Chapter 2195
The ships commanded by Dai Chengrong were all ordinary sailing ships that were used to haul cargo and occasionally pick up a few passengers along the way. Not to mention the eight hundred miles of waterway per day, it was considered good if they could smoothly cover the two hundred miles of waterway in one day.
Dai Chengrong wanted to shorten the voyage time as much as possible, so he had to travel day and night. This was not easy for the boatman. Moreover, sailing at night had limited vision, and needed to be highly concentrated and not careless at all. However, this is a hard job for the crew, but not necessarily for others.
After nightfall, the visibility on the river dropped. Passengers on each ship finally got the opportunity to go to the deck to relax, and the curses finally stopped. The children of each family, who had been suffocating during the day, were finally able to sit on the deck and have dinner while enjoying the cool river breeze.
Of course, there is definitely no alcohol. In order to ensure the safety of the trip, no alcohol is carried on board these ships, and no one is allowed to carry it in their luggage, not even rice wine. Since violators will be disqualified from training, although there are many rebellious and unruly people among these salt merchants' children, they still dare not violate this prohibition, lest they be returned before they arrive in Zhoushan, and they will not be able to explain after they return.
After being locked up in the cabin for a day, everyone had already scolded him over and over again if they could, but at this time, they had no intention of continuing to scold him. After filling their stomachs, some people gathered together in twos and threes and whispered. Some people were lying on the deck, staring at the dark night sky in a daze. Some people ran to chat with the crew and asked where they were at this time, but no one took any more. There was a lot of fuss about being locked in the cabin during the day and not being able to get out.
In fact, many of these children of salt merchants have been doing business with their elders since they were young, and they are not unfamiliar with traveling by boat. Many of them have traveled through this waterway in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River more than once. But in the past, when going out to do things, they were not as sneaky as thieves, and their movements were restricted on the ship, which made them feel a little uncomfortable.
But it was this strict restriction that made them truly feel the special nature of this mission. These people knew different amounts of information about this mission, and it was only then that they began to communicate with each other and share what they knew.
Because the Dai family and the Ma family are deeply involved, the children of these two families actually know the same situation as Dai Chengrong, and they are also some of the people who are most cooperative with the itinerary. The information held by the children of other families was uneven. During the day, those who complained the most came from this group.
What was the society like under Haihan's rule? Can you really learn the true skills of the Haihan Army by going to Zhoushan? In addition to military training, what other cooperation projects do you have with the Haihan people? From now on, will the private armed forces of the seven major surnames all have to obey the orders of the Dai family? If the young master of the Dai family fails to pass the training, who is qualified to take his place?
Everyone has many questions to seek answers to, but no one on the ship can answer all of them, not even Dai Chengrong, one of the parties involved. However, Dai Chengrong already roughly knew the arrangements in Zhoushan, so he was not too worried about the situation after entering the unknown environment.
Before dawn, everyone who stayed on the deck was driven back to the cabin. Although some people still expressed dissatisfaction, there were much fewer people than the previous day. More and more people have begun to realize that it is of no practical significance to insist on obtaining some unnecessary treatment at this time. If it makes a big fuss, it will only hinder the sailing speed and make the fleet delay longer on the way, and they themselves You will also be stuck on the ship for longer.
Dai Chengrong couldn't hold on until dawn, ate two meat buns, and then fell asleep. When he woke up again, it was already noon, and the crew of the ship had also changed.
"Where are we?" Dai Chengrong couldn't tell where the river section in front of him was for a while, so he asked the sailors around him.
"Reporting to the young master, we are now in Jiangyin. In front of us is Jiangyin Guard's naval fort!"
After hearing this, Dai Chengrong looked towards the south bank, and sure enough he could vaguely see the fort fortifications on the river bank. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, a garrison was set up in Jiangyin and a naval force was stationed. However, the actual construction of the fort to guard the Yangtze River actually took place in Chongzhen for eight years. Shortly before the fort was built, Haihan sent troops to Hangzhou Bay to force the Zhejiang government to grant trade rights, which made Ming Dynasty very disgraceful. Therefore, this measure is to prevent anyone from going up the river, and its meaning is self-evident.
