The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

The waterway in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River is much safer than the Three Gorges of Yiling that Heifu had been to. With the guidance of an old boatman who is familiar with the waterway, it is not a problem to sail at night. So at nightfall on the second day after leaving Echeng, hundreds of warships with hard sails had arrived at Jiujiang, more than 300 miles away.

The so-called Jiujiang is where the Yangtze River flows. Because of its low terrain, the water flow spreads out, forming several branching water systems, so the ancient Chinese word "九" is taken to represent a large number, and it is called Jiujiang. "Yu Gong" records that "Jiujiang is Kong Yin, and the east is Pengli." After passing this branching water system, you can reach Pengli (lí) Lake.

The fleet did not continue to move, but anchored in the calm waters where Jiujiang and Pengli Lake meet.

Heifu, the "Sima of the Separate Department", had 3,000 men under his command, who were divided into six ships. They were all from Nanjun and lived near the Yangtze and Han Rivers. Most of them knew how to swim, so they did not get seasick or vomit. After the fleet stopped, the soldiers ate their dry food and drank fish soup, while Heifu was invited by Tu Sui to have a meal on his flagship.

The meals on the fleet were mostly rice, fish and soup, but Heifu heard that Tu Sui was always fond of food and would bring a kitchen with him when he went on an expedition. The food on his ship today must be extraordinary.

When Heifu climbed onto the deck in a small boat, he saw a young military officer with a topknot raised his axe high and chopped a three-meter-long crocodile. For a moment, blood and flesh splattered all over the ground!

It turned out that they were dismembering two crocodiles with knives and axes under the command of Tu Sui's chef...

Crocodiles were called "tuó" these days, which is a very vivid word. Not to mention the Yangtze River, there are many of them even in the Han River in Nanjun, which often bring disaster to the people along the river. "Monthly Orders" has the words "in the seventh month of the last autumn, kill the dragon and take the crocodile".

Hei Fu remembered that at noon, on the river bank, there were several crocodiles that had not yet hibernated, lying on the river bank with their mouths wide open to bask in the sun. It seemed that some of them were hunted by the soldiers.

The crocodile drum made of crocodile skin is an important ritual vessel in sacrifices. However, the bearded Tu Sui is interested in the crocodile meat. He watched the crocodile being gutted with interest. Seeing Hei Fu coming, he invited him over and said with a smile:

"The soldiers are busy and killed several big crocodiles with crossbows. Although I am from Guanzhong, I heard that crocodile soup is delicious. I will ask the chef to make it for me to taste today!"

This is the amazing part. Tu Sui is from Tuchuan, Heyang, Guanzhong. It is said that his ancestor was a great minister of the Qin State. Logically speaking, this northern man could not have any relationship with the boat master.

When the two chatted, Tu Sui explained: "My home is near the Yellow River, so I have been proficient in water since I was a child. I participated in General Wang's attack on Zhao, building floating bridges, and transporting grain by water. Later, I incorporated Zhao's Zhang and He boat divisions. The king asked me to take charge of the southern boat division. I was a little uncomfortable when I first arrived, but I became familiar with it after a few years."

Not only Tu Sui, but also some boat division officers were brought by him from the north. In Heifu's opinion, perhaps Xianyang was worried that the boat division was entirely controlled by people from Nanjun.

The chef cut the best meat of the crocodile, put it in the pot with ginger and cinnamon, and cooked it slowly. The rest was given to the soldiers who hunted it. Led by the black and thin military officer with a topknot, they happily set up reed poles on the shore and roasted them whole. For a while, the meat smelled fragrant.

The crocodile meat had been cooked in the cauldron, and Heifu and Tu Sui sat opposite each other on the deck. To the west was the surging Yangtze River, to the east was the endless Pengli Lake, with withered reeds on the shore, and the setting sun reflected the red river water for half a day, which was also a beautiful scene.

"The day after tomorrow, I will say goodbye to Captain Tu."

Heifu toasted Tu Sui. The boat division just gave them a ride. Tu Sui's real mission was to take the fleet and carry hundreds of thousands of stones of grain from Nanjun to Huainan to supply Wang Jian and Meng Wu's army, which was almost out of food. After the soldiers were full, they would defeat the Chu boat division on the river and protect the Qin army's attack on Jiangdong.

This plan is modeled after the tactics used many years ago when Bai Qi attacked Yancheng by land, and Sima Cuo used his fleet to transport grain from Bashu to provide relief. The two armies then joined forces to capture Yingdu in one fell swoop. This strategy was carried out by both land and sea, thus solving the problem of food for the army.

Tu Sui had trained troops in Jiangling for a year, so he naturally knew the whole story. He smiled and said, "Thanks to the advice given by the other department Sima to the county governor, the counties of Nanjun renovated public toilets and used manure to fertilize the fields, which led to two consecutive years of bumper harvests in Nanjun. The grain transported from the counties to the Jiangling warehouse was enough for the fleet to transport several round trips, so that General Wang's army could have the autumn harvest. The other department Sima was therefore rewarded by the king and given the title of Wu Dafu. He really deserved it."

Public toilets were a permanent pain in Heifu's heart. He didn't want to mention it again, so he changed the subject and said, "I heard that since last year, the commander has sent people to sail on the Yangtze River several times, and he knows a lot about the hydrology and geography of Jiujiang and Pengli. I wonder if the commander has any advice for the subordinates who were ordered to capture Ganshui and Pengze?"

