The First Gunship
At the port of Surging East Island.
The rising sun shone on the earth again.
On the open space to the east of the port, rows of tents were arranged neatly. This was the residence of Zhang Shiba, the commander of the Civil Affairs Division, according to the arrangement of 100 households in a group. Each group had a station officer, and then they were arranged according to the group.
According to the plan, Zhang Xun would set sail on the 12th day of the 10th month when the northwest wind blew. He would lead tens of thousands of people to the Flowing Ball Island.
These days, he had sent the Manichaean leaders under him to contact the Manichaean gambling dens on the southeast coast. On the one hand, he had sent them away to break up the Manichaean organizations. On the other hand, he had also gone to recruit people. At the same time, he had also spent money to buy young men and women from the human markets in some big cities.
Of course, there was human trafficking in the Tang Dynasty.
These days, there were thousands more people on the island, and the population was close to 40,000.
Today, a huge sailboat with a fore-and-after sail slowly raised its white sail and sailed out of the port!
As soon as the ship left the port, the people watching on Surging East Island exclaimed.
The white sail blew the wind, and almost in an instant, the speed of the three-masted sailboat was increased to eight knots, and sometimes even nine knots!
In the eyes of the people on Zhao An's shore, this speed was simply the same as flying.
Especially since this ship was not small!
A length of twenty-five meters was larger than most ships of the Tang Dynasty.
Such a huge ship actually had such speed. It was simply beyond the imagination of the people of this era.
"What a fast ship!"
"I heard that it was designed by the Viceroy again.”
"Why do you think the Viceroy knows so much?”
"Let me tell you, the rumors have been spreading these days that the Viceroy is the reincarnation of the God of Light. He has foresight and knows much more than mortals.”
"The reincarnation of the God of Light? You believe that?"
"Then how else can you explain that the Viceroy knows so many things?”
On the shore, some Manichaeans were discussing among themselves.
As for the people who had been dragged here, they looked at the sailing ship with complicated expressions.
The stronger Governor Flowing Ball was, the less likely they were to return home.
Zhangsun Wugou stood in front of the window of the attic where she, Li Lizhi, and Zhangsun Pingting lived.
Zhang Xun didn't mistreat them, but he didn't intend to hand Empress Zhangsun back just like that.
Because he was not qualified to make a deal with Li Shiming yet-he could tell from the last time that Li Shiming would not easily lower his head and pay the ransom before he had completely injured the Great Tang.
Therefore, it was better to keep Empress Zhangsun for the time being. After all, she was the empress of the Great Tang and was very valuable.
"What kind of ship is this? It's shockingly fast." Zhangsun Wugou's eyes were also filled with shock.
On the contrary, Li Lizhi and Zhangsun Pingting weren't as surprised.
"Auntie, do you know what the thunderous noise these few days is for?”Zhangsun Pinting came over and said with a mysterious expression.
"I heard that it's the God of Light's thunderous means!”
"You little girl, what Light God? What a strange thing…" Empress Zhangsun shook her head.
"But I really heard that it's a weapon. It's like a telescope. Mother, do you know about binoculars?" Li Lizhi asked.
"What is a telescope?"
"It's a magic tool that can pull things from afar closer to see!”
Zhangsun Pinting said.
" There's actually such a thing in this world?!"
Zhangsun Wugou was shocked.
"Yes, it's the one that Zhang Xuntian hangs on his waist every day.”
The three women discussed.
Zhangsun Wugou watched as Li Lizhi and Zhangsun Pingting discussed softly. Their words were always inseparable from Zhang Xun, and he couldn't help but feel worried.
Li Lizhi did not want to go back to Chang 'an. She knew the reason. Although Zhangsun Chong was the eldest son of the Zhangsun family, he was indeed a playboy. He was a notorious playboy in Chang' an and was not likable.
Not enough, why did Zhangsun Pinting also look like she didn't want to go back?
Zhangsun Wugou thought worriedly. Could it be that this girl had fallen in love with that water bandit Zhang Xun?
...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On the surface of the sea, the cannons on both sides of a sailboat roared!
The cannonball flew across the surface of the sea and flew straight into the distance. It only landed on the sea several miles away.
"Not bad!"
Whether it was Zhang Xun or the group of officers under him, their faces were filled with joy.
The experiment of the new weapon and the new warship could be said to have achieved excellent results.
"Big brother! If all twenty-five of our three-masted ships were equipped with cannons, we would be invincible on the sea!”
"Big brother, when will the next ship come out to be seaworthy?”
Zhang Xun stretched out his hand, and everyone's discussion instantly stopped.
"There's no problem with the ship, but the problem is the cannons. We've only made eight cannons so far, not even a single ship. When we get to the Flowing Ball, we'll go all out to make cannons. At that time, we'll be able to go everywhere on the sea!”
"Wealth will come from the sea."
"Return! He packed his things and prepared to head to Flowing Ball!”
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone had solemn expressions and did not dare to have the slightest objection to Zhang Xun's order.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]