By the morning of the third day, the flotilla still had not reached Mengjin. However, Zhou Kao found that the peaks on the shore were getting lower and lower, and the river channel was no longer crooked like a snake. Even when passing by a bend in the river, the people in the cabin could barely feel the boat turning.

When it was almost noon, Zhou Kao suddenly felt that his eyes suddenly opened up, and it turned out that the river had flowed out of the mountains and into a plain. The river is much wider than before, and there are some village houses scattered along the fields on the north and south banks, and there are many pedestrians walking on the embankment.

Further on, there are more and more boats on the river, Zhou Kao looked from afar, only to see that there is a big ferry port on the north and south banks, and there are many ferries shuttling back and forth between the two banks, picking up and dropping off pedestrians and goods. Even so, the goods on the banks of the river were piled up, waiting for the people to sit or stand on the shore, and as soon as the boats docked, they flocked to the shore. Zhou Kao couldn't hold back his excitement, and shouted repeatedly: "Fa'er! Check it out! ”

Zhou Fa sat in the cabin for more than two days, and his heart was already extremely bored, and he immediately came over when he heard the call of Zhou Kao; It's just that he still has a shadow on the strange fish in the river, and he only dares to sit next to Zhou Kao and look out. Zhou Fa also saw such a prosperous scene for the first time in his life, which made him envious in his heart.

At this time, Xin Jia also walked to the bow of the boat and said, "Isn't this going to Mengjin?" "On board these days, everyone has been as uncomfortable as a caged bird; As soon as they heard about Meng Jin, everyone crowded to the bow of the boat to see, and the cabin was suddenly full of laughter. Several young people cheered even more, and their voices were a little higher.

Zhou Kao asked Xin Jiadao: "Uncle, why are there so many people and so many boats here at Mengjin Ferry?" ”

Xin Jia told him: "In the Mengjin area, there is Taihang Mountain in the north and Chongshan Mountain in the south; These two mountains stand between the rivers, the terrain is dangerous, and it is a well-deserved place of beauty. In the summer of that year, the Hou clan built its capital here, which seemed to choke the throat of the world, and only then did it achieve more than 400 years of hegemony. ”

When the boat docked, several guests who were waiting for the boat immediately gathered around and said that they wanted to cross the river by boat, but the boatmen refused them one by one. Zhou Kao was very puzzled and asked, "Boat family, these people are in a hurry to take a boat, why don't you want to take them across the river?" ”

A boatman replied with a smile: "This boy, I think you have a good heart, but I don't know why." The north shore of Mengjin belongs to the Hubei State, and the south bank is the boundary of Chongguo, and only the boats of these two countries can make a living as ferries in Mengjin. How many heads do we Rui have, and dare to rob his guests? Unless there are guests going to Maojindu or Fenglingdu, and the local boaters are too far away to go, we can pick up a few along the way. ”

Zhou Kao couldn't believe it: "Just carrying a few guests across the river, it's not going to kill people, right?" ”

When the boatmen on the side heard this, they all laughed, and another said: "Don't look at them, they are usually ferrymen, and when they encounter a war, they will be called by the monarch to become sailors." But whoever can come back alive, who does not have a few lives in his hands? What's the point of killing a few more out-of-town boatmen? ”

Another person took over and said, "Killing someone here, throwing the body into the river, and not even burying it, is very trouble-free." When the boatmen heard him, they burst into laughter again.

Zhou Kao got off the boat, but he was angry in his heart: the boatmen at Mengjin Ferry were also a little overbearing, but they took pity on these travelers who wanted to cross the river, and they couldn't sit on a boat, so they could only wait on the shore.

At this time, Xin Jia and the others were waiting on the shore to unload the ship, but Zhou Fa was wandering around the port. Zhou Chang was worried that something would happen to him, so he said to Zhou Kao: "There is a market to the north of this ferry, you take Fa'er to go there." But don't go too far, and bring him back by noon. ”

After hearing this, Wan Ji told Xin Jia that she also wanted to go to the market, but was stopped by Mrs. Jiang: "The market is dirty and messy, what are you doing with a girl?" Wan Xi was afraid that her mother would be angry, so she had to give up.

