Everyone stood on the deck of the boat and looked into the distance.
But when I saw the intersection of the Huitong River and Wei River, the setting sun dyed the river surface golden red.
Along both sides of the river, there are watchtowers and checkpoints.
Black-robed clerks, sallow-faced trackers, merchants, porters...
People of all kinds were passing back and forth, and the noise was even drowned out by the rushing water.
Entering the river mouth, it is completely cut off by a tall wooden gate.
Dozens of watercraft and passenger boats crowded in front of the gate, waiting anxiously.
"I'm going over the dam--!"
As the old gate official rang the gong, the cannon workers quickly raised the springboard.
"Hehehehehe~"
The shirtless trackers on the shore shouted slogans and pulled the cables, sweat rolling down their bronzed backs.
As the winch rotates, the huge wooden gate slowly rises.
The ship, which had been waiting for a long time, immediately entered it.
After more than a dozen ships passed, the wooden lock was slowly lowered again, and the ships behind continued to wait.
This is the "dam overturn" at the canal pass.
The scene and scale are no less than any pier.
Li Yan and others were not surprised after seeing it.
This Linqing City is not simple. It is the leading commercial and trade hub in the north of the Great Xuan Dynasty. It is the first of the eight major bank checkpoints in the canal. It has jurisdiction over 400 miles of waterway ports. Its tax collection is far more than ten times the total commercial tax of the entire Luzhou, ranking first in the country.
Not to mention Jinan Prefecture, even Suzhou and Hangzhou Erzhou has to step aside.
"Prosperity overwhelms the two capitals" is not a lie.
Not only is this place home to a large number of soldiers, but it is also a gathering place for business gangs from various states.
"Young Hero Li."
A Cao Gang clerk bowed his hands respectfully and said, "It's getting dark now, and this Linqing Customs won't be able to pass for a while. Or you can go ashore later and stay in the Linqing City for one night. When we pass the customs tomorrow, you can board the ship again."
Li Yan frowned slightly, "Is it troublesome to go through the banknote checkpoint?"
"Alas~"
The Cao Gang guy sighed and said, "This is the imperial court's money bag, and there are a lot of troubles. Anyway, there are a lot of people running around, just leave it to us to deal with it, don't dirty your ears."
Li Yan thought for a moment, "That's fine."
His original plan was not to stop here.
Before arriving in Tianjin, I would only make one trip to Cangzhou on the way to visit the Wu family.
But the matter has come to this, there is no harm in waiting one more night.
As he was talking, the boat was gradually approaching the gate.
As the trackers stirred the turntable, the gate rose and the canal boat entered.
Li Yan looked around, and a familiar feeling came to his heart.
He had seen this kind of structure when he passed some dams by boat in his previous life, but he didn't expect it to be used so early.
If you guessed correctly, there will be a gate in the river section ahead, which will change the height of the river and make the water flow gentle.
The difference is that there are defenders and watchtowers on both sides of the river bank, armed with crossbows and muskets, watching eagerly. There are also small boats on the river, which are tax collectors responsible for inspecting goods and collecting taxes.
Li Yan remained calm and glanced at the left side of the river bank.
I saw wooden poles standing on the shore, with several corpses hanging on them, with bamboo sticks tied around their necks.
"Those are private ships that evade taxes..."
Seeing his gaze, Cao Gang guy quickly explained in a low voice.
At this moment, a tax ship also slowly approached.
It was already sunset and the light was dim. The old tax collector jumped onto the deck carrying a lantern with the word "sky" in his hand. His clothes were shabby and shabby, and he still smelled of rancid wine. He was arrogant and looked around, "What are you still doing? Check it out!"
After giving the order, the two petty officials behind him immediately rushed into the cabin.
They were as menacing as wolves and tigers, and they rushed into the cabin and turned around.
The disciple Cao Gang next to him saw it and quickly handed over a "stamp" stamped with the red seal of the banknote.
The old tax collector glanced at it lightly, dipped his fingertips in saliva, and scrutinized each page.
