It's already July, and under the action of continuous rainfall, the scorching heat of midsummer has quietly come to an end.

On the turbid Yangtze River, a huge official ship, escorted by several warships full of sergeants, sailed slowly in the direction of Nanjing City on the other side of the river. On the bow of the official ship, Cao Yue, who was dressed in military uniform, was accompanying Zhu Yujiao, who was dressed in a small hat in green clothes, to enjoy the river scenery.

Behind the official ship they were the officers and men of the 1st Musket Battalion, who had arrived on the north bank of the Yangtze River in advance, and the more than 200 mercenaries led by Constin, as well as some of Cao Yue's other cronies.

The two sides met in Yangzhou. After the rendezvous in Yangzhou, it was organized into a fleet, entered the Yangtze River, and then marched west along the river to Nanjing.

From Yangzhou to the Yangtze River to Nanjing, it is necessary to go upstream, and the journey is not short. Staying in the cabin was too stuffy, and Zhu Yujiao, who was already very tired of taking the boat, begged Cao Yue to accompany her out of the warehouse to see the river view. They set off from Beijing, all the way by boat, and went south along the canal. Although the official ship is very large, and the wind and waves on the canal will not make the ship too turbulent, the air circulation in the cabin is not smooth, and it is quite stuffy.

Of course, Cao Yue would not refuse his little wife's request, and readily agreed. The two stood at the bow of the boat, facing the river breeze and enjoying the scenery on the Yangtze River. Not far away, in the mist, some houses and river embankments could be faintly seen.

"Brother Yue, is it Nanjing in front?" Zhu Yujiao, who was standing according to Cao Yue's body, pointed to the vague scenery in front of her and asked Cao Yue.

"It should be, when we get to the other side of the river, our trip will be over, tonight, we can have a good night's sleep," Cao Yue hugged Zhu Yujiao's shoulders and said apologetically: "Jiao'er, you have worked hard all the way, and when you arrive in Nanjing, you can rest for a while and recuperate your body." ”

"Thank you Brother Yue for your concern, the slave family will have a good life and recuperate," Zhu Yujiao leaned her head on Cao Yue's shoulder and said softly: "Brother Yue, the concubine is now your wife, and when you arrive in Nanjing, you can only rely on it." You have to take care of yourself, don't often lead troops to fight like in Datong, in that case, the slaves will be worried. ”

"It's okay, please rest assured, your husband has a big life, and if he doesn't eliminate Jiannu and Liukou, the king of Hades won't remember us," Cao Yue grinned and made a playful joke, "When we arrive in Nanjing and life settles down, we will find a way to give birth to a bunch of children and let them accompany you, so that you don't have to worry about anything from time to time." ”

One sentence suddenly made Zhu Yujiao blush, she pinched Cao Yue's handle unrelentingly, and said coquettishly: "Brother Yue, you are not serious, hum, just thinking about these things, last night, you tossed the concubine to death." ”

"You're not satisfied? Then I won't toss you in the future," Cao Yue pretended to be very aggrieved, and often teased Zhu Yujiao: "Just let you recuperate for a while, how about it?" ”

"Hmph, no, I want you to sleep in your arms every night," Zhu Yujiao couldn't help but be coquettish again, and didn't forget to tease Cao Yue softly: "I also like to be tossed by you!"

"Then we'll continue tossing tonight until we get a little thing!" As he spoke, Cao Yue laughed very floatingly. Zhu Yujiao was shy and anxious, and couldn't help but be coquettish again, between the little couple's laughter, all the boredom was soon gone, and all that was left was warmth and tenderness

Soon, the fleet arrived at the Yanziji pier in Nanjing. Yanziji is located on the Zhidu Mountain in the suburbs of Nanjing, because the stone peak is abrupt on the river, three sides are empty, and the momentum is like a swallow spreading its wings and wanting to fly. Yanziji is connected to the river bank in the south, and the other three sides are surrounded by the river, and the terrain is very dangerous. It is an important Yangtze River ferry port and a military important place, and is called the first rock of the Yangtze River by the world.

Before arriving in Nanjing, Cao Yue had already sent people to inquire about the situation in Nanjing, and selected the station of the first battalion of muskets he carried, which was near Yanziyan. Choosing this place as a military camp, Cao Yue mainly liked the important terrain here, and he also had to train sailors.

Swallow inkstone is an important port. If you want to establish a naval division, you must be close to the port, and Yanziji can be said to be the most ideal candidate for military camp in Cao Yue's mind, and there is no one.

Before the fleet docked, Cao Yue saw the black crowd on the dock through the telescope, and he knew that this was the Nanjing official who greeted them. Cao Yue's vanity was greatly satisfied by the presence of officials, and he knew that some things could also be done during the first meeting with the officials.

However, the scale of Nanjing officials who came to greet Cao Yue was still unexpected, and He Xiongxiang, the secretary of the Nanjing Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Rites, Shi Kefa, the secretary of the Ministry of War, Gao Hongtu, the secretary of the Ministry of Households, as well as Zhu Tongyi, the king of An, Xu Hongji, the Duke of Wei, and the Nanjing governor before Cao Yue, Xincheng Bo Zhao Zhilong, and Liu Kongzhao, the sincerity of Bo, and other powerful people in Nanjing, were all greeted on the dock.

Cao Yue knew that so many people came to greet him, not completely for him, the commander of Nanjing, his military exploits, as well as the Shangshu sword and the gold medal he carried, although the officials in Nanjing did not dare to despise it, but they put on such a big battle, mainly for the face of Zhu Yujiao, the emperor's favorite eldest princess. When Emperor Chongzhen left Beijing with Cao Yue and Zhu Yujiao, he issued an edict to the left-behind officials in Nanjing, so that they could be well received.

Due to many factors, the officials in Nanjing did not dare to be careless, and the main personnel came to the dock to greet them.

In order to make a special impression on the officials in Nanjing, Cao Yue ordered the troop transport to arrive before his ship docked, and all the sergeants on board lined up on the deck, exposing the most serious military camp to the officials in Nanjing.

After the official ship docked, Cao Yue personally helped Zhu Yujiao, who had changed into a palace dress, to get off the side of the ship.

The officials of Nanjing, led by He Xiongxiang, the secretary of the Ministry of Officials and the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward to greet Cao Yue and Zhu Yujiao and their party.

Cao Yue was right, although he had made many military exploits, but as a military general, his status in the eyes of Wenchen was still not high, if there was no title of Captain of the Horse, and the princess Zhu Yujiao accompanied him, it would be impossible to be greeted by so many powerful people in Nanjing.

He Xiongxiang, Gao Hongtu, Zhu Tongyi, Xu Hongji, Zhao Zhilong, Liu Kongzhao and other powerful people in Nanjing didn't take Cao Yue too seriously, at least before they met Cao Yue. Only the Ministry of War is still the book of Shi Kefa, and he did not dare to underestimate the character of Cao Yue.

Shi Kefa knew that Cao Yue was so young that he could be looked at by Emperor Chongzhen so differently, in addition to being brave in battle, there must be other outstanding points. Shi Kefa is upright by nature, and he cares about and worries about the chaos in the world, Cao Yue can defeat Jiannu several times and defeat the rogue, such a hero, even if he is young, he will not despise it, let alone take it seriously.

Among the many officials who greeted him, only Shi Kefa showed real respect for Cao Yue, and the others treated Cao Yue with false flattery and inappropriate things from the bottom of their hearts.

And Cao Yue only looked at Shi Kefa differently, of course, he did not despise other officials, but among these officials and magnates, he was the most familiar with Shi Kefa, a national hero who went down in history.