Medicines for wounds are in short supply everywhere, and even among allied forces, competition for resources is common.
Transporting medicinal materials south had to be done secretly.
Jiang Yanyi is now the largest shareholder of the porcelain kiln, so he took some inferior porcelain to make up the number, and transported medicinal materials under the pretext of transporting porcelain to the south for business.
Traveling by land is more dangerous than traveling by water. You will encounter refugees along the way, and their whereabouts will be exposed.
The only thing you need to do by water is to be careful of bandits. You can go directly to Hengzhou by boat from Yuzhou.
An Yongyuan was afraid that Jiang Yanyi might encounter an accident on the way, so he allocated three thousand troops to her.
From Xizhou to Yuzhou is all under the jurisdiction of Feng Shuo. The journey was smooth. It took only one day and one night to reach Yuzhou. Before entering the city, they met the army sent by Chu Chengmao to pick them up.
After Chu Changping went to the capital, Chu Chengmao guarded Yuzhou.
He grew up in the army and could easily get along with the lowest-level soldiers, especially when he was defending Yuzhou City under the fierce attack of the imperial cavalry and had life-and-death friendships with many of the soldiers. Now the Yuzhou army is very supportive of Chu Chengmao.
His theory of commanding the army was different from Chu Changping's. Chu Changping had a long career in the army and had made great military achievements in the past, so the soldiers under him naturally respected Chu Changping.
Chu Chengmao naturally couldn't follow Chu Changping's method of commanding the army. He had little experience, and if he wanted to command the army the same way as Chu Changping, he might be accused of being pretentious.
To tame an army does not mean that once you have obtained the military token, the soldiers will obey orders like puppets. There are many people who say they obey but are not in their hearts.
You must show your courage before soldiers will be willing to follow you and risk their lives.
Chu Chengmao wanted to recruit a group of personal soldiers who would obey his orders completely, so that he would have someone to use when he expanded his power in the future.
After Jiang Yanyi was taken to the City Lord's Mansion, Chu Chengmao rushed over after hearing the news. He scolded her with a dark face the whole time: "This is just nonsense! Do you know what the situation is now?"
Jiang Yanyi straightened his back and lowered his head slightly, like a student being lectured, "I know."
Chu Chengmao said with a headache: "You came to the south even though you knew that?"
Jiang Yanyi sighed: "Thousands of soldiers are waiting for medicinal herbs to save their lives, how can I sit still?"
Previously, there was a shortage of medicine for wounds in Yuzhou, and many soldiers died of pain from wound ulcers. Chu Chengmao had seen it with his own eyes. So after Jiang Yanyi said this, he was silent for a moment and said, "Fighting is a man's job, and you girls should just stay at home. And as for your current identity, if the news really gets out, wouldn't you be a sitting duck?"
Although the capital was under siege, many prefectures and cities still refused to defect, claiming that as long as the royal family of Daxuan existed, they would remain subjects of Daxuan.
These are often loyal officials who never oppressed the people when they were officials and were supported by the local people. They should first persuade them to surrender and only attack them when it is absolutely necessary. But Feng Shuo is now restrained by foreign enemies and has no energy to wipe out these prefectures.
In addition, Fan Wei's power is also a threat.
When the various princes came to form an alliance before, Fan Wei also intended to serve under Feng Shuo, but the Fan family had indeed done many things in the past that angered God and man, and even now they still rely on plundering the people's money to supply military supplies. Feng Shuo showed no mercy and bluntly said in front of the various princes that "I will not associate with the Fan family, a bunch of rats."
Fan Wei held a grudge against Feng Shuo from then on. Although he did not dare to confront Feng Shuo head-on, he could not help but trip him up secretly.
If they knew that Jiang Yanyi was personally escorting the medicine south, I'm afraid he would rob him at all costs.
"I have certainly considered what you said, brother." Jiang Yanyi looked at Chu Chengmao with a calm expression: "Another caravan will arrive in Yuzhou City later. I hope you can help pick them up then."
Another caravan
Chu Chengmao frowned and quickly figured out the key.
I’m afraid that what Jiang Yanyi personally escorted were not medicinal materials at all.
He was shocked and asked, "You are using yourself as a cover to attract all forces here, but in fact the medicinal materials are delivered by someone else?"
Jiang Yanyi nodded: "I can only think of this way. There is no impenetrable wall in the world. If I do nothing, there is only a 30% chance that this batch of herbs can be delivered to Hengzhou. If I take a risk and try, there is still a 70% chance. Second brother, you are also in the army, you should know that the army on the prince's side is in urgent need of these herbs."
