Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 365 Talking about "Business" (Part 2)

The small fishing boat slowly approached the flat-bottomed boat again. After asking some questions, it turned back towards the nearby water fortress.

Two boats called Hai Xian Ming He were moored at the entrance of the water village, but they were now occupied by a group of boatmen from Ma Tuo Sha.

These boats are small and are designed as "sentinel boats," meaning they are used for armed patrols.

The design was finalized during Kublai Khan's conquest of the Song Dynasty and was not significantly altered afterward. It could carry about ten people for inspections and message relay. In wartime, it could accommodate twenty or thirty people, but no more.

The main force of the ships in the water fortress has been deployed in full force. Now, apart from a few patrol boats, there are only two fishing boats that cannot go out to sea due to lack of funds for repairs.

This type of ship originated in the coastal areas of Zhejiang and was called "Daoyu Zhanzhao" during the Song Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty expanded upon it to a certain extent, making it the most numerous coastal defense warship in the early and middle period of the Yuan Dynasty.

This ship is shaped like a knife fish in the Yangtze River. It has a shallow draft and is suitable for the coastal waters of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers where the sea conditions are not too harsh. It is also very suitable for naval warfare on the Yangtze River. It is 32.2 meters long, 6 meters wide, 2.6 meters deep, and has a draft of 1.8 meters. Its block coefficient is 0.5 and its full load displacement is 173.5 tons.

This coastal defense warship normally carries eighty soldiers, but under extreme circumstances, it's hard to say, but it could easily carry over a hundred.

Compared to patrol boats that were not equipped with catapults or ballistae and relied solely on soldiers carrying light weapons, the Knifefish warship had two large ballistae, mounted at the bow and stern respectively. The ballistae were embedded in the hull, while the firing and loading mechanisms were exposed above the deck, with the entire ballista arm taking up almost half the width of the hull.

The crossbow bolts used to fire were as thick as a wrist and over a meter long, and were called "large chisel-head arrows," with a range of about 700 paces (15).

(00 meters), which is quite amazing.

Shao Shuyi was standing on the deck of a knifefish warship that was in dire need of repair, and he was somewhat surprised.

To be honest, he rarely saw the Yuan navy's warships. He didn't know if it was because there were too few of them or because they were not well maintained and could not go out to sea. Every time they went out to sea, they needed to be maintained after returning, which meant a waste of manpower and resources.

Previously, the most common ships seen were the Sea Fairy Crane Sentinel Ships. The navy usually used them to catch smugglers and make money. The soldiers on board mainly fought with swords, guns, and bows and arrows. Over time, people lacked knowledge about medium and large warships like the Knife Fish Warship and thought that the navy was nothing special.

Well, it seems that's really nothing special. He's just a transport captain. I wonder how much he sent to Fang Guozhen this time. I just hope that the Yuan Dynasty's navy is as short of money and as corrupt as its land forces. There aren't many of these warships anyway.

Upon hearing the commotion, Shao Shuyi turned to look at Xue Qian and smiled, "Judge Xue, how have you been?"

Xue Qian stood on the small fishing boat, looking up at the high and mighty Shao Shuyi. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, his expression still changed several times. Finally, he cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Master Shao. You've brought your fleet to Liujia Port today with such a great commotion. May I ask what brings you here?"

"I've come to buy some food, water, and ship materials, and by the way—" Shao Shuyi said, gently wiping the dust off the crossbow arm, "to relieve your worries."

"Relieve worries?" Xue Qian was taken aback.

Shao Shuyi nodded matter-of-factly, his gaze fixed on everyone's praise, seemingly unconcerned about the officials of Kunshan Prefecture. He casually remarked, "It's all about relieving worries. The royal army suffered a defeat, Fang Guozhen achieved a great victory, and now they've mostly reorganized and are heading towards Wenzhou and Taizhou. Do you think that after they've taken over Wenzhou and Taizhou, they might harass Qingyuan, Hangzhou, Ganpu, or even Liujiagang?"

Xue Qian was speechless.

Liujiagang was once renowned, but now the royal army's water forces have been completely destroyed. If it were Fang Guozhen in his place, he would also inevitably have designs on Liujiagang.

In short, they are quite dangerous.

"The Fang bandits number in the thousands, can you stop them?" Xue Qian asked after a moment.

"I really couldn't stop them; I could only watch helplessly as they wreaked havoc on the water," Shao Shuyi said. "But I can defend the shore and prevent Fang Guozhen from coming ashore and wreaking havoc. Perhaps Judge Xue thinks that with the Crossroads Army guarding the area, Liujiagang is safe and doesn't need our righteous people's assistance, then I have nothing to say."

