The Chongmingniao's forty-eight pairs of paddles were thrust into the water. With an ups and downs, the three-story ship jumped forward.

It is one of the four main battleships of the Yangtze River Navy.

The entire ship carries a total of more than 300 sailors and sailors.

There are a total of twelve cannons on both sides of the first and second floors of the ship, and there are two more cannons on the bow and stern. The entire battleship is loaded with sixteen cannons.

At this moment, the Chongming Bird did not see much of a threat at first glance. The two-tiered cannons were retracted into the interior of the ship, and the gun doors were tightly closed. The two thicker cannons at the bow and stern were also

It was tightly tied up with felt cloth, and it looked like there were two big boxes in it. Unless you are knowledgeable, you would never be able to tell the difference.

There are four such warships in the Yangtze River Navy: Jiang Xiong's flagship Bi Fang, the Second Fleet Chong Ming Niao, the Third Fleet San Zu Wu, and the Fourth Fleet Bi Yi Niao.

The Yangtze River Navy, headed by these four main battleships and composed of nearly 500 large and small warships, now firmly controls the entire Yangtze River, Han River and Jianghuai River Basin.

In order to give full play to the southern advantage in the navy, the Jiangning court spared no effort in building up the navy.

These four giant battleships were all launched within the past two years, and the artillery just manufactured by Jiang Ning was immediately equipped on these four main battleships.

Think about it, even Thunder Tiger's long-range maritime fleet is still equipped with only two main guns at the bow and stern!

Because at sea, Lei Zhihu's fleet basically has few opponents that can compete with it, but now in the Jianghuai River Basin, the Liao people are also desperately developing their navy.

Liu Zheng and his son, former commanders of the Hanjiang Navy in the Song Dynasty, were appointed as naval marshals by the Empress Dowager Chengtian, and they made every effort to organize and integrate the water power of the Liao Kingdom.

The Liu family and his son are great experts in water warfare. Thanks to their efforts, the strength of Liao's navy is growing rapidly. Although it is still unable to compete head-on with Jiang Xiong's navy, it can unite and defeat attacks.

It is endless.

Moreover, according to Zhiqiuyuan's estimation, according to the current development speed of the Liao Navy, within one to two years, they will definitely pose a threat to the Yangtze River Navy in the Huaihe River Basin.

Unlike the navy of the Song Dynasty, which pursued giant ships and cannons, the navy of the Liao Kingdom currently pursues a small, fast and agile fighting style.

Of course, this is also a helpless move.

At this stage, it is completely impossible for the Liao Kingdom to compete with the Southern Song Dynasty in terms of giant ships and artillery.

Their shipbuilding industry simply cannot meet such requirements.

The shipbuilding industry that was originally developed in Goguryeo has been completely destroyed by Thunder Tiger's navy.

However, this small and quick tactic still has certain advantages in local battlefields in the south where the water network is developed. Hit and run, and the big ships in the south really have no way to deal with it.

Of course, although such tactics seemed to achieve good results one after another, they were still insignificant to the overall situation. Once they encountered a large-scale gathering of warships from the Song Dynasty, they could only retreat.

And now, the naval tactics of the Southern Song Dynasty have also begun to change.

The task of the giant ships and artillery is only to block the key river mouths and key points. Then, the team led by the Zhong family of Nansi Lake will fight against the Liao Kingdom in the complex water network of the Jianghuai River. Once entangled,

After capturing the opponent, the big ship immediately follows up and destroys it.

Generally speaking, the Southern Song Dynasty still had an absolute advantage on the water.

This time Chongmingniao returned to Jiangning, but it was because he was transporting several important people back.

The commander of the Yangtze River Navy, Jiang Xiong, dispatched the Chongming Bird of the Second Fleet, whose combat capabilities were second only to his flagship, which shows that he attached great importance to the people on board.

Because one of the people on the boat was named Xiao, Xiao Jing.

The other surname is Tuoba, and his name is Tuoba Yangwei.

Xiao Jing slowly put down the Jiangning Weekly in his hand and looked at Tuoba Yangwei opposite.

"Uncle Wei, it is said in Jiangning Weekly that the Song Dynasty's financial income in the first quarter has exceeded 30 million copper coins. Do you think this is credible? This is the first quarter. Normally speaking, next

The three quarters will be stronger than the first quarter. As a result, their annual income will be somewhat unbelievably high. Last year, it was just over 100 million."

Jiangning Weekly has been published for nearly two years, and you could still see it in Xingqing Mansion in the past, but it was brought there by caravans, and it was basically news that was several months or even half a year out of date.

But this time, they saw the latest weekly report, which happened to contain the first quarter financial and tax news released by the Ministry of Household Affairs of the Song Dynasty.

"Since the political reform in the Song Dynasty, the statistics on taxes are generally reliable." Tuoba said in awe: "Because your second uncle turned all the national income into copper coins.

Discounts are no longer as messy as in the past. In this way, the statistical caliber will be unified. This number should be credible."

"But Uncle Wei, according to the relevant tax policies of the Song Dynasty collected by the Jing'an Division, in general, their people's tax burden is only half of ours. Even if their population base is larger, it will not

Maybe there are so many more than us!" Xiao Jing was a little shocked.

The Western Army's financial revenue last year was 20 million copper coins. Although it had the impact of the confrontation with Yelumin and the severance of trade routes to the west, it was still far behind compared with the Song Dynasty. In the first quarter of this year,

It is only 4 million yuan, and the income continues to decrease.

Anyway, Zhang Yuan was so worried that his hair and beard turned gray again.

Tuoba Yangwei smiled, looked at Xiao Jing and said: "Jing'an, have you carefully studied your second uncle's political reform?"

