Pirate Song

After seeing Zhao Fang, the treasury officer was so frightened that he was about to faint. He was fine just now, and he was thinking about how to get out and sell the dropped weapons in the warehouse and replace them with a lot of them. But unexpectedly, when he was dreaming, his immediate boss rushed into his room, raised his hand without saying a word, and knocked him over with a big mouth.

Before he could figure out what was going on, his superior kicked him so hard that he screamed, and then he was pushed down and tied up by several soldiers who rushed in.

This guy still didn't understand why the boss who was usually called a brother suddenly went crazy, shouted and asked what happened, but was kicked hard again.

"It's all good deeds by you guys! I'm asking you! Last night, which storehouse did you release the armor you gave to the township barracks in Daye County? Why did you entrap them like this?" The logistics officer said angrily. The treasurer asked.

Only then did the treasurer know what the problem was, so he rolled his eyes and replied with aggrieved face: "Yesterday, that guy didn't know the rules, so he asked the next official to wait for him for a whole day, and he didn't come to pick up the goods until the afternoon, and he didn't know the rules at all. Knowing what the rules are, so the lower official gave him the things in Beiku, and the guy had a great time moving it!"

"Damn! You bastard, you don't even know you're dead when you're about to die, what nonsense are you talking about! Do you know that guy has already brought this matter to Mr. Zhao, the envoy! Mr. Zhao personally led the lieutenant general today. The official went to the township barracks in Daye County to inspect Xiangyong, but what he saw was the scrap armor that you gave them! Mr. Zhao was already furious, so he ordered me to come back to investigate this matter! This time even I will be with you Bad luck! Come on, tie up all the people who delivered goods last night to me, and take them to the township garrison in Daye County!" The logistics officer then told the treasury officer what happened.

The treasury officer collapsed to the ground when he heard that, of course he knew what he had given Gao Huaiyuan, those things thrown on the street could only be treated as rubbish and could not be used on the battlefield at all, but he only wanted to pit Gao Huaiyuan The bumpkins in Huaiyuan looked around, but they didn't expect that Zhao Fang would go to inspect the soldiers on a whim, so how could he not reveal his secrets?

So the facts of the case came to light, the culprit was brought to justice, and the new armor was delivered to the barracks in Daye County. Naturally, the treasury officer was ordered to be executed by Zhao Fang for the crime of embezzling ink, and all the people under him were executed in their own way. There were punishments, those who received army sticks received army sticks, and those who were exiled were exiled. Even the officer in charge of logistics was punished for one year and transferred to other places for appointment.

And Gao Huaiyuan's goal was naturally achieved. He relieved his anger and got the first-class armor. When the village soldiers lined up on the school field again after they were all replaced with new armor, everyone was overwhelmed by it. My eyes lit up.

People are clothes and horses and saddles. These town soldiers equipped with standard armor immediately put on a new look. They are all majestic and majestic, as if they have become a hundred times more energetic. It is in stark contrast to when Zhao Fang brought people in the morning. In contrast, after the township soldiers put on these outfits, their morale immediately increased a lot. Standing in the school grounds is really a bit of a formal garrison posture, and they no longer look like a gang of mobs!

However, Gao Huaiyuan also knew that this time because of this incident, some officers of the Ezhou Camp were offended to death, but he didn't care about this matter, because the first thing he had to face now was how to come back from Jiangbei alive. The basic equipment is the minimum guarantee, offending a few people, the last insurance is worth it.

After seeing the morale of these town soldiers, Zhao Fang couldn't help encouraging them personally, and explained the punishment of corrupt officials to the town braves, and earnestly asked these people to dare to fight for the first place after going into battle. After killing the enemy, there will be many rewards after returning.

When Zhao Fang left the camp and went back, Gao Huaiyuan also put on a brand-new armor and sent Zhao Fang out of the camp. Zhao Fang waved his hand to let the other generals leave first, and then laughed and scolded Gao Huaiyuan: "You Boy, there are quite a lot of tricks, but unexpectedly, he complained to the official without knowing it, and caused such a farce for the official, which almost made the official unable to step down!