It was summer now, and Jiang Yanyi felt like he was living in a steamer every day in Xizhou, let alone the weather in the south
She had been in a military camp before and had seen how crowded the tents and beds for the wounded were. If the wounds were not treated and it was a hot summer day, it would be easy for them to get infected. If an epidemic broke out, that would be the worst.
The Minghan Kingdom is invading with all its national strength, while the Daxuan Dynasty is in pieces. No matter how powerful Feng Shuo is in commanding troops, the army cannot keep up with the various internal demands, and I am afraid it will not be able to hold out for long.
Now we have no shortage of money and food, and it all depends on the gold and silver in the imperial tombs of the previous dynasty.
Chu Chengmao pondered for a moment and frowned before asking, "Which caravan is going by land?"
Jiang Yanyi shook his head: "It's also by water."
When she went south this time, An Yongyuan did not dare to be careless and let her bring 3,000 soldiers. Although this could guarantee her safety to a certain extent, it was still a bit ostentatious.
She traveled by water. If people guessed that hers was just a cover, they would definitely assume that the real people transporting the herbs were traveling by land, and would go to set up defenses on the land side.
Jiang Yanyi did the opposite and asked the caravan transporting medicinal herbs to follow him.
She led a large group of people to clear the way, and they took all the risks. Moreover, even if the caravan transporting medicinal herbs encountered an accident, she could turn around and provide support immediately.
Chu Chengmao knocked her on the forehead directly: "You lead people to clear the way, and there is a caravan following you. Do you think everyone else is a fool?"
Jiang Yanyi covered his forehead and grimaced in pain: "I'm not as stupid as you think. That caravan didn't follow me, but followed the Liu family's cargo ship."
Chu Chengmao asked: "Liu family?"
"It's the Liu family, which has the largest rouge business in the Jiangnan area." Jiang Yanyi rubbed his forehead and said, "There is a leader named Zhao in the Huotou Camp of the Xizhou Camp. His nephew is the son-in-law of the Liu family. He is now helping to manage the Liu family's cargo transportation. I have communicated with them before going south. The Liu family's cargo ship comes to the dock in Yuzhou to purchase goods every three months. The most recent purchase was these few days. I asked Yang Xiubing to pretend to be a caravan selling spices and bring medicinal materials on the Liu family's ship. There are several caravans that come to deliver spices to the Liu family, and no one will notice."
After hearing what Jiang Yanyi said, Chu Chengmao had to admit that this strategy was indeed feasible.
He asked his last concern: "If the Liu family imports so much goods and is targeted by pirates, won't all the medicinal materials be gone?"
"The second master of the Liu family is a member of the Cao Gang. Over the years, the Liu family's cargo ships have never been robbed." Jiang Yanyi said.
The pirates make their living by their ability to swim. Even if the government officials want to catch them, they are at a disadvantage once they get on the river.
Only the people of the Cao Gang are also good at water handling. Therefore, compared with the government, the water bandits are more afraid of the Cao Gang and will not provoke the Cao Gang easily.
Chu Chengmao finally said nothing more.
Jiang Yanyi, however, recalled the rumors he had heard after entering the city, and asked him with a gossipy look on his face, "I heard that the Princess of Xing'an Marquis is discussing marriage with the Prince of An?"
Chu Chengmao's frown was so tight that it could kill a fly. "That idiot? He was scolded by Prince An, and in a rage he went to the front line and was nearly trampled to death by horses. Yang Zheng saved him."
Jiang Yanyi noticed the change in Chu Chengmao's attitude towards Yang Zheng. Looking at his tightly furrowed brows, he smiled teasingly, "That's really a rumor."
Chu Chengmao had never suffered a loss in verbal disputes, so he immediately asked, "Are you here to do business, or are you here to listen to people's gossip?"
Jiang Yanyi coughed twice and said, "I have some important things to do tomorrow morning. I'll go downstairs and rest first."
After leaving Jiang Yanyi, Chu Chengmao went to inspect the military camp. When he was training the new recruits, he saw them practicing with guns, and he felt it was not going well no matter how he watched. In the end, he punished each of them by making them run five laps around the military camp. The new recruits complained bitterly.
Even the guards following Chu Chengmao noticed his abnormality and asked in a low voice: "General, are you still angry with the Third Miss?"
This personal soldier was left to him by Chu Changping, so he naturally knew some things about the Chu family.
