This year's winter in Quanzhou is colder than in previous years, and the sea water appears increasingly clear. The sea area east of Xixia Island in Xunpu, Quanzhou, seems to be carved from dark blue gems in the faint morning light.
.
Xixia Island is a small island east of Quanzhou City. After Huaidong closed the sea, all the fishermen on the island were forced to evacuate, leaving only the lonely island mountain standing in the cold sea water.
Song Bo was wearing a green robe, standing on the bow of the ship, his face turned blue by the cold sea breeze, looking eagerly to the southwest. If a ship came, it would appear from that direction first.
No one has ever thought that Ding Taixiang's shopkeeper is actually Huaidong's secret agent in Quanzhou City. Three days ago, he brought Song Jia's handwritten letter to the door to ask for an audience. He mentioned that he would return to his parents' home today - Quanzhou City is not completely controlled by the Song family.
, Song Jia’s whereabouts must not be leaked. When Song Bo was in Chongzhou, he met his sister and knew that the handwriting would not be fake, so he took his people out to sea before dawn to pick up his sister and bring her to Quanzhou.
Even though there are only three or five people on this ship who know the purpose of this voyage, the other boatmen are old men loyal to the Song Dynasty. After this incident, they will be closely monitored to prevent the news from leaking.
The first glow appeared in the sky, and the three Jiyun-class warships from Huaidong were heading here like arrows. Song Bo was calm and calm, but Song Yi, who followed Song Bo to sea, had sweaty palms - the news about Song Jia in Chongzhou,
Song Bo and his father never disclosed to any third party that even the She family would never admit that Song Jia and Aunt She Mingyue were captured in Chongzhou. Ordinary Song family members thought that the eldest lady drowned after her boat capsized on her way back to Jiangning.
Death.
Suddenly a handwriting came from Huaidong, and Song Bo did not explain the matter clearly. Song Yi naturally suspected that the so-called "handwriting" was a trap set by Huaidong. Watching the three Huaidong warships approaching like arrows,
Naturally, his palms became sweaty, and he subconsciously placed his hand on the saber at his waist.
Song Bo signaled everyone to be calm and wait patiently for Huaidong's warship to approach.
"You are going to sea to welcome distinguished guests." A warship was approaching and a captain on the deck asked.
"Song Bo has been waiting here for a long time." Song Bo said in a loud voice.
The warship did not respond. It signaled to the rear ship and slid to the left wing. The rear warship lowered a small boat and four boatmen rowed it towards this side. There was a scholar in blue robe standing at the bow. Even though
Even from a distance, Song Bo could recognize that it was his sister who was disguised as a man. Thinking of everything that happened after the separation in Chongzhou, his eyes were filled with tears.
Song Jia had never thought that she would be able to land in Eastern Fujian so early. She climbed up on the rope ladder and was very excited. When she saw her cousin Song Yi reaching out his hand, she smiled sweetly and said, "Xiao Yi has grown up!"
Several sons of the Song clan on the ship were sure that their eldest sister was back, and they all suppressed their excitement. Although it was taboo for the She family to know that the Song family was in private contact with Huaidong, it was definitely better than letting the She family know that Song Jia had come from Chongzhou.
It is better to return.
"Sister, after so many years of separation, how is everything in Chongzhou?" Song Bo welcomed his sister into the cabin, and then started chatting about his feelings of separation.
"Everything is fine, how is father?" Song Jia said, her voice choked with tears. Everything was fine in Chongzhou, but her family was always on her mind.
"It's okay, it's okay. Although I have a lot of things to worry about, I am more leisurely than before after all," Song Bo paused for a moment and chatted about his family's family affairs, without asking why Song Jia chose to return to Quanzhou at this time.
The ship landed at Xunpu Pier. The carriages and horses had been prepared on the shore. Song Bo and his sister got into the carriage. Surrounded by the sons of the Song Dynasty, they rode towards Quanzhou City in the morning light.
In addition to the government residence in Quanzhou City, the Song family built a fort on Qingyuan Mountain in the north of Quanzhou City. Cars and horses drove along the mountain road to Qingyuan Fort.
Qingyuan Mountain is only seven or eight miles away from Quanzhou City and is 150 to 600 feet high. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack due to the terrain. It and Quanzhou City are at the horns of each other.
Although Quanzhou is cold, the climate is always much warmer than that of Xu Si. Even though it is the depth of winter, the forest trees in the mountains are still full of green. Song Jia opened the curtains and looked out the window at the familiar scenery of Eastern Fujian. She could also occasionally see the mountains and forests.
He asked Song Bo, "How hard has it been for my father in Quanzhou in the past two years?"
"What else can we do? Huaidong is closed to the sea, and 30 miles off the coast of Quanzhou is nothing. How can we not work hard?" Song Bo said bitterly.
War has always been cruel, and Huainan troops and horses on the southeastern front will not give up the harassment and scorched-earth strategy on the Quanzhou coast just because they have a tacit understanding with the Song family. The so-called tacit understanding means that Quanzhou troops and horses withdraw within thirty miles from the coast, and Huainan troops
Dong's intrusion was controlled within a depth of thirty miles - only in this way can the She family be brought to account.
Quanzhou has a rare offshore plain in eastern Fujian, but it has many mountains and few fields. Taking into account the five counties under Quanzhou's jurisdiction, there are nearly 10 million acres of mountainous land, but only more than one million acres of flat fields under its jurisdiction.
Flat fields are easily accessible for water conservancy and have the greatest farming value. In addition, Quanzhou has a mild climate and more than one million acres of flat fields offshore. It is the core grain-producing area of Quanzhou. As the war deepens, the land thirty miles offshore has become a buffer zone for the war.
