Chapter 450 Black Ship interception
Excited? No, Bodhisattva, you are a devil... Zhao Duan's mouth twitched.
In a trance, I felt that I had become a Tang monk who was trapped in his daughter’s kingdom. He was standing in front of his daughter’s kingdom, teasing her, and chanting a curse in his ear: "Elder Tang, look at me..."
< br>Zhao Duan looked solemn and stepped back. After a few steps, he turned away his eyes and said displeasedly: "Bodhisattva, don't tell any more jokes!"
"Haha... Almsgiver Zhao is so cute," Prajna Bodhisattva smiled brightly, like an aunt teasing her nephew, and joked:
"Don't worry, this poor nun has stopped thinking and is devoted to the Buddha. She just came to ask you to go out for dinner."
After saying that, the nun, who is accustomed to wearing gauze monk's clothes, twisted her head and walked out of the dock.
"Huh..." Zhao Duan wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand, looking helpless.
This old woman came to the door on her own initiative. Because Prajna Bodhisattva was preparing to go south to receive the "legacy" left by the Great Pure Master, she simply went with him.
I reported this matter to the empress, who took into account that with Eunuch Hai and an extra Bodhisattva accompanying him, Zhao Duan's safety factor would be greatly increased, so she graciously made the decision.
As for the danger...
Due to Buddhist scripture debate, Prajna Bodhisattva has a different stance from Nagarjuna and Xuanyin, so he must rely on the court for help.
Zhao Duan vaguely knew that the imperial court also intended to form an alliance with the old nun in order to check and balance Shenlong Temple.
Therefore, apart from the old nun teasing him from time to time along the way, rational judgment was indeed a big help.
In particular, the most important destination of Prajna Bodhisattva's trip is also the path to completion.
"Just eat, how can you be so ambiguous?"
Zhao Duan complained and stepped out of the cabin, feeling warm wind blowing in his face.
It is almost late spring, the river breeze is moist and warm, the mountains on both sides of the canal are turning green, and familiar figures are standing or sitting on the deck.
"Sir!"
Several close officers from Lihuatang were moving benches, tables and chairs to the deck and greeted him.
Lang Shiba, who was holding a wine gourd, and Ji Yue, who was deeply in social fear, were still hiding in the corner of the deck.
"Shaobao!"
On the deck, in the martial arts hall, a group of masters, headed 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 pretended to be escorts.
Zhao Duan nodded and walked to Hai Chunlin who was standing on the side of the ship, hands behind his back, looking ahead:
"What are you looking at, father-in-law?"
My father-in-law is dressed as a rich man, wearing a small melon cap with a few strands of silver hair emerging from the curtain. He looks at the ships passing by in the distance on the river and says:
< br>"Further forward, we will reach the territory of Jianning Mansion."
Jianning Mansion... is the largest palace in the built-up road. Prince Jing's Mansion is also located in the city. There are also several local wealthy families in the mansion. It can be said that it is built. The center of Tao.
Luoshan, where the Empress granted Zen, is also within Jianning Mansion, but it is some distance away from the city.
"You know this place, what kind of ships are the most numerous?" asked Hai Gonggong.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"My father-in-law, please don't look down on me. Although I have never been here, I have done my homework. If the Huaihe River Road has the largest number of merchant ships, then the completion of the road will not be the same. Water transport ships are the most famous.”
“Yes, water transport,” Mr. Hai said. Feelings:
“The climate in the south is mild, and two or even three crops of grain can be grown a year. In addition, the capital is in the north, so there is a south-to-north diversion of grain. With the canal dug by the previous dynasty, the canal was only widened at first. When we arrived at Huai River, Huai River was the center of water transportation.
Later, it gradually extended southward, and now the core of water transportation has reached Jianningfu. Oh, if the Tao had not been built to produce a lot of grain, why would Prince Jing's Mansion have the guts to challenge the imperial court? "
Tsk, Lao Hai, you know very well. In the feudal era, the key to military power was who had enough food to raise troops. Prince Jing did have strong capital in this area... Zhao Duan's eyes were deep: < br >
"The late emperor also knew the interests here, so he set up a water transportation governor in Jianning Prefecture to take charge of water transportation matters. He could also intervene and take charge of the local area. He was a high-ranking official with real power, much more powerful than the chief envoy. .
This time, the appointment and dismissal of southern officials was accelerated by the repeated urging of the governor named Ning Zechen. ”
Ning Zechen, Governor of Water Transport... This name is also a legend in the officialdom of Yu State.
It is said that this man was from an ordinary background. He passed the provincial examination when he was twenty years old, but failed in the three scientific examinations. In anger, he married into a wealthy family in Linfeng according to the engagement. When he got married, he wrote a couplet and posted it in his new house:
“I don’t have half an acre, and I worry about the world; I have read thousands of volumes, and I have friends with the ancients.”
After that, as a person Ning Zechen, who had just adopted a son-in-law, somehow made friends with the chief envoy at that time. The two became friends through letters and became friends year after year.
After that, after being recommended by the chief envoy, Ning Zechen got to know a large group of local ministers, and all of the people he had good relations with were important figures.
Until he was nearly forty years old, banditry broke out in the area and there was a shortage of manpower. Ning Zechen was invited by the Linfeng prefect to join the government as a friend to help, and became famous in one fell swoop.
Then he took advantage of the opportunity to become an official, and went to the river to deal with water bandits and handle local affairs. Because of his tough style, he was valued by the old emperor, who was confused but not too stupid at the time, and promoted him to the governor of water transportation to control the wealthy families in the south.