However, when Jiang Yanyi and Chu Chengmao talked about the plan to transport medicinal materials, they dismissed the servants. The personal soldiers were unaware of the situation and just thought that Chu Chengmao was worried about Jiang Yanyi's safety.
Chu Chengmao glared at his personal guard: "Why should I be angry with her?"
He picked up the pen and wanted to write something, but soon put it down again. He was annoyed for a long time, and said with a somewhat uncomfortable look: "Go and ask if Feng Junan's dog-skin plaster has been sticking to Xing'an Marquis County Lady recently."
"Ah?" The guard was confused.
Chu Chengmao picked up a book and threw it on the guard's shoulder, saying angrily, "What? Just go if I tell you to!"
The guard quickly said, "General, you forgot that the Princess of Xing'an and Commandant Yao went to inspect the river together. Prince Feng can't ride a horse, so he has been in Yuzhou City."
Chu Chengmao then realized that Yang Zheng was not in Yuzhou City. His expression just relaxed, but then darkened again: "Did Yao Yuntang go with her?"
If the Prince of An is a fool, Yao Yuntang, although born in a poor family, is indeed a handsome young general whose kung fu is better than his looks.
If he told him now that the one who went to inspect the river with Yang Zheng was the Prince of An, Chu Chengmao might feel a little relieved.
But the guard nodded very honestly and vigorously: "It is Captain Yao."
Chu Chengmao: “…”
****
Jiang Yanyi rested in Yuzhou for a day to prevent the guards who were accompanying him from getting seasick. Jiang Yanyi bought a lot of plums and also moved all the jars of sauerkraut that he had brought all the way from Xizhou to Yuzhou onto the boat.
Sour foods can relieve seasickness. July and August are the seasons when plums are on the market. Jiang Yanyi was afraid that he would not be able to buy enough plums in Yuzhou, or that he would buy too many and they would go bad on the boat, so he pickled more than a dozen large jars of sour radishes in advance.
When she boarded the ship the next day, Chu Chengmao wanted to give her another thousand guards, but the dozen large ships were already packed and could not accommodate so many people.
Chu Chengmao looked at the full cabin of pickled cabbage jars with an indescribable expression: "You brought a boatload of pickled radishes with you to the south. Are you worried that the King of Liaonan will have nothing to eat in Hengzhou?"
Jiang Yanyi gave him a noble and cold look: "This is to prevent the soldiers accompanying us from getting seasick and unable to eat."
In the end, Chu Chengmao only found a maid who was very good at swimming for her.
Jiang Yanyi could swim, but her original body couldn't. Knowing that Chu Chengmao was worried about her, she didn't refuse and accepted the maid.
The maid's surname was Chen, and her original name was Yu. It was said that her family had been fishing for generations, so she was given this name. Jiang Yanyi named her "Chen Yu", which was a homonym of her original name.
The heat was unbearable. Jiang Yanyi was sweating profusely when he was traveling in a carriage before. Now he was on a boat with the river breeze blowing all the way, which was quite comfortable. Even when he looked at those troublesome accounts, his mentality became much calmer.
Her trip to the south was not just for transporting medicinal materials. Both the noodle shop and Ruyilou, several branches in the south were suffering heavy losses, and none of them were located in a war-torn area.
Jiang Yanyi planned to conduct an on-site inspection on his way back to see whether there was a problem with the management method or whether the branch manager had enriched himself and falsified the accounts.
Taking a boat is indeed the most convenient and fastest way to travel in this era. The boat travels through the green mountains and clear waters, and has passed through three states and six prefectures before dark. Jiang Yanyi has also experienced the feeling described by Mr. Taibai: "Return to Jiangling from a thousand miles away in one day."
However, most of the guards who were accompanying them fell down due to seasickness and could not eat. They had to rely on plums and pickled radishes to relieve their pain.
There is nothing to worry about during the day, but we are afraid of being attacked at night.
At night, Jiang Yanyi simply did not sleep and kept an eye out for the outside world.
Huo Jianjia, Chenyu and Aunt Guo were all in the room with her. Huo Jianjia was also seasick and looked a little listless.
Nothing happened after a whole night of staring blankly. The next day, before catching up on some sleep, Jiang Yanyi divided the guards who were not seasick into two groups, and had them patrol alternately day and night, leaving some time for rest so that they would not all be exhausted later.
At night, Jiang Yanyi was not sleepy because she had rested during the day. She was careful and did not stay in her room, but took Huo Jianjia, Chenyu and Aunt Guo to the bottom warehouse.
They kept on guarding until four o'clock in the morning, but there was still no movement on the river. Everyone had relaxed their vigilance a little, and the boat suddenly shook at this time.
