Zheng Hongkui, the waiter, bowed his head. X Tea Waiting Taizhi, Suqi Yitong ......"

Shou Xian read Zheng Hongkui's special note twice with great interest, and felt that the content of the note was direct and a little not like the style of the Ming Dynasty. The envoy sent by the fleet was Jin Shiying's person, and he didn't expect that the official reply of the Ming Dynasty did not come, and the letter from the Zheng family came.

"Brother Gao Yi asked me to guard the river with me?" Shou asked Zheng Zhiguan, who sent the note.

Zheng Hongkui's clan brother arched his hand and said, "Yes, there were rumors that your country's fleet had entered the Yangtze River, and we still don't believe it. The soldiers don't know the battle flag of the country, so please forgive me for the offense. ”

Shou Xiang smiled and shook his head, indicating that it was okay.

"The lord of the kingdom was very surprised to come to us in person. My brother supervised the construction of the city in Jinshan Temple, and he was busy with military affairs, so he couldn't get away for a while. Let me tell the lord of the country that as long as your country's fleet guards the river with our army, the silk and cloth will be negotiable. ”

"Are you talking about your country's official decision, or what Brother Gao Yi meant?" Shou ordered to put down the note, "Or is it the meaning of General Feihuang?" ”

"Fujian is a long way away, so naturally I don't know about it. On the side of the imperial court, my brother has urgently visited the town and Chang Bingbei Yang Wencong to inform him of the matter, and there will be news soon after coming to Nanjing. ”

Shou Xian nodded, when talking about official affairs, most of the officials in the Ming Dynasty, especially civil officials, did not seem to be in the same language system as Shou Xian. The Zheng family is different, it is more convenient to deal with people under the same three-view system, he is definitely not here to travel when he enters the Yangtze River, there is a precedent for the first battle of Dadonggou, Zheng Hongkui soon realized that no matter what the purpose of keeping the order is, it is always right to pay money. At this point, the Zheng family reacted much faster than the official Ming Dynasty. As the two major forces in China's maritime at present, under the careful control of the order, Jincheng and the Zheng family did not have a direct conflict, although there was no cooperation, but there were still a lot of exchanges. If you want to move in the opponent's advantageous sea area, you will inform each other in advance to avoid misunderstandings. As a potential competitor, in Jiangnan, it may be the people of the Zheng family who have the deepest understanding of Jincheng.

Shou Xuan didn't reply directly, "Where does Brother Gao Yi plan to place us?" I'm not in very good condition where I'm parked now. ”

"The location of your army's stationing, my brother has no right to decide, it depends on the meaning of Nanjing. But I won't be disadvantaged to the soldiers under the lord's account, my brother said, please go up the lord's fleet as soon as possible, he is waiting for you in Jinshan Temple. ”

On the table of the orderly is the Yangtze River navigation chart, he found the location of Jinshan Temple, and was a little difficult, "You know that it is very difficult for my plywood ship to go upstream, can your army do me a favor?" ”

"Absolutely. When I came out, my brother had already said that he could send warships to help tow your warships. ”

Shou Xiang smiled, "Then I'll wait here for General Zhiguan's fleet." ”

From Jiangyin to Nanjing, the fleet sailed upstream, and the more land it went, the more mountains and mountains it had, and the more beautiful the scenery became. Along with the scenery of mountains and rivers, there are four dangerous passes, Jiangyin goose nose mouth, Zhenjiang Mountain, Jiaoshan Gate, Jinshan Temple, Zhenjiang occupies the third.

The goosenose beak waited for four days, and under the right wind direction, the four Galleria ships towed the Melville together before it was able to pass. The three narrow channels of Zhenjiang can also be done in this way, but after all, it is very troublesome, and if the Zheng family is willing to help, the oarsmen can also save some effort.

The next day the wind was very light and uncertain, so that the fleet was completely impossible. This section of the rapids is impassable without a steady wind, and there are many powerful whirlpools on the surface of the river, as the riverbed is extremely abnormal and there may be large reefs underneath.

The Galie ships Huangpu and Xin'an formed a reconnaissance fleet and set out to reconnoiter the channel under the mountain and probe the water depth.

After 2 days, the weather was sunny and windy from the northeast. Zheng Zhiguan led 10 fast crab boats, tied the Melville with the thickest coconut cable, and towed the Melville upward. The Galleer and the sand bluff boats of the orderly fleet towed Jin Shiying's sand boats and spent half a day passing through the mountains.

The Melville ran aground again after a period of autonomous navigation and had to be towed out for half a day. Then arrived at Jiaoshan Gate.

In the Ming Dynasty, Jiaoshan was a rocky island in the Yangtze River, located in the middle of the river below the entrance to the southern end of the Grand Canal, and its width was about half of the river's surface. This place is very dangerous, and the channel is the narrowest. Zheng Hongkui set up a fortified camp in Jiaoshan, and more than 1,000 soldiers were stationed on the small island.

