For those accustomed to sleeping on a boat, it can feel incredibly secure, as the rocking vessel is as comforting as a cradle.
However, for those unaccustomed, it can be truly miserable; at such times, the feeling of solid ground beneath one's feet becomes incredibly nostalgic.
Fortunately, Yun Tianyang's body was originally that of a southerner, and in his previous life, he had spent a good deal of time on boats, so he slept soundly that night.
A few cries of seagulls woke him. Yun Tianyang rubbed his eyes, sat up, and stretched lazily.
Pulling open the porthole cover, a bright ray of sunlight streamed through the porthole. Several white seagulls circled near the boat. Seeing the window open, a mischievous seagull approached, seemingly wanting to see if there was anything tasty inside this strange hole.
However, when it saw Yun Tianyang's large head, it immediately flew away in fright.
A sea breeze, mixed with a strong salty scent, blew through the porthole onto Yun Tianyang's face, making him shiver slightly.
Through the porthole, the blue sea and sky merged in the distance, a perfect illustration of the horizon.
However, Yun Tianyang had no time to admire the scenery at this moment; there were many things to do today.
He immediately flipped out of bed, picked up the robe beside him, and draped it casually over his body.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
It seemed his movement from the bed was heard at the door, and a knocking sound immediately came from outside.
"Come in."
"Creak~"
With a teeth-grinding sound, a disheveled head poked through the doorway.
Yun Tianyang looked up and saw that it was Chen Biao.
"Ba Zong, you're awake!" Chen Biao said with a smile, facing Yun Tianyang, "I'll go get you some water."
Yun Tianyang nodded. Chen Biao immediately pulled his head back, and a moment later, he walked back in carrying two large basins.
A strong aroma of fish instantly filled the entire cabin. Yun Tianyang couldn't help but stop what he was doing and look at Chen Biao, swallowing hard.
Good heavens, last night's dry biscuits were truly awful.
"Where did you get the fish soup?"
Looking at the milky white thick soup in front of him, Yun Tianyang asked with curiosity.
"Hehe, I knew Ba Zong would like it."
Chen Biao respectfully handed over a pair of chopsticks and said ingratiatingly, "I found a few fishing nets in the cabin, and luckily, some of the brothers below were originally fishermen from the coast. Catching two nets of fish is as easy as pie for them."
"And since you're injured, I had the cook make some fish soup to help you recover."
Seeing Yun Tianyang's scrutinizing gaze, Chen Biao immediately said, "Don't worry, every brother below has a share. I've arranged everything, so you can eat without worry."
As a personal guard, how could he not know his general's temperament? If the soldiers below didn't have food, Yun Tianyang would certainly give his share to the injured soldiers.
"You're clever."
Yun Tianyang smiled, picked up the chopsticks Chen Biao offered, and began to eat.
It must be said that today's sea fish are truly natural and pollution-free, at least radiation-free, right?
Such a pot of fish soup naturally didn't need any fancy seasonings; just a little salt made it incredibly delicious.
However, Yun Tianyang didn't eat alone. He used his chopsticks to pick up half of the fish and put it into a small bowl nearby, then added some soup, and pushed the bowl towards Chen Biao.
"No need, I..." Chen Biao quickly waved his hand in refusal.
"Stop talking nonsense, eat."
"Alright, this humble one thanks Ba Zong for the reward!"
The beaming Chen Biao stopped talking nonsense, immediately hugged the bowl, and without using chopsticks, grabbed the fish with his hands and began to eat with grunts, like a famished bear.
The fish soup was delicious, the fish firm, but the hard biscuits beside it were a bit of a letdown.
Recalling the discomfort of eating the biscuits last night, Yun Tianyang immediately pulled out the small knife from his waist, cut the hard, square biscuits into small pieces, and poured them all into the soup.
The biscuits, soaked in fish soup, finally softened. At first, he tried to eat politely, but his stomach didn't care. In no time, the two 'bears' devoured all the food in front of them.
After eating, he wiped his mouth, then picked out a thin fishbone to use as a toothpick. Full and satisfied, Yun Tianyang leaned lazily back in the large chair.
When a person is full, they just don't want to move.
Yun Tianyang closed his eyes and dozed for a while. Only when he felt his stomach was less full did he open his eyes and say to Chen Biao, "Clean these up, then have all the team leaders and squad leaders come here for a meeting."
