Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 102 Jiangdu
The "Shanyang Canal," which Emperor Yang Guang ordered to be dredged, truly lived up to its reputation.

The river was forty paces wide and three zhang deep, and boats could travel on it as if walking on a smooth mirror. Moreover, imperial roads were built along the canal, and willows were planted along the way.

The cost was the mobilization of over 100,000 civilians from Huainan.
As the boat traveled along the waterway, Zhou Yi saw numerous cargo ships. These cargo ships, carrying grain and supplies from the Jianghuai region, were transported to Luoyang and Guanzhong, forming an economic and military lifeline.

The next day, after passing Bozhi Lake, the water surface suddenly opened up, and the vast expanse of Gaoyou Lake came into view.

"Brother Zhou, it will be difficult for our boat to sail any further."

A burly man with a rugged face clasped his hands in greeting to Zhou Yi.

When he said it was "difficult to travel," he wasn't referring to the waterway being blocked, but rather that their identities were inappropriate.

Wang Xiongdan was not only Du Fuwei's adopted son, but also his most capable general.

He possessed exceptional martial arts skills and was also known for his loyalty and bravery.

"Thank you for seeing me off all the way, Brother Wang."

Wang Xiongdan smiled憨厚ly: "This is the first time my father has asked me to send someone away. Brother Zhou Yi, you should be careful when you go to Jiangdu. The Yuwen Clan's people went there a few days ago."

"They had a close relationship with Yuchi Sheng, the governor of Yangzhou."

"Further ahead is the Yangzi Ferry, where the Yangzhou navy is conducting inspections. They are all Yuchi Sheng's men. Brother, don't mention that you have any dealings with our Jianghuai army, or that would be a huge problem."

Zhou Yi thanked him again.

Wang Xiongdan waved his hand repeatedly, and after the two sides said goodbye, he led his men back to port.

Zhou Yi went ashore to rest, looking back in the direction where the Jianghuai Army had disappeared.

This acquaintance with Du Fuwei was quite unexpected.

Currently, this underworld tycoon has not yet been betrayed by Li Zitong's coup. He looks very old-fashioned, but in reality, he is quite sunny.
Zhou Yi secretly cursed.

Such a assessment of a gangster is clearly inappropriate.

However, judging from our brief interaction, he was quite kind to me.

Jianghuai Army. Jianghuai Army.
Thinking about Du Fuwei's words, he headed towards the next ferry crossing. There were food stalls set up with wooden sheds along the shore; perhaps because it was near Jiangdu, these stalls looked neat and clean.

Many people from the martial arts world ate here, and there were also various daily necessities available for passengers to buy on the shore.

The number of cargo ships passing through this waterway each year is countless, making the wharves along the river exceptionally prosperous.

With the addition of those wandering martial arts practitioners from the north and south, it became even more lively.

Zhou Yi sat down to eat. The locals spoke with a Jiangnan accent, and the cook and the waiter talked very quickly, which Zhou Yi could not understand.

so.
We need to find out about things in Jiangdu from some江湖人 (jianghu people).

What he cared about most was naturally Shilong.

At this time, Shi Long should be undisturbed and immersed in the study of the "Longevity Manual".

It took Yuwen Huaji a great deal of effort to find out that the "Longevity Manual" was in Shi Long's possession.

To everyone's surprise, Du Fuwei also found out about it.

What reassured Zhou Yi somewhat was that at this ferry crossing near Yangzijiang, the martial arts figures didn't talk much about "Stone Dragon" or "Longevity Secret".

What they were more concerned about were the thirty-six rebel kings and the seventy-two bands of chaos that had engulfed the Sui Dynasty.

Major events in the world involve various powerful factions in the martial arts world.

The martial arts practitioners talked about it with great interest.

Here, you won't hear them discussing Yang Dalongtou, Du Fuwei, Shen Faxing, Li Zitong, or Ren Shaoming of the Iron Cavalry Society; these are the names they mention most often.

To Zhou Yi's surprise, someone actually mentioned "Taiping Hongbao".

He glanced at the man drinking.

Perhaps he came from the Central Plains.

This did not diminish Zhou Yi's sense of pride in being "famous throughout the world."

Of course, such a great reputation is thanks to the Mi Gong team.

Not hearing any useful news isn't necessarily a bad thing.

At the end of the Wei hour (1-3 PM), passengers can take a passenger boat directly down to the Yangtze River Ferry. This is the last checkpoint for the Han Canal to enter the Yangtze River. The stone-built wharf stretches for about a mile and is full of black-hulled boats coming from the south of the Yangtze River.

In the center of the dock stands the "Jin Pavilion," with its flying eaves and brackets. Below it sits a general, leisurely drinking tea.

The naval forces under the command of the Yangzhou governor are patrolling the river.

Armed soldiers jumped onto the passenger ship where Zhou Yi was. After surveying the area, they did not see any familiar rebel faces and did not cause any trouble.

As for the so-called Taiping rebels, they hadn't even caught the eye of Commander-in-Chief Yuchi of Jiangdu, so the soldiers below naturally wouldn't recognize Zhou Yi.

Several large, five-toothed warships sailed by on the river, and the general who was resting in the pavilion couldn't help but stand up.

