"Fushe is nothing, you have to kneel in front of me." Tan Lezi sat in front of a chessboard, with his left foot raised high, "I tell you, on the Hezhou River, I will kill Mr. Tan with one shot. When the bandits were surrounded, I happened to meet a scholar who had returned to society. Guess what, he knelt down and kowtowed to me thirty times. I thought about it and killed him. It didn't take much effort to save one more life. It was easy. He was saved."
There were a circle of spectators watching the chess game around the chessboard. Most of them were watching the situation attentively. Occasionally, two people who heard Tan Leizi's words laughed and scolded him, "You Tan Leizi can't even beat shopkeeper Qian, but you can also kill the bandits."
Tan Laizi straightened his back, "Shopkeeper Qian, I don't want to beat him. If you don't believe me, go to Hezhou and ask around. Leader Jiang already knows about it. If you don't believe me, just ask..."
At this time, Tang Laoliu, who was opposite him, lost his position, and everyone immediately urged, "It's your turn!"
"Play chess, play chess, what are you talking about? Tan Leizi, can you play or not?"
The crowd was so excited that Tan Leizi was forced to stop boasting and turn his energy back to the chessboard, where the ivory pieces were intertwined and mixed, and the battle was at its most intense.
This small table was put up by the Dong family restaurant to attract people. It was equipped with a pair of eucalyptus ivory tables of unknown origin. The calligraphy was not very good, and the wood quality was not very good. It was not long after it was beaten by this group of traffickers and lackeys. Just cracked, cracked, missing corners.
Even so, chess is still the most popular real-time strategy game on the dock. This chessboard is not only relevant to chess players, but also an important cultural need for everyone on the dock, from traders and pawns to wealthy dockyard people.
Today, Tan Lezi came early and occupied a position. The bet he made with Tang Laoliu was five cents. Although the total was not much, for Tan Lezi, who currently only had more than ten coppers in his pocket, it was already a huge bet of nearly half of his assets. .
The surroundings were noisy, and when Tan Leizi reached for the horse, he suddenly realized that the situation was not good, and quickly stopped and scratched his forehead.
Most of the spectators also saw that Tan Lezi was in trouble, and started talking one after another. Some were complaining about Tan Lezi, and some were discussing ways to save him.
A man with a guala hat said, "You didn't believe me when I asked you to exchange the cannon with him just now. What happens now? This game is hopeless. You give up and let me do it, leprechaun."
As he said this, he went to pull Tan Leizi away, but the yellow trousers beside him objected, "Whoever said it would give up. The car should be withdrawn at this step. Did Leizi see that Tang Laoliu took this step? Fortunately, I checked for you. I'm sure it can still be done." save."
Another blue hat came, "Why do you want to withdraw the car? Do you still want the horse? Tan Leizi, don't listen to him. Put the cannon over, and then jump on the horse. Do you see a double kill? I'll tell you how to go."
As Blue Pants spoke, he was about to reach out and point. The yellow hat who started talking grabbed hold of him and shouted to Tan Leizi, "Don't listen to him. If you listen to him, you will lose. Get out of the car first..."
"I lost because I withdrew. You asked me to tell Tan Leizi, why did you pull me in? If Tan Leizi loses, you can tell me whether you will pay the five cents or not."
The two people started to pull each other while talking, grabbing each other's clothes and making a fuss. They were blushing and spitting directly into each other's faces, causing chaos in the crowd of spectators.
Lao Kang, who was squatting in the VIP seat of the Chu River and Han Realm, pointed anxiously and said, "Why don't you just eat Tang Laoliu's gun? Tan Leizi, you are really stupid!"
Tan Laizi took a closer look and cursed, "Old Kang, you know nothing. That's a pawn. He's returning a rook. He can't even read and still wants to play chess."
After he finished speaking, he pointed at Lao Kang, and everyone around burst into laughter. Lao Kang blushed, and the two people around him took advantage of this opportunity to squeeze the ashamed Lao Kang out of the VIP seat.
"He said it was a car, hahaha, uneducated." It was a bit confusing. Tan Laizi put down the hand that was touching his forehead, grabbed the horse and patted it on the trough.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Tang Laoliu shouted and stood up, "Why did you jump like this? Where did you go when you flew into the setting sun?"
"Why am I not flying Xie Ri? Tang Laoliu, please don't talk nonsense. How could I, Tan Ya, lie to you?"
Tang Laoliu's eyes widened, "I'm sure you've taken a good look, you've clearly flown across the field."
As soon as Tan Laozi stood up, the spectators had already made a fuss, but most of them were blaming him. Amid the condemnation of many witnesses, Tan Laozi did not dare to offend the public, so he had to put the horse back to its original position. Tang Laoliu then
Sit down and stare at the chessboard for a moment.
Tan Laizi was sweating on his forehead amidst the laughter and scolding. None of the chess moves he could think of seemed to be able to save the game. It was very likely that he could not save the five copper coins, which were his dinner.
