Luoyang Lake is fifty miles north of Shanglindu, where the old and new channels of the Shiliang River branch off. The new river goes straight to Shanglinli, and the shallow and narrow old river turns southwest and connects with the moat outside Shiliang County.
To the southeast it is connected to Shanglin River.
com Luoyang Lake is not very big in size of a thousand acres, but it is the first shallow lake at the south end of Hongzepo. Entering Luoyang Lake is considered to be within the scope of Hongzepo.
Lin Fu was dressed as an ordinary boatman. The sun at noon in April made sweat form on his forehead. He was barefoot, arms folded, and wearing a bamboo hat on his head. He squatted on the bow of the boat without any manners, watching the big loach master Ge Cunxin sinking the rope to the bottom of the lake.
The iron pendant was lifted up. Ge Cunxin calculated the depth of the lake and said: "With this water depth, without anyone familiar with the waterway, the empty ship Dongyang cannot safely enter. Is there any problem in connecting at the mouth of the branch of the Touhe River in Hunan?"
Although fishermen and boat owners who are familiar with Luoyang Lake may be able to find a waterway deeper north in Luoyang Lake for the Dongyang boat to travel through, there are too many constraints and it is of little significance. Once the boat is separated in the shallow lake
If you are shallow, you will be completely passive and the risk will be too great.
"Uncle Qin Cheng has long thought about returning to Zhongli County from Shiliang River and Hongzepu. The flat-bottomed boat he requisitioned for the northward journey can carry more than 200 stones. The majestic building boat he used to sail is also flat-bottomed and can be fully loaded with food.
The water depth is only about eight feet, so even if you are not familiar with the waterways, passing through Luoyang Lake should not be a big problem," Lin Fu frowned and said, "If we want to fish in troubled waters, we cannot let the forces of the Hongzepu water village lure Qin Chengbo into the depths of Hongzepu.
To carry out the robbery, it is best to alert the enemy after Qin Chengbo enters Luoyang Lake, so that no matter whether we can succeed or not, we can retreat to the mouth of the river branch as quickly as possible."
"It's easy to alert the snake. Qingyang Gang in the northwest has a sentry post to guard against rogue bandits. We only need to randomly choose a point farther along this line to burn beacon fire and send out smoke to pretend to be bandits. Qin who enter Luoyang Lake can be alerted.
Uncle Cheng was surprised that he could force the forces of Hongzepu Water Village to attack Luoyang Lake early," Cao Zi'ang said, "But even fishing in the troubled waters of Luoyang Lake is still not easy..."
Qin Chengbo has more than a thousand servants, including four to five hundred elite warriors. If the Hongzepu families want to successfully rob the Qin family, they will secretly gather no less than two or three thousand people. Of course, they must gather in advance.
It is not an easy task to have more manpower and prevent the government from being aware of it. In addition, Shen Rong has hidden an elite force in Shiliang County. According to Liu Xilin, there are almost a thousand people. Even with the current situation in Hongzepu,
It is very likely that Shen Rong deliberately connived, but Qin Chengbo was robbed at Luoyang Lake, and the people from Shiliang County did not dare not come to the rescue. Among the more than a thousand elites, there were not many cavalry, and most of them were infantry, but
You can quickly enter Luoyang Lake for rescue by boat from the old river of Shiliang River. The waterway from Shiliang County to Luoyang Lake is only more than 30 miles, and you can get there in less than two hours.
Lin Fu only had fifty men at his disposal. Although he could enter Luoyang Lake in the name of rescue after Qin Chengbo was robbed, it was really not easy to get enough benefits from it.
Lin Fu didn't necessarily want to get involved in fishing in troubled waters, but the temptation was so great that it was still necessary to come and wait and see the situation and make some preparations in advance.
Zhou Pu, who was watching at the stern of the boat, came over barefoot and said, "You can't stay here for long. The lake looks calm, but the people on the fishing boats at the entrance of Nanhu Lake and the east look more wary. It should be the fishing boats in Hongzepu Water Village."
The spy who came out will arouse their vigilance if we stay any longer..."
"Let's go to the city." Lin Fu nodded and said, indicating to the two people manning the oar at the stern to turn back and head to the mouth of the old branch of the Shiliang River, and punt from the old river channel to Shiliang County.
After the fishermen and boat owners who had been gathering together for months to resist the donation dispersed at the beginning of the month, the surface of Luoyang Lake has now returned to calm. There are even government sentry boats patrolling the lake. There are also boat owners fishing and salvaging aquatic plants nearby.
There are still some people cutting pigeon poles on the grass bank, and occasionally merchant ships are seen passing by. There are also a few buffalo with brown fur lying in the shallow water by the lake, and a group of wild ducks swim across the water not far in front of the ship.