Of course, it is not enough to completely block the Yangtze River, which is three miles wide, in wartime with only a dozen or so cannons. But if you add the locally stationed naval forces, it will be enough. It can still be done by delaying the enemy's time. One of the reasons why the Zhoushan authorities did not want to directly send troops to Yangzhou was also because there were some defense measures deployed by the Ming Dynasty in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and it would be inconvenient for the naval fleet to enter these areas.
The journey from Yangzhou to the mouth of the Yangtze River is almost half the journey to Jiangyin. Dai Chengrong calculated the time and found that it took almost a day and a half. This speed was actually not too slow, but it was definitely not up to the level he required. However, none of the six ships in the fleet are out of touch, and they are still maintaining a stable distance of less than a hundred feet. This makes him quite satisfied. Although the ships are quite ordinary, the sailors equipped with them are all experienced people with talents. Maintain such a stable marching formation.
"Just keep this speed!" Taking into account the condition of the sailors, Dai Chengrong did not plan to order another advance. Although time was of the essence, he had to ensure that he arrived at the destination safely. If there is a safety accident on the way, the uncles and elders waiting for the news in Yangzhou may not be able to bear the excitement.
Of course, if a few large ships are arranged from the beginning, and each ship is equipped with more people, then it will definitely be much less difficult for the fleet to maintain a consistent speed. However, the Dai family made such an arrangement mainly because they considered the need for these people on the way. Strict restrictions on movement on board ships could lead to conflicts between passengers and sailors. If there are too many people on a single ship, once someone disobeys the arrangements, the situation on the ship may get out of control. So after careful consideration, we finally decided to arrange a few more boats and reduce the number of people on each boat to enhance the safety factor on the way.
However, in fact, by the second day, the passengers on the ship basically adapted to this special arrangement. Knowing that protesting was ineffective, they honestly waited in the cabin for the wind release. But it was midsummer, and no matter how good the ventilation conditions in the cabin were, they still couldn't resist the hot air. Everyone would sweat profusely even if they lay still, which was really uncomfortable.
By the evening of the third day, the fleet had arrived at Songjiang Prefecture, and they no longer had to worry about their whereabouts being exposed when they went to sea. Dai Chengrong ordered people to send out a signal to lift all restrictions on activities on board the ship. Next, sail south for another day to reach your destination.
After dawn, everyone on the boat found that they had reached the sea. After asking the sailors, they found out that they had sailed into the waters of Hangzhou Bay, which was actually Haihan's sphere of influence. More than a hundred miles south is the destination of this trip, Zhoushan Island.
Although they knew nothing about the situation on Zhoushan Island, most people couldn't help but cheered when they learned that they were about to reach the finish line. The past few days on the ship have been really difficult for them. Even if they know that the days after landing may be even more difficult, they still hope to end their semi-imprisonment life on the ship as soon as possible. Before sunset, they saw the outline of Zhoushan Island on the distant sea, but in fact it was not until dark that the fleet could reach the northern waters of the island. By the time the fleet arrived at Dinghai Port from the west side of Zhoushan Island, it was already midnight. Dai Chengrong specifically consulted Yuan Tao before coming, so he knew that he could not order sailing into the military port area at this time, otherwise he would easily be treated as a trespasser. We can only find a place to park nearby for half a night, and then move to the military port dock at dawn.
In order to avoid unnecessary complications, Dai Chengrong did not allow the fleet to enter the civilian port. Instead, he docked at Panzhi Island opposite the military port and ordered that no one should disembark.
The reason why there are such strict restrictions here is not because Dai Chengrong is unreasonable or deliberately uses his power to disgust people, but because this group of people came to Zhoushan for a special purpose and should not expose their whereabouts. The most ideal situation is to come quietly and leave quietly after completing your studies. Don't let any irrelevant people notice the existence of their team. Only in this way can they become a force that changes the power competition of Yangzhou salt merchants in the future. A surprising force.
Four days had passed on the boat, and it was midnight again. In fact, no one insisted on getting off the boat at this time to go out for a swim, so this ban did not attract any complaints and was implemented smoothly. At the fifth watch of the day, the fleet left Panzhi Island and headed for the military port in the north.
