Niao Ni
Chapter 333 Night Mooring at Yingzhou, Thieves Arrive
However, today's Yingzhou City seems somewhat dilapidated. It's not that the scenery is dim or the houses are old, but the pedestrians on the street have a dull expression and are devoid of vitality. The vendors shouting on the street are also unable to cheer up. Pancakes, fried dough sticks… all seem to have cooled down and withered.
Even the wharf outside the city is not very lively. Most of the ships going back and forth along the Qing Kingdom waterways choose to dock at the downstream wharf, abandoning this place. Only a few scattered ships are parked at the wharf, which makes one of them, a large ship that is eighty percent new, particularly conspicuous.
The reason why Yingzhou has become like this today is partly due to nature. Last year, the Great River flooded, collapsing the dams upstream, and the yellow waves poured directly into the fields, drowning countless people and destroying countless houses. Fortunately, the weather turned cold quickly after the disaster, and there was no major epidemic. However, such a traumatic ordeal has also made the entire Yingzhou seem lifeless.
The second reason is the officials. The current governor of Yingzhou was a disciple of the emperor in his early years, but he did not receive any blessings from the holy emperor. He only knew how to show off his power and do evil in the state city, curry favor with his superiors, and oppress merchants and people. Not to mention repairing the river course, he couldn't even maintain general law and order. He only knew how to collect exorbitant taxes and levies. Moreover, it has always been rumored that this governor has some connections with the bandits in the mountains across the river. With such a shepherd of a state, the people's livelihood naturally withered, and merchants fled in secret. Legitimate businessmen couldn't avoid it in time, so who would dare to stay in the city.
The third reason is the bandits. The people of Yingzhou have a fierce folk custom, and since ancient times, they have had the glorious tradition of raising hoes to fight against the government. Now, with such a terrible official, the poor people who go down to the river and up to the mountains are naturally increasing in number.
However, since the beginning of this year, the situation seems to have changed a lot. First of all, the Yingzhou governor was invited to tea by the patrol division of the Supervisory Council stationed in the state city. Just when the people of Yingzhou were secretly happy, thinking that the governor was finally going to fall, the governor was respectfully sent back by the Supervisory Council. And just when people were disappointed, thinking that Yingzhou would continue to decline like this, the governor died!
People from Kyoto investigated for a long time before confirming that the governor's death had nothing to do with any conspiracy, but was simply due to illness.
On the day the governor died, the people of Yingzhou silently lit countless strings of firecrackers. Naturally, no one dared to say it was to celebrate the death of the plague god, which made people who didn't know the inside story think that the people of Yingzhou had chosen to get married collectively on this day.
Another change is that the bandits in the mountains across the river seem to have become much more honest. The largest寨 (zhai - mountain stronghold) seems to have been bloodbathed in one day, and the bandits have been fragmented. It is said that a big figure in the Jianghu (martial arts world) has come from Jiangnan and is trying to subdue this force.
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The people of Yingzhou were not happy for long, only thinking that they had celebrated a small New Year in advance.
Because the governor is dead, the imperial court will send another governor next year, and if the bandits collapse, a large number of bandits will immediately emerge. The lives of the common people are still so difficult, and there will be no qualitative change.
In a warehouse next to the wharf, a dozen coolies were gathered together, discussing something. Even if the wharf was deserted, chatting during the day was not the professional attitude that coolies should have, and the ferocious expressions on their faces seemed to reveal their other identities.
Surrounded in the center was a woman, about twenty years old, with regular features. She couldn't be considered a beauty, but there was a hint of ruthlessness between her brows and eyes. As soon as she spoke, the men around her shut up obediently, it seemed she was a leader.
"It's been investigated, they are tea merchants, coming from Kyoto."
"Sister Guan, there are guards on their ship," a coolie reminded.
The person called Sister Guan is a well-known bandit leader near Yingzhou. She hasn't been in Yingzhou for a long time, but she has already gathered a large number of powerful bandit leaders. It is rumored that she has a big background behind her.
Sister Guan sneered, "They're just merchants, what's so important about them? Besides, you've all scouted the place, you don't need me to tell you how heavy the boxes in the rear cabin are, right?"
