Chapter 1993

The Yangzhou section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is also called the "Three Bays of Yangzhou", which means that the canal here is winding and winding, which is very different from the straight-line excavation method of canals in other sections. Some people say that this special method is In order not to damage the Feng Shui of Yangzhou, this is actually a construction method adopted by the engineering designers to eliminate the ground height difference and keep the water surface gentle. However, such a curved river channel, together with many cultural landscapes on both sides, forms the Yangzhou A unique view of the canal.

Two salt-carrying ships sailed from Guazhou Ancient Ferry into the Yangzhou section of the canal. This is known as the gateway to Yangzhou. To the north of Guazhou is Yangzhou City, facing Zhenjiang across the water to the south. A city has been built here since the Southern Song Dynasty. Fortress. The circumference of Guazhou City is 1,543 feet and nine feet, and the city wall is two feet and one foot high. It is a must-visit place for scholars and celebrities of all ages to set foot in Yangzhou. There are also stone bridges stepping on the moon, Tianchi night rain, and rivers. The Ten Scenic Spots of Guazhou, such as Lou Yue Wu and Cao Ship Cheng Feng, are famous all over the world. However, Gong Shiqi and others have important responsibilities, so they have no time to stop here and go ashore to explore the scenery. They can only watch casually on the deck. Saw it.

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

Gong Shiqi responded: "I have never read the book, but I heard the storyteller tell the story of Du Shiniang in a teahouse before. She is really a fierce woman, which is admirable!"

"Jingshi Tongyan" is a collection of vernacular novels written and edited by Feng Menglong in the late Ming Dynasty. It was published just two or three years before the emergence of Haihan. The stories in it are vivid and close to people's lives, so they are popular in teahouses in Sanya and other places. , there are also storytellers who will process the stories in this book and perform them on the stage, so Ji Yuanqing and Gong Qiqi will have a special impression of Guazhou.

However, leaving aside these legendary stories and the military function of Guazhou City Fortress, this place happens to be an important place for water transportation. The intersection of the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River naturally attracts a large number of merchants traveling from south to north to use this place as a cargo distribution center. In terms of prosperity, the business atmosphere here is not much worse than that of Yangzhou City.

In addition, the river here is much narrower than the river adjacent to it, so it becomes extremely crowded when there are many boats, and they can only travel north at a very slow speed.

"You actually have to queue up to get in and out of this place. It's a bit like the waterway in and out of Sanya Port!" Gong Shiqi looked at the long row of ships on the river ahead and sighed helplessly.

Ji Yuanqing said: "It doesn't matter. At most, we just need to walk slower, and we will get there eventually. Besides, we are very close to Yangzhou City. Walking slower is not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe we can meet someone who comes to greet us."

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

"That's hard to say." Ji Yuanqing responded: "It has been several days since we set off from Ningbo. If what we expected is correct, it stands to reason that the news should have reached Yangzhou. The salt merchants here will not be waiting for us at home. Come to the door!"

It is actually a very passive situation for them at the moment. Judging from the previous attacks, they can expect that the other party must have planted a lot of spies in Ningbo to monitor where the salt exported from Ningbo will be shipped. , and carried out attacks on those salt caravans heading towards the Jianghuai River. Before setting off from Ningbo, they deliberately allowed the two ships to stay at the salt dock at the Yongjiang estuary in Ningbo for two days to load goods, so that the news could spread. Although the purpose of going out is to lure the snake out of its hole, it does require taking great risks for this purpose.

They were unable to confirm what kind of response the other party would take, whether they would patiently wait for them to step into a trap before closing the net, or whether they would simply and rudely come to confront them as soon as they arrived in Yangzhou. The influence of salt merchants on the local level

How powerful it is, in fact, they have begun to slowly feel it now.

After passing Guazhou City, you can see many manors on both sides of the canal. Some of them can easily be judged by just looking at the outline of the building. The owner should be a wealthy family. And the wealthy people who buy land and real estate here, except

In addition to the merchants doing business in Guazhou, another group that cannot be ignored is the Yangzhou salt merchants.

