plumnovel Chapter 288 Two Groups
Chapter 288 Two Groups
Chapter 288 Two Groups
Huangbudun Wharf is usually a bustling hub for merchant ships. It had been somewhat deserted some time ago, but today it has revived. The wharf is filled with all sorts of people: merchants dressed in silk and satin, porters in short tunics and barefoot, archers from the patrol office with bows and swords at their waists, and many onlookers, crowding along the riverbank in layers.
"They're here! They're here!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone looked north. On the canal, three boats were lined up and slowly approaching, being towed by boatmen.
The first vessel was a shallow-hulled boat with a large red flag bearing the character "Cao" flying at its bow, fluttering in the afternoon sun. Behind it followed two smaller boats, their hulls heavily drafted, clearly loaded with people or supplies.
As the fleet drew closer, the crowd on the dock began to stir. Some stood on tiptoe, others climbed onto the cargo piles, trying to get a better look.
As the first shallow boat approached the shore, a strong, muscular man jumped off the bow. He was clad in leather armor and had a short sword at his waist; his movements were swift and efficient. He glanced around, then gestured to the boat, after which more people filed out.
"Is this the Cao family from Jiangyin?" someone in the crowd asked in a low voice.
"That's him. I heard he's a salt smuggler, and he's ruthless."
"Even salt smugglers can settle disputes for the government? What a world—"
"Who cares what they're selling, as long as it gets the canal open. My goods have been sitting in Changzhou for almost a month, and if I don't get them out soon, the buyer will come after me."
Amidst the whispers, Shao Shuyi briefly appeared on the deck, looked out, and then disappeared again.
He was not wearing armor, only a blue cloth robe, with a leather belt around his waist, a short knife hanging on his left side, and a quiver hanging on his right side.
Several people came up from the crowd, the leader of whom was Qian Dayong, a grain merchant from Wuxi.
He was wearing a brand-new silk robe, his face crinkled with laughter, and he cupped his hands in greeting to Yu Yuan, who was disembarking first, saying, "Cao She, you must be tired from your journey! I am Qian Dayong, and I have been waiting for you on behalf of the merchants of Wuxi for a long time."
"My elder brother is on the ship. If you need anything, look for these two," Bian Yuanheng said, pointing to Yu Yuan and Wang Xing, who had just disembarked.
Everyone was taken aback, but being seasoned professionals, they quickly recovered. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qian Dayong led Yu Yuan and Wang Xing toward a colorful tent that had been erected by the dock.
Inside the decorated tent were several long tables covered with red cloth, laden with wine, fruit, and a few plates of snacks—a welcome feast. The tent was surrounded by onlookers, craning their necks to peer inside and pointing and whispering.
"Yu She, please take a seat." Qian Dayong offered him a seat with great courtesy.
Yu Yuan didn't refuse. After returning the greeting, he pulled Wang Xing to sit down. This was an opportunity for his brother to hone his and Wang Xing's abilities; they could do it with confidence.
After casually eating some fruit, Qian Dayong leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Yu She, to be honest, the situation has been getting worse these past few days. You must tell the lower-ranking official."
"How so?" Yu Yuan asked, a thought flashing through his mind.
Qian Dayong sighed, took out a slip of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and handed it to Yu Yuan, saying, "I received news this morning that Bi Si's gang of thieves hijacked two more boats near Luoshe yesterday. One was carrying bamboo products, and the other was carrying cloth. The cargo on the boats was completely looted, two sailors were killed, and another was stabbed and thrown on the shore. When he was rescued, he couldn't speak and just kept trembling."
Yu Yuan took the note and glanced at it. He didn't say anything, but his expression already showed some displeasure.
These people have gone too far! What kind of skill is it to bully the weak? This time, we must teach them a lesson and, by the way, let my brother's fame spread throughout both sides of the canal.
Zhao Yinong chimed in, "Yu She, you may not know this, but what's most hateful is that Bi Si not only hijacked the ship, but also replaced the flag with his own—a black flag with a white 'Bi' character embroidered on it. Now, along the section from Luoshe to Wuxi, people at several ferry crossings have seen that black flag, terrifying the boat owners so much that they're all fleeing in terror."
"How far are they from Wuxi?" Yu Yuan was increasingly dissatisfied, but he suppressed his irritation and asked.
"Luoshe is only about thirty li from Wuxi. With the speed of the pirate ships, they can get there in a day." As Qian Dayong spoke, his expression turned grim. "Yushe, it's not that I'm trying to boost their morale, but these bandits are just too rampant. It's said that they not only rob ships on the water, but also send people ashore to harass us. A few days ago, there was a village near Luoshe. The bandits sneaked in at night, stole several pigs and sheep, and even killed an old farmer who refused to reveal the location of his hidden grain."
