Jiangxia County in Jingzhou is located to the north of the Yangtze River and east of the Han River. To the south of the Yangtze River are Wuchang County and Changsha County; to the west across the Han River is Nan County; to the north is Yiyang County and to the east is Yiyang County.
Nanjun runs north-south, with the northern end being Bianxian, Zhanxian, Nakou City and Qiucheng near Xiangyang, which are now occupied by Yongzhou.
Shicheng, northwest of Jiangxia City, is close to Qiucheng and Nakou City. When Huanxuan was defeated, his number one general Feng Gai fled here and was chased and killed by Liu Huaisu.
Shicheng is located to the east of the Han River. It is only three hundred miles upstream to the north to Xiangyang. It passes through Qiucheng forty miles away, and thirty miles from Qiucheng to Nakou City, which is sixty miles away from the waterway of Qixian County. There are 70 miles of water from Fo County to Yicheng, 30 miles from Yicheng to Yi County, and 60 miles from Yi County to Xiangyang.
Going down the river from Xiangyang, you can travel more than 300 miles in one day, heading towards Xiangyang City, and then you can reach Shicheng at Shenshi.
But it will take at least two days to go upstream from Shicheng to Xiangyang. Continue downstream from Shicheng to Zhangshan, a hundred miles away. From Zhangshan to Jingling, it is one hundred and twenty miles away from Yangkou, where Yang Anxuan rescued Xi Hui; more than three hundred miles further down from Yangkou, there is Han Dynasty The water enters Xiakou, the confluence of the Yangtze River, and passes through Zhukou, Hengsangkou, Zhuankou and other places.
It enters the Yangtze River at Xiakou, flows eastward, and reaches the important cities along the river: Wuchang, Xunyang, Shicheng, Wuhu, and Liyang, and finally reaches Jiankang and Jingkou where it enters the sea.
Sima Xiuzhi served as the governor of Jingzhou for two times. He had a good understanding of the situation in Jingzhou. He ordered the release of prisoners, recruited refugees, appeased bandits, and worked lightly to make a living with the people.
However, in the past ten years, Jingzhou has experienced repeated wars and people's livelihood has declined. Many people in Jiangxia County have fled to Yongzhou, making it difficult to return. Jingzhou is far less prosperous than it was twenty years ago.
Liu Qianzhi, the prefect of Jiangxia County, saw that the Song Dynasty was powerful, so he secretly surrendered to Liu Yi when the imperial army attacked Liu Yi. After that, he accepted Liu Taiwei's secret order to build city defenses, stockpile food and grass, and be ready for any contingency, but he still obeyed openly. It is under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou.
There are nearly a hundred merchant ships docked at the wharf outside Shicheng. Since the opening of the Western Market in Xiangyang, it has gradually become the most prosperous commercial center. There is an endless stream of caravans from Jin State, Wei, Yanliang and other countries, and even the Western Regions. The Han River is the busiest route to Xiangyang. The important waterways became extremely lively, and the cities along the Han River also became lively.
Shicheng's wharf has been renovated, and the nearly ten-mile-long river bank is enough to accommodate more than a hundred ships. The Shicheng Order organized dozens of people to maintain order at the wharf and collect berthing fees.
The berthing of merchant ships has led to the establishment of many restaurants on the shore. Small traders are constantly coming and going, and many coolies load and unload goods at the dock to eat.
It was getting late at this time, and more and more ships were moored at the pier. As far as the eye could see, there were densely packed ship masts.
Shen Tianzi was wearing a coarse cloth jacket, a short dog-skin jacket, and a Ge scarf tied around his head. He leaned on the side of the ship and looked around, but he couldn't see any flaws at all.
Five days ago, a baggage ship from Jiankang brought more than a thousand kilograms of Danhuo. In a secret letter, Liu Yu asked Shen Tianzi to find an opportunity to test the power of Danhuo in actual combat.
Although Liu Taiwei did not make it clear, the only place in the world that could test the Dan Fire was Yongzhou. A few months ago, the Yongzhou ship sailed from Xiakou to Yizhou in a swagger. After learning about it, Taiwei Liu scolded Yu Qiujin and demoted him from General Longxiang to General Zhenwu, allowing him to lead the reinforcements to Xiakou and take over military affairs.
News came from Yizhou half a month ago that Mao Xiuzhi betrayed the Taiwei and took Chengdu Mansion for Yang Anxuan. Then Yin Ji led his army into Yizhou and captured Wenchuan, Qianwei and other counties, and was confronting Tan Daoji's army in Hanjia.
The Taiwei's anger can be read from the letter. After discussing with Yu Qiujin, Shen Tianzi decided to lead the navy to attack Xiangyang.
During the labor expedition, it was almost impossible for the navy to dispatch Yongzhou to hide the details. The Yongzhou army got the news and intercepted it on the Han River. Shen Tianzi did not think that he could capture Xiangyang City with thousands of navy.
Shen Linzi thought about it again and again, and decided to launch a sneak attack, use up the elixir fire brought from the capital, and then return to Xiakou. So Shen Tianzi led twelve warships converted into merchant ships up the Han River from Xiakou and divided into groups to Xiangyang.