I just want you to plead for Xiangyong's life, and I won't bother with you anymore, but this time you go to Huangzhou, you must show the old man well, otherwise, the old man will never forgive you! "

Gao Huaiyuan hurriedly bowed and replied with an embarrassed smile: "I am really helpless, if I don't invite my lord to see it with my own eyes, I am afraid that I will not believe such things. Thank you, my lord, for making the decision for me! I promise to go to the Yellow River. Fight the enemy bravely after the state, and never let down the high expectations of your lord!"

After Zhao Fang patted Gao Huaiyuan on the shoulder, he nodded and said: "The situation in Jiangbei is dangerous, I hope you can be more careful! The navy ship officer has been transferred to you, and you will board the boat to cross the river tomorrow morning!"

"I will obey you!" Gao Huaiyuan bowed to accept the order, then stood up and watched Zhao Fang go away, shaking his head slightly, Zhao Fang's complexion is getting worse day by day, after all the tossing and tossing all morning, he looks very tired, I don't know how long this old man can support Da Song!Gao Huaiyuan was quite worried about Zhao Fang's health.

The river water kept beating against the stones on the pier by the river, trestle bridges went deep into the river, several huge vehicles and boats were slowly leaning on the trestle bridges under the control of the navy officers and soldiers, there were soldiers on the trestle bridges quickly The cables thrown from the boat were firmly tied to the piles, and the stone anchors also fell into the water with a plop with a thick cable. On the trestle bridge.

"Two cities are one boat, start boarding now!" Gao Huaiyuan stood on the Ezhou navy wharf, and when he saw that the boat had docked securely, he immediately turned around and shouted loudly to the brave men behind him.

As soon as his shouting sound reached everyone's ears, these local soldiers who were ready to fight immediately began to step onto the wooden trestle bridge, and then stepped onto the springboard one by one, and boarded these huge vehicles and boats.

And Gao Huaiyuan watched all the expedition men board the ship before finally boarding the big ship in the middle, standing at the stern and looking back towards Ezhou City.

Like him, the accompanying villagers also turned their attention to Ezhou City on the north bank of the river. Gao Huaiyuan sighed slightly in his heart. I turned my head and looked at the brave men on the boat behind me, how many 600 people can come back?

At daybreak, Gao Huaiyuan bid farewell to the villagers who were staying in Ezhou, took the six hundred soldiers with him, and rushed to the Ezhou Navy Wharf early to wait for boarding, because no one came to support the incident yesterday. They saw them off, and when they boarded the ship, the pier was already empty, only the officers and soldiers on the pier were still busy. This kind of scene looked a little desolate, and everyone couldn't help but have feelings for this place. There is a feeling of nostalgia, as if crossing the river this time is like a farewell.

"Unmooring! Anchor!" At this moment, the shouts of sailors sounded from the car and boat.

Immediately, some sailors took back the springboard from the trestle, and the stone anchor also pushed the thick winch to the water surface amidst the sailors' chanting, and the cables were untied and pulled back to the ship.

The hull of the car and boat vibrated slightly, and began to rippling up and down with the ups and downs of the river. Gao Huaiyuan looked back from the shore to the car and boat again. He couldn't predict what would happen in the future. Bringing these people well, and bringing back as many people as possible is what he has to do now.

However, compared with when he led the team for the first time, his situation seems to be much better this time. Compared with the previous village soldiers, at least in terms of quality, these six hundred township soldiers have greatly improved. He has received basic training on the ground, and he can complete his orders relatively smoothly, especially because he has a group of low-level officers who have been tempered in battle to help him control this team, so Gao Huaiyuan is not too worried, as long as he does not Encountered too disparate enemy forces, he still has the confidence to fight the Jin army!

After clearing up his mood, Gao Huaiyuan's attention was soon placed on the vehicle and boat under his feet. He had only looked at this kind of vehicle and boat from a distance a few times before. It's the first time.