——Those who don’t lie to the truth, seeing such a peaceful atmosphere, would think that Hongzepo has returned to the peaceful and prosperous age.
Zhou Pu picked up the bamboo poles to punt the boat. In addition to Lin Fu and the other five people standing outside the cabin pretending to be boatmen, there were six people wearing armor and hiding in the narrow cabin just in case. The boat turned around and sailed into the old Shiliang River.
Along the river, Lin Fu, Cao Ziang, and Ge Cunxin squatted on the bow of the boat to measure the water depth.
It’s no wonder that a new river channel had to be dug. The old river channel looked very wide, but the deepest point in the center of the river channel was only seven or eight feet deep. Even the empty ship Dongyang could only barely pass through, and a sharp-bottomed cannon with a deep draft could easily cut through the shallow water.
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"It will be easy to stop Shen Rong's hidden officers and soldiers in Shiliang County from rescuing Luoyang Lake. The water flow in this river is very slow. We can choose the right time to sink an open boat filled with sand and gravel at the shallowest part of the river.
The river can be temporarily closed... Hongzepu Water Village will definitely hope to lure Uncle Qin Cheng into the depths of Hongzepu before taking action. They may not make preparations here, so we have to do a thorough job for them," Cao Ziang said, "The government army was
Abandoning the boat and landing to rush to the Luoyang Lake, and recruiting another boat to go into the lake for rescue, is not something that can be done in a short while. The timing for letting Qin Chengbo enter Luoma Lake is also very important, and it is best to do it at
After dark, it is most convenient to communicate with lights, and it is also most convenient to fish in troubled waters at night."
Cao Ziang, like Qin Chengzu, was thoughtful and good at strategy. Lin Fu noticed that there was an opportunity to fish in muddy water in Hongzepu, so he immediately sent a message to Cao Ziang and Zhou Pu to come together. His insights were indeed extraordinary.
"So, you are 30 to 50 sure about catching fish in the muddy water." Lin Fu looked at how far away from Luoyang Lake he stood up and stretched, and said with a smile, "Let's rush to the county first.
Return from here and explore the waterway again. Even if Uncle Qin Cheng wants to go north by Shiliang River, it will only take three to five days, which is enough for us to do some tricks in advance."
"..." Cao Zi'ang smiled. They had been bandits on the Huaihe River for nearly ten years. They had eaten with their heads in the air and were not afraid of taking risks. They really didn't want to let go of such a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters. Lin Fu's style suited everyone very well.
meaning.
Lin Fu stood on the bow of the boat and looked at the rolling hills and mountains in the west of Shiliang County. The winter jasmine flowers on both sides of the bank were blooming like gold. There were no boats on the river and no one was on the shore. He went into the cabin and changed his clothes, and left from Luoyang.
The barefoot boatman in the lake turned into a distinguished gentleman in green shirt again, and Zhou Pu, Cao Zi'ang, Ge Cunxin, etc. all changed into retinue attire.
There is a waterway of more than 30 miles from Luoma Lake to Shiliang County. After sailing against the current for nearly two hours, Lin Fu sailed into the moat at the time when the sun was hanging over the eaves of the city tower, and parked the boat at the pier outside the north gate of the county seat and disembarked.
Because he had to hold a banquet at a county restaurant to entertain Liang Zuoren, Lu Dongyang, Chen Ling and other officials, Lin Fu did not delay after landing and walked directly towards the north gate.
When checking their identity at the North City Gate, Lin Fu learned from the primary school guarding the city gate that Liang Zuoren had sent people waiting for them outside the East City Gate for a long time. Not long after Lin Fu and the others entered the city from the North Gate, they saw Liang Zuoren, Lu Dongyang, and Chen
Ling and other officials from Shiliang County welcomed him out.
"Ah, Mr. Liang, where are you going..." Lin Fu asked pretending to be surprised.
"I didn't expect that Lin Xiandi was really in high spirits. He said, 'You can enjoy the spring scenery by boat at the end of spring, and the spring breeze should not be cold on your face.' But I waited at the east gate eagerly for a long time. After a while, Lin Xiandi had to punish himself with three glasses of wine to pass the test.
." Liang Zuoren came over and took Lin Fu's arm affectionately. He knew that although Lin Fu was from Shiliang County, he didn't know much about the officials in the county, so he stood on the street and introduced everyone behind him to Lin Fu.
In addition to many officials from the county, many celebrities and gentry from the county also came, including Xiao Yigui, the father of Liu Yue'er's deceased husband.
