Boating along the current, the boat is as fast as a galloping horse, and the dark mountains on both sides flash past quickly.
Waves several feet high were lapping at the bow of the boat, and the boat was undulating and swaying in the river. At first, Yu Yi was worried that Yang Jishi would get seasick, as a first-time boarder couldn't even stand firmly.
Dayan's true energy flowed through the meridians soothingly, and the discomfort in his internal organs quickly disappeared. Yang Anxuan clung to the bow of the boat as if taking root on the ground, and his body shape rose and fell with the boat.
The faint moonlight makes the river water seem to be covered with a layer of white gauze. There are no boats sailing on the river surface, and the visibility is unclear at night. Even if a brazier is lit at the bow of the boat, unexpected situations may occur while traveling on the river at night. Only in emergencies can the old boatman be there. Only take the risk if you are familiar with the waterways.
There are torches on both sides of the ship, which are flickering on and off in the river wind. This is to signal possible ships in the distance to avoid them.
Yang Anxuan saw a giant-like figure flashing by the river bank, with vague sparks coming out. It was the Fenghuo Tower.
There are eight garrison stations, 11 city fortresses, and 36 beacon towers on both sides of the Jingkou River. They are under the jurisdiction of the Beifu Army and guard the tranquility of the river. Small matters like robbers on the river are under the jurisdiction of the anti-thief department, and the town office will not be dispatched.
Two quarters of an hour later, Yang Anxuan heard the sound of fighting coming down the wind. He perked up and ordered: "Press harder, the Jiang bandits are in front."
He waved his hands and shouted "Hey yo, hey yo" in unison, and rushed forward suddenly. Yang Anxuan leaned back, his true energy naturally sank, and he twisted his waist without moving at all.
Yu Yi, who was beside him, took a sudden step forward without noticing. Yang Anxuan hurriedly stretched out his hand to give him a hand.
After Yu Yi stood firm, he smiled self-consciously and said: "I was worried that Yang Jishi would not be able to stand firmly, but I didn't expect that I would be embarrassed."
Yang Anxuan's gaze shot forward. There was a black shadow more than twenty feet away, and the sound of killing was heard in the wind. It's not too late, it seems that the merchant ships are still fending off the thieves.
…………
Wu Liang stood on the bow of the boat, with the river wind blowing the ribbons tying his hair and hitting his face. His steel needle-like beard was like his upright figure, motionless in the cold wind.
He was originally a soldier of Beifu. During the Battle of Feishui, he was hit by an arrow in the chest and almost died. The court gave him two thousand dollars to disarm and return home.
After struggling to return to Hailing's home, she found that her parents were dead and her sister was married and had wandered to an unknown destination.
When the government learned that he had returned home, they sent a small official to collect the land tax owed by his family. Wu Liang was so angry that he killed someone and fled his hometown.
Going all the way south to Taixing, he encountered water bandits, and Wu Liang joined the bandit. Thirteen years passed in the blink of an eye. Seven years ago, he killed the leader of Zhu Shuiyan and became the leader of this water thief.
Wu Liang's misfortune made Wu Liang full of resentment towards the court and the world. He never showed mercy on people who killed people and stole money. He squandered the money he obtained and gathered nearly fifty desperadoes under his command.
The merchant ship in front of me was targeted by his minions when it was in Haiyang. This ship came from Ninghai, Yangzhou, carrying fine silk to Wuchang for sale. It was going to dock at Yihe Town, Jingkou tonight.
At Youshi, the sky was slowly getting dark, and it was about ten miles away from Jingkou. Wu Liang led three ships to intercept the merchant ship.
He had already planned the time and place clearly. He would kill the people on the boat within half an hour and then escape to the sea with the boat.
After a while, after the wind calmed down, they sent people to sail out to sea and go to Qingzhou to sell the stolen goods.
Wu Liang had already planned that even if Jingkou's anti-theft agents took the risk to call for help, it would be at least an hour later, and he had already escaped with the merchant ship there.
The sea is vast, waiting for the government to come to search, wherever you can find your traces. There are several dark islands at the mouth of the sea, which were the hiding places he chose and the foundation he relied on for more than ten years in the river mouth.
It had already darkened, but we hadn't boarded the merchant ship yet. Wu Liang was annoyed. After returning, he had to teach the minions who inquired about the information a lesson.
The boy said that there were only about a dozen guards on the ship, but he didn't know that each of them carried a hard bow and a lot of arrows. More than an hour passed, seven or eight brothers were injured, and they still couldn't get off the boat.
Just now, Shi Ping, the second master, led his men to attack by force. Although he was forced back by the guards on the ship with arrows, the arrows on the ship were almost exhausted.