Jiaoshan blocked the cathartic river, and the water flow was the most rapid. Ships swim against the current to overcome the resistance of rapids and whirlpools. The galleys towing the Melville could not rely only on the power of the oars and the sailors' sailing skills, but had to rely on a stronger tailwind to pass.

The Whampoa and Xin'an tried to move forward, but the whirlpools and rapids made the oarsmen's efforts completely fail. The order was very surprised, the speed of the Galie ship could reach 9 knots, and the Yangtze River could not have such a speed, it must be the influence of the whirlpool.

The next day, Harris personally led the team. The draft of the Callie ship is shallow, so it is not limited to the central channel. This time they drove next to the north bank, avoiding the rapids and whirlpools in the middle of the river. The stout oars that can only be operated by three people paddled the river.

There were many Ming troops and civilians on the north shore standing on the shore watching the excitement, and when the battleship finally passed, the crowd erupted in cheers. Harris saluted them with their hats off. After successfully swimming upstream, the two vanguard ships turned their bows and went down the river again, reconnoitering the channel in the middle of the river and dropping the channel mark. This time, there was the Zheng family's fleet on the side, but no one came to take the buoy, and the discipline of the Zheng family's army was relatively poor, and its reputation in Jiangnan was not very good. This was repeated three times before the situation of the channel was clarified. It satisfies the curiosity of the onlookers.

While the fleet was waiting for the wind, the sailors who came to Jiangnan for the first time gathered on the deck to watch the scenery.

The main island of Jiaoshan is full of woods and is surrounded by gardens and pavilions, making it a beautiful scenery. The roof of the temple is exposed to the treetops, and the yellow glazed tiles reflect the golden light in the sun, making it very recognizable.

The scenery on the right bank of the Yangtze River has shifted from the plains of the lower delta to undulating fields, dotted with many smooth-surfaced hills, and surrounded by many plains and wide valleys. Spring is blooming, the eyes are green, and you can see some boys herding cattle with binoculars.

On the left bank of the Yangtze River is Guazhoudu, the entrance of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal is also a relatively complex water system along the river, and many rivers and tributaries on both sides of the river are connected to the Grand Canal.

Guazhou, a famous ferry port that has witnessed countless wars in China for thousands of years, is now garrisoned by Zhang Tianlu, a general soldier with the rank of commander, and Zheng Hongkui on the south bank of the river to defend the river.

Finally, when the right wind direction and wind force were reached, the fleet set sail. When it arrived at the center of the river, the Melville could not get out of the whirlpool, and spun in the whirlpool, as weak as a toy ship. According to the reconnoitred channel, the ship was almost hit by the reef, but fortunately, the ship's helmsman and sailors were skilled in handling the ship, cut the coconut cable in time, turned around, and withdrew downstream to the starting place. After two failed attempts, the Melville still did not pass through the Jiaoshan Gate. The order can only wait for the high tide in the afternoon, and adopt the method of the Huangpu Xin'an, try to get north and avoid the whirlpool in the river. This time, the two galliers of the main team were also involved, and the 12 galleys were towed together, and the Melville was able to pass through the Jiaoshan Gate.

Orderly wiped his sweat, this is still the lightest cruiser in the fleet. Those ships larger than the Melville should not be delusional about passing through the Jiaoshan Gate. Unless, like the British who invaded Nanking at the time of the Yicrow, there were 11 steamships in the fleet. The British fleet entered the Yangtze River, starting from the mouth of the Yangtze River, and it can be said that the steamers dragged the battleships of the third rank up. ran aground all the way and hit the reef, all pulled by steamboats.

Jincheng would not be equipped with too many galleys, and before there were no steam warships, only a large fleet of junk ships could enter the Yangtze River. The suppressive ability of the Junk ship on the river was obviously unreliable, and this was the reason why Zheng Chenggong was almost completely wiped out in Nanjing.

After passing through the narrow waterway next to Jiaoshan Mountain, you will reach the open river between the two mountains of Jin and Jiao. Looking over from the top of the hill, across two valleys and a plain, you can see the tall Zhenjiang Mansion city wall and the castle towers on it. The main entrance of the Jiangnan Canal is near the city walls.

On the top of the city gate, the banner of the Ming army fluttered in the wind. On the ramparts, there were some soldiers. If the defenders have a strong will, Zhenjiang will be a strong fortress.

The Yangtze River channel is still deep here, and the Melville can be very close to the Zhenjiang city wall. The walls themselves were fairly well maintained, not too far from the river, and the fire controller estimated that the towers were within the effective range of the 6-pounder guns.

The fleet sped up and soon sailed to Jinshan, which, like Jiaoshan, is now an island in the Yangtze River.

The temples of Jinshan are even more famous, and the island is home to many beautiful Buddhist buildings, tall pagodas adorned with golden domes and rows of glazed tiled temples and palaces that glitter in the sunset.

Jinshan is smaller than Jiaoshan, and the Ming army is not building a camp in Jinshan, they are building a city. When you open the binoculars and look closely, you can clearly see the traces of Western-style construction, which is a fortress.

The sun sets, the smoke rises from the wetlands by the river, and the only thing you can see in the distance is the pagoda of Jinshan Temple.

