bookbashuk Page 1570
Page 1570
Both sides of the river were indeed open farmland.
Large and small irrigation canals divide the plain into many small pieces.
Many fields are planted with rice.
It looks lush and green from afar.
It truly deserves the title of "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall".
The width of the Tanglai Canal varies.
It is more than ten zhang wide at its widest point.
The narrowest part is only two or three zhang (approximately 6.6-7.6 meters).
Large ships can only pass one at a time.
Although some Western Xia people saw the fleet and were curious about it along the way,
However, they did not encounter any obstacles.
Western Xia merchants also transported goods by waterway.
However, they were still quite astonished to see such a large fleet.
Some people came up to inquire.
Zhao Yuan then ordered his men to use the Divine Arm Crossbow to scare them away.
The merchants saw that the people on the ship were carrying crossbows.
They immediately retreated in haste.
Arrived in Shunzhou territory,
I just saw boats blocking the river for inspection ahead.
There were still dozens of Western Xia soldiers on the riverbank.
The guide said, "Ahead is the tax collection checkpoint in Shunzhou."
"All ships must dock for inspection."
Li Jun laughed and said, "The Western Xia ships aren't very big."
"You can just crash into it."
The Western Xia soldiers on the shore had also seen more than a dozen large ships approaching in the distance.
They all stood on the shore, looking very energetic.
We'll wait until we board the ship to search.
Some time ago,
Li Qianshun led a large army on an expedition.
Many ships were requisitioned to transport grain.
This resulted in a significant decrease in the number of merchant ships on the river.
In the past, the Western Xia did not carry much food or provisions when sending troops.
They only occasionally drive away some cattle and sheep.
Most supplies were obtained through plundering.
The last expedition, however, aimed to occupy the six routes of Shaanxi for an extended period.
Not only did they prepare plenty of provisions,
He also issued a decree prohibiting the soldiers of all tribes from looting and killing Han people.
They can only wait for the king to reward them after the war.
Unexpectedly, they suffered a crushing defeat.
Li Qianshun and Chage were both killed in battle.
Of the 400,000 troops, only 100,000 returned.
The deaths of Li Qianshun and Chage truly pained some people in Western Xia.
However, they were not worried that the Great Liang would immediately send troops to attack them.
Two days ago,
Thirteen-year-old Li Ren'ai has already inherited the throne.
In order to appease the people,
Li Ren'ai announced to the public the situation regarding the struggle for power among the various warlords in the Central Plains.
Let the people of Western Xia know that the Great Liang has no time to spare.
The Western Xia could now rest and recuperate in peace.
As for the news of last night's surprise attack on Shangyikou and Geta Village...
The surviving soldiers from the two locations reported to Weizhou, the prefecture in charge.
The soldiers who reported the news from the two locations traversed mountains and valleys to reach Weizhou after dawn.
The garrison commander of Weizhou heard that several thousand troops from Daliang had captured two cities.
I wonder if there are any more troops behind them.
They didn't dare to seize the two strongholds either.
The only option is to strengthen the defenses.
At the same time, Pegasus reported on the nearest city, Mingsha City.
To prevent the Liang army from continuing its attack.
The messenger who was sent to Xingqing Prefecture to report the emergency had just set off.
Shunzhou was naturally unaware of the situation.
Without the entanglement of war,
It is also impossible to gain any more benefits from the Central Plains.
The soldiers of Western Xia then turned their attention back to their homeland.
This is true for almost every ethnic group.
Soldiers at checkpoints who want to gain benefits will naturally try to take advantage of those who pass by.
As long as the other party is not a high-ranking official or a wealthy or powerful person, it's fine.
Merchants, of course, are the ones who make the most money.
Especially merchants who transported large quantities of goods.
Businessmen want to pay less tax.
Naturally, they would be willing to spend money to bribe the inspectors.
For the person conducting the inspection...
The taxes collected belonged to the imperial court.
What you put in your own pocket is truly yours.
Most of the time,
Both sides can reach an agreement immediately.
Both sides benefited.
Naturally, no trouble broke out.
However, many of the merchants of Western Xia were of tribal origin.
Naturally fierce
New merchants would often clash with tax collectors over small amounts of tax.
Therefore, each level is protected by a squad of soldiers.
After walking more times,
Even tough people can learn the tricks of the trade.
Most of the time, this illicit income could only be obtained by tax collectors.
Only when encountering a large fleet
The tax collectors are too busy.
That's why they would ask the guards for help.
Zhao Yuan asked Zhou Ji, who was leading the way, "Can we pay them some money to prevent them from boarding the ship for inspection?"
Zhou Ji shook his head and said, "There are more than a dozen large ships; they can't possibly not board them for inspection."
"Even if it's just a formality, they'll still get on the ship."
Chapter 1881 Filial Piety and Fatherly Love
The soldiers hid inside the ship's cabins, making it impossible to immediately recognize that it was a troop transport.
Once on board, it's impossible to hide.
"Then let's kill them all."
The fleet is getting closer and closer to the checkpoint.
The tax collectors on the small boats shouted for the fleet to come ashore.
They did not stop the boat in the middle of the river.
This left Li Jun, who had intended to simply ram the small boat, somewhat disappointed.
The tax collector on the small boat shouted several times.
The fleet didn't seem to slow down.
I also felt something was wrong.
Just as they were about to order the soldiers on the shore to intercept them with bows and arrows,
Then a squad of soldiers dressed in black armor suddenly emerged from the cabin of the first large ship.
"The army and troops of the Great Liang".
"The Liang Kingdom has invaded."
"Quickly warn the city."
The attire of the Liang army, which had decisively defeated the king and Chage's army, had already spread far and wide.
Some of the soldiers on the shore had even fled back from Shaanxi.
Upon seeing the soldiers appear on the ship, they immediately began to shout.
Before the Western Xia soldiers on the shore could even draw their bows...
The soldiers who had exited the cabin had already scattered arrows toward the shore.
Caught off guard, the Western Xia soldiers instantly fell into pools of blood.
The tax collector on the small boat sensed something was wrong.
They all jumped into the river with a splash.
"Help!"
A tax collector jumped into the water with the others.
Then I realized I can't swim.
Struggling in the water,
Drinking water gulping down.