He bent down and picked up the iron ax placed on the ship's board. Wu Liang weighed it in his hands and shouted loudly: "Get ready to throw the rope, I want to board the ship in person."
The minions prepared hooks and ropes, and prepared to follow the throwing ropes to grab the merchant ship and seize the fat harvest.
"Master, look." The minions beside him exclaimed. Wu Liang looked up and saw lights flashing more than twenty feet away, and there was a boat.
Wu Liang squinted his eyes and could tell from the flickering firelight that the boat was at least two feet away. Most of the people still on the river at this time were the Jingkou River Patrol Station's gondolas.
Officials and thieves do not coexist. Wu Liang is very familiar with the anti-thief yamen under the Jingkou Water Supervisory Office. There are three dilapidated fishing boats and about twenty catchers. The vacancy in the anti-thief task force is temporarily in charge of the head catcher Yu Yi.
Wu Liang dressed up as a fisherman and observed Yu Yi leading people to patrol the river. He saw with his own eyes the situation of the anti-thief Yamen rescuing the hijacked ship, and he knew it well.
The anti-thief yamen's combat power is limited, and it can barely deal with a small group of river thieves using a boat. Yu Yi's kung fu was mediocre and he was no match for him. He had forty or fifty men under his command, so he was not afraid of encountering him on the river.
It's just that thieves don't fight with officials and hide when they can. If the thief arrest station is destroyed and the navy of the Beifu Army is provoked, there will be trouble.
Wu Liang had a sarcastic smile on his face. Yu Yi had swallowed his heart and dared to go out at night.
There was a fierce light in his eyes. It was dark at the moment. He simply killed someone and robbed the official ship. The official did not know who did it.
At most, he can stay away for a while, refit the boat, and then secretly recruit people. He can chase more than a hundred people in the water, and he will be proud of these hundreds of miles of water.
"Second brother, keep an eye on the cargo while I go deal with the incoming ship." Wu Liang picked up the ax and shouted: "Boys, come over and fight."
The water thieves cheered in unison, not afraid of the official ship of the anti-thief Yamen.
Twenty feet away, Yang Anxuan shouted loudly: "Slow down and hold steady."
The paddlers pushed backwards, causing the boat to stagnate in the flowing water.
Yu Yi thought that the Jiang thieves would flee when they saw the government's flag. Unexpectedly, instead of leaving, the thieves boats came over to meet him. After a closer look, his expression changed greatly and he said: "Ji Yang, the thieves have three boats. We are Young master, it’s better to avoid it first.”
Yang Anxuan smiled slightly and said, "No rush, let's wait until someone shoots a few arrows."
Yu Yi smiled bitterly in his heart. This Yang Ji had no experience in fighting on the river. The waves are strong and the boat is surging, and the footing is unstable. The arrows shot are not accurate. If one of the ten arrows hits by chance, it is blessed by the gods and Buddhas.
It was a dark night, the moonlight was dim, and I could only vaguely see the scene in the distance. I couldn't tell where the person was. When the thief got close, it might be difficult to escape.
As his true energy sank, Yang Anxuan stood firmly, his figure rising and falling with the hull of the ship, and he held the bow flat in his hand, feeling the law of the rise and fall.
The pale moonlight shone on the river. Yang Anxuan saw a sailboat speeding over. There were about twenty thieves standing on the boat. Their weapons shone coldly in the moonlight. There was a big man standing on the bow of the boat, which looked like an iron tower in the moonlight. General.
An arrow shot out. Hearing the sound of the bowstring, the thieves on the boat laughed. When shooting arrows on the boat at night, it is almost impossible to hurt anyone unless thousands of people are shooting together.
As soon as the laughter started, there was a groan of pain. A thief covered his chest, and the arrow feathers trembled in the wind.
He was hit by mistake. Wu Liang was shocked and felt an ominous feeling in his heart. He shouted loudly: "Brothers, find a place to take shelter and be careful."
As soon as he finished speaking, the bowstring sounded again, this time in the throat, and a man fell on the board of the boat, making a struggling sound of "ho ho".
The thieves on the boat were shocked. The first arrow might have been hit by mistake, but the second arrow showed that the other party was indeed a sharpshooter.
Yu Yi opened his eyes wide, and Yang Jishi shot two arrows. Someone on the thief's boat seemed to fall to the ground. Looking at Yang Anxuan again, his eyes were full of admiration. This Yang Jishi was not a young master who relied on his family background to gain seniority.
The catchers standing behind him were originally timid and their legs were trembling. When Yang Anxuan shot two arrows, they all became brave and cheered loudly.
Wu Liang saw his subordinates retreating back one after another. It was clear that he had lost all courage. He immediately stood up in the middle with an ax in his hand and shouted loudly: "What are you afraid of? We will get closer in a moment and watch you chop off this kid's head."
