Chapter 450: Black Ship Interception
Heartbeat? No, Bodhisattva, you are a devil... Zhao Duan's mouth twitched.
In a trance, I felt like I had become Tang Sanzang, trapped in the Kingdom of Women, with the Queen of the Kingdom standing in front of me, constantly teasing me, chanting in my ear: "Elder Tang, look at me..."
Zhao Duan's face was solemn. He stepped back a few steps, looked away, and said unhappily, "Buddha, please stop joking!"
"Haha... Mr. Zhao is so cute," Prajna Bodhisattva smiled brightly, like an aunt teasing her nephew, and joked:
"Don't worry, I have given up all thoughts and devoted myself to Buddhism. I just came to ask you to go out for dinner."
After saying this, the nun who was used to wearing a light gauze monk's robe turned around and walked out of the dock gracefully.
"Huh..." Zhao Duan wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand, looking helpless.
The old woman came to the door on her own initiative because Prajna Bodhisattva was preparing to go south to receive the "legacy" left by Master Dajing, so she decided to go with him.
This matter has been reported to the empress. Taking into consideration that with Eunuch Hai by his side and an additional Bodhisattva accompanying him, Zhao Duan's safety factor has greatly increased, the empress generously approved it.
As for the dangers...
Because of the Buddhist debate, Prajna Bodhisattva's position was different from that of Nagarjuna and Xuanyin, and he had to rely on the court's help.
Zhao Duan vaguely knew that the imperial court also intended to form an alliance with this old nun to balance the power of Shenlong Temple.
Therefore, apart from the fact that the old nun teased him from time to time along the way, rational judgment was indeed a great help.
In particular, the most important destination of Prajna Bodhisattva’s journey is also to achieve enlightenment.
"Just eat, why are you being so ambiguous?"
Zhao Duan complained and stepped out of the cabin, feeling a warm breeze blowing towards him.
It is now late spring, the river breeze is moist and warm, the mountains on both sides of the canal are turning green, and on the deck, familiar figures are standing or sitting.
"grown ups!"
Several trusted officers of Lihua Hall were moving benches, tables and chairs onto the deck and greeting him.
Lang Shiba, holding a wine gourd, and Ji Yue, who suffers from severe social anxiety, are still hiding in the corner of the deck.
"Young Guard!"
On the deck, in the martial arts hall, a group of imperial masters led by Tang Jinzhong and Song Jinxi saluted.
It is worth mentioning that in order to keep a low profile, no one on the ship wore official robes, but just dressed as guards.
Zhao Duan nodded and walked over to Hai Chunlin, who was standing at the side of the boat, looking ahead with his hands behind his back.
"What are you looking at, Grandpa?"
Eunuch Hai was dressed like a wealthy man, wearing a small melon-shaped hat with a few wisps of silver hair peeking out from under the veil. He looked at the boats passing by in the distance on the river and said:
"Go further and you'll be in Jianning Prefecture."
Jianning Prefecture... the largest prefecture in Jiancheng Dao. Prince Jing's Mansion is also located in the city. There are also several local wealthy families in the prefecture. It can be said to be the center of Jiancheng Dao.
Luoshan, where the empress performed the Fengshan ceremony, is also located in Jianning Prefecture, but is some distance away from the prefectural capital.
"Do you know what kind of ships are most common in this place?" asked Eunuch Hai.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Don't underestimate me, sir. Although I've never been here, I've done some research. If the Huai River has the most merchant ships, then the Jiancheng Road is most famous for its grain transport vessels."
"Yes, the canal transport," Eunuch Hai said with emotion:
"The south has a mild climate, and two or even three crops can be grown in a year. In addition, the capital is in the north, so grain can be transported from the south to the north. This is due to the canal dug by the previous dynasty. Initially, the canal was only widened to the Huai River. At that time, the Huai River was the main transportation hub.
Later, it gradually expanded southward, and now the core of the grain transport has reached Jianning Prefecture. Oh, if it weren't for the abundant grain production in Jianning Road, how could the Jingwang Mansion have the courage to challenge the imperial court?
