Back at Daotai Mansion, before Dai Yuanhua had time to ask, Li Zhen ordered the soldiers to bring Liu Taiping over.

In the hall, the guests were seated.

Li Zhen looked at Liu Taiping and said, "Sir, how many craftsmen have been recruited so far?" ”

Liu Taiping sighed: "Because the recruitment is skillful, and the requirements are experienced, there are not many people, less than thirty people!" As long as there is a long-term recruitment, there will definitely be more and more. ”

Li Zhen nodded slightly, looked at Dai Yuanhua again, and asked, "Yuanhua, I remember that in the Ming Dynasty, Qi Jiguang once had people create a kind of mine that was buried in the ground and would explode if stepped on. You have a family background and are proficient in firearms, can you make landmines? ”

Dai Yuanhua said confidently and calmly: "My lord, it is not difficult to make mines. ”

"Oh, you mean it's ready to be made."

The corners of Li Zhen's mouth were hooked, revealing a bright smile.

Li Zhen made mines and grenades in preparation for the Second Opium War. With Li Zhen's current strength, the power at sea is not strong, and it is impossible to engage the British and French forces head-on at sea, and the main battlefield is still on land. With grenades and mines, they can play a huge role in both attack and defense.

Even if you don't fight the British and French forces, there are benefits to fighting the Taiping army.

Dai Yuanhua said: "My lord, mines can not only be manufactured, but also improved. I watched the process of making a grenade today, and I thought that a mine and a grenade are not much different. The grenade is a hard pull on the fire rope, and after rubbing, it emits a spark and ignites. Mines rest on the ground, and when stepped on, they still spark. A little improvement on the original mine can make a more accurate mine. ”

Li Zhen was overjoyed when he heard this, and said loudly: "Okay, the grenades are made by foreigners, and we made the mines ourselves." Mr. Liu, let the recruited craftsmen follow Yuanhua to do things and hurry up to make mines. It may not be long before it comes in handy. ”

"Yes!"

Liu Taiping bowed down.

……

Butterfly Island is located in the northeast of the offshore sea of Shanghai.

Because the shape of the island resembles a butterfly, it is the origin of the name of Butterfly Island. Around Butterfly Island, there are countless small islands, dotted around, guarding the Butterfly Island in the very center. If you are not familiar with the terrain around Butterfly Island, you will definitely encounter a reef when you enter the island group, and it is difficult to enter Butterfly Island, which is located in the center.

This place is Lu Shaochuan's new station.

After Lu Shaochuan surrendered to Li Zhen, he received strong support from Li Zhen.

At this time, Lu Shaochuan had six warships under his command, all of which were transformed into steam engines for power. These steam engines were purchased from foreigners and equipped in battleships. The six battleships were not only more powerful, but also had more firepower on the ships. Counting the cannons sent by Li Zhen, plus Lu Shaochuan's own purchase, there are already twenty-four cannons, and each battleship has four cannons.

After his strength became strong, Lu Shaochuan dominated the sea.

In the middle of the island, in the lobby.

Lu Shaochuan, Zhu Wu, Yang Ming, Zhao Fa and others were discussing in the hall.

Lu Shaochuan leaned back in his chair, sighed for a long time, showed a regretful look on his rough cheeks, and said lightly: "We have annexed the surrounding little pirates, and we have no enemies anymore. Several robberies in a row made the merchant ships of foreigners tremble. Now it hasn't opened for a month, but you can't attack the foreigners' warships, tell me, what other ways to make money? ”

Zhu Wudao: "Battalion commander, there's nothing to do, train the soldiers." ”

The two got acquainted with each other, and their speech became more casual.

