Taking advantage of the afterglow of the setting sun, two fast horses rushed out of the Yongding Gate of Jingshi.

Out of the Yongding Gate, the two knights bowed their hands to each other, and they cherished peace, and then they went their separate ways.

One went straight south, while the other turned his horse's head and ran in the direction of Tianjin Wei.

It is not difficult to collect intelligence in Beijing, but it is difficult to transmit it.

From Jingshi to Shudi, there are two major roads. one passes through Shanxi and Shaanxi into Chaotianguan; One passes through Henan, Huguang into Kuimen. Because the previous road is much closer, after the Beijing division moved north, most of the people and logistics in Sichuan and Beijing took this route.

However, in the summer and autumn of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, because of the war between Henan and Hanzhong, the above two roads were not safe. Important information into Shu, can only choose to detour the canal to the south, through Shandong to Yangzhou, and then west into Huguang to reach Yiling. When they arrived in Yiling, extremely important and urgent information was brought to Chongqing by carrier pigeons, and then changed carrier pigeons in Chongqing to bring them to Chengdu. Ordinary information is not entitled to this treatment, and can only be transmitted by post stations and express shops in the form of pedestrian and horse running.

Chengdu is 7,260 li away from Nanjing, and the north and south capitals are 3,445 li apart, totaling about 10,710 li (Note 1). Transit through Yangzhou, the distance is almost the same.

Zhu Pingjin's ancestor once sent a military emergency report from Chengdu to Nanjing in 16 days, riding an average of more than 450 miles a day, but that was the result of frequent changes of horses and people at the post station.

If there is no condition for changing horses and people, riding long distances in hot weather is an extreme challenge to people, especially horses.

Experienced cavalrymen knew that the riding distance was more than 1,500 miles, and even the Mongolian horses, which were known for their hardships and hard work, could not compare to the two legs of a man.

Why? Because men can eat meat and drink milk, horses can only eat grass.

It takes only half an hour for a person to eat three meals, and digest it as he goes, but not for a horse. Therefore, on the battlefield, it is necessary to prepare concentrated feed such as soybean feed for war horses, so as to prevent horses from losing fat to the greatest extent and prevent military operations from being seriously affected by the time spent on horses eating grass and digesting.

Relying on horses to deliver information is too long and too costly, so is there a faster and more economical way?

The Qiu family, who made their career in the shipping industry, naturally proposed a good way: that is, to use a fast boat to go by sea!

The ship was slow, but it was better than twelve hours; The boat ride is dangerous, but you can avoid various checkpoints on land.

For this reason, after the Qiu family arrived in Beijing, they immediately set up the Tianjin branch of Huitong Qianzhuang in Tianjin Wei, and established a business name based on this branch to start a maritime business.

Of course, making money is just a cover, and it is true to transfer the news and wealth of Jingshi to the south.

The Qiu family has successively funded the construction or purchase of several boats. Cargo ships are used for the transportation of bulk supplies, while clippers are used for the transportation of people and news.

Recently, a newly built clipper dedicated to the transportation of people has just been launched on the Haihe River. The tonnage of this ship is not large, but it fully draws on the experience of using centipede boats: the bow is sharpened, and the aspect ratio of the hull is greatly increased, so that the resistance of the hull in the water is reduced.

In order to increase the sail draft, increase the speed and avoid the top-heavy caused by the high mast of the giant sails, the ship also used two sets of brilliant brocade sails in great luxury. Therefore, when the ship got out of the water, it immediately caused a sensation in Tianjinwei.

Some people marvel at the extravagance of the decoration, and some criticize the weirdness of the ship's shape. However, before the melon-eating crowd could argue and come to a conclusion, the ship quietly disappeared into the vast night.

Where did it go?

Except for the shopkeeper of Xiaoqiu, the head of Huitong Qianzhuang Jingshi, no one knows the specific route.

……

Almost at the same time as the horse left Beijing to report to Shudi, Long Qisheng, who was standing side by side with Yan Ergongzi, saw the wolf smoke rising from the Yimen Tuzhai.

The wolf smoke of Yimen Village is not groundless.

The boat docked, Long Qisheng threw down the empty gloves and the white wolf only sold his feelings, and jumped onto the dock with a brisk step.

The strange thing is that although the wolf smoke is billowing in the earthen village, the guards guarding the wharf on the bank of the vortex river look relaxed, and there is no current tension of the enemy.

Guarding the Qianzong Road of the wharf, releasing wolf smoke is General Mo's military order.

At dawn this morning, there were rogue rangers on the other side of the vortex. After receiving the report that the thieves had only a few horses, General Mo led more than ten of his soldiers to cross the river, killed the thieves in one fell swoop, and captured a thief who confessed to be the head of Xiao Yuan's camp.

Now General Mo has taken the thief prisoner to Chengfu Town, ten miles away, to meet with General Wen.

Before he left, he ordered Yimen Village to let off wolf smoke. This move is not only to warn the brothers scattered everywhere to be careful, but also to remind the thieves and scouts on the other side: Our side has been prepared for a long time, don't take advantage of the idea of grabbing things!

Since there are thieves on the other side of the vortex, it is not advisable for the grain ships to stay here for long.

After asking about the news, Long Qisheng hurriedly returned to the ship and asked the Cao Ding to help the soldiers at the dock unload the grain. The Zhanghe Wharf in Chengfu Town is a good place to stop boats and berth, but the weather is dry and the water is dry, and the boats are in danger of running aground in the Zhanghe River if they are too heavy, so they can only unload some of the grain first, reduce the amount of water, and then move on.

At the time of the lantern that day, Long Qisheng, accompanied by the guerrilla Yao Keming of the Mo camp, led a fleet more than a mile long and arrived at Chengfu Town.

