Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

On July 20th, before dawn, the mist on the river was like a thick quilt, making the river as calm as if it were asleep.

The dedicated pier in the northwest corner of Ma Tuo Sha gradually became bustling.

The torches flickered on the water, reflecting the outlines of the boats.

More than a hundred boats of all shapes and sizes, including canal boats, sea bream boats, shallow-water boats, and various other miscellaneous vessels, were moored on the river outside the dock, arranged in three formations according to their type.

The sailors on the ship are making final preparations before setting sail.

Some were inspecting the sails and ropes, some were moving equipment, and others were tying soaking wet straw mats to the outside of the ship's side—the pirates had taught them that this was a good way to protect against rockets, lighter than wet blankets and cheaper than covering the ship with skin.

Shao Shuyi stood at the bow of the "Pingjia" ship.

Today he was wearing a half-new, half-old hempen coat, with a tanned cowhide belt around his waist and straw sandals on his feet. He didn't look like a commander-in-chief, but rather like a seasoned ship manager.

"Let's go!" he shouted to Liang Tai behind him.

Liang Tai immediately gave the order.

A moment later, a red signal flag was hoisted, and then the booming sound of drums carried far across the river.

Each ship responded by beating its drum.

On the flat-topped ship, Chief Steward Hou Tai paced back and forth, issuing various instructions in an orderly manner.

The anchorman was the first to weigh anchor. With a shout from the captain, the sails gradually rose, and the bamboo sails felt the wind, causing the ship to rock gently.

The flat-bottomed boat was the first to sail out of the pier, its bow cutting through the river water, waves surging and foaming in the morning light.

Pingyi and Pingbing followed closely behind, the three ships forming a long line, passing through the gaps between the square formations of twenty ships on each side, heading west, then turning southeast.

The training ground was chosen in the open waters southeast of Matuosha, where the river was wide and deep enough.

After the fleet sailed for about half an hour, the fog gradually dissipated, and visibility on the river improved considerably.

Shao Shuyi ordered the fleet to disperse and arrange themselves into formation according to the pre-drawn battle plan.

Well, it's a bit embarrassing to admit, but this makeshift team of theirs deployed their forces based on the military strategy of Wu Zixu, a military treatise from the Spring and Autumn period. However, Lin Shan said, "It's alright." He had heard that this tactic was still a variation of the same one until the Song Dynasty, namely, "the main force attacks from the large wing, the small wing provides support, and the attack is a sudden assault." In short, the main fleet would form a tight formation and advance with overwhelming force, while elite ships would lead the charge in front, and ships on both flanks would provide harassment and support. It was derived from the chariot warfare tactics of the Spring and Autumn period. Indeed, the essence and intent of the tactics did not change fundamentally until the Song Dynasty; only the specific details were adjusted.

Although it was the third time they had practiced, there was still some chaos when the more than one hundred ships were arrayed.

Fortunately, it wasn't serious. When the seafarers transported grain, they didn't just wander around aimlessly; in fact, they were organized in formation, with each commander-in-chief coordinating and directing the various managers within their assigned fleet.

This is the benefit of recruiting seafarers.

They don't get seasick, have excellent boat handling skills, and move nimbly on the undulating deck. They also cooperate well with each other and have a certain degree of discipline. Furthermore, they "practice" the fleet formation twice a year, saving countless manpower, material resources, and energy.

Their only weakness is fighting, which they need to gradually improve.

Amidst the sounds of drums and horns, the fleet sailed back and forth on the river three times, and the battle formation finally took shape.

Shao Shuyi ordered the fleet to stop, and the chief officers of each ship were summoned to the Pingjia ship in batches.

He drew a few lines on the wooden board with a charcoal pencil, pointing out the places where the formation had been loose.

Lin Shan stood to the side, occasionally interjecting with a few words, pointing out the impact of water flow and wind direction on ship speed. These Wenzhou pirates had been navigating the seas for many years. Although they had never fought large-scale naval battles, they were very experienced in small-scale raids and their judgment of wind direction, tides, and water flow was much more acute than that of the seafarers in Taicang.

"Next, we'll practice boarding maneuvers." Shao Shuyi put away the plank and pointed to the east.

There was an old cargo boat moored there, which had been acquired in Jiangyin and towed over beforehand to be used as a target boat. Scarecrows were tied to the hull, and it looked quite convincing from a distance.

The twenty ships on the left wing were rearranged into two groups of ten each.

The first group went first, approaching the target boat from the port side, preparing to hook onto the gun hull with their hooks and then board.

Shao Shuyi personally led the first group, with the Pingjia train at the forefront.

"Oarsmen, prepare to row slowly!" The boat slowed down, its bow gradually approaching the target boat, the distance getting closer and closer—fifty paces, thirty paces, twenty paces…

"Hooked spears!" A group of sailors rushed out from the concealed cabin, raising their hooked spears, the iron hooks on the spearheads gleaming coldly in the morning light. The boat grazed the target boat, and someone extended the hooked spear, hooking it onto the target boat's side. The boat jolted suddenly, and the two boats collided with a muffled "thud."

