The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, the breeze surrounded the river and gently brushed the bluestones of the ferry pier, making a gurgling sound. The silver-white moonlight poured into the river and turned into broken silver all over the river.
A huge fleet sailed slowly in the middle of the river. Several sampans were put down from one of the warships, and then without stopping, they crossed north to Hangou via Xijin, entered the Tongji Canal along the Huai River, and entered Guanzhong.
Several sampans slowly arrived at the riverside under the moonlight. They did not choose to approach the pier. Instead, they docked at a rocky shore not far from the pier. Small iron anchors were thrown from the sampans into the shore.
In the shallow water, one by one strong men in black jumped onto the rocks on the shore. More than 20 people paused for a moment to sort out their equipment, and then quietly but quickly disappeared from the ferry.
The moon is shining brightly, only the river is gurgling, and the sound is more melodious in the middle of the night...
*****
Xijin Ferry has been an important ferry on the Yangtze River since ancient times. It has Xiangshan Mountain as a barrier to the east, blocking the raging tide, and it corresponds to the ancient Hangou in the north. It is a natural harbor with a stable coastline and a cliff.
During the Six Dynasties, the route across the river here was already fixed.
The unprecedented scale of the "Yongjia South Crossing", more than half of the northern refugees crossed the river from here. In the fifth year of Long'an in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Sun En, the leader of the "Five Pecks of Rice Road", led "100,000 warriors and 1,000 flat boats" to enter the river from the sea and reach Zhenjiang.
Controlling the Xijin ferry, cutting off the connection between the north and the south, and besieging Jianye, the capital of Jin, was defeated by the Beifu soldiers led by Liu Yu. Afterwards, the attack on Linhai County failed. A generation of heroes was at the end of their rope and committed suicide by drowning. The eternal hegemony was shattered like a dream...
Xijin Ferry has long been a ferry that has evolved into a small town. The road is paved with bluestone slabs, extending from the pier to the center of the town, with houses and gables made of blue bricks on both sides.
The leakage became deeper at night, and Qiu Shenji had no intention of sleeping.
He stood up, wearing only a middle coat, and opened the door. The cold moonlight poured in like silver frost, and the cool river breeze blew slowly, which slightly relieved his depressed mood.
There was a noise in the ear room on one side, and not long after, a sleepy soldier pushed the door open, yawned and said in surprise: "Why don't you sleep restlessly, Sir? Tomorrow we will cross the Yangtze River, and we will enter the southern boundary of the Yangtze River. Boats like these are sailing on the river."
Don't even think about the safety of the Yangtze River. The waterways in the south of the Yangtze River are densely covered, but they are full of narrow and small boats. The swaying is uncomfortable. This place is still thousands of miles away from the South China Sea. Of course we don't dare to embarrass you, but you can
You should take more care of yourself."
This soldier escorted Qiu Shenji all the way to the South China Sea for distribution. Because of Qiu He's status in the army, who dared to suffer for Qiu Shenji? Although he was sent to the army for distribution, he had been sleeping all the way since he left Guanzhong.
The slow and leisurely journey is like traveling in the mountains and rivers, and there are boats and cars along the way, making it safe and comfortable.
Logically speaking, the best way to get to the South China Sea is to follow the canal directly into the Yangtze River, then go down the river to Huating Town, and then take a sea ship to Nanyang or Dashi from Huating Town to the South China Sea.
However, Qiu Shenji refused to do this no matter what he said. He had to cross the Yangtze River from Xijin and go south, crossing Lingnan to the South China Sea!
The soldiers thought it was a bit incredible. Isn't this looking for punishment...
However, Qiu Shenji had his own plans.
He is not a cowardly young man, but he is certainly not a foolhardy man. When he thinks about it, whether it is Huating Town or the fleet at sea, they are all Fang Jun's men. As he "covets" Princess Changle, he is trying to take Princess Changle away.
Fang Junzhi's "forbidden wife" to marry home "underestimating the enemy", will he still survive if he falls into the hands of these people?
The sea is vast, and it is easy to lose a few people to feed the fish. However, sailing on the sea is very dangerous, and it is even more common to lose a few people, which is natural...
Therefore, Qiu Shenji would rather trek through thousands of mountains and rivers than be in Fang Jun's territory...
Hearing the words of the soldiers at this moment, how could Qiu Shenji not hear the complaints in them? Who doesn't want to take a leisurely trip on a spacious and comfortable ship, but has to walk a road that is ten thousand times more difficult?
In the past, if someone had such an attitude, Qiu Shenji would have been furious a long time ago, but now these people were ordered to escort him. Even if they were afraid of the power of the Qiu family and did not dare to embarrass him, they still suppressed him in the end and had no choice but to do so.
He smiled and said: "The road is a bit difficult, but you don't need to worry. My father has already sent out instructions to station troops in various places. There will be people making proper arrangements wherever you go. You just need to treat this trip as a trip. There may be delays in time.
I’ll pay you a little, but as soon as I get to the end of the field, I’ll thank you and I’ll definitely satisfy you.”
The soldier then said sarcastically: "What are you saying, Mr. Lang? It's convenient for others. Since Mr. Lang wants to take this road, we will accompany you."
