Chapter 2011
Chapter 2011
Chapter 2011
Lu Kangtai didn't know how many casualties this night's fight had caused to the opponent, but his own losses were obviously heavy.According to preliminary statistics, even if the casualties of the musketeers during the previous operation at the pier were not counted, at least more than 40 people were killed in this night's pursuit on the water, and the number of wounded had already exceeded [-]. It is very likely that some seriously injured people will not be able to survive life and death.As for the damage to the ship, it was fine. After all, the opponent didn't use any heavy weapons, so it was basically impossible to sink the chasing ship.
Shanxi salt merchants lost not only the secret firearms team that put their hope of turning around, but also hundreds of elites temporarily assembled by many salt merchants, many of whom were regarded by various companies. The young and strong juniors who were the key targets for training, but these people were easily killed by the opponent like chickens in tonight's battle.Lu Kangtai's mind was in a mess at the moment, and he didn't know how to explain to the council and the salt merchants who participated in tonight's operation after returning.
Although this is not a catastrophe for the Shanshan salt merchant camp, it is indeed a heavy blow.And after tonight's news spread, whether the Huizhou salt merchants would take advantage of the fire and rob them was also a matter that had to be guarded against.
"Send the order down, block the news first, and no one is allowed to mention what happened tonight!" Lu Kangtai gave the order with a tired face.In fact, he also knew that the current situation could not be completely kept secret. With so many people killed and injured in one night, how could it be possible to completely cover the cover? At most, it would delay the time for the news to spread.But as long as we can buy some more time, perhaps the severity of the situation can be alleviated a little bit, and the council can arrange some necessary countermeasures in time.
There were a lot of people in Yangzhou who hadn't slept a wink that night. Not only was there a large group of people anxiously waiting for news in He's Manor north of the canal, there was also a group of salt merchants waiting for the confrontation in Dai's Manor south of the canal. of the final result.
"Report-"
A long-drawn-out sound resounded outside the house, cheering up the drowsy Patriarchs of the seven surnames.They had gathered here after dark yesterday to wait for the news, and they were exhausted for a long time. But at this time, the sky outside was already twilight, and it was almost time for breakfast.
"The two ships of the Ningbo salt merchants have successfully escaped into the Yangtze River. Lu Kangtai gave up the pursuit and is on his way back to Yangzhou City! According to observations, Lu Kangtai suffered heavy losses in this battle. When he set off from the canal wharf, there were [-] ships. By the time of the return journey there were only six boats left."
The news from the fast horses on the front line encouraged everyone. Although they were just watching the excitement and did not directly participate in it, it was a happy thing to see their competitors suffer.What's more, the armed conflict last night was extraordinary. They knew that the Shanxi salt merchants had dispatched their strongest force, and the battle lasted all night, from the canal in the south of the city to the melons dozens of miles away. It is said that gunshots can be heard continuously along the way.Such a fierce armed conflict has never occurred in Yangzhou in recent years. Although the two factions of salt merchants sometimes fight, they have never fought like this.
"Don't rush to be happy yet!" Dai Yingda asked in a deep voice, "Has the government responded?"
Another person responded: "After opening the city gate, a group of cavalry came out from the south gate and hurried to the south, but counting the time, it should be too late."
Dai Yingda snorted coldly and said: "The old man guessed that they would use their official connections, but luckily they didn't succeed... Go back and find out which adult came out on their behalf, so you can be on guard in the future!"
One of the reasons why Huizhou salt merchants can come from behind to gain an advantage in Yangzhou is their extremely well-managed official contacts. On the side of the salt merchants, it shows their true position, and the significance of spending money and energy on intensive cultivation is actually not great.
However, the response from the government was similar to what Dai Yingda had expected before. No one was willing to take the risk of being held accountable afterward. It's too cold, and it doesn't have much practical significance.
Ma Zhengping smoothed his beard and responded, "Even if the government sends troops in time, it may not be able to keep those Ningbo people! You may wish to think about it, at least hundreds of people were dispatched across the river last night, including the Musketeers. After a fight on the pier, and chasing for dozens of miles, in the end, they failed to intercept the opponent's boat, so what's the use of the government sending a team of cavalry?"