"certainly."

"Then do you think we can change like him?"

Xiao Jing sighed: "It's difficult."

"Yeah, it's difficult. We can all see the benefits in this, but we can't learn from him. Those tribal leaders under the Western Army and those local powerful people, you want them to pay taxes in a disciplined manner? Then

There is going to be trouble." Tuoba spread his hands and said in a show of force. "And what I have to say is that when it comes to making money, there is really no one in this world who can compare to your second uncle.

He is the kind of ruthless person who can squeeze oil out of stones. Often things that seem ordinary to us can always be made into money in new ways when he comes to him. This time, I was exactly the same.

I want to discuss with him how to improve the economic situation of the Western Army."

"Second uncle is called a moneymaker!" Xiao Jing couldn't help laughing.

"This is not a derogatory term!" Tuoba said in awe: "Without money, nothing can be done, but with money, everything will be easier. Your second uncle is younger than me, but I respect him

, but I was so impressed that I was in admiration. I still remember when I first met him, he was only sixteen years old, younger than you are now. At that time, he made me willing to obey his orders. "

"Is Second Uncle really that powerful?" Xiao Jing knew that the man he called Uncle Wei in front of him was the well-deserved number three figure in the Western Army, second only to his father and Chief Shi Zhang Yuan.

.

"How much do you still remember him?" Tuoba asked with a smile.

"I don't have many memories. I was just over four years old when we parted ways! What I remember most is that my second uncle was very good at cooking. Even my mother always said that she learned many new dishes from my second uncle.

He also said that he didn't know how his second uncle, a scholar, could cook a dish so well."

"Learning is given by heaven!" Tuoba exclaimed in awe: "For a person like him, no matter what knowledge he has, if he studies it for a little bit, it will be like others who have been immersed in this way for half of their lives. It is really scary."

"Uncle Wei, are you afraid of your second uncle?" Xiao Jing asked in a low voice.

Tuoba Yangwei sighed: "For someone like your second uncle, when you first interact with him, it's like spring breeze. He is polite to everyone. Even if it is a beggar on the road, he will not look down on him in the slightest. He always

Make those who are with him feel very comfortable and treat him as a friend. But over the years, every time I recall my interactions with your second uncle, I can’t help but feel scared. There is a feeling that is getting clearer and clearer, that is, your second uncle

Uncle looks at us with a condescending and scrutinizing look. It seems to be a kind of arrogance and a kind of pity. It's hard to explain this feeling clearly. Jing'an, whenever this feeling appears,

I feel like your second uncle is like a god looking down on the world."

"Is that so mysterious?" Xiao Jing laughed.

"Perhaps it was his plan back then that shocked me?" Tuoba shook his head and said, "When he was sixteen years old, he organized us to destroy the Weiming tribe with ease, beating the powerful Li Xu to ashes, and then used his help to

This matter forced Ma Xing, the then Shaanxi Road pacifier, to endorse, and with the help of the imperial court, he opened the Western Regions and visited Qingtang. Things that the imperial court had not been able to do for hundreds of years, in his hands, the situation was turned upside down in just a few years.

.And according to your father, this was just part of your second uncle's plan. Including the later Kaibian Southwest, it was also part of his overall plan. If it hadn't been for something unexpected later..."

"So the second uncle is a human being, not a god. If he was really a god, how could my grandfather and the others die? How could my aunt go to the Liao Kingdom?"

"Do you think Empress Dowager Chengtian is having a hard time now?" Tuoba asked in awe.

Xiao Jing was stunned. It was really hard for him to answer this question.

At that time, my aunt was forced and robbed to enter the Liao Kingdom, but now she is the number one person in the powerful Liao Kingdom. Not to mention her strength, she can crush the Western Army. Even my second uncle was forced to breathe by her aunt.

So is she doing well or not?

"Don't mention this matter in front of your second uncle! I'm afraid it will be a life-long pain for him!" Tuoba sighed in awe: "I have also talked about this matter with your master, and your master said something.

I have a deep understanding. He said that good planners plan for the general trend of the world and the foundation of the world, but they often ignore those around them and themselves. Your second uncle is probably like this, right? To be honest, we didn't expect that situation at that time.

.”

"So Uncle Wei, in addition to my father's opposition to the independent establishment of our country by the Western Army, you have not made a clear stance. Is it because of my second uncle?"

Tuoba Yangwei nodded: "When your second uncle planned the Western Army to control the northwest, break through the Western Region, and go out to Qingtang, he had a detailed discussion with me. In your second uncle's plan, these territories are all from his mouth.

It is an integral part of the territory of the Song Dynasty."

"An integral part?" Xiao Jing narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, so once the Western Army establishes its own country, it will inevitably become your second uncle's enemy." Tuoba said in awe: "Jing'an, I'm afraid of becoming your second uncle's enemy."

"Uncle Wei, don't forget, there is Daliao too!"

"Will your aunt allow us to be independent?" Tuoba Yangwei sighed: "When we went to Hengshan, that girl was a follower of your second uncle. She was trained by your second uncle. You have seen her over the years.

Didn’t she act in the Liao Kingdom? From her actions, didn’t you make a judgment? That is that your aunt, like your second uncle, is obsessed with the unification of the world and will never allow the Jin Ou to be lacking.

"

"What if the second uncle and the aunt cannot tell the difference in their lives? Then don't we have a chance? We are the chips that can influence the outcome. Whoever we favor will be stronger. We have always stood our ground.

On the side of the weak, so they can never decide the outcome, Uncle Wei, although this is a tightrope walk, I find it very interesting."
To be continued...