The spring water is shallow and emerald green, with fine waves like jade, a light boat follows the ripples and drifts with the current.

  Gao Zongting, a renowned scholar from western Zhejiang, stood at the bow of a light boat wearing a green robe, gazing towards the river mouth. On the other side of the river mouth, the first sailboat with a capacity of one thousand stones under the banner of Ji Yun She was breaking through the waves. Lin Xie and others were standing at the bow, savoring the thrill of riding the wind and waves. Gao Zongting withdrew his gaze and said to a middle-aged scholar beside him, "Director, that man is none other than Lin Xie, the Eastern Yang scholar who has been accumulating reputation in Jiangning City for months!"

  "I was talking to Chen Xiyin in Xixi the day before yesterday, and Chen Xiyin said that his pig herder is a crazy scholar... A middle-aged scholar with a white face and short beard, nearly fifty years old, but his temples are already frosted with white hair. He looked towards the river mouth with a smile on his face."

  "This is indeed a story with a history. After the island was cleared, Gu Wu Chen inspected it three times and Lin Xuan wanted to talk to him about raising pigs and looking at the pigpens. These things were spread from the mouth of the provincial inspector's subordinate officials, saying that Dongyang scholars didn't care about books or literature, but were good at raising pigs, catching fish, and digging up bird droppings. The scholars and gentlemen all laughed at this. Furthermore, when he arrived in Jiangning, he first quarreled with the local officials, and the city people all hated him to the bone, so of course there was no good talk about him. Xi Xi also liked to boast, and Chen Xi Yan really didn't have any good words to say about him..." Gao Zong Ting laughed.

  "Digging bird droppings?" The middle-aged scholar asked in confusion, "I've never heard of this before, what's the point of digging bird droppings?"

  "It's indeed not easy to get information about the island, but it's not impossible for those who are determined," Gao Zongting said with a smile. "Digging bird droppings is for fertilizer accumulation. Before the prison was built on the island, it was a bird island. Although there were fewer egrets now, there were still large amounts of bird droppings stored in the woods. When the island was opened up for gardening, the soil mixed with bird droppings was used for cultivation, and naturally, people had to be forced to dig up the bird droppings. I think Chen Xiyin's nickname 'Pig Slave Crazy Scholar' is quite fitting. Others thought that raising pigs on the island was just for meat, but inside the pigpens, there were dry grasses and fermented manure, which was another important source of fertilizer for the gardens on the island, aside from bird droppings. I saw some farmers in Shaowu using this method, and it was quite effective. Raising pigs is indeed a dirty job, but if the pigpen is not clean, the pigs won't be healthy either. One pig can produce enough fermented manure to fertilize an acre of land after being raised for several months, and aside from providing meat, the land's yield would increase by over two stones. Many villagers imitated this method and benefited from it, but after Shaowu started taxing pigs, this method was abandoned, and I haven't heard of any other place using this method to raise pigs and produce fertilizer... The island's fertilizer accumulation has indeed been effective. Lin Xianyue only arrived on the island after the New Year, and after taking control, it's only been over two months, but the island already has vegetables supplied to the river mouth. With fertile soil and meticulous cultivation, the vegetables are even going to market earlier than those from the old farmers in Jiangning City."

  "I have a question," the middle-aged scholar asked, "In fact, the land on the island can be reclaimed and cultivated, with only over a thousand mu of land that can be used as vegetable gardens, digging bird droppings to accumulate fertilizer or raising pigs to make manure, one strategy is enough. Zongting, why did this Dongyang scholar propose two strategies at the same time? In fact, proposing two strategies at the same time is not beneficial for saving labor. Moreover, setting up weaving and spinning workshops, setting up iron smelting furnaces, setting up woodworking shops and other multiple tasks in prison, if it's just to make use of prisoner labor, isn't it too complicated?" He asked the young scholar beside him, "What do you think?"

  "...The young scholar's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he said, "Perhaps the prison island cannot contain his ambition..."

  "Dongyang's ambition is not something that can be confined to a prison island. Rather than saying it's about governing the prison island, I'd say the prison island is a testing ground for his ambitions. He wanted to promote miscellaneous arts and crafts in the river mouth, although as a scholar, he was somewhat arrogant, but it couldn't be said that he was trying to be novel or seeking fame," Gao Zongting said, "However, in the eyes of the scholars, miscellaneous arts and crafts are all trivial matters. Chen Xiyin considers himself a great Confucian scholar, so it's natural that he looks down on Dongyang."

  "It's rare to see you praising others," said the middle-aged scholar with a smile to Gao Zongting, who was quite satisfied with Gao Zongting's answer and asked the young scholar beside him, "What do you think, Dong Wentian?"

  "It's not that I'm afraid you won't like to hear it, but if we're talking about talents who have made a name for themselves in the world, there aren't many people who can rival your esteemed self, Mr. Dong. The young scholars from Dongyang are a good example." Gao Zongting hastily said with a smile to that young scholar.

