Chang Sheng took a boat ride for the first time in his life, and it was so novel. After setting sail, he walked back and forth on the deck, looking up and down, left and right.
This official ship has three floors. The lower two floors are for loading cargo and rowing. The top floor is for people to live in. There are dozens of large and small rooms, but the cabin rooms are very small and slightly cramped. It was cramped, so everyone on the boat stood on the deck, taking advantage of the fact that it was still dark, and overlooking the scenery on both sides of the river.
Most of the people on board the ship were family members of officials. After setting sail, these women's family members stood in groups all over the deck. I have never seen so many women in my life. I can't say that I have bad intentions, but I am curious in my heart. You can't help but take a peek, you will see that all officials have maids in their homes. You can tell who is the lady and who is the maid by their clothes, but even the maids are much prettier than the peasant women in the village.
Changsheng didn't want to go and didn't dare to go where there were women, so he could only go to the stern of the boat where there was no one around, found a secluded place to sit down, and took out a dagger to chop the bark of the sycamore branch.
The sycamore branches are relatively soft, and Changsheng cut them very carefully, striving to make the sycamore branches round and beautiful, otherwise they would be abrupt and dazzling when held in the hand, and it would be easy for others to guess that something was hidden inside.
After peeling for a while, it was completely dark and he couldn't see anymore. He could only stop, collect the peeled bark and throw it into the river. Then he walked back and forth from the stern of the boat. After being lame for so many years, he suddenly recovered and felt in his heart. His excitement was beyond description in any words. He had been prepared to be a cripple for the rest of his life, but who would have thought that he would meet those tantric monks.
There is pressure to receive favors from others. You need to keep them in mind at all times and look for opportunities to repay others. But in life, who can not accept help and favors from others? There is no shame in receiving favors from others, as long as you reciprocate the favor and don't let down the people who helped you.
Listening to the sound of the rushing water, Chang Sheng thought of Takeda Mayumi and others again, hoping that they could save their lives after falling into the water, and that the brothers and sisters could meet again in the future.
Just when Changsheng was in a daze, a woman's voice came from the right side of the ship.
The person who spoke did not know that he was at the stern of the ship. If he continued to stay here, he would be suspected of eavesdropping. But just as Changsheng was about to walk away from the other side, one of the women's words suddenly made him feel shocked. The other party said What's more, I have been with my mother for more than a month, and I don't know if she has written me a letter in the beginning of autumn? '
The woman's words about Beginning of Autumn instantly reminded Chang Sheng of his third senior brother Chen Liqiu. Chen Liqiu had more than one confidante, including many ladies from high-ranking official families.
But Liqiu, like Changsheng, was a relatively common name at this time. He was not sure that the Liqiu mentioned by the woman was Chen Liqiu. He was confused and did not leave in a hurry.
The person who spoke earlier should be the young lady, and the one who answered should be a maid, "Miss, Mr. Chen joins the army. He is no longer as casual as before when he walked around the world. Even if there is no letter sent, you don't have to worry about it."
I heard the young lady's words before, saying that longevity was just a concern. Now I listened to the maid's words again, and I was instantly excited. Chen Liqiu was undoubtedly the third senior brother. From what the maid said, Chen Liqiu seemed to have joined the army now. Chen Liqiu was free and easy by nature, not He likes to be restrained and logically shouldn't join the army, but people in the world are looking for him everywhere, so hiding in the army is undoubtedly the best choice.
She suppressed her excitement and continued to eavesdrop. The eldest lady was worried about Chen Liqiu and said that joining the army would be dangerous. The maid kept comforting her, saying that Mr. Chen had special skills and could fight the enemy with all his body. Self-preservation.
The maid's words about her unique skills once again confirmed that the two people were talking about Chen Liqiu. Chang Sheng originally wanted to continue eavesdropping to determine who Chen Liqiu had joined, but the two did not mention it and did not say a few words. The servants came to summon them, saying only that it was windy at night, and the lady called them back.
