Han Shizu

"One pull of the gold one, yo, two pulls of the silver one. Hey, yo, the three pulls of jewelry are sparkling."

At the outer port of Shanghai County, accompanied by the heroic, powerful and loud sailing chants, and under the efforts of more than a dozen sailors, the huge sail slowly rose along the mast until it was completely stretched out, full of tension. Like wings hanging from the sky.

This is a three-masted fortune ship. Although it is not as huge as the treasure ship, it is still full of the "industrial beauty" of this era. The whole body of the ship reflects the sonorous style of the people who traveled to the sea and made waves in the Han Dynasty.

Moreover, compared to the treasure ship, which can be called a wonder, the fortune ship is more popular among merchants and people. The ship shape is more appropriate, the operation is more flexible and flexible, the speed is faster, the loading capacity is not small, and more importantly, the price is more affordable. You can buy one for 8000-10000 yuan. Of course, this is the "ex-factory price". In fact, it is even higher. Of course, the shipyard needs to make a lot of money, but some things cannot be bought with money.

Compared with civilian ships, naval warships are of course developing and changing faster. They have already passed the era of greed for bigness and seeking perfection. Especially after the first generation of gunboats were officially put into service, they tended to be more solid, fast and flexible.

In fact, by the fourth year of Emperor Yongxi's reign, treasure ships, which were once a wonder in the East Asian waters, were no longer popular. They were too expensive to build, and the cost of use and maintenance was also high.

Of course, it’s just ordinary people who can’t afford it or use it. There are still a large number of applications in the government and military systems. Of course, the two can allocate enough manpower and financial resources to operate and maintain ships. Secondly, for many bulk transshipment needs, treasure ships are more valuable, such as the Xiang Nanyang which is still in operation today. The military supplies and baggage transported by the garrison.

"Oh, oh, oh! Home, ah!" In the enthusiastic anchor weighing, the heavy anchor was pulled up from the water, and the ship untied the cable, and under the operation of the sailors on the ship, it broke through the waves. Moving forward, slowly leaving the port and heading towards the mouth of the Yangtze River, leaving behind a stream of water waves and surging mud waves.

The berths at the Shanghai port are always tight. Not long after, under the guidance of the guidance ship, another service ship came in, stopped the ship, docked, dropped the anchor and tied the cable.

Then, the tax collector arrived, boarded the ship for inspection, registered and collected taxes. The ship's boss skillfully called the foreman responsible for loading and unloading at the dock to give some instructions.

Everything went smoothly. This was a cargo ship from Goryeo, and the ship's owner was the Cui family of the Goryeo family. With such a background, and being an friendly country, the port would naturally not treat it lightly. Han Dynasty and Goryeo are uncle-nephew countries, and their relationship is close after all. Businessmen from Goryeo often receive certain preferential treatment in the country, and for no other reason than because they can bring real gold, silver, and large amounts of copper and iron ore.

Under the arrangement of the foreman, dozens of coolies began to get busy, unloading cargo from the ship like worker ants. Among this mob-like crowd, there is a middle-aged man who looks a bit special. Not to mention standing out from the crowd, he can always be picked out from the crowd at a glance.

He worked very hard, and when others were carrying one package, he could carry two packages at a time. His pace was steady and he was not out of breath. In the middle of winter, he was only wearing a single suit. On his bare arms, apart from the strong muscles, there were several hideous scars.

With a weathered face and a pair of resolute yet crazy eyes, while working hard on the dock, he also carefully observed the ships coming and going in the port, just like looking at each of the peerless beauties.

Normally, a person with this kind of temperament would not be reduced to working as a coolie at the dock. However, there is a story behind the tiger falling and the dragon playing in the shallows.

This man's name is Shen Bailong, a native of Changguo (Zhoushan Island). He has been a fisherman for a long time. He has been physically strong and powerful since he was a child. At the age of twenty, he went to Shanghai to make a living on the beach. With his courage to fight and fight, he also made a name for himself on the dock. , known as "Shen Bailong".

However, after all, one comes from a lower class and if one wants to get ahead, one has to fight one's way out. Just working hard will not achieve much, and Shen Bailong is obviously not an ordinary person. In addition to working hard at the dock, he also has to work hard every year. Go on a foreign trade trip with the ship.