From the outside, the ship is not much different from other merchant ships. It is five feet long, two feet wide, has a single mast and a single sail, and can carry two thousand stones of cargo.
Shen Tianzi was equipped with hundreds of people on each boat. There were hatch holes on both sides of the hull, as well as crossbow windows and spear holes, so that people could be ordered to operate the oars at any time.
There are more than 1,200 people in twelve ships. There are tea, pottery and other people piled in the cargo hold. In fact, there are hidden things in the pottery.
"Danhuo", which is stored in clay pots
The "Dan Fire" method was suggested by Yao Hong. In the process of developing Danhuo, Yao Hong tried his best and made many suggestions. After the completion of the project, Liu Yu did not kill Yao Hong and scattered these Qin surrenders in Sanwu, Guangzhou, Jiaozhou, and Xiangzhou. The Hong family was placed under residential surveillance in Jingkou.
The cargo was only a superficial layer, and there was a catapult hidden inside, as well as bows and arrows, leather armor, weapons and other items. Twelve ships
The "cargo ship" was broken into pieces and followed the caravan on the river to arrive at Shicheng without any danger. It is only 120 to 30 miles from Shicheng to Fuxian County. We will set off at Maomo tomorrow and should be able to reach Fuxian County before Shen Shi.
There is a camp of Yongzhou Navy in Fuxian County. When stationed in Zhangshan yesterday, Shen Tianzi received a detailed report saying that Yang Anxuan had recently visited the water stockade in Fuxian County for inspection, and Liu Zhong, the commander of the Yongzhou Navy, was in the water stockade.
north wind
Shen Tianzi tore the Ge scarf on his head with a "whimper" sound. The wind was in his favor, so it was time to set fire. Shen Tianzi decided to launch an attack on Yongzhou Water Village tomorrow.
The wharf in Fuxian County is ten miles away from Shuizhai. At the time of Shen Zheng, the cargo ship Shen Tianzi was riding docked at the wharf. Soldiers boarded the ship to inspect it. After paying a thousand cash for docking fees and four hundred cash for tea and water, the soldiers casually After browsing for a while, he left.
Twelve cargo ships docked at the wharf in Jixian County within half an hour. The sky was overcast and snowy. Shen Tianzi stood on the bow of the ship and looked north. It was so gray that he could not see the Yongzhou Water Village. However, it was dark and windy at night. , just the right time to set fire to kill.
The wind howled, and snow fell from the sky. Wearing leather armor, Shen Tianzi directed his subordinates to move the catapult out of the cabin and secure it. The clay pot containing the elixir fire was also carefully packed in a bamboo basket and placed next to the catapult for later use.
At the beginning of the Chou period, Shen Tianzi ordered a brazier to be lit on the bow of the ship, and twelve modified cargo ships sailed out of the dock and headed towards the water village ten miles away.
In the dark night, there was a reverse current again, the boat speed was extremely slow, the wind blew the flames loudly, and Shen Tianzi's heart was nervous.
He was beating like crazy, hoping that the soldiers in the water village would find him later. Shuizhai in Fuxian County. The wind in the river was so strong that when standing on the watchtower, the wind blew all over my body. It didn't take long for people to freeze up.
In the second half of the night, it was He Zhuang's turn to be on duty. He divided the ten soldiers in the watchtower into five groups and rotated them every quarter of an hour. The others hid in tents for shelter from the wind.
He Zhuang took out a small wine gourd from his arms and took a sip. The soldiers on duty with him looked at him eagerly.
Heartbroken, He Zhuang handed the gourd of wine to the soldier beside him and scolded with a smile: "If something goes wrong, I'll get a stick from the army, and you guys will get the advantage." The soldier took the gourd and didn't drink it, so He Zhuang warned him: " You are only allowed to take a small sip and leave some for the brothers behind you. There are two more people upstairs. Didn't the Lord say that we are 'baozi'? We share the blessings and drink the wine together." The soldier said
He spit out the wine he drank with a "pop" and said, "He Tuntou is really good at joking. It's Pao Ze, not a 'baozi'." He Zhuang glanced at the spit out wine regretfully and said : "You can't drink anymore, give it to Zhao Ming. I know it's Paoze, but the clothes are not as delicious as the 'baozi'." While everyone was laughing, the curtains were raised, and a cold wind blew in.
He Zhuang glared and shouted: "Beef tripe, you just changed the shift, why did you come down? Your nose is so sharp, you can smell the aroma of wine. Come back to me quickly, or I won't leave you a bite." Then nickname
The man in the tripe said anxiously: "He Tou, there is something moving on the river, go and have a look." Upon hearing this, He Zhuang quickly got up and climbed to the watchtower. The strong wind blew snowflakes and hit his face painfully.
He Zhuang squinted his eyes and looked into the distance, and vaguely saw fire dancing two miles away, one point, two points... there seemed to be more than ten points.
Tripe asked: "Hetou, is it a fishing fire?"
"Damn it, how can anyone fish at night in this damn weather? Are you risking your life?" He Zhuang cursed: "It's an enemy attack, knock the gong." The sound of the gong suddenly sounded in the water village and spread quickly in all directions. Drive away.
