The two men who walked into the hall, the first one was lean, and the uniform of a Northwest Army officer did not fit him well. A pair of slightly turbid eyeballs were more white than black, but there was a hint of light inadvertently between opening and closing. , the latter person has dark skin, sparse hair on the top of his head, a pair of goldfish eyes, slanting eyebrows, a wide mouth and buck teeth, and a strong body that stretches his clothes tightly.
"He Zicai and Lu Da have met these two adults." He saw a young man in casual clothes sitting above the main seat, and a middle-aged man sitting next to him, who was probably a staff member. The two knew that this young man was probably the current master and the hope of their clan. As the elites selected from the Changfeng Society to train the Northwest Navy, they were not only the top watercraftsmen selected from hundreds of miles away, but also their personalities. All of them are bloody men who can sacrifice their lives for the sake of their tribe.
Before coming to the northwest, the leader of the association had specifically given instructions to them, giving them orders and prohibitions, and completely obeying the arrangements of the northwest. Fortunately, there was no other special work after coming to the northwest. Apart from training those soldiers who were not able to swim, there was nothing else. It was not until a few days ago that they received the order to rush to Hanzhong to prepare to board the ship and accept the mission.
Wu Feng looked at the two people in front of him carefully. To be honest, apart from the fact that they were stronger, he couldn't see any other skills. However, since they were experts selected by the Changfeng Association, they were not bad, and he was not good at water. The journey from Hanzhong to the Imperial Capital took more than ten days, and without a few good watercraftsmen, the boat would not be safe for anyone.
"Both of you, please take a seat." Although he had already joined the Northwest Army, considering their special status, Wu Feng was very polite and raised his right hand to signal the two of them to take a seat.
"I don't dare because of my humble position." The two of them obeyed the order carefully and did not dare to be presumptuous.
"Sit down. Since I asked you to sit down, you can sit down." Wang Liao also saw the two people's restraint and said calmly, "Boy, we are going to board the ship tomorrow. I wonder how you two are checking the condition of the ship?"
"Sir, everything on the ship has been inspected and there are no errors. However, the Hanzhong garrison is still responsible for guarding the ship tonight. The two men in this humble position are a little worried. If someone deliberately sabotages it, a lot of things can be done in one night." The lean man named He Zicai bowed.
"Well, you mean you're worried about someone sabotaging tonight?" Wu Feng asked in surprise.
"No, my lord, you misunderstood. Just be careful when sailing a Wannian ship, especially from Hanzhong via Jincheng to Huanggang. There are many dangerous shoals and gorges in the middle. The water flow is rapid and the ship is difficult to control. If you are not careful, it will break." When a person dies, you have a precious body, and you have to be careful in your humble position." The lean man quickly explained, "Many objects on the ship are very special. If they are intentionally damaged and concealed very cleverly, it will be difficult to find them. But when encountering rapids, When the shoal is too dangerous, it can lead to irreversible disaster."
"Well, that's the case, you can get on the ship first tonight. You just need to familiarize yourself with the ship's conditions. Although the sailor who will be driving tomorrow is sent by Hanzhong, you will be responsible for the important positions." Wu Feng nodded in agreement with the other party. Point of View, “How many of you came?”
"Sir, we have two hundred people here. Eighty of them are old brothers from our original Changfeng Club. The remaining one hundred and twenty are all selected experts from the Northwest Navy. They are fully qualified to pilot this... A few ships." Seeing that Wu Feng agreed with his opinion, He Zicai perked up and immediately said.
"That's not necessary. After all, this ship still belongs to the Hanzhong Navy. It's too obvious for us to occupy the ship, which is not good. However, we can strengthen surveillance. As long as the other party makes any changes, we can deal with it mercilessly." Although He didn't clearly say what method he would use to deal with it, but the tone of Wu Feng's words clearly conveyed his meaning.
"I understand, sir, please rest assured." A murderous look flashed across the lean man's face, "There will be no accidents."
This is a fleet of two medium-sized passenger ships and three medium-sized warships. Since the waterways from Hanzhong to Jiangnan are all within the control of the Imperial Inland River Navy, there is no risk of any major water battles happening, even if there is There are only a small group of water bandits. Like this fleet escorted by warships, you can tell at a glance that they are not ordinary people. These water bandits with a keen sense of smell and a vicious eye do not dare to provoke casually.
Naturally, Wu Feng and his party took the passenger ship in the center, which was a three-masted sailing ship. Since the water flow was smooth from Han to the east and it was the rising water season in autumn, the sail on the mast became an embellished decoration. Taste. The hull of the passenger ship is quite spacious. The middle part of the hull, which is more than fifteen meters long, is enough to accommodate thirty to fifty people. Now it is divided into three cabins. The middle one is naturally Yum Gong's bedroom, and the one at the back is Yum Gong's bedroom. The living room for resting, and the one in front became the duty room for the personal guards.
