?The next day on 18, eighteen large ships were flowing downstream on the Yangtze River, and more than ten Zhou warships were accompanied by them. Not far ahead was Zhengrongzhou. Not far downstream after passing Zhengrongzhou, it was Xiyang City on the north bank, which was also the purpose of their trip.

The fleet set off from Shu in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and went downstream, and took advantage of the autumn wind to go smoothly. Although each ship was full of loads, it still walked very fast, just like many wealthy merchants of this era, they traveled through multiple countries in one trip.

Shu was the territory of Sui Kingdom, and it was out of the mouth of the Yangtze River Gorge. The north bank was Liang Kingdom and the south bank was Chen Kingdom. The two countries were hostile, so the river defense was very strict. When it arrived in the Hankou area, the north bank was Zhou Kingdom and the south bank was Yingzhou of Chen Kingdom, and both sides were tense.

Even so, the fleet still traveled thousands of miles safely and was intercepted by the naval forces of various countries along the way, but they were all passed without any danger, because for the border generals of various countries, no one could not get along with the money.

When the ship set off, it was filled with heavy grain, totaling 135,000 hu of it. It was said that the government could not find out that the government would find out, but no one would really care.

Thirteenfive thousand hu, which is based on the consumption of two hu per person per month and twenty-four hu per year, is enough for 5,600 soldiers to eat a year, and it is not too much or too little. However, the Liang army, Chen army and Zhou army along the way turn a blind eye, and it is nothing more than money to open the way.

The north and south sides of the Yangtze River confront each other, and the border generals would draw their swords to each other at any time, but they would continue to do business with each other in private. The wealthy merchants traveled around the country and had been in contact with each other for decades, so as long as the money was opened, the goods transported should not be too much.

The fleet of the eighteen ships was not too large, so the border general who had benefited turned a blind eye. When he passed by Hankou, the Zhou naval warships were accompanied, and the Chen Yingzhou naval army, which had been damaged, was nowhere to be seen.

"The Southern Dynasty navy has always been sharp, but it was unexpected that it was so embarrassing."

A middle-aged man stood on the bow of the boat and was inspired by the ruins of the ruins of the dilapidated water army camp in Fankou, the south bank. He took into account the "escort" of the Zhou warship, and deliberately lowered his voice. He was about forty or fifty years old, and was energetic and strong.

"The head family is Zhengrongzhou in front of him, and Huan Xuan was defeated in the past."

Another person walked up to him. He was older, gray-haired but also strong in shape, and spoke in a very energetic manner. The two of them fell into deep thought as they looked at the Zhou Jun Water Village on the ridge of the continent.

"There are warships, which seem to be dealing with the Chen Navy of Fankou."

"As the news said, together with Wuzhou downstream, the river surface was blocked. If... the warships from this magnificent continent went downstream, it would be very troublesome."

"It's all right along the way, it depends on who's going to be faster."

The two whispered, as if commenting on the river view. Because of the "escort" of the Zhou naval warship, Zhengrongzhou Water Village did not respond, and the fleet quickly passed Zhengrongzhou and continued to move forward.

Xiyang City is right in front of you, but there are many people busy by the river. The people on the boat looked up and saw that the river embankment was being built by the river. Many cargo ships leaned directly on the shore to unload the stones regardless of the rapid flow of water.

"It's actually building the Yangtze River embankment... It's so courageous, with so many people and so many stone transport ships, the project volume is quite large."

"Boss, it's ready."

......

On the dock, Wang Yuezheng shook hands with a middle-aged man and greeted him. The other party's surname was Li, a big businessman from Shu and a business partner of the Sogdian clan in Tongzhou. He personally escorted the grain to Xiyang to trade the glass mirror.

"Shopkeeper Wang, this is a letter transferred by An Langjun, please check it."

Wang Yue took the envelope handed over by the other party, took out a letter paper, looked carefully several times, and confirmed that it was Yuwen Wen's handwriting. There was an agreed code in the text. Then he put it away carefully and said with a smile: "Li Dongjia, please speak in the city."

The Li Dong family boarded the carriage that had been waiting on the dock, and the gray-haired old man followed closely behind. Two carriages drove towards Xiyang City one by one, while the shopkeeper Liu from Duke Zhu's mansion stayed at the dock with other personnel from the other party to prepare for inspection.

