On a clear spring day, the turbid waves were still surging, and thousands of boats were competing.
A large fleet of eighteen boats was drifting in the Yellow River. The largest boat on the river was the same size as the large boats in the fleet. There were many smaller boats, and some even had a small boat to ferry back and forth. The waves rolled, and the boat was like a leaf.
Many people in the fleet came to the Yellow River for the first time. Looking at the turbulent Yellow River and the small boats bobbing up and down, they were all shocked.
When they praised the boat rowers for their great ability, they couldn't help but secretly sigh that poor people didn't have a good life. If they had the money to buy a big boat, who would want to row a small boat like this? One mistake and they would fall into the water.
"Xiao Bao, I'll show you," Wang Juan said to Zhang Xiaobao, who was standing next to her, with the Clairvoyance in her hand.
Xiaobao looked in the direction that Wang Juan was pointing at and saw a twelve or thirteen year old child dragging a nearly two foot long carp towards the shore. The fish was still waving its tail vigorously, creating quite a few splashes. The child seemed to be struggling, but he was very determined. Bit by bit, he managed to drag the fish ashore.
"Catching a carp in the Yellow River with your bare hands? Not bad, you have some skills. "Zhang Xiaobao nodded and praised.
"Can you do it?" Wang Juan asked.
"When I'm his age, I can. You can kick me into the water from the observatory and see if I can swim to the shore. There are people who can swim across the Yangtze River, not to mention the Yellow River. "Zhang Xiaobao said confidently.
Ever since Zhang Zhong met the Emperor, he took his family out by boat. They walked along the Yellow River, entered the canal, entered the sea in Hangzhou, and walked along the coast until they reached the destination. It could be said that this was the furthest distance from north to south. If they came out from Sichuan, it would be even further.
On the way from the Yellow River to the Canal, the fleet did not plan to stop to resupply or sell anything. They would wait until they reached the Chu Zhou area. Other small boats or cargo ships might not be able to withstand such a long time without supplies, but the Zhang family's fleet was not a problem at all. As a fleet that could enter the sea, how could they not resupply?
Weiwei and Liu 'er were also watching curiously from the boat. The two of them each had a Clairvoyance. These Clairvoyance didn't need to be made of crystal. There were some kilns that could occasionally produce some transparent colored glaze. They just needed to find a colorless, transparent glaze.
Weiwei was more familiar with water than Liu 'er. After all, her home was a boat. She looked at the small boat on the river and said to Liu' er, "Sister Liu 'er, it's very dangerous to row the boat at a time like this. Sometimes, when the waves come, the boat will capsize if the oar doesn't remove the force of the waves."
"Yes, it's dangerous. It's scary to see it in the water and be covered by it. Weiwei, do you know how to row? Can you swim? " Liu 'er's heart rose and fell with the rise and fall of the boat. She was a little sad and a little relieved. Her family fled to Zhangjia Zhuangzi.
At that time, they were starving to death. Her younger brother, Young Man, didn't have the strength to cry. Unexpectedly, they met a kind person. Until now, their family was getting better and better.
But who would help these people on the Yellow River? The master of the Zhang family? If he could be an official here, it would be fine. Otherwise, even if he wanted to help, he could only help one or two people.
Weiwei also knew the hardships of a boatman. Sometimes, when he didn't catch enough fish during the day, her brother had to stay up late to catch prawns at night. The money he earned every day was basically the money he needed to spend every day. There was rarely any time when there was a surplus.
Hearing Liu 'er's question, she nodded and then shook her head. "I know how to row a boat, but I've never done it before. I'm still young. I know how to swim. Which child on the water can't swim? Sister Liu 'er, if you fall into the water, don't be afraid. I'll save you. I'm so old. It won't be a problem for me to save you. "
"I don't want to wait for someone to save me. I'll learn by myself in the future. I heard that the young master and young lady are very good at swimming. Next time when we learn, I'll learn from them. I heard that the place we're going to has an ocean. The ocean is blue and there are very big fish. If we catch one, we can eat it for many days."
Liu 'er looked at the big boat under her feet and felt safe. She yearned to talk about what she heard from others.
*****
18 big boats with sails were sailing with the wind and the current. They were not slow. These 18 boats were slightly different from other boats. There were two masts on the mast, one in front and one behind. At this time, there were no sails on them.
Only those who knew knew that these two masts were used to hang the jib sails. Other boats would lower their sails when the wind was against them. When they were going against the current, there would be boatmen.
When the wind was against them, these 18 boats would lower their sails and hoist the jib sails. The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War had issued a gag order. Apart from the warships of the Zhang family and the imperial court, no one else could get their hands on them.
Li Xun did not stay idle. Before he came, his father had given him a task to write down everything he saw and heard. He had brought many people with him. Some were scholars, and some were martial artists. At this moment, three scholars were writing while he was in charge of telling them what he saw.