According to the information they have, there are dozens of salt merchants’ properties scattered dozens of miles from here to Yangzhou City. The closer to Yangzhou City, the more expensive the land is, and the wealth of its owner is more prominent. Like

There are many manors near Guazhou that have cultivated large tracts of farmland on the periphery. When you get outside the city of Yangzhou in the north, everything you see is basically private courtyards with high walls and deep courtyards.

In terms of the number and density of wealthy people, this area is comparable to today's urban area of ​​Sanya, and its living environment is even far above that of Sanya, where land is in short supply. However, for the salt merchants living in this area, there are specific details

They still lacked detailed information about their identities and addresses. They only had a rough idea of ​​the locations of the estates of a few wealthy families, but this was still far from enough for the special mission they shouldered.

It is obviously very difficult and difficult for them to investigate and find the target from this unfamiliar area with a radius of dozens of miles. Therefore, from the perspective of executing the task, they need those behind the scenes to jump out and grasp their identity.

It is easy to see what others are doing and carry out targeted attacks. Taking the initiative to expose one's whereabouts to attract attention or even attack has become a last resort action plan.

"Look, the tall tower on the riverside in front is Wenfeng Tower! When you see Wenfeng Tower, you have arrived in Yangzhou City!" Although Ji Yuanqing came to Yangzhou for the first time, he had done solid homework beforehand, and he was very familiar with it.

The geographical indication buildings here are very clear.

The Wenfeng Temple under the Wenfeng Pagoda is a famous historic site. During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, the great monk Jianzhen made his first eastward journey to Japan. It is said that it was here that he set sail. However, the construction time of the Wenfeng Pagoda is actually not too far ago.

The construction of the pagoda was only started in the 10th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, which means it can be regarded as a little more than half a century.

However, although they had already seen Wenfeng Tower, it was actually still quite a distance away. After the boat went around several big bends, it arrived at the river bank under the tower. Wenfeng Tower has seven floors and eight sides, and the base of the tower is made of stone.

The tower is made of brick, with eaves and railings on each floor. The tower is located on the east bank of the canal and is the tallest building in the nearby area. It is also regarded as a way to enter and exit Yangzhou by the merchants and sailors passing through the canal.

City symbol.

When we arrived at Wenfeng Tower, we crossed another river bend and reached Yangzhou City. At this time, the sky was getting dark, and everyone on the boat wanted to get out of the city early so that they could go ashore to spend the night and take a hot bath and eat something warm.

Eat and take a good rest. However, although this section of the river is not long, it took them a lot of time to find a pier to park the boat outside the city. By the time they got these things done, it was completely dark, and the city

The door has also been closed, and they will not be able to stay in the city tonight.

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

"Brother Gong, do you think our opponents will be able to detect our arrival in Yangzhou at this time?" Ji Yuanqing asked.

Gong Shiqi knew what he wanted to say, nodded and said: "If the other party's level is not too low, they should have been targeting us after we entered the Yangtze River Estuary. Although they may not be able to follow us at night, I think

After dawn at the latest, they will find the location where we parked the boat. Therefore, we still have to leave some people on the boat to be on guard, and we cannot all go ashore at once."

Ji Yuanqing said: "In that case, I will stay on the ship to keep watch tonight and ask Brother Gong to go ashore and rest for the night."

When Gong Shiqi saw that the other party took the initiative to take the job, he didn't refuse much at the moment. He cupped his fists and said, "Then let's go to Brother Lao Ji tonight. I will send someone to bring some hot food to the ship later."

The two of them had just arrived, and it was an away game. They knew that the trip was full of dangers, so they were a little cautious and did not dare to relax their vigilance. In addition to a large amount of salt, there were also a lot of weapons and equipment on the two ships, as well as military equipment.

Fang regarded the radio station as his treasure. These things were much more valuable than the two ships themselves, and they could not be lost. Therefore, although he did not expect that the other party would attack him overnight, he still kept half of them out of caution.

People were on guard on the ship, and Ji Yuanqing also took the initiative to stay and take command.

Although the city gates were closed at this time and the city was under curfew, the pier outside the city was still lively. There were quite a few merchants and sailors like Gong Shiqi who had just arrived here. It was a perfect place for food, drink and entertainment stalls.

When business is at its best.