So a year ago, Shen Bailong, who had accumulated a certain amount of assets through some special means (such as theft, robbery, etc.), saved a cargo ship, purchased a shipload of cloth, medicinal materials, ironware, and porcelain, and took dozens of brothers with him. He embarked on a journey to the sea and began to engage in maritime transportation.

At that time, his destination was Jinlanzhou, the royal city of Linyi, which was undergoing great development and required a large number of various resources from the mother country. Under normal circumstances, as long as he could reach Jinlan Port, he would bring back gold and silver coins or local blue wood. , nanxiang, ivory and other commodities, it is not a problem to increase the value several times.

However, Shen Bolong was not a person loved by God. Even though he was fully prepared, he was robbed not long after he went to sea and before crossing the Liuqiu Strait. A group of pirates came out of nowhere and took the goods with them. boat and snatched all Shen Bolong away.

Fortunately, the pirates did not "kill them all" and gave Shen Bailong and his men a few sampans to swim back to the mainland. If you can survive, it is God's will. If you cannot survive, there are too many human lives buried in the ocean.

Shen Bailong was lucky again. He floated along the current and drifted all the way to Liuqiu Island, where he was rescued by fishermen. However, some of the brothers who went to sea with him died or disappeared. Only three of them were rescued with him.

That experience was certainly unforgettable for Shen Bailong and is still unforgettable. He is not a good person, and he even thinks he is a ruthless person, otherwise how would he be able to gain a foothold in Shanghai, but equally, there are obviously people more ruthless than him in this world.

Of course, Shen Bolong was not defeated. On the contrary, he aroused his anger and ambition. Relying on his old skills, he fished on Ryukyu Island for several months, briefly reported the life-saving grace, saved enough travel expenses, and then took the remaining three people with him. The two never-failing brothers return to Shanghai.

However, the situation here has changed so quickly that it is far beyond human imagination. For half a year, no one has been seen or heard, and the legend of "Brother Bai Long" has almost disappeared from the world. The dock where he once dug for food was also occupied by another group of people. Not to mention the relationship between them, even if those people are just lackeys of the powerful and wealthy businessmen, how can they ever really treat them as human beings?

For Shen Bailong, everything seems to have returned to its original starting point, and he has to start over. However, unlike ten years ago, he is no longer young and has no more years to waste.

Faced with the dilemma, he naturally wanted to seek a breakthrough. Shen Bailong once wanted to return to another old business, find some foreign businessmen to join him, and quickly accumulate capital.

However, after some investigation, he gave up. People still have to take the right path!

Of course, the fundamental reason is that over the years, businessmen who have gone out have learned a lesson, are very vigilant, and they are not good people;

On the other hand, the government's crackdown on these matters is becoming more and more severe. The major guilds and gangs, whether to maintain market stability, forced by the authority of the government, or even simply to operate the territory, have robbed and robbed thieves. Defense is also strong. Of course, the struggles within the industry and between guilds are another matter.

All in all, this bowl of rice is not as delicious as it used to be. In the robbery that took place in the autumn, although the Hubei businessmen lost all their money and even lost their lives, the gang of Jiangbei thieves who committed the crime did not end well either. They were all sunk into the river, and the body of the leading bandit leader is still hanging on the beach, serving as a road sign for passing ships.

Therefore, Shen Bailong finally decided to be a good citizen first, settle down for the time being, and start the job he least wanted to do, that of coolie.

In the past few months, while making a living, I have been reflecting on the past ten years. He deeply realized that the scenery he once had was just a small area on a wharf, and there were many similar wharves and cargo yards along the Songer River and Suxiu Prefecture. In the final analysis, he was still a small figure.

If he hadn't been supported by an unwilling and upward spirit, several brothers who followed him through life and death, and the elders from the fishing village on Changguo Island were waiting for him, he might have also fallen into a state of despair and heavy physical exertion. sink.

On this pier, with every piece of goods moved and every bag carried, Shen Bailong's heart became more depressed.

After a busy day from morning to night, perhaps the only thing worth being happy about is getting paid.

At the large and small docks in Shanghai, the level and time of wage settlement are not fixed. There are monthly settlements, semi-monthly settlements, ten-day settlements, and five-day settlements, but there is no daily settlement. Obviously, the former is more convenient for control and exploitation.

