No matter what it is, it's better to hide first!
As an old Jianghu, his sense of danger is still very sensitive.
Jiang Manhai immediately turned around and rolled into the compartment, but before he could hide, there was a loud bang where he was standing, and he was slapped to the ground. His head was buzzing, and at the same time, his crotch was shaking. It hurt, my eyes went black, and all consciousness was lost.
"Boom...boom boom boom..."
In an instant, there were continuous explosions, as if the whole world was shaking at this moment, landslides and rocks shattered, merchant ships turned into hell, and huge waves shook the lake.
Not everyone is astute. The water bandits waiting on the deck to join the gang can only greet the flowers of death in a daze.
Many people didn't even have time to feel it. The dazzling red to black flames broke through the eardrums in an instant, and the thick and spicy smoke filled the air and turned into pieces.
Blood and fire intertwined, broken limbs, broken arms, broken flesh and broken organs were scattered everywhere in a messy manner, making the flower of death even more vivid.
"Ouch……"
Xiaopang Qian, who was huddled under the side of the boat, suddenly felt a pain in his head, waking up his brain that was numbed by the sound.
After taking a closer look, a broken palm, which was bloody and somewhat burnt, fell in front of him.
"Mom, wow..." Qian Xiaopang couldn't help but retched.
Wu Qiong beside him calmly picked up the broken palm, looked at it twice, and threw it out of the boat. "It's so miserable! I wonder if the dead body can be reincarnated..."
"Brother Qiong, what are you talking about?" Geng Zhitao raised his ears and looked a little distracted.
The explosion lasted for a short time, but the shock it brought to people never dissipated.
Geng Zhi didn't get a response, so he couldn't help but stick his head out of the side of the ship and looked out. He could only see a few fire heads flickering in the thick smoke, but there was no other movement.
A gust of wind came, covering Geng Zhi's face with smoke.
"Ahem... bump, bump over..."
Before he finished speaking, there was a bang and the official ship shook. It turned out that the merchant ship had drifted over under the action of inertia.
Afterwards, Zhao Mengqi stood up holding on to the side of the ship. In the smoke, although there was fire, he could not see the details of the merchant ship clearly. He rubbed his ears and faintly heard wailing and moaning. There were actually living people.
"The power seems a bit insufficient..."
Zhao Mengqi murmured and looked further away. He saw three flat boats behind the merchant ship, like frightened little ducks, trying to slow down and turn away.
"Want to run? It's too late!"
In the darkness, six 300-ton water tankers took off their disguises and surrounded them.
This kind of ordinary-looking canal can be seen everywhere in the canal. It is inconspicuous among the boats parked in the lake. In fact, it is not food or commercial goods, but the Dongwu Squadron led by Chang Geng.
With them here, Zhao Mengqi stopped paying attention to the escaping flat boats and focused on the merchant ships.
When the rain extinguished the fire above and dispersed the smoke, Wu Qiong put on a leather armor, took the lead and jumped to the merchant ship with a knife in his hand. With just one breath, a strong and weird smell rushed into his nose, making him almost unable to hold it down. Stop the churning in your chest and abdomen.
After lighting the torch, I could clearly see the situation on the ship. The deck was in a mess and dilapidated, with big holes blown out in several places.
Broken wood, twisted swords, and more human bodies were scattered all over the place, some were fragmentary, some were complete, some were motionless, and some were struggling and wailing.
Just a few steps in front of Wu Qiong, a water bandit was leaning on the base of the mast, pulling out his intestines that were flowing all over the floor, and stuffing them into the hole in his stomach with difficulty. The desire for survival in his eyes was extremely bright.
Wu Qiong stepped forward with the knife, pointed it at his heart, and stabbed it in, "How can you survive here? Please suffer less..."
Pulling out the knife, he heard someone else coming down behind him, "Be careful, there are many who are not dead, and watch when you land, some boards are not reliable..."
"I know." Gengzhi behind him responded, "Brother Qiong, His Highness asked us to be more agile and find the leader of the water bandits as soon as possible."
Zhao Mengqi saw that several young ladies were safe and sound in the bottom cabin. He felt relieved and comforted them a little. He left Qian Xiaopang with him and returned to the deck.
The rain gradually stopped, and the water on the lake two miles away was a little fierce. It was Chang Geng who was leading the people to suppress the water bandits on three flat boats.
Other boats moored in the lake
Still did not dare to turn on the light and remained silent.
At this time, a faint fire flashed in the direction of Pingwang Town, ten miles away, and there were faint sounds of shouting and fighting. It must be that the water bandits had left blocking personnel to fight with the town's defenders.
However, there are only more than a hundred forbidden troops in the town. They usually do security work and patrol the rivers, but they can't count on much combat effectiveness. That's why the water bandits dare to attack openly under their noses. ζ°.XX.♂
Speaking of which, the Song Dynasty pursued a policy of strong branches and weak branches, and the main military power was concentrated in the capital. Now that it was peaceful, most of the main forces had to be sent to the borders.
As for local areas, putting one or two hundred people in a transportation hub like Pingwang Town is already considered a serious matter. If banditry breaks out, it will basically be out of control.
In the past, there were only a few dozen bandits who could travel across the country and run wild in local areas. The government had no choice but to close the city gates. Some officials would even raise money and food, bribe the bandits, and send them gifts out of the country to allow them to leave the country. To cause harm to other places.
During Renzong's reign, Yao Zhongyue, the Gaoyou magistrate whom Fan Zhongyan rescued, allowed thieves to pass through his territory without paying any attention.
At the moment, Zhao Mengqi was also very curious about this water bandit. They were following him all the way. They probably knew his identity and were just here for him. He didn't know where the courage came from.
After waiting for a while, Wu Qiong finished searching the merchant ship and came to report, "Your Highness, there were originally more than a hundred people on the ship. About thirty or forty people were killed by the bombing. About thirty people were slightly injured and could survive, and there were ten more. A few of those who were knocked unconscious jumped into the water and ran away. They were fooling around and probably couldn't be caught. The good news is that the leader of the water bandits was injured and fainted. He hasn't woken up yet. He doesn't know if he can survive. In addition, he was also caught. An acquaintance, he and his father didn’t know how to swim, but they actually stayed on the boat and didn’t run away.”
"acquaintance?"
When Zhao Mengqi saw the Ding family father and son tied up in front of him, he suddenly realized, "Ding Zhigao? It's you? ...Avenging your grandfather? You can't tell. It turns out that you are still a bloody man, so there is nothing to say. Come, someone, send them to see Ding Daquan."
Upon hearing the order, Wu Qiong and Geng Zhi stepped forward and each of them grabbed one of them and dragged them to the side of the ship, as if they were going to execute them on the spot.
Ding Zhigao was frightened. While kicking and struggling, he shouted wildly, "Dad! Dad... I don't want to die. Please think of a way..."
His son's cry awakened Ding Shouweng, who had resigned himself to his fate, "Your Highness, wait, I have a secret to tell you. Not only is it related to Wanwan, but there is also a big secret about the Taihu water bandits!"
159. Flower of Death