In the living room, there is a book bank next to the porthole. The wooden windows supported by wooden poles welcome the warm sunshine in. Wu Fengxuan sat casually by the window and watched the scenery of the river bank. The fleet traveling down the water moved very fast, especially after entering the narrow mountainous area, the speed accelerated. The helmsmen concentrated on watching the flags of the lookout posts ahead, ready to change direction at any time. Although the first two military ships that opened the way were not large in size, they were quite good in the inland river. Each of them had a crew of 150 sergeants, plus 50 sailors, plus dozens of people responsible for command and monitoring. Each warship of the Northwest Navy and escorts has more than 200 combat personnel. There is also a medium-sized catapult in front of the bow and on both sides of the ship as a long-range attack weapon. This level of combat power is far beyond the capabilities of ordinary water thieves. Provocative.
He Zicai stood sullenly in the shadow of the cabin on the bow of the ship, staring forward motionlessly. As he sailed eastward from Hanzhong, Wu Feng boldly handed over control of the entire fleet to him, which not only made him feel a Excited, but more nervous and worried. Although only knowing these five ships is a piece of cake for him, most of the people on board are not water-based, especially his master and his family members and guards, who are probably not water-based or have poor water-based skills. Jia, once something goes wrong, he is not as relaxed as his brothers. The bottom line is that if something goes wrong, this is not what he can afford.
In fact, on the surface, there seemed to be nothing suspicious along the way. The sailors on the ship also behaved well, and the soldiers also behaved very honestly. But it was precisely because of these normal behaviors that He Zicai always felt a strange feeling in his heart. I have a hunch that this journey does not seem to be that simple. To put it in my own words, the person who assassinated him will definitely choose to take action on the water. After all, our strength on the water is weaker. Once we reach the land, no one will be able to control it, so if we want to take action, we have no choice but to do it. On this waterway.
Although He Zicai comes from the Atlantic Ocean, as the core figure of a water bandit gang, he is also very clear about the situation of water thieves active in the Han River, Jinjiang River and Yajiang River. It should be said that there are not many famous water thieves on this waterway. Only the Qutang Hui at the Qutang Gorge at the junction of Hanzhong and Jincheng and the Feiyu Gang at the Xiling Gorge between Jincheng and Huanggang are slightly famous. However, if they want to compete with the Imperial Navy, they are still far behind. He Zicai will not I believe they have this ability.
Along the way, the water flow was very fast and the boats barely stopped. Under He Zicai's suggestion, the fleet didn't even stop for the peak time in the middle of the journey. They just let the boats go down. They passed the Qutang Gorge and still didn't encounter any obstacles. Everything seemed very calm. Even Ruda, who was in charge of the warship ahead, felt that his sworn brother was a little overly sensitive. However, the bad premonition in He Zicai's heart became more and more serious, but at this time he After ordering the sailors and soldiers on the ship to take more precautions, only the old brothers who were supervising their subordinates were redoubled their vigilance.
One day's journey east from Hanzhong, we have crossed the Qutang Gorge and reached the territory of Jincheng. Except for the entrance of Qutang Gorge, the narrow and rapid waterway suddenly widens here, and the water flow also calms down. However, it is already dark at this time. This is The first pier on the waterway in Jincheng - Huaikou. There is still eighty miles ahead of Jinchengfu City. This night, the fleet only stopped here and stayed overnight. Originally, He Zicai advocated taking advantage of the night to go east, and saw that Jinchengfu had already stationed a regiment in Huaikou. The soldiers greeted Wu Feng, so they had no choice but to stay.
After welcoming and sending off the boring businessmen and gentry, Wu Feng and Situ Yutang breathed a sigh of relief almost at the same time. They returned to their respective boats. It was already time to light the lanterns. Some soldiers had already gone ashore to station themselves with the Jincheng Mansion sent The incoming troops were responsible for guarding the shore together. Five ships were leaning against the pier, and everything seemed very quiet.
However, He Zicai did not think so. Behind calmness there is often murderous intention. This is a lesson learned from experience. The other party did not invite Wu Feng and his party to go ashore to rest. The reason was that Huaikou was too small and there was no suitable resting place. This made He Zicai even more uneasy. The defense task on the ship at night was even more difficult. In addition to arranging the sailors to be on duty at night, he brought himself The 200 people were divided into three groups and all concentrated on the boats of Wu Feng and Situ Yutang. He even suggested that Situ Yutang and Wu Feng share a boat at night for easier precaution, but Situ Yutang firmly refused. Wufeng's guards were also divided into two groups to guard Wufeng in the boat.
The day on the boat did not make Wu Feng feel much tired. On the contrary, what he saw and heard on the water made Wu Feng feel relaxed and happy. The bright fish candles reflected the figures of the guards on the side of the boat through the window lattice on the river, and the night was like water.