The water of the Yangtze River is shallow, and the super battleships on both sides of the deck can only sail when the Wusong River rises, and cannot go deep into the upper reaches of the river. Therefore, Su Dingfang is stationed at the military port, with Liu Rengui and Xi Junmai leading more than 50 ships of various sizes along the river. Go up the river and head straight for Jinling. At the same time, contact the informants and spies hidden in the south of the Yangtze River to determine the size and number of the private armies in the south of the Yangtze River, as well as the planned place to cross the river to the north, and be prepared to intercept and obstruct them.
Dozens of ships sailed out from the military port in a mighty manner, sailed down the Wusong River, and then upstream along the Yangtze River. These ships were not conspicuous in the ocean, but when they were gathered together in the Yangtze River waterway, they could be said to be connected by boats. , the sails blocked out the sun, which naturally made the spectators shocked and speechless, and they all asked what the navy wanted to do?
There are tens of thousands of troops in the Nuo Da Navy, and there are thousands of generals, soldiers, craftsmen, etc. in a single military port. Naturally, it is impossible to tightly block the news, so the news that the Navy went straight up the Shuo River to Jinling cannot be spread like wildfire, causing a panic.
Some merchants traveling to and from Guanzhong said that Guanzhong was now inaccessible. The King of Jin controlled Tongguan to isolate things from the east and west. Guanzhong was already in raging war and Chang'an was almost in ruins... The entire Huating Town was in panic.
When the informants from various Jiangnan families in Huating Town saw the navy's brazen attack, they were all frightened and quickly reported the situation to their respective family heads...
For a time, the whole Jiangnan was filled with war drums and roaring winds.
…
The weather in the past two years has been unpredictable, with heavy winds and snow in winter and continuous rain in summer. Not only have disasters occurred in the Guanzhong area, but also in the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River, natural disasters have continued. In particular, floods caused by increased rains causing rivers to surge have occurred from time to time.
In a place as beautiful as Jinling, it rains continuously for several days from time to time. Although the wealthy people can enjoy tea and enjoy the rain at ease, the poor people are very likely to suffer from floods. As a result, the floods destroy their farmland and reduce the amount of cultivation in a year. No harvest...
However, the weather has suddenly cleared up in recent days, and the river water that has surged for many days has gradually receded, and the turbulent river has returned to its former calmness. However, the sediment washed down from the upper reaches has made the river water turbid, and it still looks like the current is fast and vortexing everywhere.
Before the people of Jinling had time to celebrate that they had finally saved the river embankment and avoided flooding for two days, they were shocked by the countless people, horses, grain, and luggage that had gathered.
On the official road to and from Jinling, there are thousands of people and carriages, and there is an endless flow of people day and night. The usually empty city outside Jinling has turned into a huge camp, with people shouting and horses neighing, and materials piled up, causing people to drown and drown. Filthy.
On the river, there are countless large and small, luxurious or simple boats on both the upper and lower reaches, gathering near Yanziji. The boats are connected and boundless.
The entire Jinling City was shaken by this vision. The people didn't know what was happening, so they were terrified...
The Lishui and Pogangdu rivers flow from high to low, gradually merge, and go straight north until they are blocked by the mountains at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain, then turn to the west, run through Jinling City from west to east, and flow into the Yangtze River. Jinling has been a place where battles have been fought since ancient times. Every time dynasties changed and political power changed, there was almost always a war. The city was burned down, rebuilt, and destroyed countless times... For thousands of years, the city was rebuilt on the ruins again and again, and the population was changed again and again. Migration came from all directions, but the Qinhuai River was the only one that flowed into the river day and night, giving birth to generations of splendid civilizations and leaving behind beautiful legends one after another. …
The Qinhuai River runs through Jinling City and goes out for dozens of miles from the West City. Due to the low-lying terrain, it converges into a lake, which is the famous Mochou Lake in Jinling. Until the lake is overflowing, it continues northward and flows into the river. It passes through a river bend and has many riverbanks. Bamboo plants and dense forests are planted, and several exquisite houses are nestled among them. The bamboo leaves are whirling and the shade is dense, just like the scenic scenery of forests and springs.