What Ma Zhengping said was also true. The local garrison in Yangzhou actually had naval forces, but the Shanxi salt merchants probably did not have enough energy to mobilize the navy, so in the end only a team of cavalry chased out from Yangzhou City, which was obviously impossible to intercept. Live in the two cargo ships that evacuated Yangzhou from the canal.Even if they catch up, they don't have to pay attention to the cavalry on the shore, just walk down the Yangtze River, and the cavalry can't chase them all the way.
Yang Chengye remained silent all this time, but the shock in his heart was undeniable.Last night, he first heard that Lu Kangtai's Musketeers were defeated by the canal. After one night, he heard that the second wave of offensive commanded by Lu Kangtai was also a complete failure. Some worried about how Lu Kangtai would take corresponding responsibilities after losing again and again.
Yang Chengye probably knew Lu Kangtai's status and influence in his camp, and after such a big setback this time, someone would attribute the failure to him, and he was afraid that life would be difficult.
But what Yang Chengye didn't know was that the pressure that Lu Kangtai had to face now came not only from the Shanshan salt merchants, but also from the partners who provided him with military support.The operation commanded by Lu Kangtai this time not only caused the loss of the Musketeers, but also lost a large amount of weapons and ammunition, which will definitely make the partners who have kept secret about this very angry.
After entering the Yangtze River, Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the other party did not continue to chase after them.Both of them suffered some skin injuries during the fierce battle that lasted all night. Although they did not affect their actions, when they stopped to rest at this moment, they felt unbearable pain all over their bodies.
The two sat side by side with their backs on the side of the boat. Gong Shiqi took out half a pack of cigarettes with his uninjured arm and shook them out. Then he reached out to Ji Yuanqing and said, "Here is one." ?”
Ji Yuanqing was injured on one shoulder and the other arm, both hands were disabled, stretched his neck and took out a cigarette with his mouth, Gong Shiqi smiled dryly and lit the cigarette for him with a lighter.
"Good stuff!" Ji Yuanqing couldn't take his eyes off the kerosene lighter in Gong Shiqi's hand.
Gong Shiqi lit a cigarette for himself, then flicked it smartly, closed the lid with a snap, and flaunted with the cigarette in his mouth, "Isn't it beautiful? This thing isn't made much, and it's a small gift for the officials of the Ming Dynasty." , it’s not sold on the market yet. I also need it for work, so I kept one for myself.”
Ji Yuanqing said: "I used to see a general using this little thing to light a cigarette, and I was always curious. How about you figure out a way to make one for your brother later?"
"What are you waiting for, it's already ready!" Gong Shiqi threw the lighter in his hand to Ji Yuanqing: "Go on!"
Ji Yuanqing subconsciously stretched out his hand to catch it, but this movement pulled the wound on his body, and he grinned in pain, but he still held the little thing firmly in his hand and did not let go. Seventeen played with the way he lit the fire just now.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, this thing burns a special kind of kerosene produced in Taiwan Island, and it needs to be added from time to time before it can continue to be used." Gong Shiqi reminded: "This thing can't be bought in the market. If you have acquaintances in the Ministry of Commerce, maybe you can think of a way."
"...Then should I use it as a decoration? Forget it, I'll give it back to you!" Ji Yuanqing closed the lid and gave it back to Gong Shiqi.
Gong Shiqi didn't reach out to pick it up, instead he grinned and said, "Keep it as a souvenir of our happy cooperation this time. I'll find a way to get you the kerosene after I get back. If there is no such thing as this mission, If you come here together, maybe I won’t be able to leave Yangzhou alive.”
Speaking of the last sentence, Gong Shiqi's expression also became serious, not as if he was joking.In fact, he has gone through quite a lot of life and death in his career, but it is also the first time he has experienced such a long and fierce fight.If it weren't for Ji Yuanqing commanding the battle on board, it really might not be able to withstand the all-night pursuit of the salt merchants' armed forces.