The people on the boat who were originally a little sleepy were instantly awakened.
The night was dark and fog had risen on the river again. It was impossible to see what was happening in the distance. The wind lantern hanging in front of the cabin was swaying, casting a dim glow.
After setting off fireworks to warn the other ships, seven or eight large ships also set off fireworks, and it was obvious that something unusual was happening there as well.
The guards stood on the edge of the deck, holding torches and bows and crossbows, staring vigilantly at the water.
Suddenly, several iron hooks were thrown up from the bottom of the river, seemingly normal, and nailed firmly to the side of the ship. Dark shadows emerged from the water, holding crossbows in their hands. While they were shooting the sailors and guards on the ship with crossbows, other dark shadows climbed onto the ship by climbing onto the cowhide ropes tied to the iron hooks.
The scene was panic-stricken for a while, and the deck was in chaos for a while.
Jiang Yanyi also heard the sound of fireworks exploding outside in the bottom warehouse. She tightly grasped the small crossbow that Feng Shuo made for her and forced herself to calm down: "The robbers should not be pirates. The pirates can't spare so many people to rob seven or eight ships at the same time."
Moreover, the pirates did not dare to provoke her easily just because they saw the huge momentum of more than a dozen boats traveling with her.
It is very likely that a certain force is looking for which ships have hidden medicinal materials.
Aunt Guo also thought of this very quickly. If the other party couldn't find the herbs, they would dig deep into the ground to kidnap Jiang Yanyi. She said, "Boss, I'm afraid they are here with bad intentions. You and Chenyu should leave in the boat first!"
Chenyu was a girl with a dark complexion and was very capable. She immediately said, "I'll go and launch the boat into the water."
Jiang Yanyi asked, "Where are we now?"
"Danzhou is under the jurisdiction of King Xinyang." Aunt Guo said.
Although Prince Xinyang had formed an alliance with Feng Shuo, he had previously been in cahoots with Fan Wei and was definitely not a good person.
In this case, the people who came to hijack the ship should not be the King of Xinyang's men. No matter how greedy he is, he would not be stupid enough to do it in his own territory, otherwise Feng Shuo would definitely use him as a sacrifice.
Some people want to throw the blame on him, and King Xinyang is definitely not willing to take it.
Jiang Yanyi immediately said: "Let all the ships dock!"
The guards she brought with her on the river were not good at water fighting and were at a disadvantage. Their chances of winning would be greater after reaching the shore, and they could also seek protection from King Xinyang.
Aunt Guo was obviously also worried about the Prince of Xinyang and said, "Boss, he is a profit-seeking villain!"
Jiang Yanyi said, "I will leave with Chenyu in a small boat. As long as I don't fall into the hands of Prince Xinyang, he can't threaten the prince. All ships should dock, and the soldiers who follow us south will have a chance to survive."
Aunt Guo understood what Jiang Yanyi meant and passed the message on immediately.
However, there was a fierce fight on the deck, and the boatman at the helm was also confused. It was pitch dark and he couldn't tell the direction. Some large ships even collided with each other.
After Chenyu rowed the boat next to the big ship, Jiang Yanyi changed into a servant's clothes, and under the protection of Huo Jianjia and Aunt Guo, he tried his best to avoid the assassins and sneaked onto the boat from the stern.
After Huo Jianjia got on the boat, she helped Jiang Yanyi up. Jiang Yanyi reached out to pull Aunt Guo, but Aunt Guo said, "I'm very heavy, and I'll be a burden if I get on the boat. I'm relieved to have Jianjia protecting you."
"Auntie!" Jiang Yanyi panicked and stubbornly reached out to pull Aunt Guo.
Aunt Guo took a step back and said to Chen Yu, "Take the boss away quickly!"
Chenyu used a pole to gain leverage from the big boat and pushed the small boat forward, and it floated far away.
Aunt Guo knew that it was dark and chaotic, and she couldn't see the road clearly with the ships in the distance. After sending Jiang Yanyi away, she took people back to the cabin to get several barrels of kerosene and poured them on the boat. After lighting the boat with torches, she jumped into the river before the fire completely engulfed the boat.
The surface of the river was instantly illuminated by the fire. Those who could swim led those who couldn't swim towards the shore. The remaining boats also moved towards the shore. The fire also attracted the garrison on the shore.
When the men in black who attacked at night saw this situation, they did not dare to go ashore. They just desperately drove away a few large ships that they had not had time to search.
