From Lanzhou to Xingqingfu, the nearly thousand-mile stretch of river meanders northward, crashing into mountains and cliffs, twisting and turning, creating dangerous shoals and canyons among rocks and cliffs.
Fortunately, these boatmen were accustomed to fighting rough waves, and Zhang Liang came up with the idea of tying the rafts in one place. Not only was it difficult to capsize, but it also combined the experience and strength of multiple boatmen. Therefore, in the past four or five days, the losses were very heavy. limited.
It was not until halfway through the voyage that the Yellow River entered Yingli Prefecture, and its flow rate, which had once slowed down, began to accelerate.
All the boatmen, whether they had been here personally or had only heard about the dangers, all became nervous.
Zhang Liang also told Lao Cao: "General, ahead is the Black Mountain Gorge, which is sixty or seventy miles long. It is the longest canyon in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. After crossing, the rest of the journey will be worry-free."
An old boatman next to him sighed: "The good general learned that there are many dangerous shoals in this canyon, such as Longwang Pit, Old Couple, Seven Sisters, Three Brothers, Huang Shixuan, Yiwo Boil, Yama Wang Bian... everywhere. This is a fatal place, countless rafters have been buried here, and their innocent souls cannot escape."
Another boatman sighed with a grimace: "There are also blocking tigers, five dragons spinning, yin and yang parting, and high cliff knots... Oh, I don't know how many lives were lost to develop such a vicious reputation. .”
When Lao Cao heard what they said was serious, he stood up immediately. This stop——
It shows the advantages of being short!
You must know that this leather raft is swaying and floating on the water, with the ups and downs of the waves. If it is a long person and does not have the skill of riding a horse for more than ten years, it will never stand firm.
However, Lao Cao's position was as stable as a rock, as straight as if he were sitting.
Several boatmen and rafters saw this in their eyes and did not dare to say anything. They all cheered in their hearts: "Hey! This short man is so solid. It is a pity that he became a husband, otherwise he would not be a born rafter?"
Lao Cao looked at the entrance of the canyon from a distance and saw the turbid current beneath his feet, cutting a river channel between the cliffs.
The cliffs on both sides of the river are more than a hundred feet high, and they are as sharp and steep as a knife.
The river was bounded by cliffs on both sides, changing from wide to narrow, and the flow rate suddenly surged.
If it was just flowing fast, that would be fine, but it is not a straight path.
According to Zhang Liang, there were more than ten sharp turns in the sixty-seventy-mile canyon that were almost direct U-turns.
As for the other river bends, they are countless, and the twists and turns in them are like entering the intestines of a sheep.
The rapids below held up the raft, moving east and west in a dizzying manner. There are also hidden reefs hidden under the river surface, which are difficult to see with the human eye. If you touch them, they will turn over. It is really thrilling.
Hu Sanniang was frightened when she heard this. She was about to get up to take a closer look, but Lao Cao held her down and shouted: "Silly woman, you have two legs as long as a heron. If you stand up, you will fall over. If you fall in such a rapid current, you will fall down." Who can save me when I sink to the bottom? Isn’t it true that my husband has taken advantage of others? Just sit still and be obedient.”
Sanniang's face turned red and she didn't dare to move anymore. She sat firmly in the middle of the raft, lowered her body, and reached out to hold the bamboo wood covering the sheepskin and cowhide tubes.
The rest of the people were also in the same posture, all cautious and trembling.
Not to mention people, even horses seemed to be aware of the crisis at this moment. They were all trembling and trembling. They usually sleep standing up, but now they all knelt down, in awe of this dangerous place created by heaven and earth.
At that time, the old boatman saw that everyone was afraid, so he took the opportunity to persuade: "General, if you want to reach the shore now, it is still too late. When you enter the canyon, you will not even have the shore."
Lao Cao laughed loudly, pointed forward, and shouted: "Don't try to persuade me, just keep moving forward! You must remember that life and death are determined by destiny. How can misfortunes and blessings be caused by humans? Let's go, let's go!"
The boatmen did not dare to persuade them any more. They all crouched slightly, eyes wide, muscles all over their bodies bulging, and they were determined to hold on to the poles in their hands. They all used all their means to struggle for survival in the Black Mountain Gorge.
Cao Cao also didn't expect that this section of the Yellow River would be so dangerous! Knowing in his heart that everyone must be frightened, on a whim, he urged Zhang Liang to hold the raft under his feet in the first place and rush into the canyon first.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the raft entered the canyon, the speed of the water suddenly increased, and it was actually faster than a galloping horse. It also rose and fell with the waves, and the wind blew the waves head-on. Everyone couldn't help but squint and turn their heads. The waves hit everyone like rain, and within a moment, everyone was soaked to the skin. .
Those who were more timid couldn't help shouting and lost their voices.
It was just that he was going fast, but that was all. The most shocking thing was when he encountered the turning point of the river. The raft carrying everyone under his feet was flying towards the cliff head-on like crazy. .
Seeing the dark mountain cliff coming towards us, even Lao Cao, who was so brave, couldn't help but feel his hair standing on end, and his throat and heart were filled with cold air.
At this time, the lives of all the people on the raft depended entirely on the boatmen's long poles!
The boatmen shouted in unison and took out their poles, either pushing or pulling, to support the raft and turn it along the current at the critical moment.
After a few turns in this way, Lao Cao heard a cry behind him, rising up in the sky, mixed with the deafening sound of the waves, which was extremely frightening.
Shi Qian looked back. Because the river turned sharply, his line of sight was blocked by the cliff. He never saw what was going on behind him, but there were cries everywhere. It was obvious that more than one group of rafts had capsized.
