The cargo ship I want to take departs from Zhenze Lake and goes north along the Jiangnan Canal to Jingkou. It is a ship that transports grain and grass from Wuxi to Huaidong. The battle in Huaidong last autumn was just before the autumn harvest, because
The Yong army invaded the territory, resulting in no harvest. After Huaidong was recovered by Nanchu, the two armies faced off, and they were in urgent need of food and grass. At least before the summer harvest, Huaidong's food and grass had to be dispatched from the south of the Yangtze River. So starting from the end of last year, from Wuyue to
There is an endless stream of grain transport ships in Huaidong, both official grain and private grain. Among them, grain ships shipped from Wuxi account for more than 60%. Businesses such as grain stores are mostly under the control of aristocratic families, but this does not hinder Tianji Pavilion.
It is a very common thing for the trading company under the control to do a trick and buy ten or eight ships of grain in Wuyue and transport it to Huaidong for sale. There are such ships on the canal in an endless stream, so naturally no one will know about one of them.
Inside the specially-built cargo ship, there are several stowaway passengers who should not exist.
On the surface, this cargo ship is just like an ordinary cargo ship, but it has tampered with the design and added a secret room in the cabin, which can carry some valuable private goods. Now, I am one of the stowaways.
Xiao Shunzi became the boy next to the grain ship steward (Shanzi). He only needed to change his appearance. Only a few people in the world could see his depth, so there was no need to worry that anyone would find out his identity.
Hu Yanshou and the other four guards were all given 70 to 80% of their martial arts skills by Xiao Shunzi, and then they were thrown on the boat to do hard labor. Anyway, after changing into the boatman's coarse clothes, their eyes dimmed, and except for being taller,
It was impossible to tell that they were soldiers with martial arts skills. As the Donghai Navy moved south, these people had already overcome the difficulty of seasickness. This time, I specially sent someone to train them how to sail for a long time. As long as they don't act carelessly,
Speaking, it is barely possible to serve as a boatman's handyman. These guards are all dedicated, shrewd and capable sergeants, otherwise they would not be selected into the Huben Guards. If they work hard, by the time they get off the boat, they will be the best.
He is one of the best boatmen. In fact, it’s not that I didn’t care about Hu Yanshou’s reputation, so I asked him to become a boatman. It’s just that the secret room on the boat is a little smaller. It’s okay for one person, but it would be too crowded if there was another one.
This secret room is only two feet in diameter, with only one bed, one table and one chair. Apart from that, there is only a small open space for people to stretch their muscles. Although the ventilation is quite good, there is even a small connecting room.
Toilet, but after all, it is not comfortable enough, especially for someone like me who is used to enjoying things. But there is nothing I can do about it. Huaidong is no better than Wu Yue. If I make any mistakes in public, I will not be able to escape even if I want to, so I can only feel aggrieved and hide in the room.
Inside the secret room, this was the condition that Xiao Shunzi promised me to sneak into Nanchu. Thinking that I would have to stay here for ten days and a half, I complained endlessly. Although Hu Yanshou and the others were pitiful, at least they could still see the light of day, and Xiao Shunzi
Zi can roam freely outside. With his martial arts, even if he walks on the shore and comes back, no one will notice him. Such a strong contrast is really depressing.
Looking at the luminous pearls embedded in the bulkhead, I felt a sense of joy in my heart. Although the ventilation of this kind of secret room is not bad, it would be unbearable if the lights are lit for a long time. But there is no skylight here. If you don't light the lights, you will not be able to see.
Five Fingers, if someone else hides it, they can only endure it for a while. But Shanzi is very smart, so he temporarily added a small mechanism on the wall, which can embed a few luminous pearls. In this way, the indoor pearl light is bright, although it is not as bright as the sky, but the line of sight is still
It doesn't matter, even if I want to read a book, I won't feel that the light is too dark. If not, how could I have endured these ten days?
Putting down the book, I sighed again, "It's so lonely. Maybe it's a habit. I used to like silence the most, but now I feel that I can't stand the loneliness. Xiao Shunzi also left me alone to have a good time."
, strange to say, if he was by my side, even if he didn't say a word for a whole day, I wouldn't feel lonely. I tossed and turned on the bed several times, and finally couldn't bear it anymore, so I jumped out of bed and walked around on the floor, turning around a few times.
