1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1993
The Yangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is also known as the "Three Bays of Yangzhou", which means that the canal channel here is winding and winding, which is quite different from the straight-line excavation method of canals in other areas.Some people say that this special method is to not damage Yangzhou's Fengshui, but in fact it is a construction method adopted by the project designers to eliminate the difference in ground height and keep the water surface flat.But such a curved river course, together with many cultural landscapes on both sides, form a unique view of the Yangzhou Canal.

Two salt-carrying ships sailed from Guazhou Ancient Ferry to the Yangzhou section of the canal, which is called the gateway of Yangzhou. To the north of Guazhou is Yangzhou City, and to the south is Zhenjiang across the water. A city has been built here since the Southern Song Dynasty base.The circumference of Guazhou City is 540, [-], [-] feet, and the city wall is [-], [-] feet. The ten scenic spots of Guazhou, such as Ship Chengfeng, are famous all over the world.However, Gong Shiqi and the others had heavy responsibilities, so they didn't have time to stop the boat here and go ashore to find out the secret. They could only take a casual look on the deck.

"Brother Gong, have you ever read the book "Warning the World"? It is said that the story of Du Shiniang sinking the treasure chest in anger happened in Guazhou." Ji Yuanqing looked at Guazhou City on the bank of the river and asked Gong Shiqi.

Gong Shiqi replied: "I haven't read the book, but I heard the story of Du Shiniang told by a storyteller in a teahouse before. She is really a strong woman, which is admirable!"

"Jing Shi Tong Yan" is a collection of vernacular novels written and edited by Feng Menglong in the late Ming Dynasty. It came out two or three years earlier than the appearance of Haihan. , There are also storytellers who will process the stories in this book and perform them on stage, so Ji Yuanqing and Gong Shiqi will have a special impression of Guazhou.

However, leaving aside these legends and the military function of the Guazhou Fortress, this place happens to be the hub of water transportation, where the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River meet, naturally attracting a large number of businessmen from south to north to use this place as a distribution center for goods.In terms of prosperity alone, the commercial atmosphere here is not even much worse than that of Yangzhou City.

In addition, the river here is much narrower than the river bordering it, so it will be very crowded if there are too many boats, and they can only travel northward at a very slow speed.

"You have to line up to get in and out of this place. It's a bit like the waterway in and out of Sanya Port!" Gong Shiqi sighed helplessly as he looked at the boats lined up on the river ahead.

Ji Yuanqing said: "It's okay, at most we just walk slowly, and we will arrive eventually. Besides, this place is very close to Yangzhou City, so walking slower may not be a bad thing, maybe we can meet people who come to welcome us."

Gong Shiqi smiled and said, "Are Yangzhou salt merchants so enthusiastic?"

"That's hard to say." Ji Yuanqing replied: "We have set off from Ningbo for several days. If it is not bad, it is reasonable to say that the news should have reached Yangzhou. The salt merchants here will not wait for us at home obediently." Come to the door!"

It is actually a very passive situation for them at the moment. Judging from the several previous attacks, they can expect that the other party must have placed a lot of eyeliners in Ningbo Mansion to monitor where the salt exported from Ningbo will be shipped. , and carried out attacks on those salt caravans heading to the Jianghuai direction.And before they set off from Ningbo, they deliberately let the two ships stay at the Yanwu Wharf in Yongjiangkou, Ningbo for two days to load, so that the news could spread. big risk.

They couldn't be sure what kind of response the other party would take. Whether they would wait patiently for them to step into the trap before closing the net, or they would simply and rudely come to their faces as soon as they arrived in Yangzhou.How much influence the salt merchants have in the local area, in fact, they have slowly begun to feel it now.

After passing through Guazhou City, many manors can be seen on both sides of the canal, some of which are not difficult to judge from the outline of the building, and it is not difficult to judge that the owner should be a wealthy family.As for the rich people who buy land and properties here, in addition to the merchants doing business in Guazhou, there is also a group that cannot be ignored, namely Yangzhou salt merchants.

According to the information they have, from here to dozens of miles outside Yangzhou City, there are roughly dozens of salt merchants' industries scattered. The closer to Yangzhou City, the more expensive the land, and the more prominent the owner's net worth.For example, many manors near Guazhou have reclaimed large areas of farmland on the periphery. When you go outside Yangzhou City in the north, you can basically see private courtyards with high walls and deep courtyards.

