After the channel was dredged, Liu Shiyong first dispatched several small boats for sea trials, and ordered the sailors to stand on both sides of the board and use pennies to insert poles step by step, step by step, and when the rod head touched the stone, he called for Lingjiang to command the helmsman, correctly pull the rudder, avoid the reef, and record the position and water depth, and measure the water speed at the same time. A water map is then drawn to mark the location of the reef one by one.

After the successful trial voyage of several small ships and the production of navigation charts, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they were still uncertain whether the medium-sized warships could pass. Medium-sized warships, on the other hand, are much larger in length and width than small warships in terms of length and width in the range of 1,500 stones, and their flexibility and maneuverability are much worse.

"This handsome boat will go first, and after success, you will wait and then follow!" Liu Shiyong saw that the generals still had doubts, and ordered with a smile.

"Du Shuai is the master of an army, how can he take risks, the last general is willing to take the lead in sea trials!" Peng Hui, the commander of the advance fleet, stepped forward to salute and ask for orders.

"The last general is not talented, and I am willing to try, although I have no regrets in death!" Zhou Ping, the commander of the accompanying escort gunboat, also asked for orders.

"There is no need to fight, Ben Shuai's ship has the largest hull, as long as this ship can pass, the ships of the entire fleet of the Western Expedition can cross this dangerous shoal. And as the defense envoy of the Yangtze River, it is not only his duty but also his duty to take the lead! Liu Shiyong waved his hand and said in a tone that could not be questioned.

"This ...... The last general will obey! "Everyone knows that Liu Shiyong's war ship is eighteen feet five feet long and three feet wide, which is fatter than a sea ship, and the ship has three floors, which can carry 400 soldiers and their equipment, or more than 1,000 stone cargo. The boat is driven by five pairs of oars, and from the stern to the two levels of power cabin, five oxen are respectively propelled by five oxen to power the ship, and it can travel 500 miles a day on the stable water. This type of vehicle and ship is the main warship of the Western Expedition fleet, as long as it can pass, other warships will naturally not be a problem, seeing that its will is resolute, everyone can only obey the order.

Liu Shiyong ordered everyone on the ship to disembark, leaving only the sailors who operated the ship, and he stood in the cockpit to supervise the battle. The main general spared his life, and the soldiers below naturally used their lives, and the two beach divisions were also guided by their bravery. According to the guidance of the beach master, he did not take the reef-dense Nancao, but the north, where the water flow was relatively turbulent and the Dazhu was majestic.

Liu Shiyong listened to the words of the Tan Master, and did not dodge in the face of the Lying Caoshui, but followed his instructions and boldly drove towards the Lying Caoshui in front of the big pearl stone. Sure enough, this trick avoided the danger of the warship hitting the stones, and the ship broke through the waves in the deep and rapid water, saving the danger. The two beach masters, who had never only steered the wooden boat through Kongling, could not imagine that this high-ranking general would soon master the kung fu of rushing straight to the water, and they all deeply admired his courage.

The handsome ship successfully passed through the Kongling Shoal, breaking the curse of the Thousand Stone Boat's inability to go up the river, and it is of great significance. This not only opened the passage of the Western Expedition, but also opened the channel from the middle reaches of the Yangtze River to the upper reaches, so that soldiers and materials could be continuously sent into Sichuan and Shu to support the Western Expedition. At the same time, a commercial bridge has been set up between Sichuan and Shujiang and Jiangnan, which reduces transportation costs and is conducive to the circulation of materials between the two places.

The advance fleet safely crossed Kongling Beach one by one, Liu Shiyong knew that the opportunity could not be lost, and ordered Wen Tianxiang to lead the brigade to cross the beach as soon as possible, and left several pilots and water maps to prepare to lead the brigade across the beach; While the whole team continued to the west, because there was a more terrifying Qingtan ahead, only by crossing this dangerous beach could the troops enter the state and seize this strategic point......

"Master Qian, do you think this reward is biting, or is it too little?" After arranging everything, the fleet set sail again, and the cones were driven by the full force of ten oxen, and the oars rotated at high speed, urging the ships to move forward, but the speed was not fast under the counteract of the flowing water. Liu Shiyong was talking to the old beach master in the cabin, and there was a reward on the case that he had paid according to the agreement, but he resolutely refused to accept it, and he asked with a surprised face.

"Where does the little old man dare to call him a master in front of Du Shuai, he will kill the grass people by calling him like this." Lao Tan Shi Qian Shuisheng said again, "The little one who has no merit dares to be so heavily rewarded by Du Shuai, or he still takes back his life." ”

"The old man made plans for Ben Shuai to cross the Kongling Beach, how can it be said that it is useless? And this handsome man will do what he says, although the old man has accepted it, he will have to rely on it in the future! Liu Shiyong thought that the old man was worried about finding his account, and said with a smile.

"Du Shuai, it's not that the little old man doesn't want it, but the Qingtan in front of him is more thrilling than the Gangling Beach, and he is really worried about having a life to earn, but not a life. Please let me live when I am old! Qian Shuisheng pleaded again and again.

"Uncle, what do you say?" Liu Shiyong was timid when he saw an old beach master like Qian Shuisheng, and his heart sank, realizing that the future must be more difficult than he imagined, he waved his hand and motioned for him to sit down, and ordered his soldiers to watch the tea.

"Du Shuai may not know, there was a warning in the past: since ancient times, there is a new (beach) without leakage (beach), there is no new discharge, and there is a rising water and a green beach." Qian Shui said.

"Please explain it in detail!" Liu Shiyong has served in Lianghuai for a long time, and he really doesn't know about the water situation of the Yangtze River, but he also knows that the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River has three major dangerous shoals, and Qingtan is one of them, so he humbly asks for advice.

