Chapter 005, the forty-seventh year of the Wanli era

Ha, I don't even know what the emperor is called

This was transported from Hejian

Yang Xin

Yang Xin inquired

Huang Zhen smiled and said

Huang Zhen said

It is still early

It is frozen, which year has the Baihe River not frozen enough to accommodate thousands of ships

However, he is certainly not a soft-hearted person. This guy is muscular and scarred, and one of his arms appears to be slightly more robust, which is clearly the result of frequently drawing a strong bow. It is hard for Yang Xin to believe that there are no lives at stake under his command.

At least he is still in the flourishing era of the Ming Dynasty, although this era is already waning, it is still far superior to the Sweet Potato Era

In the night breeze, he stood proudly at the bow of the ship, gazing at the increasingly close Yin'er Bay. The number of cargo boats along the shore was also growing, soon becoming as densely packed as the Tianjin dock, stretching endlessly ahead. These Jiangnan boats, heavily laden with grain, drew much deeper than the shallow vessel beneath his feet, and could only navigate here during high tide, after which the grain would be transported to the warehouses on the shore. In the coming time, a fleet of boats would continuously transport this grain to Tongzhou. Unlike civilian boats, these cargo vessels were escorted by the military, each equipped with several soldiers in addition to hired boatmen. They enjoyed the right of way on any river segment, and when faced with congestion in the waterways, all civilian boats were required to yield to them.

The forty-seventh year of the Wanli era

But at this moment, it truly rivals the Water Margin at Liangshan.

Standard inland flat-bottomed boat type

He probably thinks this is a temporary fake name, but that is of no concern to him; he is merely pleased that he has gained another outlaw under his command. From this, it is evident that there are no decent people on this ship. The few sailors busy securing the small boat to the side of the ship all welcomed Yang Xin in their own way, their faces twisted and fierce. Especially after Huang Ying patted Yang Xin and reminded him not to forget to tell a story, at least half of the sailors already wore a menacing expression.

From Hejian, the Yudai River waterway connects to the Huitong River, which is the Daqing River. Then, passing through Yuanjiaokou, it continues downstream into the Triangle Swamp. At this time, the Triangle Swamp is a vast lake, covering the entire area west of Tianjin. This lake, which has now disappeared in modern times, received the waters from the entire Daqing River system and the Yongding River system, the latter also known as the Huns River. The waters split into two branches: one flows directly into the Triangle Swamp, while the other merges into the Daqing River at Yuanjiaokou. Ultimately, nearly half of the river waters south of Beijing, almost all of North Zhili, converge into the Triangle Swamp and then enter the North Canal, also known as the Baihe, at Dingzigou. This inland waterway system extended all the way to Qingyuan, covering a vast area from Zhuozhou in the north to Zhengding in the south. The Baiyangdian, familiar to modern people, is also part of this system.

The mast on the ship has been lowered; it is a gaff rig. At this moment, the ship is still being propelled by the tide, but both sides are equipped with long oars, indicating that manual rowing will be necessary when the time comes. What puzzles Yang Xin is the presence of the small boat they brought along, as such inland river vessels typically do not carry one. Although this small boat is only about 3 to 4 meters long, it is still a significant burden for such a shallow vessel. Of course, he would not inquire about such matters; whatever needs to be done, he will come to know in due time.

At that moment, a sleepy little head poked out from a window behind the old butler, with wide, watery eyes and a look of utter bewilderment as it gazed at the two individuals who were speaking nonsense with their eyes wide open

Yang Xin finally knows what year it is

Huang Ying gave Yang Xin a light tap and said

Please, you go ahead first

The old butler looked at Yang Xin with a smile that was neither fully a smile nor fully not a smile

Having eaten and drunk to his satisfaction, Yang Xin fully demonstrates the qualities of a good companion: he does not ask what should not be asked, he sleeps when it is time to sleep, and after a day of hustle and bustle, he is somewhat fatigued.

However, the period of prosperity for the Sanjiao Marsh was limited to the time around the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. By the time of the Mago, the construction of the Yongding River embankment caused all the silt carried by the Yongding River to flow into the Sanjiao Marsh, which ultimately led to its gradual filling due to sediment deposition.

This is her boudoir

Yang Xin inquired

Yang Xin's mood immediately improved significantly

As they spoke, a familiar-looking passenger ship slowly approached down the river. Huang Zhen immediately called out, and Yang Xin and the others hurriedly steered their boat towards the channel. Due to the numerous cargo boats in the area, the already narrow river had been reduced to a water alley, and they were just about to cross paths with that ship. The old steward of the Wang family emerged from the cabin, glanced at them, and then smiled as he greeted Huang Zhen on the deck.

Aren't we leaving yet

Captain Huang Zhen reached out to pull Yang Xin onto the deck while warmly asking

She pushed it and said

Thank you for your vigilance

The old butler chuckled

Tonight we will first arrive at Yin'er Bay. If there are no major issues on the way, we estimate that we will reach Zhangjiawan in about seven to eight days. At that time, Brother Yang can visit the capital and experience a bit of the imperial aura.

It is often the case that among the elderly, one encounters many individuals who bear a resemblance to one another. This leads the younger generation to feel a sense of familiarity and affection, as if they were in the presence of a respected elder from their hometown

The young lady from the Wang family waved her hand excitedly and called out

Yang Xin responded calmly

Contact my family

Yang Xin said

Huang Zhen hurriedly moved closer, continuously expressing his gratitude as he took the two lanterns.