He has always been very curious about this famous warship of the Song Dynasty, and wanted to board it for a glimpse. Now that he finally had this opportunity, how could he give up so easily?

"The order is to rest on the spot, and you are not allowed to trespass without authorization! Follow the requirements of the brothers in the navy!" Gao Huaiyuan looked at the village soldiers who had started to disband after boarding the ship, and ordered them.

These country soldiers were as curious as he was, so they quickly put away the feeling of parting from their homeland, and focused on this kind of car and boat they had never been on before, and began to look around on the side of the ship. After hearing Gao Huaiyuan's order, he hurriedly sat down on the spot as required, not daring to move around anymore.

As far as Gao Huaiyuan knows, the water army of Ezhou Dutongsi was also built under Yue Fei's command in the early years. After Yue Fei wiped out Yang Mo's rebel army in the Dongting Lake area, the rebel army and the rebel ships were first built. They used to have thousands of warships. Yu Tiao, can be called the crown of the Yangtze River, but when it is developed to the present, the scale is far less powerful than when Yue Fei was in charge, but it is still a water force that cannot be ignored in the water army along the river. It plays a vital role.

The chariot and boat are a kind of powerful warship that the navy relies on. This time Gao Huaiyuan and the others were able to cross the river in this chariot and boat, which is considered a kind of good luck.

Because Gao Huaiyuan is the commander of the township soldiers, he has the right to walk around the ship and have a look around, and the soldiers on the navy ship are also quite polite to him as an official, without restricting his own freedom, so take advantage of this rare By chance, Gao Huaiyuan also had a thorough understanding of the structure of this vehicle and boat.

This time the vehicle and boat they took was a large ship with 22 cars. Although it was nothing compared to a 200-car vehicle and boat, it was also the main force of the navy, with a length of about [-] feet. It looks like two or three feet wide and four or five feet high. There are as many as one or two hundred sailors operating the boat alone. With two hundred of them, it doesn't feel crowded at all. It can be seen that the size of this kind of vehicle and boat is huge. !

It is very rare to be able to build such a ship in this era. Unfortunately, because of the sea ban after Zheng He in the Ming Dynasty, the brilliant shipbuilding skills in Chinese history have gradually been lost, so that later generations rarely see such a majestic ship. wooden ship up.

There are eleven paddle paddles on both sides of the car and boat, and each paddle has eight paddle wings. The sailors step on the boat to drive the paddles to rotate, and the paddle paddles provide power for the boat. The ship is not equipped with tall sails and masts, making the ship look relatively low, which is very suitable for combat use in rivers and lakes.

The paddles on both sides are wrapped in the hull by wooden boards, so that the sailors who operate the boat are also well protected, and the sailors who operate the boat cannot be seen or killed from the outside. The safety has been greatly improved, and it is also recorded in the history books that there are car guards on both sides. If you don't see the car, you can see the boat moving like a dragon.

Moreover, in addition to the crossbows, hook guns, etc. in the hands of the soldiers and generals, the main combat weapons of this kind of vehicle and ship also have a powerful weapon, that is, the rackets installed on both sides of the ship. The vehicle and boat Huaiyuan and the others took was a troop carrier specially used to transport soldiers, so Gao Huaiyuan hadn't been able to see a water warfare weapon like a clapper, but he was not regretful, and finally showed this vehicle and boat from beginning to end He was so thorough that he even visited the inside of the bilge, and thoroughly experienced the high technology of shipbuilding in the Song Dynasty.

Under the control of the sailors who maneuvered the boats, the vehicles and boats quickly left the Ezhou Wharf, went up the diagonal line, and slowly headed towards Huangzhou in the north of the Yangtze River. Sailing upstream is much faster.

However, Huangzhou is not far from Ezhou, and it only took more than an hour to board the ship from Gaohuaiyuan before sailing to the other side of the river, and slowly docked at Huangzhou Wharf.

