, he saw long pedals being put down on the docked ship, and the people on the ship jumped off happily.

Not long after, Shen Yongzhong and Yan Shengsan, who were on other ships, also appeared on the dock. After gathering with Guo Xiaowu and several other strangers, they walked quickly towards Yang Zhen and his party.

When Yang Zhen saw this, he also smiled and walked towards them.

After more than two months, Shen Yongzhong, Yan Shengsan and Guo Xiaowu have all undergone some changes, but the changes are not too big.

Shen Yongzhong became darker, but also became much calmer.

Yan Shengsan and Guo Xiaowu, on the other hand, are darker and thinner, and they are both tired and excited.

Obviously, the trip south was a unique training for each of them.

A few steps away, Shen Yongzhong, Yan Shengsan, and Guo Xiaowu knelt on the ground first toward Yang Zhen. Shen Yongzhong, the leader among them, cupped his fists and said loudly:

"Informing the governor, Bei Gong and others were ordered to go south on the second day of February, stopping at Songjiang and Ningbo along the way. On February 28, they successfully arrived in Fuzhou.

"After arriving in Fuzhou, Beizhi and others brought Governor Hong's letter and the governor's flag to visit Xiao Fuyuan, the governor of Fujian. As a result, Xiao Fuyuan issued a license to purchase the governor's ship and the mentioned things, and also obtained the Zheng family's flag.

"On the tenth day of March, thirty large and small cargo ships were purchased. On the thirteenth day of March, fourteen large and small cargo ships of sweet potatoes and other supplies were purchased, and sixteen large and small cargo ships of various materials were purchased. Four sweet potato masters were hired to accompany them.

"The return voyage started on March 15th, stopped at Songjiang on March 22nd, and returned to Lushunkou today. It took two and a half months, and the round trip was thousands of miles. Thanks to the blessing of the governor, not a single ship was lost, and not a single ship was lost.

one person!"

These words reported by Shen Yongzhong had obviously been conceived for a long time, and they blurted out without hesitation the moment they saw Yang Zhen's face.

These words explained the general process of their journey south clearly and clearly.

However, Yang Zhen was not very interested in the process of their journey south. What he was more interested in and more eager to take a look at was the things they brought back.

"Okay, okay, okay, very good, very good, you have worked hard! - Take me aboard quickly to see the sweet potatoes you want to buy, and see what the sweet potatoes you want to buy look like!"

Without seeing with his own eyes what the sweet potatoes look like now, Yang Zhen can't rest assured.

Of course Yang Zhen had seen sweet potatoes, but that was what sweet potatoes would look like hundreds of years later. He was a little unsure about what they looked like now and whether they were the same as what he would see in later generations.

Shen Yongzhong, Yan Shengsan and Guo Xiaowu looked at each other a little bit when they heard Yang Zhen's first words to them, but they soon came to their senses.

Immediately, he stood up quickly, waved the team that had disembarked to move out of the way, and led Yang Zhen towards the ship behind him.

Then we boarded one of the square stern sand boats along the steps where we had just disembarked.

Sand boat is the abbreviation of sand-proof flat-bottomed boat. It is relatively wide and has a large load capacity. It has a shallow cabin and shallow draft.

It has only one deck, and apart from the masts and sails, there are no other cabins above the deck, such as the official cabins of a building ship.

This kind of square-stern sand ship with a square head, square stern and shallow foundation is not very useful as a warship at sea during wartime, but it is quite good as a cargo ship or transport ship in peacetime.

Yang Zhen boarded a sand ship with them, and saw that the deck was full of various materials tied to the ship with ropes, fishing nets and the like. Yan Shengsan asked people to move the materials away, and then opened a deck.

, the compartments below immediately came into view.

At the same time, a smell that stung the nose spread out.

"Captain, these are the sweet potatoes we are looking for. We have loaded fourteen boats with them like this! The journey is too long, some may be broken, and the smell is not good!"

