In fact, Master Zhao was not in a hurry to go out to sea, but was anxious to meet his sister Huai Xiu... who was leading the shipping fleet.

As for the high chancellor who was about to lose his temper, Zhao Hao asked someone to take him to see the big warships, and he immediately calmed down.

Twenty days had passed since the Battle of Marado Island. After the battle, Chen Huaixiu continued to sail with the shipping fleet, entering the Bohai Bay from Chengshantou through the Laotie Waterway, and then directly entering the Grand Canal from Dagukou, all the way to the capital.

The fleet unloaded the grain in the capital, loaded up with cargo and returned, arriving at Dagu Port three days ago. Chen Huaixiu ordered the fleet to dock at Dagu Port to rest and wait for Master Zhao to join them.

When Zhao Hao's boat arrived at the dock, he saw Chen Huaixiu wearing a white skirt with a light blue double-breasted bodice over it. Her hair was tied up behind her head with a blue hoop. She looked heroic and neat, which was in line with the identity of the leader of the Sand Ship Gang.

But she has long, narrow eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and there is a hint of the White Snake's quietness and gentleness between her eyebrows and eyes. When you get closer, you can see that her white collar is embroidered with small white daisies, which are not conspicuous, but show the ironclad fact that she is still young.

"Sister Huaixiu!" Zhao Hao waved to her happily on the deck, and walked towards her quickly as soon as he got off the boat.

"Young master, you have worked hard on the journey." Seeing Zhao Hao, Chen Huaixiu also smiled from the bottom of his heart.

"It's not hard. You guys are the ones who are hard-working, Sister Huaixiu." Zhao Hao smiled and greeted Jin Ke, Elder Niu, and Uncle Mi who came with him.

In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, after entering the Bohai Bay, there were only ten armed sand ships escorting. Wang Rulong and his ten Wuwei ships did not enter the Laotie Waterway at all. After all, the origin of the Wuwei ships was difficult to explain. Before the foundation of maritime transport was solid, it was better to be cautious.

Chen Huaixiu also exchanged a few cordial greetings with Ma Xianglan and Qiaoqiao, and then everyone surrounded Master Zhao and walked towards the pier not far away.

There were many sand ships from the south of the Yangtze River moored there. There was not enough space on the pier, so many ships had to anchor at the river mouth, all in the fresh water area, and not a single ship was anchored in the salt water.

This is the experience of veteran boatmen. After a wooden boat has been sailing on the sea for a period of time, various organisms such as barnacles and shipworms will parasitize below the waterline. Barnacles will seriously slow down the speed of the boat, and shipworms will even make holes in the bottom of the boat. If not treated, it will seriously affect the life of the boat.

The simplest way is to sail the boat into fresh water and stay there for ten days or half a month, which will kill these hateful marine creatures.

Of course, parasites in fresh water cannot tolerate sea water even more.

These experiences may seem insignificant, but they are invaluable to the fleet. They can keep the ship in good condition and greatly extend its service life, which is something that cannot be bought with any amount of money.

Zhao Hao secretly felt that his investment was so worthwhile. He got Chen Huaixiu... and her sand ship gang, and finally took the first step towards the ocean!

~~

Everyone surrounded Zhao Hao and boarded the flagship of the shipping fleet, the Pingjiang. Chen Huaixiu invited the young master and everyone to have tea in the meeting room on the top floor of the forecastle.

This ship had been used as a carriage by the princess before, and had been renovated. The interior floor and bulkheads were all replaced with nanmu, and under the half-hidden curtains decorated with sea-blue silk ribbons were latticed windows covered with white silk. The carved beams and painted buildings made it look like a palace.

When the princess was here, this place was even more luxurious than it is now. Chen Huaixiu felt that it was too extravagant, so after returning to Chongming, he put away all the carpets, furnishings, etc.

However, in order to welcome Zhao Hao, she still made her best preparations.

The long conference table was covered with a blue tablecloth, and the cups and plates on the table were all blue and white. Fresh fruits and exquisite snacks were also neatly arranged. Being generous and open was exactly her style.

Zhao Hao sat down at the first seat, smiled and waved his hand for everyone to sit down. He was once again the center of attention, feeling a little secretly happy.

After Chen Huaixiu, Jin Ke and others thanked the young master, they sat down on both sides of the long table in order.

"I was not thoughtful enough during the Battle of Marado Island and frightened Sister Huaixiu." Zhao Hao first apologized to Chen Huaixiu.

"Sir, what are you talking about? The Sand Boat Gang is not a delicate flower that has not experienced the wind and rain." Chen Huaixiu smiled charmingly. While pouring tea for him, he smiled and said, "Besides, the Coast Guard protected us very well. The Japanese pirates didn't even get close to the fleet."

"Yes, young master, General Jin and Captain Wang are amazing." The old cow mooed, "Two thousand Japanese pirates were wiped out in the blink of an eye, just like chopping melons and vegetables. I, the old cow, am completely convinced!"

"I am also convinced." Uncle Mi nodded in agreement.

An expert can tell the difference with just one move. The battle of Marado Island not only wiped out the Japanese pirates, frightened the Li Dynasty navy, but also completely subdued the unruly guys in the shipping company.

