The boat was sailing on the river, and the blue smoke over Yangluo Fort could still be seen, although it was already the third day, the embers were still not extinguished. However, this battle gave a great shock to the Yuan army in the city, not only did they not dare to send reinforcements during the shelling, but even now they still did not dare to send warships to inspect, and there was not a single warship to be seen on the river. It's just that a few fishing boats cast nets on the river to catch fish, haunting the storm.

Zhao Yu ordered the dragon boat to move slowly along the river, Ezhou City was built along the river, the direction of facing the river was the west of the city, outside the Pinghu Gate, a long embankment was built to block the river, and the embankment was planted with willows. Because of the embankment along the river and lake, the traffic is convenient, the terrain is high and cool, with the increase of the embankment, widening and the improvement of quality, the embankment not only becomes the traffic artery, and even the residence is located, a large number of ordinary people live along the line can be said to be accompanied by the long causeway and the long street, or the long causeway is the long street, this situation is not uncommon in the cities along the river.

The river outside the city is wide, and Ezhou City is an important military town since ancient times, stationed heavy soldiers, and the required grain and grass need to be transported from the Yangtze River water, so there is a port, which is not only for merchant ships to come and go, but also for warships to go out of the river for drills, and has built a pavilion and a tax kiosk to usher in. Zhao Yu found that the lower reaches of the Hanjiang River at this time were scattered, and the main stream was probably the south of the Hanyang Guishan in the later generations into the Yangtze River, and Xiakou was not the Hankou of today's Wuhan City, but should be in the Hanyang area.

"Wang Meng, I heard that Wuchang fish is very delicious, you send a boat to see if the fishermen on the river have a harvest, go buy some to taste, don't scare them!" After surveying the terrain in the west of the city, it was already noon, Zhao Yu ordered the boat to be parked in the place where the water on the left side of the river was slow, and suddenly remembered that this was a place rich in Wuchang fish, so he asked him to buy it.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Meng agreed, and ordered a dragon boat to leave the formation to buy fish.

"Hehe, Your Majesty is deep to his subordinates, and they can all regard them as friends, no wonder the whole army says that Your Majesty is easy to get along with!" The three of them sat down and someone brought tea, and Xie Fang smiled and said.

"Hehe, I have been in the army since I was a child, and some of the guards around me have been following me for many years, they are conscientious and do not hesitate to protect each other with their lives, I have long been like brothers with them, and I am more casual in private!" Zhao Hao said with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

In this era, due to the special importance of etiquette, in fact, it is very impolite to call him by his name, and as a modern person, Zhao Yu was very ugly when he first arrived, but fortunately, he covered up the past at a young age. However, I gradually understood that in interpersonal communication, peers call each other words, which is considered to be a sign of politeness. When writing letters or calling from the bottom to the top, the humble to the honorable can be called the word, but it must not be named, especially the name of the monarch or his parents and elders, and he cannot even mention it, otherwise it is "great disrespect" or "great rebellion".

The first name is generally used as a humble title, a humble title, or a title of upper to lower, long to less. In most cases, it is considered offensive to refer to someone or to be called by their first name. Among peers, the word is generally addressed on a more formal occasion, or for a person who is more respectful and has an average personal relationship, which is generally very formal. And for your best friends, you can call them by their first names. Think about it, are you and your best friend also very casual, and don't shy away from calling nicknames?

The relationship between Zhao Yu and his guards is that of superiors and subordinates, but it doesn't matter much if he calls him by his name in private, but today it seems inappropriate to call him by his name in front of his courtiers. Fortunately, there was no one else, and his explanation was reasonable, but it was still quite embarrassing, making people feel that they didn't understand etiquette and seemed frivolous.

"Your Majesty, the eastern city of Ezhou is easy to defend and difficult to attack, what about the west and south of the city?" Wen Tianxiang didn't think about it so much, and pointed to the map on a few and said.

"I thought it was not easy to use troops in the south of the city." Zhao Hao's finger swiped in the south of the city.

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that the causeway in the south of the city stretches for several miles, and the span from north to south is at least five miles, and the enemy army is mostly stationed in the north-east of the city. The defense in the south of the city is relatively weak, and now with the help of the naval army, it is possible to break the city here. Wen Tianxiang objected.

"I have just seen that the dwellings in the embankment in the south of Ezhou City are dense, the population density is very large, and it is almost integrated with the main city. The residents are mainly businessmen, and a large number of bamboo and wood goods are piled up in the open air, which is very prone to fires. Although the north-south span is large, it is difficult to deploy troops due to the dense concentration of civilian houses, the range of artillery support by the naval army is insufficient, and the failure of rockets to fall into civilian houses will cause fires, and it is inevitable that there will be a large number of casualties among the people, which is not conducive to stabilizing people's minds in the future. Zhao Yu said.