Yu Yuan clenched his fists secretly, and asked calmly, "Is there absolutely no movement from Changzhou?"
"Changzhou?" Qian Dayong gave a bitter smile and said, "Changzhou is too busy to take care of itself. Hububuhua did send troops, but the garrison troops refused to go any further when they reached the city, saying they had no boats and couldn't swim. A few archers who were good swimmers tried to sneak over to take a look, but they were discovered by the bandits, who shot them back with an arrow, and they were so scared that they never dared to go again."
The tent fell silent for a moment.
Yu Yuan picked up his wine cup, took a slow sip, and looked past the crowd toward the canal waterway to the south.
The river meandered and disappeared into the distant woods, its surface as calm as a mirror, revealing no danger. But he knew that the two sides would soon meet.
******
The day after Shao Shuyi and others arrived at Huangbudun, Bi Si's fleet was advancing southeast along the canal waterway.
The summer sun shone on the water, gleaming with a dazzling white light.
The three boats were sailing in a triangular formation in the middle of the river. The leading boat was a stolen official vessel. It was wide and had a deep draft. The deck and cabin were piled with all sorts of goods, including cloth, bamboo utensils, grain sacks, and wine jars, all haphazardly stacked together, like a shop that had been looted.
A black flag was planted at the bow of the ship, with the white character "毕" (bi) on it flailing wildly in the wind.
A man sat under the flagpole, shirtless, revealing his dark, muscular physique. He was about thirty years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a diagonal scar at the corner of his mouth. When he smiled, the scar creased up, making him look both ferocious and somewhat comical.
This is Bi Si, a fisherman from Huaixi. Two years ago, dissatisfied with the government's additional taxes on rivers and lakes, he led a group of fellow villagers in a rebellion, which spread throughout Huaixi. Now, he is causing chaos in Changzhou along the Grand Canal.
He was holding a golden-brown roasted chicken leg, tearing into it with gusto, oil dripping from the corners of his mouth, which he didn't wipe away, letting it drip onto his bare chest.
"Brother!" A thin man ran up from the stern of the boat, holding a bamboo pole, and said, "We've reached the high bridge ahead. Should we stop?"
"Stop right there!" Bi Si threw the chicken leg bone into the river, wiped his mouth, and said, "Keep going. There's nothing to rob around here in Luoshe. Let's keep going and find a place to camp."
"But—" The thin man hesitated for a moment, then said, "I just heard that a tough guy has come from Wuxi. He's a salt worker from Jiangyin named Cao Luo. He's brought dozens of men and has already docked at Huangbudun."
Upon hearing this, Bi Si grinned, revealing two rows of yellowed teeth. "Smuggled salt dealers? What kind of people haven't I seen when I was in Huaixi? If he dares to come, I'll rob him too."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the man on the bow, keeping watch, suddenly shouted, "Brother, there's a boat ahead!"
Bi Si stood up and squinted as he looked ahead. Sure enough, about three or four hundred paces away, at a bend in the river, a small cargo ship was slowly moving, its sails billowing in the wind, clearly trying to leave the area as soon as possible.
"Chase!" Bi Si gave the order, and the three ships immediately sped up.
The cargo ship had clearly spotted the pursuers, and its sails unfurled further, noticeably increasing its speed. However, Bi Si's ships were all stolen fast boats, light in size and with plenty of oarsmen; in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the distance between the two sides had been reduced to within a hundred paces.
Panic began to spread among the crew of the cargo ship. Several sailors ran to the stern, armed with bamboo poles and wooden sticks, and pretended to resist, but their hands were trembling.
Bi Si stood at the bow of the boat, drew a thick-backed machete from his waist, and waved it behind him. A dozen or so men immediately grabbed their weapons, some with knives and guns, others with bows and arrows, their faces contorted with rage, eager to fight.
The two ships were getting closer and closer.
Suddenly, someone on the cargo ship shouted in their direction: "Hero! Hero! We're just small business owners, please have mercy! Take all the cargo, just spare our lives!"
Bi Si laughed heartily upon hearing this. He didn't reply, but simply waved his hand. The archer behind him immediately stepped to the side, lowered his waist, drew the bowstring to its fullest extent, and fired an arrow at the cargo ship.
The arrow missed its target, but became lodged in the hull of the cargo ship, its fletching still trembling slightly.
Chaos erupted on the cargo ship. Some screamed, some jumped into the river, and others burst into tears. The sail, which had been billowing in the wind just moments before, had somehow fallen down, and the entire ship floated helplessly on the water like a duck with its neck being choked.
Bi Si's boat docked.
"All of you, get down! Hands over your heads! Anyone who moves dies!" Bi Si jumped onto the cargo ship, brandishing his machete and roaring.
