Jiangyang County is a small subordinate county of Yangzhou, dozens of miles away from Yangzhou, it is actually the entrance of Yangzhou to the Yangtze River.

Jiangyang County is the most warehouse, a huge warehouse at a glance can not see the edge, materials from the north and south are hoarded here, rice, salt, oil, tea, cloth and other bulk goods, nearly 20% of the wealth of the Tang Dynasty are hoarded here, so Jiangyang County is small, but it has a pivotal role in Yangzhou.

This is also the real reason why Wu Zetian sent Li Zhen to accompany Wu Yizong to Yangzhou, she was quite a bit of a mouse, and she didn't want Li Yuanjia to openly rebel and completely destroy Yangzhou.

For the same reason, before feeling that danger was coming, Li Yuanjia chose Jiangyang, where supplies and food were abundant, instead of Jiangdu, where merchants blocked the road.

Li Yuanjia can be called the first elder of the Li royal family, because he is the eleventh son of Tang Gaozu, born in the fourth year of Wude, although he is seventy-six years old this year, but he is extremely well maintained, his beard is white, his voice is like a bell, he belongs to Li Xian's faction in the Xingtang Society, because Li Xian was placed under house arrest in Fangzhou, Li Yuanjia became the de facto leader of the Xingtang Society.

Night has just fallen, the courtyard of the Pearl Building of Guangling Wangfu where Li Yuanjia lives is brightly lit, Li Yuanjia is feasting guests, and the banquet is full of friends and noisy

Dozens of scribes who were attached to Li Yuanjia sat around him, constantly raising their glasses to toast, Li Yuanjia drank so much that he almost drank to the glass, and a concubine beside him kept pouring him wine.

Li Yuanjia put his arms around the concubine with one hand, raised his glass and laughed: "Today, everyone comes to support me, I am in a very happy mood, I will salute everyone with this glass, get drunk first with wine, hug first with beauty, try to enjoy this moment"

Everyone laughed together, raised their glasses and drank bitterly, Li Yuanjia drank the wine and sighed: "I learned calligraphy at the age of five, learned painting at the age of eight, and began to collect books at the age of ten.

When everyone heard his rebellious words, their faces changed in fright, and they shrank their necks and didn't dare to say anything, Li Yuanjia's eldest son, Li Xun丨, stepped forward and persuaded in a low voice: "Father, go and change clothes."

"Go Away"

Li Yuanjia pushed his son away and shouted, "Take my sword"

A family member walked out of the hall with a sword, but Li Yuanjia's fourth son, Li Chen, walked quickly and stopped the family who sent the sword, he whispered a few words in his father's ear, Li Yuanjia was stunned, and then nodded and said: "Take him to the inner hall first, I'll come right away"

Li Yuanjia smiled again: "Everyone, drink slowly, I'll go change my clothes, and I'll be back soon."

He helped the concubine to get up and go to the inner hall, Li Yuanjia just left, everyone got up one after another, and each said that there was something at home, so they took a step first, and in a blink of an eye, most of the guests dispersed.

Li Yuanjia came to the inner hall, and Lin Qing, the Taishou was already waiting for him here, he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "See the prince"

Although Li Yuanjia drank a little too much, his mind was still very clear, he sat down slowly, glanced at Lin Qing and asked, "Lin Yuanjun didn't go to the table, but ran to the inner hall to see me, is there anything important?"

Lin Qing hurriedly leaned over and whispered, "I have important news to tell the prince."

"What's the news?"

Lin Qing glanced at Li Xunhe who was standing aside, Li Chen, the two brothers understood, and retreated together, Lin Qing said in a low voice: "Wu Yizong is here, and his boat is anchored in Yanzhen, not far north of Yangzhou. ”

Li Yuanjia said proudly: "I know that he is coming, isn't it just to announce the decree to me on behalf of Wu Rebellion? I welcome him to come, I happen to lack a three animals to sacrifice the flag, and his head is just right."

Lin Qing sighed secretly, and said, "Does the prince know that he was stabbed?"

Li Yuanjia was stunned, "Who is it?"

"I don't know the specifics, the internal guard leader who escorted him is now looking for the assassin in Yangzhou City, I'm afraid he will also come to Jiangyang City. ”

"Hmph, a little internal guard leader, also want to threaten the old man? The old man wants to take a look, he has a few heads, and he dares to identify me? In fact, even if I assassinate him, I only hate that I didn't seize this opportunity, otherwise I would have cut off the heads of these two little thieves and sacrifice my military flag. ”

Lin Qing heard him full of nonsense, and felt that he had really drunk too much, so he had to get up and leave, "The humble duty is to send a letter to the prince, I hope the prince will prepare as soon as possible." ”

Li Yuanjia waved his hand, "You go, I know it in my heart." ”

Lin Qing hurriedly left, at this time, the two sons walked in quickly, both of them heard the conversation between their father and Lin Taishou at the door, and the eldest son Li Xun丨 said worriedly: "Father, the female emperor sent Wu Yizong here, I'm afraid it is to salute first and then soldier, in fact, I think it can be negotiated." ”

"Negotiation fart" Li Chen rudely interrupted his brother's words, his speech and demeanor did not have the elegance of the royal family, but like a market butcher, and he was like his father Li Yuanjia, short-tempered, extremely ambitious, and bent on hoping that his father would raise troops.

He glared at his brother fiercely, and said to his father Li Yuanjia: "Father, the female emperor sent the Wu clan over, in fact, to humiliate my father and force my father to surrender, we have been preparing for many years, how can we be scared to pee our pants at the last moment." ”

At this moment, Li Yuanjia's drunkenness had woken up for seven or eight minutes, and he also knew that the stakes were very high, and he would not be able to make a decision for a while, he waved his hand, "Don't make any noise, let me think about it again, I want to think about what to do?"

