Huangzhou, on the banks of the Great River.

Zhang Gui and Zhang Shun brothers each led five hundred righteous troops, and after saying goodbye in the riverside woods, Zhang Gui led people north to vote for Zhang Shijie's two Huai Shui Divisions, most of the five hundred people were fishermen on the river, and they were considered to be right in the sailor camp. The 500 people led by Zhang Shun were the land heroes of Huangzhou and Qizhou, and they rarely had access to water, so they had no choice but to go down the river to the south, hoping that the Tianwu Army, which was recruiting soldiers everywhere, could really protect the country.

The sun is always very hot after heavy rain, even if it is just rising in the morning. In addition, none of these 500 people have any background, so they have to struggle through the sparse woods on the side of the river, and there are more than a dozen flat boats on the river to closely follow this small team.

Zhang Shun used his hand to remove the branches and leaves in front of him, stretched out his sleeve and touched the sweat on his forehead, with the exposure of the sun, the water vapor in the forest was steaming, and the heat was unbearable. If it weren't for his brother handing over the responsibility of leading this team to him, Zhang Shun would have been unable to resist plunging into the cool-looking water a few feet away.

"Brother Shun, don't go far, the other side of the river is already the boundary of the Xingguo Army." The fisherman on a fishing boat shouted, "When will I ferry you over?" Let's hurry up against the tide and find those two Huai Shui masters? ”

The horse dealer who had risen to prominence among the thousands of people because he was quite insightful in the gathering of the nobles had been pulled over by Zhang Shun as his master, and at the moment Zhang Shun built a pergola and looked at the south bank, unlike the sparse trees on the north bank, the south bank was a sedge and a green tree, and this long river was not replaced by green mountains until a few miles away.

"Geng Lao Liu, shall we go over?" Zhang Shun asked while pulling his cloth shirt and trying to feel more cool breeze, squinting his eyes and gritting his teeth. As long as this seemingly reliable master nodded, Zhang Shun rushed directly into the water, which was too uncomfortable on land.

The horse dealer Geng Lao Liu shook his head: "No, it's being basking in the sun over there, this is like this in the forest, and we will definitely not be able to eat and walk around in the past." If you want me to see, you should go further, first to find a place where the water is narrower, and second, to find a place that is a little shady on the opposite side. I don't know what Brother Shun thinks? ”

Zhang Shun nodded, and looked back, the five hundred people who followed behind him are now only more than four hundred, scattered and scattered for hundreds of zhang, if it weren't for the fact that the forests here are not luxuriant, it is not clear how to count them. As for the others, I don't know if they were cowardly deserted, or because they were too strong to be left behind.

At this moment, two fishing boats suddenly appeared downstream, far larger than the flat boat that could meet Zhang Shun and them at any time, accompanied by more than 100 light horsemen who rushed down from the small hill on the opposite bank. The cavalry swept across the barren meadow like a whirlwind.

"Obediently, where is this sacred, the formation is no weaker than the cavalry of the northern Tartars." Geng Lao Liu can be regarded as a person who has seen the world, and he can't help but sigh at the moment, not to mention those places that have not even seen the world?

A sharp-eyed man saw the flags fluttering on the two fishing boats, and hurriedly shouted: "Brother Shun, everyone, look, what is planted on the bow of the boat is the 'Song' flag and the flag with the military horn of the Tianwu Army. ”

The cavalry on the south bank had already rushed to the shore, and the speed of the horses had weakened slightly, and by the time they stopped, the horses' hooves were already in the water. The first rider coughed lightly twice, and then shouted with full anger: "Are the Zhang brothers and Zhulu heroes on the other side?" ”

Zhang Shun was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect to meet the people of the Tianwu Army here, and he didn't dare to hesitate at the moment, and hurriedly shouted in person: "The villain is Zhang Shun among the brothers of the Zhang family, but I don't know where the brothers on the other side of the strait are coming from?" What's going on with the fishing boats on the river? ”

It was no longer the rider who answered him, but a person on the bow of the boat who was getting closer and closer: "My Ye envoy Jun has long admired the name of the Zhang family brothers, and learned that the two heroes gathered in the two states intended to support the Great Song Dynasty and recover the rivers and mountains, and they admired it in their hearts and came to visit." ”

Everyone hurriedly looked back, and on a fishing boat in front, a young man stood outstanding, although his clothes were not luxurious, and his waist was not inlaid with gold and jade, but it was a kind of majesty that belonged to Shangguan but oppressed everyone's hearts intentionally or unintentionally.