Ji Yuanqing also smiled and said: "It's my duty, I just do my best, I also want to live a good life!"
After a pause, he went on to say, "If it takes another ten or twenty miles for the canal to reach the Yangtze River, then we may not be able to hold on. It's still a bit of luck."
In fact, when they sailed into the Yangtze River, including the sailors and crew who did not directly participate in the battle, most of the people on board had been heroically wounded.Many people are like the two of them, relying on one breath to fight until the end of the battle. If the battle continues, it is really hard to say whether they can evacuate safely.
The last night will be tossed to such a dangerous point, which they did not expect when they came to Yangzhou.Although I knew in advance that the Musketeers we were looking for might be in Yangzhou, I never thought that in addition to the Musketeers, the second wave of counterattacks organized by the local salt merchants should also be underestimated. The musketeers on defense were much more difficult.
If the ammunition they carried was reduced by one-fifth, or if there were a dozen or so fewer fighters on the ship left behind, or if Ji Yuanqing was not accompanying them as Gong Shiqi assumed, then it would probably be impossible. Hold on until you leave the canal.Although Gong Shiqi was not a person who was afraid of death, but thinking about the fierce battle last night, he still felt a little scared. This night was one of the most dangerous nights in his working experience.
But fortunately, the completion of the mission is not bad. The main goal of this trip is to investigate the ownership of the mysterious Musketeers and the source of their weapons, and wait for an opportunity to attack them. At present, the evidence is complete, and they were destroyed in the battle last night. With the main force of the Musketeers, the mission objective was basically achieved.As for the remaining details, more valuable information will surely be obtained after the interrogation of the captured survivors.
After playing with the lighter for a while, Ji Yuanqing took the initiative to bring up the business: "Last night when I directed them to get the dead and wounded people on the dock into the boat, I did see that one of them looked like a Westerner."
"Oh? There really is a Xifan!" Gong Shiqi immediately cheered up when he heard this: "Then we need to have a trial as soon as possible to find out his identity as soon as possible."
According to the information obtained before this, the witnesses of the attack said that there were suspected Western Fans and North Korean members in the Musketeers, and the Ministry of Security believed that this information was likely to be related to the source of their weapons, so they also sent Gong Shiqi to Yangzhou After that, I focused on this detail, but I didn't expect to find something.
"It's too late. I was already dead when I saw it yesterday." Ji Yuanqing shook his head slightly and said, "I was shot twice in the chest, and both of them went straight through the back. I guess they were standing in the first row at that time, and they were too close. .”
"Dead!" Gong Shiqi felt a little regretful. Dead people can't speak, so naturally there was no way to provide them with more information.
"However, we still have a lot of people to live, and we should still be able to dig out something." Ji Yuanqing comforted: "When we rendezvous with the ship in front, we will start interrogating the prisoners as soon as possible."
After leaving the canal and sailing down the Yangtze River for about two hours, they rejoined another ship that had evacuated earlier at the sandbar in the middle of the river.However, Ji Yuanqing's plan to transfer the prisoners to another ship for interrogation failed to materialize, because the transfer to another ship required a small boat, but he and Gong 17 were both injured in their upper limbs and could not walk along the rope ladder on the side of the ship. Climbing up and down, in the end, I can only suppress my urgency, and honestly wait to find a place downstream where I can safely dock and stop the boat, and then walk directly to it by building a springboard.
After waiting until late afternoon, when we arrived in Changzhou Prefecture, we confirmed that there were no suspicious ships following us. Then we found a pier along the river and stopped temporarily for a while. By the way, the military doctor on board went to a nearby pharmacy to purchase some more hemostatic drugs. and bandages for dressing.
Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing also took advantage of this time to change boats and came to another boat to interrogate the Musketeers captured last night.Although there are still a lot of survivors, everyone is injured. After being locked up in the cabin for a day and a night, their physical condition is already very unsatisfactory. Several people have fallen into a semi-comatose state, and it seems that they will not last long.