"Ouch!"
Just then, a scream sounded.
But when I saw the clerk who had just rushed in, he flew out of the cabin and rolled twice on the deck.
Lu San walked out of the darkness of the cabin with a cold face, "If you move any more, your dog's paws will be chopped off!"
However, these two clerks saw that the luggage of Li Yan and others were all made of high-quality sandalwood boxes and covered with waterproof leather, so they became greedy and wanted to pry open and steal something, but Lu San beat them out.
"You..."
The old tax collector's complexion changed and he was about to have a fit.
He didn't panic when he saw several people taking action.
This Grand Canal connects the north and the south, with dragons and snakes mixed together. He has seen all Three Religions and Nine Schools characters.
But there are heavy troops stationed in Linqing. No matter what kind of green forest hero, when you come here, you have to be a dragon and a tiger. If you dare to resist the tax, you can be killed directly according to the imperial order!
However, before he could open his mouth to shout, Long Yan'er next to him stretched out his sleeves and waved.
The three tax collectors immediately froze and their eyes became dull.
"I searched it, nothing happened before..."
Long Yan'er's red lips opened slightly, and then he waved back Gu worms.
The three tax collectors gradually regained consciousness.
"Have you searched it?"
"After searching, it's just some food..."
"Hmm."
The old tax collector nodded, feeling something was wrong, but he couldn't think of anything, so he suddenly squinted and pointed to the cargo hold. "There are two baskets of Zhangzhou oranges in there, but they are not recorded on the tax roll!"
Cao Gang's ship only has food, not Zhangzhou oranges at all.
However, disciple Cao Gang smiled and stuffed the broken silver, "Yes, I will make up for it later."
The old tax collector stuffed the money into his sleeves, swept the lantern over the stern of the boat, then waved his hand and said:
"Okay, next one!"
After that, he jumped into the boat with two of his men and left.
"Good guy..."
Sha LiFei was happy, "We have traveled around the world and passed quite a few levels. This is the first time we have seen such a blatant thing. It is indeed the first level in the world where a goose has to pluck its feathers!"
"Everyone calm down."
Disciple Cao Gang smiled bitterly and said, "The person who manages the Linqing City tax supervisor is Eunuch Ma from the capital. He has been with the emperor since he was a child. He is very powerful. Even the garrison is controlled by him. We really can't afford to offend him."
"It turned out to be a eunuch from the capital..."
Li Yan shook his head slightly, "Does this count as passing the test?"
"It's not that simple."
Disciple Cao Gang sighed, "Linqing Customs is the top of the world, a place where money and food are concentrated. Everyone from top to bottom wants to get involved. All the procedures are one after another. Even if we Cao Gang do it regularly, it will still take a whole day."
"I have made arrangements for you to go to the city and rest for one night. You will be able to leave until tomorrow afternoon."
"That's fine."
Li Yan nodded and said nothing more.
It's easy for them to leave, and it doesn't matter if they offend the people here, but they will inevitably cause trouble to Cao Gang.
After getting the red seal, the canal boat was able to dock.
Needless to say, Linqing City is prosperous. The story in "Jin Ping Mei" took place here. Nearly half of the various folk tales circulating in the market today are related to this place, which shows its status in the hearts of the Great Xuan Dynasty people.
When he arrived at Zhujing Town, Songjiang Prefecture, he wrote a poem to describe Zhujing Town:
"Thousands of families are like fireworks in the capital, and the Yuan Dynasty once had a large amount of money. The merchants are full of traffic, and it is still known as Xiao Linqing."
Zhujing Town, Songjiang Prefecture is Shanghai in the previous life, now it is called "Little Linqing".
Even at night, the hustle and bustle is always there.
Especially Li Yan, Smelling Mystical Power and Ear Mystical Power, all the details could not be hidden from his investigation.
At the entrance of the river bank alley, the Jiangnan moso bamboo piled up in a hill was being carried into the shop by porters. The bamboo tips swept over the signs of "Suzhou and Hangzhou Silk" and "Songjiang Cotton Cloth", raising a cloud of fine dust and the shouts of Nanyin...