Just when Wan Xi was bored, she saw Mrs. Di coming with Yuefei's money, and Xin Jia and the others all stepped forward to greet her. Mrs. Di asked with a smile: "Mrs. Jiang, have you been on the boat for two days in a row, are you still used to it?" ”

Mrs. Jiang nodded at her and said, "Well, the past few days have been calm, and the ship doesn't feel like it's going to be bumpy." I'm all right, and Mrs. Law bothered. ”

"That's good! I was worried about some kind of wind and waves on the road, which would make my wife afraid. I still have a few words I want to say to my wife, I wonder if my wife would like to listen to me again? ”

Mrs. Jiang said: "Why should Mrs. Di see outside? If you have anything to say, you might as well say it directly. ”

Mrs. Di didn't answer, but looked at Xin Jia and Zhou Chang. Mrs. Jiang understood and understood that she had something inconvenient to say in front of the man, so she walked aside with her. Wan Xi was very suspicious in her heart, thinking that this Mrs. Di was mysterious and secret, and she didn't know what tricks she was going to play. When she saw that Yuefei was following Mrs. Di inch by inch, she walked to her mother as if nothing had happened, wanting to hear what they were talking about.

Mrs. Di saw Wan Xi coming, but she didn't care at all, and said, "Madam, it's been seven or eight days since you came out of Xincheng, right?" The journey must have been very hard. It's just that on the way, you either stay at the pavilion or camp in the wilderness, even if you want to bathe and change clothes, it is inconvenient. ”

Mrs. Jiang didn't understand her intentions, and only replied vaguely: "That's what I said, this is not like going out at home, of course, like being able to bathe once a day for three days or a bath every five days at home." Although it is a little sloppy, it can only be settled. ”

Mrs. Di smiled at the corner of her mouth, stretched out her hand to support Mrs. Jiang's arm and said, "Actually, there is no need to settle, this person should always find ways to make himself comfortable and comfortable is the right way." If you don't know how to enjoy yourself in time, and you can't regret it when you are old, it is really a trip in vain. ”

Mrs. Jiang thought to herself: Although this is a bit biased, it is not entirely unreasonable, and listen to what she says next?

"There is a village called Wenyi to the east from the Mengjin ferry, where there are dozens of hot springs in the mountains and forests, and people from near and far come here to bathe. The hot spring water can not only wash away the wind dust, but also relieve fatigue; After soaking in the hot springs, drink a few jue of sake, which is even more conducive to sleep. It's one of life's great joys, and how can you miss it? I wonder if Mrs. intends to go to Youxing? ”

These words hit Mrs. Jiang's heart, and she asked Wanji, "Wan'er, what do you think?" Although Wan Xi was suspicious of Mrs. Di, her daughter's family loved cleanliness the most, and Mrs. Di's proposal to go to the hot spring to bathe at this time was really just right, which made it really difficult for her to refuse, so she nodded slightly. Mrs. Di also agreed when she saw Wan Xi, and she was even more overjoyed, and accompanied Mrs. Jiang to talk, talking about what hot springs can cure illness and prolong life, nourish muscles and rejuvenate the face.

But it was said that Zhou Kao took Zhou Fa to the market outside the port, which was not much better than the market in Zhiyu City, but the people who did business in the market could be said to be from all over the world, and the dialects they spoke were different, and Zhou Kao almost couldn't understand it. Because of the language barrier, the two only walked around the market and returned to the riverbank.

At this time, almost all the carriages and horses and goods of the Yuhou Mansion had been unloaded from the ship, and Mrs. Di also said goodbye to Xin Jia and the others, and prepared to board the car and set off. Xin Jia asked Mrs. Jiang, "What did you just talk about?" Could it be that there is something to avoid it? ”

Mrs. Jiang said, "It's nothing. Mrs. Di said that she wanted to go to the hot springs in Wenyi to bathe, why was she embarrassed to talk to you men about such a thing? Of course, they came to me for advice. ”

Xin Jia suddenly said with a smile: "That's very good." I have been admiring the hot springs in Wenyi for a long time, and I happened to be on the way, of course I want to go! This is a fair and righteous thing, so why hide it? ”

At this moment, for some reason, the people on the port suddenly stirred, and some people were shouting loudly. Many people put down what they were doing and looked out into the river; Many people came running from outside the port, and more and more people gathered on the shore.

Zhou Fa likes to watch the excitement the most, but he doesn't know the essentials, he looks left and right with his head held high, and keeps asking, "What's wrong?" "I'm afraid I'm missing something. Zhou Kao guided him with his hand and said, "Fa'er, look there." ”

Only then did Zhou Fa notice that in the middle of the river there was a fleet of boats heading towards the north bank, and two of them were each carrying a huge monster, the giant beast had a square head and big ears, a large long nose hanging down from its forehead, a pair of crescent-shaped giant teeth protruding forward, but its limbs were like pillars of joists.