After all, whether it was the Shachuan Gang or Wuji, they were not simply trading companies, but armed merchant groups. These people were very proud, and felt that the security team was boasting too much by calling themselves the "Little Qi Family Army".

However, the Coast Guard demonstrated its terrifying firepower and strict military discipline in the Battle of Marado Island, which made them realize their own gap. Compared with the Coast Guard, they are like Wang Dada meeting Wang Madam, there is a big gap.

As a result, this battle produced an unexpected effect. Mr. Zhao thought that it would take many years of persuasion to erase the imprint of the Shachuan Gang and Wuji in the group. But after the battle, at least in Jiangnan Shipping, no one said anything that was not conducive to harmony, such as "I am from the Shachuan Gang" or "You are from Wuji Carriage and Horse Company".

Now everyone says they are from Jiangnan Group...

~~

Faced with everyone's praise, Jin Ke just smiled modestly and said nothing.

Unless the young master asked, he would not talk about the security group in public. This was also the reason why Zhao Hao made him the head of the security group.

"With a strong security team protecting us, everyone's excitement is understandable." Zhao Hao didn't want people to talk too much about the security team. He picked up the teacup and blew away the hot air gently, saying:

"But the best protection for the security team is to keep them confidential."

"Yes." Chen Huaixiu's expression changed and he quickly responded. "The company will also hold a special meeting and prohibit the sailors from discussing it."

"Old Niu is too talkative." Elder Niu promised shamelessly, "I will never mention this again in the future!"

"This won't happen again." Uncle Mi also quickly expressed his opinion.

They were all from armed merchant groups, so they naturally knew that the government was very wary of private armed forces. Although the court allowed ships to have certain armed self-defense, the ability to destroy the Hirado clan fleet in an instant was obviously beyond the court's tolerance limit.

"Everyone, don't be too nervous." Zhao Hao took a sip of tea and reassured everyone, "The sea and the land are two different worlds. The eyes of the court cannot see what's happening on the sea. The Portuguese can sail from tens of thousands of miles away, and their huge ships and artillery are far superior to ours. The strength of the sea lords in Fujian and Guangdong has long surpassed that of Wang Zhi. Why doesn't the court take it seriously?"

After a pause, he smiled at Jin Ke and said, "Of course we can't brag about it ourselves, otherwise someone will take the opportunity to report us."

"I understand." Jin Ke nodded and said seriously, "Not only the Coast Guard, but everything about the entire security group is confidential and must not be leaked."

"Brother Jin is really too cautious." Zhao Hao nodded with relief and said, "But in this way, outsiders will have no way of knowing your achievements. I am really sorry."

"Your Excellency, you are too polite. It is enough for the Japanese, the Joseon Dynasty, and the pirates to know this." Jin Ke is worthy of being a third-rank official. Although he is a military officer, his speaking level is far beyond that of others.

“Hahaha, rest assured, Brother Jin, the group will remember your achievements.” Young Master Zhao patted Jin Ke’s strong arms and said seriously, “You will definitely have a glorious place in the history of the future!”

"Yes." Jin Ke nodded heavily, suppressing his surging emotions. He knew that he had already stepped onto the great battlefield that the young master had promised him!

~~

After chatting with everyone for a while, Zhao Hao asked Chen Huaixiu again, "Have you received the goods from the Xishan Cement Factory?"

The Xishan Cement Plant, which had been under preparation for several months, has now started production. In May, Zhao Hao attended the cutting ceremony.

It was originally agreed that the first batch would be supplied to Lao Pan, but the Yellow River flood had not receded yet, so he had to wait until autumn to start construction. Mr. Zhao then took over all the production capacity on the grounds that cement was not suitable for long-term storage.

The breakwater at Dagukou is built using cement from Xishan.

After Zhao Hao learned about the Battle of Marado Island, he gave Chen Huaixiu an impromptu order, ordering her to purchase Xishan cement from the capital on her return trip, the more the better, as she would have a use for it.

"We got it." Chen Huaixiu nodded and reported, "But the Xishan Cement Factory has only been in operation for two months, and its production capacity is still far from enough. It can only provide us with a total of 1,000 tons. So I took the initiative to purchase some building materials from the capital so that the ship would not run empty."

A sand ship can carry 100 tons of cargo when fully loaded. The Jiangnan Shipping Fleet has 80 ships with a total capacity of 8,000 tons. Even if it is mainly for training, it is really a waste to only carry 1,000 tons of cargo. Every ton of capacity is money, it is a pity to leave it empty!

"Sister Huaixiu is so capable! As the chairman of Jiangnan Shipping, you should be proactive." Zhao Hao praised Chen Huaixiu and said with a smile: "By the way, the name 'Jiangnan Shipping' should be changed. 'Jiangnan Shipping' is more appropriate."

"Oh?" Everyone present was very sensitive. When they heard this, their eyes lit up and they asked excitedly, "Sir, is the shipping going to be successful?"

"Of course. Otherwise, would my grandparents and I have gone through so much trouble to travel to Henan just to drink Hu La Tang?" Zhao Hao said with a proud smile, "Everything will be clear by next month at the latest!"

As he said this, he smiled at everyone and said, "Your hard work over the past six months has finally paid off."

"Great!" Deafening cheers rang out in the conference room. "We're finally going to open the sea!"