In terms of the number and density of rich people, this area is comparable to today's Sanya urban area, and its living environment is even far above Sanya, where land is scarce.However, they still lack detailed information about the specific identities and addresses of the salt merchants living in this area. They only know the location of the manors of a few of the big families, but this is still very important for their special tasks. Far from enough.

It is obviously very difficult and difficult for them to conduct investigations and find targets in this unfamiliar area with a radius of dozens of miles.Therefore, from the perspective of task execution, they need those behind-the-scenes masters to jump out on their own, and only after they have mastered their identities can they wait for people to order and carry out targeted strikes.Actively exposing whereabouts to attract attention or even attack has become an action plan as a last resort.

"Look, the tall tower by the river in front is Wenfeng Pagoda! When you see Wenfeng Pagoda, you have arrived in Yangzhou City!" Although Ji Yuanqing came to Yangzhou for the first time, he had done solid homework beforehand. The geographical indication buildings here are very clear.

The Wenfeng Temple under the Wenfeng Pagoda is a famous historic site. It is said that the Great Monk Jianzhen first sailed eastward to Japan during the Tianbao Year of the Tang Dynasty, and it is said that he set sail here.However, the completion time of Wenfeng Pagoda is actually not too far away. The construction of this pagoda was only started in the tenth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, which is a little more than half a century.

However, although they had already seen Wenfeng Pagoda, it was still quite a distance away. The boat arrived at the river bank under the pagoda after going around several big bends.Wenfeng Pagoda has seven floors and eight sides. The base of the tower is made of stone, and the body of the tower is built of bricks. Each floor has eaves and railings.Located on the east bank of the canal, this tower is the tallest building in the nearby area, and it is regarded as a sign of entering and exiting Yangzhou City by merchants and sailors passing through the canal.

When you arrive at Wenfeng Pagoda, there is another bend in the river in front of you, and you will find Yangzhou City.At this time, the sky was getting dark, and everyone on the boat wanted to get out of the city earlier, so that they could go ashore for the night, take a hot bath, eat some hot food, and have a good rest.However, although the mileage of this section of the river is not long, it took them a lot of time to find the pier outside the city to stop the boat and dock. After finishing these things, it was completely dark and the city gate was closed. There is no way to stay in the city tonight.

However, because there are a large number of ships berthing on the river bank from south to north, and the service industry has also emerged nearby. There are many restaurants and hotels, so it is not difficult to find a place to live.

"Brother Gong, do you think our opponents will be able to notice when we arrive in Yangzhou at this time?" Ji Yuanqing asked.

Gong Shiqi knew what he wanted to say, nodded and said: "If the opponent's level is not too low, they should have been following us after we entered the mouth of the Yangtze River. Although they may not be able to keep up with us at night, I think After dawn at the latest, they will find the place where we parked the ship. So we still have to keep some people on the ship to be on guard, and we can’t all go ashore at once.”

Ji Yuanqing said: "If that's the case, then I'll stay on the boat tonight and take care of it. Brother Gong, please go ashore and rest for the night."

Gong Shiqi saw that the other party took the initiative to accept the errand, so he didn't refuse any more immediately, he cupped his fists and said: "Then I will have Brother Lao Ji first tonight, and I will send someone to bring some hot food to the boat later."

The two had just arrived, and they were fighting away. Knowing that the trip was full of dangers, they were cautious, and did not dare to relax their vigilance at all.In addition to a large amount of salt, these two ships also have a lot of weapons and equipment, as well as radio stations that are regarded as treasures by the military. These things are much more valuable than the two ships themselves, and all of them cannot be lost.So although it was expected that the other party would not attack him overnight, to be careful, he still left half of the manpower on board to guard, and Ji Yuanqing also took the initiative to stay and take command.

Although the gate of the city is closed at this time and the city is under curfew, the pier outside the city is still lively. There are quite a lot of businessmen and sailors who have just arrived here like Gong Shiqi, which is perfect for a stall for eating, drinking and having fun. The best time for business.