"Go, go, you kid knows that I can't be idle, and you also know that I don't like to train soldiers, what are you doing blindly?" Lu Shaochuan said with a smile: "It's still the most comfortable, the most enjoyable, and the most profitable to rob foreigners." Strategist, what's your idea? ”

Zhao Fa said: "Battalion commander, I am no longer a military division, but a staff officer with the title of company commander. ”

Lu Shaochuan said nonchalantly: "It's okay, I just think you are a military advisor." ”

Zhao Fa shook his head and said, "Battalion commander, I agree with Deputy Battalion Commander Zhu's suggestion. Now that there is no war, we should seize the time to train the troops and enhance the combat effectiveness of the soldiers. Once you have something to do, you can win in one fell swoop. ”

Yang Ming said: "Battalion commander, I also agree with the opinions of Deputy Battalion Commander Zhu and Company Commander Zhao. ”

The three reached an agreement at the same time, which made Lu Shaochuan even more helpless.

Lu Shaochuan waved his hand helplessly and said, "Okay, okay, you work hard to train your troops." ”

When Zhu Wu heard this, he immediately smiled.

Lu Shaochuan has a bold personality, bold and upright, righteousness first, although there is still a trace of gangsterism in his bones, he is as good as a stream, and can follow the correct advice. It is precisely in this way that Zhu Wu can cooperate with Lu Shaochuan.

"Let go of me, let go of me, I'm a merchant of the British Empire, you can't arrest me."

Suddenly, an awkward Chinese dialect came from outside the hall.

A moment later, footsteps were heard, and an officer strode in, followed by two soldiers escorting an Englishman in. The British speak Chinese, just a little awkwardly. The officer walked to the center of the hall, raised his hand in salute, and said: "Report to the battalion commander, the brothers found a British merchant ship at sea, seized it directly, and arrested the merchant on board." ”

"Hahaha......"

Lu Shaochuan laughed loudly and said, "Xu Zifeng, good job!" ”

Xu Zifeng is also a company commander in the army.

The foreigner looked at Lu Shaochuan and begged for mercy: "Hero, let me go." I am a good person, I have never sold opium, and I have not bullied the Chinese. This time I went to Shanghai, just to transport some goods to sell, and I didn't break the law. ”

Lu Shaochuan said with a smile: "Lao Tzu doesn't care if you break the law, as long as you are a foreigner, you can't be spared." ”

The foreigner rolled his eyes and said, "Hero, spare my life." ”

Lu Shaochuan said firmly: "I can't spare it!" ”

Zhao Fajian immediately said: "Actually, it is not impossible to forgive you. As long as you are willing to cooperate, the battalion commander is still willing to let you go. Whether you survive or not is up to you. ”

The foreigner's eyes lit up, and he immediately said: "I will definitely cooperate, I will definitely cooperate." ”

Zhao Fa continued: "You are a British businessman, so you know the movements of the rest of the British businessmen. As long as you name when they will come to Shanghai and how many ships they have, spare your life, this is your only chance to live. ”

The foreigner opened his mouth, his face showed hesitation, but he shook his head and said, "I really don't know." ”

Seeing that the foreigners didn't say anything, Lu Shaochuan immediately said: "Come on, pull it out and shoot it." ”

Xu Zifeng waved his hand, and the two soldiers who were dragging the foreigner just now immediately grabbed the foreigner's armpit and dragged him out of the hall. The foreigner immediately panicked, and said without hesitation: "Don't kill me, I say, I'll say anything." ”

Lu Shaochuan glanced at Zhao Fa appreciatively and asked, "Say, when?" ”

The foreigner said: "On the third day of the next month, that is, on the third day of the third month of March, a large number of commercial goods will go north from Guangzhou and enter Shanghai. Of these, most of the commercial goods were cargo, with a very small amount of opium, and they were accompanied by three ships to protect them. ”

After hearing this, Lu Shaochuan smiled at the corner of his mouth, waved his hand and said, "Take him down and lock him up, and wait until the third day of the next lunar month to determine the situation, and then deal with it." If you tell a lie, you will be pulled out and shot. ”

The foreigner immediately said: "Rest assured, the hero must be true, and there is no falsehood." ”

Lu Shaochuan nodded, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The third day of the third month of March is really a good day!

ps: The third of the four watches, the third watch, ask for flowers.