Boat lights were hung on the bow and mast of the ship. This kind of night light was specially covered with black cloth so that the light could not shine on the deck and only emit light in a specific direction so as not to affect the helmsman's observation of the channel.
At this time, the passenger ship entered the mid-stream channel and sailed very smoothly.
After nightfall slowly fell, the boatman furled the sails and the ship's speed slowed down. The boatmen were each resting. There was one person on the bow and two sides of the ship watching. In fact, they were just sitting and resting. Only the helmsman behind the helm did not dare at all.
main idea.
It was dark in the cabin, and the excitement when we first set off had subsided a lot. Most of the passengers were resting, and only some countrymen traveling with a few people were still chatting loudly.
People at this time were used to going to bed early, and generally they were reluctant to use lamp oil if they were not from a wealthy family. When he first came to Tongcheng, Pang Yu's biological clock had changed. He wanted to sleep as soon as it got dark. Although he didn't want to sleep after he had money in his hand,
There is no lamp oil, but there is no entertainment even if the lamp is lit, so I still go to bed early.
But after the rogues came, I had a lot of things to deal with, and I resumed my habit of going to bed late, so I kept sitting at the cabin door and looking out.
Pang Yu was still very interested. This was the first time he took a boat since he came to the Ming Dynasty, and he had to go to Nanjing for the first time. In the past, the distance of 700 miles would only take three hours by car. It felt like a daily routine for him.
But this time I was actually a little excited, just like I felt when I traveled far away before.
The night breeze was blowing on the river, and the surroundings were filled with the sound of water flow. The hull of the boat swayed slightly and made a soft creaking sound. The pennies and paddles placed on the front deck collided with the hull from time to time.
It was dark outside the ship, but the hazy river bank could be seen. The helmsman was very steady, and Pang Yu had just seen it. He was about forty, and he dared to sail at night. He must be very familiar with the waterway. He just looked at the silhouette of the bank.
Knowing which section of the river it is, you should not dare to sail at night without more than ten years of experience.
A figure came closer from the back. Pang Yu knew it was He Xianya by feel, so he sat next to Pang Yu.
When they boarded the ship, Guo Fengyou sat across from him and kept observing the passengers around him. Xu Lengzi was sleeping in the middle, minding his own business. At this time, he was snoring like thunder, louder than the few people chatting.
"Second brother, eat something."
He Xianya handed over an oil-wrapped paper in the darkness.
Pang Yu took it and found that it contained some sesame candy and sativa, which were high-calorie foods. They didn't bring much because they heard Ruan Dacheng say that passenger ships had to stop along the way and food could be bought everywhere on the pier.
It has to be taken all the way.
Pang Yu subconsciously touched a piece of sand, put it to his mouth and bit it gently, then gave He Xianya a piece of sesame candy.
"Has Guo Fengyou slept?"
In the darkness opposite, Guo Fengyou's voice said, "Not yet, is there anything wrong with the squad leader?"
"Eat something."
Pang Yu threw the oil bag over and looked around for a while. He should have gotten it.
The few people in the cabin burst out laughing, and no one dared to blame them. Others were already asleep, snoring one after another.
He Xianya whispered, "Second brother, please go to bed first. Guo Fengyou and I will take turns watching over you."
Pang Yu knew that he was talking about the flying ticket that he had exchanged with Liu Ruogu in Anqing last time. At this time, the money bank had flying ticket business, but it was far less developed than in the Qing Dynasty. The flying ticket business of various banks in Anqing was only
It can be picked up in Nanjing or Yangzhou, but not to Suzhou. Pang Yu can only pick it up once in Nanjing, and then apply for a flight ticket to Suzhou at the ticket office in Nanjing. Otherwise, he will have to go to Suzhou with hundreds or thousands of taels of silver ingots.
.
Because they have a huge amount of money, naturally they can only take turns to rest.
Pang Yu shook his head habitually and said, "I'm not sleepy yet, you go to bed first."
He Xianya's voice said, "Second brother, why do you bother to squeeze with these people? In fact, you can rent a boat. Anqing has not opened the canal yet, and those canal boats are willing to rent guest cabins, which saves them trouble."
“You have to use money everywhere, save as much as you can.
When we arrive in Suzhou, let's go to Mr. Ma's place first to settle the matter."
After waiting for a while, He Xianya asked hesitantly, "Second brother really wants to join the military service?"
"Really entering the military service."
Pang Yu took a bite of the sand and said, "Ruan Dacheng is right, the world is in chaos, and what the emperor lacks most is Dingguo's warriors."
"What about the two classes in Tongcheng?"
"If everything goes well, I'm going to recommend you to take over as the fast class leader."
He Xianya took two rapid breaths in the darkness. Pang Yu did not wait for him to thank him and continued, "What I want to fight for is the defense of Anqing, but I will not just guard the city. What I want to defend is the entire land of Anqing.
Tongcheng needs someone he can trust so that he can cooperate seamlessly when fighting against bandits in the future."
"It's just that the second brother left suddenly, so Yang Zhi County may not..." "Don't worry, I will already be on guard in Anqing by then. Yang Zhi County is still looking forward to me leading troops to rescue Tongcheng when the bandits come. Although he is a young man, he is also
A smart person will not offend me for a class leader."