At this time, there was a sudden shout from outside, "There is a passenger ship coming from the south bank!"
A group of Yaxing porters dispersed in a hurry and ran towards the passenger terminal. The rest were idle people, and those on the periphery quickly filled the vacancies. After all, there were a lot less people.
Tan Leizi pretended to look outside and said, "Hey, a passenger ship has arrived. Tang Laoliu, let's win or lose in this game. We can wait until I get the passengers back before we get off."
Tang Laoliu said angrily, "I want to run away. Let me tell you, Tan Leizi, I will definitely win this round. I left after agreeing to decide the outcome. If I want to leave, I will give you five cents."
The remaining spectators condemned him out of a sense of justice. Seeing that Tan Laizi couldn't get away, he cursed at Tang Laoliu, "Just do it. I'm not afraid of it. Let me take a closer look. I'll kill you with one move."
As he spoke, he put his hand on the small square table, looking like he was studying it carefully. Suddenly, his hand slipped with a squeaking sound, and the chessboard was pushed off the table, and the chess pieces fell to the ground.
"Why did you drop it? I've obviously won. Forget it, I won't argue with you anymore." After saying this, Tan Laizi waved his sleeves and left.
Tang Laoliu grabbed Tan Leizi by the collar and said, "If you dare to cheat on me, I'll give you five cents!"
Tan Leizi grabbed Tang Laoliu's hand and said with a fierce voice, "What are you doing? Your chess skills are not as good as mine and why do you still want to beat someone? I treat you like Mr. Tan and you beat him casually. I have killed all the bandits everywhere. Go to Manhe Prefecture and ask about it."
Can you Tang Laoliu afford to offend me?"
…
At the passenger pier of Shengtang Ferry on the riverside, passengers who had just disembarked avoided a man with a bruised face and tooth in front of him, and walked past on both sides as if avoiding the plague god.
"You are still doing business when you return to your hometown. Are you, this distinguished guest, returning to your hometown? Come to the best inn on the dock here. It's getting so late and there are many robbers on the road. Don't go with him. Hey, his inn is not good...
"
Tan Leizi stopped and watched the family go to another dental shop. He wiped his nose with his sleeve bitterly, and after wiping it, he saw that it was red.
"You damn Tang Laoliu!" Tan Laozi quickly raised his face, and there was a smell of blood in his mouth. After all, he swallowed it himself.
He kept looking up at the sky at an angle of 45 degrees to avoid nosebleeds. "I am also busy with something. When I have some free time, I will beat you until you kneel down and beg for mercy!"
Tang Laoliu had just been beaten well, and some idle people around him had done something dirty. Tan Lezi's face was stained a lot. More than ten copper coins on his body were snatched away by others. Now he still has a nosebleed. The loss is considerable.
heavy.
Moreover, this image seriously affected his business ability. Travelers would walk around when they saw him. It seemed that the business of this ship was hopeless. So he could only watch other people snatching away all the customers, and Tan Leizi hated it.
I cursed a few times, but there were two boats on the river in the distance. They seemed to be ferries coming from the south, preparing to dock.
By the end of February, the bandit situation near Tongcheng gradually subsided. After the beginning of spring, due to the prolonged martial law, the economy of cities along the river like Anqing suffered a serious blow. In particular, the people in Fucheng relied on trade and had no livelihood, and more and more troubles occurred.
, robbing became common, and many grain stores did not dare to open their doors.
After the garrison camps were put in place one after another, the safety of Fucheng was guaranteed. Seeing that the situation in Fucheng was not good, Shi Kefa finally lifted the ban on Qingjiang. As shipping gradually resumed, Anqing began to regain its vitality. Although there were not many merchants and cargo ships, there were some last year.
The people who fled to the south bank to avoid the invaders began to return. Today, five ships returned from the south bank, and half of them needed to stay in hotels or hire porters. The merchants were all counting on the accommodation and transportation business to maintain their livelihoods.
The same is true for Tan Laizi. After all, the risk of robbing a beggar is not small, but the profit is not big. Now I just hope to stop the bleeding quickly, try to get another order later, earn back the more than ten copper coins lost today, and finally have dinner.
.
The first ship was approaching quickly. Tan Leizi wiped his nose and it seemed that he no longer had nosebleeds. He was about to compete for customers when he saw the Navy flag hanging on the ship. He immediately raised his head again. These Shuiqiu Ba
Naturally not his target customer.
The garrison battalion army has been mobilized everywhere, but the water battalion has remained in Anqing. I heard that it will be stationed in Leigang and Zongyang, so it has recruited a lot of new soldiers recently. This time, not only Anqing soldiers are recruited, but Chizhou soldiers on the other side of the river are also recruited.