The children of these salt merchants, including Dai Chengrong, finally witnessed with their own eyes how spectacular the legendary Haihan naval fleet was. Compared with the sailing warships parked at the dock, the sailing ships they were traveling on were simply inconspicuous small sampans. . Many people opened their mouths, not knowing how to describe what they saw in front of them.
Although they had heard more or less rumors about how they knew the Haihan Navy before they came, most of them would still associate its image with the Ming Navy that they were more familiar with by default, but now they see it with their own eyes. Only when they saw it did they realize that the appearance of the Haihan warship was completely different from the warships of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, looking at the port from east to west, there were dozens of warships of various sizes moored in a row. The scale was far beyond what they had ever seen in their lives. Any naval fleet I have ever seen.
When Dai Chengrong saw it, he understood that there was news that the Haihan Army stationed in Zhoushan had just conquered Hirado, Japan. It was not a joke. How could such a huge fleet go anywhere in the world?
While being shocked, these salt merchants' children also had great confidence in Haihan. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. With such a powerful armed fleet in front of them, the effect is better than a thousand words of bragging.
When I heard that the Haihan people controlled the coastal waters of Zhejiang, most of them would have three words in their minds. Why? Until today when they came to Zhoushan and saw the Haihan East China Sea Fleet stationed here, this question that had troubled them for a long time finally got the answer.
"No wonder shopkeeper Yuan was still so confident after arriving in Yangzhou. If it were me, I would be ten times more arrogant than him!" Dai Chengrong thought of the confidence and calmness revealed in Yuan Tao's words and deeds, and finally understood him. The confidence lies.
At this time, a guide ship had already come forward to greet them. After asking about the identity and purpose of this fleet, they led them to an empty dock. At this time, the children of the salt merchants on the ship were no longer in a hurry to go ashore. They even hoped to stay here for a while so that they could appreciate these Haihan warships again.
Ma Zhengping had already trusted his connections yesterday and ran to the military port to wait, but he missed the opportunity. According to the time provided by the Haihan people, the trainees from Yangzhou are expected to arrive in the next two days, and as the only head of the seven surnames in Zhoushan, he naturally has to shoulder the task of welcoming these children. So he even put aside the commercial warehouse construction site that had just started construction, and came to the port specially to wait for the arrival of the fleet.
In fact, when the fleet arrived here last night, the naval post had already noticed the fleet and roughly guessed its identity. However, military ports generally do not accept non-naval ships to dock at night, so they only reported them and did not send a ship to take them into the port. In this way, the officials have one night to make some necessary preparations, and the officials who should come forward can also make time arrangements.
Judging from the report sent back by Yuan Tao, Huizhou salt merchants have given a high degree of cooperation in Yangzhou and have a strong willingness to cooperate. Therefore, the Zhoushan authorities have also increased their attention to this matter. Shi Diwen will be present in person today , to welcome the arrival of this special group of students.
However, because of Shi Diwen's distinguished status, it is certainly impossible to come to the port in advance and wait, so the person currently accompanying Ma Zhengping here while waiting for the fleet to dock is Navy Lieutenant Commander Duan Tiancheng, who will be responsible for training this group of trainees.
"Boss Ma, these children you sent will be pulled into the camp after the welcoming ceremony, so if you have anything to say to them, remember to hurry up after the ceremony is over." Duan Tiancheng has been talking to Ma these days. Zhengping has met Ma Zhengping several times and received many benefits from him in various names. Therefore, when it is time to mention something about Ma Zhengping, he will now take the initiative to say a few words.
Ma Zhengping thanked him quickly and then asked: "These people have come to Zhoushan from Yangzhou, so their appearance will be a little messy. I hope Sir Duan can say something nice in front of the general, so that the general doesn't think we are here." People are slovenly people.”
Duan Tiancheng smiled and said: "You can rest assured about this. General Shi learned that they came from Yangzhou around the clock and had already asked me to arrange the bathhouse in the camp in advance. After the ceremony, I will take them to have a good wash."
(End of chapter)