Lao Cao shouted: "Don't look at it! The real danger in our expedition is not the Xixia defenders, but the Yellow River at our feet! Some damage is inevitable, everyone should live with their destiny!"
After traveling so fast for more than ten miles, the situation became even more dangerous!
I saw that the river below my feet became increasingly narrow, and the narrowest point was even less than three or four feet. The original turbid waves had now turned into rolling white waves. The cliffs below were so steep that even the skylight was blocked.
By this point in the boat, even the cries could no longer be heard, and the sound of the waves was like huge thunder. After listening to it for a long time, my mind became blurred.
What he saw before his eyes were rushing rapids, ferocious rocks, and a gloomy scene that would make even the most daring people tremble with fear.
Even evil men like Jiao Ting. At this moment, he couldn't help but tremble. He put his arms around Shi Qian and howled: "Oh, brother, does this Yellow River lead directly to the Yellow Spring? If it wasn't hell, how could it be such a bad scene?"
Shi Qian, on the other hand, was much calmer than him. Although he also turned pale, he was brave as a skilled artist. While comforting Jiao Ting, he broke away from his embrace and reached out to hold the scythe at his waist. His eyes were shining brightly. He glanced around like a monkey.
But he had made a plan in his mind: If he really made a mistake, he would fly out the sickle and hook it on the stone. With this light skill, he would fight to the death to save his brother. As for his sister-in-law and brother Jiao Ting, he really couldn't care about much... …
Jiao Ting is still so frightened. Even though "Yizhang Qing" is a hero among women, can she be better than him?
Poor this lady, she was already dizzy, her peach blossom face had already turned pale at this moment, she held Cao Cao's hand tightly, and said with tears: "You and I should not be on the same raft. If this raft capsizes, my child will be dead." Wouldn’t it mean that my parents are gone at the same time?”
Lao Cao shouted: "Fart! What are you talking about, you bitch? Even if you die because of me, there are teachers waiting at home, how dare you deny my son? Who really dares to have bad thoughts, with my brother Wu Er is here, how can he just sit back and watch?"
He usually gets along with his wives, most of them are gentle and amiable, and rarely gets angry, let alone scolds.
It's just that she was in critical danger at this moment and couldn't get out for a long time. Even though she was the overlord of the generation, her mood was a bit lost. She was so angry that she couldn't control it for a moment, and her voice was fierce. Hu Sanniang was already frightened. She was yelled at and scolded by him, which made her branches tremble and her whole body was frightened. With a tremble, the tears fell down like raindrops, but she was afraid that she would annoy Lao Cao again if she cried loudly, so she just blocked Ying's mouth with a small fist, feeling aggrieved and not daring to say a word.
Lao Cao looked at her pitiful expression and was slightly startled. He immediately remembered the benefits of Hu Sanniang. As a mother, she was reluctant to be separated from him. She was willing to leave her son behind and follow him to fight thousands of miles. At this moment, although she was still young and beautiful, she was still young and beautiful. , compared to the beginning, it can’t help but add a few wisps of wind and frost.
With a twist of his heart, he suddenly couldn't bear it anymore, so he hugged her Zhen head, leaned against his chest, and said in a low voice: "That's all, I shouldn't be angry at you. But you don't have to think about it. Others don't know me, don't you know it too? If heaven and earth are willing to kill me, why bother letting me awaken from my past life? My husband and I are in the same boat, and we will naturally navigate the dangers."
When Hu Sanniang thought about it, it really made sense!
How could a person like Lao Cao be left in such a place?
God made him awaken his memory, would he be willing to send him away so gently?
He couldn't help but stretched out his hands, hugged Lao Cao tightly, and pressed his face tightly against him.
Shi Qian saw this and couldn't help but get anxious: Oops, they are hugging each other, how can I have the strength to hold them together?
I don't know how long it took to drift like this, but suddenly my eyes lit up. Shi Qian was the first to shout: "Okay! It's out!"
Lao Cao followed the sound, and sure enough, at some point, the water flow had slowed down a little, and the gorges on both sides were gradually opening up. Even on the river beach in the distance, lush forests and lush grass were visible, and tall waterwheels were turning leisurely.
Lao Cao was certain in his heart and laughed loudly: "Brothers, we have overcome such a dangerous situation, and Xixia will be destroyed together!"
Zhang Liang and other boatmen looked at the scenery in disbelief. They couldn't help but smile, and then they couldn't help but sit down and let the raft slowly move along the increasingly open river. drift.
After floating for a while, Lao Cao looked back and saw that in the dark canyon, rafts of various sizes floated out one after another. He didn't know which one started. The cheers started loudly, startling the birds on the shore. , flying high one after another.
Lao Cao listened for a moment, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled with Shi Qian: "That's it! Judging from the momentum, most people are fine. Fortunately, it was a leather raft. If it were a wooden boat, it would have been damaged by more than half. No wonder Li Li Xian is timid."
Then he called Zhang Liang: "Stop your hard work and quickly find a gentle place to dock. I want to see if all the brothers are okay."
Shi Qian said with a smile: "My brother is destined to do great things. Naturally, we are auspicious and we, as brothers, will be safe if we follow my brother's lead."
An hour later, rafts came one after another to the shore.
This is exactly what it is: Huge waves roll over high cliffs and roaring currents, and the heavenly soldiers come out of Lanzhou with anger. It’s hard to predict who will be flying across Guanshan Mountain, but the war in the northwest is expected to continue!
(End of chapter)