, I felt more and more stuffy, and wished I could go out for some fresh air, but thinking that I had an appointment with Xiao Shunzi and could not leave the secret room on the way, I could only feel sad. Just when I was extremely troubled, the small door of the secret room slid open silently, and Xiao Shunzi
Zi bowed and got in, holding a food box in his hand.
I was so happy that when Xiao Shunzi put the food box on the table and was about to go out, I pulled him and said, "Eat with me. It's not too late to go out after eating." Xiao Shunzi glanced at me, but
He ignored me and just took out the dishes and bowls and chopsticks from the food box. I was overjoyed when I saw that there were two pairs of bowls and chopsticks. Xiao Shunzi was really loyal and knew that I was bored, so he went out to eat with me.
, thinking of this, he quickly took two teacups and put them on the table, and then diligently picked up the pot and poured tea. He was ready to please him, but he didn't notice the smile flashing in Xiao Shunzi's eyes.
After finishing the meal, I saw Xiao Shunzi clearing away the dishes and chopsticks. Thinking that he was going to go out for a stroll again, I felt trapped in myself. I felt a strong sense of depression in my heart. I lay down on the couch, turned inward, and stared at the wall in a daze.
.Not long after, I heard the sound of Xiao Shunzi leaving, and I started to curse more and more in my heart. If he wanted to leave, he could definitely do it silently, but why did he make such a noise? You don’t mean to anger me, but think about it.
I didn't allow him to kill Ding Ming and I didn't tell him the reason. No wonder he was so angry with me. I was thinking wildly when Xiao Shunzi's cold voice came from behind: "How about a game of chess?"
I was overjoyed and quickly turned over and sat up. I had completely forgotten about the last time I was killed by Xiao Shunzi. I was sweating profusely and vowed not to play chess with him again. I said in a hurry: "You are not allowed to go back on your word, at least three games."
Xiao Shunzi smiled slightly, with a warm expression on her delicate face that had restored her true appearance. This was a rare expression these days.
Only halfway through the game, I frowned again and smiled bitterly as I looked at the board where Xiao Shunzi had been killed to pieces. I raised my head and saw Xiao Shunzi looking kind, so I bravely said: "
There's no point in playing chess, let's just chat?" Xiao Shunzi's eyes flashed and he said calmly: "What are you talking about?"
I smiled and said, "You can do anything. You can ask whatever you want or say anything. It's rare to be so leisurely and there are no outsiders around you."
I thought in my heart that if Xiao Shunzi asked, I could explain to him the reasons for his wanton behavior these days, so as to avoid him being unhappy. Who knew that Xiao Shunzi thought about it and said: "Young Master originally proposed to the emperor
The navy went south, and the emperor asked the prince why. The prince only said that he wanted to make the Chu army misunderstand that the main direction of our army's attack was Wu Yue. Thinking about it today, the prince's real reason was not only that. Firstly, he wanted to reconcile with the Jing family, and secondly, he wanted to share Jiang Hou's burden.
The pressure, right?”
I picked up a chess piece, played with it in my hand and said with a smile: "It is true that I want to reconcile with the Jing family. Even if someone else comes, I can show mercy to the Jing family. Unfortunately, I know that my uncle is stubborn and tough. If I can't
To resolve the knot with my uncle, the Jing family must never be used by our army, but the emperor would not trust me to return to Jiaxing, so I did not mention it. As for sharing the pressure on Haitao, what can I say?"
Xiao Shunzi said calmly: "This is the first time the Donghai Navy has gone to war since they surrendered to Dayong. The victory or defeat is very important. Wuyue is the essence of Southern Chu. Even if it succeeds for a while, it will inevitably encounter defeat. Moreover, the king
The master who carried out the strategy of sea banditry may be easily criticized. Even if no one says anything now, when it happens in the future, it will be a serious crime. The young master went south together and first proposed a strategy to rob Wu and Yue. In this way, if anyone wants to in the future
If you want to blame this, you must consider the position of the young master. By doing this, the young master is not sharing the pressure for Jiang Hou?"
I smiled and said nothing, and Xiao Shunzi continued: "Actually, if the Donghai Navy was not the best at landing and plundering, even if the master made a plan and prepared an accurate map of Wu and Yue, it would not have been possible to complete such a mission in just more than ten days.