Tsk, Lao Hai, you understand a lot. In the feudal era, the key to military power lies in who has enough food to support the troops. Prince Jing is indeed well-funded in this area... Zhao Duan's eyes are deep:
"The previous emperor also knew the pros and cons of this situation, so he established a grain transport governor in Jianning Prefecture to oversee grain transport affairs and also to manage local affairs. He was a powerful official of the second rank, much more powerful than a provincial governor.
This time, the appointment and dismissal of southern officials was accelerated thanks to the repeated urging of the Governor-General, Ning Zechen."
The Grand Canal Governor Ning Zechen...this name is also a legend in the officialdom of the State of Yu.
It is said that this person was born in a humble family. He passed the provincial examination at the age of 20, but failed the examination three times. In anger, he married into a wealthy family in Linfeng according to the marriage contract. At the wedding, this person wrote a couplet and posted it in the bridal chamber:
“Without a single acre of land, I worry about the world; having read thousands of books, I feel connected to the ancients.”
Later, Ning Zechen, a mere son-in-law, somehow became friends with the then governor. The two became friends through letters, regardless of age difference.
Later, with the recommendation of the governor, Ning Zechen got to know a large group of local ministers, and all the people he interacted with were big figures.
Until he was nearly forty years old, banditry broke out in the local area and there was an urgent shortage of manpower. Ning Zechen was invited by the prefect of Linfeng to enter the government office as a friend to help, and he became famous overnight.
He then entered the officialdom and went to the river to deal with bandits and handle local affairs. Because of his tough style of doing things, he was valued by the old emperor who was confused but not foolish at that time, and was promoted to the governor of the grain transport system to curb the southern powerful families.
After the Xuanmen coup, the empress ascended the throne, and Ning Zechen was one of the first local officials to submit a letter of loyalty, so he was also an important official of the imperial party.
"He's probably most happy that you're here this time." Eunuch Hai said with a smile.
Zhao Duan wondered, "Happy? Hasn't he heard of my terrible reputation?"
Eunuch Hai said:
"This Governor-General is different from those corrupt scholars in the capital. He only cares about ability and skill, not character. Although you have a bad reputation, your contributions over the past year are real. And since you're here to help him this time, how could he dislike you?"
Oh wow, he is a doer... rare... Zhao Duan nodded, showing some interest.
He had a very favorable impression of officials who did not participate in power struggles or party disputes, and who only focused on doing things regardless of who the emperor was.
This time he entered the realm of enlightenment.
Zhao Duan only does three things.
One is to prepare for the Fengshan ceremony, but this matter is not urgent and can be put aside for a while. It can be completed before Zhenbao goes south and arrives at Jiancheng Road.
The second is to investigate the situation of local officials and how powerful Prince Jing's power is.
The third and most important thing is to assist the Governor of the Grand Canal to crack down on the local powerful families here and make them quiet down. Then the new local officials who take office will be less constrained and it will be easier for them to implement new policies.
This will also prevent a new official from being unable to implement an order and having to face the erosion of sugar-coated bullets.
However, this matter is still difficult to handle. Zhao Duan has not yet come up with a plan. He plans to quietly enter the city, meet with the governor, and understand the situation here before making a plan.
"My lord, it's time to eat."
At this moment, he heard his subordinates calling him from behind. At the same time, the aroma of rich fish soup came from the kitchen on the boat.
Zhao Duan and Eunuch Hai stopped talking and turned to walk into the cabin.
In the corner of the deck, Lang Shiba stood up, took a few steps, turned his head and looked at Ji Yue, who was squatting at the side of the ship, holding his hands together like a "telescope" and pressing them against his eye sockets, stretching his neck to gaze into the distance, and asked curiously:
"It's time to eat. What are you looking at?"
Ji Yue did not move, still maintaining his strange posture, and said:
"Something's wrong up ahead."
…
…
Crash...
The sound of waves hitting the cabin was heard. It was noon and the boats on the river stopped one after another. The boatmen took a break to eat.
Feng Da came out of the ship's kitchen, carrying a food box, and walked straight to the officers standing guard on the deck, saying,
"Stop standing and sit down to eat."
Several officers did not move. The leading officer, an old soldier about fifty years old, smiled and said:
"Don't break the rules. You guards eat first, and then take turns with us. Otherwise, everyone on this ship will be slacking off, and with no one guarding, if the pirates surprise us, we'll all die."