Could this be the rumored Ye envoy Ye Yingwu? It's really a hero out of a teenager. And the one who shouted just now must be the armor-clad armor soldier standing behind the young man, it seems that this armor soldier is far less upright than Ye Yingwu's posture, but there is a kind of murderous aura all over his body. Huangzhou and Qizhou are close to the border, and these heroes have also seen those veterans of a hundred battles, and in those gray-haired veterans, people can feel this kind of atmosphere.

That was the murderous aura that naturally came after a hundred battles in the yellow sand.

In the moment when the five hundred heroes were stunned, the fishing boat was getting closer and closer, and the young man clenched his fists and arched his hands: "In the lower Ye Yingwu, I have admired the names of your heroes for a long time, and I can see it today, and it really has the posture of an eagle and a tiger, I don't know if I can talk to you heroes?" ”

Zhang Shun and Geng Laoliu glanced at each other, one was Jiangshang Yingjie, and the other was an old trader who had been crawling on the border for many years, and almost instantly understood that Ye Yingwu had the intention of recruiting them, and he was happy in his heart, but he couldn't help but be a little frightened, after all, this was a four-rank official who was the training envoy of the Xingguo Army and the commander of the four compartments of the Tianwu Army, and the two of them had never seen such a high-ranking official in any country in their lives, how could they not be nervous?

"Anyway, anyway, we already want to go to the Tianwu Army, and it is only a matter of time before we meet this Ye Yuanjun, and now people are sticking it on our faces, such an opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we can't hesitate anymore." Geng Laoliu's eyes rolled, and he whispered a reminder to Zhang Shun's ear.

Zhang Shun almost fell to the ground when he heard Ye Yingwu's name at first glance, and now Geng Lao Liu also nodded in agreement, how could he hesitate, he was the first to kneel on the shore at the moment, Geng Lao Liu breathed a sigh of relief at the moment, this Zhang Shun is worthy of mixing some fame on the river, and it is this kneeling salute when he comes up, the boss is so anxious to be loyal, the master naturally can't lag behind, Geng Lao Liu directly followed and knelt on the ground. As the two leaders took action, whether it was the heroes in the woods or the fishermen on the water, they all "hula" and fell down like wheat waves, and the mountains shouted "long live".

Secretly glanced up at the Ye Envoy, and on the expression that looked very young, the expected surprise and shock were only fleeting, and instead of the calm and leisurely look just now, everything was under control. At the moment, Geng Lao Liu couldn't help but secretly admire this Ye Envoy Jun who met for the first time in his heart.

Zhang Shun lowered his head deep into the sand on the tidal flats, and said in a trembling voice: "Zhang Shun, a grass man, is just a fisherman on this big river, can An be worthy of the title of 'hero'?" The grass people and the grass people brothers were dissatisfied with the northern Tatars wantonly trampling on the territory of my Great Song Dynasty and enslaving the people of my Great Song Dynasty, plus my father and mother died at the hands of the Hu people, this is a blood feud, and they must swear to death to revenge, so the grass people and the two brothers gathered people of insight from all walks of life, and they have violated the imperial law, but please make the king see that what the grass people wish in their hearts is for the sake of the Great Song Dynasty, spare us and others. ”

Looking at this hero who staged a counterattack in real history, and now he fell down in front of him in such a panic, Rao is Ye Yingwu's psychological endurance is still quite strong, and he can't help but be in a trance.

Didn't I come here in the last days to lead these "comrades" to help the sky that was dumped in the southeast?

Gritting his teeth lightly, without waiting for the fishing boat to dock, Ye Yingwu jumped off the boat directly, and the cool river water in May soaked half of his clothes, but Ye Yuanjun couldn't care about it so much, he took several steps in the water with difficulty, and almost fell. Yang Bao hesitated for a moment, and had already jumped off the side of the boat in one big step, three steps and two steps to rush to Ye Yingwu's side to support him, if this Lord Ye caught a cold and became ill, those masters in the Xingguo Military City on the other side would have to kill themselves to sacrifice the flag, especially the Lord Wen who had a straight face every day.

Zhang Shun heard the sudden sound of water in front of him, and looked up in surprise at the moment, only to see that Ye Yuanjun, who was still in the book business just now and in his prime, did not know when he had jumped into the water, and he had already strode in front of him despite the obstruction of the soldiers around him, half of his clothes were already soaked, and his hat was already crooked, but the warm, warm smile and outstretched strong arms inadvertently touched the deepest part of the hearts of these heroes who were helpless after all.

