"Jiang Youling really made a mistake!" Zhang Wen, who was next to him, whispered, "Now that the Australians have established a good atmosphere in the game, it will be difficult to fight again."
"What do you know?!" Tang Yunwen scolded. Zhang Wen was a distant relative of his, and he also had the rank of Xiaoqi. Tang Yunwen promoted him to be a Qian General of the Chinese Military Standard Camp, as his personal general.
No better than ordinary people in terms of affection.
"Did the Australians build their cannons in Lingao?" Tang Yunwen asked, "How many ships do we have for him to shoot?"
Zhang Wen fell silent and looked unconvinced.
Tang Yunwen asked: "Where is the big iron ship?"
"The ship is inside the port and can't be seen from here," the boss of the ship said. "You have to go around the corner of Lingao to see it."
"Go around and have a look!" Of course Tang Yunwen wanted to see the legendary big iron ship.
The ship slowly turned the rudder and went around Lingao Corner. Tang Yunwen noticed that the security on Lingao Corner was very tight. The piers were protected by horses and the like, and there were people who looked like soldiers standing guard on the platform, carrying long weapons on their backs.
There is a long fire gun. Behind the pier, there is a tall stone round tower. According to the boss of the ship, this is a newly built lighthouse. With this lighthouse, it will be much safer to sail at night and in bad weather.
The ship rounded the corner of Lingao, and the iron ship gradually appeared in Tang Yunwen's sight. At this moment, he held his breath - it was too big! Tang Yunwen had seen the large plywood boats of Franco and Red Man, and the huge hull
He was deeply impressed by the towering masts. But compared with the big iron ship in front of him, it was nothing to mention. How could a ship be built so big?
"God, this boat is so big!" Zhang Wen couldn't help but said.
"This boat is now a sight to behold, and many people come to see it." The boss of the boat said, "It is higher than the city wall of Fucheng!"
"How can this ship sail without masts and oars?" Tang Yunwen felt that it was impossible for the ship to sail on the sea by itself - how big a sail would it take to drive this huge ship? What's more, it was made of iron, wouldn't it be necessary?
Many times heavier than wood.
"I heard people say that there is no need for sails and oars, the boat will move by itself." The boss of the boat said, "But I have never seen it before. This boat has not moved since we arrived at the shop."
Zhang Wenque said: "Sir, this ship is probably made of iron. Otherwise, if the ship is made of iron, let alone sailing, it will sink when it is put into the water."
Tang Yunwen was convinced. He remembered that he had heard an old boatman say before that during the Cheng and Xuan years, the Longjiang Shipyard built a large treasure ship for ceremonial purposes. It was extremely grand in shape, with multi-layered decks and pavilions, just like a water city. But he couldn't do it himself.
It cannot travel long distances at sea. When moving, it is towed by smaller ships. This is probably the same for this large iron ship. Otherwise, Tang Yunwen really can't think of any power in the world that can directly drive such a large ship across the sea.
.
"Even if it is wrapped with iron, this skill is amazing." Tang Yunwen commented, looking up again with the telescope, and saw that there seemed to be a cannon on the bow deck. He was experienced in military warfare and had already marked the three gun positions in his mind.
Come out. With these three cannons, it would be extremely risky to attack Bopu directly from the sea.
While he was pondering, the boss of the boat suddenly trembled: "It's broken! The patrol boat is coming!" Tang Yunwen looked up and saw a small single-masted boat coming not far away, with a full sail and a speed that was almost unbelievable.
It was like flying on the waves, but the hull tilted so sharply that Tang Yunwen thought it was going to capsize.
Tang Yunwen knew that he could not escape at this time, so he quickly put away the telescope and hid it. He pretended to be a fisherman and inspected the fishing nets in the cabin. Zhang Wen, however, was a little nervous and kept looking outside.
"Calm down." Tang Yunwen warned.
The patrol boat quickly approached the fishing boat. The moment the two boats came close to each other, several people in blue jackets jumped over and stood on the deck of the fishing boat. Then they threw a few ropes.
Bring the two boats firmly together.
Judging from their agility, these people are obviously veterans of the sea. They are all wearing blue cloth tight-fitting jackets with wide cloth belts tied around their waists, and they look very capable and capable.
Each person has a dagger leather scabbard hanging down between his hips. There is also a triangular coarse cloth bag hanging on the cloth belt around his waist, which is fastened with belts and iron buckles. I don't know what it holds.
Look at the blue cloth coats they are wearing. At first glance, the style is simple. But if you look closely, there are a lot of bits and pieces on them. There are small squares of black cloth on the upright collar, and there are crooked patterns on it. There are extra pieces of soft cloth on the shoulders.
It was decorated with patterns and stripes. He noticed that the leader had fewer stripes than the others, but they were much thicker.
Each person also had a piece of cloth pinned to their chest with the word "Marine Police" written on it. He didn't know what it meant, but Tang Yunwen guessed it was related to affiliation.
After getting on the boat, the people immediately dispersed. Some stood at the stern to control the helmsman, while others urged the boatman to lower the sail. The entire ship was soon under control.