This ship was personally supervised by Yang Su, a founding minister of the Sui Dynasty. Each ship could accommodate eight hundred people and was flying the banner of the Yuwen Clan at this time.

It's no secret that the Yangzhou governor had a close relationship with the Yuwen clan.

As Zhou Yi watched the large ship sail by, he became increasingly cautious.

I wonder which member of the Yuwen family he is.

The palaces on both sides of the strait are quite luxurious.

When I saw the outer city wall of Jiangdu, the only word to describe it was "looking up in awe".

The city wall of Chang'an, which is thirty feet high, ranks only third in the world.

Only in Luoyang and Jiangdu, with its outer walls nearly forty feet high, can one truly call them majestic and imposing.

If there were soldiers guarding the city wall, even Ning Sanren would not dare to face this magnificent wall directly.

The emperor could indeed rest easy living in such a place.

Standing before the bustling city of Jiangdu, Zhou Yi felt he was truly just a "farmer from Nanyang." Following the flow of people into the city, he didn't linger in the noisy streets, but instead went to find the intelligence department first.

The Giant Kun Gang is located in the south of the city, which is not a prosperous area.

Zhou Yi went to great lengths to find it.

However, the door was tightly closed.

I knocked on the door, but there was no response for a long time.

So they asked the old man next door who sold flatbreads, and he replied in a Wu dialect:
“Zhang’s umbrella shop closed three days ago. It was drizzling that day. I saw the owner of Zhang’s shop go out with an umbrella and never came back.”

Zhou Yi had a bad feeling.

He bought two pancakes from the old man, and as the city lights began to twinkle, he first found a Tongfu Inn to stay at.

Because some questions are rather obscure, I didn't dare to casually ask around when I arrived in this unfamiliar place.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Zhou Yi followed the south side of the city and found the South Gate Restaurant.

Through the rising steam from the steamer, I could see the sign for Lao Feng's Vegetable and Meat Buns.

In front of the shop, a beautiful woman was busy at work.

She solicited business outside, while the shop owner, Lao Feng, would bring a plate of steamed buns from the kitchen and hand them to her to sell.

His family's steamed buns are indeed famous; customers outside are scrambling to pay for them.

Zhou Yi's gaze shifted, and he saw it clearly.
On the outskirts of the crowd stood two down-on-their-luck teenagers. One was thin and handsome, only slightly shorter than an adult, and had a pleasing appearance.

On the other hand, he has large ears, is slightly shorter, and has a more masculine air, with a clever glint in his eyes.

The two men's eyes swept across the crowd, then they moved closer and called out:

"Sister Zhen, six meat and vegetable buns, please."

The busy woman glanced at them with a hint of helplessness, then glanced at Old Feng inside.

She felt sorry for the two down-on-their-luck boys and planned to get them two steamed buns to tide them over when she had a chance.

but
His gaze was drawn to another figure in white.

Give me twenty meat and vegetable buns.

This arrogant voice immediately drew the attention of the two boys.

Seeing that the man in white immediately took out money and settled the account, they saw that the man in white had taken out money and settled the account.

The five-zhu coins jingled melodiously.

The two men stared at the man in white as if they were eyeing a fat sheep.

But seeing the sword hanging at his waist, he quickly shrank back, not to avoid Zhou Yi, but because Old Feng had come out of the kitchen again.

They hid behind the crowd so that Lao Feng wouldn't see them.

In their eyes, Old Feng was more terrifying than any swordsman.

Twenty buns were quite a lot; they were wrapped in paper and stacked high in my hand.

Zhou Yi walked past the two boys, whose eyes followed Baozi's movements.

Suddenly a voice rang in my ears:
"Hey you two little devils, come here and eat some buns."

The two were stunned for a moment.

"Xiao Ling, Xiao Ling, am I hallucinating?"

"Hurry up, they're calling us."

He saw the man in white waving at them.

The two felt a little guilty. They had just treated this man like a lamb, trying to steal some money from him, but they didn't expect him to be so kind.

In Yangzhou, there are few kind-hearted people like Sister Zhen.

However, the thought of being able to eat my fill is wonderful.

Putting aside his guilt for the moment, he ran after them, taking two steps at a time.

The two of them were no better off than the little beggar in Yangzhou, but they didn't feel ashamed of anything.

They saw the man in white sit down at another restaurant, order three servings of wontons, and invite the two of them to sit down.

Zhou Yi didn't say anything, but put down the steamed buns and offered them to eat.

Hungry, the two boys grabbed some steamed buns and started eating.

He ate five or six in a row before slowing down.

The man in front of them, with his distinguished bearing, didn't eat the steamed buns; he just stared at them.

The two exchanged a glance and put down the buns they were holding.

Zhou Yi held out one hand: "Eat first, then we can talk."

Soon, the wontons were served again.

The two were relieved to see that the man in white was also eating wontons.

They almost wondered if this was the last full meal of their lives.

The two ate steamed buns and wontons, and looking at the person in front of them, they were suddenly moved.

From birth until now, he has wandered through turbulent times and lived under the oppression of Boss Yan.
This was the most filling meal I've ever had in my life.
……

(End of this chapter)