(End of this chapter)
Lu Kangtai didn't know how many casualties this night's fight had caused to the opponent, but his own losses were obviously heavy.According to preliminary statistics, even if the casualties of the musketeers during the previous operation at the pier were not counted, at least more than 40 people were killed in this night's pursuit on the water, and the number of wounded had already exceeded [-]. It is very likely that some seriously injured people will not be able to survive life and death.As for the damage to the ship, it was fine. After all, the opponent didn't use any heavy weapons, so it was basically impossible to sink the chasing ship.
Shanxi salt merchants lost not only the secret firearms team that put their hope of turning around, but also hundreds of elites temporarily assembled by many salt merchants, many of whom were regarded by various companies. The young and strong juniors who were the key targets for training, but these people were easily killed by the opponent like chickens in tonight's battle.Lu Kangtai's mind was in a mess at the moment, and he didn't know how to explain to the council and the salt merchants who participated in tonight's operation after returning.
Although this is not a catastrophe for the Shanshan salt merchant camp, it is indeed a heavy blow.And after tonight's news spread, whether the Huizhou salt merchants would take advantage of the fire and rob them was also a matter that had to be guarded against.
"Send the order down, block the news first, and no one is allowed to mention what happened tonight!" Lu Kangtai gave the order with a tired face.In fact, he also knew that the current situation could not be completely kept secret. With so many people killed and injured in one night, how could it be possible to completely cover the cover? At most, it would delay the time for the news to spread.But as long as we can buy some more time, perhaps the severity of the situation can be alleviated a little bit, and the council can arrange some necessary countermeasures in time.
There were a lot of people in Yangzhou who hadn't slept a wink that night. Not only was there a large group of people anxiously waiting for news in He's Manor north of the canal, there was also a group of salt merchants waiting for the confrontation in Dai's Manor south of the canal. of the final result.
"Report-"
A long-drawn-out sound resounded outside the house, cheering up the drowsy Patriarchs of the seven surnames.They had gathered here after dark yesterday to wait for the news, and they were exhausted for a long time. But at this time, the sky outside was already twilight, and it was almost time for breakfast.
"The two ships of the Ningbo salt merchants have successfully escaped into the Yangtze River. Lu Kangtai gave up the pursuit and is on his way back to Yangzhou City! According to observations, Lu Kangtai suffered heavy losses in this battle. When he set off from the canal wharf, there were [-] ships. By the time of the return journey there were only six boats left."
The news from the fast horses on the front line encouraged everyone. Although they were just watching the excitement and did not directly participate in it, it was a happy thing to see their competitors suffer.What's more, the armed conflict last night was extraordinary. They knew that the Shanxi salt merchants had dispatched their strongest force, and the battle lasted all night, from the canal in the south of the city to the melons dozens of miles away. It is said that gunshots can be heard continuously along the way.Such a fierce armed conflict has never occurred in Yangzhou in recent years. Although the two factions of salt merchants sometimes fight, they have never fought like this.
"Don't rush to be happy yet!" Dai Yingda asked in a deep voice, "Has the government responded?"
Another person responded: "After opening the city gate, a group of cavalry came out from the south gate and hurried to the south, but counting the time, it should be too late."
Dai Yingda snorted coldly and said: "The old man guessed that they would use their official connections, but luckily they didn't succeed... Go back and find out which adult came out on their behalf, so you can be on guard in the future!"
One of the reasons why Huizhou salt merchants can come from behind to gain an advantage in Yangzhou is their extremely well-managed official contacts. On the side of the salt merchants, it shows their true position, and the significance of spending money and energy on intensive cultivation is actually not great.
However, the response from the government was similar to what Dai Yingda had expected before. No one was willing to take the risk of being held accountable afterward. It's too cold, and it doesn't have much practical significance.
Ma Zhengping smoothed his beard and responded, "Even if the government sends troops in time, it may not be able to keep those Ningbo people! You may wish to think about it, at least hundreds of people were dispatched across the river last night, including the Musketeers. After a fight on the pier, and chasing for dozens of miles, in the end, they failed to intercept the opponent's boat, so what's the use of the government sending a team of cavalry?"
