() Wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and there are those doing business, and of course there are those who do robberies.

The ancient industry of piracy has long existed, not because the Song and Qing Dynasties were ignorant, but because after the economy of the Northern Song Dynasty moved southward to the Yangtze River Basin, Dengzhou, a former trading port, has gradually been abandoned, and its location is close to Laizhou Bay. There is no need to pass through Laizhou Bay when traveling from Korea to Japan.

Without oil and water, who would rob here? And Song Qing had been busy with other things, so he didn't know about the pirates until today.

If Cui Yongqian's theory is followed, it seems understandable that he came to Dengzhou Yamen for help when something happened in the Dengzhou waters, but it seems impossible to ask the Song and Qing Dynasties to send troops to exterminate the pirates now.

Cui Yongqian didn't know anything about the affairs between the Song Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. It was true that he came to Dengzhou Prefecture for help, but he didn't know that this was no longer the land of the Song Dynasty. He also didn't expect to meet Ma Tao here. .

Ma Tao and Cui Yongqian originally had business contacts, but they had a good relationship, so he brought him to see Song Qing, but he also did not mention to Cui Yongqian that Dengzhou had changed its owner.

The Song Dynasty might not be considered a big deal in the eyes of countries like Jin and Liao, but among small countries like Goryeo, it still belonged to the Celestial Kingdom, so it was reasonable to ask for help.

However, a businessman is a businessman after all. Seeing that Song Qing was in a daze and seemed to be plotting something, Cui Yongqian couldn't help but think wrongly, thinking that Song Qing wanted to ask for a bribe.

Following Ma Tao's example, he clasped his fists and saluted: "Sir, please rest assured. If I can rescue the robbed goods, I will definitely thank you deeply."

Although he is from Korea, he speaks Chinese very well.

How could Song Qing ask for a bribe from him? He was just thinking about what greater benefits he could get from this matter. Moreover, his words just now reminded Song Qing.

A good army cannot be trained on paper. It must go through actual combat in order to continuously improve the combat effectiveness of the army.

So, can fighting pirates be regarded as a military training? There is also the maritime trade in Dengzhou. If we can drive a group of merchants through this Korean people, I believe that in the near future, this place will become the second Jiangnan. It may not be impossible.

He smiled and said: "I have just arrived here, and some things are not clear yet. So, you go down and rest first. I will discuss it with the generals and then give you an answer."

Song Qing said, giving Ma Tao a thoughtful look.

Ma Tao immediately understood what Song Qing was thinking and nodded imperceptibly.

He pulled Cui Yongqian and said: "Okay, brother Cui, since the manager already knows about this matter, he will definitely explain it to you. You are also tired, so come with me to rest first!" He kept winking at Cui Yongqian as he spoke. .

Although Cui Yongqian didn't understand the meaning of Ma Tao's eyes, he saluted Song Qing and left with Ma Tao.

Song Qing immediately ordered people to call Gongsun Sheng, Zhu Wu, the Ruan brothers, Zhang Shun, Zhang Heng, Meng Kang and others.

Gongsun Sheng and Zhu Wu were better off. After all, neither of them had been in charge before. After arriving in Dengzhou, they had been busy assisting the Song and Qing Dynasties in managing internal affairs.

The Ruan brothers and others are different. They are not born to calm down. Since there is no battle to fight now, they train every day. It is also the hard training during this period that has gradually made them familiar with the operation of sea ships, and Habits of sea water.

The current number of people in the navy is not very large. Liangshan only brought more than 3,000 people. Of these 3,000 people, there are still more than 200 who dare not sail on sea ships anymore and can only stay in the logistics.

Although some young fishermen have been recruited from nearby, the number of the navy is now only 3,500.

The Song and Qing Dynasties had previously discussed with these navy generals to divide the future navy into two parts, with one part defending the coast from external aggression. The other part was dedicated to foreign warfare, including combating piracy and even invading other countries' territories. wait.

According to Song Qing's deployment, all naval forces are training intensely.

After receiving the order summoned by Song Qing, the navy generals immediately handed over the training to their deputies and rushed to Song Qing in the shortest possible time.

After everyone arrived, Song Qing briefly asked about the training situation, and then told what Cui Yong had done.

Fighting pirates?

Several navy generals immediately jumped up with joy. They were originally water thieves, but now water thieves are against pirates. No wonder they are excited.

Gongsun Sheng and Zhu Wu also agreed on the method of replacing training with war.

Gongsun Sheng pondered for a while and said: "Pirates are just like us on the water in the past. They are also inseparable from the land, and they may have evolved from some fishermen, so I guess they have families on land. Lao Zhu, this matter is caused by You go and do it, this is our first naval battle, we must know ourselves and the enemy."

Zhu Wu also thought of this and nodded: "I'll start on this matter right now."

This is the advantage of the strategist, he can improve the incomplete things that the coach thinks.

Song Qing nodded and said to the Ruan brothers and other navy generals: "Cui Yongqian's incident has given me a lot of inspiration. When you are at sea in the future, you can also invite passing merchant ships to Dengzhou for trading. Start They may complain sometimes, but it will get better gradually.”

