The Yellow River was transported from the Warring States Period to its peak in the Song Dynasty, with nearly 7 million stone grains transported from the lower reaches of the Yellow River to the Guanzhong area every year. Since the Yuan Dynasty, due to the relocation of the political center to Beijing and the rise of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Yellow River transportation has gradually declined.

At present, it is the middle of the Ming Dynasty, although the Yellow River Cao Yun has no longer the grand occasion of the Song Dynasty, but there are still tens of thousands of Cao workers who rely on the Yellow River Cao Yun to eat. In large cities such as Xi'an, Luoyang, and Kaifeng, the main grain supply had to be transported from the rice-rich land in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Guandu, as the name suggests, is a ferry connecting the official roads on both sides of the strait, located on the edge of the Yellow River in the northeast of Zhongmu County, Henan Province.

Guandu is the main road of transportation, since ancient times it is a place where soldiers must fight, one of the three famous battles in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the battle of Guandu took place here.

At noon, the scorching sun was shining, and on the edge of the Yellow River along the ferry, bare-bottomed workers were carrying the fiber rope in groups, shouting and shouting, while moving upstream with difficulty, and the other end of the fiber rope was pulling the grain boat with a very deep draft. The overseers were holding leather whips, scolding and beating them, urging them to sell their strength, and from time to time some of the laborers who were physically exhausted fell to the ground.

In a tea house near the wharf, there are two men and a woman sitting around the shabby square table drinking tea, the leader is a young man in his twenties, with a short nose with a hook, and his eyebrows are like two sharp knives, it is the young Zhao Quan of the White Lotus Sect who Xu Jin met in the broken temple when he first entered Beijing to take the exam. Along with Zhi Zhaoquan was the mixed-race girl named Xue Bingxin, and the remaining thin man was named Qiu Fu.

While drinking tea, Zhao Quan stared at the millers pulling fiber on the edge of the Yellow River in the distance, and his eyes were like a foraging wolf seeing its prey.

At this moment, the official road on the other side of the Yellow River suddenly became dusty, and a cavalry rushed to the ferry, and the knights on the horse wore a spirited flying fish suit and hung an embroidered spring knife on their waists.

At the wharf, the chickens and dogs jumped for a while, and the ferries for miles upstream and downstream were all requisitioned, and even those workers who pulled the fiber were temporarily arrested. In the face of the fierce Jinyi Guard, these flat-headed people living at the bottom of the society naturally didn't even dare to fart, and could only consider themselves unlucky.

About half an hour later, a team of thousands of people appeared on the official road in the distance, but when they saw the flags waving, the chariots and horses whistling, and a large yellow flag embroidered with the pattern of a golden dragon was particularly eye-catching.

Zhao Quan, who was drinking tea in the tea house, all had a change in their faces, and only members of the Xuanhuang Regiment Dragon Banner had the right to use it, or they were ordered to use it, what was the origin of this team?

Soon, the team on the other side of the river rushed to the ferry wharf, and a group of people came down from the carriage one after another, and under the escort of all the officers and soldiers, they boarded the boat and crossed the river and came to the wharf here.

"Hey, that ...... It seems to be the sour we met in Baoding the year before last...... What's it called? The thin man Qiu Fu said in a low voice.

"Xu Jin!" Zhao Quan said lightly, his expression was a little complicated, his memory was very good, and he recognized Xu Jin who was stepping on the gangplank and getting off the boat at a glance.

"This sour man seems to be a good mix, and he is surrounded by some big officials!" Qiu Fu swallowed his saliva hard, his eyes showing hatred, but he hated anyone who was an official.

Xue Bingxin, a mixed-race woman, stared coldly at the dragon flag on the pier, and her eyes also showed hatred. Zhao Quan took out three copper coins and put them on the table, stood up and said lightly: "Let's go!" ”

Just as the brocade-clothed guards were riding their horses to this side, Zhao Quan didn't want to get into trouble, although he had a legitimate guide on hand. The three of them walked out of the tea house, along the Yellow River, and left the dock quickly.

After walking for a while, Qiu Fu couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, what are these guys doing with all the fanfare?" ”

Xue Bingxin, a mixed-race woman, said coldly: "Zhu Houzhao is dead, and Zhu Houxi, the son of King Xing, will inherit the throne, and this team should be the mission to Huguang'an and Luzhou to pick up the driver." ”

Today is March 29th, Emperor Zhengde has died, and the news of the posthumous edict of the new monarch has been conveyed to most cities in the country through the post road system.

"Zhu Houzhao died like this, but he was cheaper!" Xue Bingxin's eyes showed bitter hatred.

Qiu Fu's eyes lit up, and he said eagerly: "Senior brother, if we don't follow and find an opportunity to kill that Zhu Houxi, we will ensure that the world is in chaos!" ”

Zhao Quan shook his head decisively and said: "No, there are so many descendants of the old Zhu family, if one dies, it is natural that another will run out to inherit the throne." What's more, then we will be exposed, the time is not yet ripe, and it is not the time to do anything! ”

The mixed-race woman frowned, "I think now is the best time!" ”

Zhao Quan smiled and said: "Senior sister, don't worry, our current strength is still too weak, and we are not well prepared, so it is difficult to make a hasty launch." I heard that Zhu Houxi was only thirteen years old, and as the so-called Lord Shaoguo doubted, he was not so easy to sit on the dragon chair. As long as we are given another year, then we will launch in Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi at the same time, and we will definitely be able to capture the capital in one fell swoop and turn the Ming court upside down. At that time, how could the junior sister slash the two traitors Yang Yiqing and Zhang Yong, and get revenge in the sea of blood, how fast! ”

Xue Bingxin clenched the hilt of her sword when she heard this!