Feng Da put down the lunch box and said jokingly:
"I know that you, Old Xu, have fought in the Southwestern Frontier Army and seen blood. Later, you came to our Canal Transport Office and served as a Canal Guard officer. You are very experienced. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so old and lead a team of people, and be chosen by the Governor to escort his wife..."
But where did these thieves come from on the river? The Governor is not here. Don't worry, my wife asked me to bring you food to show her your hardship along the way."
Hearing this, several soldiers who were on guard duty and had been feeling uneasy smiled and moved towards the food box.
The old soldier surnamed Xu scolded:
"Did you guys get moved? Have you forgotten the military discipline we usually talk about?"
Several young guards withdrew their hands awkwardly.
Feng Da smiled bitterly and shook his head. He admired her but also felt that it was a bit of an exaggeration.
Feng Da was a guard in the household of Ning Zechen, the Governor of the Grand Canal.
But to be precise, they were the guards of the governor's wife's family. However, after Ning Zechen rose to prominence as a son-in-law, his wife took the maids and guards from her natal family and left her natal family to follow her husband to form a new "Ning family".
Feng naturally became the chief guard of the Governor's Mansion.
During the Chinese New Year, the lady brought the young master and young lady back to her parents' home in Linfeng to visit relatives. They stayed there for a month or so and then returned to Jianning Mansion this time.
On the way, in addition to the guards at home, Ning Zechen also dispatched a team of elite sailors for protection.
The Grand Canal Administration was extremely powerful, with more than 200 civil and military officials under it, and nearly 20,000 people in charge of warehousing, shipbuilding, and grain transport troops.
If it were not in accordance with the laws of the court, the governor could not mobilize troops at will, and there was an upper limit on the escort specifications. There would be more officials on the ship at this moment.
but……
Feng Da felt that this was more than enough. The ship was equipped with elite sailors with crossbows and armor, and there was even a small simple cannon on board.
Ordinary pirates would not dare to offend Mrs. Ning, and even if they were really short-sighted, they would end up with no return.
"Well, anyway, Jianning Prefecture is just ahead. When we go back and see the governor, my wife will definitely recommend you for merit." Feng said with a big laugh.
The old soldier surnamed Xu frowned, stared at the front, and whispered:
"Something's wrong, cheer up!"
Feng Da was stunned and looked forward, then he saw a ship in the distance rapidly approaching this side. It didn't look like it was passing by at all, but gave people the impression that it was intending to crash straight into them!
"Raise the flag!" shouted the old soldier.
Immediately, a young official ran into the cabin, brought out a bright flag of the Grand Canal Administration, and waved it vigorously.
This is to show the identity. Almost no one on the boats traveling on the canal will fail to recognize the big flag of "Cao Yun Yamen".
However, the ship in the distance did not slow down, nor did it respond to any "flag signals", and it continued to approach rapidly.
And at this distance, you can vaguely see a group of people standing on the deck of the other ship.
"Alert! It's a black ship!"
The old soldier shouted.
The so-called black ships originally referred specifically to private ships on the river that were not registered with the government, but later came to refer to suspicious pirate ships.
"Pirates? Where did these pirates come from? Are they crazy? They didn't even avoid the flags of Caotai?" Feng Da was shocked and angry. He turned around and called the guards who were eating in the cabin to come out.
In the blink of an eye, the deck was full of people, and the officers were holding crossbows that could only be used in the military, locking onto suspicious ships.
He shouted loudly: "Stop! If you dare to come closer, I will shoot you immediately!!"
ahead.
On the rapidly approaching ship stood a group of masked Cao Gang killers. The leader had a scarf covering his face, a red ribbon tied around his right arm, and a long black stick slung behind his back.
It turned out to be Zuo Rong, the top thug of Jiancheng Daocao Gang and He Xiaolou's confidant.
"Master Rong, it seems that this is the ship. They are carrying military crossbows." A killer said next to him.
Zuo Rong, with only the upper half of his face exposed, had a cold look in his eyes and said:
"Reduce the speed of the ship and keep out of crossbow range."
…
"They slowed down."