Suddenly, Zhang Shun, a bold man like Zhang Shun, who was wandering in the wind and rain on the river, didn't know when his eyes were moist. And Geng Laoliu and others are even more like a huge wave rolling in their hearts, they have worked the border between the two countries for so many years, and they have done all the work of losing their heads, and they did not expect that one day there would be such a court official who rushed over regardless of his image, just to help them up these grass people who have no identity and no status.

The Great Song Dynasty emphasized that the emperor and scholars ruled the world together, so in the eyes of the officials, the person sitting on the dragon chair was not as unattainable as the previous dynasty, but this does not mean that in the eyes of the common people, the officials who can talk casually are the masters who are approachable. Officials and officials are still high up, overlooking all living beings.

Ye Yingwu silently helped Zhang Shun up and didn't say anything.

Zhang Shun struggled slightly, then broke free of Ye Yingwu's hands, and no longer hesitated at the moment, clenched his fists and arched his hands, and said loudly: "Zhang Shun, the grass people, is willing to join the Tianwu Army and die for the adults, I hope the adults will not refuse." ”

The boss once again expressed his allegiance, and the five hundred heroes behind him naturally couldn't hesitate any longer, and when Ye Yingwu opened his mouth to invite them, it would really be too late. Those who don't want to come have already fallen behind on the road for various reasons, and everyone knows what is going on in the hearts of those who have come to a step, and there is nothing to hesitate about.

"I am willing to join the Tianwu Army and die for my lord!" In addition, more than 500 fishermen on the river shouted at the same time, which can be regarded as a sonic shock to Lin Yue.

Whether it was Yang Bao, or the hundred battles on the ship and on the other side, they could only be stunned when they heard such a sudden sentence of allegiance. I don't know how much charm the envoy has, and he can attract so many people to bow their heads and worship.

Ye Yingwu nodded slowly, just now, he did not stop Zhang Shunbai from going down, no matter what, the relationship between the two people will be positioned as subordinates, not colleagues. It seems that things are simpler than I imagined, but it is estimated that there are no more than a thousand people in the woods and fishing boats, that is, half or five hundred people, and Zhang Shun's brother Zhang Gui did not show up, presumably leading the other half of the people to go north to join Zhang Shijie.

It seems that if you want to swallow this righteous army in one bite, you have to go to meet the brother-in-law who you have never met since you crossed, not to mention that this brother-in-law is also the future prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty and one of the "Three Heroes of the Late Song Dynasty".

Yang Bao had already taken over a mahogany plate from the boat with great interest, and the whole plate with fine and gorgeous carving only had a fluttering set of white paper on it, but it was an unattainable notice in the eyes of every scholar and soldier on the battlefield.

The top one, with black characters on a white background and a big red seal, is written below is Zhang Gui's name. Ye Yingwu frowned, and casually took away the first notice, and the one below was Zhang Shun. Looking at the confession handed over by Ye Yingwu, Zhang Shun took it with trembling hands.

It reads "Deputy Commander of the Naval Division of the Tianwu Army of the Great Song Dynasty", and you don't have to think about it to know that the first notice belonging to Zhang Gui just now is written on it, which is the "Commander of the Naval Division of the Tianwu Army of the Great Song Dynasty". Ye Yingwu's face was still as usual, and Yang Bao, who was standing behind him silently holding a plate, was already twitching his facial muscles in an extremely wonderful way.

You must know that the Tianwu Army has just started, and the so-called sailors have not even had a boat or a person without the permission of the imperial court, even if Zhang Shun takes office, he is just a bare-bones commander.

Under Zhang Shun's indicuation, the rest of the invoices were blank, apparently for the rest of the rebels.

The cabins of several fishing boats were already open, and what was stacked inside was a dazzling piece of armor and unstretched flags.

At this moment, there was a sound of horses' hooves on the official road.

"In the woods ahead, but the Heavenly Martial Army Ye Envoy?!" A loud voice rose from the ground, resounding throughout the tidal flats as the sound of horses' hooves drew closer and closer.

Ye Yingwu was stunned for a moment, and then smiled bitterly, this messenger obviously wanted to cross the river to report the news, and it was his luck to meet Ye Yingwu here. It's just curious that in the two states of Qi and Huang on the north shore, where would the deceased write to him Ye Yingwu?

Could it be Lu Xiufu, who once worked together in the same boat? But shouldn't this future prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty who disappeared when he arrived at the Xingguo Army go north with Su Liuyi, why would he be idle and write to himself?

—————————————————————————————

Dozens of miles away, on the south bank of the Great River, there are two Huai Water Division camps.

