Compared with the Yangzhou Canal section, the channel of Tongji Canal is much narrower and the water is much shallower.
It would be difficult for the fleet to continue to move forward side by side.
Considering the need to leave enough waterway for ships traveling to and from the canal, the side-by-side shape of naval warships was changed to the shape of a long snake.
This formation is undoubtedly quite dangerous for the navy. No matter which ship is attacked, other warships will not be able to provide immediate support.
That's why before entering the river, Song Qing asked Chen Kan if he needed to prepare early to avoid the formation being divided and then defeated one by one.
As the fleet all sailed into the canal, the furled sails were unfurled again.
After passing Xuzhou and Suzhou, another two days passed, and the fleet had sailed into the traditional hinterland of the Central Plains.
Today Chen Kan is going to change his taste. He has been eating fish every day since he boarded the naval warship. Now Chen Kan feels like vomiting when he sees fish.
The space on the warship is limited, and there is no way to carry too many fresh ingredients. This makes Chen Kan's wish to eat fresh vegetables on the ship a dream.
Pickles and rolled tofu, this is what Chen Kan used to improve the taste today.
As the saying goes, after eating pickles and rolling tofu, the emperor is not as good as me.
The treasure ship was sailing on the gentle canal. On the deck, smokeless charcoal was burning in a small stove and a wooden shelf that could be fixed on the deck.
A plate of sauerkraut and a plate of tofu. The iron pot on the stove has a bottom of smoked meat and a dish of garlic oil dipped in water. This is Chen Kan and Song Qing's staple food today.
On the ship, it is naturally difficult to eat fresh vegetables. Only plump fresh fish is available in unlimited quantities.
Chen Kan was tired of eating fish, so he asked the chef to pick out the fish and roe for him to cook in hot pot. No fish was required.
Pour the sauerkraut into the pot and simmer for a while, then pour in the delicious fish soaks and white tender tofu and roll them around, then put them in the oil dish and roll them around. A delicious delicacy with excellent taste is ready.
The wine in the wine bottles on the shelf has also been changed from Jiangnan sweet wine to Shandong Qiulubai.
Chen Kan ate a piece of hot tofu, picked up the cup and took a small sip of wine. Even a god would not change the taste.
"Sir, if we make a big deal like this, can those people be fooled?"
Song Qing followed Chen Kan's example and poured the tofu into his stomach with wine. Although he was asking Chen Kan, the indifferent expression on his face showed that he actually didn't take this matter to heart.
Chen Kan was even more indifferent. Rather than being a bait on the deck, he was observing the difference between the scenery in the north and that in the south of the Yangtze River.
"My lord, my lord..."
Shi Wen suddenly hurried onto the deck.
"Sir, the navy brothers discovered a huge iron chain underwater."
Chen Kan smiled evilly: "Are the cannons ready?"
What Shi Wen wanted to say was stuck in his throat, and he responded after a moment: "Everything is ready."
"That's no problem, keep sailing!"
Chen Kan sped up his eating speed. If he didn't eat faster, the smell of blood would fill the air later, and he would have no appetite to continue eating.
Song Qing said with a smile: "In a hurry, they were able to find Hengjiang's iron chain, which really made things difficult for them."
"Although Zhu Jixi is a bit stupid, he still has some background."
Chen Kan shook his head and drank the wine in one gulp.
In Chen Kan's opinion, the effect of arranging iron chains on the bottom of the river is almost useless.
They didn't know which ship Zhu Jixi was being held on, so how dare they capsize the whole ship? The most that can be done is to use iron chains to cut the fleet apart and then defeat them one by one.
But what Chen Kan wants to say is that times have changed now. The Ming Dynasty is not the Three Kingdoms. The Ming Dynasty has artillery!
As expected, a huge iron chain suddenly emerged from the river, forcing Chen Kan's treasure ship to stop. Looking back, he saw that a huge iron chain was also stretched across the stern of the ship, blocking the way.
"Hey~"
A hail of arrows shot from both sides.
"Boom...boom...boom!"
The Jin Yiwei had already prepared a shield that was seven or eight feet high. The arrows that flew over Chen Kan's head were inserted into the shield, and the tail wings buzzed.
Many masked men suddenly emerged from the woods on both sides of the bank. Some of the masked men pushed the boat into the water, and some of the masked men were holding round shields and long knives.
There were hundreds of small boats, and the three largest treasure ships were immediately surrounded by water.
"Sir, you don't have eyes on the battlefield. Please go back to your room and sit down. I will go and deal with these troublesome guys."
Chen Kan is a good person. His biggest advantage is that he listens to advice. At the same time, he always adheres to the principle that professional matters should be left to professionals.
He didn't know how to fight, and he would be a target if he stayed outside. Since Song Qing was able to reach the position of Qianhu in the navy who started in the Ming Dynasty, his ability to lead troops was not to mention outstanding, so he was definitely better than him.
The two captains in Jinyi held shields to block the flowing arrows. Chen Kan returned to the room, closed the window, and looked through the eye of the wind.
In his previous life, Chen Kan was full of endless daydreams about ancient wars. The battles between wars and wars, or the flying of flesh and blood amidst the flash of swords and shadows, the overwhelming rain of arrows, the corpses of soldiers strewn across the fields, the generals wrapped in horse leather, the golden drums flying in the sky, and the blood. There is no light under the flowing river.
But now, Chen Kan has not seen any of these scenes.
He only saw a group of masked men rushing towards the treasure ship one after another. Before they reached the treasure ship, they were shot in the head by Ming soldiers holding fire guns. The masked men who were slightly more lucky ended up just reaching the bottom of the treasure ship.
Because waiting for them are often several or even ten Xiuchun knives that reflect the cold light under the sun.
There were more boats being pushed into the water in the distance.
The gunner on the treasure ship adjusted the angle, and his assistant filled a dark solid cannonball into the barrel. After igniting it, the sizzling sound made by the fuse was disturbing.
"Boom~"
"Boom!"
Thousands of small boats were overturned by the deafening shells. Many masked men were turned into a pile of minced meat before they could even step onto the boats. On the tightly blocked river, there were floating broken limbs and colorful internal organs. , large areas of water were dyed red.
The shouts of killing were covered by the sound of artillery fire.
The almost crushing result of hot weapons versus cold weapons left Chen Kan feeling uneasy.
Obviously, when I saw a dead person for the first time by the Qinhuai River, I still felt frightened, disgusted, and frightened.
But now, his heart was terrifyingly calm.
It seemed that the fighting that was taking place in front of them was just a one-sided massacre game and did not really happen.
Until the smell of blood reached his nostrils, he watched with his own eyes as an eyeball floated near the treasure ship and was eaten by a foot-long fish in one bite.
He vowed not to eat fish here from now on.