Gao Huaiyuan, who had had enough of his eye addiction, waited until the ship stopped, and immediately led the soldiers to the north bank. This place will become their battlefield for some time to come.

The Huangzhou defenders had already known about the arrival of the reinforcements in advance, so they left personnel at the pier to receive Gao Huaiyuan and his party. However, because they heard that the reinforcements were only 600 people, and they were rural soldiers, the Huangzhou officials did not respond to Gao Huaiyuan. Huaiyuan's township soldiers paid too much attention, but arranged for someone to catch them, and ordered Gao Huaiyuan to bring [-] township soldiers to the city's barracks to garrison them.

And Gao Huaiyuan had expected this situation a long time ago. Under such circumstances, a group of hundreds of township soldiers has limited influence on the current war, and it is impossible to attract the attention of others, so he He didn't care about the negligence of the Huangzhou defenders towards them, and immediately led his troops into Huangzhou City.

Huangzhou is also the Huanggang of the later generations. Although it has a long history and culture, it is not considered a big city in this era. Moreover, this time Pu San Anzhen led the army to the south, so that Song people did not expect to directly point their troops at Huangzhou. Therefore, the number of defenders here is very limited. Except for Gao Huaiyuan's six hundred township soldiers, the total strength of the city is only less than 2000. Among them, there are still a group of township warriors who have just been recruited in Huangzhou, and their combat effectiveness is very weak. .

The arrival of Gao Huaiyuan strengthened Huangzhou's military strength to a certain extent, and played a certain role in boosting the morale of Huangzhou's soldiers and civilians.

So when Gao Huaiyuan led his army into Huangzhou City, he still attracted many people in the city to welcome him, and after seeing their neatly equipped soldiers and horses, they even cheered loudly.

Gao Huaiyuan rode on horseback, repeatedly bowed his hands to the common people on both sides of the street, and his majestic appearance also attracted many people's applause.

At this moment, a team of about dozens of people greeted us from a distance, and a neatly dressed Song Jiang tima trotted to Gao Huaiyuan.

"Huangzhou garrison troops, Ma Qian and Jiang Fang are waiting for the late arrival, and I hope Mr. Gao will forgive me!" This man was about forty years old, and when he arrived in front of Gao Huaiyuan, he immediately cupped his hands and said loudly to Gao Huaiyuan.

Gao Huaiyuan looked Jiang Fang up and down, saw his exhausted expression, and knew that his life was difficult these days, so he quickly dismounted and said, "Daye County Captain Gao Huaiyuan was ordered by Mr. Zhao to come to Huangzhou to help. How dare you work hard for Jiang Qian's relatives to come to greet you, you really killed Gao Mou!"

After the two met, Jiang Fang brought Gao Huaiyuan's team to the camp in the east of the city, temporarily placed them here, and immediately brought Gao Huaiyuan to the government office, which has become the military command post of Huangzhou. Gao Huaiyuan, a newcomer, naturally had to come here to sign in first, and get acquainted with the officials of the city's defenders.

Ever since Gao Huaiyuan entered Huangzhou City, he had noticed the tense atmosphere in Huangzhou City. After entering the government office, Jiang Fang only briefly introduced him to the officers of the guarding army in the city, and immediately said to them: "Everyone be quiet, Mr. Jiang I just got the news from the scouts that the Jin army has taken down Macheng the day before yesterday and is in the process of reorganizing the army. It may attack Huangzhou at any time. Do you have any plans to retreat from the enemy?"

As soon as his words fell, everyone in the room immediately showed shock, took a breath, and began to discuss with each other in whispers.

Hearing this news, even Gao Huaiyuan couldn't help but feel anxious. When he came out of Ezhou, he also heard that the Jin army hadn't captured Macheng yet, but in just half a day, the situation has changed so much, and Macheng has already fallen. , then the next stop of the Jin Army is Huangzhou!

No wonder Jiang Fang was so preoccupied after receiving him just now that he brought him here immediately without even exchanging greetings. It turned out that the situation had become so tense that Gao Huaiyuan also felt his head was getting bigger.