"Go!" Several agile sailors, clad in leather armor, leaped onto the target boat from the side of the ship, drew their swords, and slashed at the scarecrow. "Too slow," Liang Tai frowned from the side.

It took far too long from approaching to hooking up and boarding. In real combat, the enemy would have already fired several volleys of arrows by now. Shao Shuyi nodded, instructing Fu Jian to record the time taken and other shortcomings, then led his men to the second group's boat to begin their training. The second group was faster than the first, but someone slipped and fell into the water while boarding, struggling for a bit before being pulled out—he was lucky he wasn't sandwiched between the two rocking boats and turned into a meat pie.

Shao Shuyi didn't say anything, but simply asked Fu Jian to continue recording the questions.

After doing all that, he went to the right-wing fleet...

After repeated drills, it was soon noon. The sun was scorching, and steam rose from the river, making it feel like a steamer. Even the boat deck was burning hot.

Seeing that the journey was nearly complete, Shao Shuyi ordered the fleet to dock and rest. The sailors went ashore in batches, sitting in the shade under the trees to eat dry rations and recover their strength. Tie Niu brought over a bowl of cold tea, which Shao Shuyi took and drank more than half of in one gulp, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Brother, how did your practice go today?" Yu Yuan led more than twenty oxcarts from the dirt road on the south bank, the carts filled with large barrels of herbal tea, which were collected by people from each boat.

"So-so." Shao Shuyi handed the bowl back and said, "The formation is barely passable, and the boarding action is still a bit lacking. After all, they are seafaring families. Some of them have fought against pirates and are brave and daring, but there are more honest and law-abiding citizens. They are still lacking in fighting skills. Lin Shanyi's people are flexible, but there are too few of them."

Yu Yuan nodded, then asked, "Should we let them practice with the muskets too?"

Shao Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "No rush. We only have ten muskets and not much gunpowder. Let's wait until they've mastered their combat skills. We'll practice archery this afternoon, but unfortunately, there are too few people in the seafaring households who know how to shoot arrows. That's troublesome."

Yu Yuan looked at the endless fleet of ships along the riverbank, his expression filled with joy, and said, "Brother, take it slow. Master Lu and the others didn't know how to shoot arrows at first either; they all practiced gradually. By the way, Liu Jinbao sent someone with a message saying that there are bow and arrow makers in Jiangning. He can't guarantee whether he can recruit them; he only said he will do his best."

"Okay. You can withdraw whatever amount you need," Shao Shuyi said.

This sounds impressive, but in reality, there wasn't much cash in the account; most of it had been converted into grain and other strategic materials.

Yu Yuan responded. After the herbal tea was distributed, he went back to fetch the second batch.

As the logistics manager, he naturally had to prepare everything for the soldiers who were training hard.

The afternoon drills were even more lively than the morning drills.

Shao Shuyi mobilized a group of land troops to the south bank to teach them archery techniques.

They lined up on the riverbank, aimed at the straw man dozens of paces away, and nocked their arrows.

The sound of arrows piercing the air was constant; some landed lightly on the ground, while others pierced through the scarecrow. Overall, the hit rate was quite good.

The boatmen came ashore in batches, watching their movements and listening to their instructions, scratching their heads in frustration.

Shao Shuyi and Liang Tai led their guards to patrol the area repeatedly.

Lin Shanyi was also teaching his men how to shoot arrows.

"Raise your left hand a little higher, don't pull the string too tight, check it, hold steady, inhale."

One of the young pirates, who hadn't practiced much, was shaking so badly that the arrow flew out of his hand, veering far off course and landing in the reeds nearby. Lin Shan slapped him on the back of the head and cursed in a Wenzhou dialect. The young man shrank back and nocked another arrow.

As evening fell, Shao Shuyi returned to the river embankment, looking down at the river with a slight smile on his lips.

As the sun set, the river was dyed golden, and several water birds flew close to the surface, the sound of their wings flapping carried northward by the south wind. In the distance, the sound of a gong rang out, signaling the end of training and the return to camp.

After finishing their drills, the sailors rubbed their sore arms, lined up in columns, and headed towards their respective boats.

Looking down from above, even though there are only a thousand or so people, it is still a spectacular sight.

Such a scene is truly captivating.

At a single command, thousands of people shouted in unison, marching toward the same goal, creating a miracle that astonished everyone, turning the impossible into the possible.

Practice a few more times, just a few more times!

After training, he would take them out for "practice in combat" to continue improving their skills.

Of course, it's not a naval battle; these people aren't quite qualified yet. Actually, if we lower the bar, it's not impossible to fight, since the fishermen Fang Guozhen gathered are quite formidable.

It's just unnecessary.

You can't get anything by fighting at sea; to truly strengthen yourself, you have to land on land.