Xue Qian carefully observed Shao Shuyi's expression.

He wasn't so naive as to think that Shao Shuyi would obediently leave just because he said he wasn't needed here. Was there any threat in his words? The fact that he could defend the Liujiagang shoreline and prevent Fang Guozhen's troops from landing and looting demonstrated that he had the ability to control Liujiagang.

If Fang Guozhen can rob, why can't he?

Therefore, he did not immediately refute Shao Shuyi, as this was not something he could decide on his own; he had to wait for the main officials of Kunshan Prefecture to arrive before making a decision.

However, he couldn't help but ask, "If you've come to share the burdens of the court, why not set up defenses outside the harbor, instead of directly entering the naval stronghold and seizing warships?"

"Judge Xue is mistaken," Shao Shuyi shook his head and said, "If Fang Guozhen's fleet comes, we must not just defend the shore; we must also harass them from the water. Only by attacking from both land and water can we have a chance of victory. The Changqiao navy is left with only the old, weak, sick, and disabled. If I hadn't come here, all these ships would have been captured by Fang Guozhen. Wouldn't that be aiding the enemy?"

Xue Qian gave him a deep look but said nothing.

Shao Shuyi was right about one thing: if Fang Guozhen came, the water fortress would inevitably fall, and there would be little resistance. But then again, if the Crane Whistle and Knife Fish boats fell into Fang Guozhen's hands, they would be aiding the enemy; but if they fell into Shao Shuyi's hands, wouldn't that be the case?

Are you two that different? It's just that one has already rebelled, while the other hasn't openly rebelled.

However, Xue Qian was also a man of flexibility, and quickly cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Now that I understand Minister Shao's intentions, I will return to report. But one..."

At this point, he pointed to the water fortress and said, "This is a heavily fortified area of ​​the Changqiao Navy. How can you trespass? Please leave immediately."

After saying that, he turned around and ordered the boat to set sail and return to shore.

Shao Shuyi ignored Xue Qian's words.

After circling the deck, he ordered the two Knifefish warships to be towed away and repaired.

As for the few Sea Fairy Crane ships, they were assigned to different personnel to occupy them.

While this type of ship may not be imposing enough and lacks heavy weaponry, it is still useful.

Little did they know that small boats could often defeat large ships.

While the Knifefish warship is formidable, it has a fatal flaw: it can only engage targets at long range, not at close range.

The ship itself was already tall, and with the ballistae added on top, it became even taller. Shao Shuyi hadn't yet figured out if this thing could fire at a downward angle; if not, then the usefulness of these two ballistae, which could be described as "cannons," would be greatly reduced.

In battle, once enemy ships get close, they become completely useless and can only fight with the light weapons (swords, spears, bows and arrows, or handheld crossbows) carried by the soldiers.

The Spanish Armada's ships were tall and cumbersome, yet they were easily outmaneuvered by the smaller English vessels, resulting in a crushing defeat. This illustrates the point.

However—Shao ​​the bandit just loves this kind of ship.

This time, I'm going to spend a lot of money to completely renovate it inside and out, and then use it as my flagship product. How wonderful!

******

After returning to the shore, Xue Qian did not leave, but sat quietly under the corridor of the Tianfei Palace, waiting.

At noon, Darughachi Buhua of Kunshan Prefecture, Prefect Liu Yexian, and Assistant Prefect Ni Guangye arrived by boat, their faces solemn.

Xue Qian went up to him and recounted what had happened from last night until now.

Upon hearing this, Bu Hua remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

The prefect, Liu Yesian, became anxious and said, "Absurd! What is Shao Shuyi up to? And who are his men? Don't joke around. Make him leave immediately, or it will be treason."

She didn't frown slightly.

Ni Guangye, observing the Darughachi's changing expression, cleared his throat and said, "Prefect, do not be hasty. Now that the royal army has suffered a great defeat, coastal defense has become an empty promise. If Fang Guozhen attacks, even if we escape unscathed, we will not escape the provincial governor's wrath, and our fate will be unbearable to speak of. Since Shao Shuyi is willing to help defend Liujiagang, why not entice him with benefits and get through this immediate crisis?"

"We can't let Shao Shuyi get ashore," Liu Yexian said urgently.

"If he goes ashore, the Crossroads might not be able to stop him," Ni Guangye warned.

Liu was speechless, his face turning even uglier, and it was unclear what he was afraid of.