This is the villa "Golden Bamboo Garden" of the "Lanling Xiao Clan", the first clan in the south of the Yangtze River, who has lived in Jinling for a long time. It is usually quiet and leisurely, and it is a place where the elders of the clan rest and escape the summer heat.
It's a sunny day today, but the "Golden Bamboo Garden" that should be quiet and comfortable is full of cars and horses, and an endless stream of foreigners come to the door...
Xiao Xun was wearing a silk suit, his beard and hair were all white, and his back was a little stooped. He was sitting on his knees in the middle of the lobby. The clean floor was bright and spotless. In front of him was a lacquered eucalyptus table and a pot of tea with the aroma of birds. , slowly sipping tea, with drooped eyelids, seemingly turning a blind eye to the people from various families who kept entering the hall.
As the eldest member of the Xiao family, he actually does not want to live in Jinling.
The Xiao family originated in Lanling County, Donghai County. During the Yongjia Rebellion, Yiguan migrated south, and the Lanling Xiao family had no choice but to leave their hometown and cross the river to Jinling. They lived on the left side of the river and settled in the mainland. Because the clan members often cherished their thoughts, Therefore, the place was renamed Lanling, but in order to distinguish it from his hometown, they all called it "South Lanling". Suddenly, more than a hundred years have passed.
The tribesmen living here, the customs and customs are all the same as those of their homeland. Xiao Xun was born and raised here, and now that he is getting older, he often misses the past. How could he be willing to go up the river and settle in Jinling?
However, compared with Nan Lanling, Jinling is a scenic spot in the southeast and the hub of gathering of north and south. The gathering of humanities and wealth is extremely important to the Xiao family of Lanling. The head of the family, Xiao Yu, was an official in Chang'an, and all the brothers in the family were regarded as dead. He had no choice but to reluctantly sit here...
There was an endless stream of people coming to the hall, all sitting on the mats set up around him, drinking tea or whispering to each other, making a lot of noise and noise, like flies around the ears, which was very annoying.
Xiao Xun frowned tightly, put down the tea cup, and tapped the table in front of him with his knuckles. The noise in the hall suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at him.
Today, the Xiao family of Lanling has long become the well-deserved "leader of the Jiangnan clan", and he, the second-largest person in the Xiao family after the head of the family, Xiao Yu, has even more prestige than Xiao Yu. He is very old and virtuous. Generous portions…
"Is everyone here?"
Xiao Xun raised his voice and asked.
The middle-aged man with a short beard who knelt down beside him said respectfully: "Back to my father, we are almost here... But many families did not have their heads here, only their nephews."
After saying this, he raised his head and glanced at everyone in the hall, looking extremely dissatisfied.
This time, the entire Jiangnan clan had reached an agreement and gathered here to discuss the important matter of forming a private army to send troops to Guanzhong. However, during the previous discussions, everyone swore that they would support the King of Jin in seizing the throne at all costs for the future of Jiangnan. , but when things came to a head, they only sent some nephews and nephews from each family, and almost none of them who were important members of each family were missing.
In this room full of children from various Jiangnan families, he could actually name only a few of them... It was simply too much of a lie.
Xiao Xun was not angry at all, his eyelids were always drooped as if he could not open his eyes, and he said calmly: "It doesn't matter, haven't we sent all the soldiers, money and food before we arrived? The Jiangnan gentry are in the same spirit, no one wants to get together Just get together and disperse when you want.”…
How could he not know what these people were thinking?
Not only did he want to support the King of Jin in seizing the throne, but he was also afraid that the prince would be liquidated after he was firmly on the throne. He was looking forward and backward, and was in a dilemma. He wanted to eat mutton, but he didn't want to be smelly, and he had to erect an archway when he was a cousin... …
But people's hearts are like this, so we can't be demanding.