After the two left in response, Chang Sheng turned his head and glanced. He didn't see their appearance. He could only roughly see their figures and clothes through the weak light of the torch on the side of the ship. The eldest lady was tall and thin. The maid is much shorter.
At this moment, Changsheng was in an extremely good mood. Not only did he heal his leg, he successfully boarded the official ship to Ganzhou, and unexpectedly learned the news about his third senior brother Chen Liqiu. Chen Liqiu had previously fought against the enemy with Li Zhongyong. Chen Liqiu was safe and sound, and Li Zhongyong must have escaped unharmed. From this, it can be inferred that Mayumi Takeda, who fell into the water earlier than the two of them, should also be fine.
At this time, night has completely fallen, and most of the people on the deck have gone back. People are refreshed by happy events and are in a happy mood, so they are not in a hurry to return to the cabin and walk slowly on the deck, going in circles over and over again.
In addition to some officers and soldiers escorting grain and fodder, most of the family members of those officials also have martial arts guards. If others were pacing back and forth on the deck, it would definitely arouse their suspicion. However, Chang Sheng was bald, and everyone just thought he was a monk, and the monks walked around It is normal to chant sutras in circles.
It wasn't until the second watch that Changsheng returned to his residence. In addition to an oil lamp the size of a wine cup, there was also a bowl of rice on the table, with corn rice underneath and covered with wild rice and lettuce.
The meal may have been delivered a long time ago, and it was already a little cold at this time, but Changsheng ate not a grain of rice left. This kind of meal was very delicate for him. Although there were many disasters along the way, he finally had a surprise. They risked their lives getting on the official ship bound for Ganzhou. According to the calculations of Li Zhongyong and others, they would be able to reach Ganzhou in half a month.
Maybe he was worried that the people on the boat would accidentally knock over the oil lamps and cause a fire. The oil lamps in the room were very small. Just after dinner, the oil in the lamps burned out. The lights were extinguished. Changsheng lay in bed, feeling relaxed and connected. All he has to do is wait. As long as everything goes well, he will be able to reach Ganzhou in half a month.
Although it was the flood season, the river was turbulent and the waves were rolling, the official ship Changsheng was riding was strong and huge, and it carried a large amount of military rations. It was very smooth going down the river.
That night Chang Sheng slept extremely peacefully. In the early morning of the next day, Chang Sheng was woken up by someone. The person who woke him up was the grain officer named Bao Zuwen. He was a guest who had received special care from the governor. He was very polite and said that just ahead was the Baidi City where the apes on both sides of the bank could not stop crying, and the boat had passed the Ten Thousand Mountains. This was the place described in the poems of the poet Li Bai a hundred years ago.
When Chang Sheng got dressed and came to the deck, the deck was already full of people. Baidi City is located on the north bank of the river. There are cliffs on both sides of the river. To view Baidi City from a boat in the river, you need to look up and look far away.
Po Zuwen probably traveled frequently to and from the river and was familiar with the anecdotes from both sides of the strait, so he told Changsheng about the origin of Baidi City. However, Changsheng did not raise his eyes to look far away, but looked left and right in the crowd, looking for the two women who had spoken last night.
Most of the people on the boat were family members of officials, all wearing silk and satin. Chang Sheng finally found the two women among the crowd, and saw their appearance clearly. Chen Liqiu was handsome and unrestrained, and his eyesight was naturally good. The eldest lady She has long bright eyes, white teeth, and beautiful face. There are many beautiful women on the boat, but compared with her, they all pale in comparison.
Just as Chang Sheng was staring at the woman carefully, the little maid next to him noticed that Chang Sheng was staring at his young lady. She blamed him for looking rudely and cast a disgusting look at her.
Upon seeing this, Chang Sheng hurriedly moved his eyes away, and happened to find something floating in the river. At first, he thought it was a piece of wood, but as the thing got bigger and bigger, he discovered that something was floating in the water. It turned out to be a large gray-green tortoise. The ordinary tortoise was no bigger than a rice bowl, but the tortoise in the river was as big as three houses, floating on the water like a small island.