*****
After Jiang Yanyi followed Chenyu and Huo Jianjia in the boat and walked away, he found a secluded place on the shore and stayed there.
They didn't board the Liu family's cargo ship until the next day when it passed by.
Jiang Yanyi learned that after Aunt Guo came ashore last night, she found a maid of similar stature to impersonate herself. After King Xinyang came over, Jiang Yanyi entrusted Xushe to King Xinyang, making King Xinyang mistakenly believe that he had hostages in his hands. He also successfully asked for accommodation for the accompanying soldiers. While he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, he was completely relieved to know that they were all safe.
Yang Xiu and Bing Shao were escorting the Liu family's cargo ship together. Yang Xiu said, "Last night, several large ships on the river went to Jingcheng. I think they were the ones that were robbed. Jingcheng is Fan Wei's territory. The ones who hijacked the ship this time must be the Fan family!"
After a night of fear and worry, Jiang Yanyi was now extremely exhausted. She said, "Spread the news that the Fan family robbed the medicinal materials we were transporting to Hengzhou."
Even if Fan Wei knew that she had robbed an empty ship, her trip was so grand and she encountered danger, outsiders would not think so and would only think that Fan Wei was quibbling.
Even if the various princes had the courage to covet Feng Shuo's things, they did not have the courage to rob them openly.
Fan Wei’s situation is different. I’m afraid that in the days to come, Fan Wei will be attacked by various princes in turn.
Yang Xiu and Bing Shao originally thought that Jiang Yanyi would be angry at Fan Wei's evil ambitions, but after hearing what Jiang Yanyi said, they suddenly felt that it was a pity that their boss did not go to Feng Shuo to serve as counselors.
Jiang Yanyi had a good sleep, and when he woke up, he arrived in Hengzhou.
Although Hengzhou was in the midst of war, as soon as Jiang Yanyi got off the boat and saw the houses on the street, he knew that this was undoubtedly a prosperous place.
Except for a few bustling streets, most of the houses in Xizhou City are made of loess.
At first glance, Hengzhou has gray tiles and white walls, and the streets are paved with neatly laid bluestone slabs, which is pleasing to the eye.
The medicinal herbs were moved off the boat and loaded onto more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages. Jiang Yanyi personally took the herbs to the military camp, intending to give Feng Shuo a surprise.
Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the military camp, they found out that Feng Shuo was not in the army, but had gone to survey the terrain with a team of light cavalry.
Han Tuo was the one who received Jiang Yanyi. Seeing that Jiang Yanyi brought so many medicinal herbs, his eyes were slightly red. He saluted Jiang Yanyi and said, "Han, on behalf of the 80,000 men of Hengzhou, would like to thank Miss Chu."
The generals standing behind him also saluted in unison: "Thank you, Miss Chu!"
This is the etiquette they perform when paying homage to a general in the army.
The deep voice sounded like the rumbling sound of a war drum, which made Jiang Yanyi's heart tremble. At the same time, an indescribable emotion surged up, and his eyes were inexplicably a little sore.
Before coming here, Jiang Yanyi just wanted to do his best to deliver the medicinal materials.
Only after she actually stood here did she feel extremely fortunate that she had brought all the herbs with her.
***
Now that he was here, Jiang Yanyi naturally wanted to see Feng Shuo.
She was unfamiliar with Hengzhou and had no place to stay, so Han Tuo temporarily arranged Jiang Yanyi to stay in Feng Shuo's tent and asked her to wait for Feng Shuo to come back.
The resting area and meeting area in Feng Shuo's military tent were separated by a tent cloth. Jiang Yanyi was afraid that Feng Shuo would come back with other generals, so he waited in the resting area behind the military tent.
After waiting for so long, he successfully fell asleep.
It was already three o'clock in the morning when Feng Shuo returned to the Hengzhou military camp after traveling through the night. He had no time to take off his armor. After giving instructions to several generals who had rushed to the tent, he finally found time to pour himself a cup of cold tea to quench his thirst.
As Feng Shuo took a sip of the tea, his eyes changed color.
He had originally planned to explain some other things, but he couldn't wait any longer. After dismissing several generals, even Xing Yao, who had just returned from the Fire Camp with food, was ruthlessly blocked outside by the guards at the door: "The prince said that no one is allowed to enter the tent."
Xing Yao was holding the tray, confused.
Inside the big tent, Feng Shuo, who had just walked to the door curtain of the inner room, had already pinched the curtain with his hand, but he was hesitant to lift it up, and his hand even trembled slightly unconsciously.
The author has something to say: Sorry, in order to push the plot here, the update is late qaq
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