Eighteen ships carried 135,000 hu of grain, six of which were directly parked on the riverside near Xiyang City. A temporary dock was specially built to unload the goods, while the remaining twelve ships went to Bakou downstream to unload the goods.

The temporary dock outside Xiyang City was fully prepared, with six grain ships berthing at the same time. The porters who had been waiting for a long time rushed up under the command of Liu Jiangui and others to start unloading the goods.

Bags of grain were carried out from the grain boat, carried onto the prepared large scale, then carried it to the carriage, cut the cloth bag and poured the rice into the wooden barrel to check the quality, and then poured it into the carriage, and everything was going in an orderly manner.

On the shore, several teams of soldiers covered in hanging were on guard. The big shield was placed into a shield wall. They stood behind the shield wall and watched the people on the temporary dock unloading goods. On the city wall not far away, the alert state soldiers also strengthened their garrison power.

To be precise, the number of crossbowmen has been added. Now all the people who have been promoted to the owner of the building are patrolling the city in armor, and from time to time they glance at the temporary dock on the shore. The number of soldiers has also increased significantly.

"Master, where did so much food come from?"

"Who knows, don't ask what shouldn't be asked, don't ask what shouldn't be asked, don't say what shouldn't be said."

The soldier touched his head awkwardly, and Quanyou didn't teach any more lessons when he saw this. Looking at the big ships on the shore, he didn't worry much: since it was the food brought by Yuwen Envoy, it was definitely not a pamper, it was good for everyone, so it was not important where he got it.

The lives of the state soldiers were getting better and better, and the families were divided into fields. Yang Sima was rewarded and punished clearly. A large group of people in the family were full and warm in food and clothing. They all wanted to join the state soldiers, but the state soldiers lacked backbones, so they stayed.

The big-headed soldiers who were once so poor that they have become the master of the banner with their military merits. Not only are they all, but many of their partners have been promoted to varying degrees, actively trained and well-equipped, and are all looking forward to making merits in wars.

"Everyone is watching, if something is wrong, just follow my order!"

I don’t know how long it took, but the grain ship was gradually emptied. Manager Liu and the other party checked the number and confirmed it. Then he waved his hand and began to receive the cargo ship.

Merchants traveling between the east and west of the river from upstream to downstream, usually take the ship at a low price after completing their business, and easily carry money back, either by carriage and horse, or by boat, or by boat upstream.

It’s a very simple truth. It’s easy to go down the river, but it’s very troublesome to go up against the river. If the southeast wind is still barely enough, it’s not enough to get it if it’s autumn and winter.

Not to mention that there is too much time spent on the road, hiring boatmen is quite expensive, especially for luxury goods, and more than a dozen ships in the fleet are sold out after the transaction.

This is commonplace. This time, Manager Liu also specifically mentioned that he wanted to "buy" these ships, and he wanted to use them separately. Of course, this is just an excuse. In fact, what he is guarding against is that the ship has a mezzanine and hides something that should not have.

This was negotiated in advance, of course, Li Dong’s family did not charge any fees. After all, the price of just eighteen ships is a drop in the bucket compared to the price of the glass mirror.

The boatmen in Xiyang rushed onto the cargo ship, and each ship had more than ten soldiers. After leaving the dock, they went downstream to moor to Wuzhou downstream. After checking there, they turned the cargo ship for other purposes.

Seeing that everything was normal, Manager Liu breathed a sigh of relief and invited the other party to board the bus into the city with a smile.

The same scene was staged in Bakou, but the scale was even larger. Xu Shao, the governor of Badong, was in charge with the people from the Duke of Zhu, commanding the young and strong inspection of goods and dismantling ships. The Hulin Army also sent more than a thousand soldiers to "watch" on the shore.

No one asked about the origin of the grain ship, nor did anyone dare to ask about it. Thanks to the sufficient manpower and effective organization, unloading and inspecting goods, and driving the ship into Wuzhou downstream, all of which were successfully completed.

"Everyone, please go to Badong City. I have arranged a banquet to cleanse you."

The people from Duke Zhu's mansion led the grain ship personnel to Badong City. Xu Shao nodded to the general of the Hulin Army beside him, and then waved to his subordinates: "They want to spend the night in Badong City. Be careful to be on guard tonight."

"yes!"
Chapter completed!