"Your Majesty's words are true." Xie Fangde took over and said, "According to local history, in November of the fourth year of Chunxi, Xinyou, the southern city of Ezhou was on fire, the storm was blowing, and there were more than 1,000 burnt houses; In August of the fourth year of Jiatai, the fire in Wainan City, Ezhou, burned more than 500 houses. In another fire, thousands of rooms were burned in Nanshi, all passenger boats were embered, and thousands of people were drowned! ”

"Guangzong Shaoxi in December of the third year, Ezhou fire, as for Yisi, there are 800 burnt houses, and there are no curtains in the market. Because Ezhou is narrow and crowded, there are few burial places, near the city gaps, the remains are overlapped, and many coffins are placed on it, and the soil is covered elsewhere. Those who are poor and powerless, or who have passed a little time, are on the verge of being exposed, and those who pass by are compassionate. In the eight years of the main road, there was a matter of saying to the divisions, so he donated money to pay the monks of Shengyuan Temple, and the utensils were burned. First unveil Qu Road, Xu flesh and blood self-presentation, for the enlightenment, and hide it, with the surname of the book outside. If there is no owner's name, then in order to return to the Buddha's treasure, all cremated, cast the remaining bones in the river. The number of them is innumerable. It can be seen that the losses and casualties are huge! ”

"At that time, Ezhou was known as 100,000 households, and forty percent were in Nancheng Grass City, which is true." Wen Tianxiang nodded and acquiesced, acquiescing to what His Majesty said.

"Then our army can only break through the city from the east!" Xie Ao said.

"Compared with the four cities, it is convenient to arrange troops outside the eastern city, but the width of the moat is more than ten zhang, and the edge of the city is only less than three zhang, even if it crosses the moat, it is difficult to gain a foothold, and it is difficult for artillery to implement effective support during the attack. Moreover, most of the enemy army was stationed in the east of the city, which was convenient for reinforcements, and it was inevitable that there would be heavy casualties under the strong attack. But it's not the best place. Zhao Yu said.

"The north city is surrounded by lakes, does Your Majesty want to follow the example of the Battle of Quanzhou and go directly to the city with a naval army?" Wen Tianxiang thought for a while.

"Ezhou is not as good as Quanzhou, there are nearly 50,000 soldiers here, there are only more than 10,000 soldiers in Quanzhou, relying on the gondola to transport troops to the city is too slow, it is difficult to seize the foothold under the heavy interception, and the water by the lake is shallow, and there is no tide to help rise, I am afraid that it is difficult for the warship to get close to the city." Zhao Yu thought for a while.

"Your Majesty doesn't want to break the city from the west of the city, does it?" After talking for a long time, the four city walls were vetoed by the little emperor on three sides, Wen Tianxiang pondered and asked.

"Wen Xiang also thinks that it is feasible to break the city from the west of the city?" Zhao Yu said excitedly when he heard this.

"Huh? Right! Wen Tianxiang was stunned when he heard this, thinking that there was only Chengxi left, not too, and he could only respond vaguely.

"Wenxiang, that's what I think. Inside the western city is the station of the government office and the yamen of the various divisions, from here to attack the city to avoid hurting the people; In addition, the embankment outside the west of the city is less than a mile, which is outside the range of the enemy's bows and arrows on the city, but the inside of the city is under the coverage of rockets, which can effectively kill and injure the enemy; In addition, the causeway is leveled with our medium-sized warships, so that we can land in port while the enemy is evading, and take the city gate. Zhao Yu said his plan.

"Your Majesty, the minister is not good at military affairs, but the minister thinks it is feasible. In the first battle of Yangluo Fort, the enemy's more than 10,000 naval troops were wiped out by rockets before they could fight, but they were afraid that they had already been frightened, and once the artillery was covered, they were afraid that the explosion would run in all directions. Wen Tianxiang nodded.

"Hehe, did Your Majesty already think of this section when he bombarded Yangluo Fort, so as to deter the enemy army and want to win without a fight!" Xie Fang smiled and said.

"Hehe, I had this intention at the beginning, but it is not mature at present, and it needs to be considered." Zhao Hao laughed dryly twice, scratching his scalp and said.

"Your Majesty, please!" Wen Tianxiang said.

"First, it is not clear where the Xicheng Cangqiao is located. Now we have tens of thousands of soldiers here, and the materials need to be transferred from everywhere, which not only costs the people and money, but also has not completely entered the warehouse this autumn, and the money and food are tight. Ezhou has always been a place for material turnover in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the enemy's general consulate is also located here, so there must be a large amount of money and grain here, although it is not enough, but it can also solve the urgent need; Although the number of people living in the west of the city is smaller than that in the south of the city, the population is dense, and there is no good plan on how to avoid damage during the siege. Zhao Yu said.

"Your Majesty, but the Ezhou official Cangchen knows." Xie Fangde pointed to the map and said, "Ezhou relies on water transportation for money and grain, so the official warehouses are all in the west of the city, located around the state government, Taicang is in the south, Zhengcang is under the northwest mountain, and the military warehouse is in the south!" ”

"Okay, then we'll try to avoid falling within this range during shelling." Zhao Yu used charcoal to draw a circle in the northwest and central part of the city map.

