Ou Lingtian said: "Si Rui has already brought back the time of Liu Jing's departure and the places he passed by this time, which is provided by Zhan Guocheng. Let's plan it well and make sure we win this big deal. ”

Li Ji said: "In addition, the salt we have looted must also be sold as much as possible, and the province will have many long nights and dreams." ”

Ji Kang laughed: "This is not a problem, I came to find the next family, salt is in short supply, and the salt smugglers on the Yangtze River have it, they can eat as many goods as you want." I immediately went to the Shiyanpo Wharf in the county, where I knew old friends. Some have been mixed on this road for decades, although they live a life of licking blood with knives, but they are cautious and cautious, step by step, and now they are all extremely rich. ”

Li Ji said worriedly: "Shiyanpo Wharf is a black nest, the situation is extremely complicated, and we really don't feel at ease when Ji Ye goes." ”

Ji Kang said: "The more people who mix in this kind of place, the more they pay attention to their behavior. Is there money to be made? I'm afraid that those little minions will kill people and do all kinds of evil, but I don't dare to offend those big bosses, with my friendship with them, there will be no problem. ”

Ou Lingtian said: "Let the 'red-faced Jiao' Jiang Qinghan and the 'chess saint' Ji Qingrui accompany you on a trip." I am relieved to have your daughter and son-in-law to protect you. ”

Ji Kang smiled and did not refuse

Ou Lingtian said: "That's good, now everything is ready, only the east wind is owed, we will immediately convene the leaders of the 'Dragon Village' and the 'Huashan Heitan' to discuss the big thing." ”

Wu Laoba, the owner of the "Dragon Village", and Cai Yong, the military advisor, Xu Yi, the "prodigal son of the rivers and lakes", Ou Xiaofeng of the "Huashan Heitan", the sailor centurion Huang Jiaotao, the three brothers of Dalintai, Darentai and Daritai, as well as the "Xiao Sheng" Shen Yixian, and the "Glacier Saint" Ou Hanbing, etc., all came to Shiyan "Xianwu General's Mansion" to discuss major matters. Ou Xiaofeng saw his father Ou Lingtian, Ou Lingtian didn't say much, just looked at him for a long time. Ou Xiaofeng looks very much like himself. He is also a handsome and dashing young man, but he lacks some masculinity. However, Shen Yixian told Ou Lingtian and said: "Xiaofeng is good, he went to Shuizhai to learn the experience of water warfare from Huang Jiaotao as a teacher, and he is very diligent and hardworking. ”

Ou Lingtian looked at his son's tanned complexion and sturdy body, Ou Xiaofeng's expression has changed now, he is no longer submissive, but has a spirit, and there are many things on a man's body that cannot be pretended. Courage and guts need to be sharpened, and the ancients said that the edge of the sword comes from sharpening. The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. That's it. Ou Lingtian nodded with satisfaction, and said in his heart: "The son can be taught." ”

After the personnel arrived, Ou Lingtian announced the time and place of departure of the great eunuch Liu Jing's salt ship, which departed from Huai'an and entered Nanjing through the Yangtze River, and then transported from Nanjing to Yichang in Sichuan via the Yangtze River. The waterway has to travel more than 1,200 miles, and the sailboat can travel up to 100 miles a day, which takes nearly half a month. Ou Lingtian looked at Wu Dong and asked, "Master Wu Zhai, where is the best place for us to do it?"

Wu Laoba replied: "Of course, it is in Xiling Gorge, where the channel is tortuous, the strange rocks are numerous, the beach is full of water, and the boat is thrilling. In particular, the mountains on both sides of the Huangniu Gorge are towering. The rock shape is rough and changeable. There are many reefs on the river, and boats must be cautious when they go here. If it is against the current, the progress is even slower. It is convenient for us to ambush. ”

It was the first time Huang had attended such a meeting. A little nervous, Shen Yixian encouraged him and said, "Master Huang, if you have any suggestions, just bring it up." Don't be afraid. ”

Huang Jietao plucked up his courage and said: "Although the ambush place proposed by the lord of Wu Zhai is very good, I think it is not as good as Baigou Gorge, and it is very difficult to navigate here. The channel is only more than 60 meters wide during the dry season. The boat against the current needs to be twisted and pulled across the beach. Liu Jing has more than a dozen salt ships this time, and although Baigou Gorge is not a dry season, the salt ships are five or six zhang long, and the draft is deep, so there must be a slender man to pull it over, which gives us a chance to create a zào. If you take it by surprise and attack it unprepared, the sailors will surely be in chaos without a fight. ”

Li Ji nodded and said: "According to the Southern Song Dynasty Wang Xiangzhi recorded in the "Jisheng of the Land", the White Dog Gorge "stands on both sides of the wall, and the white stone looms, like a white dog", and got this name. A great place for ambushes. ”

Wu Laoba also nodded yes.

Hua Shan looked at Huang Jiaotao at Ou Lingtian, this is the person chosen by Shen Yixian, honest and honest but full of wisdom, and he is a trustworthy person. Shen Yat-sen already understands network talents, and his vision is very accurate. Ou Lingtian was very pleased. After deciding on the location of the ambush, Ou Lingtian began to arrange personnel, and this operation was united by the two water villages, "Dragon's Village" and "Huashan Heitan", and dispatched 500 sailors, under the banner of "Turning the River Dragon", and the "Turning River Dragon" water bandits were famous for their ferocity and brutality, and they were like hemp. The officers and men were terrified. The people of "Huashan Black Dragon" did not participate, and the people of the province were seen by Liu Jing's people. The command was handed over to Wu Laoba of the "Dragons Village", and Chen Yan, the owner of the village who was dressed as the original "River Dragon", confused right and wrong.