"Coincidentally", the wharf where Shen Bailong worked was the same wharf where he first started working. He was not very active in getting paid and did not go there in person. Instead, he asked his brother Shen Haiqiong, a little brother from the same village, to help collect the money on his behalf. Born through life and death.

As for Shen Bolong himself, after finishing his work, he put on a cotton robe and sat on the trestle in a daze. The sound of the waves was endless, and the winter sea breeze was even more biting, but Shen Bailong didn't notice it at all.

"Brother!" Brother Shen Haiqiong's voice came, with a hint of grievance and anger. The other brothers following him also had the same expressions of indignation.

If Shen Bolong's greatest trait is, it is probably his innate influence. He returned to Shanghai with only four people, but within a few months, he had gathered around a dozen brothers, supporting each other, hugging each other, and staying together. Survive on this beach.

"What happened?" Shen Bailong asked.

Before Shen Haiqiong took out a few strings from his pocket, he estimated that they were less than four strings, and said: "Zhou Laizi deducted wages from his wages again, and this time it was even more excessive. Each brother was deducted 30 Wen. It was said that it was Gong Guanren's intention. From now on, you will have to pay for eating and sleeping on the pier."

Hearing his description, Shen Bolong immediately frowned, and the haze on his forehead obviously deepened. He raised his eyes and looked at the brothers surrounding him. They were all filled with indignation at this time. They were all good men, earning some hard-earned money. They were just shy and endured humiliation on weekdays. However, their hard-earned income was deducted by some villains!

Everyone's eyes were focused on him, and Shen Bolong knew that he had to do something, otherwise people would be scattered, and how could he lead the team? If you want to start over, you cannot do without the help of your brothers.

"Haiqiong, my brothers' hard-earned money cannot be short. I will give my share to everyone and make up for the deductions. If there is any shortage, it will come from you and I will replenish it for you later!" After thinking about it, Shen Bailong Chong Shen Haiqiong ordered.

Hearing this, Shen Haiqiong looked unhappy, but in the face of his elder brother's serious eyes, he still did as he was told and divided the money on the spot.

After finishing this matter, everyone looked at Shen Bailong with a different look. They were moved, enthusiastic, and also a little guilty. Such a eldest brother who cares about money and loves righteousness is definitely with the right person.

Sensing the change in everyone's eyes, Shen Bailong became more convinced of his decision and waved his hand: "Brothers, you have worked hard, go and have a rest!"

Soon, there were only four people left on the dock, except Shen Bailong, Shen Haiqiong, and the brothers who came back with them.

"Where is Zhou Laizi?" Shen Bolong tightened his cotton robe and asked.

"Over there at Warehouse No. 1!" Shen Haiqiong said immediately, "What are your plans, brother?"

Shen Bailong didn't answer, and walked directly towards Warehouse No. 1. Shen Haiqiong and the others saw it and followed closely without any hesitation.

Zhou Laizi, as his nickname goes, although it is wrong to judge people by their appearance, he gives people a sinister and cunning personality. Of course, at least at this bottom level, he is a person with good abilities. He is literate, can calculate accounts, can inventory goods, and arranges the people and goods on the dock in an orderly manner. Therefore, he is entrusted with important tasks by Gong Guanren, the actual master of Pier 3. Therefore, on Pier 3, Zhou Laizi can be said to be domineering. No steward or foreman, even the eldest brother of Jianghu, would dare to stab him in front of him. After all, his backer is Gong Guan. As for Gong Guanren, he is the younger brother of Gong Yi, the chief arrester of Xiuzhou, the kind of person he is close to.

However, just in front of the warehouse, the once arrogant Zhou Laizi was severely stepped on by Shen Bailong. Several thugs were lying around, all of them wailing.

Facing the awe-inspiring Shen Bailong with fierce eyes, Zhou Laizi begged for mercy sincerely: "Brother Bailong, you are so arrogant. If you have anything to say, there must be a misunderstanding! There must be a misunderstanding!"

Seeing Zhou Laizi's unbearable performance, Shen Bolong's eyes flashed with disdain, but his tone was cold and cold: "Is there any misunderstanding? I think Mr. Zhou knows it well. You should know the purpose of my visit!"

"Isn't it just a matter of wages? This matter is easy to solve! Big Easy!" Zhou Laizi said quickly.