, Peng Ze also recruited. I heard that the farthest ones are two soldiers from Hukou, Jiangxi Province. The navy's boats are constantly going back and forth on the river. I don't know what they are practicing. Anyway, I watch them rushing onto the boat and rushing off every day.
, or go downstream to the tidal flat not far away. I don’t know what to practice there.
"Bring the water over here. The soldiers in the water camp want to drink it."
Tan Leizi looked back and saw that it was Zhou Yong from the Cao Gang. This man was the first to join Jiang Fan because he betrayed the gang leader. He immediately changed from a porter to the head of the Cao Gang's double sticks. Tan Leizi is still a
The head of a stick is only a little better than an ordinary porter. The Caobang only gives him two taels of silver per month, and he has to earn other expenses by working as a dentist, which is incomparable with Zhou Yong.
"Brother Zhou has been promoted to three sticks to take charge of affairs!" The nearby Cao Gang members exclaimed,
Tan Laizi took a closer look and saw that Zhou Yong indeed had a wooden sign on his waist with three sticks on it. He couldn't help but gnashed his teeth and said, "How can he be promoted to three sticks? I almost died in Hezhou and he hasn't been promoted to two sticks yet. What the hell?"
Don't think about me asking you to take care of things."
Amidst the sound of rushing water, the navy ship came closer. A group of sailors and marines shouted in unison. The hard sail quickly deflected away from the wind, the front and rear bamboo poles stretched out, and the speed of the ship dropped rapidly. Two people on the deck
More than a dozen marines swarmed down, shielded their faces with shields, and rushed up to the pier. They divided into groups of five on the steps, as if there was some kind of formation. Tan Laizi had seen this landing formation many times, and it felt like it was real.
Much faster than before.
Tan Leizi noticed that several people were wearing dark brown armor, which seemed to be made of leather. After a while, they stopped their formation and started to line up. Then a man in a red military uniform stood in front of the Marines. Tan Leizi cursed in a low voice, "
I have to recite the mantra again.”
Under the leadership of that man, more than 20 marines shouted loudly together, "I am a marine in the garrison camp. Every meter and millet I eat, and every coin and silver I receive, are all obtained from the huge people and thousands of common people. Therefore,
It is the bounden duty of the Marines to protect the people. In order to fulfill this duty, the Marines should become the most elite soldiers. Pang Pang asked me to obey the orders of the commander, strictly observe military disciplines, practice hard, and never flinch in the face of any enemy."
This drama has been performed many times a day recently. Every time the Marines gather, they have to recite it again. They all have the same words. Tan Laizi has memorized them. But there is still no shortage of audience every time. These words are simple enough that everyone can understand them.
The porters all like to watch, and the travelers passing by are even more curious, and most of them watch with great interest.
Tan Leizi was somewhat interested at first, but then he felt bored after watching it too much, so he didn't want to read it anymore. Occasionally, he looked at the man in the red military uniform. He heard that it was called a military Chinese clerk. Tan Lezi thought it was strange why a group of Qiu Ba needed a clerk.
The marines were all sweating profusely. After reciting the mantra, they lined up to get water. After the two captains ordered a rest, they each started drinking water.
Suddenly, Tan Leizi saw a familiar face among the marines. It turned out to be Tang Ershuan, who used to hang out with him at the dock. There was a red pattern sewn on the arm of the military uniform, which read the word "corporate commander".
Tang Erchuan was one of the few people on the dock with whom he got along well before. Because Tang Erchuan was very rustic, Tan Lezi looked like a rich man in the city in front of him. But later Tang Erchuan became a marine, and the monthly salary immediately pulled Tan Lezi away.
Now that I'm a corps commander, it's even better.
Tan Leizi took a long time before murmuring, "How could Tang Ershuan be promoted to corps commander..."
But thinking back for a moment, I almost died of cold on Hezhou Jiangxin Island that day. Fortunately, the sentinel marines came over and were able to cross the river to Dangtu. Tang Erchuan was also on one of the boats, and he was one of the people who saved his life. In this way
Come to think of it, Tang Er Shuan can still be a corps commander, although he is still a little uncomfortable.
"Let him be the one, I will be promoted to the third rank one day." Tan Leizi was a little unhappy, and after thinking for a while, he was ready to say hello to Tang Ershuan and congratulate him on becoming the corps leader.
After squeezing to the front, before he could say anything, he saw Zhou Yong arrogantly giving orders to a man with two sticks behind him, "Ren Pang ordered us to come down. Those people brought back by Chuzhou will go to Shipai City to build barracks first. We, the Cao Gang, will take care of them."
Now, one person is in charge of fifty people, and there are still seven or eight left. Let’s ask which brothers are willing to go, and the monthly salary will be five cents.”
"Fifty people." Tan Laizi's eyes widened, "The corps commander only takes care of five people."
Without too much hesitation, Tan Leizi hurriedly approached Zhou Yong and said, "Master Zhou..."