Chengshanjiao, also known as Chengshantou or Endless, is named after it is located in the easternmost section of the Chengshan Mountains.
This place is located at the easternmost tip of the Shandong Peninsula, surrounded by sea on three sides and land on one side. It has been known as the place where the sun rises since ancient times. In the Spring and Autumn Period, literati called this place Chaowu and was considered the place where the sun god lived.
It is recorded in historical records that after Jiang Taigong helped King Wen of Zhou successfully conquer the Yin and Shang Dynasties, he worshiped the sunrise here. Emperor Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also came here to pray for blessings and ask God to bless themselves with immortality.
After many years, on the first day of the New Year in the first year of the New Han Dynasty, Chengshanjiao once again ushered in new glory. In addition to the several generals leading the army, Qingzhou civil and military officials gathered together for a grand event that was about to take place.
Gather together in a mountain!
The head of Chengshan is like a sharp sword, held by a giant in the hand, thrust straight into the sea. The mountain wall near the sea stands thousands of feet tall, standing like a giant pillar supporting the sky. Under the cliff, huge waves are surging, snow is flying, the waves are roaring, and the wind is blowing.
It's a very magnificent place.
Standing on the top of the mountain, listening to the sound of the waves and the wind rolling in and roaring away like thunder and war drums, looking at the vast and boundless sea, you will feel a sense of endless sigh, and you will be overwhelmed by the great power of nature.
.But on the other hand, didn’t this situation and this scene arouse great pride in everyone’s hearts?
This time, everyone is not here to worship gods and seek immortality, but to conquer the boundless sea with human power!
"Brother Wei, do you really want to go to sea with the army? This is the sea? It is boundless and there will be strong winds and waves. I heard people say that when the wind and waves rise, the wind is stronger than a knife, and the waves are higher than this mountain. You
Do you really want to go? My sister-in-law won’t persuade you? Are you willing to let Zhuer go? "
It is the civil and military officials who are full of pride. For a small person like Yang Chao who has never traveled far in his life, this trip to Chengshanjiao has already made him feel unsure. Going to sea and other things are simply like a myth.
But he had to come, because Wei Sheng came. Not only did he come, he also signed up to go to sea with the army!
The fleet going out to sea consists of ten large ships.
The shape of the sea-going ship is imitated from the ships of the later Age of Discovery, and some traditional Chinese shipbuilding techniques are also added. In addition to people, the ship carries various supplies. According to General Hussar, this is called an expedition fleet.
Each ship can carry thirty to fifty people. In order to ensure maximum safety, the final capacity is thirty-five people per ship, totaling 350 people.
Among them were 240 combatants headed by Tai Shi Ci, all of whom were elites selected from the navy and had experienced hundreds of battles. Tai Shi Ci and Zhou Cang's former commander Gong Tian were among them.
Sixty senior sailors, their responsibility is not only to control the ship. Although Taishi Ci's sailors are combatants, they are not just killers who can only draw swords to kill people. When it comes to controlling the ship, they are no worse than the sailors.
These sailors were carefully selected and trained by Wang Yu from coastal fishermen. Their main responsibility is to observe the weather with rich experience and avoid sea storms. At the same time, they record first-hand data such as ocean currents and wind directions, and then draw up sea charts.
.Form a fixed route.
Among the remaining thirty people, there were two ship's doctors, three interpreters and guides, ten businessmen, and fifteen craftsmen of various kinds.
The role of the ship's doctor and guide is self-evident, while the role of craftsmen is to build docks, build colonies, and explore for mineral veins. Only the role of merchants is less clear.
According to Wang Yu, it was to let them go to the local area to look for business opportunities, but he also said that the places Tai Shici passed through on this trip were all barren lands, with at most some indigenous tribes. Where would there be any business opportunities? For merchants The job is to buy low and sell high, and you can’t even find anyone, so how can there be any room for reselling?
Due to these doubts and the fear of the unknown, the recruitment of merchants for the Dongdu fleet did not go smoothly. The merchants were busy going to Hedong to pan for gold and had no time to pay attention to this area.
Even if the Dongdu fleet successfully arrives at its destination and finds the legendary gold mine, as expected by the General Hussar, can everyone wait until there is confirmed news before setting off with the subsequent fleet? Why bother following them from the beginning? What about the past? Risking your life, but not being able to carry any goods, and making no profit, why go there?
It was under this circumstance that Wei Sheng resolutely signed up and became one of the first ten businessmen to cross eastward.
Yang Chao didn't understand the choice of his friend who was in the same situation, so he followed him to Chengshanjiao and tried his best to persuade him to change his mind.
Faced with his friend's persuasion, Wei Sheng smiled calmly: "E Niang supports me. Although she is a little reluctant to leave Pearl, she can't miss out on national affairs just because her children love each other!"
Yang Chao stamped his feet anxiously: "Hey, my brother Wei, our Qingzhou is so big and there are so many people, how can we still miss you? Not to mention others, Mi Shijun's family, isn't there someone who is good at doing business? ?”
"How are they the same?" Wei Sheng shook his head and said: "The Lord made it very clear that this is a matter of making a lot of money. Mi Shijun has already become an official and cannot get involved in this anymore. Business and politics must be separated, otherwise it will easily become the former toward that."
Although Wang Yu did not proclaim himself emperor, the change of Yuan Dynasty still feels like a different era. In fact, as early as last year, under the auspices of Shaofu Wang Xiu, the General Mansion began to mint new coins, and the people of Qingzhou I had this feeling.
Those who agree, the two reign names of Chuping and Zhongping brought suffering to everyone in the world, even the Yellow Turban soldiers who caused the turmoil were no exception.
