Yangtze River and Yellow River.

In the pre-Qin period, people called Dajiang and Dahe. Compared with the Dahe Central Plains area where farming culture was developing day by day, the average life span of people in the Dajiang area was much shorter than that in the Central Plains area because of the wide spread of water and the prevalence of diseases. At the same time,

, the Chu people and Yue people who survived in this harsh environment of fighting against the sky and the earth, their personalities became more public——.

Generally speaking, compared with the Yellow River Basin, the development of civilization in the Yangtze River Basin has distinct characteristics of the Chu people, the Yue people, and the Ba people. However, at the same time, because of this characteristic, it has restricted the interaction between them, thus hindering the sharing of knowledge.

and inheritance, lagging behind the Central Plains countries that began to enter feudal society.

This kind of personality characteristics, which are due to living habits and living environment, will not undergo fundamental changes until after the Three Kingdoms and the Two Song Dynasties, when a large number of refugees moved south, and the Jiangnan area gradually replaced the north as the focus of the new economy. Since the Song Dynasty,

, talented scholars, small flowing bridges, and the influence of poems and songs, have changed the folk customs south of the river from fat and strong to weak--.

South of Yingdu.

Yunmeng Daze stretches for more than 800 miles. This wide body of water is formed by the meandering river and annual floods. It is almost impossible to travel from Nanjun to Changsha County by land. However, if you go by waterway, it is entrenched here.

River pirates, who have been around for more than ten years, are the biggest threat.

In order to deal with the bandits, Feng Xuan spent a lot of time training the navy this year. In the hands of the Qin army in Nanjun, the battleships and ships were collected from many parties, and there were also thirteen ships. The number of this force was about a thousand.

The naval force is Feng Xuan's trump card that he has worked hard to accumulate.

In fact, after Yingbo's Jiujiang Army occupied Jiangdong, Feng Xuan had already felt the pressure. In the past few months, he led the navy to encircle and suppress the remnants of the Han army in Yunmengze several times. Not long ago, he also

The Han general Wang attracted a group of bandits and surrounded and annihilated them in the Shaxian area.

Wang Hui is an old subordinate from Dang County who defected to Liu Bang. However, his reputation and ability can only be regarded as middle-lower among the Han army. The Han army was defeated two years ago. Wang Hui, his fellow countrymen Xi Juan and Xue Ou, together, each

He took some of the remnants of his defeated troops and fled from the waterway to the swamp, where he became a river pirate.

Although these remnants of the Han army are not large in number, with the largest being only more than 300 and the smaller being only a few dozen, the existence of these local snakes will undoubtedly pose a great threat to Nanjun.

At the same time, there was a group of thieves with as many as a thousand people in Yunmengze. Among the anti-Qin forces in the late Qin Dynasty, Deng Zong's part of Chen Sheng's five-way army was defeated by Zhang Han's Qin army.

His general Deng Tuo led hundreds of defeated troops to escape into the Yunmeng Ze and established a position in the Red Cliff area. With the advantage of being one step ahead, Deng Tuo and his group owned more than 30 ships of various types and were extremely powerful.

——.

Jingnan is covered with clouds of war.

Multiple forces are intertwined, and the Qin army at the center of the storm is facing the most severe test since moving south. As outsiders from the north, they need time to adapt to the climate, environment, and ability to operate boats.

Sha Xian.

It is the southernmost stronghold of the Qin Army.

This place, located at the intersection of the Han River and the Great River, had a resounding name in later generations: Wuhan. But now, it is just a hill above the water.

In 350 BC, the 19th year of King Xian of Zhou Dynasty, Chu established Shaxian in Tukou (now Jinkou).

In the first year of the First Emperor (246 BC), the Qin State divided the country into 36 counties. Shaxian, located at the junction of the Han River and the Yangtze River, was under the jurisdiction of Nan County.

In the fourth year of the Qin Dynasty (203 BC), after Qin Wuhou Li Yuan defeated Han King Liu Bang. In order to guard against threats from the south of the Yangtze River, Feng Xuan ordered the mobilization of more than 2,000 minzhuang people and built a temple on Guishan in Shaxian (Jiangxia).

A military fortress built of stone.

There is a Qin army soldier stationed in the fortress all year round. They are different from the recruits in Yingdu. The 250 soldiers of this army were specially requested by Feng Xuan from Jiang Yu, the governor of Sanchuan County. They are all

Veterans who participated in the Southern Expedition to Baiyue had rich experience in fighting in jungle and swamp areas.

Jiang Yu was once a subordinate of Tu Sui. After he became a general guarding the Qin State, his former colleagues also came to join him one after another. The joining of these experienced veterans increased the combat effectiveness of the Qin Army in Sanchuan County.

To put it another way, although Jiang Yu's troops only fought once in the battle of Hulao Pass in recent years, that battle showed the Qin army's majesty and murderous spirit.

Wu Zhong, the military commander of the Qin army guarding Shaxian, is an old soldier who is over fifty years old. When he fought in the Xishan area of ​​Xiangjun, he was already the military commander of Qin Nan's expeditionary force. Now more than ten years have passed, Wu Zhong's face

There are many more wrinkles on his face, and his hair is almost gray, but his military rank is still at the level of military prince.

The reason for this is not only that he, like Jiang Yu, was a deserter who returned from Lingnan without permission, but also because Wu Zhong had a very bad habit: he was addicted to alcohol.

