Chapter 61 Discussion
After drinking till night, everyone dispersed.
The next day, Zhao Zhen finished his martial arts practice and had breakfast. Bai Zhi took the gift and took Xue Shang Fei Zi to the hospital.
Zhao Zhen invited Du Qian to sit down in the front hall and said: "Brother, in this world of mine, not only is there a lot of waste waiting for prosperity, but there is also a shortage of people everywhere. There are still more than 300 prisoners in Shuibo Liangshan. , They have all been left behind for a long time. Although they have conquered our power, it is not a long-term solution. Brothers, you must be careful when you go."
Du Qian said: "Don't worry, Master, I will take care of it."
Zhao Zhen nodded and said: "Zhuang Ding has selected six long stick soldiers. You can take them with you as personal followers to teach some martial arts. They can also be used in passing orders and running errands." After saying that, he handed a pair of iron armor to Du. move.
Du Qian took it with both hands, and Zhao Zhen said: "Brothers are now working in the army, and protection is indispensable. Now I give brothers a pair of iron armor for self-defense. Although it is an ordinary thing, it is also made of good iron."< br>
Du Qian was overjoyed when he heard this: "Thank you so much, owner of the village."
After a while, six long stick soldiers, each carrying luggage and weapons, came to the front hall to pay their respects. Zhao Zhen introduced them one by one, and everyone See you again.
Zhao Zhen picked up the green gun and led a few people to the dock. Ruan Xiaoer had prepared the boat early and was waiting at the dock. After meeting Zhao Zhen and his party, Ruan Xiaoer said: "Master, today we are taking a stern boat, accompanied by two-masted and three-masted boats."
It was also the first time for Zhao Zhen to board a warship. After boarding the ship, Zhao Zhen looked around. This ship was different from civilian ships. It had complete crossbow windows and spear holes, and cowhide shields. After starting, it moved very fast, and soon it was running away from the other two large ships. .
Du Qian got on the boat and looked around like Zhao Zhen, marveling at it from time to time.
After looking around, Zhao Zhen said to Ruan Xiaoer who was accompanying him: "Erlang, this warship is in the hands of brothers. Is there any problem?"
Ruan Xiaoer said: "The owner of the village, although I have never used this boat, there is no difficulty in driving it. It is an endless lake with no wind and waves, so it is suitable for sailing. According to the owner's request, we have now recruited some villagers from the fishermen and are working on it. The training was intensified. The ship originally had 32 crossbows, and some hunters who were good at shooting were selected from Liangcun and Kushutun for training. When the village owner came, these crossbowmen went to the stream early to learn their water skills and practiced boating for a month. , No longer seasick, it’s enough to be able to swim in the water.”
Zhao Zhen praised: “That’s right, it’s enough to be able to fight in the water.” Erlang, how many people have been recruited to the water village now? Fish? ”
Ruan Xiaoer said: "There are three large ships permanently stationed in Xixi Village. The stern requires 20 sailors, 32 crossbowmen, jump gangs, water ghosts, and 40 soldiers. The brig needs 8 sailors. It can carry 30 soldiers, and three The mast ship needs 12 sailors and 50 soldiers. Nowadays, 4 water transport soldiers have been removed from Xiaowu and Xiaoqi. The remaining sailors are mostly young soldiers recruited from Liangcun, and they still need Zhuang. The main decision is made. Now the two big ships behind are only training sailors, and there are no soldiers on board.
The fishermen have not changed, and it does not affect the fishing. There is no fog on the lake, and the fishing team returns in the morning. , it is very convenient, and I have gained a lot of catches. Now there are 38 four-tailed carp in the village, 4 herring weighing 100 kilograms, 3 silver carp, good carp weighing 20 to 30 kilograms, and 400 bighead carp. There are more than a thousand catties of miscellaneous fish.”