"Du Shuai, the ancient name of Qingtan Hao Three Gorges, about four miles long, composed of the first beach, the second beach and the third beach. The reason why Qingtan is also called Xintan is because of the collapse of the mountain in the Jin and Han dynasties, so it is called Xintan. Qian Shuisheng thanked him and said.

"Hmm. Fan Chengda of this dynasty went to Sichuan to serve as an envoy, and there is indeed such a record in his book "Wu Chuanlu". Lu Jiaxuan also mentioned in "The Story of Entering Shu", saying: On both sides of Xintan, Guancao in the south and Longmen in the north. The Longmen water is particularly turbulent and has many dark stones; The official difference is feasible, but there are also many sharp stones. Therefore, it is the most dangerous place in the gorge. Liu Shiyong nodded and said, knowing that his words were true.

Du Shuai has already heard about it, and naturally knows that Qingtan is the most dangerous to sail in the season when there is little water. In the rainy season, the flood water is discharged, the water rises and the beach is flat, the water potential is relatively stable, and there is no great danger for boats. In the dry season, the river falls, the water falls out, forming a steep ridge and falling water, and there will be a steep ridge in the head beach, which is a waterfall in the river. To the north, there are three-pointed stones lying in the heart of the river to intercept the middle stream, and there are balance stones like balances to intercept the river water is flowing, and the navigation must go tortuous and tactful to cross the beach. The ship traveled to this point, like an arrow off the string, flying down, and if you are not careful, the ship will be destroyed immediately. Countless boats capsized here, and in the early years, when there were many boats, ships capsized and sank almost every day, even if the number capsized four or five! Qian Shuisheng said that at the end, his expression was sad, and his words were low and authentic.

"If we follow the example of Kongling Beach and clear the channel with gunpowder, will it be feasible?" Liu Shiyong pondered for a moment and said.

"It's all handsome, it's not necessarily feasible!" Qian Shuisheng sighed and said, "The power of gunpowder, the small one has already seen it." The drainable beach is the collapse of the cliff on both sides of the river, and the boulder rolls down the center of the Yangtze River Hengduan, forming a hard rock layer of more than 30 zhang long on the south bank of the beach, forming a cloth stone. Those bare sword stones appear and disappear from time to time on the full surface, and a large number of stones rush to the beach river in the north of the beach, silt up into a huge moraine dam, stretch to the center of the river, and its upper and lower wings confront each other with the stone of the south bank and the crutch stone respectively, blocking the water to form a beach. The heart of the river is full of rocks, and there are pillows and beds. When the water falls, the stone comes out, and if the water rises, it is obvious and hidden, forcing the water into a whirlpool, and the whirlpool is very large. "Therefore, the beach is dangerous and rapid, and the boat passes by, which is thrilling!"

"With such a large area of accumulated stones, hidden under the turbulent water, it is really difficult to discharge them with gunpowder." Liu Shiyong frowned when he heard this, he knew that this was no better than at Kongling Beach, where huge rocks were exposed to the water, and soldiers could climb on them to work and plant gunpowder. But if it was below the surface, it would be powerless, and in the turbulent current, the personnel could not stand on their feet, and the boat could not be moored, but he still did not give up and asked.

"yes!" Qian Shuisheng said, "Xiao Lao'er once heard from the elders that during the reign of Renzong, a large-scale landslide and rock avalanche occurred in Qingtan, which caused this section of the river to be cut off for 21 years. At that time, the ships upstream and downstream of Qingtan were bounded by Qingtan, and they went their own way and did not communicate with each other. At that time, ships must berth at Qingtan, passengers must go ashore when they arrive at Qingtan, and goods must be transshipped when they arrive at Qingtan. As a result, 'Pantan' arose, and a bazaar was formed, and then there was today's Qingtan Town. ”

"Pantan?!" Liu Shiyong was a little puzzled.

"Du Shuai doesn't know that in the local 'plate' is the meaning of handling. In order to make the ship light, the goods on board should be unloaded ashore first and transported to the other end of the beach by manpower. Wait for the empty ship to be pulled across the beach by the slender man, and then load the original cargo onto the ship. Sometimes it is dangerous for ships to be launched and beached, and businessmen often choose to beach to ensure the safety of their goods. Qian Shuisheng explained.

"Oh, a line of business can start a town. How did my husband cross the beach at that time? Liu Shiyong didn't expect that an unexpected disaster could make an industry rise and form a town, it seems that blessings and misfortunes depend on each other but it makes sense, so he also asked with luck.

"Dushuai, in the dry season, the river falls, and the Qingtan beach flow becomes the back of a comb overnight, so the river tears and swirls in the center of the river densely covered with reefs, forming a bright or dark whirlpool. At this time, the boat crosses the green beach, if it is a countercurrent boat, the fiber is multiplied, and the rudder must be removed to turn the boat upside down, tail up, head down, upside down, so as to reduce the resistance of the boat on the beach. If it is a downstream boat, it is necessary to make the hull horizontal, so that the hull is perpendicular to the direction of the river, so as to increase the area in contact with the whirlpool surge and increase the safety. But even with such caution, from time to time there are still boats that are swallowed up by the blue beach. Qian Shuisheng licked his lips and explained.

"In this way, if you do it right, big ships can cross the beach, but be careful of whirlpools and reefs, you can cross the beach with enough fiber!" Liu Shiyong said with joy in his heart when he heard it.

"What the commander said is very true, but it is extremely difficult for a warship like the general to cross the beach, and the little old man dare not guarantee that he can cross the beach!" Qian Shuisheng nodded, shook his head again, and said with a wry smile......