Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 2451 Orange Cypress Ferry
There are huge cypresses, turbid waves are churning, and the river is roaring and rushing.

The shore of Jubaidu was full of rocks, at this moment dozens of ferry boats were all stranded, the boatmen were beating their chests and feet, complaining.

General Yi Cheng led Lu Dongzan to the ferry, and the boatmen rushed up. They didn't recognize Lu Dongzan, but they knew this Yi Cheng who had to make them wait here last night, and surrounded Yi Cheng one after another. There was a lot of noise.

"We are afraid that the water will rise in the middle of the night, so we want to come early this morning. You are definitely not willing, Yicheng. Now you see what to do."

"What else can we do? He insisted on us waiting here in the middle of the night. Now that the boat is leaking, he must compensate us!"

"Yicheng, it's not us who caused trouble, but the whole family is counting on the ferry to survive. Now the boat is leaking, you have to give us an explanation, right?"

……

Lu Dongzan only felt "buzzing buzzing" around his ears, as if there were countless flies screaming, which made his brain ache, so he quickly pressed his hands down, signaling the boatmen to stop, and asked, "What happened?"

Someone wondered: "Who are you?"

Lu Dong praised: "I am the envoy of Tubo, and this time I hired you to ferry across the river."

"Hehe, it turned out to be you!"

"I'm still worried that I can't find the real master, so it's here!"

"Stop talking nonsense, since you hired us, all our boats are leaking now, and you have to pay for it!"

……

When everyone saw Lu Dongzan, they immediately gathered around, one or two looked bad, and asked Lu Dongzan for compensation.

Lu Dongzan was depressed, I still don't know what happened, so why should I pay compensation?
After a long time, he finally figured out that these boatmen had gathered here in the middle of the night at his request. As a result, for some reason, all the boats were leaking early in the morning, and they couldn't ferry. Naturally, the source of life was cut off. Compensation must be sought.

Lu Dong praised and said that it is understandable that one ship leaked when two ships hit the rocks and collided with each other. How could so many boats all leak water?

There must be weirdness.

He comforted him: "Everyone, don't be impatient, and let my followers check it out, understand the situation, and then make a fuss."

The boatmen didn't do it: "What's the matter? You hired us, and you had to wait at the ferry last night. Now, no matter what the reason for the boat leaking, you have to pay for it! Everyone agrees?"

"That's right, no matter what the reason is, it's all because of you, and you have to pay for it!"

……

The Tubo military officer was furious. He encountered such strange things repeatedly during the trip, and the firearm in his heart could no longer be held back. At this moment, he shouted angrily: "Presumptuous! We are the envoys of Tubo, if the boat is leaking, we are not responsible Naturally, there is no need for compensation. If you are a troublemaker in the countryside, do you still dare to rob him by force?"

Hearing that this group of people are envoys from Tubo, no wonder they are all dressed in strange clothes.

The boatmen are all a bit listless, as it is a matter of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Even a boatman who can't read Chinese characters knows that once a dispute arises, no one will be able to please.

But if it’s all for it, I’m not convinced, after all, boats and boats are people’s food, and now the boats are leaking, so what should I do?

The postman stood up, pointed at the boatmen and shouted: "The Tubo envoys coming to Beijing to meet His Majesty are the diplomatic relations between the two countries. It is no small matter. You can't be controlled by other officials, but whoever dares to make trouble will be severely punished!"

When the thoughtful boatman heard it, he immediately shouted: "We are small people in the mountains, how dare we make trouble with foreign missions? We dare not fight or rob, we can't afford to provoke, we can always hide, right? If no compensation is given, we will not be able to ferry the boat across the river if we cannot repair it, this messenger, then you can swim across the river by yourself!"

"That's right! No compensation? Then I won't serve you anymore!"

"The Tubo people are amazing, we can't afford to offend them, I'll see how your turtle crosses the river!"

……

The sentiment is indignant.

Yicheng said angrily: "It's against the sky? If you don't cross the river, is there no other ferry at this Jubaidu? At worst, I will spend a little more effort and find another group of boatmen!"

Jubai Ferry is the only throat of north-south traffic, and the only way to cross the river is by boat ferry. Therefore, most of the people in the vicinity make a living by this, and there are a lot of boats and boats. Do it, there are still many people who are willing.

