There was a drizzle in the sky, and the petrels danced in the wind, flying freely in the sky.
Shao Siwu climbed down along the rope net on the port side of the "Stork" type ship.
Below the ship's side are two smaller flat-bottomed boats, swaying with the waves at the moment.
Shao Siwu carefully climbed to the bottom, and then suddenly jumped onto one of the small boats.
The undulating waves made him stagger, and he almost fell into the sea without losing his balance.
The sailors on the boat quickly supported him. Shao Siwu shook them off and forced himself to steady himself. His face was a little pale, which was undoubtedly caused by mild seasickness.
After him, the sailors disembarked one by one, climbed steadily onto two small boats called "traffic boats", skillfully operated the oars, and rowed hard to the shore.
A sailor raised the small sail on the traffic boat. The strong south wind immediately filled the sail, and the speed of the small boat became faster.
Some supplies, mainly weapons, have been hoisted on the boat and wrapped in oil paper to prevent them from getting wet in the rain.
Suddenly a strong wind blew, the waves surged, and the waves surged into the sky.
Shao Siwu clung to the railing of the ship, suppressing his nausea. As a prince, he did not want anyone to see his incompetence and weakness.
Sailors are on the same boat, why can't I?
Sailors don't care about seasickness, why can't I?
He is so strong that he has almost lost his mind.
The two small boats moved forward slowly in the waves, one behind the other. The cold rainwater hit the cabin, the raincoat, and Shao Siwu's face, blurring his vision.
The sea and sky were all gray, with only the occasional sound of petrels reminding everyone to fight hard against the wind and waves.
Gradually, floating barrels appeared one by one on the yellow-green sea.
The barrel is fixed to the seabed with a small iron anchor, which is expensive. But the effect is also very obvious, marking a clear channel for ships entering and leaving the port.
It is a pity that the entire channel has not yet been completely determined, and the hydrographic survey work at the Daliao River entrance has not been completed. Otherwise, large ships with a deeper draft can sail directly into the port without worrying about running aground or running aground.
For a short distance, due to the influence of waves, they rowed for more than an hour before crossing the waterway and entering the Daliao River.
The water here is so calm, with only some slight undulations, that it is a completely different world from the open sea.
Shao Siwu looked around and saw that in the confused rain and fog, there were sand dunes, reeds and salt water and brackish water swamps everywhere. Only a little further away, you could see patches of woods, but the area was also very small.
After the two small boats rowed through a bend in the river, the broken land suddenly opened up before their eyes.
The land is surrounded by water. It is obviously fresh water, because someone is collecting water nearby, loading it into a truck and sending it to the walled city.
"Harder!" the sailors shouted and rowed hard. The speed of the ship suddenly accelerated, and soon it came to a simple trestle, one on the left and one on the right.
There were guards on the shore. They took the rope passed from the boat and quickly secured the boat.
"See Your Highness." Everyone on the shore saluted together.
"No need to be polite." The feeling of nausea had subsided a lot. Shao Siwu suppressed the swelling in his throat, twitched the corners of his mouth, and said with a smile.
After saying that, he gathered his strength and jumped onto the pier, as if he was not affected by seasickness at all.
The sailors looked at him with admiration.
Unlike them, King Zhao would not rely on the boat as his home all day long. He could endure the discomfort and get ashore. This perseverance has been recognized by everyone.
This is a very strong and honorable prince, as everyone knows.
Shao Siwu looked up at the walled city not far away.
This is the first time he has seen Yingkou Village. The overall style of the village is extremely rough. They are made of large logs with little processing. The logs are covered with a layer of soil, and weeds grow stubbornly on them, swaying in the wind.
There are many houses inside and outside the stockade. The houses are more simple and simple, and they are basically made of reeds and branches. Reeds, in particular, are almost the most common material here. When he just landed, Shao Siwu saw a sergeant moving around the stockade.
, they took machetes and took the trouble to cut down the reeds and clear the open space.
The cut reeds are neatly placed on the ground. These reeds grow very tall and are very light. After drying, they become excellent materials for simple houses. Sometimes they can even be woven into reed rafts for walking on the river.
