After chatting for a while, the fire gradually subsided and everyone gradually became trapped. At their own convenience, they put out the bonfire and returned to the ship. The guests slept in the cabin and the boatmen slept on the deck.
Zheng Anping and the others returned to the cabin, guessing that the boatmen were asleep, and looked at the cabin doors on both sides, then gathered together and started talking quietly.
Zheng Anping said: "I will go to Juancheng the next day and may meet the Wei people."
Chen Sidao: "But living on a boat may not necessarily lead you to the city."
Zheng Anping said: "No. Juan is also a border town. There are many merchants, so they may have access to it."
Young Master Yiren said: "All the merchants on this trip are going to Luoyang, not for trade on the way. We will rest for a while in Juan. We will reach the shore at sunset and rise at dawn. We have nothing to do with Wei."
Zheng Anping said: "How can the young master know the Tao?"
The stranger said: "I lived in Jiji in the past, or I was sent to Luoyang by order. That's why I know its general strategy. Zhao Jia is different from Chu merchants. They are straight-minded and eager for justice, but if they have business affairs, they must succeed. They are not like the Chu people who repeatedly patrol and patrol. Undecided; or inquire about business opportunities on the way and ask for their value. Do nothing, transport goods to Luoyang, but know that transporting goods to Luoyang, ignore others."
Chen Sidao: "Young master, I'll see you tomorrow. But I'll be on shore tomorrow and don't talk to anyone."
At night, the wind and waves in the Yellow River are high, which is frightening to hear. The branch of the river is far away from the main river channel, so it is calm. The three of them watched the boatmen, each wrapped in quilts and sleeping peacefully, not taking it seriously. The three of them looked at each other and smiled. Go to bed separately. Chen Si had neither a pen nor a lamp, so he could not draw. He had to remember the scenes he saw during the day over and over in his mind, and finally fell asleep.
Before dawn the next day, the merchant got up and called everyone to prepare breakfast. After breakfast, the wind stopped on the river. Each ship unmoored and came out one by one.
After a day and two nights of rest, Zheng Anping's army's fatigue had recovered to a certain extent, and the muscles all over his body began to feel sore. He knew that he should move appropriately and stretch his muscles at this time, but due to the narrow cabin, he could not do any exercise at all. Zheng Anping then walked to the stern of the ship, where a long oar was set up and three boatmen took turns rowing it. Zheng Anping saw the three boatmen rowing the oars easily and harmoniously. Under their control, the boat moved like flying. Zheng Anping was very interested and asked in a very non-standard Zhao voice: "I want to do it, is it okay?"
The boatman who was replaced and rested said: "I dare to resign, sir. The skill of rocking an oar cannot be mastered until many years." He took Zheng Anping to the back, pointed out the place where the oar is installed at the stern of the ship, and said: "Sir, let's take a look at this oar. , but it is connected to the boat with a ring. If you apply a little horizontal force, the oar will come off, and there is nothing you can do!" When Zheng Anping leaned over to look, it turned out that this mechanism is very light. No matter how big the movement of the oar is, this joint must be connected together. . Zheng Anping looked at it, stood up and bowed: "Thank you Bumin, I don't dare to do it." The three boatmen all smiled proudly.
A boatman said: "Mr. Wu Guan walks with a stick, how dare he act like a warrior?"
Zheng Anping said: "The boatman has a keen eye and uses military force to deal with people!"
The boatman said: "Perhaps a martial arts practitioner is elected as a soldier of Wei Dynasty, and he has the most humble family fortune. Sir, let him try it!"
Zheng Anping said: "Wei has not selected military soldiers for several years! Although it is intentional, what is the fate of the situation!"
A boatman who was rowing the oar said: "Wei soldiers have a hundred acres of land, which is equivalent to the common people of Qin. And they have nothing to gain. Sir, if you are well versed in martial arts, it is better to sell it to Qin! If you kill one head, you will get a title. With your courage, sir , if you get three or five poems in one battle, you will become a doctor in one step!"