The words were plain, but as soon as the boxes were mentioned, the coolies' eyes began to burn with desire. Walking in the Jianghu, genuine bandits look at the dust raised by the wheels to judge the weight of the goods in the vehicle, and thus determine the value. And the bandits near Yingzhou should actually belong to the category of river pirates, and they are best at judging what is loaded on the ship from the depth of the ship's draft.
Yesterday, a large ship suddenly docked at the wharf. The hull was about eighty percent new. Looking at the thickness of the green moss on the ship's horizontal planks, people who often hang around the wharf know that the ship has probably not been launched for a long time. It is rare to see such a large ship in Yingzhou now, and for the bandits, it is even more of a rare fat sheep. While the people on the ship were disembarking to buy food, vegetables, and clean water, some people had already inquired clearly about the situation on the ship.
What puzzled these bandits was, since they were tea merchants, why would they load so much heavy cargo in the back of the ship? So that the ship's draft was obviously different from ordinary ships. This question was finally answered after a cook who was an informant boarded the ship - in the heavily guarded cabin at the rear of the ship, there was a box, looking at the load-bearing situation of the ship's board, and the faint scratches on the iron key of the cabin, the bandits extremely sharply discovered that the box was actually full of silver!
"No one would bring so much silver down to Jiangnan to buy tea."
Sister Guan actually still had some doubts in her heart, but since the公子 (gongzi - young master) wanted to subdue the bandits near Yingzhou, he had to do a few big deals to let these sweaty bandits around him smell some scent. Moreover, the 公子's things to do after the beginning of spring do need silver, otherwise she wouldn't be so hasty in attacking ships everywhere.
A bandit also felt that something was strange and said, "The draft is deep, and the ship is not carrying any goods... maybe the bottom hold is pressed with river stones, and Sister-in-law San didn't see it clearly."
Sister Guan shook her head and said, "Why would you need ballast stones if it's not a seagoing ship? I just think it's strange, why would the merchants on that big ship... carry so much cash."
"Cash is good." A bandit giggled and said, "We wouldn't dare to go to get the silver notes if we robbed them." These words immediately received the response of his companions, and they laughed together, full of greed in their laughter.
Sister Guan frowned and said, "The problem is... which merchant would carry cash now? Aren't they worried about safety?"
The bandits looked at Sister Guan, thinking that this leader was doing things decisively and ruthlessly, and she was very accurate in choosing targets. Taking advantage of the opportunity when the governor was absent, she led the brothers to do several major cases. But... sometimes she was too careful. Safety, this should be asked to that stupid tea merchant, why ask the brothers?
Sister Guan waved and called over Sister-in-law San, who was in charge of gathering information. Sister-in-law San had a dark and lean face, and said flatteringly, "Don't worry, there are only a dozen guards in total, plus a maid and a child. The master is a frail young man, he looks beautiful, but he doesn't know how to hide it at all. I think he is an incompetent second generation rich kid from Kyoto, who was driven to Jiangnan by his elders to temper himself."
Bringing a maid, it seems that the young merchant can't stand the loneliness at night. Sister Guan sneered, slightly relieved. If the tea merchant was really a thoughtful person, he wouldn't be drifting on the Great River with a woman. Perhaps he was really a useless second generation rich kid, thinking that shiny silver was more comfortable to smash than silver notes.
As for the dozen guards, they were not in her eyes. The dozen brothers under her command were all ruthless bandits who had several lives on their hands. She believed that when they boarded the ship at night, those guards would only have two choices: death or jumping into the river.
The bandits around her looked at each other, and suddenly laughed lewdly, saying, "Sister Guan, if things go well tonight... give us the maid as a reward."
Sister Guan blinked her eyes, revealing a hint of contempt: "Look at your lack of promise! As long as the silver is in hand, other things will naturally be up to you."
After a pause, she chuckled, her laughter incomparably cold and evil: "Keep your hands and feet clean, don't leave any survivors, and after the event, pull the boat to Erhu Beach and burn it."
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The night outside Yingzhou City was very quiet. The moon above the majestic ridge across the river coldly illuminated the rushing Great River, seemingly subduing the roar of the river water a lot. Several boats were moored lonely at the wharf. It was already past midnight, when people were sleeping soundly. The lights on the boats had long been extinguished, and the merchants had already fallen asleep.
Under the gentle caress of the moonlight, a dozen dark shadows silently touched the shore, sneaked into the river, swam to the back of the largest boat, and then took out hooks and ropes from their bodies. Some of them were even empty-handed, climbing onto the boat along the tow ropes, like countless monkeys that had been soaked in water, incredibly agile.
