Chapter 1097: Success in the East and Success in the West (Ninety)

Cangzhou's wharf is already extremely large. As the Li family's largest capital in the past, great efforts have been made on it. In the past two years, the Han Kingdom has carried out large-scale expansion, making the wharf larger than its original size. It was enlarged several times. At this time, thousands of ships gathered in the port, making the scene very spectacular.

The Zhou family in Fenzhou and the Li family in Cangzhou have gathered all the craftsmen with all the shipbuilding skills. Over the years, they have made rapid progress in the construction of sea-going ships. The largest sea-going ships can now be built to be five stories high, and each ship can carry With hundreds of combatants, they are a giant on the sea.

The replacement of hard sails by soft sails has brought the skill of sailing to a higher level, and the mastery of navigation knowledge has become a means of livelihood for people in Fenzhou and Cangzhou. Now, as long as you know some water skills, you can easily You can become a sailor in the fleet. If you know how to sail, congratulations, you will get a very good position, and the salary is beyond your imagination.

Because of the uncertainty and danger of long voyages, the salaries of these sailors and captains were several times that of ordinary public servants in the Han Kingdom.

Kou Shuguang's last return with a full load caused a sensation in the Han Kingdom, and the people who were most shocked were naturally the people of Cangzhou and Fenzhou, because most of the sailors and boats came from these two places, these guys who went on long sea voyages and came back safely. , all of them made a lot of money. Compared with the belongings they brought home, their salaries were nothing to mention. Some of the guys who had to take the risk of going to sea because of the difficulty in making a living, became rich because of this trip. After a great turnaround, the whole family suddenly became a wealthy local, which also made more people jealous, and everyone was looking forward to the next voyage.

This time, the number of sailors who signed up far exceeded the needs of the voyage fleet. Such a strong desire to go to sea to make a fortune made Kou Shuguang so dumbfounded that he had to temporarily increase the conditions for recruiting sailors to go to sea.

Of course, not only the national fleet led by Kou Shuguang went to sea this time, but also a large number of private ships also joined in. The huge benefits brought by navigation made more businessmen see business opportunities, and overseas trade was almost The prospect of making huge profits is almost unimaginable on the mainland. After some big bosses affiliated with Sihai Trading learned about the voyage through various channels, they showed their magic and passed the request to Gao Yuan through the high-ranking officials they knew. In front of them, that is, they also want to organize a fleet to go to sea to do business.

For this request, Gao Yuan was naturally eager for it, and even allowed them to form some groups with the Kingdom's fleet. Of course, Gao Yuan would not let go of such a tax opportunity. If he grouped with the Kingdom's fleet, he would have to pay protection fees. That is to say, they have to bear part of the military expenses. Secondly, they have to pay taxes on their overseas transactions. The specific tax amount is based on the profits they earn after returning from the voyage. The tax rate is as high as 30%. But even so, It cannot stop businessmen from making money.

Businessmen have money. But sometimes money is not a panacea. There are many things you can’t buy just as you want, such as large ships suitable for sea navigation. The shipyards established by Fenzhou, Cangzhou and Gao Yuan in western Liaoning have built them over the years. In addition to satisfying the navy, the remaining ships were almost sold out in a very short period of time, and the large ships priced at one price per day also made these shipyards experience the feeling of huge profits. Years of losses, one day All were compensated, and the shipyard's profits made Wang Wudi of the Household Department smile from ear to ear all day long. But even this could not satisfy the sudden sailing craze within the Han Dynasty. Some people could not buy ships. This year We can’t expect to go to sea to make money, but what about next year and the year after that? The shipyard’s orders have been scheduled for five years.

After buying a ship, you naturally have to recruit a captain and sailors. This is a more expensive matter. Sailors are easy to recruit, but experienced captains are limited. This has also led to some captains with long-distance voyage experience becoming sought-after talents. The salary was even higher than that of the county governor for a while.

With a ship, a captain, and sailors, every ship must also have guards. After Kou Shuguang's sailing experience was compiled and published, everyone also understood that there was not only huge wealth on the sea, but also pirates. There are more enemies, and a voyage is not only about making money, but also about conquering.

Of course, this is not a problem for them. Every year in the Han Kingdom, many soldiers retire due to various reasons. These retired soldiers who have been influenced by the army are strong-willed and powerful in combat, so they naturally become the targets of their recruitment and salary. Naturally, it is a favor, and this also found another way out for the retired soldiers of the Han army.

Soon after Kou Shuguang returned from his last voyage, the big man began preparations for his second voyage with great vigor. This time, not only hundreds of ships but thousands of people were sailing. After adding the owner of the private ship, this group The expedition force reached an astonishing scale of thousands of ships and tens of thousands of people.

This time, King Gao Yuan of the Han Dynasty came to personally perform the ceremony of going to sea.