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter what they think, as long as the soldiers, money and food are delivered, it doesn’t matter what they think in their hearts...
A young man with oily hair and pink face moved forward behind the kneeling crowd, squeezed out a slightly embarrassed smile, and his eyes wandered: "Junior Zhang Wang, I want to teach Duke Nanhai that I have brought five hundred soldiers, food and supplies this time. I have a thousand stones and several leather armors and weapons. I wish each family great success and great success! However, my father is ill and lingers on the bed. As a son of a man, I should put soup and medicine in front of the bed and carry filial piety at my knees. Therefore, I cannot follow the army north to Guanzhong. I need to I will leave immediately to return home...I hope Duke Nanhai will forgive me."
Xiao Xun was the son of Xiao Kui, Emperor Ming of the Liang Dynasty. He was once granted the title of King of Nanhai. After the fall of the Southern Liang Dynasty, the Xiao family was forced to go north to the capital of Sui Dynasty and was placed under house arrest. These titles were naturally invalidated. However, the Jiangnan clan has always looked up to the Lanling Xiao clan, and Xiao Xun was indeed a highly virtuous and highly respected person. Therefore, most people in Jiangnan called him "Nanhai Gong" to show their respect.
Hearing the young man's words, everyone in the hall immediately whispered to each other and became a little noisy. The majestic "Jiangdong Zhang Family" only came out with so few people and a few stones of food. Not only did the head of the family not arrive but only sent one nephew, he even sent this nephew. They all have to say goodbye halfway.
And listening to his words, it is clear that he means "I wish you all great success in your great ambitions. I will give you some supplies and express my feelings. I have nothing to do with my success or failure, life or death."
Xiao Xun was older. Although he heard Zhang Wang's words clearly, he was a little confused for a moment. His grandson Xiao Guan, who had a short mustache next to him, hurriedly moved forward and reminded him in a low voice: "This is the legitimate son of the Zhang family in Jiangdong. Originally, the family was in decline in the past few years, but since it contracted several salt farms in Huating Town, it has made a lot of profits. In recent years, it has built several sea-going ships at Jiangnan Shipyard to participate in maritime trade, and there is a faint sign of revival. "
After explaining, he saw his grandfather frowning in thought, so he turned around and straightened his back, looked at Zhang Wang, with a calm expression on his face, and said coldly: "The Zhang family in Jiangdong has always been the pillar of the Jiangnan gentry, and can serve as an example for us. The current events will determine the honor and disgrace of our Jiangnan gentry, how can your family stay out of it? We abandoned our family and property and went north to Guanzhong to fight bloody battles, but you sit back and enjoy the success as usual, there is no reason in the world."
"Third Young Master is right. Why is it that while we went north to fight and the other members of our clan were willing to die just to create a new world for the Jiangnan clan, your Zhang family is sitting back and enjoying the benefits?"
"And you put out so few people and so little food, and you just want us to charge into the battle?"
"It's so shameless!"
The scoldings came and went, and there was a crusade.
Zhang Wang felt sweat on his forehead. The hall was almost filled with representatives from various Jiangnan clans. He had offended everyone by accident. How could he live in peace in the future?
He quickly clasped his fists in a bow, and begged for mercy with a grimace: "Everyone, please listen to me! Unless the Zhang family is greedy for life and afraid of death, and refuses to join hands with you to fight for the world, it is really a steel knife on the neck, artificial Daozu, I am a fish! My Zhang family has been living in Wujun for generations since the Han Dynasty. The young and old of the clan are all under the threat of his troops. If I mobilize my family troops to go north to Guanzhong with you, you will live or die, succeed or fail. Most of the plans are made by people and the successes are made by heaven. However, the Zhang family will be wiped out overnight. What a disaster!"
