Since he had decided to win over Wang Chuanqi, the pirate leader around the Bohai Sea, Zhu Qi asked Liu Bowen to write a letter of surrender as the King of Liao and sent it to Wang Chuanqi.

There is no way, the literary level will be revealed in an instant. Zhu Qi's current classical Chinese level is inferior to even a ten-year-old child. Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang was born as a poor peasant. As an emperor, he didn't even say anything about me, let alone classical Chinese.

Therefore, Zhu Qi has no problem with his vernacular writing throughout the week, because among so many children of Zhu Yuanzhang, except for the crown prince Zhu Biao, the other princes were not so literary. Most of them were princes who liked to ride horses and shoot archery like Zhu Di.

If you want to see Wang Chuanqi off, you naturally need an intermediary. Fortunately, many former robbers, bandits, pirates and other people in prison can act as intermediaries. Who doesn’t know Wang Chuanqi in this vocation in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?

Zhu Qi then picked a few pirates who were not that serious and were all picking against the Yuan people. He asked them to release them from prison to deliver letters, which was considered as a way to make up for their merits.

The process of delivering the letter was relatively smooth. Within a few days, Wang Chuanqi received a letter sent by Zhu Qi.

Wang Chuanqi is a strong man in his thirties. Unlike other pirates with a fat face, Wang Chuanqi has a Confucian temperament. His literary literacy is also good. He has more than 30 warships under his command, but they are all small and medium-sized Clippers.

For those who work in pirates, you can't do it if you are too big or too slow to get off your ships. If you are too big or too far away, you will be exposed. If you are slow, you will not catch up with your prey. Second, when you are surrounded by the official army, you will not stop if you can't run away.

However, there are many pirate sailors under their command, with nearly a thousand people. Including their various families, there are also two thousand people. Among the pirate forces on the Bohai Sea, that is definitely the largest.

If the pirates had no organizational discipline and had any chance to call for a conference, this king legend might be the One Piece on the Bohai Sea.

Wang Chuanqi was originally a staunch anti-Yuan element. When the Yuan Dynasty was in power, he was a pirate and had received letters from the court to surrender. Wang Chuanqi sneered.

But now we are coming from the letters of the Liao king of the Ming Dynasty, and in name it is not a letter of surrender, but a recruitment of talents. The title of the legend of the king has also changed from a pirate to a commander of the rebel army and a hero against the Yuan Dynasty.

Good guy, I just called out the rebels, heroes, etc.

However, Wang Chuanqi also enjoyed this title very much. Although he did not accept the surrender of the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was a dynasty known as "reopening the Great Song Dynasty". In fact, he really wanted to surrender to the Ming Dynasty.

However, the Ming Dynasty did not gain a foothold north of the Yellow River before. Just two years ago, Li Wenzhong completely captured Peking and finally gained a foothold. The Ming Dynasty's letter of recruitment came.

His Highness of the King of Liao said in his letter that as long as Wang Chuanqi is willing to join the Ming Dynasty with his subordinates and sailors, he will immediately report to the emperor, at least as a position as a governor of the Liaohai Navy.

From then on, he was the navy commander of the Ming Dynasty court, and he no longer had to hide like a pirate.

Wang Chuanqi symbolically discussed this matter with the Second Head, the Third Head, and some backbone pirates. Finally, he slapped the table and decided, and said nothing, accepted the recruitment and surrendered to the Ming Dynasty!

Wang Chuanqi immediately wrote a letter and sent it back, and agreed to hold a recruitment ceremony outside Dagukou, Peking three days later.

The so-called ceremony is actually the court waiting for Wang Chuanqi to drive his fleet to Dagukou, and His Highness of the Liao King came out to greet him in person. This has been the case throughout history.

You can't say that you have recruited talented people and have no sense of ritual at all. They will work hard for you. In addition to the benefits of official positions, you must also give enough face. Otherwise, no one will admit that he, as the navy governor, is it?

After receiving the reply, Zhu Qi heard someone explain what the surrender ceremony was, and then he happily agreed and prepared to move his nest to Dagukou.

Of course, it is now a ceremony to recruit talents.

Dagukou was very close to Beiping. After Zhu Qi brought the two thousand elite soldiers arranged by Li Wenzhong, he went to Dagukou with Zhu Di and others to see how the construction of the turtle ship was.

When he arrived at Dagukou the next day, Zhu Qi first rushed to the dock. At this time, five turtle ships had been built.

Five ships went into the sea in two months. The reason why it was so slow was that when building the first ship, it took a lot of time to study the drawings alone.

The second ship was much faster at the beginning, and the construction speed could be maintained at about three ships a month. This speed is no longer slow.

Of course, this also has to do with the fact that the turtle ship designed by Zhu Qi can only accommodate one or two hundred soldiers, and its size can only be considered a medium-sized ship. If you want to say that the largest dragon ship is built, three or four-story boats are high, and there are horse racing on the deck. One ship can have one or two thousand people, let alone three ships a month, it is estimated that one can be built in a year.