The habit of holding meetings was, of course, brought by Yun Tianyang.
After all, how does that saying go? There's nothing that can't be solved by a meeting; if there is, then have another one.
"Alright, I'll go now."
Hearing the order, Chen Biao quickly tidied up the items, then turned and walked out.
As his personal servant, these miscellaneous tasks were, of course, within his purview.
A moment later, all the able-bodied team leaders and squad leaders arrived in Yun Tianyang's cabin, immediately crowding the small space to its fullest.
"How is the morale of the brothers?"
In Yun Tianyang's view, this was of paramount importance and his greatest concern.
"The brothers' morale is still good, it's just..."
Ji Dalin hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "A few brothers are quite worried about their families back home, fearing the imperial court will harm them."
They had already rebelled, and according to the court's usual conduct, their families at home would likely...
"First, reassure them..." Yun Tianyang sighed, "We can't go back now."
"I understand. That's what I told them too."
Ji Dalin gave a bitter laugh and said, "Actually, it's not that serious. Most of us soldiers don't have many people left at home."
In this era where good men didn't become soldiers, most of those who voluntarily enlisted were bachelors or people who couldn't survive otherwise.
Which family, if they still had food, would let their sons or husbands go off to be soldiers?
Yun Tianyang, for instance, was a typical bachelor, with nothing left at home, which was why he risked everything to become a soldier.
"Once we establish a firm foothold, we'll find a way to go back."
Yun Tianyang said earnestly, "At that time, we'll figure something out, see if we can bring out the families of those few brothers."
No matter what, the empty promise was made first. As for whether it would be fulfilled, everyone actually knew in their hearts that the hope for this matter was likely slim.
But not saying it wasn't an option either; one had to give people some hope.
It was time for serious business.
Yun Tianyang composed himself and said to everyone with a solemn expression, "I've counted, excluding the severely wounded brothers, including myself, we have a total of 127 people."
Everyone held their breath, staring at Yun Tianyang. Yun Tianyang continued, "Some squads have more people, while others are almost wiped out. This won't do. We must consolidate our organization."
As the saying goes, to do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. Whatever Yun Tianyang wanted to do, he could only rely on the strength of these people now.
Therefore, he had to immediately organize these people so that he could proceed with the next step.
"We'll all listen to you, Ba Zong! Whatever you say, we'll do!"
Zhou Yong was the first to stand up and support him, saying, "If you ask me, we've already rebelled, so why don't you just call yourself the Great King, Ba Zong? We can be like those plays, and have a Mountain King!"
"Yes, yes, since we've already rebelled, why bother with those old rules!"
"Exactly! I think Ba Zong can be this Great King!"
Looking at the group of people in front of him, Yun Tianyang was instantly dumbfounded.
What a motley crew! Great King? We're going to sea, not becoming mountain bandits...
"Quiet! Ba Zong hasn't spoken yet, what are you all rushing for!"
Bai Shugui immediately roared, and everyone fell silent. With Yun Tianyang present, even the usually lawless Zhou Yong didn't dare to challenge Bai Shugui.
"Ba Zong, how should we consolidate... uh... the organization?" Bai Shugui asked respectfully.
Yun Tianyang had already thought about these matters last night, so he naturally blurted them out now.
At this moment, he certainly wasn't going to play at military democracy. What could he possibly discuss with this bunch? It was better for him to make a unilateral decision.
"I plan to divide the troops into three squads, with three teams in each squad."
"Each team will still have 12 people: 10 combat soldiers, plus one cook and one squad leader."
In the Qijia Army's organization, the team level already had a dedicated cook, specifically responsible for the meals of one team.
After all, when suppressing Japanese pirates in the south, it was often necessary for a small team to act independently, and without a cook, it would be too troublesome.
Of course, this cook was not just for cooking; during combat, he had to help other comrades carry and transport supplies, after the battle, he was responsible for collecting the heads cut off by his teammates, and sometimes when a comrade was injured, he also had to act as a first aid responder. If there was a gap in the Mandarin Duck Formation, they even had to temporarily fill in.
It can be said that a good cook was absolutely essential.
Yun Tianyang felt this system was very good, so he decided to keep it.
