The Golden Age Chapter 572: Fight on the river
It was not a day on the way. When I arrived at Dongyang County, I entered Huaishui from the canal and turned to the east. It took less than two days to enter the southern entrance of Tongji Canal.
The two dynasties naturally made great efforts on the lifeline of this empire.
Once on this canal, some powerful water bandits would looting ships, causing considerable losses, and even making the cargo ships passing by on the canal fearful, but the court can turn a blind eye to some bandits who occupy the mountain as king. One eye, but any water bandit who threatens this lifeline canal is unceremonious.
From Luokou to Hangzhou, the long canal line will have water transport piers at every other segment. In addition to facilitating the berthing of merchant ships and passenger ships, the piers also have official ships on standby throughout the year. Whenever there are conditions on the water, the water transport yamen sailors They will board the ship immediately and fight off the bandits offshore.
The water bandits caught on the canal are even more unceremonious, almost always making a decisive decision.
So the cost of looting on this canal will be very high, or it will be successful, but if there is a miss, it will be a head-off.
Except for the occasional strongman who actually hangs his head on the waistband to make a vote, banditry in the canal is already very rare.
However, unless it is too urgent, most cargo ships try to avoid navigating at night. During the day, ships go back and forth on the canal. At night, the ships on the canal are rare, and they often stay at the nearest pier for a night and wait for the next day. Depart early in the morning.
Because of this, the piers along the way will be very lively, with gambling shops and wine shops lined up like clouds.
I did not spend the night on the boat. After seeing the bustling and busyness when passing the pier, there was a long road in silence and darkness. Fortunately, the boatmen of the two official boats traveled back and forth in the canal all year round and were very familiar with the conditions of the waterways. Even at night, he can move forward accurately.
It is late at night. Tonight, it is Chen Zhitai and Geng Shao's turn to perform their duties. The night breeze is blowing. Standing on the bow of the boat, Chen Zhitai looks at the darkness ahead and feels a little gloomy.
He hopes to get to Jiangnan earlier and see the Yinggeyan Dance in Jiangnan, but after a few days, the road seems to have no end, and he doesn't know when he will arrive in Jiangnan.
"Old Geng, what are you thinking?" Turning his head to see Geng Shao sitting on the deck with his back leaning on the boat, Chen Zhitai curiously said: "What's your mind? Tell me more. Broad knowledge, maybe you can enlighten and enlighten you."
Geng Shao ignored it.
Chen Zhitai approached, sat down next to Geng Shao, stabbed Geng Shao with his arm, and chuckled, "Is it dead in the night, thinking about women again?"
"You have nothing else in your mind except this?" Geng Shao glanced at him and said softly: "I'm just curious about what I am going to do in Jiangnan this time."
Chen Zhitai said in amazement: "I didn't say your lord. He is an official of Dali Temple. He has just taken office. He is going to inspect the case in Jiangnan. Old Geng, do you think women want to be stupid, and even forgot about this?" /
"I think you can't think of anything other than women in your mind." Geng Shao sneered and whispered: "Did you find that guy with a fake beard is sneaky?"
"You mean the guy who looks like a wandering soul?" Chen Zhitai came closer, lowering his voice: "Old Geng, you said his beard is fake?"
Geng Shao looked at Chen Zhitai with a strange look, and said in surprise: "You didn't see it?"
Two officials from Chen Xi and Ziyijian pretended to be Dali Temple torture officers. The six real torture officers of Dali Temple knew from the beginning that the three were not from Dali Temple, and they soon discovered that they were not from Dali Temple. They were pretending to be eunuchs. At first, the three of Fat Fish didn’t know that they were not the torture officers of Dali Temple. Qin Xiao did not say much to them. However, after getting along these days, Fat Fish and Geng Shao had long discovered that Chen Xi was an eunuch. Pretending to be an eunuch, Geng Shao was surprised that Chen Zhitai had realized that Chen Xi was an eunuch.
