In the spacious and elegant study room, sandalwood scent lingered, four people sat together, their faces a little heavy. The person sitting in the main seat was Li Zixiong, the head of the Li family in Zhaojun, and sitting next to him was the head of the branch of the Zhaojun Li family in Chang'an.
On the other side are the head of the Lu clan in Fan Yang and the head of the branch clan in Chang'an.
Li Zixiong looked at everyone calmly with his cold eyes and said slowly: "Clan Chief Lu, I received news today that Mr. Qin has gone to sea. I wonder what Chief Lu thinks?"
"Why do you need to test, Patriarch Li? You and I are now allies in the same boat. If you have anything to say, speak up." Patriarch Li's eyes were flowing, shining brightly, revealing his shrewdness.
"Okay, Patriarch Lu is quick to speak quickly, so I will speak directly."
Li Zixiong had a satisfied expression on his face and continued: "Once the Holy Lord knows what your two clans did in Jiangnan, the consequences must be known to the leader Lu. Mr. Qin went to Haizhou to build ships, and now he goes to sea. I am afraid he already knows something and is looking for evidence.
, once there is evidence, it will be a disaster for you and my family."
"What Chief Li said is true. The sea is dangerous, not to mention there are pirates roaming around. It is said that Mr. Qin may not be able to come back alive. However, based on my understanding of Mr. Qin, I will never fight an unprepared battle. Maybe Mr. Qin has something to rely on.
If we find evidence and come back, the clan will be annihilated. We must not sit back and wait for death. Does Chief Li have any ideas?"
"I feel relieved that Patriarch Lu has seen so clearly." Li Zixiong smiled and gave the Li family leader a look. There were some words that he couldn't say from his own mouth.
The head of the Li family nodded knowingly, took the topic and continued: "Clan Chief Lu, I think we should take two steps. First, send people to pretend to be pirates, destroy Master Qin's salt fields in Haizhou, steal the sea salt, and cut off his salt roads. I recently
The investigation found that the Qin government sold salt to various places and made a lot of money."
"Old men from several caravans in the Qin Mansion have also heard that in addition to the white paper, liquor and other products it produces, salt also accounts for the majority. Destroying its Haizhou salt fields can cut off one of its arms. This is a great good thing. However, although Mr. Qin
Going overseas, the salt field guards will not be weak. The people sent must be elite, and the number cannot be small. There is only one chance, and it cannot be a disastrous defeat like last time. Let me talk about the second point." Patriarch Lu looked at the Li family leader with cold eyes.
.
The head of the Li family cupped his fists and saluted, and continued: "Patriarch Lu is right. This junior has received the news that Mr. Qin built an armored ship in Haizhou. It is very special. There is another advantage to sending people there. They can get the shipbuilding technology, which will be useful to both of us."
The clan has great benefits.”
"Oh, is there anything else?" Patriarch Lu's eyes lit up, he stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then smiled: "We have to admit that this boy's talent is indeed extraordinary. The things he makes are very novel, and he can actually make them.
It’s unbelievable to get out of an iron-clad ship. How can it float on the sea if the iron is so heavy?”
"Juniors are also curious." The head of the Li family smiled calmly.
Patriarch Lu thought for a moment and suddenly became excited and said: "Iron is extremely hard. If it is used to build a ship, wouldn't it be fearless of any collision on the sea? If it is big enough, wouldn't it be possible to crush all enemies like a chariot?
With this technology, you and I will be able to traverse the sea and monopolize maritime trade routes. What will the imperial court mean then?"
Li Shangxiong stroked his beard and smiled and said: "This is what I value. The sea is vast. To say the least, if you and I fail, we can escape unscathed, live freely on the sea, and even capture the Japanese country."
"Wonderful, wonderful beyond words, nephew, please tell me your second point." Patriarch Lu looked at the head of the Li family.
The head of the Li family nodded and continued: "The second thing is to make early preparations. Mr. Qin is going overseas. Life or death is unpredictable, but there is no guarantee. If we successfully obtain the evidence, your family and I will be in danger. Be prepared with both hands, if necessary.
..." After saying that, he wiped his neck with his eyes dark and cold.
The study room suddenly became cold and solemn.
The four of them were silent, each with their own thoughts.
After a while, Patriarch Lu looked at Li Zixiong: "Chief Li is in a high position and is well aware of the holy will. Do you think it is necessary to prepare early? If it is leaked, it will leave a clue, and the princes in the court are not vegetarians."
"Everything is possible, and it's always better to be prepared for a rainy day. However, we can't do it too obviously, leaving a clue to kill someone with a borrowed knife. The Holy One is becoming more and more obsessed with immortality. You and I will send people to find the wise warlocks to make friends with the Holy One and obtain the Holy One."
Greater trust, there is no immortality in this world, Patriarch Lu must know how to do it..."