He Zhuang shouted: "What are you doing standing still? Why don't you hurry up and prepare rockets? I want to see who is so bold and dares to attack the water stronghold." Outside, Shen Tianzi heard the faint sound of gongs coming from the water stronghold. Knowing that the whereabouts had been leaked, he ordered the oarsman in the cabin to speed up the oar shaking, and took advantage of the wind to quickly approach the water village.
When Qian Miao learned that someone was attacking, he ordered the stronghold walls to be guarded and the gates to be opened. He led ten stern ships, dozens of boats, and other ships out of the stronghold to meet the enemy.
Shen Tianzi's ship was already a hundred and fifty steps away from the water stronghold. He ordered twelve warships to line up outside the water stronghold, and put down the catapults from the clay pots containing Danhuo.
With an order, the clay pot was thrown into the water village. There were twenty archers on each boat, and the linen soaked in grease tied to the arrows was set on fire. After the clay pots flew out, the rockets flew towards the water village in bits and pieces.
Some clay pots were smashed on the wall of the village, some flew into the water inside the village, and some fell under the bamboo rafts. The powder in the pots spread out, and a pungent smell of sulfur filled the air.
The rocket landed on the scattered powder and immediately ignited a fire point. The fire point expanded rapidly. In a short time, there were more than ten fire points in the water village.
New clay pots were constantly smashed in, and the fire started to spread violently, taking advantage of the wind. The soldiers hurriedly took water from the river and poured it on the burning bamboo rafts, archery towers, tents, and boats. However, as the clay pots continued to be thrown in, the fire gradually got out of control.
When Liu Zhong learned that the water stronghold had been attacked, he hurried from his tent on the shore. He smelled the pungent smell of sulfur and immediately understood that the attacker was the imperial navy, and what he was throwing was probably the Dan Fire that his lord had mentioned.
"Put out the fire with wet felt," Liu Zhong ordered loudly. A few days ago, Yang Anxuan came to inspect and mentioned that Liu Yu had developed Danhuo. The two discussed some fire-fighting strategies. One of the strategies was to use wet sand and wet felt to put out the fire.
There are felt blankets in the tents where the soldiers sleep. They can be soaked in water, taken out, unfolded and pressed on the flames to suppress the flames immediately.
Soon, the fire in the water village was controlled by the wet felt. On the river, Qian Miao led the ship to the west side of the fleet led by Shen Tianzi. With an order, the crossbow on the ship fired the giant crossbow towards the disguised cargo ship. The two outermost ships were torn apart by the crossbow arrows, and the river water Flowing in along the cracks.
The twelve ships led by Shen Tianzi have all been modified and have watertight compartments underneath. Even if the hull leaks, it will not sink.
Seeing that the flames originally lit in the water village gradually became smaller, Shen Tianzi knew that the trip had failed and ordered: "Return." This night attack could not be concealed from anyone, but as long as the Yongzhou Navy did not catch him alive, Yang Anxuan could No matter what.
Both the destruction of Yan and the destruction of Shu by Yang Anxuan made the lord suffer the loss of being mute. This time it was his turn to hold back his anger secretly. The oar hand cranked the oar, furled the sail, and the boat flew down the current. It was dangerous to sail at night, but the Han River was wide, so Shen Tianzi could only risk his escape.
When Qian Miao saw the boats dozens of steps away turning around and escaping, he was not willing to let them go easily. He shouted loudly: "Follow closely, don't let these thieves go." The water flow was so fast that the boat could not see both sides of the bank clearly at night, and it was not bright at dawn. At that time, four ships led by Shen Tianzi had been stranded on the shore, while only ten ships led by Qian Miao were still chasing.
Seeing the bright colors appearing on the horizon, Qian Miao smiled and said: "Brothers, catching the thieves in front of you is a great achievement. Don't let them escape." Shen Tianzi looked at the Yongzhou Navy who was chasing after more than ten feet. I was really depressed. Fifty people on my boat were rowing, but they still couldn't escape. Why was the Yongzhou Navy's boat so fast?
He didn't know that the ten stern ships of the Yongzhou Navy were equipped with waterwheels on both sides. The soldiers stepped on the rotating shafts in the cabin, and the wheel paddles turned, no less than the people shaking the oars.
After walking down for more than ten miles, Shen Tianzi saw that Yongzhou Navy could not escape at all, and the soldiers on the oars on the boat were exhausted, and the boat slowed down.
He must not be allowed to be caught by Yongzhou Navy, otherwise Duke Song will not be able to explain to the world. Seeing that the sky was getting brighter and some eager cargo ships had already started sailing, Shen Tianzi said with cold eyes: "Attack the cargo ships and block the waterway." The rain of arrows ruthlessly shot at the ships passing by on both sides, and the cargo ships that had suffered unreasonable disasters hurriedly moved to both sides. To avoid them, some boats were circling sideways on the river, blocking the waterway in a mess.
By the time Qian Miao carefully avoided the cargo ship and returned to the waterway, Shen Tianzi and the remaining ships had long disappeared.