The team of mules and horses of Shanxi merchants at the end of the alley kicked across the bluestone slabs, but several men inside spoke with Northern Xinjiang accents. The smell of soil and old wild ginseng could still be faintly smelled from the bamboo baskets behind them. They should be Mountain Guiding People who cooperated with Shanxi merchants...
On the west bank, seventy-two official kilns have started cooking dinner, and the black smoke emitting from the kiln entrances is entangled with the sunset.
The sweaty kiln workers were carrying bricks, and the stamp "Jinglong Year 13 Kiln Zhang" on the bricks was still clearly legible...
Those are Linqing tribute bricks. Because they use the "lotus soil" of the Yellow River and nearly twenty processes, they "make a sound when struck and break without holes."
There are also exquisitely painted boats that clearly come from the south of the Yangtze River. Not only are the sounds of silk and bamboo music coming from inside, but there are also women's chuckles, green little hands, throwing the broken peanut skins into the water...
There was the sound of guessing games from the tavern on the pier. The day laborers who had finished carrying the bags squatted under the eaves, eating flatbreads, drinking coarse wine, and burning knives. Someone drunkenly cursed, "Eunuch Ma's claws are longer than the canal!" Others covered his mouth and glanced at the tax collector's lantern...
Looking around, Li Yan unexpectedly thought of <Qingming Shanghe Tu>.
"It's really lively here, even Chang'an can't compare to it!"
Even Sha LiFei sighed.
When night fell completely, the Chen family's watercraft finally docked at the South Gate Pier.
Li Yan and others stepped ashore on the gangplank, only to see that the city gate in the distance had not yet been closed, revealing the lights of the city.
Because they were afraid that the petty officials would have other ideas, they moved out their luggage, large and small, called an ox cart, and headed towards the city under the leadership of disciple Cao Gang.
Linqing is bustling, especially at night.
Along both sides of the street, all the shops were open, the lights were brightly lit, and the streets were still full of people.
The accompanying Cao Gang disciple chuckled and said, "It's a coincidence that you heroes are here. On this Linqing City night, there are many places to play. There are three whole Hualiu Lanes. There are Yangzhou Shou Ma, Mizhi's mother-in-law, and even Rakshasa Country's mother-in-law. If you want to listen to music, you can find it with the troupes traveling from north to south..."
"Just listen to the music and forget it."
Li Yan shook his head slightly, "What special food does this place have?"
"That's a lot!"
This Cao Gang disciple is obviously a foodie, and he said without hesitation, "This Lincheng is a prosperous place, and those merchant gangs are very rich, and they pay attention to food without getting tired of fine food, and they don't get tired of fine food. They have everything from Bingpai Chinese Herring and Shixiang noodles from the south to mutton pots from the north. If you are willing to spend money, 'Vegetable General' can also cook it himself..."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
"Oh?"
Li Yan was also interested, but when he was about to ask, he was interrupted by the noise in front of him.
But in the middle of the street in the distance, I saw a group of Jianghu people standing on each side, holding swords and glaring angrily.
The leader on the left is a lean man wearing a gray cloth. He raised his fists and made a "Elephant Trunk Fist" left hand button on the waist. His right arm has long sleeves hanging like flowing clouds. His feet left traces on the ground. It was obvious that he had used Hidden Strength.
Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, "Sun Bin punch?"
Sun Bin Boxing is said to have been passed down by Sun Bin, a military strategist of the Warring States Period. There is no clear record. Because practitioners mostly wear long-sleeved clothes, it is also called "Long Sleeve Boxing". It is said to have three hundred and sixty hands connected, chicken legs, dragon waist and monkey nature. The boxing shape is mostly "Elephant Trunk Fist", which is more popular in the Luzhou area.
This boxing frame and long sleeves are really obvious.
"Young Hero Li Good eyesight!"