On the pier, there was a sea of ​​people. Everyone came not only to witness the magnificent scene of thousands of sails sailing out to sea, but also to see the glory of Han Wang Gaoyuan. Speaking of which, this was the first time Han Wang Gaoyuan appeared in Cangzhou. Today's Han Dynasty has a vast territory. The territory is unprecedentedly vast, and it is impossible for Gao Yuan to set foot in most places. However, because of the navy and navigation, Cangzhou became the first stop of Gao Yuan's first official patrol after he became king. This made Cangzhou people Proud, proud.

After delivering a passionate speech, Gao Yuan held a huge golden scissor and cut the ribbon for the lead ship. When the colored ball was lifted high by Gao Yuan, the sound of firecrackers also crackled, accompanied by the sailors cheering. Cheeks roared loudly.

"Weigh anchor and set sail!"

The five-story flagship slowly sailed away from the pier. On the deck, the Han army officers headed by Kou Shuguang lined up neatly and paid a solemn military salute to Gao Yuan, who was still looking up at the pier.

Gao Yuan heard the sound of Li Can's nose twitching next to him. He turned to look at Li Can, whose eyes were a little red, and said with a smile: "This time we are on such a large scale, what do you have to worry about? Besides, Li Quan also has what he had last time. With experience, I will become more familiar with it this time.”

"My mother is worried when her son travels thousands of miles. How can we be sure of this long voyage sometimes?" Li Can sighed softly: "I am always a little worried."

"Li Quan is a very good guy! After he comes back this time, I think he will be able to command a navy independently!" Gao Yuan patted Li Can on the shoulder: "The family has a thousand miles of horses, and the Li family has a successor. Congratulations. Congratulations."

"Your Majesty, I have to cultivate you a lot!" Li Can thanked him repeatedly. With Gao Yuan's words, Li Quan's position as the head of the Li family is basically unshakable. "Your Majesty, this thousand sails out to sea is a rare and magnificent sight. It’s hard to get a full view of the scenery here, so why not go up to the sea pavilion to enjoy it.”

"Okay, let's go climb the overlooking sea pavilion, but Li Can, with your body, can you still climb up there?" Gao Yuan looked at Li Can's ball-like figure jokingly, "It's time to lose weight!"

"Since I listened to the king's words, I have been losing weight. Now I don't even eat dinner, but he just can't lose the damn weight. There's nothing I can do about it!" Li Can said with a sad face.

Gao Yuan suddenly became happy, "This is also possible. You are probably born fat, and you will gain weight even if you drink water. I hope Li Quan will not grow like you in the future, but there are benefits to growing like this, I guess." If I throw you into the water right now, you will definitely not be able to sink with your size."

Both of them burst out laughing. Of course, only Gao Yuan could say this. If it were anyone else, Li Can would definitely fall out.

Just as he was enjoying himself, He Weiyuan hurried over, whispered in Gao Yuan's ear: "Your Majesty, Governor Wu Kaiwu has arrived in Cangzhou and is now rushing towards the dock. He estimates that he will arrive here in half an hour. .”

Gao Yuan nodded slightly, "Old man Wu seems to be really anxious this time, he came so quickly, okay, you wait here, when old man Wu comes, let him go up to the sea pavilion to see me. Li Can, let's Go and climb the sea pavilion."

The Pavilion overlooking the sea is newly built. It was also built by Li Can in order to please Gao Yuan. It was originally a hill next to the pier, about a hundred meters high, and was lined with green trees. The top was dug flat and cut off. Trees have built such a pavilion. Standing in the pavilion, with the sea breeze blowing and looking far into the distance, the sea is in full view. It is indeed a good place for viewing. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, there are all the most famous sea rocks in Cangzhou. The carved steps lead to the sea-viewing pavilion step by step. The stone railings on both sides and the pillars every few meters are carved with the heads of various rare and exotic animals. These alone cost a lot of money.

"In the future, this sea-viewing pavilion can become a good place for watching the scenery. Li Can, I suggest that tickets can be sold here for a fee in the future. Anyone who wants to come here to watch the scenery has to pay. For important events like today, the ticket price is completely It can grow several times, and there must be people willing to pay to climb up to watch the excitement!" Gao Yuan said while waiting for Li Can who struggled to climb up.

"This is the place where the king has been. After the king leaves, this place will naturally be sealed. How can we allow people to come up and desecrate the place where the king stood!" Li Can said breathlessly.

"Bullshit, if all the places I've been to have to be sealed off, how many places can the big man have for people to walk around?" Gao Yuan laughed and cursed: "This is a good place to make money, how can I seal it up and waste it? Well, Li Can, in the future, we can add a day to the promotional slogan here. The King of Han came here to view the scenery and was full of praise. Will the price here rise again?"

Li Can grabbed the railing and took a few breaths, "Since the king said so, I will instruct them to do as the king said. The price is naturally high, and there is not even a tael of silver. We can't let him climb up to the pavilion overlooking the sea."

"What a good idea!" Gao Yuan clapped his hands and laughed: "Even if only a hundred people come to climb a day, that's one hundred taels of silver. How much does it cost in a year? That's tens of thousands of taels of silver!" (To be completed!) Continued)