I have a cornucopia

Chapter 263 His Majesty the Emperor is about to come to his loyal Nanjing
The moment the poisonous smoke exploded, Lao Wang reacted and rushed towards the officer without hesitation.

The main reason was that his position was still some distance away from the poisonous smoke.

The first bomb actually exploded right under Chongzhen's feet, so Chongzhen and the officer were immediately enveloped by poisonous smoke.

And that officer was the first to suffer misfortune.

As for Chongzhen...

His Majesty the Emperor is rolling his eyes and sticking out his tongue. What use is this tear gas to him?
As the officer covered his eyes and screamed, Lao Wang suddenly bumped into him, knocking him down in the mud. The other soldier holding the bowstring instinctively let go and stepped back. At the same time, the second bomb exploded nearby, and several soldiers who wanted to move forward quickly retreated in fear. Lao Wang directly carried the emperor, who was still wrapped in the bowstring, and ran deep into the reeds. The cavalry, especially their horses, were in chaos in the white smoke, and no one cared about them.

Moreover, the initial explosion of this thing had some sparks, and all the dry reeds around it were ignited at the same time.

Of course, Lao Wang had no time to care about the situation around him. He just carried Chongzhen and ran as fast as he could in the mud and water towards the deep reeds.

"my eyes!"

Chongzhen on his shoulder finally let out a scream.

"Your Majesty, please be patient for now, we are running for our lives!"

Lao Wang said.

Of course, Chongzhen was also completely confused.

"my eyes!"

He was still screaming.

Fortunately, the fire behind them spread rapidly, and the soldiers were busy fleeing and had no time to continue chasing them.

The main reason is that these soldiers were also scared.

After all, they still had a habitual fear of the emperor. Daring to kill Chongzhen was one thing, but if anything unusual happened during the killing of Chongzhen, it would easily arouse their superstitious thoughts.

Old Wang led Chongzhen, who was wailing, into the depths of the reeds. The water was getting deeper and deeper. Fortunately, Chongzhen finally calmed down, especially after Old Wang fell several times and threw him into the water. He felt better because the water had washed his eyes, and finally Old Wang didn't have to carry him anymore. They walked deeper into the reed marsh with their backs to the billowing smoke, but they didn't go any deeper. Instead, they continued to walk through the reeds in the waist-deep water. His Majesty the Emperor didn't continue to make trouble, but honestly accepted the fact that he was running for his life.

"What happened just now?"

Chongzhen finally remembered how he had escaped from danger just now.

He really didn't know what happened. When the tear gas fell, he had rolled his eyes, so of course he couldn't see anything. Later, he was carried away by Lao Wang. His eyes were smoked and he couldn't see anything. In fact, until now he can't see clearly in front of him, but it's better than before, and he still needs Lao Wang to lead him.

"Your Majesty, I don't know what happened, but the poisonous fog that fell from the sky fumigated all the rebels, and I took the opportunity to rescue Your Majesty."

Lao Wang said.

Of course he knew who did it.

But since the latter has not shown up yet, we still don’t know what this guy wants to do.

In this situation, it is better not to tell Chongzhen the truth. After all, the grievances between Chongzhen and this guy are very complicated. If Chongzhen knew it, he would be even more worried, so it is better to let him worry about it himself.

"Falling from the sky?"

Chongzhen was stunned for a moment.

"I think it's God's blessing."

Lao Wang said quickly.

"Humph, if God really protects us, there is more to it than this!"

Chongzhen sneered.

But he was still very satisfied with this explanation, at least it could comfort himself.

They didn't know how long they had been walking, when suddenly a branch of water appeared in front of them, and then a small boat appeared mysteriously.

There was a fisherman on the boat casting his net...

"I……"

His Majesty the Emperor shouted.

Lao Wang covered his mouth instantly.

"Brother, we are separated from our relatives because we are fleeing from the war. If you give us a ride, we will definitely give you a generous gift as a thank you."

Lao Wang shouted.

The fisherman looked at them in confusion.

Lao Wang also smiled, but he was actually looking at him very nervously.

Of course, Lao Wang was not afraid that he would recognize the Emperor. It would be too strange for a fisherman to recognize a man in leather robes these days. But the problem was that fishermen these days usually worked as pirates part-time. The probability of inviting them to eat bandao noodles or wonton noodles was much higher than the probability of recognizing a man in leather robes.

"What's the benefit?"

The fisherman said.

Lao Wang let out a sigh of relief.

He quickly took out a gold ingot.

"If you can take us to where we are, there are two more like this."

He said.