Zhu Qi also boarded the turtle boat and took a look. Whether it was the appearance or the internal structure of the ship, they were exactly the same as those given by Zhu Qi. It has to be said that the craftsmen of these days are indeed very good.

In addition to looking at the turtle ships, I also looked at the current ships of the Ming Navy. There are more than 50 warships, including large tower ships, more than 20. The rest are medium-sized ships. As for small ships, there are no statistics, because these small ships can still be used in rivers. If you put them on the ocean, you will overturn them. It is definitely not possible to use them to fight naval battles. If you don’t need to hit you, you will be knocked over directly when sailing over.

After all, the Navy of the Official Army is not a pirate. In an era when both mobility and combat effectiveness cannot be obtained, combat effectiveness is naturally the main focus.

Compared with the other generals' fanaticism about land warfare, Zhu Qi was actually more interested in sea ships, because he knew that from the era of great geographical discoveries in the 15th century to the present in the 21st century, countries with maritime hegemony could have world hegemony.

Marine power cannot be ignored. The reason why China has been poor and weak in modern times and cannot keep up with the trend of the times is to put it bluntly because of the self-castration of marine power. The maritime ban policy led to the peak of Chinese sea ships, which permanently stayed at the level of treasure ships in Yongle and Zheng He who voyaged to the West in the Ming Dynasty.

However, Western countries in the same era have been chasing head-on in navigation technology, constantly absorbing the advantages of Chinese hard sailing ships, and at the same time expanding the advantages of their own soft sailing ships. Finally, the two are combined to create a batch of sailing ships suitable for ocean-going sailing.

Don’t think that all the sailboats that sailed across the ocean in the Age of Discovery were independently developed by the West, at least on the sails. The sails of the Western ships are composed of three parts: cross sails, Latin sails and inclined sails. The cross sails are their own. Latin sails were inventions by the Arabs, and inclined sails are the patents of Chinese hard sailboats.

This is the importance of learning. You cannot be blindly arrogant, and you cannot be too arrogant.

As for ocean sailing, Western soft sailing ships with high wind and high speed and load are also more suitable for ocean sailing according to different situations.

However, hard sailboats that are simple and convenient to operate and require few staff are more suitable for near-shore and inland navigation than soft sailboats.

Therefore, soft sails are used in the ocean and hard sails are used in the near and within the sea. This is the correct answer that history has proved.

There is another point, that is, if used in naval battles, Western soft sailing boats are more suitable than Chinese hard sailing boats. They are mainly willing to be more flexible in steering and instantaneous acceleration, but they are lighter and shallow-drafted Western sailing boats that can carry more cannons!

Firepower is justice!

Of course, no matter what kind of sail you are, you are not as good as ironclad ships or steamships. There is no doubt that this is not a doubt.

The craftsmen at Dagukou Shipyard did not expect that His Highness of the Liao King was so interested in ships. Other adults rarely asked about these things. Although the Ming Dynasty also had sea transportation now, it was not like Western countries. There was a huge Mediterranean Sea, which destined them to take the ocean as their lifeline. Each of them was marine-like countries, so from top to bottom, they were not very concerned about maritime affairs.

These craftsmen also answered one by one, and the questions asked by Zhu Qi seemed to be a little difficult for them, such as how far can this largest ship sail without replenishment? If you are far away from the coast, what about the wind and waves?

These craftsmen are only responsible for building ships. How could they understand these problems? They all stare at each other.

The official in charge of Dagukou Dock also had a confused expression on his face.

Although Zhu Qi did not have any hope, even these craftsmen and officials who specialize in maritime affairs had never cared about the issue of sailing far seas. He knew that if he wanted to guide the Ming Dynasty towards the direction of great navigation, it would definitely not be a problem of transforming a dock.

But it doesn't mean you don't do it. Someone has to do it. Although Zhu Qi prefers fishing, it doesn't mean you want to look at the trajectory of history to develop according to the original world line, and wait for the West to start the Age of Discovery in a hundred years and then eat it all over the mouth.

As for how to do it, Zhu Qi already had a rough plan in his mind.

And this plan is also related to Wang Chuanqi.

Three days passed quickly, and Wang Chuanqi quickly brought his pirates with him. No, it was the rebel fleet that came to Dagukou.

All the sea ships were parked outside the port, mainly because the port was so big that fifty ships suddenly emerged and could not be put down.

Wang Chuanqi himself was riding a small boat and brought a group of leadership teams of the Pirates, namely the second in command and the three generals of the second in command and the third generals, all came ashore.

As soon as I got ashore, I saw the common people on both sides waving small flags and pulling up banners. It was very lively and everyone was welcoming the return of the heroes of the rebel army.

Wang Chuanqi was filled with tears. He was almost forty years old. He thought he would never be able to cleanse his identity in this life. He stepped into the land of China with a Han identity, but he did not expect that Zhu Yuanzhang would be born in the world. He swept through the eight deserts and six worlds for more than ten years. The Ming Dynasty reopened the Song Dynasty and Hu Yuan was also driven out of the Great Wall. He could actually wait for such a thing that changed the world. Isn’t it that tears filled with tears?