……

In Yanshen Town, Qingzhou, Shandong, in the evening, the sky was dripping with light rain, and three or five swarthy miners crawled out of the pit carrying mining tools, and the rain poured on them, washing out mottled traces.

The miners chatted in a low voice as they walked:

"I heard that the emperor really died and had no heirs, so I chose a nephew among the vassal kings to succeed him!"

"In other words, let Wang Tang say that there is really going to be a new emperor in this world."

"Tut, Cousin Wang is really good at pinching and calculating, I heard that when he was in Hebei, he met a master of the Tao for guidance, and he was enlightened, and he had the ability to predict good luck and evil, and know the destiny of heaven!"

"Really?"

"That's not clear, but there is a strange stalagmite growing in the courtyard of Wang Tang's house, which grows a little taller every day."

"So amazing? I'll have to go back and see! ”

"It's better to choose a day than to hit the sun, while it's not dark yet, let's go and open our eyes together!"

So, these miners walked to Wang Tang's house together, and saw many people surrounding the courtyard of Wang Tang's house from a distance, and hurriedly sped up.

At this time, in the courtyard of Wang Tang's house, there were seven or eight people surrounding a stalagmite, including women, old and children.

But seeing a stalagmite "growing" alone in a corner of the courtyard, about ten centimeters above the ground, and the ground around it is solid, and there is no trace of moving the soil, this stalagmite seems to really grow out of the ground.

"Oh my God, I'm really getting taller again, I didn't get as tall as I am when I saw it yesterday."

"It's really grown taller, I saw this stalagmite when I was just a child, and it's only been like this for a few days!"

"Amitabha, a miracle, this must be the manifestation of the Mother Buddha!" A village woman put her hands together, and did not feel that the ground was full of muddy water, so she knelt down and chanted a word, praying for stalagmites to bless their family with great wealth and wealth.

Plop Plop Plop ......

Seeing this, the surrounding villagers also knelt down and prayed for blessings, even the miners were no exception, as if they were afraid that the gods would blame the gods for kneeling slowly.

At this time, the room was pushed open, and Wang Tang walked out of the room, dressed in a suit of gowns, revealing two strong arms, and the biceps were raised high, and these coolies, as long as they were not undernourished, were very strong.

"Cousin!" The people in the courtyard greeted Wang Tang one after another, and their eyes were full of awe.

Wang Tang enjoys the feeling of "looking down on all beings" now, just the year before last, he was still a Kubi miner in Baoding, Hebei Province, since he met a nobleman and learned "fairy art", he finally mixed up his personal clothes and returned to his hometown. And Wang Tang returned to his hometown of Qingzhou in Shandong this time, and the task entrusted to him by the nobles was to develop more people to join the church.

Wang Tang coughed lightly, lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "The master once gave me a treasure, I can see a person's destiny, do you want to see it?" ”

"Why, what baby? Cousin, show me! A group of villagers and miners immediately gathered around like chickens.

Not to mention in the ignorant and backward feudal society, even in modern times, there are still many people who believe in fortune-telling, especially when life is not satisfactory, people are more willing to believe this, in fact, this is just because they are helpless against reality, seeking a kind of psychological comfort, looking forward to being able to "transfer" through these ethereal things, and change their own situation.

These miners at the bottom of the society, oppressed and living in misery, suddenly heard that there are treasures who can see their "destiny", coupled with the miracle of stalagmites in front of the foreshadowing, they are naturally eager for Wang Tang!

"Shhhh Wang Tang sighed with a serious expression.

The villagers and miners were suddenly silent, and they were even careful to breathe!

Wang Tang nodded with satisfaction and said: "Don't say it after you know your destiny later, you must know that the heavenly machine must not be leaked, and if the heavenly secret is leaked, you will be sent by heaven, and if you don't make it, you will die with five thunderbolts!" ”

When the villagers and miners heard this, their faces turned white and they all said that they would keep it a secret!

So, Wang Tang returned to the house, and a sturdy miner rushed in first, and then closed the door very alertly, for fear that others would see his destiny, and then he would be bombarded by five thunders!

There was a basin of water on the table, covered with a wooden board, and Wang Tang stood behind the basin and recited the words: "Vacuum hometown, no old mother, universal sentient beings, boundless powers...... Display! ”

Wang Tang took the trouble to put a spell into the basin, and then said with a serious expression: "Open the lid and take a look yourself!" ”

The miner nervously lifted the plank, and when he saw that it was just a basin of water, his expression was confused, what is this?

"What do you see?" Wang Tang asked in a low voice.

"Water!"

"What's in the water?"

"Yes...... My own appearance! ”

"Alas, after all, it is a mortal fetus with the naked eye, but congratulations, you are born to be a fierce general, but unfortunately you haven't opened your mind yet, as long as it is ordered by my master, you will be able to seal the marquis immediately in the future!"