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The noise on the pier gradually grew. The sergeants were busy and began to move supplies.
After the materials were unloaded, the cables were untied and they continued down to the sea to start the next transfer.
"The last general, Gao Youqing, comes to see His Highness." After a while, the envoy of Yingkou and Dengzhou general Gao Youqing walked out of the camp, bowed and saluted.
"Thank you for your hard work, General Gao. No courtesy." Shao Siwu supported him with his own hands and said.
"General Gao has created a big situation." Shao Siwu pointed to the northeast corner of the camp and said, "Are you rebuilding the Pichi?"
"Yes." Gao Youqing replied: "There are many water pools here, most of which are fresh water and can be drank. General Mo is thinking that maybe a small pond can be built into it. Since there will be more fields, the soldiers will also have water to drink and they don't have to go far.
road to draw water."
Draining swamps, acquiring land, building ponds, and irrigating farmland. This was the route operated by the East-West Road in Jiangnan during the former Tang Dynasty. It was very effective, but also very difficult.
"Are the soldiers willing to do this?" Shao Siwu asked.
"No matter whether you are willing or not, it is your inheritance that will be passed on to future generations. Of course you have to be more careful." Gao Youqing said: "Yingkou Village currently has two thousand soldiers and more than 1,400 households. It is not self-sufficient in food and grass.
If you don't be careful, won't you be hungry in the future?"
The two thousand soldiers Gao Youqing mentioned were actually the soldiers of the government. However, in a short period of time, there was not enough land to grant them. They still depend on the money and food delivered by the Andong government. Life is actually very difficult, and everyone
You said you were fooled and you shouldn't have come to a ghost place like Yingkou.
More than a thousand households of common people also moved in this year, including 500 households from Weibo, 800 households from Caozhou, and more than 100 households from the auxiliary soldiers who were allocated fields.
To put it simply, everything here is poor.
Floods are rampant, land is scarce, nothing is available, and ghosts come and everyone becomes depressed.
In Shao Siwu's view, instead of laboring to transform the fields in Yingkou, it would be better to just graze them.
When he was a child, his father once told him a story. It said that there is a country in the west called Hungary. There is a big river in their country, and the river floods every year. The Hungarians do not build river embankments, but wait for the flood to recede, and then rush out.
Take the cattle and sheep to graze by the river.
The floods brought silt to the river bottom, and after settling on both sides of the river bank, the grass that grew up was tender and juicy, and the yield was extremely high. Therefore, the local beef cattle were of high quality, and the beef soup was famous far and wide.
In the lower reaches of the Daliao River, instead of draining the swamps and transforming farmland now, it is better to graze cattle. This seems to be able to gain a foothold faster.
Of course, the people here in Yingkou Village are not fools. They also engage in grazing to a certain extent. Even the people in the Central Plains have a considerable degree of experience in caring for livestock, especially the people in Hebei.
Back then, Zhu Quanzhong stationed his army in Weibo and ate more than 700,000 miscellaneous livestock in half a year. Without any foundation in animal husbandry, it was obviously impossible to survive.
The soldiers and civilians in Yingkou Village are now eating from a big pot. Some are cutting down trees to build houses, some are renovating farmland, and some are herding cattle and sheep. They all perform their duties and work hard to start a business.
It's just that the scale is a bit small, not comparable to the one in Andong Mansion.
"Lushun has sent some equipment. General Gao will send someone to deliver it and store it in the warehouse." Shao Siwu entered a house made of reeds, took off his raincoat and handed it to the soldiers, and said.
"Why does His Highness need to come in person for these trivial matters?" Gao Youqing immediately ordered his men to deliver the goods, and asked in confusion at the same time.
Shao Siwu paused for a moment and finally decided to tell the truth. He only heard him say: "Without him, let's get familiar with the sea conditions."
"This..." Gao Youqing thought to himself that this eldest prince is really crazy, very courageous, and very eager to make contributions.