As he spoke, he casually showed off his muscular arms...

He had actually practiced before. For someone like him who had followed Chongzhen since childhood, it was impossible for him to have no training. There were actually quite a few eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty who had a certain level of martial arts skills. Even Jiu Qiansui was able to ride and shoot when he was young, so it was no problem for him to deal with a fisherman. Of course, if he was really a part-time pirate, there couldn't be just one. A group of them would come just by blowing a whistle.

"Then I will thank you for the reward, sir."

The fisherman looked at the gold in his hand with a smile on his face, and quickly paddled the boat over.

Lao Wang helped Chongzhen onto the boat, then climbed up himself.

"Master, where are we going? Upstream is Li Zicheng's territory, downstream is the militia's territory, north is Jianlu's territory, south across the river is Jiangxi, and downstream is Nanjing."

The fisherman said.

Old Wang looked at Chongzhen.

His Majesty the Emperor sat there in silence, holding the bowstring that almost strangled him.

If he went upstream, he would still be killed as an impostor. If he went downstream, he would fall into the hands of the militia and would still be killed as an impostor. If he went north to the Jianlu, he would still be killed as an impostor. From the moment his dragon boat sank in the Yangtze River, he, the emperor, had disappeared, forever. His life was embarrassing for everyone. If the militia got him, they would still kill him, because they had already fired at him. Even if he supported him again, he would not let go of these traitors who had fired at him and almost killed him.

Let's settle accounts after the fall.

If the militia commanders were not fools, they would have made him disappear.

When he went to Jianlu, he didn't mind borrowing troops to suppress the bandits, but the problem was that they had already announced that he was dead.

Of course the dead cannot be resurrected, and any resurrection would certainly be a fake.

Go to Jiangxi...

That means accepting your fate.

Of course he understood that even if Mu Tianbo was loyal, it would be difficult for him and Wang Chengen to reach Yunnan alive. The distance was too far and the world was so chaotic.

There is a high possibility that he will be buried in the wilderness without a sound. And there is no guarantee whether Mu Tianbo is really loyal. Even if the Mu family is really loyal, it is possible that they are using him as a puppet.

"Go to Nanjing!"

He said.

Lao Wang looked at him in astonishment.

"Master, this small boat can't go there. We need to change to a bigger boat."

The fisherman said in equal amazement.

Chongzhen looked at Lao Wang.

"Master, let's go to Nanchang."

Lao Wang said in a pleading tone.

"My daughter is in Nanjing. If I don't go to find her, how can I go to find someone else and give him another ingot of gold?"

Chongzhen said angrily.

Lao Wang had no choice but to take out another ingot of gold...

Ever since he escaped from the capital last time, he has developed a habit of carrying a bag of gold with him at all times.

This is a good habit.

"Brother, please help me find a big boat."

He said.

"No problem. I have a brother who does business of shipping goods to Nanjing in Hukou. But I am afraid that you two will cause people to talk about you. Although I don't understand, I think you two are not ordinary people. You are in such a miserable state. I am afraid it is not just to avoid the war. Even on those juren gentlemen, I have never seen such a red robe as this gentleman. If you don't mind, I have a few old clothes that I took off the dead bodies by the river. How about you change into them?"

The fisherman said.

As he said this, he kicked a big bag under his feet.

Lao Wang looked at Chongzhen, who nodded silently.

He was indeed a little too eye-catching, his leather hat was matched with a crimson gauze robe and a red skirt, basically all in various shades of red. This kind of dress was almost impossible to be seen in ordinary people, and even officials who wore red robes were of the fifth rank or above. What's more, Chongzhen had some special decorations on his body, even if most of them had fallen off or were incomplete, there were still some. In fact, these decorations were much more valuable than gold, but the fisherman probably didn't understand that. However, when he appeared in a dock like Hukou where there were many merchants and travelers wearing this outfit, he would immediately become the focus of attention.

Lao Wang quickly found a scholar's robe from his bag and gave it to Chongzhen to change into. He also changed his shoes. As for these, they were taken from dead bodies...

Just make do with it. It's time now, there's no need to be so particular.

Then the two of them turned into a middle-aged scholar and his old servant, and their original clothes were packed up separately and taken away.

The small boat carried them out of the branch, into the Yangtze River, and towards the Emperor's dream.

In the reed marsh behind them, Prince Yang was watching with great interest...

He gave Chongzhen the opportunity to choose. In fact, he gave everyone the opportunity to choose, but after making the choice, they had to be responsible for their choice.

"Adults, you have to be responsible for your own choices. Let's go!"

He said with emotion.

