On the shore, the Huyan brothers sacrificed the Jurchen heads to Huyan Yi.
Chen Qing leaned against a big tree not far away, thinking about his next trip.
It is definitely not realistic to go to Bashu on horseback. Not only is the journey long, but there are many passes along the way, as well as various counties. If Qin Hui had issued secret orders along the way, he would have been unable to guard against it.
Although there are risks in taking a boat, on the river, these risks are out in the open, making it safer than traveling by land.
Although you have decided to take the water route, you can still use some strategies.
In the cabin, the boss of the ship spread out a map, "This is the rest and supply map for ships along the Yangtze River. General, please take a look!"
Chen Qing looked at the map carefully. He pointed to a county and said, "How about Dangtu County?"
The captain of the ship shook his head, "There are many troops stationed there in Dangtu, and the inspections are strict. It is inconvenient for the general to go there, so it is better to go to Wuhu."
Chen Qing's eyes fell on Wuhu County south of Dangtu. The boat boss introduced: "The general can take the northern line of Taihu Lake, and then walk along the Lishui River. The Lishui River finally flows into the Yangtze River at Wuhu. There is a famous commercial port with a large amount of tea."
Rice, oil, and salt are all traded there. There are many tax cards there, but not many troops. They won’t pay attention to the generals. We can meet there."
Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said to Hu Yanjia: "Today is September 20th, so let's meet at Wuhu Pier on September 28th!"
Hu Yanjia also thought this was a good idea. He nodded, "There is a Changle Inn in front of Wuhu Pier, and next to it is the Changle Restaurant. If the general arrives early, he will wait for us in the Changle Inn."
Chen Qing gave ten horses to the Huyan brothers and asked them to sell them at a nearby market, and the money would belong to them.
After entrusting the luggage to Hu Yanjia, Chen Qing rushed to Yixing County in the southwest alone.
...........
Wang Bo and his party retreated to Wuxi County. It was already daylight, but Wang Bo was still frightened. He knew very well that Chen Qing hated him and would definitely kill him if he had the chance.
When he thought of the murderous Chen Qing, Wang Bo suddenly shuddered in his heart. He was already retreating.
Qin Hui knew very well that his nephew was a playboy, so he only let Wang Bo be the team leader in name, and used his gold medal to deal with the government at critical moments, but if he really asked him to do things, he would only do bad things.
The real leader of this team was He Zhu, the boatman. He personally boarded the boat to learn about Chen Qing's situation.
He Zhunian is about thirty years old. He has a simple and honest face, a small nose and small eyes. If he is thrown into the crowd, no one will notice him. But this is just his appearance. He is actually a ruthless and shrewd man.
The judge of Dali Temple was also Qin Hui's confidant.
But this time He Zhu was mistaken. He really didn't expect that Chen Qing, who was like a plague tiger along the way, suddenly showed his ferocity and went on a killing spree, killing all the Jurchens. He was also beaten severely.
Remembering Sap, he retreated to Wuxi County in embarrassment.
Wang Bo wanted to back down, but He Zhu couldn't give up. If he dared to give up, Qin Xianggong would have to kill him.
He immediately found Wang Bo.
"Ya Nei, it was an accident this time. We should be more careful and he probably won't find out."
Wang Bo smiled bitterly and said, "Do you think you can still find his whereabouts?"
"Don't worry, Yanei, we have arrangements on the ship so he can't escape, but we can't slack off and must continue to track him."
Wang Bo took out the gold medal and handed it to him, "You keep this gold medal. I don't want to follow you anymore. I will apologize to my uncle when I go back. It has nothing to do with you!"
"Why did Yameni give up?"
"You don't know the grudge between me and him. I shouldn't have gone into this muddy water in the first place. I have made up my mind. Please stop trying to persuade me."
He Zhu secretly shook his head. The rumors outside were true. He was really a useless playboy, but Qin Xianggong's gold medal was very important. After thinking about it, he accepted the gold medal.
"Okay! I'll send two people to take Yanei back. Please tell Qin Xianggong that no matter what, I will complete the task he assigned."
He Zhu cupped his fists and saluted, turned around and left.
Wang Bo curled his lips, this man must die, and of course he would not stop him.
A quarter of an hour later, He Zhu left Wuxi County with twenty of his men and continued to chase north.
Wang Bo then returned to Lin'an listlessly with two followers.
...........
He Zhu and his party returned to the scene of the killing, and happened to encounter Miao Song, the magistrate of Wuxi, leading a large group of government servants to investigate the scene. They found the bodies and heads, and also found the war horses sold by the Huyan brothers in a nearby market.
Miao Song had discovered that the eleven people killed were all Jurchens, and the situation was serious. He did not dare to neglect and investigated every detail in detail.