Ni Guangye continued, "Furthermore, Fang Guozhen has already rebelled, but Shao Shuyi hasn't. Not only has he not rebelled, but he has also selflessly helped defend Liujiagang. Why turn him away?"

Having said that, he turned to the Darughachi and said, "Lord Buhua, you are wise enough to know that Shao Shuyi once killed dozens of Huai bandits at Qinwang Mountain in Jiangyin, at the request of Jiangyin Prefecture. Later, he also killed thirty-six members of the Bi Si gang on the Grand Canal, at the request of Wuxi Prefecture. I heard that he also donated several hundred shi of grain and earned the title of 'righteous people,' clearly a passionate man who cares about the world. He has no clear signs of rebellion, and we must not force him into rebellion."

He emphasized his words slightly when he said the last sentence.

Bu Hua caught the word "forced rebellion," and a thought struck him. After a moment of silence, he said, "The nation is currently facing difficult times, and it is indeed not advisable to act rashly. Fang Guozhen has already been forced to rebel in Taizhou, and the situation is difficult to control. If Shao Shuyi is forced to rebel in Kunshan Prefecture as well, I fear that Kunshan Prefecture and Pingjiang Circuit will also suffer. However—"

'

He looked up at the fleet in the distance and asked, "How strong is this person?"

"There are over a thousand people," Ni Guangye said.

"Are we capable of fighting?"

"My lord, the Prince of Zhennan's more than 10,000 men could not subdue the dozens of Huashan bandits, while Bi Si and his 36 men were defeated by Shao Shuyi in one blow. His men must be elite and skilled in battle," Ni Guangye replied.

Bu Hua's expression turned serious.

He couldn't think about anything far ahead right now; he only wanted to protect everything he had, and every action he took had to revolve around that. Therefore, after a moment's thought, he said softly, "Send someone to negotiate with Shao Shuyi and see what his conditions are."

Ni Guangye cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and asked, "Does Your Excellency wish for Shao Shuyi to stay or leave?"

Bu Hua mumbled, "Let me ask first."

Ni Guangye understood; Darughachi's thoughts were quite complicated.

They were worried that Fang Guozhen might actually attack Liujiagang, thus making him bear the blame for the loss of territory;

They were also worried that Shao Shuyi would block their way here, which would cause the province to have a negative opinion of him;

They were even worried that if they asked Shao Shuyi to help them defend the city, someone would accuse him of colluding with thieves, since the provincial government might very well besiege Shao Shuyi in the future.

"My lord, I have a plan," Ni Guangye suddenly said.

"Tell me quickly." Bu Hua was indeed conflicted, and immediately spoke up upon hearing this.

Ni Guangye glanced at Liu Yexian, then leaned close to Buhua's ear and whispered, "Why doesn't Your Excellency withdraw from this matter and have the wealthy merchants and powerful families in Kunshan Prefecture fund the hiring of Shao Shuyi to help defend Liujiagang? That way, even if someone investigates in the future, Your Excellency will have something to say, and at most you'll be charged with negligence, which isn't serious. With Shao Shuyi involved, Your Excellency will be spared the serious crime of losing territory, which is still a very worthwhile deal."

Bu Hua listened silently, nodded slightly, and finally asked in a low voice, "This person wouldn't—"

"No," Ni Guangye continued in a low voice, "This man actually has no great ambitions. Let Fei Gong, the deputy commander of the grain transport office, come and persuade him; it might have a miraculous effect."

Bu Hua looked at him in confusion and said, "You mean—"

Ni Guangye nodded and said, "Zheng Gong, the deputy commander of the grain transport office, saved this man's life. It's a pity he went to sea to supervise grain transport; otherwise, it would have been good to ask him to come and persuade him."

I've become a bit more relaxed since I stopped being unfaithful.

Regardless of whether it's true or false, as long as we can have a conversation and communicate, it's not that scary. What's scary is the kind of person who will resort to violence at the slightest disagreement.

"Go quickly and invite his father-in-law—no, I mean, quickly invite Master Fei over!" Bu Hua blurted out, his mind wavering.

Uh, he didn't keep his voice down, and many people around him heard him and looked at him with strange eyes.

Ni Guangye cupped his hands in greeting and hurriedly left.

He certainly wasn't going to invite Fei Xiong; there was no need for him to personally intervene. His most important task was to convene a meeting with the wealthy and powerful people of Kunshan Prefecture to raise funds and supplies.

As for how much money was ultimately raised and how much was paid to Shao Shuyi, that's none of your business.