Chen Zhitai was a little embarrassed, touched his head and laughed dryly: "Some doubts, I'm not sure."
"The man walked silently. He appeared behind me a few times without any notice at all." Geng Shao said, "Every time I see this man, I feel a little hairy in my heart, just like I was in the white tiger at the beginning. When I was in the camp, every time I saw the deputy commander Liu...!" Thinking of Chen Zhitai, he didn’t know who deputy commander Liu was. Above the adults. I heard people say that there is a frightening yamen in Kyoto called the Ziyijian. There are a group of eunuchs in the Ziyijian, and there are many masters. I wonder if this person is also a member of the Ziyijian?"
Chen Zhitai touched his rough beard and said: "Old Geng, your lord is going to patrol the case in the south of the Yangtze River, what will the **** do with him?"
"That's the problem." Geng Shao frowned, "If the adult is only patrolling the case, why should the people of the Ziyi Supervisor follow? And he is also a master of the Ziyi Supervisor. I see that the **** is not very polite to the adults, sir The relationship between the two seems not to be good for him. In that case...!" After a moment of silence, Chen Zhitai looked at Geng Shao and saw that he hadn't spoken for a long time, so he couldn't help asking: "Old Geng. , If you have something to say, you should fart after holding back for a long time...!"
Before he could speak, Geng Shao suddenly raised his hand and covered his mouth. Chen Zhitai was taken aback, not knowing what Geng Shao intended, but Geng Shao had already said solemnly: "Don't speak." He stood up and looked forward, the night breeze was blowing, and the water was swaying slightly.
"What's the matter?" Chen Zhitai looked blank. Seeing Geng Shao's solemn expression, he followed Chen Zhitai's gaze and looked forward. Apart from the darkness, nothing could be seen.
"Did you hear the sound?" Geng Shao asked: "It seems...like a fighting sound?"
Chen Zhitai was startled. Before speaking, he heard a voice from behind and said: "Your ears are very sensitive, yes, someone in front is fighting."
Geng Shao and Chen Zhitai were both taken aback, and turned around, only to see Chen Xi appearing behind them at some unknown time, like ghosts.
Geng Shao saw Chen Xi's eyes as sharp as a falcon, staring at him with a dreadful heart, but at this moment, he heard footsteps, looked up, and saw Qin Xiao and Gu Baiyi walking quickly.
"My lord!" The two hurried to greet him, and Geng Shao pointed to the front of the bow: "The sound of fighting is coming from the front, as if they are not far away."
"It's really not far." Qin Xiao nodded. He hadn't slept before and talked with Gu Baiyi late at night. Before Geng Shao heard the movement, he had faintly heard the sound coming from the front and hurried out immediately. , But Chen Xi clearly noticed it faster than Qin Xiao.
At this time, Geng Shao saw that Qin Xiao was actually holding a knife in his hand. The scabbard was different from an ordinary knife, and the whole body was pitch black.
Chen Xi's gaze also fell on Qin Xiao's knife, slightly surprised: "Golden Crow Knife?"
"Do you know?" Qin Xiao glanced at Chen Xi.
This knife was given by a saint when he was in Kyoto. That time, the saint not only gave cloth gold, but also gave Qin Xiao a knife, which was qualified to be a saber.
When Qin Xiao saw this knife for the first time, he felt very special. He thought it was a gift from a saint, so he couldn’t swagger around with the knife. After all, in the deep waters of Kyoto, sometimes he still needs to keep a low profile. Some.
He kept this knife in the mansion. This time, he brought it out when he went to the south of the Yangtze River. It was also put in his luggage and was not worn on his body. However, he heard the sound of fighting on the canal and things were not right, so he took it. Knife in hand.
Although he is only in the fourth-rank realm, he has been taught by the blood demon ancestor. He has a sword in his hand, and his strength is not as simple as that of the fourth-rank. With a sword in his hand, Xiao Qin will feel at ease.
Chen Xi didn't say much, just cast her eyes forward.
