On the thirteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, in the waters of Guangdong Province, a fleet of ships drove slowly, all the way to the north, each ship was a medium-sized cargo ship, there were as many as six in total, and it was loaded with sacks full of goods, which was the fleet of the Qing Gang, specializing in transportation, and rhyming money and grain for the Qing court. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

At this time, on the front cargo ship, a person wearing a straw hat and a telescope in his hand looked at the sea in front of him, and looked at the compass in his hand from time to time to correct the direction of sailing. His face was dark, and he couldn't see the slightest change in expression, and the crew member beside him said a word of concern.

"Boss, why do we have to go this route? The sea line is very unsafe, there are often pirates infested, which is not conducive to our escort, isn't the hall master afraid of being robbed? Once there is a loss, this is 50,000 loads of grain and grass from the imperial court, 500,000 taels of silver, and our Qinggang can't afford it. ”

The man with the binoculars was none other than the ship's boss, the commander-in-chief of the six cargo ships. Hearing the crew's worried words, he still looked into the distance, and said without the slightest emotional fluctuation: "Stinky boy, at a glance, I know that you have just joined the Green Gang, and you have not experienced escorting grain, and there are some things you don't understand." ”

"In this southeast coastal area, who dares to rob the cargo ships of our Green Gang? Even the Hongmen, who are powerful and clamoring all day long, do not dare to easily plunder the edge of our Green Gang. What's more, they don't have that ability, they don't have decent ships, and they don't even want to rob our cargo ships. Unless pirates attack, it has to be a pirate force like the Red Flag Gang. ”

"Therefore, even if other forces have the heart, they are powerless, our Green Gang's cargo ships are the best, the crew is strong, and the sails are powered by the wind, and ordinary ships can't catch up at all!"

"Moreover, like the ships that our Qinggang is specially responsible for transporting, they are all specially custom-made, and only some shipyards can build them. The imperial court has a clear rule that ordinary merchants cannot own such cargo ships, and only forces or officials and businessmen like us with official acquiescence can be equipped, and those shipyards also have official and business backgrounds and are strictly monitored by the imperial court. ”

The crew member suddenly appeared full of stars, proud to join the Green Gang, proud to join such a fleet, no longer worried, and the ship boss continued to talk about the topic just now.

The boat boss at this moment gave people a strange feeling, not like an explanation, but more like a helpless muttering to himself, and his mind was very complicated.

"The reason why you go by sea and land, not inland rivers, because starting from the coast can save a lot of time, you can directly enter the confluence of the Yangtze River and the sea, and then go all the way to the west, enter some inland rivers of the Yangtze River branches, and in the shortest possible time, send these money and grain to the front line, in the hands of the army, so that the army that is cleaning up the rebellion of the White Lotus Sect will not be short of food."

"Oh, I see, it's better to go directly by land, horses and vehicles are consigned, and go directly to the west, which doesn't take less time and saves more time, why go around in a circle like this to transport grain, so troublesome?"

"Boy, don't you know, now there is not only the rebellion of the White Lotus Sect, but also some ethnic minorities in Hunan Province have also rioted, the road is not very peaceful, there are homeless people and bandits everywhere, with so much silver taels and food along the way, even if those hungry refugees don't rob, the bandits on the mountain will not let us go, far more troublesome than the threat from the sea, than encountering pirates!"

"At the very least, some pirate forces along the coast still give our Qing Gang some thin noodles and will not rob our cargo ships. Those mountain bandits are all murderers who don't blink an eye, they only know money and food, and no one is afraid! What's more, our hall master has already greeted those pirates in advance and given benefits to those pirates, so let's make this trip safer, don't worry. ”

Then, the captain of the ship stopped talking and continued to watch the sea to ensure the correctness of the sailing direction. Soon after, the captain felt that there was no problem, and that these matters could be handled by his crew, and returned to the cabin.

Sitting in the cabin, eating watermelon alone, the boat boss was not as calm as he had just now, his eyes were full of melancholy, and his head kept echoing the entrustment of the hall master Yang Bingyou.

"Ship boss, although I have made some dots on this transport, whether it is those pirates or the forces of Guangzhou Mansion, they don't know that the goods escorted this time are 50,000 quintals of military rations and 500,000 taels of military salaries."