Feng Da noticed that the black ship ahead had slowed down, and his heart relaxed. He smiled and said:
"It seems that he saw the manpower on our side and got scared."
Another Ning family guard, holding a knife, also said with a smile:
"A bunch of pirates who came from nowhere, aren't they scared silly when they see the crossbows in the army? Do you really think you can have a naval battle with them?"
Seeing this, the officers also relaxed, thinking that the other party would retreat after seeing clearly.
However, when everyone was concentrating on staring at the black ship in front of them, they did not notice that the water surface behind the ship was slowly breaking open.
More than twenty "water ghosts" came out. These killers who were very good at swimming were only wearing shorts, with naked upper bodies and daggers in their mouths.
They climbed onto the ship silently, split into two groups, approached the guards standing at the back, and then suddenly attacked.
"puff!"
"puff!"
With a muffled groan, several corpses were left behind in the blink of an eye.
"Oh no! Someone is climbing up...Ah!"
"Behind! Behind!"
The guards and soldiers who came to their senses were shocked and hurriedly fought with the killers, but how could a group of servants and guards defeat the well-trained water ghosts?
In the blink of an eye, several more people died.
The soldiers were at this distance and were blocked by guards, so they couldn't use their crossbows at all. They had to draw their swords hastily, but were blocked by the terrain. For a moment, there was chaos, with only shouts of killing. From time to time, blood spurted out like a fountain, splashing on the cabin windows.
"I'll go first, and you guys follow."
On the deck of the black ship.
Zuo Rong said lightly, and then the Cao Gang's number one killer bent his stance and lowered his knees, suddenly jumped out of the boat, stepped on the water with his feet, and it was as if he was walking on flat ground. With extraordinary lightness skills, he was like a big bird, and in a few breaths, he flew to the front of the boat.
While in mid-air, he pulled out a long black stick with his backhand, and with a "woosh" sound, he smashed the head of the old soldier named Xu who had drawn his sword and was charging towards him with a "bang"!
Like a smashed watermelon!
The old soldier's headless body shook, then fell off the boat with a splash, hitting the water and splashing waves.
"Old Xu?!!!"
Feng Da's pupils suddenly narrowed and he shouted at the top of his lungs. A surge of anger rose in him, making him forget his fear for a moment. He raised his knife and slashed at Zuo Rong who had jumped onto the deck.
However, Feng Da only felt a flash before his eyes, and the other party disappeared, and then he felt someone pulling his hair.
Before he could turn his head, he saw in a daze that his lower body had rushed out of the deck and fallen into the river right under his nose.
He was stunned for a moment before realizing that his waist had been severed by the opponent's stick. Only his upper body was left, and he was hung in the air by his hair by the martial artist killer.
The severe pain hit him belatedly, and Feng Da let out a heartbreaking scream.
Zuo Rong casually threw him on the deck and swept across with the long black stick in his hand. The remaining surviving soldiers and guards had no power to resist and were all killed in a few breaths.
Some people were so scared that they jumped off the boat to survive, but were also slashed in the throat with daggers by the "water ghosts" hiding underwater.
Below the boat, the river water turned red.
The entire ship was dead silent. Zuo Rong, holding a long stick, stepped over the blood and corpses with his boots and arrived in front of the cabin. He raised his hand and pushed open the cabin door.
With a squeak.
The cabin was empty, with no one there, except for a half-eaten meal on the small table.
"Madam Ning, please come out. Don't hide. Do you think you can hide on such a big ship?"
Zuo Rong said with a smile.
No one answered.
He was not in a hurry, so he walked around the small cabin with a long black stick in his hand, his steps neither hurried nor slow. When he reached a certain place, he suddenly poked the ground with the long stick without any warning!
"puff!"
The long stick sank into the floor, and a low cry came from below.
"I found you."
Zuo Rong grinned grimly, squatted down, and used his hands to forcibly remove the piece of floor that served as a secret door, revealing a small space underneath. Inside, a well-maintained lady was curled up, holding a young girl in her arms.
"mother……"
The girl trembled. Madam Ning held her daughter tightly in her arms. She raised her head with an unusually calm expression and stared at him:
"I'll go with you."
(End of this chapter)
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