Hearing what Zhou Laizi said, Shen Bailong raised his feet, his eyes did not change much, but he took out a dagger from his waist and made a trick in his hand, which shocked Zhou Laizi.

Without any hesitation, Zhou Laizi got up, took out a bag of copper coins from the iron box on one side, and handed it to Shen Bailong. Seeing this, Shen Bailong took it, opened the bag and took a look, took out three small skewers and put them in his arms. He threw the rest directly to Zhou Laizi and said coldly: "I only take what I deserve!"

Then he greeted Shen Haiqiong and the other two people to leave. Looking at his back, Zhou Laizi's face quickly darkened. One of the knocked down men quickly got up, supported him, and called out with great concern: "Zhou Laizi" Sir, are you okay?"

Zhou Laizi likes people to call him "sir" very much, but at this time, he secretly cursed: "Trash!"

"Go and get Wang Ling's fellow!"

Soon, a yellow-faced man arrived and was "surprised" when he saw Zhou Laizi who was recovering from his injuries. Of course he knew the situation, so he immediately stepped forward to show his courtesy and cursed: "How dare Shen Bailong offend Mr. Zhou! "

"It's not about you!" Zhou Laizi immediately slapped Wang Ling.

Wang Ling did not dare to resist, and even after fighting well, he said: "Shen Bailong, this thief, doesn't even look down on Mr. Zhou. He is so disobedient to discipline, and he forms a clique among the fishermen. Sooner or later, the dock will be destroyed." the scourge of

"Now, it's not just the discord between you two!" Zhou Laizi said coldly.

When Wang Ling heard this, a flash of joy flashed in his eyes. He was the one who took over Shen Bailong's position. He had been unhappy ever since Shen Bailong came back alive. Now, seeing that Shen Bailong had offended Zhou Laizi so unwisely, he was overjoyed.

"Why don't you report this matter to Official Gong and ask him to deal with it?" Wang Ling suggested.

"I can't even control Shen Bailong, how do you want the officials to look at me?" Zhou Laizi glanced at Wang Ling coldly, thought for a while, and ordered in a deep voice: "Find someone from outside and deal with him!"

"Yes!" Wang Ling couldn't help being slightly shocked, but he quickly lowered his head and responded. He only wanted to drive Shen Bailong away. He never thought that Zhou Laizi would directly want to kill someone. This scholar really had a heart.

On the other side, at the night market not far from Pier 3, four people gathered together. Shen Bailong was treating guests, eating meat and drinking wine, but the atmosphere was a bit depressing.

Shen Haiqiong was still a little uneasy and said to Shen Bailong: "Brother, you are angry, but for offending Zhou Laizi like this for a mere few hundred coins, it would be uncomfortable for him to take revenge."

"I know!" Shen Bailong nodded, picked up the rice wine in the bowl, and drank half of the bowl in one gulp.

Seeing this, Shen Haiqiong came up with an idea and said: "In my opinion, Zhou Laizi is still colluding with Wang Ling to squeeze out our brothers. Didn't the eldest brother have a relationship with Gong Guan before? How about going to Gong Guan? He has always been fair."

Hearing this, Shen Bailong sneered twice: "Gong Guan's justice is only for those who are useful to him. Tell me, who do I value more than Zhou Laizi?"

"This"

"We can't stay in Shanghai anymore!" Shen Bolong finished the remaining half of the bowl of wine and said firmly: "I don't want to stay here anymore!"

"Where do you want to go, brother?" Shen Haiqiong asked immediately. Looking at his expression, it was clear that he would follow him wherever he went. Shen Bailong also had this confidence.

"Go to Jinlanzhou!" Shen Bailong said: "Now Nanyang has been recruiting people. We are Chinese, and when we go to a place where we must be useful, why don't we have to be so comfortable here! Last year, we couldn't bring the goods there. This time, So I left alone, and I will definitely see what Cam Ranh Port is like!"

"But how to pay for the travel expenses?" Shen Haiqiong started to think about it and said: "In the past few months, brothers, I haven't saved much money. Going overseas, the shipping fare is not cheap!"

A penny can't be a hero. At this moment, Shen Bolong suddenly had a very profound understanding of this sentence. His hand subconsciously touched the dagger in his arms.

Just when he was feeling annoyed, Shen Haiqiong suddenly slapped his head and said, "Brother, I heard a rumor today. It is said that the county government posted a notice saying that it would recruit a group of people to form a reclamation group and go to Bo Ni Island in Southeast Asia. , those who are interested can go to the county government office to register!”

