Li Yanqing and his party left Jiangdu County at noon that day and continued to move south, but they walked very slowly. The fleet had not reached the Yangtze River for a whole long time. As soon as the sky was getting dark, the fleet stopped when it was five miles away from the Yangtze River.

This is also normal. They need to find a few more ferries to cross the Yangtze River now and transport their personal soldiers and war horses across the river, so they have to wait at least tomorrow before they can set off.

That night, Li Yanqing met Zhang Shun who had just arrived on the passenger ship. Zhang Shun actually crossed the Yangtze River yesterday morning, but he was not in a hurry to go to Jiangdu to report to Li Yanqing. He had to wait for several other subordinates to inquire about the news from Jiangning Mansion.

"Report to the commander, just as soon as Bei Yi got the news, Red's fleet was waiting on the river outside Jiangning Mansion. They must be waiting for the commander and want to intercept it on the river."

Li Yanqing nodded, turned to Cao Sheng on the side and smiled, "I got the news from Yan Qing at noon. Xiang Zongliang, the head of the Xiang family, appeared in Jiangning Mansion. Now Jiangning Mansion has gathered 80,000 troops. What do you think they want to do?"

Cao Sheng's face changed, "Are they preparing to raise the flag and rebel?"

"It should be! But it cannot be called rebellion, it should be called Qingjunban, or Kuangshuoshi. I heard that the Xiang family found a three-year-old royal family member Zhao Bogui in Hangzhou. If they could not establish the Prince of Daning, they would probably establish this child as the new king."

"Then do they target you first?" Cao Sheng asked worriedly.

Li Yanqing smiled faintly: "After I caught me, they would raise an army, I think this should be the case!"

"What should we do now?"

Li Yanqing thought about it and asked Zhang Shun again: "Is there any way to solve this navy?"

The navy is crossing the river. Although it can also be bypassed, the Jiangning to Runzhou line is an extremely important strategic location. Even if you go by yourself, material ships and grain ships cannot be avoided. The solution to this navy is a one-time and for all.

Zhang Shun smiled slightly and said, "Can the governor know why Red dared not expand his power to the middle reaches of the Yangtze River?"

"Why?" Li Yanqing was puzzled for a moment.

Mo Jun next to him suddenly laughed and said, "Is it because they are afraid of the Jiayu County naval army?"

Li Yanqing suddenly remembered that he had left a local water army soldier in Jiayu County back then.

"Is this true?" Li Yanqing asked curiously.

Zhang Shun nodded, "Red wanted to expand west twice, but he was at the hands of the Jiayu County navy. His younger brother Lei Wu died in Jiayu County."

Li Yanqing was overjoyed. He really didn't expect that the navy he founded still exists. He hurriedly asked: "How many people and how many ships are there in this navy now?"

"Report to the Tutong, this navy army is now renamed the Ezhou navy. It is a rural soldier in Ezhou. The number of people is about 800, and there are only about 150 ships of all sizes."

Li Yanqing frowned, "You just said that Red has expanded his army to 3,000 people and is training in Taihu Lake. There are hundreds of ships. Can the strength of the Ezhou navy fight with them now?"

"With Red's current strength, it's really a bit difficult, but I can find some friends from the Tao to join, and add my old subordinates to fight them."

Of course, Li Yanqing knew what Zhang Shun meant, which meant a water thief. Although he could be careless about details, he had to explain some principled issues clearly.

"I am certainly grateful for your friend's willingness to help the battle, but I don't want to be caught by the official opponents in the future. Do you see if they have any chance of recruiting them?"

Zhang Shun thought for a while and said, "They were once recruited by the court. Later, the court said they were untrustful and said they were recruited. I was afraid that they would have any resistance."

Li Yanqing's heart moved and asked quickly: "Can they be the Liangshan Army once?"

Zhang Shun nodded, "It is the former subordinate of the Liangshan Army, and the leader is three brothers, with the surname Ruan."

Li Yanqing laughed, "Can they be Ruan Xiaoer, Ruan Xiaowu and Ruan Xiaoqi?"

Zhang Shun was stunned, "The governor knows them?"

"Of course I know each other, especially Ruan Xiaoer, who has old age and I. Where are they now?"

"It's in Chuzhou!"

Chuzhou is just north of Yangzhou, and you can arrive in one day riding a horse. Li Yanqing immediately wrote a military order, and ordered his subordinates to rush to Ezhou to deliver letters and dispatch troops. He also ordered Hu Qing'er to lead fifty female soldiers to stay in Yangzhou to protect the two princesses, and Cao Sheng assisted the governor Han Baolin to stabilize the situation in Yangzhou. He and Zhang Shun led 300 cavalry to Chuzhou overnight.

Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Chuzhou has flourished due to the opening and opening of canals. The increasingly developed canal economy has brought thousands of sails to Chuzhou and the four seasons have been continuous. Therefore, Bai Juyi wrote a poem about it as "the first state in the southeast of the Huai River."