He is truly a good man

Huang Changnian, what a coincidence!

The old butler said

We happen to be traveling together, which is good for mutual support on the road. Xiao Si, take two lanterns for Huang Changnian and bring out ours as well

This young man looks familiar, why didn't I see him on the boat yesterday

Where shall we go

Huang Ying said

Huang Zhen did not say much to him

How should one address a brother

The lights on the West Coast flicker soon

Yang Xin said with utmost seriousness

Where is this cursed place again

Huang Zhen looked at him meaningfully

Huang Zhen said with a smile

Or it should be called a shallow boat

Uh, does a fugitive who needs to be beheaded twice and hanged once really need this

Yang Xin spoke without any respect

Employment Contract

The second day

What to do if it freezes

Ah, that does make some sense. Speaking of which, I do recall someone you resemble, but that person's scar is on the left side, while yours is on the right. Moreover, he has a large scar on his body, whereas yours is quite smooth. At this point, you look nothing alike. Next time you see someone who bears some resemblance to you, but has a large scar and also a scar on the left side of their face, you must remember to report it to the authorities, as this person is a fugitive criminal. Please be cautious.

Baiyangdian is much smaller than Sanjiao Lake

It is accurately stated as twenty-six years

I am still not full, like a starving ghost

Row the boat!

The old butler said

Do not rush, let's wait a moment before discussing

Huang Ying followed his gaze and, blushing, stepped on his foot

Although the current emperor has reigned for forty-seven years, it is indeed true that few people are aware of this emperor's name

But it is only a part

This is the route to Sanjiao Diao. After passing Dingzigou, one enters Sanjiao Diao. Exiting Sanjiao Diao leads to Huitong River, and continuing forward brings one to Yuanjia Kou. Heading north leads to Bazhou, while westward takes one to Qingyuan.

The lowest-ranking boatman, or one might also say the laborer Yang Xin, along with those sailors, used long poles to push the shallow boat, which had a draft of just over three feet, to the shore where it came to a stop. Huang Zhen dispatched sailors to the shore to buy wine and meat from a familiar restaurant, while Huang Ying personally prepared a few fish. This was considered Yang Xin's initiation ceremony, but Huang Zhen did not specify what exactly he would be doing. Although he was indeed transporting a batch of goods to the capital, it was evident that a law-abiding merchant would not take in a fugitive. As for the goods they were transporting this time, they were quite ordinary items, primarily barrels of rapeseed oil, a portion of which had already been unloaded in Tianjin, along with a small amount of miscellaneous goods such as dried locust flowers.

This is the lifeline of the capital.

One can work as long as one can eat; only when one is well-fed can one work effectively

At this moment, the sun has completely set, the night gradually envelops, and the shallow boat, propelled by the tide, silently moves forward on the wide river surface

Huang Zhen maintained his old good-natured smile as he spoke

Yang Xin said

Yang Xin, holding a pancake in his mouth, asked

Huang Zhen smiled and said

After speaking, she picked up a long oar, also known as a paddle, and handed it to Yang Xin

Huang Ying shot him a glance and said

Immediately following is a small town and a wide estuary.

The length is less than 20 meters, and except for a maximum of 4 meters of empty space on the foredeck, the rest is entirely covered with a semicircular boat canopy, which is made of bamboo and coated with tung oil. However, above the rudder compartment at the stern, an additional low large wooden box has been added, and through the open window, one can see a belly pouch hanging inside

It is evident that this is Huang Zhen's objective

Sister Huang!

He patted Yang Xin on the shoulder with a sigh

However, her gaze soon shifted to Huang Ying

Huang Zhen smiled broadly and bowed as he spoke

In the early summer of the 47th year of the Wanli era, the weather was still not too hot. The Battle of Sarhu had just concluded, and the Ming Dynasty, due to Yang Hao's foolish decision to stretch a 300-li front and launch attacks from four directions, was defeated by the wild boar skin forces, who, leveraging their cavalry speed advantage, concentrated their superior forces to defeat the Ming troops one by one. Ultimately, this decisive battle beyond the pass ended in the Ming's failure. The elite field troops of the Ming army in the region suffered devastating losses, with three out of four main generals killed in succession, resulting in a complete loss of initiative on the Liaodong battlefield, forcing them to shift to a defensive posture. This marked the beginning of nearly thirty years of fierce conflict between the Ming and Qing forces beyond the pass.

Navigating the canal is not an easy task, as one must face numerous troubles along the way, especially with the toll gate at Hexiwu ahead, which is specifically for collecting passage fees. However, regardless of the troubles, as long as there are these two lanterns, most issues can be warded off. The Wang family is represented by Wang Keshou, who serves as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and concurrently as the Right Assistant Grand Secretary overseeing military affairs in Jilin, Liaoning, and Baoding, a trusted old minister of Wanli, whose position remained unshaken even after the defeat at Sarhu. The area around the North Canal is under the jurisdiction of the Tianjin Right Guard, and apart from the official granary in Yin'erwan, there are also military households specifically engaged in dredging the waterways, all of which fall under the supervision of the Governor of Jilin and Liaoning. It can be said that with these two lanterns and the old steward steering the boat, no one along this route would dare to trouble Huang Zhen.

Huang Ying immediately walked out and threw a hard flatbread to Yang Xin, while she herself took a piece to nibble on, as Yang Xin stood beside her watching the ship