Early the next morning, the army set off and headed straight for Dongchang Mansion!
There are two roads from Shandong to Henan. One goes west from Dongchang Prefecture to Daming Prefecture, along the hinterland of the capital, passes through Zhangde Prefecture, enters Kaifeng Prefecture, and turns from Xiangcheng to Nanyang Prefecture. The other road goes from Dongchang Prefecture to Daming Prefecture.
It goes all the way south from Fuzhou, passes through the canal waterway, passes through Jining, and ends at Xuzhou. Then it goes all the way west from Xuzhou, passing through Guide Fu and entering the hinterland of central Henan.
After careful consideration, Liu Ruyi chose the former for prudent reasons.
Although the waterway to the south is convenient, it needs to pass through the hinterland of the southern plain of central Henan. Since the end of the ninth year of Chongzhen, Zhang Xianzhong, Sweeper King, Lao Huihui, Taiping King and other main forces of the refugee army have been lingering at the junction of southern Henan and northern Huguang.
The main force of Zuo Liangyu's tribe has not been found, and Liu Ruyi does not dare to act rashly. After all, marching and fighting is no child's play. He is single and weak, so it is always right to be careful!
Dongchang Prefecture is the Liaocheng of later generations, known as Jiangbei Water City. In this era when transportation was not developed, it was connected to the north and south by the Grand Canal and directly connected to the capital. It was one of the transportation hubs of southwestern Shandong and even the entire Ming Dynasty.
After marching for three days, the army took a short rest in Dongchang Prefecture, purchased some medicine and daily necessities, and then headed west via the official road, transferring from Daming Prefecture into Henan.
Since the first year of Chongzhen, when Gao Yingxiang, the king of Chuang, rebelled, these areas in Shaanxi, Henan, and southern Shanxi became the hardest hit areas by the refugee army. They were devastated and the people were in dire straits.
From the moment we entered Zhangde Mansion, there were few people on the roadside and everything was desolate!
It is now May, which is the season for wheat to mature, but here, in the flat and vast fields, except for patches of crazy growing grass, not even a trace of crop seedlings can be seen!
"Liu Meng!" Liu Ruyi shouted loudly.
"Here! Young Master!" Liu Meng hurriedly came up to meet him. He was originally Mr. Liu's confidant. He accompanied the Liu family on business trips to various places. He was familiar with the terrain of the Central Plains, and Liu Ruyi relied heavily on him.
When marching and fighting, intelligence is the top priority. Although Liu Ruyi currently has less than fifty cavalry, he still mobilized more than thirty cavalry, led by Liu Meng, to act as a scout team to gather information.
"Inspect for thirty miles from left to right, and the army is looking for a place to camp! Prepare to cross the river tomorrow!" Liu Ruyi ordered loudly.
"Yes!" Liu Meng hurriedly called to more than a dozen exploring horses and hurriedly ran forward in both directions.
After more than ten days of forced marching, the soldiers were already a little tired.
At this time, Liu Ruyi and his party had passed Yangwu and were less than ten miles away from the Yellow River. Liu Ruyi was riding a horse and could already vaguely see the seemingly insurmountable natural chasm blocking the front!
"Sir, I never imagined that the hinterland of the Central Plains could be so desolate!" Zhao Canghai looked at the devastated land and sighed, feeling sad and angry, but also unwilling.
"Yes!" Liu Ruyi also sighed with emotion.
In later generations, the plains of Henan and Huguang were originally the most important grain-producing areas in China. But as it is now, the land is deserted and uninhabited, but the court has no choice. How could the Ming Dynasty not decline?
Food is the most important thing for the people. If they can't even eat, how can the people still find a way to survive?
"Brother Zhao!" Liu Ruyi got off the horse and patted Zhao Canghai heavily on the shoulder, "Maybe we should try to do something!"
Zhao Canghai nodded heavily, knelt down on one knee, and solemnly said: "I am willing to be a pawn in front of your Majesty!"
…………
Liu Meng and others came back soon, "Young Master, there is a small village five miles ahead. We can set up camp there!"
Liu Ruyi nodded, just in time to inquire about some information from the local villagers and prepare for crossing the river tomorrow.
The small village is not big, with only about thirty or forty households. It is located on a small soil slope not far from the river, and is surrounded by a low earth wall.
At first, the villagers inside were a little scared of Liu Ruyi and his party. They hid in the house as if to guard against thieves and did not dare to come out to see anyone. After a long time passed, no movement was seen from the officers and soldiers, they were just quiet.
After quietly setting up camp on the flat area outside the village, an old man in his sixties walked toward Liu Ruyi's military camp with the support of two young men.
"Little old man, I've seen the official!" The old man was a little weak, and he only had one leg. With the help of two young men, he knelt down in front of Liu Ruyi.
"Old man, please get up quickly!" Liu Ruyi hurriedly stood up and helped him up, and ordered his soldiers to bring him a soft couch for him to sit down and rest.
The old man gradually relaxed when he saw that Liu Ruyi was not as arrogant as those officials, but rather polite.
After chatting for a while, Liu Ruyi had a general understanding of the situation here.
This village is called Xiejiazhuang, and everyone in the village is named Xie. The old man is their leader and the clan leader. Their tribe has always made a living by fishing on the banks of the Yellow River, and they are quite familiar with the surrounding situation.
When Liu Ruyi said that he wanted to cross the river from here tomorrow, the old man was shocked and said, "Master, cross the river tomorrow, this is absolutely impossible!"
"Oh? Could it be that tomorrow is Lord Dragon's birthday? Let's cross the river and violate his old man's taboo, right?" Liu Ruyi said with a smile.
