The Royal Ship is the most advanced water steamer in the contemporary era. Coupled with the sail boost, the speed is much faster than ordinary passenger ships.
If the north wind continues to blow, we can reach Xijing in five days.
At the beginning of the new year, it was cold in spring, and it was freezing to death on the river.
Everyone was nestled in the cabin, and Her Royal Highness the Princess organized a game to play mahjong around the stove.
On the early morning of the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the imperial ship arrived in Yangzhou, docked for half an hour, purchased some charcoal fire supplies, and then continued on its way.
The imperial ship was sturdy and stable, and the rooms were spacious and clean. Everyone lived on board day and night.
Floating continuously on the river is inevitably boring.
After playing mahjong for three days, everything became boring again.
Moreover, on the ship, all the food we eat is cold, which can only be heated up on the stove. If you want to eat something fresh, you have to go to the shore. And when the princess travels, the guards have to follow her. The battle is too big and it takes too much time.
"Husband, you have a lot of ideas, why don't you think of ways to have some fun?"
Shen Wenjun was lying by the window. Even she, who had always loved looking through binoculars, was tired of the endless world of ice and snow on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Song Che gently held his waist from behind, resting his head on Yu's shoulder, and asked with a smile: "Didn't we just have fun in the bottom cabin last night? How about it, do you want to change to a more exciting place tonight?"
Shen Wenjun blushed, gave Song Che an elbow with his backhand, and cursed: "You are not serious, I'm talking about multi-person sports."
Song Che pondered for a moment and said helplessly: "I don't mind it, but shopkeeper Qin and my aunt will probably be embarrassed."
"You are no longer serious!"
Shen Wenjun clenched his fist to fight.
"Hey, I suddenly thought of a fun game that can not only keep fit but also provide fun for everyone."
"It can't be that kind of immoral thing."
"Promise to be decent!"
…
Song Che called all the about 40 people on the boat onto the deck, and the biting river wind made them shiver.
"Boss Song, what are you doing calling people out in this cold weather? My old bones are not like you young people, I can't stand the torment." Li Fu almost wrapped himself into a rice dumpling, a man with few things. , with insufficient yang energy to begin with, and coupled with his old age and frailty, he is most afraid of the cold.
Song Che pointed to the green canal under the boat and said loudly: "Aren't you all having nothing to do? Today, we will have a winter swimming competition here on the canal!"
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar.
"Are you crazy? It's such a cold day. If you go to the river to take a bath, you have to freeze it into ice cubes?"
"No matter how energetic young people are, they can't do this!"
Facing the sighs, Song Che remained calm and waved his hand:
"Don't be anxious, I haven't finished yet - first of all, winter swimming has many benefits. It can speed up blood circulation, improve immunity, enhance cold resistance, and is beneficial to cardiovascular function... In short, it can strengthen the body body!
Of course, this competition is limited to male compatriots who can swim and are in good health;
Since it is a competition, there must be prizes. I, Song Che, hereby promise that the first place athlete will be rewarded one hundred taels of silver, the second place will be fifty taels, and the third place will be thirty taels. Anyone who has the courage to participate in the competition will be rewarded. There is a participation prize of five taels of silver! "
When they heard about the huge bonus, those who were shaking their heads at first were eager to give it a try.
"It sounds quite interesting. Lin Tong, take a few people with you and play with them." When Zhao Qin ordered, he looked at Jiang Yuntian.
"I obey my orders!"
Although there are no factions in this competition, there are obviously two groups of people on the boat. One is the 'Zhongyuan Faction' represented by the princess, and the other is the 'Jiangnan Faction' represented by Shen Wenjun.
Only with the smell of gunpowder and confrontation can you inspire fighting spirit!
Lin Tong selected five water-based warriors from among the guards, all of whom were tall and strong.
On the other hand, for the Jiangnan sect, except for Jiang Yuntian and Song Che who were slightly stronger, Tang Wen and the three boys were half a head taller than the dwarves.
"Madam, you will give orders with the musket later. Remember, you have to shout to prepare first." Song Che handed the musket to Shen Wenjun and warned.
"Hey, why are you trying to get involved? Look at them, they are tall and rough. They are all from the training family. We can't win." Shen Wenjun advised.
"Cousin, what you say makes others' ambitions destroy your own prestige. After all, we are also men from the Jiangnan water town. Are our water skills worse than them? Isn't that bragging to you? When your brother-in-law was seventeen or eighteen years old, he could You can swim from one end of the Qiantang River to the other. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your sister!” Tang Wen was eager to give it a try.
Zhou Hui gave her husband a look and said, "You, please stop bragging in front of Wenjun and your brother-in-law. If you hadn't grown so fat back then, you wouldn't even know where to go to get it."
"Well, anyway, don't show off, or you'll freeze your body and make the festival less festive." Shen Wenjun warned.
"Don't worry, I'm sure to be in the top three!"
Song Che clenched his fists, slowly gaining confidence.
When it comes to how proficient he is in swimming, he doesn't dare to brag too much. He has learned a few freestyle strokes, but he doesn't have enough strength and needs technique to make up for it.
He really couldn't believe that these ancient people who were blindly swimming in the water could compare to him, a modern swimmer!
The two sides of the competition came to the bow of the ship.
The Jiangnan faction stands on the left and the Central Plains faction stands on the right. Those who did not participate in the competition all acted as cheerleaders.
"Come on, everyone warm up with me first. Three laps on the left, three laps on the right, neck twisting, butt twisting, leg raises, jumping jacks..."
Song Che called on all the contestants to prepare for the competition. Those from the Jiangnan faction could still learn to twist, while the guards from the Central Plains faction crossed their arms and remained indifferent, as if they were watching a joke.
After his body warmed up, Song Che waved to indicate that the game could begin.
Shen Wenjun first used the telescope to explore, and then pointed forward: "About thirty feet away, using the abandoned thatched cottage by the river as the turning point, whoever swims back first will win, and the rankings will be arranged...then, the competition is ready. !”
All contestants take off their jackets, leaving only a lining as a base layer.
"The gunfire is about to begin, everyone, listen up!"
"Snapped!"
Shen Wenjun fired his musket.
Song Che jumped out. There were no rules of the game anyway. I grabbed a position first, so I could gain some advantage no matter what.
"Plop, plop..."
Eleven people jumped into the river one after another like dumplings.
"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law is so awesome! Brother-in-law rushes to the duck!"
"Commander Lin, surpass him! surpass him!"
The cold and biting river water, the cheering and cheering on the boat, stimulated adrenaline, Song Che used professional freestyle swimming skills, diving forward like a dolphin - he had to receive high-frequency and high-intensity endurance training from Tigress every night, no matter what He also has some strength!
In the first half of the race, Song Che almost led the race, but towards the end of the race, his physical strength began to decline and his speed also slowed down.
"Pu Chi Pu Chi..."
The sound of intense paddling rang from the ears, and waves of water drained out like waves. In a daze, Jiang Yuntian and Lin Tong walked hand in hand, their hands and feet like turbines, constantly stirring the river water.
If they go around in circles, they can create a whirlpool in the river!
The rhythm of Song Che's heart rate was completely disrupted by the wave stirred up by these two people, causing him to choke on several mouthfuls of water.
"Fuck... foul... cheating... gulu gulu..."