At the beginning of the new year, when the General's Office officially announced that this year was the first year of Kaiyuan, the decree was greeted with noisy and endless cheers.
Kaiyuan means creating a new era and leaving all the trauma of the past behind!
As a die-hard supporter of Wang Yu, Wei Sheng had long thought that the Han Dynasty had perished and a new dynasty had risen.
Yang Chao was speechless. He had also been oppressed by the powerful, and he had no good impressions of those big families whose hands covered the sky. He agreed with Wang Yu's decree, but after thinking about it, he was still not optimistic about his friend's future. : "That's what I say, but this trip is not about making money at all..."
Wei Sheng smiled nonchalantly and said: "If you can't make money, you are one step ahead. When you come back, it will definitely be easier to make money than others. How could what Mr. Junhou said be wrong?"
Yang Chao wanted to persuade him again, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted: "That's right. Little brother, don't worry about these useless thoughts. It's unnecessary. Who is General Hussar? Experienced by experience. He has won hundreds of battles, and he can control the world with just one hand! Could the path he pointed out be wrong?"
The speaker was also a businessman, his surname was Zhen Mingdao, his accent was similar to that of Wei Sheng, and he claimed to be from Julu.
This Zhen Dao was young. He spoke a little carelessly, and he admired Wang Yu very much. Therefore, he and Wei Sheng hit it off and became close within a few days.
At this moment, he spoke out in a loud voice, which attracted some attention and caused many people to agree.
"This is a reasonable saying. Wealth and honor are sought in danger. This trip is a bit risky. But these days, if you still want to be rich and honorable without taking risks, isn't that a dream? Even if you are an old man like a king, you have walked many times in the shadow of swords and swords. .After many years of fighting with thousands of armies and thousands of horses, have we laid the foundation of fifteen counties?"
"What's there to worry about? Haven't you seen General Ziyi rushing to lead the army? No matter how delicate and expensive you are, how can you compare to General Zhengdong? My dear, stop crying and wait for your family My husband, I am back. There is plenty of glory and wealth for you to enjoy, why are you crying?"
"That's it. That's it..."
There were many people who came to see him off, and they were originally full of sorrow for farewell, but Yang Chao and Wei Sheng were so excited that everyone who was about to go to sea patted their chests, waved their arms, laughed, and shouted, like a strong force. The strong wind blew by, and the sadness was immediately blown away without a trace.
Wei Sheng hugged his friend in need and whispered a few words in his ear. The latter's eyes suddenly turned red, but he never gave any advice.
The noisy and festive atmosphere also infected the civil and military officials who stood solemnly on the top of the mountain. Taishi Ci patted his chest and said with a smile: "My lord, if I come forward, you can rest assured and I will ensure that everything you tell me will be done properly." It’s appropriate.”
"I'm afraid you'll be like this!" Wang Yu rolled his eyes at him and said angrily: "I've told you so many times that the point of going to sea this time is not to fight with people, but to fight with the sky! Just having courage and martial arts is If it’s not enough, you also need to pay attention to methods. Remember not to be greedy for merit and rush into progress. If you can’t do something, don’t force it..."
"Listen more to Batian's advice." Taishi Ci rushed to tell Wang Yu what he said next, and said aggrievedly: "My lord, although you are one year older in the New Year, you cannot suddenly become like him. Mr. Yuan Hao, are you the same? How many times have you told me these words, and my ears are almost getting calluses? Is it possible that a certain person is so unreliable in his work, and does it make you uneasy? "
"It's quite sad." Zhao Yun Lengding interjected from the side, causing everyone to smile. Taishi Ci became angry and chased the rebellious brother: "You are a dragon, you are trying to undermine me in front of so many people. See if I don’t teach you a lesson today…”
Before he could catch up with Zhao Yun, Tian Feng emerged from the crowd and said with a cold snort: "General Zhengdong is so majestic, who do you want to teach him a lesson? Just now I seemed to have heard someone saying that I am old and no longer useful. Are you nagging me?"
"How...how could that be possible?" Taishi Ci froze, turned around slowly, rubbed the back of his head, and said with a smile: "How can Mr. Yuan Hao grow old? You are getting stronger with age, and you are getting stronger with age. The older you get, the more energetic you become …”
"Just say it to the old monster." Zhao Yun hid behind Wang Yu and uttered another sentence, which made Taishi Ci blush with anger, but there was nothing he could do. Everyone's laughter became louder and louder.
In fact, Taishi Ci also knew that his sworn brother was worried about him. Theoretically, there would be no enemies on this trip. There was no need for him, the general who conquered the east, or the admiral of Qingzhou to take action. If he really encountered danger at sea, let alone him. , even if Wang Yu is on the ship, it will not have much effect.
Is the power of God so easy to resist?
In fact, Taishi Ci was just joining in the fun at first, but as the plan unfolded and he learned more and more inside information from Wang Yu, he was deeply attracted by this whimsical-sounding plan.
Opening up territories in an unprecedented way and branding his name as the first pioneer of the Han Dynasty to expand abroad! For Taishi Ci, who loves adventure and likes to be in the limelight, this is a fatal temptation.
Therefore, despite the opposition of the two foster brothers and the reluctance of the lord Wang Yu, Taishi Ci still insisted on taking this trip.
In the future, of course, my stage will still be on the battlefield of the Central Plains, but this episode is necessary, and it must be me! A man was born in troubled times, and he should carry a three-foot sword to achieve immortal deeds. This is what he wishes in his life. What does it mean to be incompetent?