The followers behind him immediately rowed the boat away.

At this time, the battle upstream was still going on. Li Zicheng's navy failed in its tentative attack and stopped after losing more than a dozen warships. However, the attack on Xiaochi Fort also began. The heavy artillery transported to the north bank began to bombard the bastion. Of course, Li Zicheng's attack was not limited to Jiujiang. The government troops from Ruichang to the south also began to attack Baishui Fort, a militia in Jiangxi. Even the government troops from Tongshan to Shandong were still attacking Jianchang and De'an along the previous route.

Northern Jiangxi once again became a battlefield.

Of course, these had nothing to do with His Majesty the Emperor. He had successfully crossed the river and arrived at a dock downstream of the lake mouth.

In front of him, warships were sailing up the river. These warships were huge, and he had never seen them before. They had two layers of gun ports, one on top and one on the bottom. There were fourteen gun ports on one side, and another fourteen on the other side, which meant twenty-eight red cannons. On the rear stern, there were actually four large French cannons, and two on the bow, so there should be thirty-four cannons. There were more than twenty of these warships, and on one of them, with a general flag, he could see a familiar figure...

He suddenly remembered.

This was Shen Tingyang, the official who had previously shipped grain for him from the south. He also praised him, saying that if all officials were like Shen Tingyang, then the world would be easy to govern.

Then he was promoted to the director of the Imperial College.

But the latter is obviously no longer the loyal minister he once was.

"Marshal Shen is mighty!"

There were constant cheers on the dock.

Shen Tingyang stood on the deck, looking very confident.

Behind him, in addition to these large gunboats, there are countless warships of various types. They form an endless long dragon on the Yangtze River, with soldiers on the decks, and these are the reinforcements for Jiujiang.

"Rebel!"

His Majesty the Emperor whispered.

At this time, Lao Wang and several people came over, including the fisherman.

"Master, this is Boss Hu. He is willing to take us to Nanjing. However, because of the attack on the imperial palace by the Jianlu spies, all places have been strictly checked. It will be very difficult to pass through the checkpoints without a pass. I have to ask you to use this pass."

Lao Wang said.

As he said this, he handed a pass to Chongzhen.

"How did you get this?"

Chongzhen looked at the pass in his hand, which had obviously just been processed, in confusion.

"This gentleman is obviously from a wealthy family. He doesn't know what's going on outside. It's just a pass. It's not easy to get it as long as you have money. But since your daughter is in Nanjing, I think her husband's family is also extraordinary. In fact, as long as you report their identities, there is no need to go through so much trouble."

Boss Hu said with a smile.

In my Ming Dynasty, making fake certificates is a traditional industry that has been going on for hundreds of years.

In fact, there were people making counterfeit money back then. During the time of Zhu Yuanzhang, counterfeit money was hung everywhere. He himself described it as being lined up along the Yangtze River so that it was visible from one side to the other. However, later on, the value of the treasure notes depreciated to the point where making counterfeit money was no longer profitable.

Chongzhen smiled bitterly.

Of course, the identity of his daughter cannot be revealed.

Therefore, from now on, he can only be the person on this pass.

With a new identity, things were easier. He and Lao Wang boarded Hu Lao Da's cargo ship and started to go down the river to Nanjing. At this time, the huge reinforcement fleet was still heading upstream. Even the emperor saw the flag of the Zhejiang Navy. In order to resist Li Zicheng's army, it can be said that the entire Jiangnan region has been mobilized. At this time, the news that the emperor was shot down and fell into the water and disappeared had not yet reached Jiangnan, so these people were still going to stop the emperor.

These bastards didn't pay any taxes in the past for the Emperor, but now they have all been revived to full strength in order to resist the Emperor. They are building more and more warships, bigger and bigger cannons, and all the soldiers they raise are elite, as if they were a completely different group of people.

Jiangnan is weak?

Is this guy weak?

That cannon is thicker than my waist.

Look at the fully armed militiamen on the deck, each with the best armor and the best firearms, their helmets reflecting the sun like mirrors, and not only are they fully armed, but their faces are also rosy, and it is obvious that they are well fed, not like the cannon fodder and the government troops who are starving. It can be said that they are all at the level of family servants, but the Wu family has a lot of family servants, and these militiamen have tens of thousands in one province. Although they are mainly infantry, they are indeed relatively cheaper, but they cost at least several million taels of silver a year.

In the past, Zhejiang only collected 2.5 million shi of taxes a year.

These bastards now have 20,000 new troops, 30,000 militias, and even enough money to support a navy.

(End of this chapter)