Another person said: "In the Qin Dynasty, we only farmed and fought. How could we travel all over the world, go boating on the river, and be free and easy?"
The boatman who rowed the oar said: "My husband deserves fame in his life. How can we be free and happy? We are not well-fed and clothed, and we will die without hearing anything!"
The man said: "Even if you gain fame and fame, you will return to dust after death, just like those who have heard nothing."
The man said: "No. When you look at the death of the venerable, you dig a deep hole as a tomb, and put three coffins and six coffins, gold and jade along with them, seal it on a hill, and eat blood according to the time. Just like us, we have a straw mat and a collar, Just abandoned in the wilderness. Even if the family is rich, they are no more than a commoner. The cave is only one foot wide and three feet deep, and the burial cannot be made with earthen tiles. But all the wealth of the rich family belongs to others! How can it be like the venerable ones who follow it all to the ground! "
The resting boatman said: "One person's achievements are worth the withered bones of thousands. Do you know how easy it is to achieve success in battle? If you don't kill one level, you will die; even if you win several levels, you can't escape being killed by others. Fighting, fighting, competing, It’s like walking on thin ice before stepping into an abyss.”
Zheng Anping said: "Shipmen also learned from it and wrote poems out of it!"
The two men behind him were competing to be the first to say: "That one is Wei Gongsun. He has been through Xiang Xu for a few years, but he is still capable of chariot fighting and archery. When his father died and his mother married, he lost all his family property and ended up on the river."
Zheng Anping said: "The world is decadent, people's hearts are not as old as they used to be, and scholars have lost their aspirations!" Then he turned to the boatman who was obsessed with fame and said: "Brother, if you are obsessed with fame, do you care about the common people?"
The man laughed and said: "In terms of surname, it can be called the Li family, but it has nothing to do with fame!" Then he pointed at the person next to him and said: "That Tao family has been without fame for several generations!"
Zheng Anping said: "Brothers have heard about Qin's laws and want to gain fame, why don't they join Qin?"
The man smiled and said: "But I can't tell the truth. I heard that Qin's criminal law is very harsh, and the title of nobility is very strict. We have been willful for a long time and do not follow the laws. If we enter Qin, we may end up hanging at the gate of the country in one day!"
Wei's boatman said: "This is true! If you are bound by the law, even if you are rich and noble, what does it have to do with me!"
Chen Si also came over and saluted and said, "Unexpectedly, the three sons are among the immortals!" All three people laughed.
The oars of the big ship grew larger, and two people were able to row them together. Although the ship finally left the port, it gradually moved forward. Three large boats were traveling side by side, followed by a group of small boats. It was the first time Zheng Anping saw such a scene, and he felt like he was leading an army to break out of the formation. As he was thinking about it, he picked up the wooden stick from the cabin and played with it on the bow of the boat for a while. Everyone on the boat cheered. When the young master saw the stranger, he was also excited for a moment. He punched twice on the bow of the boat and won applause. Driven by this boat, the merchants and boatmen on other boats who were good at martial arts also showed off their skills on their respective boats. Zheng Anping looked around and saw that there were quite a few people with good martial arts skills, and he felt secretly ashamed. The young master was so excited that he couldn't help but applaud and cheer. More than 20 boats performed martial arts one after another. The journey became shorter and less tired before we knew it. Before we knew it, the sun was about to set, and the magnificent Wei Great Wall flashed before our eyes. A few miles before the boat arrived at the Great Wall, a boatman came to inquire: "Where did the boat come from and where is it going?"
The shipowners gathered all the ships and came forward to answer: "Merchant from Licheng, transporting goods to Luoyang! There are twenty-five ships!"
The Wei soldiers from that boat got on the owner's boat and got along with each other for a while. After getting off the boat, they turned around and led the boats to a secluded mooring place near the city. This mooring area is very wide, and ships can be moored end to end. The long embankment not far away blocks the wind and waves on the Yellow River. Two or three miles after landing, you will find Juan City; outside Juan City, there is a countryside with abundant resources and people, which is completely different from the desolate scene seen along the Yellow River.