What Ma Zhengping said was also true. The local garrison in Yangzhou actually had naval forces, but the Shanxi salt merchants probably did not have enough energy to mobilize the navy, so in the end only a team of cavalry chased out from Yangzhou City, which was obviously impossible to intercept. Live in the two cargo ships that evacuated Yangzhou from the canal.Even if they catch up, they don't have to pay attention to the cavalry on the shore, just walk down the Yangtze River, and the cavalry can't chase them all the way.
Yang Chengye remained silent all this time, but the shock in his heart was undeniable.Last night, he first heard that Lu Kangtai's Musketeers were defeated by the canal. After one night, he heard that the second wave of offensive commanded by Lu Kangtai was also a complete failure. Some worried about how Lu Kangtai would take corresponding responsibilities after losing again and again.
Yang Chengye probably knew Lu Kangtai's status and influence in his camp, and after such a big setback this time, someone would attribute the failure to him, and he was afraid that life would be difficult.
But what Yang Chengye didn't know was that the pressure that Lu Kangtai had to face now came not only from the Shanshan salt merchants, but also from the partners who provided him with military support.The operation commanded by Lu Kangtai this time not only caused the loss of the Musketeers, but also lost a large amount of weapons and ammunition, which will definitely make the partners who have kept secret about this very angry.
After entering the Yangtze River, Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the other party did not continue to chase after them.Both of them suffered some skin injuries during the fierce battle that lasted all night. Although they did not affect their actions, when they stopped to rest at this moment, they felt unbearable pain all over their bodies.
The two sat side by side with their backs on the side of the boat. Gong Shiqi took out half a pack of cigarettes with his uninjured arm and shook them out. Then he reached out to Ji Yuanqing and said, "Here is one." ?”
Ji Yuanqing was injured on one shoulder and the other arm, both hands were disabled, stretched his neck and took out a cigarette with his mouth, Gong Shiqi smiled dryly and lit the cigarette for him with a lighter.
"Good stuff!" Ji Yuanqing couldn't take his eyes off the kerosene lighter in Gong Shiqi's hand.
Gong Shiqi lit a cigarette for himself, then flicked it smartly, closed the lid with a snap, and flaunted with the cigarette in his mouth, "Isn't it beautiful? This thing isn't made much, and it's a small gift for the officials of the Ming Dynasty." , it’s not sold on the market yet. I also need it for work, so I kept one for myself.”
Ji Yuanqing said: "I used to see a general using this little thing to light a cigarette, and I was always curious. How about you figure out a way to make one for your brother later?"
"What are you waiting for, it's already ready!" Gong Shiqi threw the lighter in his hand to Ji Yuanqing: "Go on!"
Ji Yuanqing subconsciously stretched out his hand to catch it, but this movement pulled the wound on his body, and he grinned in pain, but he still held the little thing firmly in his hand and did not let go. Seventeen played with the way he lit the fire just now.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, this thing burns a special kind of kerosene produced in Taiwan Island, and it needs to be added from time to time before it can continue to be used." Gong Shiqi reminded: "This thing can't be bought in the market. If you have acquaintances in the Ministry of Commerce, maybe you can think of a way."
"...Then should I use it as a decoration? Forget it, I'll give it back to you!" Ji Yuanqing closed the lid and gave it back to Gong Shiqi.
Gong Shiqi didn't reach out to pick it up, instead he grinned and said, "Keep it as a souvenir of our happy cooperation this time. I'll find a way to get you the kerosene after I get back. If there is no such thing as this mission, If you come here together, maybe I won’t be able to leave Yangzhou alive.”
Speaking of the last sentence, Gong Shiqi's expression also became serious, not as if he was joking.In fact, he has gone through quite a lot of life and death in his career, but it is also the first time he has experienced such a long and fierce fight.If it weren't for Ji Yuanqing commanding the battle on board, it really might not be able to withstand the all-night pursuit of the salt merchants' armed forces.