The Ruan brothers and others couldn't help but smile at each other. What's the difference between what they did in Liangshan? Now that they're good at it, they can do it more easily.

Zhu Wu interjected: "Just kidnapping them is not a long-term solution. We also need to open up the connection with Jiangnan to facilitate the flow of goods. Recently, our surroundings seem to be unstable. The imperial court is in Teng County, Xuzhou. Places such as Xiapi in Huaiyang and Huairen in Huainan have begun to recruit troops. From the positions of these places, it is not difficult to see that they are coming for us."

It can be said that Liangshan has not yet established a stable foothold in these places it occupied, so it has always been very concerned about the movements of the imperial court. After Zhu Wu finished speaking, everyone focused their attention on Song Qing.

Regarding this matter, Song Qing had already received a secret letter from the capital, and he already had an idea in his mind, but it was not yet complete. Zhu Wu happened to bring it up today, and everyone can sit down together to discuss it.

He ordered people to call Lin Chong and other land generals.

After all the generals arrived, Song Qing ordered Zhu Wu to convey the news to the generals again. After hearing the news, everyone's expressions became solemn.

Song Qing was very satisfied with the reaction of the generals. When he was in Liangshan, how many of these people here were not only good at fighting bravely but rarely using their brains? But now they know how to face themselves and the enemy squarely. I would say this is a huge change.

He waved his hand and ordered someone to carry the specially made map. Song Qing had always attached great importance to maps. After several improvements, he could say that he already had the most advanced and complete map at that time.

Pointing at the map with his hand, he said: "The imperial court has been in constant strife. Although it has always wanted to destroy us, it has always been unable to do so. What we have to do now is to consolidate the places we occupy, and we cannot launch large-scale operations. But if we allow it, When the imperial court regains its breath, it will inevitably launch actions against us, so we cannot allow the imperial court to remain stable, nor are we suitable to take the initiative."

After a pause, he suddenly smiled and said: "I have secretly trusted Sun Erniang and Zhang Qing brother to spread rumors in the capital, saying that if the imperial court continues to force us, we in Liangshan will join forces with Fang La, Wang Qing, Tian Hu and others to rebel. At the same time, we invite military advisor Wu Yong."

They deployed troops in the Liangshan area and acted as if they were ready to attack at any time, in order to confuse the court."

In fact, there is one thing that Song Qing did not say, that is, through secret spies in the capital, a personal letter from the old emperor was delivered to him.

Song Qing knew very well that the old emperor was a father and a son, so he used both soft and hard tactics in the letter. The general meaning was that if you are honest and honest, I will be your loyal minister of the Song Dynasty and will guard one side for you. If you always think about how to beat me, then I will team up with others.

Several rebel kings are rebelling against you together. Anyway, Liangshanshuibo is very close to the capital. If you don’t want to see Liangshan people on the streets of Bianliang tomorrow morning, you’d better stop!

Lin Chong thought for a moment and said: "The emperor may not dare to attack us openly, but if these places are allowed to recruit troops, in the long run, they will also pose a threat to us, and we have to guard against it!"

"Raising troops cannot be separated from the support of money. This is what we need to do next. I have already decided that Zhu Junshi and brother Shi Qian will complete this task."

Song Qing did not say what the mission was, but Song Qing still told the generals on land to train their troops more intensively and not to relax at all.

The generals accepted the order with a bang. Everyone knew that the war had just begun. If they thought they would win now, they would be close to death.

The navy generals were even more excited. Being warlike by nature, they wanted to sail out immediately and have a head-on fight with the pirates. However, they also knew the importance of knowing themselves and the enemy, so after they returned, they began to train these soon-to-be real navy soldiers even more fiercely.

of sailors.

The generals all left, but Song Qing still stood by the map, looking at it for a long time, but his eyes were fixed on Qingzhou and Qizhou.

If these two states can be held in hand, Dengzhou will have no worries. However, as he said himself, he cannot overly stimulate the court now, lest the court jump over the wall in a hurry.

In fact, all the situations in these two states have been grasped by the Song and Qing Dynasties. The only difference is that they have not sent troops to garrison. What is missing now is the timing.

Early the next morning, Wanyan Baokang took Wanyan Keer away, letting Wanyan Keer lose his temper and ignoring her.

Wanyan Baokang left, but he left behind people who were in contact with the Song and Qing Dynasties. And Wanyan Baokang did indeed keep his promise. The day after he left, the first batch of 500 war horses was shipped by sea ship.

War horses, unlike humans, cannot withstand the turbulence of the waves, so they were kept in cabins along the way. In this way, many war horses died when they first got off the ship.

Seeing this situation, both Song and Qing Dynasties decided not to give up. Not much could be shipped at one time, and it would take a long time to raise them for cavalry. After all, this was a big loss.

Before Song Qing could settle the accounts, Wanyan Baokang left and returned. It turned out that Wanyan Keer was missing. Before he disappeared, he left a letter to Wanyan Baokang, asking Wanyan Baokang to deliver it to his father Wu Qimai.

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Chapter completed!