There are very few flat fields left that can be used for farming. Words cannot express the heavy losses.
Seeing that Song Bo, the legitimate son of the Song family, was wearing homespun robes, Song Jia sighed softly and said, "I hope the war can end soon and bring peace to the people!"
"How easy can it be?" Song Bo smiled bitterly and said, "General Yuzhang surrendered to She Feixiong!"
"Ah!" Song Jia was slightly startled. She took a boat directly from Shanyin to the south. After arriving at Yizhou, she contacted the Song family through hidden stakes. She didn't know about the fall of Yuzhang on Yizhou Island. Of course, the She family
The news of the capture of Yuzhang could be spread from Shanguan Road to eastern Fujian much faster than passing through Jiangzhou, Jiangning, and then from Chongzhou to Yizhou.
When boarding the ship from Shanyang, given the situation at that time, the fall of Yuzhang was bound to happen sooner or later. More than half a month had passed. When Song Jia heard the news of the fall of Yuzhang, she was only slightly startled. After thinking about it, her face returned to normal. See
He looked at Song Bo and said with a smile: "So, my father doesn't welcome my daughter back to her parents' home?"
"Father didn't say anything. The day before yesterday, your handwriting was sent to Quanzhou City, and his old man came to live in this mountain." Song Bo said.
"The three elders are still in good health, uncle, and fourth uncle, are they all in Quanzhou?" Song Jia asked. The next thing to discuss will determine the life and death of the Song family, and will also determine the fate of the Song family for hundreds of years. Obviously it is not her.
The family can decide.
"My father lived in the mountains and never met anyone," Song Bo said.
Song Jia glanced at her younger brother and asked, "Don't you think I should come back at this time?"
Song Bo sighed softly and said, "Father has to decide everything."
Song Jia sighed softly. Although the She family suffered successive setbacks in eastern Zhejiang, the war in Jiangxi was unusually smooth. The She family did not look like they were dying. For ordinary people, it was indeed a difficult choice.
Qingyuan Fort was built in a closed valley, hidden among the mountains and forests. Going up the mountain road, you can't see how big the Qingyuan Fort is. But as the heavy copper-clad gate slowly opened, it slowly opened.
Revealing the extremely deep and wide interior layout.
The carriage drove in quietly, and Song Yi led the soldiers to stop outside the fort gate. He only saw the steep fort gate once, and then the soldiers were about to return to Quanzhou City.
Song Bo led Song Jia through the halls, stopped in front of an elegant house in the inner house, and said: "To build Qingyuan Castle, my father still insisted on preparing this small courtyard for my sister in the house, saying that my sister would come back one day.
Live, every New Year, I prepare a set of clothes for my sister that she likes to wear..."
Song Jia walked into the small courtyard alone. There was a patch of green bamboo planted in the corner of the courtyard. She pushed the door open and opened the closet. There were several sets of clothes for all seasons neatly stacked inside. For many years, she felt like an abandoned child. Today, her hand
Touching these clothes, Song Jia couldn't help but shed tears. After a long time, she took off her Confucian shirt and walked out.
Song Bo had been standing guard outside the courtyard gate and led Song Jia to the back garden in the northwest corner.
The servants in the left and right courtyards were temporarily dismissed. The deserted garden seemed particularly deserted in the cold morning. The sound of every step could be heard clearly. Seeing her father's familiar background in the corner pavilion of the garden, Song Jia's eyes were filled with tears.
With tears streaming down her face, she knelt on the ground and shouted, "The unfilial daughter has seen her father!"
"What an unfilial daughter! Taking King Qin as the plank road and east Zhejiang as the Chencang is really your work. With a daughter like this, I, as a father, feel like a waste!" Song Fu turned around slowly
Come, there is no sadness or joy on his face, and he directly brings the topic to the war in eastern Zhejiang.
Before Huaidong marched to Mingzhou with the strategy of attacking the east and attacking the west, She Fei Xiong was in full swing in Fuyang and was about to invade Hanghu and directly threaten Jiangning. However, in the war in eastern Zhejiang, the Zhejiang and Fujian troops on the eastern front seemed to have lost their momentum. The entire situation
Things took a turn for the worse, and the successive defeats in the Yongjia and Kuaiji battles put the Zhejiang and Fujian armies in danger of collapse on the eastern front.
It can be said that East Zhejiang was the most critical battle for the Zhejiang and Fujian armies to turn from prosperity to decline.
Song Jia didn't feel the coldness of the brick floor, knelt on the ground, and said: "The situation is, the so-called firewood stove, the plan is not the icing on the cake, Huaidong has long been capable of transporting 100,000 troops to land and fight by sea, even if my daughter didn't say anything
,How can the war in eastern Zhejiang be avoided?"
"You haven't changed your sharp teeth and sharp mouth at all," Song Fu flicked his broad sleeves and said, "Please stand up and speak. Now the Song family dares to embarrass your daughter, who has stiff wings?"
"My daughter really wants to force her father when she comes back this time," Song Jia said, still kneeling on the ground. "It's true that the She family has gained power in Jiangxi today, but Huaidong has the intention of driving away tigers and devouring wolves, and my father will not fail to understand.
"
Song Bo took a deep breath and asked, "Huaidong had long expected that the She family would break through from the western front, and did he deliberately allow it?"
"It's not intentional," Song Jia said with a bitter smile, "Huaidong's troops were indeed restrained on the northern front and unable to escape, but Huaidong was not afraid of losing both sides and was capable of attacking Dongyang when the She family was advancing westward...