  The young scholar was Dong Yuan, the prefect of Weiyang Prefecture, and the middle-aged scholar was Li Zhuo, who was known as the "General of the Southeast" and was the former governor of Fujian. Although others respectfully referred to Dong Yuan as "Dong Gong", Li Zhuo still addressed him by his nickname in the army.

  In late March, after the Minister of War, Yue Zhiqiu, arrived in East Fujian, Li Zu quickly handed over the affairs of the Governor-General to him. At this time, he was considered to be on his way to take up his post in Jiangning. His carriage and escort team had just left Xianxia Ridge and were proceeding slowly, but he brought only a few attendants and hastily rode ahead to Jiangning, where he stayed in Gao Zongting's thatched cottage. At this time, only two or three people in Jiangning knew of his arrival. Gao Zongting had been hiding in the suburbs of Jiangning for half a year, observing the situation in Jiangning on behalf of Li Zu. After Li Zu arrived in Jiangning, Dong Yuan also came to meet him secretly with his attendants, and the guards on both sides of the fast boat were all Dong Yuan's attendants.

  Dong Yuan smiled and said, "In front of the governor, I wouldn't be so arrogant and ignorant. I heard this person in Baisha County, at that time, there was nothing unusual about him. He and Jiangning's famous lady Su Mei were both kidnapped by the East Sea bandits, after careful investigation, it seemed that he and Su Mei had other hidden circumstances when they escaped..."

  "The East Sea Bandit's raid on Weiyang Prefecture was a clever move, the kind of thing that only a talented storyteller could come up with. Of course, there must be more to it than meets the eye, but outsiders wouldn't know..." Gao Zongting said. Back when the East Sea Bandit raided Baisha County and kidnapped people, he and Dong Yuan were both in Baisha County. Later, it was also his suggestion that Dong Yuan attribute the Baisha County kidnapping case to the leader of the Dongting Lake pirates. "Among the scholars of Xixi, Jiangning, and Piguange, if I had to rank them according to my own thoughts, Piguange would be ranked first."

  "What a pity he is from Chu's party." Dong Yuan sighed.

  "For the sake of the country's fate, and at a time of great danger, we should put aside past grievances and abandon our partisan views." Li Zuoxu said with a solemn expression.

  "Commander and others put aside past grievances, but I'm afraid others won't put aside past grievances with Commander," Dong Yuan sighed lightly. "If things in this world can be done without guilt, they can be solved easily; Chen Xiang is in a precarious situation at the center, will Chu Party tolerate Chen Xiang to catch his breath?"

  Li Zhuo also let out a soft sigh and wouldn't expect to persuade Dong Yuan on this matter.

  The small boat continued downstream and arrived at the riverbank outside Gaozongting's hermitage. Li Zhuo, Gao Zongting, and four attendants disembarked. Dong Yuan did not linger; he had come to Jiangning secretly to meet with Li Zhuo and could not afford to stay out in the open for long. He immediately boarded a small boat and headed downstream towards Weiyang. The two prefectures of Jiangning and Weiyang were adjacent, and the ancient Tong County on the north bank was formerly Baisha County of Weiyang Prefecture.

  Li Zhuo stood on the embankment amidst the withered grass, gazing out at the rolling waters of the river as they flowed eastward. A few solitary sails dotted the surface of the green water of the spring river. The sky was high and clear, and looking northward, the land stretched out flatly like a horse's back. Occasionally, there were a few isolated hills, but they didn't reveal any undulations in the terrain. Turning his head to speak to Gao Zongting, he said: "Dong Wenguo just mentioned the East Sea bandits; I'm worried that the East Sea bandits are not just a minor problem."

  "The key is still the Northern Line, if the Northern Line can drive out the Donghu people from Jibei, then the She family will also be a trouble. I really don't understand why the court doesn't use the governor?" Gao Zongting said indignantly, "It's really not clear in those people's hearts that the country can be played with like this? Chen Xiyin is also a sly and cunning person."

  Li Zhuo gazed at the river for a long time, then said languidly, "We should do our best as humans." He turned his head to look towards the direction of the river mouth and said to Gao Zongting, "It's boring around here, and the imperial carriage escort team won't arrive in Jiangning for three to five days. Perhaps we can go find Dongyang Juzi to chat with him. Who knows, he might be more interesting than Dong Wenzhangzi."

  "It's really hard to say." Gao Zongting said with a smile.

  ************

  Lin was tied up in Baisha County, and had only seen Gao Zongting and Dong Yuan from a distance. At the river mouth, he was far away from the light boat that Dong Yuan and others were riding on, and couldn't see their faces clearly. It wasn't until the thousand-stone sailboat was steered into the dock by Da Xiaozhen that Lin wondered who the three scholars at the bow of the light boat were.

  "They all say this boat is good, and it's very convenient to travel by boat. Going downstream, you can reach Chongzhou in a day and night. Why not take advantage of the good weather and have a practice session at Chaotian Dang...?" Xiao Ji Pawnshop's Xiao Mi looked at Lin Fu and others getting off the boat and came up with everyone to congratulate them.

  "Alright, let's give it a try," Lin Xiang quickly agreed and continued, "This ship only needs sixteen crew members to operate, the rest can withdraw first, then send ten guards up, this ship will be complete, training should also have a proper appearance..."