"To be honest, after this trip, I will return to Lushun." Shao Siwu said, "Next, I will probably march into the Central Plains."
"Or Pingzhou." Shao Siwu found a chair and sat down. Then he skillfully took off his boots and poured out the water inside.
Gao Youqing's eyelids jumped.
King Zhao's feet must have been soaked and turned white, right? Tianhuang Guizhou was so cruel to him, and he was a little scared when he remembered what his aide Liu Mian said in private.
"The Jin army has been dispatched in large numbers. Li Keyong led one group and fought with the Tiande Army and Wuwei Army at Xingmingci, with both sides winning or losing. The other group, led by Li Cunzhang, went south from Youzhou and approached Cangzhou. There were many traitor soldiers.
With so much power, Zang was not eager to fight, but he was at loggerheads with the thieves."
Gao Youqing seemed to understand something, patted his thigh and said: "What a plan!"
He was not of a high rank and could not hear high-level military secrets. But he had been fighting for so many years. When he heard this, a flash of lightning flashed through his heart, and he understood everything.
Shao Siwu smiled with satisfaction. There are so many talented people in the world. Even within the state army, there are also talented people. This Gao Youqing fought without risking his life. He had some unique skills and repeatedly defeated the enemy's front. His bravery was unparalleled.
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He is very optimistic about such talents and is willing to promote them, if Gao Youqing is willing to stay in Anton Mansion.
After talking to his father, Shao Siwu no longer worried about gains and losses. The prince belonged to his second brother, so he didn't plan to fight. But his father also said that he must have the ambition to make contributions. Today, the situation is not very stable. Let's say something.
If you are disrespectful, when your father dies, will the soldiers of the Forbidden Army support you? Will they listen to you? Or even if they support you, if you have no foundation in the army, no outstanding achievements in the local area, and insufficient prestige, will it happen?
Are you worried that a general of the Forbidden Army will raise his arms and wear a yellow robe?
The warriors these days don’t know who you are. Is it really natural for me to pass on the throne to my son? No, it is only natural for me to have a strong army and strong horses.
His father said that the world must be passed down from father to son for at least two or three generations before it can be considered stable, and Shao Siwu believed it deeply.
His father also said that the Shao family was not prosperous and that brothers should be united and friendly. Shao Siwu had no objection to this, but he still wanted to see if his second brother had that kind of mind.
What young man has not fantasized about making great achievements? Floating across the sea to attack Youzhou, he really wanted to try it, although many people tried to dissuade him.
"In a few days, there will be ships coming from Qingzhou, carrying 50,000 dendrobiums of grain and 1,000 households in Weibo and Caozhou." Shao Siwu said: "If General Gao feels bored staying at Yingkou Village, it is better to follow the return ship.
Lushun.”
Gao Youqing's heart moved.
He understood what King Zhao meant, he wanted to take him to land in Youzhou.
"How many people does Your Highness plan to take with him?" Gao Youqing asked.
"Longwu, Guide's Second Army, Huaihai Daozhou soldiers and Andongfu soldiers total ten thousand people." Shao Siwu said: "No matter how many there are, the ships will not be enough. If we can't send three to five thousand people ashore at one time, there is no meaning.
, the risk is too great, and a wise man would not take it.”
When Gao Youqing heard this, he immediately responded without any hesitation: "If you stay in Yingkou any longer, your hair will grow all over your body and your legs and feet will rot away. Since your highness has an order, the general must obey it."
"Okay!" Shao Siwu was also a little excited and said: "If there are any close and capable people guarding the Yingkou Village, General Gao can bring them with him to help. By the way, have the Khitans ever come to harass this place?"
"No." Gao Youqing replied: "The general once sent a ranger to go north. After traveling a long way, he did not see the Khitan tribe. The general dared to conclude that the Khitan people did not know that we had established a stronghold in Yingkou. They were in the Bohai Kingdom.
There's a lot of looting going on."
"Haha!" Shao Siwu said with a smile: "Let the Khitan thieves be arrogant for a while. After Li Keyong is dealt with, we will seek their misfortune again."