If Jiang Hou was not prepared to do this, he would not have prepared so many offshore warships, and the process of plundering would not be so clean and tidy. Although the young master now has the credit for offering the strategy, Jiang Hou has implemented the strategy so well
Perfection is already an eternal achievement, but the young master takes the possible attacks upon himself, not knowing whether it will be a blessing or a disaster in the future."
After looking at me, Xiao Shunzi added: "Young Master has naturally considered the consequences of doing this. If you lose the emperor's heart in the future, some people will inevitably criticize you for this. But naturally, Young Master will not take these things to heart.
On the contrary, it is Marquis Jiang. He is young and vigorous. If he is separated from Dayong because of this, it will be a pity for this navy that spans all over the world. And as long as Marquis Jiang is fine, Haishi Shipping will not be affected, and we will have a way out.
But he can retire, so the young master no longer cares about his reputation, but takes on the responsibility of providing advice."
Hearing this, I couldn't help but smile and said: "The cunning rabbit has three burrows. This is also the way to protect yourself."
Xiao Shunzi smiled slightly and added: "If you just want to leave a way out, you can stay in Dinghai and wait until the weather is calm before returning to the Central Plains. But you are determined to cross Chu alone and go to Huaidong."
My face turned red and I said, "Didn't I explain this before?"
Xiao Shunzi said: "Young Master has indeed explained to me that in March this year, the Jiangnan route will be built, and the Young Master still needs to go to his post. Once the Southern Chu army knows that the Young Master is in Dinghai, the Ninghai camp will definitely block the way north. In a short time,
Within the time, the young master cannot go north. Even if he is escorted by the navy, he will inevitably encounter a surprise attack from Ninghai. If the young master stays in Dinghai, it will inevitably delay the military aircraft and make the emperor dissatisfied with the young master’s original decision to go south. In order to rush for time and for safety reasons, it is better to
It is safer to walk on land under the cover of Tianji Pavilion."
I smiled and said, "That's it. I didn't lie."
Xiao Shunzi glanced at me and said: "Of course you didn't lie, you just avoided the important. You left Dinghai not for the military affairs of Jiangnan, but for Jiang Hou. If you have the young master in Dinghai for one day, all Jiang Hou's achievements will be lost."
I can't help but discount it. Jiang Hou and the young master are called masters and apprentices, but they serve the young master like a father and a brother. Naturally, the young master does not want to damage Jiang Hou's prestige, so he leaves Dinghai in a hurry. As for keeping the young master Cong, the first reason is to cause the young master to still
The false appearance in Dinghai also allowed Young Master Cong to assist Jiang Hou. Although Young Master Cong is young, he has a calm mind. Although Jiang Hou is brave and good at fighting, he is a bit energetic. Compared with Lu Can, he may not be as good as him, but with Young Master Cong
With assistance, we will definitely be able to stabilize the situation in Dinghai, and even if there is a small setback, we will not suffer major damage."
I sighed softly and said, "There is another reason, but you didn't guess it."
Xiao Shunzi raised his eyebrows and said, "Master, are you saying that this time is also to test Master Cong?"
I was stunned for a moment and said with a smile, "Have you thought of this too?"
Xiao Shunzi said: "Young Master Cong's life experience is unknown, but he is the most beloved by him. He can't bear to press him for questioning. However, in recent years, Young Master Cong has become a prince, and the King of Jia County thinks highly of him. He will definitely become an important minister of Great Yong in the future. With Cong
With the young master's ability and talent, it is not difficult for him to dominate the government. This is nothing at all. It's just that the young master is worried about the rift between him and Dayong, so this time he deliberately left him alone in Dinghai, unlike before.
Being restrained by his side, he is suddenly free, and it is inevitable that he will reveal his thoughts. The young master must have left a secret in the Huben Guards to monitor the behavior of Mr. Cong. If anything unusual is discovered, he can ask Jiang Hou to put him under house arrest.
Dinghai is isolated overseas. Even if Mr. Cong does something inappropriate, it will be difficult to affect the overall situation. Moreover, even if something happens, he can still ask Jiang Hou to help cover up the truth and prevent it from being leaked. The reason why Mr. Cong acted like this is to test Cong.