"Your Majesty, we can use the method of shooting a book to inform the people inside and outside the city that the siege is imminent, and if you want to live, you must evacuate quickly. Otherwise, the sword and gun have no eyes, the water and fire are ruthless, and the casualties are at your own risk! Xie Ao said.

"Well, that's good. But we also want to inform the people that we will erect a pontoon bridge in the south of the city, and remove the siege and let the people leave, but only for two days! Zhao Yu nodded, and stretched out two fingers to add.

"Your Majesty, in this case, I am afraid that the enemy army will take the opportunity to escape from the city, or take the opportunity to sneak attack!" Wen Tianxiang said.

"Wouldn't it be good for those who were officials to run away, how can the dragons be demoralized and have no fighting spirit without a leader, but it will be beneficial for us to attack the city, and if they want to escape, they can still fly across the river! It is not easy for them to make trouble, and the passage we have opened up can strengthen the vigilance, guide them to retreat into the designated area, and at the same time set up guards to investigate, and those with weapons will be taken down, and those who resist will be killed on the spot! Zhao Yu said.

"The minister thought that he could also carry out a feint attack in Chen Dong to attract the enemy's attention and help the west of the city to fight down!" Wen Tianxiang said.

"Well, one positive and one strange, echoing each other, making it difficult for the enemy to figure out the truth and reality!" Zhao Hao nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty, the fish has been bought, how to eat it!" At this time, Wang Meng entered the cabin and asked.

"How much did you buy?" Zhao Hao asked first.

"Your Majesty, I bought all the boats on the river, which amounted to six or seven hundred catties, and the fishermen were so happy that they couldn't close their mouths, so they only asked us to buy them later!" Wang Meng replied with a smile.

"Are they all Wuchang fish?" Zhao Hao asked again.

"Your Majesty, if it is something in the sea, the subordinates can still recognize it, but the river is not clear, but the fishermen say that they are all Wuchang fish!" Wang Meng said with a bitter face.

"Hehe, I don't know, just eat it as a Wuchang fish!" Zhao Hao smiled and said, "I heard that this Wuchang fish is the freshest steamed, so we will steam two of them, and the rest is stewed, steamed, or boiled in soup, all of which are up to you." Remember that the fish only needs about two catties, the scales and internal organs should be removed, the flower knife should be played, coated with a layer of lard, and a little refined salt, Shao wine, ginger slices, green onions, and mushrooms can be put into the steamer and steamed on the fire for a quarter of an hour! ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Wang Meng saluted out of the cabin and ordered the fire army to go and cook.

"Alas, this fisherman had better tell the truth, otherwise we won't know what Wuchang fish tastes like when we eat it!" Xie Fang sighed lightly and smiled.

"Eh, Your Majesty Chrysostom said, the right to eat the Wuchang fish, this fish will be this name in the future, who dares to say that we have never tasted it!" Xie Ao said.

"I can't count these words, I can't do that thing that refers to a deer as a horse!" Zhao Yu hurriedly waved his hand and said, and the three of them laughed when they heard it.

Speaking of which, in his previous life, Zhao Yu had also eaten 'Wuchang fish', but at that time, there were always more guys than the real thing, and people like him who had only heard his name and never met were only slaughtered, and the truth depended on the merchant's mouth. And it will also teach you a way to identify, he also remembers that Wuchang fish belong to the bream family, its shape is flattened on the side, the head is small and the back is bulging, the side view is slightly oblique, and the ventral ridge only exists between the base of the pelvic fin and the water gate.

However, the ventral ridge of the Wuchang fish brother Changchun bream is long, and the body surface of the triangular bream does not have the black stripes and square tail perched characteristic of Wuchang fish. If the merchant refers to the deer as a horse, the layman can't even tell where the belly edge is, and how can he hear the truth from the false, so he can only eat it as if it were true. Even if you know about it later, you won't admit it for the sake of face, so you should give yourself psychological comfort.

"Your Majesty slowed down a little, and the minister thought of a way to verify the authenticity!" After a while, the fish was steamed, and a guard brought it with dishes and chopsticks, and a pot of wine was served. Smelling the fragrance of fish, Zhao Yu wanted to move his chopsticks, Xie Ao said suddenly.

"Oh, you have a way?" Zhao Hao said in surprise, swallowed his saliva and raised his hand to let it verify.

"Fetch a bowl of water!" Xie Ao asked the guards on the side to bring a bowl of water, only to see him take out a fish bone with a chopstick, throw it into a bowl of clear water, and see a few oil splashes popping out of the water, and the same is true for another one.

"Is this true or false?" Zhao Hao couldn't see why and asked.

"It's true!" Xie Ao looked at everyone's expectant eyes and smiled.

"What's the mystery in that?" Zhao Hao frowned, stretched his neck to look at the two fish bones sunk at the bottom of the bowl, and still couldn't believe that he could tell the truth from the fake with just one fish bone thrown into the water, which didn't make sense......