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In Banqiao Town, Mizhou, the lights are brightly lit, and the soldiers, civilians and merchants in the town are celebrating the arrival of the New Year.The streets are full of people coming and going, laughing and laughing, and people are immersed in the joy of the festival.
By the wharf of Banqiao Town, the waves of Jiaozhou Bay beat against the coast one after another, and hundreds of boats moored on the water also fluctuated with the waves.
Outside the pier, there are naval ships of the Song Dynasty patrolling back and forth in Jiaozhou Bay, guarding against pirates attacking the largest port in the north of the Song Dynasty.
Outside Jiaozhou Bay, Wang Yuan, a pirate leader nicknamed "Crocodile Jiao", led thousands of men to run amok on the sea, robbing and killing many passing merchant ships over the years.
In the past two months, the sea has become more uneven, and the "crocodile whale" Wang Yuan seems to have strengthened his strength, and his robbery at sea has become more frantic.
Even the pirates who rarely landed in the past to plunder now frequently attack the towns and fishing villages along the coast of Laizhou and Mizhou, and robbed a lot of money, food and materials.
Perhaps, as the new year is approaching, these pirates also want to have a good year!
The navy of the imperial court was weak and did not dare to go to sea to chase and suppress pirates.The officials of the Banqiao Shipping Department could only order the navy officers and soldiers to guard the Banqiao Port wharf in Jiaozhou Bay to prevent pirates from coming directly to the port.
On several warships of the Mizhou Navy, the soldiers could not go ashore for the festival, and they all gathered on the deck, swearing and drinking, cursing the pirate leader "Crocodile Whale" Wang Yuan.
As the night darkened, the officers and soldiers of the navy in Jiaozhou Bay also became a little slack.Suddenly, a soldier on the lookout shouted: "There is fire ahead! Be careful, maybe pirates are coming!"
Hearing this, several sailors dropped the wine bowls in their hands, walked to the bow of the ship, and looked in the direction of the watchman's finger.
Sure enough, a raging flame suddenly rose from the originally pitch-black sea.
"Straight mother thief, it must be that damned pirate who robbed the ship and killed people in front, then set fire to the merchant ship." An old soldier scolded.
"Let's rush over now, the pirates may have disappeared long ago!" Another soldier sighed.
"Maybe we can save people in time?" Some soldiers were eager to try.
"Where will there be any survivors in the hands of the pirates!"
"You don't know that five days ago, a passing merchant ship rescued two people who escaped after being attacked by pirates. These days, the pirates also occasionally miss."
……
Several sailors were chattering wildly when a military order came from behind them, ordering them to advance at full speed to search for pirates and merchants who fell into the sea at the burning ship.
After the soldiers got the order, they immediately cheered up and performed their duties, and steered the warship to the place ahead of the fire.
The fire on the sea not only alarmed the sailors patrolling Jiaozhou Bay, but was also discovered by people on the wharf of Banqiao Town.
People in Banqiao Town who got the news came to the pier and watched the burning fire in the distance.
Officials from the Shipping Department of Banqiao City also rushed over after hearing the news, and looked at the busy navy ships in the distance with ashen faces.
That pirate was so bold that he actually rushed to the main waterway outside Jiaozhou Bay to rob and kill people. This was humiliating the court officials and soldiers in front of the sea merchants from all over the world!
If things go on like this, the court's prestige will be swept away, and the business at the port of Banqiao Town will also be greatly affected.The maritime merchants stopped coming, but where did the Shibo department collect the money?If you don't collect enough tax money for the government, the future of everyone here is worrying!
That pirate was really abominable, and made the officials of Banqiao Town feel like they were "deprived of life".
In the eyes of the officials and people in Banqiao Town, the officers and soldiers of the Mizhou Navy were busy in the middle of the night, but they failed to hunt down a pirate at sea.However, they did rescue a few merchant sailors who jumped into the sea to escape from the sea.
After taking the rescued sailors back to the Yamen for questioning, the officials released the sailors from the Yamen.
There are a lot of ships in this wharf, and the sailors who know how to sail will not worry about finding new owners to take them in, so naturally there is no need for the government to provide them with relief.
Sure enough, these sailors had just walked out of the Yamen, and they were taken away by two young men who were waiting outside.
Two young men led the sailors into a hotel to rest.When they left the next day, they had already changed into new outfits and got rewards in their hands, and they went shopping in good spirits.
The fire at sea last night did not seem to have affected various livelihoods on the docks.In Banqiao Town, people who are used to seeing life and death at sea just have one more thing to talk about after dinner.
……
More than ten days later, brother Qiao Yun rushed back to Ximen Fort in Yanggu County, and reported the news he found to Ximen Qing.