As for this strange and unseen welcome ceremony, Wang Chuanqi didn't care. Maybe he had been wandering on the sea for decades, and the habits of the Central Plains changed.

Wang Zhuanqi soon met the legendary His Highness of the Liao King, a heroic young man. Wang Zhuanqi, who had heard of His Highness of the Liao King's heroic feat, would never dare to be at all despised.

As soon as he got ashore, he immediately bowed to His Highness Liao and said:

"Legend of the Wei minister, I will pay homage to His Highness the King of Liao!"

Zhu Qi was also very happy to see this man in his forties. He was not only the key to defeating Liu Yi in Pingzhang, Liaoyang, but also the available talents for him to open up the era of the Ming Dynasty in the future!

Who can do specialized in the maritime affairs? Who can specialize in Wang Xuanqi, who has been drifting on the ocean for decades?

"Governor Wang asked me to get up quickly!"

Although Wang Chuanqi has not been officially appointed, Zhu Qi, the commander of Ping Liao, still has the right to temporarily accept the appointment of a navy commander. Of course, what position Wang Chuanqi will be in the end depends on Zhu Yuanzhang's intention.

Zhu Qi sent the relevant attributes to Yingtian Mansion two days ago. I believe that he will be able to come back in less than two days and give Wang Chuanqi a formal appointment.

Here he helped Wang Chuanqi up. After a greeting, Zhu Qi kindly took Wang Chuanqi's hand and walked out of the dock.

The tearful king legend originally thought it would be a good meal, and everyone would eat and drink. Maybe there would be a few girls to accompany them tonight.

However, they were pulled directly to the street by His Highness of the Liao King. The people quickly began to applaud enthusiastically. Then a few children wore a red silk cross-body in a strange way, with the words "Warm welcome to the legendary king of the King" written on it.

The children all held the laid flowers in their hands and sent them to Wang Chuanqi. Looking at Wang Chuanqi's confused expression, our King of Liao said with his hands behind his back:

"Oh, this is my Ming people. I heard that Governor Wang, you led the heroes of the rebel army back. They are expressing their respect for you."

Wang Chuanqi was so amused that he could believe this nonsense. If he was afraid he would not be a three-year-old child. When he was sailing on the sea, the fishing boats of ordinary people were so panicked when they saw them, and the fishermen almost abandoned the boat and jumped into the sea to escape.

Of course, Wang Chuanqi has never robbed the common people. He usually looks at the Yuan Dynasty transport ships or the Dayuan merchant ships to rob.

Needless to say, I know that this must be the arrangement of His Highness the King of Liao. Wang Chuanqi immediately wiped his tears and his mouth was filled with words of gratitude.

After delivering the flowers, the banquet was finally ready. The food was like mountains and seas, and the beautiful girl was still playing and singing beside her. I have to say that in terms of corruption in life, His Highness the King of Liao is an expert.

In short, one-stop service almost sent Wang Chuanqi away from the beginning to the end.

After eating and drinking, it’s time to do some serious work. Wang Zhiqi has already prepared for it, so he began to analyze the situation in the Bohai Sea with His Highness the King of Liao during the meal.

He said similarly to Liu Bowen, and it was also clearly stated that the Ming Dynasty's confidant was that Liu Yi's naval fleet in Pingzhang, Liaoyang. If it was impossible to defeat them, it would be impossible to transport the sea route in the Bohai Sea.

But it was not that easy to fight them. Liu Yi's navy was still very skilled, so Wang Chuanqi advised him to build more large ships and wait until the ships are reorganized before attacking.

His Highness the King of Liao asked: How many big ships do you need? How long does it take?

Wang Chuanqi stretched out five fingers and said, "If there are fifty big and broad ships, big blessed ships, and hundreds of sand ships, you will be sure to take down Liu Yi's navy!"

At this time in the Ming Dynasty, in terms of sea ships, whether it was warships or civilian ships, they were divided into three grades: broad ships, blessing ships and sand ships according to their size.

The Guangzhou Ship is famous for its construction in Guangdong and is a ship specially used for marine navigation.

The lucky ship is famous for its construction in Fujian and is also a kind of marine navigation ship. As for the difference between the two, the lucky ship has significantly more sails than the broad ship, and it is easier to navigate from the ocean. Most of the fleets of the Sanbao eunuch Zheng He were fed by the lucky ships.

As for the sand ship, it is a small and medium-sized ship, a kind of flat-bottomed ship that cannot be sailed far away, but it is highly mobile. Most of Wang Legend's fleet is sand ship.

Zhu Qi heard that he needed so many ships, so he just made up his mind. He would have to build a ship that cost at least half a year, which would definitely not work.

Zhu Qi smiled and said:

"In fact, I have better warships."

When Wang Chuanqi heard that there were better new warships, he suddenly became energetic. He was originally specializing in maritime affairs and knew especially about warships. When he heard that there were new warships, he must have some knowledge.

Zhu Qi naturally took Wang Chuanqi to Dagukou Shipyard to see the turtle boat. He originally planned to let Wang Chuanqi and his group of seafarers control the turtle boat. After all, the experienced seafarers that can be found now are definitely this group of pirates.
To be continued...