On the opposite ship, two small cannons were already aimed at the fishing boat. Tang Yunwen had seen similar small cannons on Franco's ship and knew that they were specially designed to fire small iron rods to kill deck sailors.
Although this group of people were pirates, the whole process of jumping into a gang and controlling the ship was smooth and fast, which showed that they were well-trained and elite troops. Tang Yunwen thought that his Chinese military standard battalion could only do this. I am afraid it is not that fast.
The leader yelled: "Where did you come from as a fishing boat? Why don't you fly the flag?"
He spoke in Mandarin, but his accent was that of southern Fujian. This pirate was obviously not an Australian, but a scoundrel from the Ming Dynasty. He was probably a subordinate of Mr. Zhu Cai who defected to the Australians.
The boss of the ship had already nodded and bowed to greet him: "The younger one hasn't received the flag yet..."
"How can you come here to fish without a flag?"
"I heard that the fishing ground here in Lingao has a good harvest. Let's see how the situation is first. If it is really good, come and apply for a certificate." The boss of the boat pointed to the cabin with a smile on his face, "You guys don't dare to break the rules, you see.
The fishing nets are all packed up, and not to mention fish and shrimps, there aren’t even a single fish scale in the cabin.”
Tang Yunwen knew that according to the general routine, the leader of the team would definitely scold him with a straight face, and then threaten him with whatever he wanted. The boss of the ship would naturally give him the money he had prepared. As for checking something, it was just a walk.
Just a formality.
However, the leader did not use the usual intimidation and threats. He waved his hand and his men immediately dispersed. They had to search cabin by cabin, even the coiled ropes and stacked fishing nets.
I took a look very carefully.
The captain of the ship hurriedly dug out a few coins from his waist and tried to stuff them in. However, he was pushed back:
"You keep the money yourself. If there is no poaching, I will naturally let you go." The leader said seriously, "If there is any poaching, you will be offended."
"There is absolutely no poaching. It's just a small thing. I'm buying wine for a few lieutenants." The boss of the ship still stuffed the money into his hand.
The boss actually refused to accept the money. Not only did he not accept the money, he also reprimanded the captain of the ship sternly. Tang Yunwen was stunned for a moment - judging from his appearance, refusing to accept the money was not an act.
Can this Australian even be considered a pirate if he doesn't even need the money brought to his door? Tang Yunwen has dealt with many heroes at sea, and he knows that people who take this road have various reasons: in the end, they are completely
For money and women. Unexpectedly, there is such a group of pirates who don't love money!
After some inspections, of course no catch was found, and Tang Yunwen's telescope was well hidden without being discovered. The leader registered the name of the ship's boss and the port where the ship was located one by one before leaving. Before leaving, he did not forget to warn:
If you are fishing locally, you should register with Bopu as soon as possible. Recently Bopu has established a "Fishery Association" and has introduced many ways to benefit fishermen. If you are interested, boat owners can "take a look".
Of course, the boss of the ship was obedient and sent the people away like a no-brainer. Then he asked the people to raise the sail. Seeing Tang Yunwen sitting under the mast of the ship and staring at the leaving patrol boat, he couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Master, this is really awesome.
The little one was scared to death.”
"What are you afraid of? There are no swords and guns on this ship, and there are no seals on the ship. As long as you are careful, nothing will happen." Tang Yunwen asked, "Were the Australian men who boarded the ship just now?"
"Yes, this is a company that specializes in patrolling and inspecting the ocean in this area," the ship's boss said. "These are small boats, as well as large two-masted ships. The inspections are very tight! Recently, many sporadic pirates have been caught. Here in Lingao
The sea is much calmer than in previous years. Boat owners and merchants along the coast say that the sea is very calm once the ship enters Lingao."
In this way, the Australians here not only collect the benefits of the "catch", but also take care of arresting pirates and protecting merchants. It is a bit like what the government does. Thinking of this, Tang Yunwen has become wary. This group of Australians has no small ambitions.
.
Zhang Wen proposed to go ashore to take a look and explore the reality on the land, especially the land defenses and artillery. But Tang Yunwen thought that what he had seen now was enough. He had to go ashore. There were many old troops of Zhu Cai Lao here.
——Some of them have seen him before, and it would be troublesome if they were recognized. But at this moment, he has completely lost interest in using force to expel the Australians—the disparity in strength is too great.
"Go back to Baisha." Tang Yunwen ordered.
"Sir, if we don't find out clearly what's going on on the shore, if we want to raise troops to attack in the future, wouldn't it be——" Zhang Wen remonstrated in a low voice.
"It's not too late to explore again then." Tang Yunwen said, "This Lingao matter is very difficult. If we want to conquer it, we must use the strength of the entire province."
The implication is that the campaign of suppression will not happen in five or six months. It is impossible for him, a coastal defense general, to muster the strength of the entire province. Just write a report and deliver a pile of newspapers and other documents.
The red tape for this would take months.
Furthermore, given his status, coming to explore outside the Port of Bobu is considered "personally involved in danger", so there is no need for him to sneak into Bobu and let his subordinates take care of it.