Liang Zuoren was still born as a Jinshi and had been an official for ten years. He was a seventh-rank official in Shiliang County. In terms of identity and status, he was much higher than Lin Fu, who was born in the third rank and was only a ninth-rank scholar. However,
The real power system is not simply based on these superficial positions and origins. The so-called seventh-grade official of the prime minister's family, Lin Fu, is the most popular confidant under Gu Wuchen's family, but what he actually shares is that Gu Wuchen serves as the deputy inspector, Chu
The power of the new upstart in the Party means that not many people in Jiangning City would offend him. Liang Zuoren now realizes that giving the Xiao family's wife to the Gu family as a cook was a bad move and offended Mrs. Gu, even though Gu Wuchen still misses him.
Liang Zuoren wanted to redeem himself, so he naturally wanted to be affectionate to Lin Fu. Although greeting him in the street was a bit abrupt, it was not too much.
"Is this Mr. Xiao?" When Liang Zuoren introduced Xiao Yigui, Lin Fuzuo said with surprise, "I'll give Mr. Xiao a few more glasses of wine later..."
The scandal of the little widow of the Xiao family being eaten by Lin Fu, with her skin and flesh in her belly, has spread throughout the county, which has humiliated the Xiao family. Xiao Yigui endured it for a long time. Before noon, Lin Fu sent someone to send him a greeting card. After he sent the person away, he
He tore up the greeting card and was naturally very reluctant to attend the evening banquet. Liang Zuoren asked the county administrator Chen Ling to come to the house to invite him in person, so Xiao Yigui had to bite the bullet and come out.
When Lin Fu said this, everyone else smiled, but Xiao Yigui could only say in a low voice: "I don't dare to take it, I don't dare to take it..."
The Xiao family is also very powerful in Shiliang County and has made a fortune in the silk and cloth business. In the county, there are three silk cloth shops in Dongyang Fucheng, and they have tens of millions of furniture. They can be considered a wealthy family in Jiangning City.
Although the Xiao family is a businessman, they still attach great importance to family tradition and encourage their nephews to study. If they want to get into a scholarly family, they have to take the honor of the women in the family seriously. At first, they resented Liu Yue'er for killing her son just ten days after they got married.
They drove her back to her parents' home, but they refused to allow her to remarry and disgrace the Xiao family's family tradition. The county magistrate Liang Zuoren wanted to give the young lady to Gu Wuchen as a concubine, and the Xiao family didn't dare to let her go.
In the face of power, no one in the county dared to complain, but who would have thought that Gu Wuchen would change hands and give the young lady to his disciple Lin Fu? This became the laughing stock of the Xiao family in Shiliang County.
Shiliang County and Jiangning Prefecture are close to each other, and boats and cars come and go. Any news spreads quickly. Lin Fu's reputation for being domineering in Jiangning also spread in Shiliang County. At first, Xiao Yigui thought of killing Liu Yue'er.
He came back to honor his dead son. Gradually, Lin Fu's reputation became more and more vicious. Xiao Yigui wanted to put things to rest. After all, Liu Yuer was introduced to the Gu family as a cook by Liang Zuoren, and she was also acting as a cook around Lin Fu.
, Xiao Yigui won't win even if he wants to sue. At least he will have to wait until there is conclusive evidence that Liu Yue'er is pregnant.
Xiao Yigui also had an attitude of delaying the matter for a day. Lin Fu openly came to ask for Liu Yue'er's reputation, and he became a little angry.
Normally, Lin Fu, a ninth-grade scholar, could only travel with two bodyguards. Seeing that the eight strong men behind Lin Fu were all carrying swords, Lin Fu's words meant that Liu Yue'er would be killed tonight.
Even though Xiao Yigui was furious that he wanted to take her as a concubine after the status issue was resolved, he did not dare to show it. The county administrator Chen Ling came to the house to persuade him to attend the banquet tonight.
Gu Wuchen's appointment as Jiangdong's Inspector-General is imminent. Although the Xiao family has some influence in Shiliang County, Lin Fu will attack the Xiao family in the future. If Liang Zuoren cooperates a little, the life of the Xiao family will be difficult. They all say that "the family is ruined"
"County Magistrate, Broken House Magistrate", Lin Fu was trusted by Gu Wuchen, and his power was not weaker than "Broken House County Magistrate". Chen Ling asked Xiao Yigui to prepare the document "Liu Yue'er came down from the Xiao family" in advance, rather than bite the bullet
It is better to use this to make peace with him. Although Xiao Yigui was indignant, he also felt that Chen Ling was right. No matter what he did at this time, he could not defeat Lin Fu. He also wrote the "going to court" document at home.
At this time, Lin Fu bluntly hinted at the matter of status, and the county people snickered after hearing this. Xiao Yigui was aroused and hesitated. Chen Ling, the county registrar, glanced at Xiao Yigui's face and walked away calmly.