He went and returned, sending not only life-saving food, but also hope in confusion.

The soldiers and people of Chengfu Town lit the torches in their hands, shook the lanterns in their hands, and greeted the hero's triumph in the most enthusiastic way.

However, two heavyweights were missing from the welcoming crowd: General Wen Ruzhen and Adjutant General Mo Chongwen.

Chengfu Town is a thousand-year-old town.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the famous King of Chu Ling, the king of death, not only left an allusion to the city father that "the king of Chu has a good waist, and he starved to death in the palace", but also built a Zhanghuatai with a history of "ten zhang high and fifteen zhang wide base" in this place for his own fun.

The stars are moving, and the vicissitudes of life. The once luxurious Zhanghuatai has been annihilated as an inconspicuous mound on the edge of the town, but the thousand-year-old town still has its charm.

The father of the city is located in the middle of the Zhanghe River and the Whirlpool River, surrounded by water on three sides, and the terrain is dangerous. In the middle of the chaos, the houses here are miraculously intact; Because of the moisture of water, the farmland here is full of greenery and vitality. Coming here is like finding a large oasis in the desert, and occasionally entering a paradise in troubled times.

However, the rout of Zhuxian Town and the large number of displaced people in northern Henan fled here, so that Chengfu Town lost its previous tranquility and serenity, and became a barracks full of people, a refugee camp full of beggars.

Wen Ruzhen's Chinese army was set up in a garden on the edge of the town.

An irrigation canal draws water from the Zhanghe River, which flows through the middle of the garden, leaving a clear puddle of water. Build a garden by the water, plant trees with stones, and add a few water pavilions, which is a good summer resort.

This garden was originally the house of a relative of the Luyi hero Ding Hengchang. The nearby Luyi was broken, and the relative was frightened, and the whole family fled to Ding Hengchang's village. Wang Shicong and Wen Ruzhen jointly recruited Ding Hengchang, and Ding Hengchang also intended to lean against the big tree, so he made this uninhabited garden a favor.

On July 2, the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, that is, the day after Long Qisheng, the liaison officer of the Protector Army, came to Chengfu Town, Wen Ruzhen, Mo Chongwen, Long Qisheng and Wang Shicong, Ma Jinzhong, Yang Guodong and Ding Hengchang who came in a hurry gathered at the flower viewing pavilion on the shore of the garden to discuss the current predicament and the way out in the future.

Mo Chongwen calmly briefed the participants on the situation, and then talked about his thoughts:

“…… This is what the thief prisoner confessed.

At present, we have not received Liu Chao's letter, and we cannot judge whether Liu Chao is angry and murderous or raised troops to rebel. Yang Tianfu, the standard general of this battalion, has led the detective cavalry to Yongcheng, and if it is fast, he will be able to send back accurate news today.

However, the last general thought that the news that Liu Chao would kill Qiao Mingkai in Yongcheng was true!

Liu Chao and the gentry of Yongcheng are not a one-day feud, but a decades-long grudge.

As far as the last general knows, in the imperial examination that year, Liu Chao was outstanding in the county school, and the scientific field was just around the corner. However, the gentry were afraid that he would occupy the quota in the county, so they dragged him down on the grounds that his ancestors were from Shanxi.

Liu Chao abandoned literature and martial arts, and was the first in martial arts, and someone accused him of cheating; In a fit of rage, he took the exam for the second time and first again. The local gentry had nothing to say, but they secretly obstructed him, so that he could not go out of office for many years. If it weren't for Wang Fuyuan's discernment, he would have died of old age in his hometown......

On that day in Yimen, Liu Chao was drunk, gritted his teeth and said to the last general:

The gentry of Yongcheng have huge assets and luxury. Go up to the court and press down on the people. The power is vast and powerful. Mo said that ordinary people have been slaves and servants of the gentry for generations, and even the generals of the court like him will be trampled under the feet of the gentry and ravaged at will...... He hated it so much that he wanted to kill several times, but he was persuaded by his family and subordinates. Maybe this killing is something he can't bear......"

"It's easy to kill someone!"

Wang Shicong, who was at the top, angrily slapped his palm on the desk.

"That's the Destroyer! There are more than 70 people in the family, and they were killed by Liu Chao! Moreover, in addition to destroying the door, he also has the move of closing the four gates and occupying the county seat! If the crows in the court are noisy, they will definitely be convicted of rebellion! If the court investigates it, it will be light to exterminate the nine clans! Hey, hateful ......."

Lord Wang's emotions are out of control, and everyone knows why.

The four battalions retreated to Bozhou, and the Liu Chao brothers once paid in advance and bought grain everywhere. If the gentry of Yongcheng set their sights on him and the soldiers of the fourth battalion, with the help of the spokesperson of the court, he was worried that he would bring out the secret matter of Zhu Xianzhen's withdrawal without a fight, and become another scapegoat for Zhu Xianzhen's defeat.

It's no wonder that Wang Shicong, in fact, except for him, everyone has this hidden worry.

Although Zhu Pingjin, the prince of Shu, had been contacting them through Jia Denglian's personal soldier Long Qisheng, using silver money and grain to win them over, their deep-rooted habitual obedience to the imperial court still made them still afraid of the Son of Heaven's reaction.

In the final analysis, everyone still has illusions about the court and the emperor in their hearts. They hoped that the imperial court and the emperor would recognize the reality, admit the reality, and allow them to stay in the Bozhou area to recruit troops and recuperate. In this way, they can rely on their more than 20,000 men and horses to seek a self-protection in the chaos. Once the future of the world is decided, they can rely on more than 20,000 people and horses to find a high-ranking official and a better future for themselves and their sons.

Note 1: The figures are from the "Ming History Geography I"