Chen Zhitai glanced at Chen Xi and thought
This dog doesn’t even answer the words of an adult. It’s really bullish. If there is a chance, you need to take care of the dead eunuch. But when he thinks that this person is a master of the purple clothes prison, the mind just born is immediately put out. .
"In the past few years, there have been seldom heard of water bandits on the canal." Gu Baiyi carried behind his back with one hand and looked forward: "Is someone robbing the ship?"
"Speed up the boat." Qin Xiao instructed to go down.
The official ship broke through the water and accelerated, and the sound of fighting in front became clearer and clearer. Suddenly the fire light lit up. Not far in front, the fire light suddenly lit up. Qin Xiao's eyes were so strong that he vaguely saw the one ahead. The boat stopped in the middle of the canal, and the silhouettes of the people on the boat were still fighting.
"Someone set fire to the boat." Qin Xiao said solemnly.
"It's not a cargo ship." Gu Baiyi could also see clearly.
The few people on the side understood what Gu Baiyi meant. If it was really a water bandit looting, it could only be to choose a cargo ship to **** the cargo on the ship. Since it is not a cargo ship ahead, there are almost no water bandits who risk beheading. Looting, after all, water bandits killing people is not the purpose, the main purpose is to seek money, there is no cargo on board, for ordinary water bandits will not start.
Faixin and Fat Yu were still asleep, but a movement on the boat also awakened them and hurried to the bow of the boat.
The flames on the ship opposite were getting bigger and bigger. The fire took advantage of the wind, and it was extremely fierce. Under the fire, two groups of people were fighting hard. One of them was all in black, fighting against the widows. There were only two or three people, dressed as ordinary people, under the siege of the men in black, it was already dangerous.
The official ship approached quickly, apparently also alarming the group of people in black. Someone shouted: "The officers and soldiers are here."
Official ships are very different from ordinary ships. People who have been on the water for a long time can recognize the official ships at a glance.
The fire was violent, and with the official ship coming, the group of people in black didn't know how many soldiers there were on the official ship. Someone blew a loud whistle, and the people in black immediately jumped into the water from the ship and dived quickly. , Looking at their movements, it is obvious that they are all very water-based.
Qin Xiao has already prepared here, there is still some distance from the boat. Qin Xiao has already jumped on the side of the boat, pedaling with both feet, and the whole person has floated out like an eagle and landed on the bow of the boat. superior.
Two men in black rushed out in the cabin, but they were pulling a woman with a messy hair. They met Qin Xiao head-on, and saw Qin Xiao holding a knife in his hand, staring coldly at him, a black clothed woman. People didn't hesitate, rushed forward, swung a knife and slashed down at Qin Xiao. The attack was fierce, and it was clear that they wanted to take Qin Xiao's life.
"Choke!"
The Golden Crow Sword was out of its sheath, and under the fire, the Golden Crow Sword was black and icy. The man's sword was still a finger away from the top of Qin Xiao's head. Qin Xiao waved his arm, and the light of the knife passed, and it was already neat and clean. Cut the man's throat.
The other person was taken aback, and dragged the woman back into the cabin, but Qin Xiao was already behind him. He immediately came behind the man, punched his fist, and hit the back of the man's head hard. The man didn't even hum. With a grunt, he threw himself straight forward.
At this time, Geng Shao and Fat Yu had already jumped over from the official ship, holding knives in their hands, only to see seven or eight corpses lying on the deck. In addition to the men in black who were killed by Qin Xiao, there were two others. The body of a man in black, the rest are ordinary clothes, obviously the person on the ship.
When the official ship approached, almost all the people in black jumped into the water. After entering the water, they disappeared. Qin Xiao killed one person, knocked out one person, and when the knocked out black person fell down, The woman fell down in front of the cabin, her clothes were untidy, her hair dangled, her face pale, and in the light of the fire, Qin Xiao saw that this woman was in her early thirties, not the slenderness of a girl, but the plumpness of a mature woman, that one. Qifenzi's face was pale, as if she had been scared away from her soul.