"Oh, sir, if this is Lord Dragon's birthday, it would be okay. It would be fine if we put in more sacrificial animals! But that's not the problem! Yes, yes, it's the big men of the He Gang!" The old man trembled.
He said the name carelessly.
"River Gang?" Liu Ruyi was stunned, "Let's cross the river, what's wrong with them?"
Liu Ruyi had also heard of the name of the He Gang.
Just like there are Cao gangs on the banks of the canal, there are also river gangs on the banks of the Yellow River. They all worked hard at first, relying on their labor to help passing ships and caravans to earn some hard money. Although there were many wars in the late Ming Dynasty, the small commodity economy had already
Highly developed, these organizations, similar to black folk associations, gradually grew in strength. Just like Mr. Fang, he wanted to monopolize the business field along the canal, so he became the life-or-death enemy of the Cao Gang.
"Oops! Official, you don't know something. Starting from the year before last, anyone who wants to cross the river here must first get the consent of the river gang. Otherwise... Oops! This little old man's leg is an example!
"Old man Xie pointed to his broken leg and sighed.
Liu Ruyi frowned, "Old man, I have important military matters and I must cross the river as soon as possible. Please help me!"
"Hey! Sir, it's not that I don't try my best! This is the case within a few hundred miles! If it weren't for the nods of those elders, there would be nothing I can do! Just a few days ago, east of
Xiao Xinzhuang in Xiaoxinzhuang took money from others and helped a merchant cross the river. The next day, the entire village was massacred by the river gang! Not a single person was left alive!" Old Man Xie said with lingering fear.
Liu Ruyi nodded, took out a hundred taels of silver notes from his arms and handed it to Old Man Xie, "In this case, I can't make things difficult for you, old man, so be it! Old man, you can help me search for some ships, and I will pay a high price for you.
, If those people from the He Gang want to cause trouble for you, go argue with them!"
"But, but..."
Old man Xie wanted to say something else, but Liu Ruyi's face turned cold and said, "No but, just follow someone's instructions!"
What a joke, can the dignified regular army still be constrained by these thieves?
…………
Beginning on the second day, Old Man Xie ordered his tribe to borrow dozens of boats from nearby villages within a few dozen miles. As soon as the weather was calm, he escorted Liu Ruyi and his party across the river.
Although the He Gang is scary, Yinzi is even cuter, and no one will have trouble with Yinzi!
'After this deal is completed, I will take my family and move to the south of the Yangtze River, so that I won't have to live in fear in this inhospitable place!' Old Man Xie secretly thought in his heart.
For two or three days in a row, Old Man Xie borrowed a lot of boating experts from the surrounding villages. However, God was not kind to him. The wind and waves on the river were very strong these days, making it impossible to cross the river. Liu Ruyi couldn't help but become a little anxious.
That evening, in the army camp, Liu Ruyi took out another five hundred taels of silver and handed it to Old Man Xie, "Uncle Xie, this matter can't wait any longer! If the military situation is delayed, I can't afford to suffer! Tomorrow
, No matter what the situation is, we must cross the river, and I can escort your people into Kaifeng Mansion and transfer to the south of the Yangtze River!"
Old man Xie looked at Liu Ruyi's firm expression and knew that the matter could not be delayed any longer, so he gritted his teeth and nodded: "That's alright! Sir, you are a benevolent and righteous person. I will risk my life. We will definitely cross the river tomorrow!"
…………
Although it was midsummer, the night wind by the river was a bit cold. Liu Ruyi stood on a high slope outside the village and let the cold wind blow over her face.
In a few days, I will rush to that magnificent land and face for the first time those names that have been passed down for hundreds of years. What will be the result?
"Liu'er, are you afraid?" Liu Ruyi patted Xiao Liu'er who was standing beside him, who was sleeping drowsily, and asked with a smile.
"Uh? Afraid? What are you afraid of? Young Master?" Xiao Liu'er was confused.
He and Liu Ruyi were both from the mountains and were not used to the humid and cold climate on the banks of the Yellow River. As soon as it got dark, they wanted to sleep.
Huo Lang was doing better. He said disdainfully from the side: "Liuer, eldest brother asked you, are you afraid that we are about to go to the battlefield?"
"Fuck! Xiao Huo'er, you're not afraid, how can Mr. Liu be afraid?" Xiao Liu'er angrily scolded Huo Lang, "In this world, except for the young master, there is no one else that Mr. Liu is afraid of!" Xiao Liu'er said
Er patted her chest and competed with Huolang.
The two of them, one is Liu Ruyi's playmate who grew up together, and the other was brought out from the mountains by Liu Ruyi himself. They are as close as brothers. In front of them, Liu Ruyi can release his true temperament.
!
"Liu'er, you're so damn good! These days, you've become much more eloquent!" Liu Ruyi smiled and separated the two calves, looking at the two of them.
"hey-hey!"
Xiao Liuer smiled naively and was about to speak when he heard Huo Lang shouting in a low voice: "Brother, there is a fire over there! No, there are quite a few of them!"
Huo Lang was a hunter, and his vision and sense of smell were much sharper than ordinary people. After hearing his words, Liu Ruyi quickly raised her eyes and looked towards the river bank!
Through the faint moonlight, I saw dozens of small boats appearing on the shore at some point, with a few torches leading them, and countless figures jumping off the boats, as if they were coming towards me!
Liu Ruyi was shocked, "Notify brothers that trouble is coming! Prepare to fight!"
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Tears for collection, red ticket!
Bow and bow, kneel three times and kowtow nine times to say thank you!