Although Zheng Anping has been a military soldier in Wei for a long time, he has been working as an errand in Daliang for a long time and has never been to Juancheng. But as a border city of Daliang, Juan City seems to be connected with the aura of Daliang, and the smell of Daliang can be smelled from here.
According to the strategy discussed last night, Zheng Anping went out as little as possible in Juan City and did not show his face to avoid being discovered by people he knew, so he stayed in the cabin when it was still dark. Inspired by the martial arts performances along the way, the boat moved faster than usual. The sun had not completely set when it docked, and it was still bright. The merchants were somewhat active, and they wanted to go into the city in groups. Someone came to invite Chen Si and his party, but Chen Si found an excuse to shirk the invitation. If Chen Si doesn't go, Zheng Anping and Yiren, as their attendants and servants, naturally can't go either. Gradually watching everyone leave, only the boatman was taking care of the boat up and down.
Before dark, the group of businessmen came back before Guancheng. Some of them still had some gadgets in their hands, probably to make their wives and children happy. The merchant unexpectedly brought one person over, and went straight to Zheng Anping's ship, saying, "Chen Jia, an old friend is visiting Brother Zheng today!" When Chen Si and Zheng Anping came out of the cabin, their expressions changed, and the person who came was actually a young man. Four! After just standing still for a moment, Zheng Anping reacted immediately, ran down the gangplank, grabbed Xiaosi's hand and said, "Why are you here, Fourth Brother?" Before Xiaosi could answer, Zheng Anping immediately turned to the merchant and said, "I am a concubine. An old friend was lured here by a business owner, how can I express my love for you!"
The captain laughed and said, "Brother Zheng is not someone else. He is the same spirit and is connected with branches. What's wrong with that!" As soon as he handed over his hand, Shi Shiran headed for the ship where he was! Zheng Anping breathed a sigh of relief, took Xiaosi's hand, dragged him into the cabin, pressed Xiaosi on the seat, and said, "Why are you here, fourth brother?"
Xiao Si chuckled, pointed at the two of them and said, "Are you two friends of Hou Ying, the Yi Gate Guard? I am also a friend of the Yi Gate Guard. I was harmed by you two years ago, and I have come here to seek revenge on you!"
Zheng Anping said: "Four brothers, please stop being naughty. How dare we harm your brother? It would be too much trouble for him to seek revenge!"
Xiaosi said: "If it weren't for you and me, how could I have grown up in this border town?" Zheng Anping and Chen Si both felt their hearts sinking. Could it be that the matter was not kept secret, or did it hurt their friends? He said hurriedly: "I would like to hear the details!"
Xiao Si Dao laughed and said: "Nothing serious! Brother Zheng left, and soon three corpses appeared in the river. Everyone said they were Brother Zheng, Xiaonu and Gai Nie. I can only know that it is not you, but it is like this What can be done? I just don’t know! The city inspection has been completed, and it is reported that Brother Zheng’s family of three had no wounds and all died of drowning. It was really an accident. The officials in charge of the city failed to report the incident, so Brother Su was fined and kept for one year. , Brother Quan and I both transferred border towns, and each of them demoted one lord to be used! I came to Juan, and Brother Quan came to Yan, both of them were very long. Brother Zheng, Brother Chen, I have been harmed by you, and it is miserable!"
Zheng Anping and Chen Si both prostrated themselves on the ground and said, "I didn't mean to make all my brothers so embarrassed! If I have been sent to you, I don't dare to say goodbye!"
Xiaosi said: "Come on! If you bow to me, I will be exempted from death penalty! If you are not my brother, I dare to take the big one. You two are doing business together. If I call you brothers, I would rather be suspected by others!"
The three of them divided their seats again, and the stranger brought them sake. Xiao Si glanced at it and said, "Who is it?"
Chen Sidao: "You are a boy servant!"
Xiaosi said: "Young Master!... You don't have to argue, and you don't have to tell the truth... If I see it wrong, you should judge your own eyes!"