Gong Shiqi found a hotel closest to the docking station and booked all the five remaining rooms. Although the hotel was in relatively simple conditions, fortunately, the rooms he booked faced the south.

At the canal dock, if you open the window, you can see your two ships in the distance. If something happens, you'd better rush to reinforcements as soon as possible.

After deciding where to stay, Gong Shiqi took his men to a small restaurant selling cooking next to the hotel. Naturally, he was not allowed to drink alcohol during the mission, so Gong Shiqi refused the boss's attempt to sell drinks and went to the kitchen by himself.

After walking around for a while, he threw away twenty taels of silver and asked the boss to scoop out a few bowls of cooking food from the three large pots on the stove, and send the rest to the two boats on the river with the pots. Gong Shiqi ordered

Just in case, two people were specially sent to follow the food delivery boy to prevent anyone from tampering with the food during the meal.

The boss is quite accustomed to this kind of thing. There are so many high-rollers coming and going in this place. Packing a few pots of food is just a normal operation. Even booking this restaurant for a few days is not unheard of. As long as

With the money in place, it was no problem to deliver the food to the other side of the river. I quickly called out to a few waiters who were about to take a break, carried the food and followed Gong Shiqi's men to the pier.

Although he is not allowed to drink alcohol, it is definitely not a problem to eat meat and fish. The intelligence department has always provided ample funds for field operations. There is almost no upper limit for food and accommodation, and it all depends on the needs of the operation. His group of people all know about this mission.

The risk is quite high. I don’t know that I will have to fight for my life tomorrow, so I just eat as much as I can. Although it is not a delicacy, at least I will eat meat until I am full. Even if I fight for my life tomorrow, I will not be able to do it.

Become a starving ghost.

These men of Gong Shiqi are all veterans who have followed him around for many years. Even if they are in a strange environment with hidden murderous intentions, they can still maintain a stable mood. For them, there is no point in worrying too much about things that have not happened yet.

And with their experience, skills and equipment, if someone planned to keep them all in Yangzhou, they would probably have to send out troops.

Will the garrison in Yangzhou be directly involved in this matter? Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing have discussed this matter before. Both of them think it is unlikely. If the officers and soldiers secretly participate in the conflict between salt merchants without receiving orders, what will happen?

The matter was a serious crime, and if he couldn't keep the lid on afterward, the officer in charge would certainly not be able to keep his hat on.

The most important thing is that since those radical salt merchants have dispatched private armed forces equipped with muskets several times, they will obviously no longer place their hopes on the army. Using their own manpower will definitely cost much less than asking the army to come forward.

, and it is easier to control the news from leaking out. If these factors are taken into consideration, the salt merchants should not go to the nearest and far away and go to the trouble of finding the garrison to move reinforcements.

Although Gong Shiqi had booked a room in the hotel, he did not stay in the hotel himself. After eating and settling down his men, he returned to the ship.

"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 but be a little surprised when he saw Gong Shiqi appearing.

Gong Shiqi patted his belly and said: "I'm too full after eating. Let's go shopping to relieve ourselves. There's no place to go in the middle of the night, so we have to go back here. Since you haven't rested yet, let's study together.

The map is ready."

"Okay, we can take a closer look at the omissions in Yangzhou's city defense together." Ji Yuanqing immediately pulled out a stool and asked Gong Shiqi to sit down. The map placed on the table in front of him was a clearly marked map.

It is a military map that shows the city's defense situation, but it looks quite rough. It is not the precise detailed standard map used by the Haihan military.

"This is the defense map of the Ming army? Your military intelligence bureau really has some good stuff!" Gong Shiqi quickly identified the origin of this map and sighed: "You have already arrived in Yangzhou, and you only suppressed this

Take out the good things from 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 said with a smile: "Brother Gong is really kidding. This map is not the current city defense map, but the one from the Tianqi period. It has been more than ten years ago. It is good to use it as a reference for studying the terrain. We need to make military plans based on this."

The plan is not very good."

Having said that, Gong Qiqi knew that it was not easy to obtain even the city defense blueprints from more than ten years ago. The Ministry of Security definitely did not have this thing, and it seemed that the Military Intelligence Bureau did have it.

My own method of gathering intelligence.
Chapter completed!