Young Master, this is also to protect Young Master Cong in case of emergency. I only hope that Young Master Cong can understand Young Master’s feelings and not do anything that would make him angry or unhappy."
I sighed after hearing this. I have been delaying Cong'er's matter for many years, but now I can't continue to ignore it. The prince has begun to get involved in military affairs. If there is something wrong with Cong'er, I will give him a high position.
He had to figure it out beforehand.
Xiao Shunzi said something astonishing: "These things are easy to understand. It's just the relationship between the young master and Na Ding Ming and Ku Zhuzi that made me puzzled. But today I suddenly figured it out.
So I also want to ask the young master if it is correct?"
When I heard this, I was very interested. In the past few days, I thought Xiao Shunzi was angry because of this matter. I didn't expect that he was thinking of reasons for me. I wanted to hear if he understood what I meant. I sat up straight.
His body and face showed a look of attentive listening.
Xiao Shunzi said calmly: "At first, the young master was just happy to see the hunter and wanted to hang out with talented people. Who knew that after the two of them got on the boat, the young master learned their identities and wanted to take advantage of them. I was originally worried about a person like the young master.
, which is rare in the world. If they think about it carefully, they will inevitably think of the true identity of the young master, so they advocate killing the two people. However, the young master does not allow me to do it. He only hints that I add it to the boiling water for the third time to make tea, and then go through the formalities.
The water stunned the two of them, and left a token, hinting at the identity of the master of the Tianji Pavilion. Only then did I understand the master’s meaning. The master of the Tianji Pavilion was mysterious and a legendary figure. After they knew that the master was the master of the Tianji Pavilion,
No matter what kind of strange flaw it is, it can be explained in their opinion, and naturally they will not think of the true identity of the young master. The purpose of the young master's marriage is to make them mistakenly think that the young master poisoned him personally, but naturally they can't see the clues
, they would think that the young master is hiding something secretly. In this case, they would not even think that the young master is Jiang Zhe and Jiang Suiyun. Everyone in the world knows that the young master is a weak scholar. But I don’t understand why the young master bothers to save their lives.
, is it just because of Ding Ming’s heartfelt words?”
I smiled faintly, with a cunning look in my eyes. I was proud of the plan I came up with in a flash, and I also laughed secretly at Xiao Shunzi who only saw the superficial article. Who knew that Xiao Shunzi also smiled slightly and continued: "So these few days
I have been thinking hard all day long, and finally I figured out the whole thing. Just because what they want to do is also what the master wants to do, and they can do it with twice the result with half the effort, so the master would rather take the risk of revealing his identity.
These two people must be let go. However, although the means are the same, the purpose is completely different. They want to protect the people of the Southern Chu State, but the young master's purpose is to weaken and eradicate the Wuyue family.
The young master was born in Jiaxing, and 40% of the Tianji Pavilion property is in Wuyue. Although the young master is living abroad, he has never forgotten his hometown. This time the young master proposed a plan to rob Wu Yue. I am afraid some people criticized the young master for not thinking about his hometown, but they didn't know that the young master
A lot of hard work.
In the young master's mind, the Wuyue family is really the biggest obstacle. One of the main reasons for the decline of Nanchu is the struggle between the royal family and the aristocratic families. For the young master, it is harmful and useless for the aristocratic family to be in power. Nowadays, most of the other aristocratic families in Nanchu have withered.
There is only the land of Wuyue, but because it is far away from the war and ocean trade, the power of the family is growing. Since the young master has voted for Dayong, he naturally does not want Dayong to make the same mistakes in the future, so the Wuyue family must be purged. But after Dayong unified the world
, the Wuyue family will definitely surrender, regardless of true or false intentions, if they are purged again at that time, I am afraid that the people of Jiangnan will be unstable. The emperor is the British master, and he will definitely not condone the Wuyue family. If the Wuyue family refuses to surrender, it will definitely provoke a civil uprising. In this way
As a result, the splendid rivers and mountains will surely become a slaughterhouse in the sea of blood, and the dancing pavilion and singing platform will be reduced to broken tiles and ruins. I am afraid that it will be difficult for the land of Wu and Yue to recover within a few decades. Therefore, after thinking hard, the master determined the disaster.
The strategy of capturing Wu Yue.