He Xianya felt a little relieved after hearing this, and after a while he said again, "Second brother, don't worry too much, but I actually thought that I could donate my status as an official. When the Tongcheng military depot becomes vacant, I would take over as the military superintendent. That's it."
Then he can take charge of the three squads, Minzhuang, Inspection Department and Pushe in Tongcheng."
Pang Yu thought for a moment and said, "It's better this way, but until the vacancy of the military officer is available, you will be the leader of the fast shift first."
"Then I will listen to my second brother and thank him for the promotion."
After a moment of silence in the darkness, He Xianya spoke again, this time in a softer voice. Only Pang Yu could hear him clearly, not even Guo Fengyou who was opposite him.
"Will the second brother arrange a place for the eldest brother to go?"
Pang Yu said without any hesitation, "No."
"He really came to ask his second brother for money?"
"He didn't come."
Pang Yu closed his eyes and said, "It's probably because he didn't think it was right. He just wanted to test it with you."
He Xianya said, "I have already warned him. He should have understood and said that he will not associate with Liu Xiucai in the future."
"Then let's take a look."
Pang Yu lay down for a while and put the bundle under his head, "You guys keep watch first. If you arrive in Anqing at night, call me and make a note of what time you arrived."
"Understood."
... Pang Yu got up and took a turn at night. When he woke up in the morning, he hadn't arrived in Anqing yet.
After daybreak, the boatman hoisted the sail again. Pang Yu watched the boatmen adjust it for a moment. The sail was slightly skewed, but it was just able to catch the wind. When the wind was favorable on the river, the boat's speed almost doubled.
Soon after arriving at the Shengtang Pier, Pang Yu couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He had thought that if he passed the Anqing River at night, he would be able to see the landscape of the tower shadow across the river.
But I think the boatman did this on purpose, because only after dawn did customers come to the ferry to wait for the boat. There was no one there at night, and people on the boat couldn't buy food if they wanted to.
The boatman boarded some bamboo vessels at Shengtang Ferry, disembarked a few passengers, and waited for a while. There were many passenger boats on the pier, and it took half an hour to wait until five people arrived. Seeing that there were few passengers, the boatman left the shore and headed downstream.
Not far downstream, they passed a sandbank. The river was full of fishing boats, and there were rows of fishing boats docked on the shore. Pang Yu guessed that this was the wild goose fishing lantern that Ruan Dacheng had mentioned. Unfortunately, it was daytime again, so he didn't see anything.
.
Further down from here, there is a section of rapid current, and there are also reef groups such as Damjiangji. The speed of the boat has slowed down again. The boatmen are all watching from the deck, holding their bamboo pennies in their hands, not daring to be careless.
Pang Yu also stood on the deck, chatting with the boatmen about daily chores while observing the situation on the river.
The speed of the boat was very slow, and it passed by the town of Xiazongyang when it was dark. It did not stop at Songyang, but went all the way down the river, stopping once in Chizhou along the way.
On the fourth day, the passenger ship arrived at a large port. When the passenger ship stopped, Pang Yu got out of the cabin and saw that the streets along the river were miles long and a bustling scene. There was an endless stream of porters on the dock, and all the goods they carried were cloth.
.
"This should be Wuhu."
Pang Yu made a note in his mind. He didn't have a suitable pen to use. The set of pens, inks, paper and inkstones was very inconvenient to carry around. He could only remember everything he saw along the way.
He Xianya stood beside him and said, "Based on the mileage of the Yitong journey, it is still about ten miles per hour."
Pang Yu nodded and said, "When the sail is not hung, it is about fifteen miles per hour, and when the sail is downwind, it is more than twenty miles.
But the boatman said that the flow rate is two to three times faster during the flood season in summer, about three to four hundred miles a day, which is faster than a bandit on horseback.
This ship can carry three thousand stones. It requires hundreds of carriages and hundreds of horsemen on land. After the labor cost of eating, drinking and sleeping, there is no profit. This ship requires ten boatmen, and it can travel faster. This
This is the benefit of water transportation."
"In this way, land transportation cannot be compared with water transportation."
He Xianya asked Pang Yu again, "Why do the porters here pick only cloth from the shore and from the boat?"
Guo Fengyou also followed to the deck. After observing for a while, he replied casually, "You can tell at a glance that all the cloths going to the shore are white cloths, and those getting on the ship are all dyed cloths."
At this time, a middle-aged passenger was getting off the boat. He heard this and said to the three of them, "I'm afraid this is your first time coming to Wuhu. You still don't know that Wuhu is most famous for starch dyeing. As people in the south of the Yangtze River say, Songjiang cloth and Wuhu dyeing.
Countless cotton cloths are sent from various places every year and are dyed in Wuhu."
Pang Yu was a little surprised. The textile industry in the Ming Dynasty actually formed a regional division of labor, and it was so far apart. Without the convenience of water transportation, it would have been impossible. At the same time, Wuhu must have a complete pulp and dyeing industry chain, with scale effects and great cost advantages.
Only then can cloth merchants from other places be willing to transport them over long distances for dyeing.
He quickly asked the passenger, "Can I ask what else Wuhu is famous for?"
The man got on the springboard and replied casually as he walked, "The others are Sandao and Su Gang, especially Su Gang, who can make steel by himself in Wuhu."