  Xiao Jiaoyu Ge Cunxiong also brought the excess crew members ashore, and the ten armed guards assigned to the ship boarded with sharp weapons, led by Da Jiaoye Ge Cunxin and Hu Qizhong. They raised the sails and headed towards Chao Tian dang, conducting drills on the vast waters for the crowds standing on the dock to see.

  There are more than 20 people on the boat, all of whom are the elite anti-donation fishermen led by Da Xiao from Huai to Jiangning. In addition, there are more than 20 elites hidden among the refugees on the north shore of Chao Tian Tang in Changshan Island, who will also be used as black households and hidden on the boat. At present, apart from regular training, all crew members must participate in various real combat emergency drills such as encountering bandits, fires, and big waves.

  Everyone praises the ship for its speed, and this ship, if it encounters pirates, not only can the armed guards on board take advantage of the height of the ship to repel the enemy, but also the hull is wrapped with a circle of black iron, which can even use the sturdy body to collide with the pirate ship on the vast water surface, or raise the sail and escape by taking advantage of its speed.

  "Lin Xianzhong, have you ever thought of giving this ship a auspicious name?" asked Ye Kai, the owner of Zhengyedang, with a smile.

  "Yè Cáidōng is still here, and I'd like to ask Yè Cáidōng for a title..." Lín Fù said with a smile.

  "What makes me worthy of your attention, sir? I'm honored that you would deign to bestow your presence upon me?" Ye Kai said with a bow to Zhao Qinmin.

  Gu Wu Chen also knew how to use people, and didn't become defensive just because Zhao Qin Min had previously served as a staff member for Wang Xue Shan. He trusted him with the affairs at the river mouth, and every time there was a private banquet at the Gu residence, he would have Lin Kou bring Zhao Qin Min along to show his favor. When Zhao Jin, Zhao Qin Min's son, injured his foot and was recovering, Gu Wu Chen often reminded Gu Si Ming to bring over good medicine for him. Ye Kai and other local party members were building houses and shops at the river mouth, all of which went through Zhao Qin Min's hands, so they naturally tried to curry favor with him.

  Lin Xie also asked Zhao Qinmin with a smile: "Please give Mr. Zhao a title?"

  "I'll take the liberty, if you think it's not good, don't worry about my face and just say so," Zhao Qinmin said with a smile, nodding to the people around him on the dock. "The Dongyang Township Party is gathered at the river mouth, united in their efforts to plan for the industry, what do you think of naming this ship 'Dongyang No.'?"

  "Good, good," Lin Xian smiled and said, "I also had this intention. After a few days of training, the first voyage of this ship will go to Dongyang to transport new tea, named 'Dongyang No.', isn't it just in line with its meaning? The words will be painted on in two days."

  Everyone listened to Lin Wei and was satisfied, so they all followed suit.

  Xiao Mi said with a smile: "When the Dongyang No. was entering the port, I felt that it was towering and majestic. Now that it has sailed into the middle of the river, I truly feel that it is a giant! Linji Warehouse and Qingfeng Hang's flags are rarely seen on such a huge ship. Ji Yun Society bought three at once, what a great momentum!"

  Lin tied his eyes to watch the Dongyang sailboat, which was sailing towards the center of the water domain with its sails fully set. The Dongyang sailboat was not loaded with cargo, and only the hull was out of the water, with a height of about 13 or 14 feet. There were two layers of cabins at the stern, plus the top layer of wooden railings, which made it almost 30 feet high. All three masts had full sails, reaching as high as 100 feet. Compared to the surrounding fishing boats and cargo ships, it was indeed extraordinary in appearance, like a king of the water.

  Lin Xian smiled faintly, but in his eyes, such a sailboat was still too small. The Dongyang had a tonnage of just over 100 tons and carried more than 1,000 stones, not to mention the giant ships with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tons of displacement in later generations. Even in the past, Longjiang Shipyard had built eight-masted giant ships with a displacement of over 2,000 tons.

  If considering a naval battle, the Dongyang and the four Geumsan ships would be able to deal with small groups of river pirates in Choson even without any special equipment.

  On the riverbank dock, Lin Xie watched with interest as Dongyang No. trained, and when it was about to get late, Lin Xie invited the Dongyang Township Party to a banquet at the River Mouth Grass Hall, and then sent off the crowd back to the city.

  In the following days, Lin Zexu either watched Dongyang Hao training in Chao Tian Dang from the riverbank or boarded the ship to inspect the actual training. On the third day, some impatiently tried to make four armored ships fully loaded with new recruits train in formation with Dongyang Hao in Chao Tian Dang.

  As the sky turned dark, the sunset spread across the river. Lin Xie made the Dongyang number continue to exercise in Chao Tian Tang. He changed into a small boat and came ashore from the riverbank dock, seeing two of the three scholars who had been standing at the bow of the light boat a few days ago now standing on the riverbank dock looking at the Dongyang number in Chao Tian Tang.

  ******************

  P.S: Looking for red envelopes (with money).