"Look, General." Changsheng pointed excitedly.
When Chang Sheng shouted, not only did Zu Wen take his eyes away from the distance, but other people around him also cast their eyes towards the river. Seeing the terrifying giant turtle appearing in the river, everyone was shocked and exclaimed.
Chang Sheng originally wanted to ask Zu Wen if he had ever seen such a big bastard before, but when he saw that he was as shocked as everyone else, he swallowed back the words that were on his lips.
The giant turtle was not afraid of people. Even though everyone on the boat screamed and shouted, it still surfaced. Along with the huge carapace, there was also the turtle's head, which was as big as a millstone and ferocious. It was different from the sharp mouth of ordinary tortoises. , the head of this giant turtle is so big and wide that it looks a bit like a bull's head.
The turtle head came out of the water, turned to look at the official ship, and then swam slowly towards the official ship.
The river here is about seventy feet wide from north to south. The giant turtle came out of the water from the north. It was only twenty feet away from the boat traveling in the river. When they saw the giant turtle swimming towards the official boat, everyone on the boat was frightened and panicked. They all screamed and ran to the south side of the ship.
The boss of the boat has been making a living on the river all year round and is more knowledgeable than those who took the boat. He may have encountered similar situations before. He hurriedly shouted an order, "Go to the back cabin to catch the rooster and bring it up. There are also yellow paper incense candles. Go and get them." "
The giant turtle is huge. Although it swims slowly, it is close to the official ship in a moment. However, it does not collide with the official ship. Instead, it keeps a distance of about three feet from the official ship. It raises its head and comes out of the water, swimming downstream with the official ship. go.
At this time, there were less than thirty people left on the port side of the official ship. Most of them were officers and soldiers and martial arts guards. It was not that they didn’t want to run away, but they knew they couldn’t run away. Furthermore, if they dodge in panic in front of everyone, they would lose their dignity as men. and decent.
Thirty feet seemed not close, but in fact it was not far away. The giant turtle's head was raised out of the water at this time, and its two eyes the size of bowls shone with a chilling light. Everyone left on the port side was frightened and their legs were trembling.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the giant turtle to sink. When several boatmen caught the rooster and brought incense, candles and yellow paper, the giant turtle had long since disappeared.
Everyone was frightened and asked the boat boss why. However, the boat boss had been traveling on the river for decades. He had seen many big fish, pythons, and some giant turtles, but he had never seen such a huge tortoise.
As for whether the appearance of this thing is good or bad, it is difficult for the boss of the ship to deduce. As the saying goes, things become better with age. Such a big bastard has probably lived for at least thousands of years. They are all spiritual. It stands to reason that they will not It is rare for someone to show up easily, but to suddenly appear under the clear sky and broad daylight.
Many people were so frightened by the giant turtle that they no longer dared to stay on the deck and hid in the cabin. However, the next few days went smoothly without any abnormalities.
There were few people on the deck, which gave me the advantage of longevity. I took a bench and sat on the bow of the boat, overlooking the majestic river and the beautiful scenery on both sides.
On the eighth day, Chang Sheng noticed that Ba Zu Wen had a different expression and was very worried. Although he stayed on the deck most of the time, he frowned and said nothing.
At first Changsheng didn't want to ask too much, but later he was too confused and cautiously asked for the reason.
After hearing Zu Wen's answer, Chang Sheng also felt a dark feeling in his heart. It turned out that there were two official ships transporting military supplies, one going back and forth. Logically speaking, they should have met the returning official ship yesterday, but until now There was no sign of the official ship either.
These two official ships are the two largest ships on the river. They can withstand strong winds and waves and are unlikely to sink or capsize. There is only one possibility for the other official ship to fail to return on time, and that is that it was intercepted by humans...