Zhao Zhen nodded, indicating that he knew, and frowned as he thought about how to quickly build up combat power. The ready-made soldiers are the Liangshan grass bandits. These people are used to licking blood from the edge of a knife and have adapted to the life of catching knives and guns, but they are not used to farming. It's just that these people are used to being undisciplined. Now that they are being recruited into the army, they will probably be more difficult to control in the future.
Zhao Zhen sent these more than 300 people to forced labor in order to temper their character. Many farmers were involved in order to stabilize the hearts of these captives, treat them equally, and prevent these people from easily becoming rebellious.
While thinking about it, I arrived at the Golden Beach Water Village. Ruan Xiaoer stood on the bow of the boat and waved the flag. The door of the water village opened from the inside, and two sailors rocked a clipper to guide the warship. Entered the water village and anchored.
Zhao Zhen jumped off the boat. Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi had been waiting here for a long time. When they met, they each exchanged greetings. Ruan Xiaowu led everyone to the barracks in the water village. This place was originally the residence of the mangy turtle. Now Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi live here and use the front hall as an official room.
Entering the hall, Zhao Zhen took the seat first, and everyone also sat down in turn, Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi on the west side, and Ruan Xiaoer and Du Qian on the east side. The waiter Zhuang Ding served tea and after drinking it, Ruan Xiaoer said, "Wu Lang, Qi Lang, what's going on in the water village now?" After hearing this, Zhao Zhen also looked at Ruan Xiaowu.
Ruan Xiaowu smiled bitterly and said: "Master, the water village is barely maintaining now. There are quite a few ships, but we are short of sailors and soldiers."
Zhao Zhen said: "Brother, it just so happens that you and other naval commanders are here. I also talked with Erlang on the way. I thought about it and came up with an idea. I will share it today. Brothers will discuss it together to see if it is feasible.
The first thing is to recruit some people who are willing to serve as soldiers from the fishermen in Xixi Village. Most of Zhangzhuang and Tianzhuang are fishermen. We also recruit some from them, not just sailors and soldiers. The second thing is to select those with good performance from the prisoners. How about being exempted from military service in advance and joining the army?”
The three Ruan brothers discussed it, and Ruan Xiaoqi said: “Master, I think it’s feasible. The thin monkey and the mangy-headed turtle also have people under their command. Many fishermen who came here after being oppressed by the wealthy gentry had no bad deeds in the past, and most of them sailed to and from the surrounding area. Their robberies depended on these old bandits. These young people could be recruited as sailors if they wanted. I'm still a little short of becoming a sergeant, I just need to work hard to train. As for these old water thieves and grass bandits who are good at fighting, we and other brothers can suppress them."
Zhao Zhen said: "Qilang said. Fortunately, Shuibo Liangshan now has a certain reputation in the world. Although it is a place where people are trapped, many people who have committed serious crimes have taken refuge here to take refuge. Now it is a mountain farm for us and other brothers. There are many trees and plants in the water, and it is more than enough to build a thousand houses.
Just being a mountain king is not the way out for us brothers. We are all innocent and good men, so how can we defile our bodies in the world. Many good men fall into disgrace, and no one is born a thief unless he is forced to do so.
Moreover, it all depends on robbery, and there is no future at all. If there is too much robbery, few people will dare to come and go from now on. Secondly, if you walk too much at night, you will always encounter ghosts, who may one day invite an army of government officials to attack you. Therefore, we still need to cultivate the land, grow mulberry and weave cloth, and trade with other countries in the world. Therefore, we still need to restrain everyone and strictly enforce military discipline to prevent these people from returning to their old ways. In this case, all brothers must work hard to control them. "
Everyone nodded after hearing this, Ruan Xiaowu said: "Yes, although this area is small, less than a county, there are no corrupt officials, and it is a good business. We all have a place to live. So, drinking from a big bowl, eating a lot of meat, and wearing matching clothes, what else is there to say. ”
Although Du Qian said nothing, he could not help but feel excited after listening to the conversation.
(End of this chapter)