He came to his side, pinched him with his fingers, and said in a coaxing and frightening voice: "Your Xiao family is not very kind to the Liu family's daughter. Your son is critically ill in bed. Marrying the Liu family's daughter is just for happiness. It's for happiness."
Things that are mutually exclusive cannot be reconciled, and you, the Xiao family, cannot blame others for their tough lives. The Xiao family drove the Liu family's daughter back to her parents' home, and the Liu family was very resentful. If they really wanted to pursue it, I'm afraid it would be detrimental to your Xiao family. You
If it drags on to a showdown between Lin Fu and the Xiao family to demand the document, I'm afraid things will be in trouble. Who in the county will speak for you then?"
Regardless of whether Gu Wuchen is an upstart of the Chu Party or not, it is true that he is from Dongyang Prefecture. If Gu Wuchen becomes powerful, he will always help the Dongyang Township Party. Chen Ling is from Hengshan, Dongyang. He was born with Jinshi in the third year of Chongguan. He is not as good as Lin Fuyou.
Such a good opportunity, and no distinguished family background. After three years of studying abroad, I was only awarded the position of chief registrar of Jiupin County. I am considered a miserable one among my colleagues. No matter how bad the others are, they can always sneak into the Eighth Grade County.
Cheng. At present, the Chu Party has gained power in the court. Gu Wuchen, a member of the Dongyang Township Party and the son-in-law of Chu Party leader Tang Haoxin, is rapidly rising in the officialdom. Chen Ling does not want to miss this opportunity. He has no chance to curry favor with Gu Wuchen. Lin Fuwuqian faction
When someone sent him a greeting card and talked about the Liu family's daughter, he had to do it with all his heart.
Xiao Yigui saw that Liang Zuoren was so fawning over Lin Fu, a little ninth-grade scholar, and knew that the Xiao family was not qualified to fight like a pig farmer at this time, so he sighed and wrote the "Notice to the Hall" that he had written long ago.
"Secretly handed it to Chen Ling and said: "So what if I just let this guy succeed for the time being? I'd like Mr. Chen to do the hard work for you. I'll prepare some wine at home tomorrow. Mr. Chen, don't refuse..."
When entering the restaurant, Lin Fu took the "Xitang Book" secretly handed by Chen Ling, opened it, read it, put it in his arms, and said a few good words to Chen Ling. He came to the county this time mainly for the "Xitang Book"
"Book" came. With this piece of paper, Liu Yue'er's heart knot can be relieved, and he can observe the situation in Shiliang County again. After drinking wine at night, carefully observing the demeanor of Liang Zuoren and the officials in the county, he really relaxed.
At the banquet, everyone talked about the fishermen's gathering to resist donations in the past few months, and they were all very angry and wanted the government to investigate and punish them and kill them as a warning to others. They did not realize that the crisis in Hongzepu had actually reached a critical level.
After drinking, Lin Fu said goodbye and left the county. Although the city had been closed for a long time, and Liang Zuoren was there to see them off, it was natural for Lin Fu and the others to leave the city. Lin Fu boarded the boat at the dock outside the north gate, and Crow Wu Qi was also waiting on the boat.
They had only spent more than a day, and Wu Qi and his spies had no chance to go deep into the depths of Hongzepo. However, when checking the situation from the southwest coast of Hongzepo, the observed signs were quite consistent with Lin Fu's speculation. At this time, it should be believed that the fishermen on Hongzepo,
The boat owners have gathered together to protest against the donation for several months. The Hongzepu water village forces, fishermen and boat gang leaders have secretly united to plan for big things.
Lin Fu and the others took a river boat from Jiuhe to Luoyang Lake to check the situation and get familiar with the waterway again. The stars and moonlight were very weak at night, so there was no need to cover them. Before entering Luoyang Lake, Lin Fu asked Wu Qi and the others to
Get off the boat and ask them to lurk at the mouth of the river branch to monitor the boats that sneak into the Shiliang River from Luoyang Lake.
The forces of Hongzepu allied together to prey on Uncle Qin Cheng. They would first send a large number of people and boats to sneak into the Shiliang River. After luring Uncle Qin Cheng into the river, these boats would block his retreat from behind. Lin Fu and the others wanted to enter Luoyang Lake.
Fishing in troubled waters, in order to prevent the escape route from being blocked, it is necessary to identify in advance which boats sent by the Hongzepu water village forces into the Shiliang River, whether there are special signs, and whether the boatmen have special identifiable attire, so that Lin Fu and the others can enter the Luo River.
The boats and hands used to fish in the troubled waters of Yanghu Lake are camouflaged.