The accompanying disciple Cao Gang flattered him, then looked ahead and introduced in a low voice, "That person is Yuan Heng, the second disciple of the Yang Family Martial Arts School. He is usually very brave and fierce. He often hangs out in the wells of Linqing City. He is a stupid young man."
"The guy opposite is not someone to be trifled with either. His name is Tian Fan. He learns to play leg kicks. The two gangs are both Martial World, but they don't do Martial World's business. Instead, they entangle the city's foxes and rats. They fight for territory in the city and often fight fiercely."
Sha LiFei Yile, "They don't care about their master?"
Martial World has Martial World's rules, which foods should be eaten and which foods should not be eaten. You cannot break the rules.
If such a thing were to appear in the family, the master would be disgraced.
"Alas~"
Cao Gang disciple shook his head and whispered, "These two people are incompetent, but behind them there are dog officials in the yamen who specialize in helping to do shameful things, and others are too lazy to mess with them."
While talking, the bearded man Tian Fan opposite him had his legs slightly bent like the roots of an old tree, and the corners of his robe were tucked into his belt. He was exactly the same as Tan Tui in Linqing. He sneered, "The surname is Yuan, I don't even look at your virtue. You are like a monkey. If you enter Lady Zhao's boudoir, you won't be afraid of scaring others!"
"Fart!"
Sun Bin punch Yuan Heng yelled angrily and started to attack directly.
He staggered left and right, and arrived in front of Tian Fan in a few steps. With a flick of his wrist, his long sleeves swung towards the other side's door, and there was clearly a copper awl hidden in the sleeves, heading straight for the Jingming point.
"Hey!"
The big man with a beard Tian Fan gave a low shout, twisted his waist and kicked to the side, and his big feet roared towards him with the sound of wind.
It is Tan Tui "Iron Broom Sweeping Dust".
Feeling Martial Power, Yuan Heng's expression changed slightly on those legs, and they quickly stepped back.
But Tian Fan, the big man with the beard, was unyielding when he gained the upper hand. With a Rubbing Kick, he went straight towards his Underworld Journeys.
Both of them acted in a sinister and vicious manner.
"Stop!"
A sense of lightness came from upstairs on the street.
But I saw a white figure jumping down from the window.
It was a scholar dressed in white, with a slightly green complexion, and holding an oil-paper umbrella in his hand.
This man was even more skilled. He stabbed the oil-paper umbrella diagonally inward, and lightly knocked Yuan Heng's Quchi point with the umbrella rib, forcing him to retreat. Then he turned his backhand, and Tian Fan's legs, as if they were kicked into a pile of cotton, were removed by the umbrella surface like a whirlpool.
"The Master said: A gentleman has nothing to fight for, so he will shoot!"
The scholar in white robe stood up with his umbrella closed, the tip of the umbrella pointed on the bluestone between the two of them.
Click!
The bluestone slab cracked with spider web patterns, causing Yuan and Tian to take three steps back in shock.
The scholar smiled lightly and said, "Martial Uncle Yang just wrote an article in <Martial World Gazette> last month, saying that Martial World competed for land like a gangster in the market. Today, it opened Ming's eyes."
Kong Shangzhao behind him quickly lowered his head.
But the scholar's sharp eyes had already seen it, and he laughed dumbly, "Martial Brother Kong, you haven't gone to the martial arts gym for many days to practice, why didn't you say hello when you saw me."
Kong Shangzhao had no choice but to step forward and cup his hands and said, "I have met senior brother."
"Don't be afraid."
The scholar laughed dumbly, with a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes, "I don't care about your Monk Shangqing matter, but you know his temper, you can't hide it..."
Li Yan pressed Kong Shangzhao's shoulders and pulled him behind him.
But just as he was about to speak, he suddenly looked upstairs.
But I saw a woman lying on the window, wearing light yellow clothes, with bright eyes and white teeth, her cheeks held in her palms, her eyes full of smiles, "Young Master Li, long time no see."
But it is Chang'an City Courtesan Zhao WanFang...