At this time, the distance was only seven or eight feet, and Wu Liang could clearly see that there were only about ten people on the boat, and the person on the bow was holding a bow.
Wu Liang was secretly on guard with an iron ax in hand. As long as he could block the opponent's arrows, his subordinates would be more courageous.
Yang Anxuan saw the strong man standing on the bow of the thief's boat, he must be the leader of the thief.
He took out three arrows from his quiver, held two in his mouth, bent his bow and shot them.
Wu Liang paid close attention to every move on the opposite ship. When he saw the opponent bending his bow and shooting an arrow, he hurriedly stepped to the left and swung his axe. The experience of marching in the army gave him subconscious inspiration.
With a "ding" sound, the ax hit the arrow shaft and knocked the arrow away. Wu Liang felt relieved, but that was all.
Just when he was about to say a few words of sarcasm to boost the morale of the men, a sharp whistle pierced the air, and another arrow was shot.
Wu Liang subconsciously turned to the left, tilting his head to the left as hard as he could. He felt the strong wind passing by his ears, and his hair was lifted up by the force.
The thought flashed through his mind as he fired a series of arrows. He was also a master of archery in the army. It was definitely not something that catchers like Yu Yi from the river patrol office could do. Could it be that the navy of the Beifu Army had set a trap? It was not good.
With thoughts flashing in his mind, Wu Liang did not dare to stand up straight, but took advantage of the situation and threw himself to the left. As soon as his hand touched the ship's plank, he heard a loud arrow passing through the sky again.
It was such a risk, three arrows in a row, Wu Liang did not dare to bet on whether the fourth and fifth arrows would be shot, and he shouted in a panic: "It's the Beifu Navy, retreat, retreat quickly."
The subordinates did not dare to doubt him, so they turned around and fled with the current.
Someone shouted loudly to the back: "The boss ordered us to evacuate. It's a trap set by the Beifu Army."
Seeing that the fat on his mouth was gone, Shi Ping waved his knife bitterly and ordered: "Withdraw."
…………
Zhang Jian sat slumped on the deck of the ship in the cabin. At this time, he could no longer care about cleanliness. He accumulated some capital by following the ship. This time, he mortgaged his family wealth and collected 800,000 yuan to traffic thousands of silks from Ninghai. For sale in Wuchang. If everything goes well, I can get 13,400,000 yuan, and after excluding expenses and taxes, I can also make a net income of 300,000 to 400,000 yuan.
With this money, he can return home and buy land to settle down. He no longer has to travel around. After wandering for so many years, he can finally be at home with his parents, wife and children, and become a wealthy and contented man.
Jingkou is an important town, where the Beifu Army is stationed and there is also a thief detection station. Zhang Jian thought that thieves would not dare to be rampant here, but he unexpectedly encountered river thieves robbing a ship only ten miles away from Jingkou.
All his wealth was staked on the cargo. Zhang Jian hired twenty guards and fought with the Jiang thieves for more than an hour.
However, by now, most of the twenty guards have been killed or injured, and the arrows they brought have long been used up. As long as the thieves attack again, they will no longer be able to defend.
If there is still a glimmer of hope for the rescue of the thieves' Yamen during the day, even the Beifu naval forces may not be able to dispatch easily in this dark night.
Struggling to stand up, he pushed open the boat window and looked at the surging river. Zhang Jian looked in the direction of his home with a wry smile. He just waited for the thieves to get on the boat, then jumped into the river and landed safely.
If I had known it would end like this, I would rather earn less money and keep my family safe.
"My boss, my boss", the footsteps were heavy, but the words were full of joy.
Zhang Jian held on to the window lattice and turned to look at the guard leader Zhang Jian who had entered the cabin. It was only because of him leading the guards to resist desperately that the delay was delayed until now, but in the end he could not escape the fate of being robbed.
Zhang Jian said with a smile: "My boss, the thieves hunting office came to help, but the Jiang thieves retreated."
Zhang Jian's face was filled with surprise, and he exclaimed: "Really? It's not a dream."
"Really," Zhang Jian said with a face full of joy: "If you don't believe me, go outside and have a look. The official's crossing is on the right."
Zhang Jian stumbled out of the cabin and came to the right side of the ship. He saw a walking barge more than two feet long, with torches on both sides and a flag on the bow. The word "Jin" could be seen clearly in the light of the fire.
It was really an official ship. Zhang Jian's feet went weak and he almost fell into the river. Fortunately, Zhang Jian quickly caught him.
The joy of escaping from death welled up in his heart. Zhang Jianruan sat on the board of the boat and chanted: "Gods and Buddhas bless me, thank God."
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