Zheng Hongkui invited Shou Xiang to the banquet, and Shou Xiang only brought Lin Chuyong's Chezhi Dan guards ashore. There were no other Ming troops, only Jincheng and the Zheng family. Zheng Jun also had some Chezhi Dan, and Zheng Hongkui arranged for the Japanese to drink outside.

There are only 6 people in the room, and the Zheng family is Zheng Hongkui, Zheng Zhiguan and Zheng Cai, the chief soldier of the Forbidden Army Yongwei Battalion Water Division who rushed from Pukou. On the Kaneshiro side, it was Order, Harris and Filhoff.

The pirates unsheathed their swords and sat on the ground. War was just around the corner, and the uprooted samurai soon became drunk, some holding sake jars and singing waka songs, others clapping their hands to accompany him.

Hearing the singing outside, everyone laughed, and tonight, they found their first common ground.

The three members of the Zheng family learned from their head of the family, they all spoke a few words of Dutch and Spanish, and they could also do some simple communication with Yingyi in Jincheng, at least there was no problem with drinking. Alcohol speeds up communication between strangers. Zheng Hongkui is in his early thirties, and there is not much age difference between them. They are all people who work hard in the wind and waves, and the amount of alcohol here is also very high, and soon a jar of wine will be gone.

Competition in maritime trade was not the focus of the three Zheng generals on the Yangtze River front, and their most pressing concern was the increasing pressure of war. There is a potential basis for cooperation with each other, and the communication between the two sides is relatively pleasant.

"The celebrant and supervisor Li Guofu was sent by Ma Shiying to cut wood in Yunwu Mountain," Zheng Cai was slightly drunk, and talked very happily, talking about the recent changes in the Yongwei Battalion. "Ma Shiying let his son Ma Fu take charge of the Yongwei Battalion, I think this is going to end, Ma Fu is worse than a eunuch with a soldier."

Zheng Hongkui stopped Zheng Cai, "You don't care who leads the troops above, and you are optimistic about your ship." ”

Zheng Cai is Zheng Zhilong's nephew, a generation lower than Zheng Hongkui, although the age difference is not large, it is obvious that Zheng Hongkui is the speaker of the Zheng family's Yangtze River Water Master.

Shou Xuan was about to inquire about the political situation in Nanjing, so he asked Zheng Hongkui, "Brother Gao Yi, I heard that there are several very famous forces in your country's political arena, the Eunuch Party and the Donglin Party, and under them, there is also the Qichu and Zhejiang Party, who is controlling the situation in Nanjing now?" ”

Before Zheng Hongkui could answer, Zheng Cai sneered, "The Eunuch Party and the Qichu Zhejiang Party have long since disappeared, although the Donglin Party has a strong momentum in Jiangnan, but they have no soldiers, they are all a group of scholars, and they don't have to rely on our family." ”

Zheng Hongkui sighed and said: "Although the first assistant Ma Shiying was once a member of Donglin, he has long been removed. Now it is the people of Guizhou who control the Ming Dynasty, and if you want, you can also call them Qiandang. ”

"Well," Shou Xuan continued, "who are the members of the Qiandang?" ”

"First assistant Ma Shiying, Huguang governor He Tengjiao, Henan governor Yue Qijie, Caoyun governor Tian Yang......"

"There is also my uncle's supervising army, and the town is always preparing Yang Wen." Zheng Cai interjected. "The most powerful people in the imperial court are these Guizhou people."

Guarding the order sounds a little wrong, and the first thing that the dominant faction in the general political struggle must control must be the key departments within the imperial court, the officials of the ministry, the general political department of the Inspectorate, etc. All the backbone of the Guizhou Party went out. Moreover, Huguang and Henan Caoyun are all fronts facing Jianyu and Li Zicheng. Even the pressure on the Yangtze River is not small, and Yang Wen's life may not be better than that of the frontline.

Zheng Hongkui's tone was a little gloomy, the Ming Dynasty was not far from the end, and some people were still intoxicated with infighting. Ma Shiying is neither a eunuch nor a Donglin, he has led the army for a long time and has a relatively clean political background, so he is actually an ideal candidate for the first assistant. If he and Shi Kefa succeeded in supporting King Gui according to the original plan, the political situation in Nanjing would not be as chaotic as it is now.

But it is the Fuwang family that has contradictions with Donglin who can sit on the throne, and infighting is inevitable. The Zheng family has a deep connection with some members of the Donglin Party, and Zheng Sen, who is almost the same as the son of the world, is the apprentice of Qian Qianyi, the leader of the Donglin Party. The Zheng family purchased raw silk cotton cloth in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and it was indispensable to have economic ties with local forces. Qian Qianyi played a big role in this.

Zheng Cai scolded Ma Shiying there, and Zheng Hongkui stopped him. Unlike other members of the family, Zheng Hongkui has a close personal relationship with Yang Wen, the backbone of the Guizhou Party, and his butt is not as crooked as Zheng Cai's sitting.

Zheng Hongkui said: "What the lord wants, the eight achievements are going to fall on Yang Wen." ”r