In a private house in Jiangyang County, Zhang Ran, the internal guard force, reported the situation in Jiangyang County to Li Zhen, "Although we have no unknown army activities in the county for the time being, many fishermen have also confirmed the existence of this army to us, and we deduce that this army should be stationed on Yangtze Island in the middle of the Yangtze River." ”

Li Zhen found Yangtze Island on the map, which is an island with a huge area, larger than Jiangyang County, and there seem to be only a few small fishing villages on it, he pondered for a moment and asked, "Is there an unknown military ship on the Jiangyang Wharf?"

"We went to the commercial wharf, there were no abnormal military ships there, but the official wharf was heavily guarded and no outsiders were allowed to enter, and we suspected that Li Yuanjia's warship was on the official wharf. ”

"You can't get into the pier, but you should be able to see it from the river."

"Perhaps, but the lowly position hasn't been tried yet. ”

Li Zhen thought for a while and said, "Help me find a boat, I want to go to Yangtze Island to have a look." ”

Zhang Ran did not disappoint him, in the afternoon, Li Zhen and Di Yan boarded a fishing boat, the fishing boat was controlled by the father and son, surnamed Wang, both honest people, Li Zhen and Di Yan hid in the cabin, looking at the river with the help of the small window.

The wind and waves on the river were quite strong, which made the fishing boat shake badly, Di Yan was very surprised and said to Li Zhen: "It's really strange, how can you not get seasick, many northerners can't take a boat at all, let alone such a big wind and waves."

Li Zhen smiled: "In fact, we have been soaking in the water every day since we were children, there is also a river in Dunhuang City, in the summer, all the children jump into the river, I am no exception, the old fat was almost drowned, it is estimated that it was then that I practiced water." ”

"Impossible" Di Yan said in disbelief: "How can that kind of northern river be compared with the Yangtze River, my brothers are also like you, they have been soaked in the river since childhood, but they are also dizzy when crossing the Yangtze River, I guess you are not born seasick." ”

"Perhaps, I'm gifted. Li Zhen said with a grin.

"Go," Di Yan glanced at him, "Praise you, and you will go to heaven." ”

At this time, Li Zhen's hand gently wrapped around her little waist and whispered in her ear: "You are not allowed to venture to the island today." ”

Di Yan was thinking about how to get to the island at this time, Li Zhen's words made her slightly disappointed, but thinking of his concern, a trace of sweetness surged in her heart, and she deliberately pretended not to show him hugging herself.

"I can dress up as a little fisherman, and if there's danger, I'll jump into the water to escape. ”

"No," Li Zhen decisively rejected her.

"Ignore you" Di Yan pulled away the hand he was holding around his waist, and his mouth pursed unhappily.

"Childe, there is Yangtze Island in front. The fisherman's shout came from outside the cabin.

Di Yan hurriedly leaned in the window to look out, Li Zhen also leaned up, the heads of the two leaned together, looking at the river from the small window, and sure enough, a large island appeared two miles away in the distance, with lush woods, and faintly saw more than a dozen small fishing boats moored on the water.

At this time, an exclamation came from outside the ship, "Oops, here they are"

Li Zhen was startled, and immediately leaned to the small window on the other side, only to see two clippers heading towards their fishing boat, and there were more than a dozen black-clothed men with knives standing on the bow, Li Zhen felt that they saw him, and quickly closed the window.

"Hey, no fishing here"

Fortunately, the other party saw that they were just a fishing boat, and he was not embarrassed, and the fisherman hurriedly said: "Let's go"

The father and son hurriedly rocked the boat and sailed towards the north shore, shouting for the people on the patrol boat: "This time it's a warning, next time the ship will be destroyed and arrested, get out."

The fishing boat gradually sailed away, and at this time, Li Zhen got out of the cabin and said with a smile: "They don't seem to be too much." ”

The young fisherman bit the official words and smiled: "Childe doesn't know, we are locals, of course they have to be polite, if they pass by the merchant ships here, they don't have such a good tone, and they will definitely be caught on the island." ”

"Isn't the route broken?"

"That's not true, as long as it's three miles away from Yangtze Island, it's fine, just now we got too close, it's less than a mile. ”

Di Yan also came out of the cabin and said to Li Zhen: "I can swim ten miles in Weishui, let me go and have a look."

Li Zhen really wanted to go to the island to have a look, he thought about it and smiled: "Why don't I go with me." ”

"No, you can't swim the Yangtze River at all, and you'll only cause me trouble. ”

At this time, the young fisherman smiled again: "If it is night, we can stop at Temple Island in the west, which is only a mile away from Yangtze Island, and they can't show up."

Li Zhen felt that Yili was not a big problem, and the shade on the island was dense, so it was indeed feasible with Di Yan's skills, so he nodded and agreed, "Then wait until the evening." ”

The fishing boat slowly sailed westward, not long after, the night gradually fell, under the cover of night, the fishing boat approached the temple island, the so-called temple island, in fact, it is a small shazhou covering an area of two or three acres, it was originally a part of the Yangtze Island, the middle was flooded by the river, it became an isolated island, there is an abandoned river temple on the island, so the locals call it the temple island.

There was no sentry on Temple Island, the fishing boat was hiding behind a reef, and at this time Di Yan had already changed into a tight water support, she turned back to Li Zhenyan and smiled, jumped into the river, and soon disappeared.