"Lake Demon" Jin Feng also participated in this operation, and the personnel ambushed in the narrowest waterway of Baigou Gorge in advance, and when Liu Jing's transport fleet arrived, they first destroyed their two naval division warships, Cangshan Boat, even if there were soldiers from Dongchang in the salt transport ship, they couldn't take care of each other, and then broke them individually. The looted goods were quickly transported to the Shiyanpo wharf near Yichang, where someone picked up the goods.

Wu Laoba admired the five-body land, the Shiyanpo wharf in the county is the most famous smuggling wharf on the Yangtze River, where you can sell anything, as long as you have silver. The wharf was mixed with people from the rivers and lakes, idle officers and men, all kinds of businessmen, and scoundrels, and even the officers and men had no choice but to turn a blind eye. The Ming Dynasty was very strict in controlling the smuggling of salt, and the illegal salt merchants were killed without trial after being caught, and even this could not prevent a large number of illegal salt from entering the circulation market today. Outlaws can duel with officers and soldiers for the sake of profit, or even kill each other, in response to this sentence, people die for money, birds die for food.

When Ou Lingtian and the others were in full swing to prepare, Ji Kang, "Red Faced Jiao" Jiang Qinghan and "Chess Saint" Ji Qingrui set off for Shiyanpo Wharf in the county. It takes a day to take a boat from Shiyan to Shiyanpo Wharf, depart in the morning, and dock at Shiyanpo Wharf at five or six o'clock in the evening. At this moment, the sun was setting heavily in the west, casting a golden glow on the surface of the river. Standing on the deck of the passenger ship and watching the scenery on the river, Ji Kang was full of emotion, he used to do business here, it was many years ago, the Yangtze River shipping is very risky, the beach and reef are turbulent, and it is very common for dead people to die. When the young Ji Kang was working hard for life, the Yangtze River Shipping achieved his second and first pot of gold.

There is a business called "buying a boat to go east" in the trade of the Yangtze River, there is one or several people who pay to build a boat, load the goods and go down the river, along the way along the river while doing business, to the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the goods are almost sold, so they dismantle the ship and sell timber, and return to Sichuan by land, and the business is often not completed for a year. The eyes are full of sails, poles, stretches, and the rhythm of drumming. In the past two or three years, Ji Kang has accumulated the original capital and turned to the north and south to become a rich man. I also made many brothers at Shiyanpo Wharf.

At this time, the busy Yangtze River seemed to feel a little tired and began to move slowly again. A gust of river wind blew, and small ripples appeared on the surface of the river, and the green mountains reflected in the river swayed lightly with the water waves. Although the scenery here is beautiful, it is also a place to hide dirt and dirt, and in the year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, the Yangtze River has restored its former prosperity. With the increase in the number of boats and merchants, the Shiyanpo wharf also flourished, and the smuggling business was rampant day and night. Specialized teahouses, inns, wine shops, and businesses have gradually increased. The large population makes it natural to form a large town here, and the market days are on Monday, Thursday, July and September every month. On the market day, people from ten miles and eight towns come here to buy and sell their own local products and handicrafts. All walks of life are complete, repairing pots and pots, storytelling and singing, boxing and performing arts, carrying and shaving heads, selling vegetables, selling hot and cold food, rice and flour grain shops, baked cake shops, steamed bun shops, ironware shops, grocery shops, tailor shops, carpenter shops, bricklayers, black and white iron processing and other life services are readily available.

Of course, there are also concentrated short-term workers who specialize in pulling, loading and unloading, and transporting goods for passing ships and merchants, as well as restaurants, taverns, inns, carriage and horse shops, etc. Crowds of people, shoulder to shoulder. In addition to the collusion between officials and businessmen, jackals are in charge, fighting openly and secretly. There are often people who are violently corpsed in the river, dragged to the chaotic death post and buried the matter, and no one will investigate who the deceased is and for what.

When he went ashore, Ji Kang was dressed as a businessman, and his daughter "Chess Saint" Ji Qingrui accompanied him. "Red-faced Jiao" Jiang Qinghan is dressed as a bodyguard, and his appearance is also very scary, Ji Qingrui once laughed at him and said: "Qinghan, you were born with the face of a bodyguard." ”

Jiang Qinghan replied: "Then I will be your bodyguard for life." ”

Ji Kang is now a hundred satisfied with his quasi-son-in-law, Jiang Qinghan understands the righteousness and is sincere to Qingrui, although his daughter has a little temper and is moody, but Jiang Qinghan can bear it. It can be seen that his daughter is also affectionate to him, the little couple are now inseparable, Qingrui can be happy, and Ji Kang is relieved. His Wanguan family property will not be theirs in the future, the only thing that makes him anxious is that the two have not yet had a round house, and when they mention the matter of marriage, their daughter pushes it, saying wait, Ji Kang doesn't understand what she is going to wait for.

found a good inn to live in, then went out to eat, and walked along the street, Ji Kang saw a big restaurant, on which the dragon flew and the phoenix danced with five big characters "Drunken Immortal Lou Hotel". happily said to her daughter: "Qingrui, I really didn't expect that "Drunken Immortal Tower Hotel" is still there, and the pattern has not changed much. In the early years, when I was doing business here, I often visited here, and a dish of 'steamed crucian carp' is full of color and flavor, which is really a delicacy in the world. (To be continued......)