In the afternoon, Su Chen and others boarded a large ship from the ancient ferry terminal, Yang Fan set sail, and sailed toward the west of the Yangtze River.

The river is surging and majestic, flowing from east to west and flowing into the sea.

Su Chen stood proudly on the bow of the boat, looking at the turbulent river and the steep green mountains on both sides. The wind was blowing his clothes, and he was full of pride, and his brows were filled with excitement.

If he didn't have any concerns, he would have wanted to abandon ship and go to the Northern Song Dynasty.

However, now his family is in the Southern Tang Dynasty. Ling'er, Bai Susu, Liu Monong, Xu Cainv, Zhou Jiamin, Peng Qingqing's father, etc. are all rooted in Runzhou and Jinling. He could not convince them, so he directly abandoned his family and business and took them to the Northern Song Dynasty.

Moreover, Han Xizai, Xu Xuan and others treated him with kindness, treating him as a disciple and an acquaintance, so he really couldn't do it and fled to the Northern Song Dynasty.

"Brother Su, have you ever been on a boat before? You don't get seasick at all!"

Meng Xuanyu suddenly walked up to the plywood and talked to Su Chen.

"I have indeed been on a boat before, so I don't feel dizzy." Su Chen smiled faintly. He traveled around in his previous life and often took high-speed trains, ships, and airplanes.

But Peng Qingqing was not good. It was her first time traveling on a river boat like this, so she felt a little dizzy. The majestic heroine even got seasick and vomited.

Meng Xuanyu stood beside him, and the wind blew his clothes, making his figure even more slender.

Su Chen avoided his gaze, feeling that it was a bit embarrassing for him, a grown man, to look at another man's figure, make judgments in his mind, and have wild imaginations!

Meng Xuanyu said: "If the journey goes smoothly, we can cross the Three Gorges in seven days, arrive in Rongzhou (today's Yibin) in ten days, and then change the water route to the capital of Chengdu!"

Su Chen nodded and took a deep breath. Based on his understanding of history, the Northern Song Dynasty issued an edict to mobilize troops and sent them to Fengzhou for forward base deployment. Then he sent an elite forbidden army from Bianjing to cooperate with Fengzhou.

The garrison in the area divided into two groups and attacked Shu, and then the momentum was overwhelming!

This is what gives Su Chen a headache. The current Northern Song army was adapted from the Forbidden Army of the Later Zhou Dynasty. They are brave and good at fighting. Even tens of thousands of people can withstand several times the Shu army. They are invincible. How to resist the Song army's attack?

This is a big problem.

"Will we encounter bandits and patrol boats of Song Army scouts along the way?"

Su Chen showed a little worry.

Meng Xuanyu nodded slightly and said: "It is most convenient to take the water route, but if you have to cross the river area at the junction of Nanping and Jingchu, there will probably be ships from the Song Army blocking it. We are traveling in the name of a business name, and we have no military supplies or weapons and equipment.

, it’s just some silk cloth, as long as you pay a certain toll tax, it won’t embarrass the caravan ships!”

"I understand." Su Chen knew it well, but there was always a feeling of uneasiness. Through historical records, he knew that the Song army that destroyed Shu frequently burned, killed and looted, killed the Shu army, and killed the surrendered soldiers.

, oppressing the local people and doing a lot of evil.

Many merchants and local wealthy families were also plundered. Once the war against Shu was officially launched, the situation and strategy would be different.

Su Chen asked again: "How many of your people are on this ship?"

Meng Xuanyu replied: "Almost 70% to 80% are my people, and more than 20% are real businessmen. However, we have secretly divided those people into one cabin for easy monitoring."

Su Chen felt relieved and said: "By the way, from now on, my taboo name will be Chen Yixuan. Externally, you can call me Mr. Chen to hide my true identity!"

Meng Xuanyu agreed: "Okay, then I will call you 'Brother Chen'. Outsiders will think that I am called 'Brother Chen', and they will not reveal the secret. The rest of my subordinates will call you Mr. Chen instead!"

"Okay!" Su Chen responded.

Meng Xuanyu looked at the mountains and rivers and couldn't help but sigh: "Back then, Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, was trapped in the land of Bashu, but he was able to overcome the desperate situation and finally fight his way back to the Central Plains to seize the world. It was because of Zhang Liang, Han Xin, Xiao He and other outstanding figures who worked for him.

They made a comeback and finally defeated Chu Overlord Xiang Yu and established the foundation of the Han Dynasty. But now our Shu Kingdom has been resting and recuperating in Bashu for thirty years, with few wars and growing financial resources. Why does it give people a sense of crisis that the sun is setting in the west and the country will not be able to survive? "

Su Chen chuckled, looked away from the river, and explained to Meng Xuanyu: "How can it be the same? After the Hongmen Banquet, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty was forced to retreat to Bashu, but he raised his troops for several years, did not forget to drill, and took advantage of the soldiers' desire to return

The desire of the Central Plains was made in one go, and Chen Cang was secretly killed. But your Meng Shu Kingdom is a native Bashu regime. It is isolated from the Central Plains and enclosed in the high mountains. The reason why the country is immortal is that you can travel freely.

For ten years, it was all because of the natural dangers of Shu Road that it blocked foreign enemies."

"But Mencius said: 'Consolidating a country does not depend on the dangers of mountains and rivers'; Wu Qi also said: 'Virtue does not depend on dangers'. Because once you rely on natural dangers, you will forget about worries and have no fighting spirit. "Worry and labor can rejuvenate a country, and ease can lead to peace and prosperity.

The saying "you can die" makes sense. If you forget about the troubled court and nation, you will not be able to inspire the desire and vigor for progress. Therefore, throughout history, there are few precedents of Shu princes competing in the Central Plains. Even in Zhuge Liang's six

Leaving Qishan also ended in failure, and in the end Western Shu also perished."

Su Chen's analysis makes great sense in these words and can be said to hit the point.

It is natural dangers that limit desires and also limit people's hearts.

But the restrictions are not limited to these, and involve many things from top to bottom, including the court and the people.

Thinking without learning is extreme. If you are trapped in the small circle created by the natural barrier, you will not be able to see the majestic world outside the natural barrier. You will be stubborn and arrogant. It is easy to underestimate the enemy and be easily frightened by the opponent's fierceness!

There was another person who was closely related to the failure of Later Shu, and that was Wang Zhaoyuan, the favorite minister of the leader of Later Shu, Meng Chang, the governor of Shannan. This man was ambitious and talented, but he was arrogant. He was very powerful in both the court and the public in Shu. He was as powerful as Zhuge Kongming.

After the Song army invaded, he personally led the army to fight. He was blindly arrogant and lost three times in three battles, completely defeating the Song army.

These problems have been recorded in history, and they are all problems that Su Chen has to face.

To deal with the crisis in Shu, it was necessary to clear the emperor's side, but Wang Zhaoyuan was not only a favored minister and military envoy, he was also aware of the affairs of the Privy Council and was responsible for military power in the court; at the same time, he had a close relationship with the prince.
Chapter completed!