On the surface, this strategy is just to weaken Wu Yue's resistance, and also to allow Dinghai to confront Wu Yue for a long time. In fact, it has three benefits. First, the Wu Yue family is worried about Yong's army landing again, and will eventually organize a private army of rebels to fight against Yong's army.
, in this way, the Wuyue family's military power can be eliminated in the battle; secondly, as the two sides fight for a long time, they will forge a deep hatred, the battle will be fierce, and there will be many casualties. After Dayong goes south, the Wuyue family can be used to resist the king's army.
The reason is to clean them up. After overthrowing the nest, there are no eggs left. This is an aboveboard move. If the Wuyue family wants to provoke a civil uprising, they will not get civilians who are tired of the war. Thirdly, the young master kidnapped the Jiaxing family and went to Putuo.
, you can destroy the family system within a few years and make it a force that meets Dayong's needs. After Dayong unified the world, move these people back to Wuyue, and they will become the foundation and support for Dayong to rule Wuyue. In this way
In this way, the young master can not only achieve the purpose of cleaning up the Wuyue family, but also save the wealth and lives of tens of millions of soldiers and civilians in Wuyue. If he didn't care about his hometown, why would the young master go to such painstaking efforts and even bear the notoriety.
The young master intended to let Hu Yanshou see the power of Tianji Pavilion, and also to warn the emperor through him. Although the people of Wu and Yue have a gentle temperament, they have the nature of being brave and willing to die. Since ancient times, the most assassin swordsman, Dayongzong was destroyed.
Nanchu, but if you want Jiangnan to be stable, it is impossible to appease and suppress it without ten years. The prince must be worried that the emperor will adopt a tough policy because of the undercurrent of Wu Yue's resistance, so he warned the emperor intentionally or unintentionally. But in this way, the prince
Doesn't it give me another crime of plotting to kill a soldier, and reveals my hidden strength? This always makes me feel a little uneasy. If the emperor intends to hide everything, how can the young master respond?"
I just feel that my heart is very happy. Although I have thought about these thoughts thousands of times in my mind, I can't sue the king and father of heaven and earth, I can't sue my wife, relatives and friends, and I can't tell the ghosts and gods. I can only figure it out by myself.
, Although Xiao Shunzi is close, I don’t want to mess with his thoughts. These days, it has been really bitter and unspeakable. Although I didn’t see many outsiders along the way north, I could faintly hear someone talking about the Yong army’s robbery of Wu Yue.
Most of the people who mentioned me regarded me as a traitor and betrayed my hometown, and they insulted me. Although I was aware of this, I felt miserable and uneasy in my heart. I never thought that Xiao Shunzi could know my thoughts without my explicit words. He had always been except
Apart from martial arts, I rarely care about worldly affairs. This time I have to think hard, and I must have noticed the depression in my heart, so I exposed my difficulties and used them to comfort me.
Suppressing the turmoil in my heart, I said as calmly as possible: "It's nothing. After the world is unified, Tianji Pavilion will become a thing of yesterday. In fact, those properties have already been distributed to the disciples of the secret camp, but now they still have the name of Tianji Pavilion.
.It doesn't matter if these powers are known to the emperor. After Dayong rules the world, no matter how powerful I am, can I still defeat the imperial court? Rather than amassing force to protect myself, it is better to disperse these powers.
It will not arouse the suspicion of the royal family. Besides, the emperor’s temperament is not that mean and ungrateful. Please don’t say it again in the future.”
I stood up, looked up with my hands behind my hands, and under the radiance of the pearls, I felt my mood gradually calming down. Thinking that there is someone in the world who knows my deepest feelings, and this person is with me day and night, as close as flesh and blood, Xiao Shunzi, I feel more and more happy in my heart.
Joy, even this small and dark secret room seems to have become a palace in my eyes. I couldn't help but smile, and I said: "Okay, you can go out. If anyone finds out that you are a little boy,
You've disappeared, and I don't think there's anything Shanzi can do to cover it up for you."
Xiao Shunzi's eyes flashed, he lowered his eyes, turned around and left the secret room. Before he could close the secret door, he heard a chuckle from behind him. Seeing that the young master's sadness was gone, he felt happy and thought about the days to come.
Wouldn't it be uncomfortable? Thinking of this, he couldn't hide the smile on his lips and walked briskly out of the cabin.