The officials in the Ministry of Punishment don't care which way Qiu Shenji takes or how long it takes to reach the South China Sea. How can they, little pawns, care about that?
In short, it was just like Qiu Shenji said, and just treat this mission as a fun, and treat Qiu Shenji well. I understand that he would not dare to disobey the emperor's order and escape halfway. Anyway, there is still a considerable sum of money to be obtained when he gets there.
…
"In that case, let me go to bed first, sir, and please have a good rest early."
After the soldier finished speaking, he yawned and turned back to the house to continue sleeping...
Qiu Shenji put a smile on his face and stood in front of the door with his hands behind his back.
It was a long way to go to the South China Sea, and the reason for the long journey was not because Qiu Shenji was afraid of the harsh environment in the South China Sea and the torture and frustration after being sent to the South China Sea, but because he hoped that his father, who was far away in Chang'an, could persuade His Majesty to withdraw his life.
He was only in his twenties, and he still had great revenge in his heart, but he never thought that he would be tricked by Fang Jun and end up being sent to the South China Sea...
In the family letter I received yesterday, my father already mentioned that he had obtained access to King Jing, and had contacted several military leaders to intercede with His Majesty. According to His Majesty’s style of treating powerful military generals with kindness, it is almost certain that
Will forgive your sins.
Even if he loses his job to serve the people, as long as he is not burdened with a criminal background, he can calmly get back on his feet!
My father in Beijing has already begun to operate. Perhaps before I leave the south of the Yangtze River after crossing the river, His Majesty's pardon order will be sent quickly...
Thinking of this, Qiu Shenji felt a little more relaxed and looked up with interest at the stone tower standing on the street in front of the door.
This is a rare stone tower for crossing the street. The lower part of the tower is built with stones to form four stone pillars. The top is covered with strips of stone to form a frame-shaped pedestal. People and horses can pass underneath. The tower base is made of two
The same Xumizuo is stacked on top of each other. On the Xumizuo is a round lotus-shaped base and a flat drum-shaped tower. On top of it are thirteen circles of belt-shaped reliefs, symbolizing the thirteen levels of heaven. On top of the Xumizuo are a small round lotus base and a round lotus base.
There are "Eight Treasures" engraved on it, and above it is the top of the tower.
There are the same inscriptions on the banners on the east and west side of the stone pagoda pedestal. It lies in the middle of the small street, with the moonlight pouring on it like water, which gives it a somewhat quaint elegance...
After standing at the door for a while, a wave of fatigue came over him. Qiu Shenji yawned, turned back to the room, closed the door, returned to the couch and fell asleep peacefully.
In a daze, a slight sound of footsteps sounded in my ears...
The Qiu family started with martial arts, and they have been generals for several generations. Qiu Shenji is even more intelligent and agile. Even in his sleep, he suddenly wakes up. Before he wakes up, his right hand subconsciously reaches under the mattress and holds a dagger.
.
…
Outside the house, a soldier happened to wake up at night. He was too sleepy to go to the toilet, so he untied his belt in the shadow of the window and wanted to pee.
Suddenly he felt a cold wind blowing behind him, and the hairs on his neck stood up suddenly. The soldier's heart tightened, and he turned around in shock, and saw a group of men in black jumping off the wall of the courtyard, their steps were as light as civet cats, their footsteps were as light as civet cats.
There was a soft rustle, and the horizontal knife in his hand reflected the white moonlight, and the cold light shone everywhere!
The soldier was confused, and then suddenly shouted: "Who... uh!"
A crossbow arrow, accompanied by the crash of the bowstring, suddenly pierced his throat, and his screams stopped abruptly like a duck whose neck had been strangled.
The man in black obviously did not notice the soldier hiding in the shadow in front of the window. Although he killed him with an arrow, he still alerted the enemy!
The leader raised his sword and said in a muffled voice: "Kill! No one will be left alive!"
Before he finished speaking, he saw the front door being kicked open from the inside with a "bang", and Qiu Shenji's broad and burly figure appeared at the door, holding a gleaming dagger in his hand, and shouted in a hissing voice: "Come here!
There’s an assassin!”
This trip went to the South China Sea. Although he was sent away for a crime, the Qiu family sent a guard composed of more than ten generals to protect Qiu Shenji's safety all the way. What Qiu Shenji wanted at the moment was to wake up the generals, and the group of men in black in front of him was nothing more than that.
There are about twenty people, and there are more than ten people on my side plus more than ten soldiers. Especially since I have unparalleled strength and strength, even if my injuries have not healed, I may not be able to fight!
However, to his surprise, when he shouted, all the family members in the side room were awakened and rushed out shouting. However, the reaction of the group of men in black in front of them was beyond expectation! The people in the front row
The men in black did not rush up to kill him as quickly as possible, but... squatted down one after another?
Then, Qiu Shenji's eyes were about to burst and he was so frightened that he lost his mind!
I saw the man in black in the front row lowering his body, just enough to reveal a row of strung-up crossbows held by the man in black behind him...
"Boom!"
Before Qiu Shenji could move, a muffled sound was heard, and more than ten crossbow arrows left the string almost at the same time. They passed through the cold and clear moonlit night sky in an instant, and "puff, puff, puff" were nailed to Qiu Shenji's body in no particular order.