Li Zhi smiled and said, "Master Qiu is too modest. Since I have the honor to meet you today, I would like to invite you to come aboard and show my hospitality. Please don't reject my honor!"
Qiu Yizi was very curious and wanted to go on board to have a look. He glanced at Lin Shuhan and Wen Lingjiao, and saw that they both nodded slightly with the same curious expression on their faces. He said with peace of mind: "I have never been on a ship to get it. If I don't understand the rules, please forgive me, old ship owner. Sorry to bother you."
So they chatted and walked slowly forward, and soon they arrived in front of a huge ship.
Qiu Yizi looked up at the large ship and saw that it was about three or four stories high, much taller than the other ships moored next to it. He also saw five masts erected high on the ship, but because it was temporarily moored in the harbor, no sails were raised. The bare masts reached up to the sky, and on top of all of them were hung the big red flag of the Li family with a white whale embroidered on it.
Qiu Yizi saw it and couldn't help but admire it, "I have also fought several battles with the current emperor, and I have also been on the dragon boat used to cross the Yellow River. But compared with this large sea ship, that boat is just a small sampan."
Li Shengjie was very proud after hearing this and said, "How can a small boat used for crossing the river be compared with a large ship for crossing the ocean? It is said that the Yellow River is also very turbulent, but compared with the raging waves on the sea, it is probably nothing."
Li Zhi, who was standing beside him, was alert when he heard Qiu Yizhi mention the emperor. He said, "It turns out that Lord Qiu has worked for the emperor. I don't know how many lifetimes it will take for me to have such a blessing!"
He changed the subject and said in a very proud tone, "But what Lord Qiu said is also correct. This large sea ship is the flagship of my Li family fleet, so it is naturally larger than other sea ships. As far as I know, no sea ship has been launched or is being built, and there is no ship bigger than this one."
"What? A fleet!" Qiu Yizi was secretly surprised in his heart - he had more or less guessed that this Li family was extraordinary from Li Shengjie's outstanding temperament, his father Li Zhi's decent words and deeds, and the old servant's strong muscles, but he did not expect that they were so wealthy that they actually claimed to own a fleet.
However, Qiu Yizi stole a glance at the group of guards following behind him. Although their clothes were not neatly arranged and their formation seemed a little loose, they were all energetic and held their heads high. They were certainly inferior to the 18 personal soldiers under his command or the elite soldiers of the old Youyan Road, but they were far superior to the weak local military forces in the Jiangnan Road.
Then he heard Lin Shuhan, who was following closely behind him, say, "So you are the boss of the famous Li family, no wonder you have such a demeanor!"
"That's right!" Li Zhi heard this, and a fearsome heroic spirit was revealed between his eyebrows, but he immediately concealed it, "I am just a sailor and a businessman, how can I be called 'famous'? But may I ask who this gentleman is..."
Qiu Yizi smiled and introduced: "This person is also very famous. He is the famous 'Mr. Bansong' in Jinling City. His surname is Lin, and his uncle is Han."
"Oh my!" Li Zhi exclaimed, "It turns out to be Mr. Lin. This nickname 'Mr. Bansong' is much more famous than an old man like me!"
He suddenly turned his head to look at Wen Lingjiao and said, "This young lady is extremely beautiful. Could she be Mr. Lin's confidante, Wu Ruofei, Miss Wu?"
Qiu Yizi was shocked again: he didn't expect that this sea merchant who was supposed to be wandering on the sea all day was so well-informed. It was okay that he knew about the big commotion he caused in Jiangnan, and it was not surprising that Lin Shuhan, such a famous talent, was well-known. He even heard about the relationship between Wu Ruofei and Lin Shuhan - this was a bit shocking.
However, a trace of displeasure flashed across Lin Shuhan's face. It was unclear whether it was because Li Zhi was "too" knowledgeable or because he recognized the wrong person. He said, "This is Miss Wen, not Ruofei. Miss Wen is..."
Wen Lingjiao was afraid that Lin Shuhan would reveal his identity, so she interrupted him and said, "I am a friend of Mr. Qiu..."
After hearing this, Li Zhi hurriedly apologized to Lin Shuhan: "Oh, it turns out that my eyesight is blurry and I recognized the wrong person. I am so sorry!" Then he bowed deeply with his hands clasped.
This made Lin Shuhan feel embarrassed, and he quickly returned the greeting, "What are you talking about? Captain Li... Captain Li, why do you have to be so panicked?"
As they were talking, they had already walked to the side of the giant ship. After walking up the long and steep gangway for a long time, they finally reached the deck.
Qiu Yizi looked up and saw that the deck was wide and flat, with various tools neatly placed on it. Although people of all kinds were busy, they were doing their job in an orderly manner. Even the deck itself was cleaned spotlessly, almost as clean as the dining table.
This was Qiu Yizi's first time on board such a huge ship. He didn't know whether this ship was the only one that was so neatly maintained or if all ships were maintained in this way - he only knew that Li Zhi must have his own unique way of leading his sailors.
He looked up and saw black iron rods as thick as bowls on the edge of the boat next to the deck. He was even more surprised and asked Li Zhi hurriedly: "Captain Li, could this be a cannon?" He had seen such weapons for sieges in the Western Regions in the classics of Tianzun Sect, but he had never used them before, so he asked this question.