He Zhu asked his men to take the gold medal to Miao Zhi County for inspection. Miao Song was startled and hurriedly came forward to see it.
"I am a staff member of Prime Minister Qin. These eleven people are the guards of the Jin envoy. They were killed. The situation is serious. You must report the matter to Lin'an immediately."
"I understand, but I don't know who killed them?"
"Don't worry about who they were killed by, and don't investigate. This matter has nothing to do with you, just report it to the superiors."
Miao Song woke up a little. He couldn't intervene in this matter. He quickly said: "I understand."
He Zhu glanced at the horses and asked, "What's going on with those horses?"
"I found it at the market in Yuqiao Town in front of me. It was a war horse from the Jin Kingdom. Two men were selling it. The Wang family, a big family in the town, was looking for cheap and bought the war horse. Now he is in big trouble."
He Zhu knew very well that it must have been sold by the Huyan brothers. He counted the war horses, frowned and asked: "There are eleven Jurchens in total, why are there only ten war horses?"
"I don't even know if I'm a junior official. They said there are only ten horses."
"Have any horse corpses been found nearby?"
"No!"
He Zhu was very shrewd. He pondered for a moment, then walked up to the steward who bought the horse and asked, "How many people are there in total when they come to the market to sell horses?"
The housekeeper said tremblingly: "There are three people in total!"
"Is there a young man as skinny as a monkey?"
"Exactly! The leader is thin and small, and the other two are tall and strong."
He Zhu understood immediately and ordered his men, "Go to Yuqiao Market!"
Everyone rushed to Yuqiao Market like lightning...
Yuqiao Market is ten miles away and is the largest market in this area. It is very lively. He Zhu found a foot shop, threw a lot of money to the shopkeeper and asked: "Is there a thin and small man who left a message? He is me." brother."
The shopkeeper took the money and said slowly: "There is a young man named Hua."
He Zhu perked up and said, "Yes! That's the person."
"I don't know what he meant, but he just said two words, Wuhu!"
The shopkeeper didn't understand, but He Zhu understood. There was one missing horse, which must be Chen Qing's horse. The Huyan brothers continued to take the boat, and they met in Wuhu County.
............
Cargo ships from Suzhou and Hangzhou generally take the Yangtze River along the canal, but if they are going to Jingxiang, they don’t have to go to Zhenjiang to enter the Yangtze River. Instead, they go to Taihu Lake, then Lishui, and then directly enter the Yangtze River after crossing Lishui. This is less expensive than going to Zhenjiang.
A four- to five-day voyage, half the distance.
It is precisely for this reason that Wuhu County, located at the mouth of the Lishui River, has been prosperous in commerce since ancient times. A large number of goods were transferred here, and it has become a famous commercial port in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
On September 25, Chen Qing arrived at Wuhu County. He did not enter the county, but went directly to the Yangtze River Wharf in the north of the county.
The pier is very large, about two or three miles long, with hundreds of ships of all sizes moored, and countless ships anchored outside. The shore is filled with all kinds of goods, and behind it are huge warehouses.
There was a huge flow of people on the dock. Thousands of workers were busy moving goods on the dock. Various merchants, tourists and businessmen were coming and going around the dock. It was extremely lively.
Chen Qing led his horse and asked passers-by. The passers-by pointed to the north and Chen Qing saw a splendid restaurant. Four big signs fell from the building with the four characters "Channgle Restaurant" written on them. Next to the restaurant was another
There is a door with four large lanterns hanging in front of it, with the four characters "Channgle Inn" written on them.
There are several restaurants and inns nearby, but they are not as grand as the two in Changle.
In front of Chen Qing's Inn, a waiter hurriedly greeted him, "Is the official coming to stay at the hotel?"
Chen Qing nodded.
With a smile on his face, the waiter said, "Then you have found the right place. The inn is the best inn in Wuhu, bar none, and the restaurant next door is also the best. You are a guest of the inn, so you can go to the restaurant next door to eat."
It’s 30% cheaper, affordable and comfortable.”
This guy really knew how to say it. Chen Qing took off his weapons and horse bag, threw the reins to him, "Feed the horse well, and I'll reward you with money later!"
Although this white horse was the war horse of the centurion of the Jin Kingdom, Chen Qing really liked it. It was extremely fast, had good endurance, and was very agile, even as good as the horse in Wanyan Lou's room.
Chen Qing entered the inn lobby, and the innkeeper smiled and said: "The official family wants to stay in the upper room, right?"
"Yes! The upper room faces the Yangtze River."
"have!"
The shopkeeper registered the military badge and said with a smile: "How many days will the general stay?"
"I don't know either. If anyone comes looking for General Chen, it's going to be me. You must remember that."
"Don't worry! The store will never make any mistakes."