According to the tradition of the Qin Army, before the generals go out to fight, they have the habit of drinking strong liquor and shouting for fierce battle. After drinking, the human nervous system will become numb, and then in a state of half-awake and half-drunk, the ferocious energy of the Qin Army generals can be obtained.

Arousal, this is a good thing, but the bad result is that alcohol is addictive.

Wu Zhong belongs to the category of people who are addicted to alcohol.

With his experience and ability, it is a bit difficult to serve as a general. As a school lieutenant, a captain is still fully qualified, but he has never been promoted because of his drinking.

This time, Wu Zhong was ordered to guard Sha Xian. Before leaving, Wu Zhong also swore to Feng Xuan that he would never miss military and state affairs due to drinking. Of course, in Sha Xian, which is surrounded by water, he just wanted to drink.

There is nowhere to look.

On February 2nd, the dragon raised its head.

Shaxian Stone City.

At the top of the city, Wu Zhong was holding a gourd filled with wine. He poured the gourd into his mouth several times, and then took a few sips unwillingly. However, at the beginning, the water in the gourd was still wet due to the wall of the gourd.

Some remaining wine dregs on the wine turned it into a heavily watered-down fake wine. After several dilutions, the wine taste was completely gone.

"This day is really unbearable. It would be great if a merchant ship came over." Wu Zhong murmured to himself. As the situation became tense, there were very few merchant ships on the waterway from Nanjun to Changsha County.

Passed.

Although he knew that looking at it was in vain, Wu Zhong's habit still made Wu Zhong look at the empty Daze. But this time, he unexpectedly saw a few black spots moving quickly at the end of the white water surface.

"Have a look, what kind of ship is that?" Wu Zhong was startled, stunned for a moment, and then hurriedly shouted to the soldiers watching at the top.

Only by climbing high can you reach far.

Wu Zhong has rich combat experience. With just one glance, he judged that these ships coming from the southeast could not be merchant ships. You must know that the southeast is the most complicated section of the Jingjiang waterway, where there are dense reefs and the draft of merchant ships carrying goods is very high.

It's so deep that once you get trapped, it's very difficult to get out.

Moreover, the southeast is where the remaining forces of the Han general Xi Juan are entrenched. These bandits have rich combat experience and are familiar with the water conditions. They are currently the biggest enemies of the Qin army.

"Junhou, he is from Chu and the flag of Eastern Chu!" Before Wu Zhong could climb up to the heights of the stone city, the watch soldiers who had just dozed off and neglected him were already screaming.

"What? How many warships are there in Dongchu? Do you see clearly?" Wu Zhong's face turned pale instantly. In comparison, although Xi Juan was hateful, Wu Zhong could still handle it, and if it was Yingbu's Dongchu,

When the Chu navy arrived, even if the Qin army had three heads and six arms, it would not be able to fight against Yingbu, the king of river bandits.

"There are so many that I can't even count them. The military princes and the Xi bandits' ships are leading the way ahead -!" The voice of the young Qin soldiers was full of fear.

With Xi Juan leading the way, the warships of the Eastern Chu Army could easily avoid the rocks at the bottom of the water. When dozens or even hundreds of warships gathered towards Sha Xian, a small force of a military lord from the Qin Army was like

The sparrow trapped in the locust pile has no hope of reversal.

"Damn it, this Dong Chu thinks too highly of me. There are so many ships coming. Sons, pick up your swords and arrows, raise our flag, and fuck his grandfather." Wu Zhong shouted.

Wu Zhong gave the order.

The two hundred and fifty Qin soldiers guarding Shaxian immediately mobilized quickly. The soldiers responsible for lighting the beacon fire quickly lit the flints. Immediately, the billowing smoke rose straight up. Under the gentle northwest wind, a continuous

It changes its shape as if announcing the coming of fierce war.

Wu Zhong looked up at the direction of the beacon smoke with a solemn expression, with a hint of anxiety in his eyes. Today's wind direction is wrong. The northwest wind in winter and spring will make the beacon smoke drift to the southeast. In this way, the next one to the north will

Wu Zhong was not sure whether he could see the smoke from the beacon point.

"Go and call Zhang Manniu, hurry up!" Wu Zhong stamped his feet fiercely and ordered.

As his name suggests, Zhang Manniu is a man as strong as an ox. He has been in the army for less than half a year, but he still has the shyness of a farmer. Zhang Manniu, who has lived in Yunmeng Zebian since he was a child, is one of the members of this small team.

Zhang Manniu is the one with the best agility among the troops. Similarly, Zhang Manniu is also a good hand at manipulating weapons.

"Man Niu, you take your two brothers and leave in a small boat from behind. Your mission is to tell General Feng that a large number of warships from the Eastern Chu Army are coming to attack. Xi Juan and Xue Ou are among them -

—!" While Wu Zhong was adjusting his armor, he quickly took out the Tiger Talisman token from his waist and handed it to Zhang Manniu.

"Junhou, what should you do?" Zhang Manniu asked blankly.

"What should I do? I'm right here. Let's have a good fight with the thieves. If your boy is alive and comes back someday, find a sunny place for my brothers and me. Remember to bring good wine back." Wu

Zhong forced out a smile, patted Zhang Manniu on the shoulder and said.

"Jiujiao Lao Qin, restore our rivers and mountains, until the blood bleeds dry, there will be a truce until the death -!" The war song was shouted from Wu Zhong's hoarse voice. Viewed from behind, his body is no longer upright, but deeply immersed in his bones.
Chapter completed!