Li Zhi was also surprised and said, "Master Qiu is really knowledgeable. I bought these things only last month."
Seeing Qiu Yi's puzzled expression, he quickly added, "We sailors are bound to encounter pirates, and we used to use strong bows and crossbows to launch rockets to defend against the enemy. Later, a Lan country ship drifted over from somewhere. They were caught in a storm and had no food or water, so they had to sell the cannons on the ship in exchange for water and rice. Others thought that this thing was heavy and clumsy and were unwilling to buy it, but I had some spare money, so I bought it..."
"Have you tried it?" Qiu Yizi asked.
"Yes, I have used it." Li Zhi replied, "It has great power, fast firing rate and long range. If you shoot accurately, one shot can break the mast of the opposite ship. But it is too heavy and difficult to aim. It all depends on the ship's movement."
Qiu Yizi already had an idea in his mind, but he asked tentatively: "Have you tried bombarding the city wall?"
Li Zhi was in high spirits and didn't bother to figure out what Qiu Yi meant by this question. He answered directly, "I've tried it. The iron balls shot by the cannon are OK when hitting wood, but when hitting slightly thicker city walls, it's like scratching an itch through a shoe..."
He was halfway through his words when he suddenly realized that what he said was inappropriate. He quickly coughed a few times, and then he saw the naked old man running from a distance. He shouted loudly: "Old Cai, I asked you to go downstairs to prepare wine and food. How is it going?"
Old Cai hurriedly quickened his pace, ran up, and saluted, saying, "It's all ready. We're just waiting for you to come over and eat!"
Li Zhi nodded with satisfaction, stretched out his hand to let Qiu Yizhi pass and said, "The food on the boat is simple, please don't mind it, sir."
Qiu Yizi felt a little unhappy when she heard Li Zhi's repeated greetings and politeness. However, thinking that he meant well after all, she did not want to be rude, so she also said a few polite words and followed him along the deck to the stern.
After walking a few steps and passing a thick mast, everyone stood in front of a black wooden door.
Li Zhi was indeed polite. He personally opened the wooden door and invited Qiu Yizi in.
Qiu Yizi thanked him a few more times and then walked into the gate. Lin Shuhan, Wen Lingjiao, Yuchi Jiming, He'er and a few others also followed him in. A dozen personal soldiers behind him also followed him in to have dinner together.
Li Zhi's face darkened when he saw this, but he immediately put on a smile again and asked, "Master Qiu, I wonder who these warriors are?"
Qiu Yizi walked in front and did not notice the subtle changes in Li Zhi's expression, so he smiled and replied: "These are a few of my personal soldiers. They have gone through life and death with me and are as close as brothers."
"Oh, my apology!" Li Zhi replied, "If that's the case. Um... Old Cai, you take a few warriors with you and treat them well. Don't be rude to them. Got it?"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizi frowned and thought: Although your words are polite, they have already separated me from my soldiers.
However, he turned his head and saw that Yuchi Jiming was still protecting him. He knew that with Yuchi Jiming's martial arts, as long as he paid a little attention to his diet, he would not be afraid of this Li Zhi of unknown origin doing anything bad to him.
So Qiu Yizi nodded to the group of personal soldiers and said, "Just follow Old Cai and you can eat more food, but you can't drink alcohol. Don't delay the work. Do you understand?"
This group of personal soldiers had followed Qiu Yizi through life and death, so they had already heard the hidden meaning in his words. They quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Got it." Then they turned around and followed Old Cai and walked away.
Li Zhi smiled and said, "Lord Qiu's men are truly a force of tigers and wolves! No wonder they can withstand the siege of the Jiangnan Governor's army of tens of thousands with just a small county town like Shanyin... Come, come, this way... They really live up to their reputation!"
As he spoke, he invited Qiu Yizi into the cabin.
Qiu Yizhi looked around modestly and saw that the cabin was very spacious, with an area similar to that of his county hall, but the cabin was very low, even a person like him who was not tall could touch the roof with his hand. Because the cabin was on the deck, there were air windows not only around but also on the ceiling, making it very bright and cool.
Qiu Yizi was very satisfied when she saw this, and happily followed Li Zhi to a table.
After some hesitation about who should take the main seat, they finally sat down. Li Zhi smiled and clapped his hands. Soon after, four or five sailors came with more than a dozen dishes of varying sizes, filling the entire table.
Qiu Yizhi saw the brightly colored dishes. After fighting for a whole morning, she was already starving. So she smiled and said, "Old Captain, I'm really starving. I won't be polite. I'll start eating first."
Li Zhi also laughed and said, "Your Excellency, you don't know this. We sailors are afraid that the wind will stop the boat, so we never call tableware 'chopsticks', but 'kuai'. It sounds like 'fast', which means fast, and it is also a good start."
Qiu Yizhi listened and picked up a piece of red meat in front of him with a smile, saying: "I didn't expect there was such a rule. I'll start eating with my chopsticks." He was about to put the red meat into his mouth, but he was afraid that the food was poisoned. He didn't know whether to put down the meat with his chopsticks or put it into his mouth.
Li Zhi, who was beside him, was a man who was good at observing people's expressions. When he saw Qiu Yizhi's behavior, he guessed what he was thinking and was not surprised. He smiled and picked a piece of meat from the same plate, put it into his mouth and chewed it carefully, then swallowed it with an expression of enjoyment on his face. (To be continued)