Ji Yuanqing also smiled and said: "It's my duty, I just do my best, I also want to live a good life!"
After a pause, he went on to say, "If it takes another ten or twenty miles for the canal to reach the Yangtze River, then we may not be able to hold on. It's still a bit of luck."
In fact, when they sailed into the Yangtze River, including the sailors and crew who did not directly participate in the battle, most of the people on board had been heroically wounded.Many people are like the two of them, relying on one breath to fight until the end of the battle. If the battle continues, it is really hard to say whether they can evacuate safely.
The last night will be tossed to such a dangerous point, which they did not expect when they came to Yangzhou.Although I knew in advance that the Musketeers we were looking for might be in Yangzhou, I never thought that in addition to the Musketeers, the second wave of counterattacks organized by the local salt merchants should also be underestimated. The musketeers on defense were much more difficult.
If the ammunition they carried was reduced by one-fifth, or if there were a dozen or so fewer fighters on the ship left behind, or if Ji Yuanqing was not accompanying them as Gong Shiqi assumed, then it would probably be impossible. Hold on until you leave the canal.Although Gong Shiqi was not a person who was afraid of death, but thinking about the fierce battle last night, he still felt a little scared. This night was one of the most dangerous nights in his working experience.
But fortunately, the completion of the mission is not bad. The main goal of this trip is to investigate the ownership of the mysterious Musketeers and the source of their weapons, and wait for an opportunity to attack them. At present, the evidence is complete, and they were destroyed in the battle last night. With the main force of the Musketeers, the mission objective was basically achieved.As for the remaining details, more valuable information will surely be obtained after the interrogation of the captured survivors.
After playing with the lighter for a while, Ji Yuanqing took the initiative to bring up the business: "Last night when I directed them to get the dead and wounded people on the dock into the boat, I did see that one of them looked like a Westerner."
"Oh? There really is a Xifan!" Gong Shiqi immediately cheered up when he heard this: "Then we need to have a trial as soon as possible to find out his identity as soon as possible."
According to the information obtained before this, the witnesses of the attack said that there were suspected Western Fans and North Korean members in the Musketeers, and the Ministry of Security believed that this information was likely to be related to the source of their weapons, so they also sent Gong Shiqi to Yangzhou After that, I focused on this detail, but I didn't expect to find something.
"It's too late. I was already dead when I saw it yesterday." Ji Yuanqing shook his head slightly and said, "I was shot twice in the chest, and both of them went straight through the back. I guess they were standing in the first row at that time, and they were too close. .”
"Dead!" Gong Shiqi felt a little regretful. Dead people can't speak, so naturally there was no way to provide them with more information.
"However, we still have a lot of people to live, and we should still be able to dig out something." Ji Yuanqing comforted: "When we rendezvous with the ship in front, we will start interrogating the prisoners as soon as possible."
After leaving the canal and sailing down the Yangtze River for about two hours, they rejoined another ship that had evacuated earlier at the sandbar in the middle of the river.However, Ji Yuanqing's plan to transfer the prisoners to another ship for interrogation failed to materialize, because the transfer to another ship required a small boat, but he and Gong 17 were both injured in their upper limbs and could not walk along the rope ladder on the side of the ship. Climbing up and down, in the end, I can only suppress my urgency, and honestly wait to find a place downstream where I can safely dock and stop the boat, and then walk directly to it by building a springboard.
After waiting until late afternoon, when we arrived in Changzhou Prefecture, we confirmed that there were no suspicious ships following us. Then we found a pier along the river and stopped temporarily for a while. By the way, the military doctor on board went to a nearby pharmacy to purchase some more hemostatic drugs. and bandages for dressing.
Gong Shiqi and Ji Yuanqing also took advantage of this time to change boats and came to another boat to interrogate the Musketeers captured last night.Although there are still a lot of survivors, everyone is injured. After being locked up in the cabin for a day and a night, their physical condition is already very unsatisfactory. Several people have fallen into a semi-comatose state, and it seems that they will not last long.
(End of this chapter)