Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 159 Hehuang (Part 1)

A night of silence,
The next day at 3:45 AM, before the morning mist had dissipated, Lü Shang, dressed in a brocade robe and with a jade belt around his waist, pushed open the pavilion door and stepped out of the official post station along the corridor.

Fang An, the military advisor, stood solemnly before the post station, leading Zi Dian Han Shuang. Generals Xiao, Yan, Huo, and Ling, each with their own troops, stood to his left and right.

"My lord,"

Seeing Lü Shang leave the inn, Fang Zian said softly, "You may depart now."

Lu Shang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the bowing postmaster Wang Hong beside him, and said, "I apologize for the inconvenience caused during my temporary stay at your post."

Wang Hong said respectfully, "It is already a blessing for our humble post station that the county magistrate has chosen to stay here. If there is anything inappropriate, please forgive us."

Lu Shang stroked Zidian Hanshuang's mane and smiled, "Wang Yicheng's arrangements are appropriate; he has already put in a lot of effort."

As he spoke, he mounted his horse and said, "Let's go."

"promise,"

The military advisors Fang Zi'an and Xiao Ji immediately mounted their horses. Their armor clashed, and their troops stood in orderly rows. The sound of banners fluttering could be heard in the morning mist.

When the procession arrived at the north gate of Qin Prefecture, Yang Wang, the chief administrator of Qin Prefecture who had met Lü Shang once before, was leading twenty gate guards to greet and see them off.

"Chief Secretary Yang, thank you for seeing me off again,"

Seeing that it was still this same Chief Secretary who was greeting him, Lü Shang, still on horseback, bowed to him.

Yang Wang, the Prefect of Qinzhou, returned the greeting, saying, "This is my duty, and I dare not accept the county magistrate's courtesy."

"Yang Wang, the Yang family of Hongnong,"

Lu Shang gave Yang Wang a deep look, then spurred his horse and rode past the north gate of Qin Prefecture.

"drive,"

Outside the city, the morning mist billowed like a light veil as he led his entourage out with a roar.

"My lord, it seems this Earl of Pingxiang County is eager to befriend you!"

As they left Qin Prefecture, the morning mist thinned, and the sky began to glow with gold. Fang Zian, the military advisor, followed behind Lü Shang and said softly.

The so-called Earl of Pingxiang County was Yang Wang, the Prefect of Qinzhou. He initially served as a tutor to the Prince of Ji of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and later rose through the ranks to become the Chief Clerk of the Ministry of War, earning him the reputation of being a capable and capable official. When Yang Jian served as the Grand Chancellor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, he believed that Yang Wang was knowledgeable in military affairs and could be given important responsibilities, so he promoted him to the position of Grand Master of the Court.

After Yang Jian usurped the throne and established the Northern Sui Dynasty, he bestowed upon Yang Wang the title of Earl of Pingxiang County, with a fief of two hundred households.

Lu Shang said calmly, "It's always better to have the intention to make friends than to harbor ill intentions."

Lü Shang noticed and appreciated Yang Wang's friendship.

Yang Wang is a man worth getting to know better. When Lü Shang was in Daxing, he had heard of Yang Wang's name. In his youth, he was fierce and unrestrained, and liked to fight with others. After growing up, he changed his ways and studied diligently. He became proficient in the Zuo Zhuan and was well-versed in the Three Rites. He was a figure like Zhou Chu of the Three Kingdoms period.

"drive,"

Lü Shang led his troops on a slow journey, passing through Didao, then Jincheng, and finally reaching the banks of the Yellow River. The 500-li journey took nearly seven days.

As they approached the Yellow River, it was nearly noon, and the sun was at its zenith. Lü Shang reined in his horse, and its hooves pounded on the riverbank pebbles, splashing up golden light.

"Yellow River,"

He looked into the distance and saw the Yellow River surging from the west, carrying the yellow sand on both banks and churning up powerful, turbid waves, like a giant dragon covered in scales, murmuring as it swept across this vast land.

"My lord, Jincheng Ferry is just ahead."

Fang Zian rode his horse closer, pointing his whip at the faintly visible afterimage of a wooden raft in the distance, and said, "This crossing is over a hundred feet wide, with deep and swift currents. The Marquis of Champion of the Former Han Dynasty and the Marquis of Yangxia of the Later Han Dynasty both advanced their troops into the grasslands here."