Chuzhou has densely covered river networks, with large lakes such as Hongze Lake and Sheyang Lake, and large mudflats by the sea. It is currently an important salt production area in the Song Dynasty. The Tiju Cha Salt Department on Huainan East Road is located in Chuzhou. Not only is there an official salt field, but more a Min Yantian. The Song Dynasty encouraged private capital to enter industry and commerce, making the Min Yanyan salt industry very developed. However, since ancient times, salt has been sold by the court. At present, Min Yanyan has been uniformly purchased by the court and then resold to salt merchants. The difference in the middle is the salt profit collected by the court.

"The current public identity of the three Ruan brothers is the owner of the Dayantian in Chuzhou. They own thousands of hectares of salt fields, but only those in the industry know that these three brothers are behind the Chuzhou Xiaoyan Club."

There are two salts in Chuzhou, called the Big Salt Association and the Small Salt Association. The Big Salt Association is also called the Salt Chamber of Commerce. It is a spontaneous organization among the people, mainly salt merchants, and is under the jurisdiction of the Tea and Salt Division. Strictly speaking, it belongs to a half-official and half-people organization. The Small Salt Association is also called the Salt Gang, which is actually an organization of private salt dealers. It was also called the Salt Owl in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Zhang Shicheng was a famous leader of the Salt Gang at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

"Since it's an organization of private salt dealers, it must be armed, right?" Li Yanqing asked with a smile.

Zhang Shun nodded, "It is indeed a naval army of 800 people, with 300 ships of all sizes. It is said that the three Ruan brothers brought out from Liangshan. This naval army is very good at fighting, but they did not rob families or block the road to rob merchant ships. More importantly, the government cannot defeat them, so the government turned a blind eye to them."

"What do this navy usually do?"

"It is mainly to protect property, and to escort some important salt help ships to enter and exit Chuzhou."

Li Yanqing nodded, "Are the three brothers all on the beach now?"

Zhang Shun pointed to the Baoying County Town in front and smiled: "They live in the county town in front now."

Seeing that the governor was a little confused, Zhang Shun explained with a smile: "The mother of the three Ruan brothers is not in good health, and living by the beach is not suitable for the old lady. The three brothers are all filial people, so they built a large mansion in Baoying County, and the three brothers lived here as the owner of the Great Salt Field."

At this time, Li Yanqing had a plan in his mind. He smiled and rushed to the county town ahead of him.

Baoying County is a small county, but it is close to the canal. The economy of the canal is quite developed, mainly in warehousing, boat repair, inns, restaurants, brothels and other industries. Zhang Shun did not enter the city, but stopped about three miles north of the county town. There are green willows and quiet environments. A small river leads directly to the canal. There is a large mansion with white walls and black tiles by the small river, covering an area of ​​at least twenty acres. After a few years of construction, there is a pier at the door, and seven or eight small boats are parked on the pier.

"The Lord, that's it!"

Zhang Shun turned over and got off the horse, went up to knock on the door, and Li Yanqing told the cavalry not to approach, so as not to misunderstand the other party. He also walked forward slowly and saw a plaque hanging at the door with the words "Ruan Mansion" written on it.

At this time, the side door creaked open, and an old man looked over and looked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Uncle Wen, don't you know me anymore? I'm Ashun!"

The old man immediately recognized Zhang Shun and smiled and said, "It turns out that it is Brother Shun. I haven't seen him for several years and I can't recognize him."

He looked at Li Yanqing again, "This is it."

Li Yanqing smiled and said, "I am an old acquaintance of the Second Master, come and visit him."

"So it's the second master's friend, please come in!"

Li Yanqing and Zhang Shun walked into the yard, and the butler looked around again, then closed the door.

"Please follow me, please!"

The housekeeper took the two of them to the living room, and Zhang Shun asked with a smile: "Are all three masters?"

"The second master and the fifth master are at home, and the seventh master is going to the salt farm, but he should be back today."

The two walked into the guest hall, the housekeeper asked them to sit down, and asked the maid to serve tea. He smiled and said, "You two sit for a while, I'll report to Master Wuer!"

At this time, Zhang Shun asked in a low voice: "I heard that the governor is also involved in the extermination of the Liangshan Army. Is it true?"

Li Yanqing nodded with a smile, "The Liangshan Army is defeated half of me. Why? Is there any problem?"

"The main reason was that the court broke its word at that time, because they were afraid that they would have no trust in the court's enlistment."

"This can only be talked about."

Just then, a burst of rapid footsteps came from outside, and someone burst into laughter and said, "Which fragrant wind blows the Dragon King Shun?"

A burly man walked into the living room. His skin was slightly dark, his face was a square, and his eyes were bright. Li Yanqing recognized him at a glance, and he was Ruan Xiaoer.
Chapter completed!