"Once they know, especially those pirates, in the face of such a great temptation, they will not care whether it is the goods of our Qing Gang, or whether it is the official salary and military rations of the imperial court, they will definitely rob it. Therefore, you must be cautious along the way, do not conflict with people, and do not disclose the consignment of goods, everything is based on the delivery of this batch of goods. ”

Thinking of this, the ship's boss was very heavy, he couldn't eat and sleep well, and along the way, he always held a telescope from time to time to watch the situation at sea. Its purpose is not to observe and determine the direction of navigation, but to detect whether there are pirates.

Therefore, the heart of the ship boss is anxious all the time, and he longs for every cargo ship to have two wings and fly to the destination at once.

It was only one day of departure, and before he left the waters of Guangdong Province, the captain of the boat was tormented in his heart, unable to calm down, and always full of restlessness.

The six cargo ships were moving slowly, and the waves on the sea were rolling, constantly lapping against the edge of the ship, splashing the waves, crystal clear. The banner of the Green Gang is hung high, flying in the wind, waving in the wind, and the word Green Gang is particularly conspicuous, so that people can clearly see it at a distance of 100 meters.

It can be said that the scale of this fleet is very large, and it is very flamboyant at sea, loudly waving the banner of the Green Gang, and the boss of the ship hopes to be able to repel some young people, and those pirates who crisscross the sea can give the Green Gang face and let them go far away.

Of course, as the three most powerful people in Guangdong Province, the governor of Liangguang, the governor of Guangdong, and the supervision of the Guangdong Customs Administration, it is impossible for them not to know about the transportation of these goods, and they must also be responsible.

Therefore, the three of them consulted in secret, mainly the governor and the governor, who were able to mobilize the troops of Guangdong. After some discussion, the three unanimously decided to transfer some elite soldiers from the Guangdong Navy Division, disguised as members of the Green Gang, dressed as crew members, and accompanied them all the way, responsible for safety.

Moreover, on each ship, under the cargo, eight cannons were hidden, arranged in four directions. In the event of an emergency, when a pirate attack is coming, these elite soldiers, together with forty-eight cannons, are fully capable of holding out for a period of time. Even if you can't get out, you can wait for reinforcements.

Before the departure of this fleet, the governor and governor had already sent sailors to greet the sailors of the coastal provinces, and in the event of the sound of artillery and gunfire, they must send sailors to support.

The convoy of six cargo ships was still moving forward, and as the sun rose higher and the light became more intense, the speed of the flotilla began to decrease, after all, the heat was unbearable, and forcing the way would only increase casualties, but reduce the efficiency of navigation.

Therefore, this fleet set off near evening, according to the stars in the sky and the compass in hand, and hurried through the starry night, slowing down during the day, and accelerating at night.

As the fleet sails, something will always fall, float on the surface of the sea, float with the rolling waves, and scatter.

Sleepless all night, long without rest, the captain of the boat began to doze, his eyelids fought from time to time, sleepiness hit, let go of the waves outside, one after another, and then another.

However, the good times did not last long, and the captain of the boat had just squinted his eyes, and before he had time to enjoy the comfort brought by sleep, he was impatiently disturbed by a rush of chaotic footsteps, and wanted to scold his mother. However, as an anxious word came into the cabin, the captain suddenly did not feel sleepy, and woke up suddenly, and got up stubbornly.

"Boss, no, there are several large ships not far away, most of them are similar to our cargo ships, and two are better than ours, the speed is very fast, and they are coming straight to our side!"

The captain of the boat walked in a hurry, walking briskly, and as he went, he did not forget to ask, "What's the matter?" How could a ship suddenly appear? How did you scout the surface of the sea, and you didn't even know that a group of ships was approaching?! ”

The repeated questions illustrated the anxiety and uneasiness in the heart of the boat boss, and the inability to calm down in his heart.

Before the crew could reply, the ship's boss, who was walking like the wind, had already stepped out of the cabin and disappeared before his eyes. The Green Gang member hurriedly chased him out and ran out of the cabin and on the deck. (To be continued.) )