"Get a firm foothold first."

Tu Sui did not have a background like Li You, but he was able to become a county commander at the age of 40 and was given the title of Zuo Shuzhang. Naturally, he had his own strengths. He was a generous man, and he did not hide anything. He gave Heifu his own suggestions.

"The area Sima wanted to capture was also called Yuzhang in the Spring and Autumn Period. It encompassed the Yangtze River and the lake, and was on both sides of Wu and Chu. Although there were not many cities, it was an important place on the river. In the Spring and Autumn Period, when Wu and Chu attacked each other, there must be something going on here. Chu could be forced to enter Wu if it got Yuzhang, and Wu could enter Ying after five battles if it got Yuzhang."

"However, the Qin army had never set foot in this area before, so they only knew a few cities on the edge of Pengli Lake. It was also heard that the Gan River ran through its inland. Except for the feudal lords of Chu, most of them were Yue people. If Sima went deep into the Nanjun with 3,000 people, it would be really difficult for him to go deep into the roads, mountains, rivers, and settlements without knowing anything. I heard that the Chu people used the term "筚路蓝缕" to describe their early years. I think Sima was going to face something similar."

Hei Fu bowed and said, "That's what I thought, so I would like to ask the captain to transport us to Pengze Town in the east of Pengli Lake, and then set sail and beat drums by the lake to make it look like a large army is coming to attack, so that we can take advantage of the power of the enemy and capture this town as a foothold!"

Tu Sui knew all the towns along the river well, and could remember where Pengze Town was with his eyes closed. He stroked his beard and nodded and said, "Why not the closer Xun Town? You should know that Xun Town has surrendered to Qin, but Pengze is still in the hands of Chu Pengze Jun."

Hei Fu replied, "First, Pengze and Xun Town, one east and one west, control the two lake mouths of Pengli Lake, and both can be used as places for ships to anchor and rest. If I capture Pengze, I can ensure that there are only Qin ships in Pengli Lake, and no Chu ships, which can not only make my retreat safe, but also ensure that the captain can transport grain safely in the future."

"Secondly, although Xunyi has surrendered to Qin, it is located in the west of Pengli Lake, far from Fanyang, the largest Chu county in Yuzhang. If we take Fanyang, we can clear out the remnants of the Chu army in the territory. To go from Xunyi, we have to cross 300 miles of lakes and rivers. Our army is not familiar with the local hydrological roads and may get stuck in the swamp and find it difficult to get out. We can go south by land from Pengze. I heard that the east coast is drier, so there is no such concern..."

After Heifu finished speaking, Tu Sui clapped his hands and laughed: "I was wondering why Sima took the initiative to request to attack Yuzhang. It turns out that he has a plan in mind. I am willing to help Sima to capture Pengze and let Sima gain a foothold here!"

After the two drank a cup of wine, Heifu said again: "I have another unwelcome request."

"Sima, please speak."

"The Art of War says that an army without baggage will perish, without food, and without reserves will perish. If I only lead 3,000 infantrymen to advance deep into the enemy's territory, I'm afraid it will be difficult to accomplish anything. When the commander goes east, can you leave a few ships for me to transport food and fodder and report military information to Nanjun and Jiangdong?"

"Of course."

Tu Sui agreed very readily and called a personal guard to whisper a few words in his ear. The personal guard immediately ran to the crowd who had just dismembered the crocodile and were grilling the crocodile on the shore and shouted. The shipmen who were going to leave it for Hei Fu were probably among them...

At this time, the big cauldron next to the two of them had been opened by the chef. The cauldron was robbed from the treasury of the Lord of E. It smelled fragrant for a while. After the chef seasoned it with green onions and chives, he presented the large pieces of crocodile meat and the meat soup to the two of them.

Tu Sui was bloated and loved delicious food. He had already been salivating, so he said with a smile: "Although this thing is not as good as the eight delicacies of camel hump, bear paw, monkey brain, orangutan lip, elephant trunk, elephant trunk, leopard fetus, rhino tail, and deer tendon, it is also a delicacy! Sima, try it!"

Hei Fu picked up a piece of crocodile meat, but felt that the fishy smell had not been completely removed. After putting it in his mouth, it felt like overcooked chicken, and the taste was average. However, the cooked crocodile's inner skin was soft and chewy, and the crocodile soup was also delicious...

At this time, Tu Sui's personal guards also came with a military officer of the same age as Hei Fu. The military officer knelt on the ground from a distance: "The lower officer greets the commander and the Sima of the other department!"

There was a hint of northern accent in his words, as if he was from Zhao.

Hei Fu took a look and found that it was the thin and dark military officer who was holding the axe blade to chop the crocodile when he boarded the ship today.

Tu Sui pointed at the military officer and said, "I will leave this Wubaizhu and several warships and big wings to Sima. Although I brought him from the north, he is no worse than the southerners in water. Sima should treat him as his own subordinate and scold him when necessary and punish him when necessary!"

"Thank you, Captain, for giving up your love!"

Although this man is only Wubaizhu, he can enter and exit Tu Sui's ship and kill crocodiles for him personally. He must be a confidant.

Hei Fu bowed to the military officer and said, "May I know what Wubaizhu's name is?"

The military officer also knew that he might have to follow Hei Fu for the next few months, so he raised his head and smiled, "Zhao Tuo, the subordinate!"