"Giant elephant! It's a giant elephant! Someone in the crowd shouted.

The giant elephant has been extinct for many years up and down the river, not to mention Zhou Fa at this time, even well-informed people like Xin Jia and Zhou Chang have only heard of their names. Zhou Fa suddenly saw this legendary monster, and he was about to open his mouth, but he opened his mouth wide, but he couldn't make a sound at all, and unconsciously the whole person leaned on Zhou Kao. He asked, "Big brother, is this ...... Is this a giant elephant? ”

Zhou Kao had only heard about the description of the giant elephant from his mouth, but he didn't dare to make a presumptuous assertion, he just said, "Probably...... Right? "I saw the fleet of boats chopping through the waves in the river, coming straight to the port; Not long after, the bow of the ship was horizontal, and more than a dozen large and small ships stopped on the shore together. Two elephant servants came down from the boat carrying the giant elephant, each holding a long rope in their hands, the other end of which was put behind the ears of the giant elephant, and a huge brass bell was tied to the neck of the giant elephant.

The two elephant servants pulled the rope hard, and the giant elephant slowly walked down from the boat in obedience, and the crowd of onlookers immediately retreated in fright. The two elephants did not move after disembarking from the boat, but only shook their heads in place and leisurely shook their proboscis in place. When everyone saw that this behemoth was actually very tame, they had the courage to surround it.

At this moment, there was a strange cry from the wooden boat, and everyone noticed that there was a young baby elephant on the boat. The baby elephant probably refused to get off the boat because it was scared, and kept walking back and forth on the boat. Hearing the cry of the baby elephant, the two giant elephants turned around.

The man in the crowd who had done the good thing went to the wooden boat and tried to catch the baby elephant. When a giant elephant saw someone approaching, he suddenly ran up, and in a few steps he rushed to the baby elephant's side, stretched his proboscis and gently curled the man up, and threw it into the air. The man flew several feet away and fell straight into the river; Fortunately, he was still able to swim, and soon his head emerged from the surface of the river, and his embarrassed state made everyone laugh.

Zhou Kao was terrified by the terrifying power of the giant elephant - he had learned the art of horn with the bear, and knew that even if he wanted to throw an adult man over the shoulder, it would take a great deal of strength and skill to do so. But the elephant in front of him threw a person into the air effortlessly, how can this kind of divine power be beyond the reach of people?

Fearing that the elephant would hurt someone, the two elephant servants hurried over, drew a wooden stick stuck in their waists, and poked the elephant in the neck several times. Strange to say, such a tall and mighty beast seemed to be a little frightened, and when it saw the stick, it only wanted to dodge, and then obediently left the wooden boat under the command of the elephant servant. When the boatmen saw that the elephant was far away, they dragged the wooden boat to the river bank and drove the baby elephant off the boat. As soon as the baby elephant reached the ground, it immediately rushed towards the two giant elephants, and everyone couldn't help but laugh when they saw its cute appearance.

Yu Mengyan had already sat in the carriage, but then slowly moved down from the carriage. Yu Yan asked beside him, "Father, these people have gone to great lengths to transport the giant elephant across the river, and they don't know what they are going to do?" ”

Yu Mengyan smiled: "You might as well guess." ”

Yu Yanxin said: This is rootless, how can I guess it? But he thought about it, now is the time for the princes to make the pilgrimage, and most of the rare things like the giant elephant are also tribute to the king of Shang. So he said, "I know, most of these people are from a certain prince from the south, and like us, they also went to Chaoge to meet the king of Shang. ”

"Well, in the south, only the two Dafang countries of Shen and Lu have a little strength, and the rest of the small countries dare not use giant elephants as tribute. As I expected, the person sitting in that boat at the moment was either Shenhou or Lu Hou. ”

Yu Yan said: "Maybe it was a small southern country that captured two elephants by chance, and it is unknown if they want to present them to the king of Shang to show off their show." ”

Yu Mengyan shook his head and said: "This kind of stupid trick can only be called self-defeating and asking for hardship. If the king of Shang saw that the giant elephant liked it in his heart, and ordered that this thing should be paid every year, how could ordinary small countries afford it? ”

While the two of them were talking, they saw more than 20 followers disembark from a large ship, hugging an old man with white hair and walking towards the shore. Yu Mengyan said: "You see, the elder in the center is Lu Houyu, and the middle-aged man next to him should be his eldest son, Gongzi Guang." Yu Yan immediately exclaimed: "Father, you are really like a god!" ”