The seven or eight people on the cargo ship immediately squatted down. Some were so frightened that they forgot to cover their heads and just stood there dumbfounded. They were kicked to the ground by one of Bi Si's men.
Bi Si glanced at the cargo hold, which was filled with pottery jars, pots, and bowls, all tied with straw and stacked neatly.
"Damn it!" Bi Si spat. He hated things that were fragile and worthless.
However, even though the goods weren't great, the men still had some valuables. He gave a signal, and his men immediately began searching them. Soon, they found over twenty ingots of paper money, a few small pieces of gold and silver, and two letters on the men who looked like merchants.
Bi Si had the money put away, and then opened the letter to take a look. He didn't know many characters and could only barely recognize a few words, such as "Respectfully yours" and "Respectfully submitted." After looking at it for a long time, he still couldn't understand it, so he simply threw it into the river.
"Brother, what should we do with these people?" the skinny man asked, pointing at the merchant squatting on the ground.
Bi Si glanced at them, and the men trembled with fear, their faces streaked with tears and snot.
"One person, one slash," Bi Si said casually.
"Bi Si!" Suddenly, a voice came from behind, deep and powerful, with a hint of displeasure.
Bi Si turned around and saw a woman standing at the stern of the boat.
The woman was as strong as an ox, with a face full of fat and a light beard around her lips.
Then look at her arms, they're so thick they could practically run a horse across them, much thicker than the arms of an average man.
His waist was as straight as a bucket, and his calves were as thick as other people's thighs—it was terrifying.
This woman, surnamed Xu, was from Chenzhou. She was fierce by nature, highly skilled, and fearless in battle. Everyone respected her and gave her the nickname "Mother Tiger".
"What?" Bi Si asked impatiently.
The woman stepped forward and said, "If you kill them, who will deliver the message? Since the merchants of Wuxi have pooled their money to hire people, we want them to know who's in charge of the canal. If you kill them all, who will take that message with them?"
Bi Si frowned, seemingly wanting to object, but ultimately said nothing, only waving his hand and saying, "Everyone make one cut, but don't hit vital points."
His men moved at the command, blades flashed, and screams rose and fell. Everyone on the cargo ship was slashed, some on the shoulder, some on the arm, blood flowing freely, but none of the wounds were fatal.
The woman stopped looking at Bi Si, turned around and jumped back into her boat.
That was the second ship in Bi Si's fleet. It was smaller than the official ship he commanded, but it was long, shallow, and fast.
Instead of a black flag, a small blue flag with the character "许" embroidered on it was hung at the bow of the ship.
Clearly, this is the number two figure in the gang.
The female tiger was quite famous in her hometown; not only was she a good fighter, but she also ran a loan sharking business.
The people on this ship were all his men. Unlike Bi Si's group of fierce-looking men, the people on this ship were more silent, more efficient, and even the deck was cleaner.
There were sixteen of them in total, all of whom had fought their way out of Chenzhou, and they should not be underestimated.
After returning to the cabin, the woman sat down with an air of authority.
A relatively handsome young man next to him poured a bowl of wine and handed it over.
The woman picked up the wine bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and then gently pinched the handsome young man's chin with her large, fan-like hand.
A smile spread across the young man's face.
The woman's hand slid down the young man's neck and finally reached into his crotch.
The young man's face turned pale.
The woman scoffed and said, "Useless piece of trash, get out."
Several thieves were sitting in the cabin, and they burst into laughter upon seeing this.
The female tiger has a thing for handsome young men, but these kinds of young men are the most vulnerable to abuse. In the end, the female tiger always manages to break them down. The one in front of her is the third one along the way. The previous two were already too weak to handle and were driven away by the female tiger halfway through.
There was actually some disagreement between Bi Si and Mu Dachong regarding this disturbance on the canal.
The former planned to plunder and kill his way back, then take his boat back to Huaixi and live a comfortable life.
The latter felt that Huaixi was doomed, and that going back meant certain death—either being killed, starving, or dying of disease.
The female tiger suggested finding a good place in Changzhou, a region encompassing two prefectures and two counties, to become a local strongman, or simply accepting the government's offer of amnesty and gaining a foothold.
Neither side could convince the other on this one matter, and their relationship was starting to drift apart.
That evening, Bi Si's fleet stopped in a river bend southeast of Luoshe and set up camp to cook dinner.
Smoke rose from the reeds, appearing particularly glaring in the twilight.
On the shore, several villagers, hiding in the bushes, watched from afar, not daring to breathe. They saw the thieves unload wine jars from the boat, sit around the campfire, drink and eat meat, and some even started singing unknown folk songs at the top of their lungs. The songs drifted in the twilight, carrying a wild and unrestrained air.
One of the people quietly stepped back and turned to run towards Wuxi.
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