In just a moment, these night-attacking bandits had already climbed onto the big ship and disappeared into the darkness.
Sister Guan had a cold knife in her mouth, silently climbed to the second floor, and under the cover of the ship's cabin shadows, went straight to the back. Everyone in the warehouse had discussed it clearly, and they knew the layout of the ship like the back of their hand, knowing that the box full of silver was in the back cabin.
In the darkness behind her, there was a faint sound, followed by someone falling on the deck, making a soft sound. She frowned, thinking that these little bastards didn't know how to be careful. If they alarmed all the guards at the same time, although she wasn't afraid, it would always be troublesome.
Arriving outside the cabin, she was somewhat surprised to find no guards. At this time, several muffled groans came from the ships in the night. Sister Guan knew that her subordinates were gradually invading the middle cabin, and her heart was slightly settled. Her finger hooked the door panel, and with a little force on the tip of the knife, she quietly opened the cabin door. In the next moment, she had already touched a box in the darkness.
Taking advantage of the faint afterglow from the window in front, Sister Guan saw the size of the box clearly, and couldn't help but gasp. Sister-in-law San didn't explain it clearly, only saying that looking at the size and weight of the box, it was estimated to be over a thousand taels... but Sister Guan couldn't believe it, she touched the box and estimated the size... Heavens, how much silver would it take to fill such a big box!
She suddenly felt a little scared. People who could carry so much silver with them, even if they were second generation rich kids, were probably the richest second generation rich kids in Kyoto. Once this matter was exposed, facing the anger in Kyoto, she was afraid that the 公子 behind her would not be able to bear it.
Don't kill that second generation rich kid! This was the first thought that涌 (yong - surged) up in Sister Guan's heart, but she immediately thought that what's done cannot be undone, and she couldn't hesitate. Moreover, so much silver was enough to do too many things.
She carefully took out the tools and spent a long time opening the box.
A gleam of silver suddenly filled the entire cabin!
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Sister Guan stared blankly at the box in front of her, her face full of shock and disbelief!
Even though she was a person who lived on the edge of a knife, accustomed to seeing silver stained with blood, she was still dazzled and captivated by the neatly stacked silver ingots in the box tonight. Her usually cold eyes began to reveal greed.
But she immediately became alert. No matter how bright the moonlight, no matter how beautiful the silver, it was impossible to emit such an alluring light!
She suddenly looked back and saw a middle-aged man with a solemn face, holding a white light in one hand and a surprisingly long broadsword in the other, coldly looking at her.
Hu Wei (Tiger Guard) Gao Da, had given Sister Guan enough time to admire the silver, according to Fan Xian's instructions, and slowly chopped down with his knife.
Sister Guan raised her knife.
However, that slow slash of the long knife was like an unstoppable flood, instantly collapsing the defense and defenses in the mind of this female bandit from the Great River, causing her to watch her left hand being chopped off in agony and despair, with blood spurting out along with excruciating pain!
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The lights were lit in the middle cabin of the ship. Sister Guan, who had been dragged into the room, had disheveled hair and a chaotic mood.
All the bandits who had climbed onto the ship with her had been easily disarmed and knocked unconscious, tied up like dumplings, and neatly piled on the deck. Several Sixth Bureau swordsmen wearing black clothes and standing guard, as if nothing had happened, each guarded the four sides.
She raised her head, looking through her hair at the handsome young man with a tired face and an annoyed expression on the armchair. For some reason, she felt a chill in her heart. Who were these people living on this ship? They could use so many experts as guards. And the man who wielded the knife earlier was clearly a master of swordsmanship - at this time, she naturally understood that the young second generation rich kid mentioned by Sister-in-law San was definitely not an ordinary tea merchant.
"Guan WuMei?" The young man in the chair glanced at the female bandit with a severed hand and still a fierce look on her face, yawned, and asked with interest.
The young man was naturally Fan Xian. He stopped the ship in Yingzhou to deal with some of the aftermath of Hong Zhu's affair. He didn't expect to provoke some ignorant little thieves. However, he recognized at a glance that the woman in front of him was the female thief who was being wanted according to the portrait in the Supervisory Council's files. He couldn't help but feel happy, thinking that he just hadn't figured out how to start the Jiangnan affair, and this one had come to his door.