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 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 approach is to not damage the Feng Shui of Yangzhou, but in fact it is a construction method adopted by the engineering designers to eliminate the height difference on the ground and keep the water surface smooth. However, such a curved river channel, together with many cultural landscapes on both sides, forms a unique scenery of the Yangzhou 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. base. 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 literati and celebrities of all ages to set foot in Yangzhou. There are also stone bridges stepping on the moon, Tianchi night rain, and Jianglou reading. The Ten Scenic Spots of Guazhou, including Wuhan and Caojian Chengfeng, are world-famous. However, Gong Shiqi and others had important responsibilities, so they had no time to stop here and go ashore to explore. They could only take a look on the deck.
"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 Shiqi.
Gong Shiqi responded: "I have never read the book, but I have heard the storyteller tell the story of Du Shiniang in a teahouse before. She is really a fierce woman, which is admirable!"
"Warning Words" 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 stage. Therefore, Ji Yuanqing and Gong Shiqi will have a special impression of Guazhou.
However, leaving aside these legendary stories and the military function of Guazhou City Fortress, this place happened to be an important place for water transportation. The intersection of the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River naturally attracted a large number of merchants traveling from south to north to use this place as a cargo distribution center. In terms of prosperity alone, 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, it is 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 wait for us at home. Come to your door! ”
They are currently in a very passive situation. 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 to the Jianghuai direction. Before they set off from Ningbo, they specifically asked the two ships to stay at the Yanwu Terminal at the Yongjiang Estuary in Ningbo for two days to load cargo so that the news could spread. Although the purpose was to lure the snake out of its hole, they did need to bear a heavy burden for this. Big risk.
They couldn't 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. In fact, they have begun to slowly feel how influential the salt merchants are on the local level.
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 outlines of the buildings. Their owners should be wealthy families. As for the wealthy people who purchased land here, 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 had, the properties of dozens of salt merchants were scattered dozens of miles from here to Yangzhou City. The closer to Yangzhou City, the more expensive the land, and the more prominent the owner's wealth. For example, there are many manors near Guazhou that have cultivated large areas of farmland on the periphery. When you get outside Yangzhou City 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, they still lack detailed information about the specific identities and addresses of the salt merchants living in this area. They only know roughly the locations of the estates of several large families, but this is still important for the special tasks they shoulder. Not nearly enough.
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 tasks, they need those behind the scenes to step out on their own, and only after mastering their identities can they be prepared to serve and carry out targeted strikes. Actively exposing one's whereabouts to attract attention or even attack has become a last resort.
"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. 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 Wenfeng Tower is actually not too far ago. The construction of this tower was only started in the tenth year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty, which is 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 reached the river bank under the tower. Wenfeng Tower has seven floors and eight sides. The base of the tower is made of stone, the body of the tower is made of brick, and each floor has eaves and railings. This tower is located on the east bank of the canal and is the tallest building in the nearby area. It is regarded as a sign of entering and exiting Yangzhou City by the merchants and sailors passing through the canal.
After arriving at Wenfeng Tower, there is another river bend in front, which is 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 for the night, take a hot bath, eat some hot food, and have a good rest. However, although this section of the river was not very long, it took them a lot of time to find a dock outside the city to park the boat. After finishing these things, it was completely dark and the city gate was closed. They There is no way 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 restaurants and hotels, so it is not difficult to find a place to stay.
"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 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 ship, so we still have to keep some people on the ship to be on guard, and we cannot all go ashore.”
Ji Yuanqing said: "In that case, I will stay on the ship tonight and ask Brother Gong to go ashore and rest for a night."
When Gong Shiqi saw that the other party took the initiative to take over the job, he didn't refuse much at the moment. He cupped his fists and said, "Then I'll have Brother Lao Ji tonight. I'll send someone to bring some hot food to the ship later."
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The two of them had just arrived, and it was an away game. They knew that this trip was full of dangers, so they were a little cautious and did not dare to let down their guard at all. In addition to a large amount of salt, there are also a lot of weapons and equipment on these two ships, 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 they cannot be lost. Therefore, although it was expected that the other party would not attack him overnight, for the sake of caution, half of the manpower was left on guard on the ship, and Ji Yuanqing also took the initiative to stay and take command.
Although the city gate is closed at this time and the city is under curfew, the dock outside the city is still lively. There are many merchants and sailors like Gong Shiqi who have just arrived here, which is perfect 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 conditions of this hotel are relatively simple, fortunately, the rooms he booked face the canal pier in the south. When he opens the window, he can see his two boats in the distance. If something happens, it's best to rush for 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 him drinks. He walked around the kitchen, then threw away twenty taels of silver and asked the boss to burn the three large pots on the stove. A few bowls of vegetables were scooped out, and the rest, including the pots, were sent to the two boats on the river. Just in case, Gong Shiqi sent two people to follow the food delivery boy to prevent anyone from tampering with the food during the meal.
The boss is quite used to this kind of thing. There are a lot of high-rollers coming from here and there. Packing a few pots of food is just a common operation. Even booking this restaurant for a few days is not unheard of. As long as the money is available, it will be no problem to deliver the food to the other side of the river. Immediately, he quickly greeted a few waiters who were about to take a rest, carried the food and followed Gong Qiqi's men to the dock.
Although you are not allowed to drink alcohol, you will definitely be fine if you eat meat and fish. The intelligence department has always provided ample funding for field operations. There is almost no upper limit on funding for food and accommodation, and it depends entirely on the needs of the operation. The group of people under him all 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 as much as they wanted. Although it was not delicacies, at least they were full of meat. Even if I fight against others tomorrow, I won't be 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 where murderous intentions are hidden, 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 intends to keep them all in Yangzhou, they may really have to mobilize the army.
Will the garrison in Yangzhou be directly involved in this matter? Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing had discussed this matter before. They both felt that it was unlikely. If the officers and soldiers privately participated in the conflict between salt merchants without receiving orders, it would be a serious crime. If they could not cover up the matter afterwards, , the officer in charge will definitely not be able to keep his hat.
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. The cost of using one's own manpower is definitely much lower than asking the army to come forward, and it is easier to control the news from leaking. If these factors are taken into account, the salt merchants should not go to the garrison to move reinforcements.
Although Gong Shiqi had booked a room in the hotel, he did not stay in the hotel. 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 it together. The map is ready.”
"Okay, we can take a look at the omissions in Yangzhou's city defense together." Ji Yuanqing immediately pulled up a stool and asked Gong Shiqi to sit down. The map on the table in front of him was clearly a military map with the city defense status marked on it, but it looked quite rough and was not the precise detailed standard map used by the Haihan military.
"Is this 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 just 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 must use this to formulate military plans." The plan is not very good.”
Having said that, Gong Shiqi knew that even the city defense blueprints from more than ten years ago were not easy to obtain. The Ministry of Security definitely doesn't have this thing on hand. It seems that the Military Intelligence Agency does have its own set of methods for collecting intelligence.
(End of chapter)