Gong Shiqi found a hotel at the nearest place to the boat, and booked all the remaining five rooms.Although the conditions of this hotel are relatively simple, fortunately, the rooms he booked are all facing the canal pier in the south, and he can see his two boats in the distance when he opens the window.If something happens, it's best to rush for reinforcements as soon as possible.

After deciding on a place to live, Gong Shiqi took his hands down to a small restaurant next to the hotel that sells cooked vegetables.During the mission, of course, drinking is not allowed, so Gong Shiqi refused the drinks that the boss tried to sell, went around the kitchen by himself, and then threw 20 taels of silver to let the boss cook the three big pots on the stove A few bowls were scooped out, and the remaining pots were sent to the two boats by the river.Just in case, Gong Shiqi sent two people to go with the food delivery guy, so that no one would tamper with the food midway.

The boss is used to this kind of thing. There are a lot of big customers coming and going in this place. Packing a few pots of food is just a normal operation. It is not uncommon for the restaurant to be booked for a few days.As long as the money is in place, it's no problem to send the food across the river.Immediately, he hurriedly greeted a few guys who were about to rest, carried the food and went down to the pier with Gong Shiqi's hands.

Although drinking is not allowed, it is definitely okay to eat meat and meat. The intelligence department has always provided ample funds for field operations, and there is almost no upper limit for food and accommodation, which depends entirely on the needs of the operation.The group of his subordinates knew that this mission was quite risky, and they might have to fight for their lives tomorrow, so they all let go of their belts and ate a lot. Although it was not a delicacy, at least they could eat meat until they were full. Even if you work hard with others tomorrow, you will never be a starving ghost.

These subordinates of Gong Shiqi are all veterans who have followed him all over the world for many years. Even in an unfamiliar environment with hidden murderous intentions, they can still maintain a stable mood.For them, it is meaningless to worry too much about things that have not yet happened, and with their experience, skill and equipment, if someone intends to keep them all in Yangzhou, it is estimated that the army must be deployed.

Will the garrison in Yangzhou be directly involved in this matter?Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing had already discussed this matter before, and they both felt that the possibility was unlikely. If the officers and soldiers participated in the conflict with the salt merchants without an order, it would be a felony. , the officer in charge must not be able to keep his black hat.

The most important thing is that since those radical salt merchants have dispatched private armed forces equipped with muskets several times, they obviously will no longer pin their hopes on the army.The cost of using your own personnel is definitely much lower than asking the army to come forward, and it is easier to control the news from leaking out. If these factors are considered, the salt merchants should not go far and take the trouble to find the garrison to rescue them.

Although Gong Shiqi had booked a room in the hotel, he didn't live in the hotel himself. After dinner, he settled down all his men and went back to the boat.

"Why is Brother Gong back again?" Ji Yuanqing, who was studying the map of Yangzhou under the light of an oil lamp, couldn't help being a little surprised when he saw Gong Shiqi appear.

Gong Shiqi patted his stomach and said, "I've eaten too much. Let's take a stroll to digest food. There is no place to go in the middle of the night, so I can only go back here. Since you haven't rested yet, let's study together." The map is ready."

"Okay, it's just a matter of time to take a closer look at the omissions in the Yangzhou city defense." Ji Yuanqing immediately pulled a stool and asked Gong Shiqi to sit down.The map placed on the table in front of him is a military map that marked the city defense situation, but it looks rather rough, and it is not the standard map with precise details used by the Haihan military.

"Is this the Ming army's defense map? Your Military Intelligence Bureau really has something good!" Gong Shiqi quickly recognized the origin of this map, and sighed: "It's all in Yangzhou, so you suppressed this Take out the good things at the bottom of the box, if I don't come back tonight, I'm afraid I won't be able to see this treasure!"

Ji Yuanqing smiled and said: "Brother Gong is really joking. This map is not the current city defense map, but from the Tianqi period. It has been more than ten years ago. It is okay to use it as a reference for studying the terrain. We must follow this to formulate military plans. It's not a good plan."

Having said that, Gong Shiqi knew that even the blueprints of the city defense more than ten years ago were not easy to obtain.The Ministry of Security definitely doesn't have this thing, and it seems that the Military Intelligence Bureau does have its own set of intelligence-gathering methods.

(End of this chapter)