Hearing this, Shen Bailong was a little surprised: "Why did the county government personally organize it?"

"It is said that he is a big shot in Beijing. He wants to recruit a thousand people this time, but I don't know how the salary will be. Going overseas to cultivate land is a terrible job." Shen Haiqing said.

"Now, what I'm most afraid of is that I don't even have a chance to fight!" Shen Bailong took a very open-minded view and said, "Haiqiong, ask my county government about the situation tomorrow. If it's suitable, go to Bo Ni." The island may not be a way out. Why Zhou Laizi dares to dominate us is because he has Gong Guan as his backer.

However, Gong Guanren and even Gong Baotou behind him, what are they compared to the big shots in Beijing? "

Obviously, Shen Bailong was aware of it. It was an inexplicable and impulsive feeling. He felt that this might be the most important opportunity in his life, one that could change his destiny.

On the very next day, Shen Bailong took Shen Haiqiong to Shanghai County to inquire about the Balni Island Reclamation Group. Regarding this matter, the county government apparently opened a special channel, and he was taken directly to the registration office. Fortunately, he met the person in charge who was inspecting the recruitment situation.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe, with an extraordinary bearing. He was gentle and elegant, and he looked like a highly educated man. Shen Bailong dared to step on Zhou Laizi, but he did not dare to raise his head in front of this frail-looking middle-aged man. An unprecedented sense of humility enveloped his body and mind. After all, let alone the nobles in the capital, he has never even met the Shanghai County Magistrate after living in Shanghai for ten years.

The identity of the person who came was beyond his imagination. He turned out to be a soldier from Duke Wu's palace. He only knew his surname was Zheng, but that was enough. It was enough for Shen Bolong to make up his mind and follow him to Nanyang to Bo Ni without any regrets.

Zheng Canjun was somewhat satisfied with Shen Bailong's performance, and even asked a few more questions about his origins. Especially when he heard that he had been robbed by pirates and returned to Shanghai alive, he was even more interested. He wanted to test his understanding of hydrology and monsoon conditions. To put it bluntly, as for physical condition, you can tell by looking at his physique.

So Zheng Canjun made the decision on the spot and gave him the position of leader of the reclamation team, with a monthly salary of five guan. Shen Bailong was naturally grateful and took advantage of the situation to propose that he had more than a dozen brothers. Zheng Canjun simply thought about it and agreed.

The reclamation regiment is short of manpower, but it is even more lacking of talents like Shen Bailong. Yes, in Zheng Canjun's eyes, this is a talent with certain navigation experience, certain leadership, considerable courage, and good luck. In the reclamation In the early days, it is worth using.

The Duke of Wu, Liu Hui, is still imprisoned in Zongzheng Temple. This reclamation group under the name of the Duke of Wu was organized by Liu Hui's eldest son, Liu Wenyu. Its purpose is, of course, to go to Bo Ni Island and manage the fiefdom awarded by the emperor. stand up.

Compared to other uncles, Wu Guogong's Mansion was not so lucky. The imperial court took direct action, and only relied on itself to slowly develop and manage the business. Of course, with that level of identity, the resources that can be called upon are still considerable.

Zheng Shenjun led the team to Shanghai to make preparations this time. He organized only the first batch and went to Bo Ni West Island to set up a front station. If everything goes well, there will be a second batch and a third batch. Compared with his father, Liu Wenyu is more practical. Much more, knowing that this is a long-term process.

The next day, Shen Bailong took a dozen of his brothers to report. No one was holding back, and they all expressed their willingness to follow their eldest brother.

Then, a group of people were arranged to a camp on the outskirts of Shanghai County. At this time, Shen Bailong discovered that this was not a reclamation regiment. It was clearly training according to the army. The trainee was obviously an officer and wearing armor.

In November of the fourth year of Yongxi's reign, Shen Bailong, as a captain of the reclamation regiment of Wu Guogong's Mansion, embarked on a journey to Boni Island in Nanyang, riding on the lucky ship that he had only been able to watch from a distance but did not dare to play with in the past ten years.

This choice not only allowed him to avoid the hidden arrows from behind, but also opened his new life journey as the founding hero of the "Gou Wu Kingdom" in Nanyang.