"Thousands of sails compete in the current, or small boats bobbing on the waves. The shore is full of weeds, and the water is turbid. Children dive into the water to catch fish with their bare hands. It's strange, shocking, and lamenting. We sail the vast and mighty boats, but ordinary people ferry small boats. How many of them know what the common people want? When I hear that the people of Lu Zhou are suffering, I, Li Xun, swear that when I return, the people of Lu Zhou will have enough food and clothing. "
Li Xun stood on the deck with his hands on his back. His clothes fluttered in the wind as he spoke. Among the three scholars, two of them did not move while the last one wrote quickly.
"The Little Prince cares about the people of the world. I'm impressed," the scholar said to Li Xun after he finished writing.
"I have the ambition to bring peace to the world, but I don't have the ability to do so. Wait for the Zhang family. The Zhang family has always been extraordinary. Have you gotten used to it?" Li Xun knew his place. He swore an oath and waited for the Zhang family to do it. He could only follow along and help.
"Little Prince, I've been eating well, but my stomach feels uncomfortable when I'm floating on the water. I don't know why," the scholar replied.
Li Xun smiled and said, "It's normal for seasickness to be like this. Is it because you saw that the Zhang Family and Wang Family are fine, so you're curious? They came out of the water because they fainted. Before they came, they practiced for a few days. They'll be fine after a while in the lake on Herb King Mountain. I wonder when the people of the world will be able to live a good life. "
As Li Xun spoke, he saw a small boat being overtaken by a fleet. He felt that if there was a bridge here, it would be more convenient for people to come and go.
If it was in the past, he would never care about this. Ever since he saw that the thing was given to Liu 'er's family, he kept in touch with the Zhang family from time to time. That was why he changed. He restrained himself and learned to help the weak. He also felt the joy of helping others, especially those who couldn't eat. He first gave them something to eat and then found a job to do. He felt a good mood that he had never experienced before.
What touched him the most was the scene when Zhang Zhong left Huayuan County. He also wanted to have that kind of opportunity. He decided that when he got a fief, he would ask Zhang Zhong to be an official. That way, when he walked outside, he would see a smile on the people's faces.
*****
After another two days, the fleet arrived at Kaifeng. The next step was to change the route. From there, they would go to Chuzhou City to resupply. At the same time, they would buy and sell some goods.
There was a big dock in Kaifeng that was specially used for docking ships. When the 18 ships were about to pass by it, something unexpected happened.
There were more than 30 people at the dock, old and young. Unlike other people who were waiting for the ships, they were pushed and prevented from getting close to a ship. Later, more people joined in and pushed the ship together.
The people of the Zhang family saw it, but they didn't understand what was going on. Li Xun wanted to let the people live a good life. When he saw injustice, he wanted to help.
"Stop the ship. The other ships go first. My ship stopped. Go down and ask what happened."
Following Li Xun's shout, the ship came to a stop. Immediately, someone went down to inquire.
The other ships continued to move forward. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also saw it. They looked at each other and didn't say anything. They wanted to wait for Li Xun to catch up with them.
After the 17 ships left for more than an hour, Li Xun's ship caught up with them. From the water behind the ship, they knew that he used a propeller. Only two ships in the fleet were equipped with propellers. Zhang Xiaobao's ship and Li Xun's ship. They didn't usually use them.
When Li Xun's ship came closer, an arrow was shot from the ship. There was a letter tied to the arrow. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan didn't read the letter first. Instead, they looked at the place where the arrow hit the ship.
"What a wastrel," Zhang Xiaobao scolded. He then opened the letter and read it. Wang Juan also moved her head closer to him.
"There is a drought? Why didn't anyone report it? "Wang Juan muttered after reading the letter.
"Isn't it the same? A few other counties were affected by the drought. If we can hide it, we will hide it. So, there are people escaping? Why can't there be thousands of people? Go back to the ship and pick up all the escapees in Kaifeng. "
Zhang Xiaobao suddenly thought that the place they were going to had a small population. Why not take them to other places? They were all citizens of Tang. Why couldn't they live somewhere else?
The letter said that the fugitives had no money to take a boat or eat, so they begged other boats to take them to other places or give them food to eat. If someone was willing to take them in, they could even help with some work.
In the end, the people at the docks saw that they were dressed in rags and had stolen goods on them. They were afraid that they would spread the disease, so they asked them to leave. The people at the docks were still waiting to work. If the ships that came here saw this group of people and stopped next to them, where would they go to get work?
They started to drive them away. Once Li Xun's people arrived, things became easier. No one dared to offend them. They waited for Li Xun's orders. Li Xun was full of ambition. He naturally took them to the ship and asked them to get food and water for them to wash up. Only then did he catch up.
Zhang Xiaobao's words meant that the decision was made. He passed down the order and the first two half-full cargo ships were unloaded at the docks. He also sent people to inquire about the situation of the fugitives. At Kaifeng, they dismounted their horses and started looking for the fugitives.
The other ships couldn't move for a while. They could only anchor at the docks and do some simple resupply.
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