Fan Wenhu, the deputy envoy of the Great Song Dynasty along the Yangtze River with several layers of blankets on his body, sat in the commander's seat of the Chinese army's big tent, while Zhang Shijie, the real commander of the two Huai Water Divisions, was draped all over his body and stood silently at the head of Fan Wenhu. Xia Song led the backbone generals of the two Huaishui divisions to stand on both sides of the tent, each of them was the same full-body armor as Zhang Shijie, and they were all silent, as if they didn't see Master Fan sitting at the top.

Fan Wenhu was teased by a small osprey when he just entered the camp, and almost lost his soul, and when he came back to his senses, he knew that it was the dismount that the two Huai Shui masters deliberately gave him, and he was immediately furious, and when Lord Fan, who was still weak under his feet, ascended to the seat, he found that the generals below didn't even give him a straight eye, and almost slapped the table and left. But even if it is to slap the table, it will not help, after all, this is on Zhang Shijie's territory, and no matter how thick Jia Xianggong's thighs are, it is impossible for him to be able to cover him Fan Wenhu on the bank of the river thousands of miles away.

You must know that in history, this often defeated general almost ruined the Southern Song Dynasty sailors along the river, and eventually led to the continuous decline in the morale of the once prosperous Southern Song Dynasty sailors, and in the "sea of boats" that Meng Yuan desperately created, he collapsed at the touch of a touch and disappeared in the sunset.

It's a pity that it is not the bank of the great river in history, and the camping here is not the sailor division that has gradually invested in the refueling tactics in history, but the main elite of the entire Lianghuai Water Division, this team is not moved by his Fan Wenhu.

Even if Lord Fan wanted to get angry, he had to forcibly press this breath, just swept over every silent general below with that narrow and sharp gaze, if the gaze could also kill, the entire Chinese army tent would have been bleeding a river long ago. The main purpose of Lord Fan's ascension is to discuss with these sailor elites how to settle the mud-legged people who hit the door and want to take refuge.

Of course, if it weren't for Master Fan forcibly pushing away the maid who was feeding the medicine, it is estimated that Zhang Shijie and Xia Song would not have remembered that there was such a Shangguan in their own camp.

"Let's talk about it." Thinking that he could only stare at these now, Fan Wenhu felt weak for a while.

Everyone's eyes did not look at Master Fan, but invariably turned to Zhang Shijie. Zhang Shijie didn't even blink an eyelid, and directly ignored the almost resentful gaze projected by Fan Wenhu next to him, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Qiqi Fan Envoy, the last general thinks that Zhang Gui is a famous hero on the river, and he does have a deep blood feud with the northern Tartars, so he can be trusted." Please envoy Jun temporarily grant him the position of head of the capital, disperse the 500 rebel troops he brought, and mix with a certain two Huaishui divisions to quickly form a combat force. I hope that the king will grant permission. ”

Fan Wenhu couldn't help frowning, his voice trembling a little: "Deputy Commander Xia, what do you think?" ”

Xia Song took a step forward without hesitation, and arched his hand and said, "The last general seconded it." ”

The rest of the generals were the same, and they followed behind: "A certain seconded the proposal." ”

A wave of sound hit Fan Wenhu fiercely, and Fan Wenhu realized that he had really entered the enemy's den, these gangs were all hardcore Zhang Shijie's party, or Jiang Wanli's party, and he was originally a real political enemy, and he would not obey himself if he said anything. At that moment, Deputy Envoy Fan's face was a little pale, and he wanted to dismiss it viciously, but he was afraid that he would really lose the last glimmer of hope to buy people's hearts, so he could only reluctantly pretend to be majestic and slapped the table:

"This official thinks what General Zhang said is extremely true, so let's do it."

Zhang Shijie, Xia Song and the others held back the desire to laugh wildly, and respectfully clasped their fists together and shouted: "The last general will obey the order!" ”

Just when the generals below thought that the matter was over, a flat boat with a blood-stained messenger rushed straight to the heavily walled sailor camp. Seeing the messenger's arms raised high and his blood-stained fingers, the soldiers in the camp hurriedly opened the gate and beat the drums of war fiercely.

The drums rise and fall, and the roaring drums echo across the empty river, and in everyone's heart.

"Urgent report ahead!" Even a mediocre talent like Fan Wenhu had already realized the meaning contained in this rapid drum beat, and couldn't help but shoot the case, "Hurry up and find out to this official whether he lied about the military situation or if something really happened!" ”

Unfortunately, no one answered.

The generals of the two Huai Shui Divisions had long left this nominal official behind and followed Zhang Shijie, the commander of the two Huai Shui Divisions, to stride out. The military situation is as urgent as fire, and victory or defeat is often in an instant, so how can you send someone to investigate and inquire at length?