"This method is wonderful!" Patriarch Lu smiled knowingly.
Li Shangxiong continued: "In addition, I can see that the Holy One is interested in King Jin, so he will accompany me tomorrow and meet with King Jin secretly, so as to reassure you for the future."
"Hahaha, Patriarch Li still understands me." Patriarch Lu smiled with satisfaction.
The others also laughed, meaningfully.
…
On the vast sea.
Hundreds of ships advanced forward, as slowly as a mountain, with unparalleled power.
Six troop transport ships advanced in a formation of threes and threes, followed by the tallest building ship. On the observation deck, Qin Huaidao stood with his hands behind his hands, his eyes as cold as lightning, as if he could penetrate the space and see the endless distance.
Standing next to them were Luo Ying and Yuchi Baolin.
Since the three-story high-rise ship was captured, the command headquarters has been moved to the ship. A troop transport ship opened the way in front of it, and hundreds of sea-going ships followed behind it, with a fierce momentum.
"Look, it's here!"
Luo Ying suddenly shouted in surprise and pointed forward with one finger.
In the distance, a huge island can be vaguely seen, like a ferocious beast lying on the vast sea. It is mysterious and unpredictable, but it also makes people who have been floating on the sea for a long time feel at ease.
Wandering for several days in a row with no entertainment, the days are boring. If it weren't for the competition of shooting sea fish with bows and arrows, and supplementing food by the way, I would be really bored to death.
The news that they were about to arrive at Danluo Island spread quickly, and countless people on the ship cheered. They were really bored and would rather die in battle than die of boredom.
The fleet continued to move forward, causing endless waves.
Not long after the distance got closer, we could see the green trees on the island. The presence of trees means fresh water, which is what everyone is most in need of. Qin Huaidao looked at the island carefully and estimated that it was about 2,000 square kilometers. The area was not small, and the overall shape was oval.
There are mountains and water, and the main peak is towering. It is a good place to occupy as a base.
Qin Huaidao remembered that this island was formed by the eruption of a volcano millions of years ago. Civilization can be traced back to the Stone Age. It is not known how many years ago it has increased. However, the volcano is real, which means that there is high-quality sulfur on the mountain, which is essential for making explosives.
Material.
Saltpeter and charcoal are easy to find in the Tang Kingdom, but sulfur, especially high-quality sulfur, is too difficult to find.
Qin Huaidao's eyes lit up when he thought of this, and he had some ideas in his mind.
Not long after, the fleet approached Danluo Island. Qin Huaidao was not in a hurry to dock and immediately ordered: "Send my order to stop advancing and prepare for battle."
Flag soldiers were arranged on the roof of the building, standing high so that other ships could see the flag soldiers. The order spread quickly, and the fleet began to slow down and slowly stopped.
Soon, everyone found that a large number of people rushed out of the forest and rushed to the beach. Each one was holding a weapon and shouting something. There were many ships docked on the beach. Some people rushed aboard, looking ready to rush forward and fight.
.
However, before Qin Huaidao could give the order to attack, someone rushed up and shouted, and those who got on the boat got off one after another. Everyone retreated to the edge of the woods, hid themselves, and prepared to fight.
Seeing this scene, Qin Huaidao laughed: "Baolin, Luo Ying, the pirates are planning to rely on the terrain to block the attack and we are not allowed to go ashore. What do you two think?"
"It's definitely not possible without landing. The beach is not small and we can't launch an attack on the boat. Besides, there is not much fresh water on the boat and we can't afford it. Why don't I take the lead and lead the attack." Luo Ying rushed to say.
"You can't do it recklessly." Qin Huaidao said and looked at Yuchi Baolin.
Yuchi Baolin, who had much more combat experience than Luo Ying, looked at the terrain in silence, his eyes flashing, and suddenly said after a moment: "Brother Qin, our armored ship has a deep draft and the beach is shallow, so we can't rush up directly, otherwise the propellers
It will break down, but other sea-going ships are fine. It is recommended that the armored ship stay and board other sea-going ships to land."
"That's true. How to fight?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"The pirates are well prepared. This is a tough battle. In my opinion, why don't I lead people to use explosive packs to clear the way, and Luo Ying leads the team to follow, defeat them in one go, and use the opportunity again?" Yuchi Baolin suggested.
"This is a good idea. The explosive packs are so powerful that the pirates can't stop them. They might be defeated as soon as they explode. However, I'd better lead people to clear the way. I'm more familiar with explosive packs than you." Luo Ying said and looked at Yuchi Baolin.
Yuchi Baolin did not fight and looked at Qin Huaidao.
"Our casualties will be considerable if we attack like this." Qin Huaidao objected calmly, looking at the terrain ahead in deep thought.
How can there be immortality in a war? Yuchi Baolin and Luo Ying exchanged surprised looks and said nothing.