"Three teams will merge into one squad, plus the squad leader, making a total of 37 people. The three squad leaders will be Bai Shugui, Zhou Yong, and Ji Dalin, respectively."
"You three are all veterans. I'll give you one day to reorganize the troops. If anyone causes trouble, I'll chop him down."
Yun Tianyang looked at the three with a stern expression. The three immediately stood up: "Your subordinate accepts the order!"
Yun Tianyang was quite satisfied with these three.
Zhou Yong was fierce; it was he who followed his predecessor all the way to the city wall during the Pyongyang incident. During the breakout from Jizhou, he was the vanguard, leading everyone to break through from Jizhou.
Bai Shugui's strengths were self-evident; he was his best student.
As for Ji Dalin, although he was a bit old, he was steady and reliable, and Yun Tianyang felt very confident entrusting him with leading a squad alone.
"As for the remaining 15 people, I plan to form a personal guard squad, led by Chen Biao."
Chen Biao was his last personal servant. Whether in terms of combat ability or loyalty, this guy was the best candidate for the personal guard squad leader.
"Your subordinate accepts the order!"
The excited Chen Biao immediately stood up and responded. Now he also had subordinates under him.
The others didn't find it strange; wasn't it normal for a general to have a few personal guards? It would be abnormal if he didn't.
"Oh, right, Ba Zong, what do you plan to do with those boatmen?"
Zhou Yong stood up, cupped his hands, and asked, "They've been quite stable, no problems."
Yun Tianyang had ordered him to watch the boatmen yesterday, and Zhou Yong naturally didn't dare to relax, so he personally led men to keep an eye on them, making the boatmen think they were about to die any second.
Speaking of the boatmen, Yun Tianyang's brows furrowed.
These people were different from his own brothers; they were coerced, and it was hard to guarantee they wouldn't have any ill intentions.
Now that they were at sea, everyone's lives depended on this ship. If someone harbored resentment and decided to act recklessly, leading them into a whirlpool or a death trap, then they would all be finished.
After careful thought, Yun Tianyang turned to Ji Dalin and said, "I'll assign those people to you. You can arrange another sailor team under your command."
"Yes!" Ji Dalin quickly stood up and agreed.
"Remember, watching these people is a minor matter. The main thing is to learn all the sailing skills from them, do you understand?"
"Your subordinate understands! I'll arrange for a few brothers who have been to sea to learn right away!"
Ji Dalin said confidently, and Yun Tianyang didn't question it further.
Just as he said, Ji Dalin was reliable in his work, and Yun Tianyang felt most at ease entrusting this matter to him.
Speaking of which, when it came to just steering the boat, these people had no problem, as many of them were fishermen. But how to read sea charts and find specific directions at sea, that was a blind spot.
After all, in the Great Ming, people who knew these things were truly rare talents.
If there hadn't happened to be a navigator on board at the time, Yun Tianyang and his men wouldn't have been able to escape the navy's pursuit so smoothly.
Looking at the boisterous crowd in front of him, Yun Tianyang tapped the table, signaling them to quiet down.
"As for the gold and silver on the ship, take a portion and distribute it among the brothers."
Yun Tianyang said generously, "Everyone on the ship, including the sailors, gets half a catty of gold and one catty of silver. Team leaders get double, and squad leaders get double that!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire cabin erupted in cheers, almost shattering Yun Tianyang's eardrums.
Although gold and silver weren't very useful at this moment, this was gold and silver!
As soon as they reached a place where they could spend it, this gold and silver could immediately be spent, exchanged for good wine and beautiful women they liked.
Yun Tianyang was well aware that this was not the time to be stingy; he had to use every means to win people's hearts, and gold and silver were the best way.
"Thank you, Ba Zong, for the reward!!!"
Everyone excitedly bowed to Yun Tianyang. Yun Tianyang waved his hand: "Aside from the three squad leaders, everyone else can scram."
"Your subordinates take their leave!"
The team leaders happily withdrew, leaving only the three squad leaders still sitting in front of Yun Tianyang.
All three knew Yun Tianyang still had important matters to discuss, so they quietly watched.
"I thought about it all night and came up with an idea."
Yun Tianyang took a sea chart from a nearby bookshelf and spread it on the table in front of him. The three men leaned in, craning their necks.
He pointed a finger at a small dot on the map and gave the three a cunning smile.
"Next, we're going here!!!"