Chapter 1 1 Peasant Soldier
The water of the Yangtze River flows into the East China Sea like a long winding dragon from western Sichuan to the east.
Going up the river, countless rivers merge into it, making the power of the river seem even more vast. It really is a river flowing into a big river.
If the Yangtze River is like a giant dragon lying in wait on the land of China, then the vast Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake are like the claws of the dragon, making the whole dragon come to life and seem to be preparing for the last step. If you jump, you can jump into the sea.
The Yangtze River has been a golden waterway since ancient times. It not only provides abundant irrigation water for the basins along the river, but also serves as a channel for promoting the exchange of materials between the East and the West. In August, the Yangtze River is sunny and clear, and thousands of sails carry a gentle breeze.
Huguang is well-established and the world is rich. The developed water transportation makes it very important in the empire, and it is also an important troop transport channel.
“In ancient times there was the Battle of Chibi, and today there is the Battle of Poyang Lake in the Ming Dynasty. Bah bah bah, where did I think? It was all one or two hundred years ago, and it’s still today.”
At this moment, a teenage boy was sitting by the river, looking at the sailing boats passing by on the river. Occasionally, two fishing boats passed by, showing the prosperity of this golden waterway.
In the distance, on the skyline above the river, the little boy knew that there was Jiujiang Chaoguan Wharf. Although he couldn’t see it, the little boy also heard from his father that hundreds of taels of silver came in there every day. That's tens of thousands of taels of silver. It's really one of the best places in the world.
In the previous life, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands didn't seem to be a big deal, but now we are in the Ming Dynasty.
The little boy still remembers that he received a piece of silver from his father. He said it was two taels and it was very heavy. He felt that it was not as heavy as the two taels in his time, but it seemed a little lighter.
Although I don’t know how many grams 1 catty was in the Ming Dynasty, I still know that 1 catty in ancient China was 16 taels, so it is estimated that 1 tael of silver is about 30 grams.
Still not used to this era.
The little boy sighed in his heart. After more than ten years of education, he has developed the habit of measuring grams and kilograms according to the so-called international standards, but he still can't convert them.
I rubbed my still red and swollen palms, and then remembered the palm of my hands that I had received from my husband at the private school in the morning. I felt a dull pain in my palms, so I picked up a stone next to me and threw it into the river, causing a splash. Splashes and ripples spread in all directions.
"Dong dong dong dong."
At this moment, a harsh sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from a stone castle far behind him. The drum beat was rapid, which seemed to be very urgent, making the little boy unconscious. Looking back, I happened to see a knight leaping out of the city gate and galloping along the riverside path in the distance. The direction should be towards Qianhusuo.
"Yutou, it seems something happened at home. Go back quickly."
"Let's go."
"Hurry, there must be spies around. Something happened.”
A few children behind him who were still playing by the river now left the little boy behind, picked up the cloth bag from the ground, and ran towards the stone castle, all bleating.
The little boy named Fish Head also stood up at this time, rubbed his muddy hands, bent down and picked up a gray cloth bag beside him, crossed it diagonally, then turned around and trotted back with his playmates. , as I turned around, I could faintly hear the sound of oars paddling on the river.
Yutou looked back and saw that they were two fishing boats from Baihusuo. No, they should be said to be river patrol boats. They were used to patrol the river defense, and they just caught a few fish along the way.
This kind of sentinel boat is about ten meters long. It has a canopy in the middle to protect it from rain, and a mast in front of the boat to hang sails. Three or four oars can be lowered on both sides of the boat, so it will not encounter extreme weather conditions. , it is especially suitable for use along the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake.
Yu Tou has heard from a sergeant that this is called a Jiujiang sentry ship, which is produced in Hukou County next door. It is said that the ship has a flat bottom, an arc-shaped hull, a shallow draft, high buoyancy, and a heavy load-bearing capacity. Lightweight, sensitive, sturdy and durable, it has many advantages.
However, in Yutou's eyes, it was just a wooden ship that could carry a dozen people. In his day, domestically produced oil tankers of hundreds of thousands of tons and aircraft carriers of tens of thousands of tons were trivial. This ship in front of me really didn't arouse the slightest interest. It is because of these two boats that I have no shortage of fish these days. By the way, I also had a meal of hare meat, which was brought from the mountains by military households to honor the family.
At this moment, several of the sergeants on the ship were collecting the nets, while others were adjusting the sails and sliding the oars on both sides toward the small dock.
When the first few children were about to run to the stone castle, they consciously slowed down and waited for the fish head behind them. The fish head was now trotting over there leisurely, looking back from time to time. Take a quick look and see what the sergeants who got off the boat have gained.
After getting closer, many people ran into the fields outside the castle. Now they were rushing into the castle gate in a hurry. Most of them were wearing red clothes, but they looked ragged and a bit miserable. , and these people who ran over from the fields were the soldiers guarding the stone fort, and I didn't see many of them holding hoes in their hands.
"Yutou, did something happen in the city?"
"Yes, I saw Tan Ma going out first."
"That person was returning to the city, not from our castle. Yes, they may have come from the city to report the news.”
A few children were chattering to the approaching fish head.
“We’ll go in after they get in, and we’ll know by asking then. Something should be wrong.”
As he spoke, the sound of gongs and drums in the fort had disappeared, but people still kept coming from a distance and rushed into the fort.
A few little guys wandered through the castle gate and saw a lot of people gathered around the small square. They were the soldiers who had been summoned by the sound of gongs and drums just now. At this time, they were all standing still. The pestle is there, and on the earth platform in front, an officer dressed in hundreds of household clothes is speaking.
On one side of the platform, several people stood guarding two large vehicles. One vehicle was filled with swords, shields, spears and other weapons. This was to arm the peasant army, while the other vehicle was filled with weapons such as swords, shields and spears. It was piles of red suits.
It’s just battle clothes. It’s not the bright silver helmets and bright light armors as imagined on ancient battlefields. It’s just some red coarse cloth clothes, but they are a little thicker than cloth, because they are so-called cotton armors. I don’t know. Some corners have been cut, but it is still standard equipment. Perhaps it is because I am afraid that if the suit is messed up in a war, I can still distinguish the robes clearly.
“Go over and listen to what your father is saying.”
A friend said with a smile after seeing this scene.
"You're so happy, didn't you see that your dad is also forming a team down there? I'm afraid there's going to be a war."
Another child said, pointing his little hand at the place under the platform. Two big cars.
“Who to fight? Where to fight?”
“I don’t know, Yutou, do you know?”
The children chattered for a long time without saying anything, and they all turned their attention to their boss, Yutou.
"I don't know. I haven't fought in many years. Come over and listen to what my father has to say."
The children unconsciously quickened their pace.
(End of this chapter)