When Yan Shengsan said this, Yang Zhen remembered that the smell that stung his nose just now was the familiar bad sweet potato smell deep in his memory.

When Yang Zhen heard what Yan Shengsan said, he quickly took a closer look and saw that the compartment below the deck was filled with sand, not the expected piles of sweet potatoes.

"this--"

Seeing that Yang Zhen was a little dumbfounded, Yan Shengsan who was following him quickly explained: "Captain, this is the way people in Fujian store sweet potatoes for a long time. Sweet potatoes are easy to rot during long-distance shipping, so they have to be covered with sand layer by layer. This can avoid

Light, and secondly, it is easy to sprinkle water to moisturize.”

After Yan Shengsan dealt with the matter of purchasing sweet potatoes, he obviously already had a certain understanding of the characteristics of sweet potatoes. Seeing Yang Zhen's confusion, he immediately explained it to him.

And when he said this, Yan Shengsan squatted down, pulled out a fist-sized red sweet potato from the sand, stood up and handed it to Yang Zhen, and said:

"Captain, this is the sweet potato we are buying from Fujian. This is a red-skinned sweet potato. Because its outer skin is red, it is located in eastern Fujian and southern Fujian. Sweet potatoes are also called red potatoes and sweet potatoes."

Yan Shengsan handed the sweet potato to Yang Zhen. When Yang Zhen saw it, it was the sweet potato he had seen in later generations. He couldn't hold back the excitement in his heart, grabbed it, and then said loudly:

"Exactly it, exactly it, this is the sweet potato I mentioned before, the sweet potato I told you before!"

Hundreds of years later, all kinds of sweet potatoes became official, and they were already on the streets. In some places, people didn’t even eat them, but fed them directly to pigs.

Anyone who gets so excited about getting a sweet potato must be crazy or a fool.

But at this moment, Yang Zhen finally saw the high-yielding crop on which he had placed infinite hopes, and saw that it was no different from the sweet potatoes he would see in later generations. Naturally, the excitement in his heart was beyond words.

Afterwards, Yang Zhen happily handed the sweet potato in his hand to Zhang Chen who was accompanying him, and asked Zhang Chen to pass it to the other generals who followed him to see, as if this thing that looked like a grenade was something.

Like a baby.

Zhang Chen and others took it with helpless expressions and passed it around one by one.

Yang Zhen, on the other hand, simply squatted down, pulled one out of the sand with excitement on his face, took a look at it and put it down with great care, and then pulled out another one, smiling from ear to ear.

After picking out seven or eight pieces in a row, Yang Zhen took the last long red sweet potato and patted the sand off it, folded it, put it on his clothes, rubbed it, and took a bite.

It's crispy in the mouth, a little sweet, and has a refreshing fragrance, which is exactly the familiar taste!

Yang Zhen, a dignified Jin Haibo, behaved like this in public, which shows how much he values ​​sweet potatoes.

Seeing Yang Zhen like this, Guo Xiaowu, who had never found a chance to speak after meeting, suddenly stood up from the side and said:

"Captain, we are going to the south this time. I heard that there are two kinds of sweet potatoes. One is red-skinned sweet potato, also called red potato and golden potato. It is the kind you see now and eat it even in humble positions.

, it tastes sweet and can be eaten raw, but it is especially delicious when cooked!

“But in addition, there is a white-skinned sweet potato, locally called Suzai, which is a little smaller than the sweet potato and tastes a little worse, but it is said that the yield is not small, and it can be grown anywhere.

"The younger ones were afraid that we would all buy the wrong sweet potatoes, so we bought some sweet potatoes wherever we saw them in the south, in Fujian. It is said that this sweet potato is also called fanzi in Fujian and Guangdong.

We also bought a lot of potatoes, and the governor also took a look!"

After Guo Xiaowu said these words, he jumped into another cabin filled with sand, searched left and right to find a so-called sweet potato the size of an egg, came to Yang Zhen, and handed it to Yang Zhen expectantly.
Chapter completed!