A thin, dark-faced man among the boatmen sneered, and said slowly: "There are indeed a lot of boats on the Jubaidu ferry, but today it has been raining heavily and the weather has turned cold. Everyone is begging for food on the river, and they spend all day in the water." Rolling in the waves, but if you don't get it all, someone will catch a cold and have a fever, and even...even if everyone catches a cold, that might be."

Yicheng was furious: "Zhang Laosan, how dare you deceive the boatman and refuse to ferry the Tubo envoy across the river?"

The boatman smiled and rolled his eyes: "Yi Cheng, don't accuse us of disorderly security. It's common for the big guy to get sick and have a fever. What does it have to do with me?"

Yi Cheng was helpless, and whispered to Lu Dongzan: "This man's name is Zhang Laosan, and he is the leader of the boatmen near Jubai Ferry. Everyone looks up to him. If this man confuses the boatmen to collectively complain of illness, he refuses to take the ferry. If you cross the river, I can't do anything about it, you can't prevent people from getting sick, right?"

Lu Dongzan's face sank like water, and he had already noticed that something was unusual, and it was probably no coincidence.

He made a decisive decision and said loudly: "I can agree to your request. But let my followers check the reason for the water leakage of the boat first, and then make any calculations."

Hearing that compensation can be made, the boatmen naturally stopped making trouble, and took the Tubo military officers and soldiers to board the stranded boat to check carefully.

After a long while, the military officer returned to Lu Dongzan to report.

"My lord, all the boats are leaking at the bottom, and there are obvious traces of piercing. This is not accidental, but someone did it on purpose."

Lu Dongzan stroked his beard, a pair of small eyes sparkled.

First, the horses were inexplicably loose, and now the boat was leaked. It seems that someone intends to delay their time to enter Beijing...

Thinking about it this way, I became more and more impatient.

According to the calculation of the distance, as soon as I arrived in Songzhou, I handed in the letter of credence. Even if the post station rushed to Chang'an, it was impossible for Chang'an to give feedback so quickly. Then the person who delayed his formation must have already guessed from the current situation in the Western Regions. Tubo must take advantage of the fire to loot, so it was arranged in advance.

It is precisely because of the complicated and confusing situation in the Western Regions that the man did not dare to kill himself without authorization, which caused Tubo to start a war against the Tang Dynasty, and he had some scruples about his actions, so he resorted to such despicable means and kept delaying his itinerary. He held back, and when he arrived in Chang'an, the overall situation in the Western Regions had been decided, no matter how many plans he had, it would be in vain.

Lu Dongzan has always admired the Tang Dynasty, and has never doubted the wisdom of those big men in the Tang Dynasty. Fang Jun alone can throw barley wine, which he knows is a trap, but he has no choice but to step into it. Strategies, not to mention those ministers who followed His Majesty Li Er to strategize and conquer this beautiful country?
Therefore, the more they want to delay themselves, the more they want to arrive in Chang'an as soon as possible!
Lu Dongzan made a quick decision, and stopped entangled in the truth about the water leakage of the boat. What's the use of finding out?People can use the excuse of river bandits and thieves to evade it cleanly.

The most urgent task is to cross the river!

He immediately ordered: "All ships will be repaired at the expense of the envoys. At the same time, I also ask Yicheng to help contact the nearby boats. We must cross the river as soon as possible."

It is a matter of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and any means can only be carried out under the table. It can be delayed, but it must not be caught by oneself.

Tubo didn't dare to accuse Datang of playing tricks aggressively. How could Datang want to provoke Tubo rashly and start a big war when the situation in the Western Regions was tense?
Both countries are trying to maintain restraint, and Datang keeps his tricks under the table, leaving no excuses, and he can only see the tricks.

Yicheng said happily: "The envoy can rest assured, I will definitely gather enough boats here as quickly as possible!"

fastest speed?

Lu Dongzan looked gloomy.

There will definitely be enough boats, and I will definitely cross the river. No one dares to stop a Tubo envoy from going to Chang'an to submit his credentials.

But when to cross the river, only God knows...

*****
The weather is gradually cooling down, and the grains all over the mountains and plains are approaching the ripening season, and the mountains and fields are golden.

This year, there is plenty of rain, and there are sufficient water conservancy facilities to ensure the water supply of crops at critical moments such as germination, earing, and maturity. The people in Qinchuan, eight hundred miles away, are full of joy, and the grain in the granary is piled up like a mountain, ushering in another bumper harvest year.

(End of this chapter)