Lü Shang gazed at the jagged mounds on the opposite bank, suddenly feeling a river breeze blowing against his face, carrying a sweet, earthy scent. "What a beautiful old course of the Hehuang River," he thought.

He turned his horse around and slowly made his way to the Jincheng Ferry.

At this moment, dozens of rafts made of cowhide were moored at an angle on the riverbank. The rafts were made of rough logs bound together and covered with cowhide soaked in tung oil, which gleamed with a glossy brown color under the sunlight.

Several shirtless boatmen stood at the bow of the raft, their bronze backs gleaming in the sun, each with a short knife at their waist, squatting on the bank smearing river mud into the seams of the raft bottom.

Hearing the approaching sound of horses' hooves, the lead boatman wiped his sweat, hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, esteemed guest."

Fang Zi'an spurred his horse forward, lightly tapped the whip, and said, "My lord needs to cross Jincheng Ferry. There are more than three hundred of us. How many rafts do you think we need?"

The boatman said loudly, "Reporting to you, sir, each raft can carry a maximum of thirty people. If you include horses and weapons, we would need at least twenty rafts to be safe."

"Twenty rafts it is,"

Lü Shang said directly, "I will board the raft first, and you will follow. All soldiers must keep their armor and weapons on their bodies, and the horses must be tied to the stern with reins."

"Yes,"

Fang Zian, along with the four generals Xiao, Yan, Huo, and Ling, immediately responded.

Under Lü Shang's direction, more than 300 people boarded the rafts in an orderly manner. After the entire ceremonial guard had boarded the rafts, the rafts slowly left the shore.

"May the River God protect you, and may you sail smoothly downstream! Open the ferry!"

As soon as they left the shore, the lead boatman shouted loudly, and the other boatmen on the rafts joined in.

"Yellow River God,"

The boatmen's shouts reached Lü Shang's ears, and he glanced thoughtfully at the turbid Yellow River.

The river water churned beneath the raft, the rapids pushing it towards the opposite bank.

The mountains and rivers of Yanfu each possess their own unique wonders. The Wei River is home to the Wei River Dragon King. As one of the Four Great Rivers, the Wei River, which established its status as the supreme waterway of the world after Yu the Great pacified the waters and established the Nine Provinces, naturally also possesses sacred beings.

After all, the Yellow River is the head of the four rivers, and its status can be compared with that of the four seas. The four seas have the four sea dragon kings who govern the water systems of the world, and the Yellow River also has the Yellow River Water Lord, who controls the sovereign of the rivers.

This Yellow River God, also known as the Yellow River God King, was the one who defeated the One-Horned Rhinoceros King during the Journey to the West, who was rendered powerless by the Vajra Bracelet. The Monkey King sought help from several divine beings, one of whom was the Water Deity. The Water Deity sent the Yellow River God King, who carried a white jade bowl. Half of the bowl represented half of the Yellow River, and a full bowl represented the entire Yellow River.

It is said that the Red-Bearded Dragon, one of the nine sons of the Jing River Dragon King, served under the Yellow River Water God and was granted the title of Lingyuan Duke.

As Lü Shang pondered these tales of immortals and deities, he unknowingly approached the shore.

Although the raft rocked violently along the way, like a leaf floating in boiling water, with turbid waves crashing against the bottom of the leather raft and constantly making muffled thunderous noises, we crossed Jincheng Ferry smoothly without any serious danger. There were no divine interventions or demonic disturbances along the way.

After reaching the shore, Lü Shang led the way on the cowhide raft, and the governor's entourage followed suit.

After stepping onto the riverbank, Lü Shang reached out and took a bag of gold coins from his waist, tossing it to the lead boatman and saying, "The crossing of the river went smoothly today. Thank you all for your hard work."

The boatman hurriedly caught the gold ingot, felt its weight in his palm, knelt on one knee, and said, "Thank you, thank you for your generous reward!"

Seeing this, the other boatmen also threw down their oars and kowtowed. Lü Shang raised his hand and said, "No need for formalities. Making a living on the river is not easy. Please accept this small token of our appreciation."

After saying that, he turned to Fang Zian and said, "Organize the troops and continue north along the official road by the river."

"promise!"

Fang Zian shook the reins, and his horse raised its head and neighed.

The boatman behind him was still shouting, "Please take care, sir! May the River God protect you and grant you a safe journey!"

(End of this chapter)