Yu Mengyan straightened his clothes and said, "Let's go, since we met here, we have to go to visit him, so as not to be said that we were rude." ”

Yu Yan said: "Father, even if Lu Country is a big country in the south, it is always stronger than our Yu Country. When we go to meet Lu Hou, isn't it self-surrendering? ”

Yu Mengyan glared at him and said, "What did I tell you before?" Let you carefully understand the origin and history of each country, and you always turn a deaf ear. This Lu State and Shen Guo originated from the surname Jiang, both of which are descendants of Siyue in ancient times, and have always been a country of brothers for thousands of years. Now that the daughter of Shenhou is about to become the queen, the power of the countries surnamed Jiang is in full swing. If you still ignore Lu Hou and the others, then you are really stupid! ”

Yu Yan was reprimanded by his father, where did he dare to say more? had to follow his father to meet Lu Hou. Although Lu Yu is old, his body is still healthy, and he walks with a straight waist and a strong walk. Yu's father and son stepped forward to salute him, and Yu Mengyan said: "Lord Luhou, I didn't expect to meet here, fortunately, fortunately." Lu Yu returned the salute and said, "Lord Yuhou, it's been a long time." Then he introduced the two of them: "This is Xiao'er Lu Guang, come and meet Lord Yu Hou and Master Yu." ”

Lu Guang looked to be in his forties, and his face was calm and unsmiling.

After Lu Guang saluted, Lu Yu summoned a teenage boy to his side and said to the Yu father and son: "This is the eldest grandson of the widow. The young man was quite clever, and without waiting for Lu Yu's command, he immediately saluted and said, "Senior Lu Ta, meet Lord Yu Hou and Yu Gongzi." ”

Yu Yan thought while returning the salute: Well, this is Lu Hou's grandson. Looking at his figure, it is estimated that he is about the same age as the eldest son of the Zhou family.

At this time, Xin Jia, Zhou Chang and others also came to visit Lu Yu. After everyone greeted each other, Yu Mengyan asked, "Did Lord Lu Hou also go to Chaoge to participate in the enthronement ceremony?" ”

Lu Yu said: "Exactly, I don't know which way Lord Yuhou is going to go?" ”

"If you want to go to Chaoge, it is the closest to go east along the big river. So we plan to go to Wenyi first, and then go north when we get to Sioux City. ”

Lu Yu nodded and said, "Oh, it's a pity that the widow wants to go to Echeng to visit Lord Ehou first, and it seems that he can't go with all of you." ”

When Yu Mengyan heard him say this, he estimated that he couldn't stay with each other, so he said: "Echeng is in the north of Mengjin, so we can only say goodbye." Please ask Lord Lu Hou to greet the Hou of Ehou on his behalf, and then choose a day to visit him when he arrives at the court. ”

Lu Yu arched his hand and said, "No, the widow must pay tribute to the adult." ”

Yu Mengyan and the others said goodbye to Lu Yu, and the group left Mengjin and headed east. On the way, Yu Yan asked: "Father, Lord Lu Hou also made a special detour to Echeng at this time, which shows that the relationship between the two countries is extraordinary. But these two countries are far apart, I don't know what kind of friendship exists between Lu Hou and E Hou? ”

Yu Mengyan leaned on the carriage and yawned, saying, "At the time of the Xia Hou clan, both the State of E and the State of Lü were still located in the area of Lüliang Mountain, and the two countries were very close at that time. Na E is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, surnamed Yao, and intermarried with Lu Guo surnamed Jiang for generations. Later, Rong Di in the north occupied the northern part of Luliang Mountain, and often went south to plunder; The state of E and the state of Lu could not bear the attack, so they decided to move the country south together. ”

"Since the two countries moved south together, why is Echeng north of the Great River, while Lu Guo has gone south?"

"The reason why the E-people are called E-is because they are good at catching crocodiles, and crocodiles are dragons. When the two countries moved south, the king of Shang heard the name of the Hubei people, sealed them here, and ordered them to make a living by catching crocodiles. However, there was no land in the Dahe area that could be re-sealed to the Lü State, so the Lü people could only continue to go south and reached the area of today's Nanzhao. ”

After hearing this, Yu Yan silently thought in his heart: If I am not mistaken, this Nanzhao should be in the south of Chongguo. If we can form an alliance with the Lu State and attack Chongguo from the north and south, Chongguo will inevitably not be able to take care of the end at that time. I'm afraid that even my father hasn't thought of this clever plan, otherwise how could he think of joining forces with Zhou Fang? The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he thought that it was just around the corner to surpass his father.