Brother Qiao Yun told Ximen Qing that the whereabouts of Song Jiang and other thieves were finally found.
After Song Jiang, Chai Jin and others snatched a boat out of Chuzhou on Huainan East Road, they went north to Jingdong East Road as Ximen Qing expected.
However, the [-] remnant troops led by Song Jiang did not land in Mizhou, Laizhou and other places, but went straight to vote for the pirate leader of Sea Snake Island, the notorious "crocodile whale" Wang Yuan in the East China Sea.
Brother Qiao Yun has already found out that the "big crocodile whale" Wang Yuan was also a desperado before he became a pirate. After murdering people, he went to join "Little Whirlwind" Chai Jin in Henghai County, Cangzhou, Hebei.
It was Chai Jin who protected Wang Yuan from being hunted by the government, and gave the guy some capital, so that Wang Yuan was able to go to Mizhou to recruit thieves into the sea to become pirates.
In short, the sea snake island pirate "Crocodile Whale" Wang Yuan is just like the "White Man" Wang Lun on the Liangshan Lake back then. It was Chai Jin, a restless descendant of the former royal family, who invested in the rivers and lakes.
Because "Little Whirlwind" Chai Jin had an old kindness to "Big Crocodile Whale" Wang Yuan, so when they were defeated in Huaiyang Army, they snatched a ship in Chuzhou and went to sea directly to join the pirates on Sea Snake Island.
"Crocodile Whale" Wang Yuan is obviously a ungrateful person, he accepted Chai Jin and his party.
Now the Liangshanbo bandit leaders Song Jiang, Chai Jin, Li Jun, Xiang Chong, Li Yan, and Du Qian are all on Haisnake Island. The Liangshan bandit army and the pirates join forces, with more than 2000 people, plundering at sea.
Ximen Qing listened to Brother Qiao Yun's report, and asked him how he got the information so quickly.
Brother Qiao Yun told Ximen Qing that it was Du Qian who "felt the sky" deliberately leaked the news, which made him quickly confirm that Song Jiang and others were on Haisnake Island.
It turned out that after "touching the sky" Du Qian followed Song Jiang, Chai Jin and others to the island, he knew in his heart that the officials of Ximen Qing must be sending people to investigate the whereabouts of Song Jiang's army, so he came up with a clever plan to inform.
Du Qian took the initiative to volunteer and took part in the pirates' robbery at sea and in fishing villages with his men.
Every time he robbed, Du Qian would deliberately omit to keep alive, and would inadvertently tell his nicknames, as well as the names of Song Jiang and others, beside them who were feigning death.
After doing this several times, Brother Qiao Yun's subordinates quickly got the news from these survivors that Song Jiang and others had gone to Sea Snake Island, and reported to Brother Qiao Yun one by one.
Brother Qiao Yun followed this clue and found out about Wang Yuan's defection to Chai Jin. After personally questioning the survivors at sea, he confirmed that the information was correct.
After hearing this, Ximen Qing couldn't help clapping his hands and admiringly. That "touching the sky" Du Qian is worthy of being the veteran of Liangshanbo. Although his martial arts are not very strong, he also has his own strategy.
Chapter 672 Preparing for a Naval Battle
"Brother Yun, you have worked hard this time, go home and reunite with Yujiaozhi! Your father-in-law also returned to Yanggu from Bianliang City in Tokyo a few days ago. My old friend and your father were chatting happily. Now that you come back, the whole family will be reunited." Ximen Qing said to Brother Qiao Yun.
Just a few days ago, painter Wang Yi brought his old friend Zhang Zeduan back to Yanggu County from Bianliang City, Tokyo.
Ximenqing met Zhang Zeduan, and bought him a yard in the county seat to live next to Wang Yi, so that they could communicate better.
It's a pity that Zhang Zeduan's Qingming Riverside Picture has been completed and dedicated to the Taoist Emperor, so Ximen Qing temporarily lost the opportunity to write an inscription on the painting.
Ximenqing asked Wang Yi to teach Zhang Zeduan how to draw a map, and that Zhang Zeduan quickly grasped the secrets.
Ximenqing planned to send Wang Yi and Zhang Zeduan to Hebei after the Shangyuan Festival, and ask them to lead people to draw a more detailed map of Hebei Road first.
After completing the map of Hebei Road in the future, let them draw the map of Hebei Road.Because these two places will be the main battlefields of the Song Army and the Jin Army in the future.Ximenqing needs to rely on maps and intelligence to better grasp the situation in Hedong and Hebei.
Brother Qiao Yun saw that Ximen Qing asked him to go home for a reunion, and asked another question: "I don't know when I will send troops to attack Sea Snake Island, so the villain can make plans in advance."