After the Xuanmen coup, the empress ascended the throne, and Ning Zechen was one of the first local officials to express his loyalty. Therefore, he was also an important minister of the imperial party.
"He is probably the happiest when you come this time." Eunuch Hai smiled.
Zhao Duan wondered: "Happy? He hasn't heard of my bad reputation?"
Eunuch Hai said:
"This governor is different from those rotten scholars in the capital. He only cares about ability and skills, and does not pay much attention to character. Although you have a bad reputation, your achievements in the past year are real. I am here to help him again this time. How can I hate you?"
Oh, he is a practical person... rare... Zhao Duan nodded, showing a little interest.
He still has a good impression of this type of officials who do not participate in political battles, party disputes, let alone who is the emperor above their heads, and only focus on doing facts.
This time we entered Jiancheng Road.
Zhao Duan only does three things.
One is to prepare for the enshrinement of Zen, but this matter is not urgent. You can put it back a little and complete it before arriving at Jiancheng Road when you go south from Zhenbao.
The second one is to examine the situation of local officials and how powerful King Jing is.
The third and most important thing is to assist the governor of water transportation and beat up the local wealthy people here to make them stop. After that, the new local officials who come to take office will be severely punished. With fewer constraints, it will be easier to implement the New Deal.
It also prevents new officials from taking office, unable to implement an order, and facing the corrosion of sugar-coated bullets.
However, this matter is not easy to handle. Zhao Duan has not yet made a plan. He plans to quietly enter the city and meet with the governor to understand the situation here before making a plan.
"Sir, father-in-law, it's time to eat."
At this moment, the call of a subordinate came from behind, and at the same time, the fragrant smell of fish soup came from the kitchen on the ship.
Zhao Duan and Eunuch Hai stopped talking and turned around to walk into the cabin.
In the corner of the deck, Lang Shiba stood up, walked a few steps, turned to look at the man squatting on the side of the ship, holding his hands into a "telescope", pressing it against his eye sockets, stretching his neck and looking into the distance. Jiyue said curiously:
“It’s time to eat. What are you looking at?”
Jiyue did not move, still maintaining a strange posture, and said:
"Something's wrong in front of me."
...
...
Crash... …
The sound of water waves lapped at the cabin. At noon, the boats on the river stopped one after another, and the boatmen took a break to eat.
Feng Da carried the food box and walked out of the ship's kitchen. He went straight to several officers standing guard on the deck and greeted:
"Stop standing, sit down." Let’s go and eat.”
The officials did not move, but the leader The old soldier who was about fifty years old smiled and said:
"Don't mess with the rules. You guards will eat first, and then take turns with us. Otherwise, everyone on this ship will be slacking off. If you are guarded by thieves, you will die."
Feng Da put down the food box and joked:
"I know that you, Old Xu, fought in the Southwest Frontier Army and saw blood. Later, he came to our Water Transport Bureau and served as a guard water officer and soldier. He has rich experience. , if not for this, he would not be so old and still lead a team of people selected by the governor to escort them. Madam...
But where are the thieves on the river? The governor is not here. Don’t worry, Madam asked me to deliver food. I feel sorry for your hard work along the way."
Hearing this. , several soldiers who were standing guard and had already been distracted smiled and moved towards the food boxes one after another.
The old soldier named Xu scolded:
"Have you been told to move? Have you forgotten the military discipline you usually mentioned?"
A few young guards and soldiers retracted their hands.
Feng Da smiled bitterly and shook his head. He admired it, but also felt that it was a bit of a fuss. Feng Da was the bodyguard at the home of Ning Zechen, the governor of water transportation.
But to be precise, they were the guards of the governor's wife's family. But later, after Ning Zechen rose to the top as the son-in-law, his wife left with her maids and guards. Her natal family formed a new "Ning family" with her husband.
Feng Ziran naturally became the chief of the guard at the Governor's Mansion.
During the Chinese New Year, my wife and the young master returned to Linfeng’s natal home to visit relatives. They stayed there for a few months and 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 to protect him.
The Water Transport Yamen is extremely powerful, with more than 200 civilian and military officers under its command, and nearly 20,000 people in charge of warehousing, shipbuilding, and water transport.
If it is not in accordance with the court regulations, the governor cannot mobilize troops at will. There is an upper limit on the number of escorts. There will be more official duties on the ship at this moment.
But...
Feng Da felt that this was more than enough. Elite sailors were equipped with crossbows and armors, and there was even a small simple artillery on the ship.
For ordinary water bandits, don’t say that they dare not touch Mrs. Ning’s troubles, but they are really short-sighted and will only end up with no return.
"It doesn't matter, anyway, we are looking at Jianning Mansion ahead. When we go back and see the Governor, my wife will definitely ask you for credit." Feng said with a smile.
The old soldier named Xu frowned, stared straight ahead, and whispered:
"Something's wrong, cheer up!"
Feng Da was stunned. He looked forward and saw a ship in the distance approaching quickly. It didn't look like a passerby at all, but someone An intention to run straight towards them!
“Put up the flag!” shouted the old soldier.
Immediately, a young official rushed into the cabin, took out a bright flag of the Water Transport Yamen, and waved it vigorously.
This is to show your identity. Almost everyone on the ships walking on the canal will not recognize the banner of "Caoyun Yamen".
However, the ship in the distance did not slow down, nor did it respond with any "semaphore", and was still approaching rapidly.
And from this distance, you can already vaguely see a group of people standing on the deck of the opponent's ship.
"Alert! It's a black ship!"
The old pawn shouted.
The so-called black boats originally referred to private boats on the river that were not registered with the government. Later, they generally referred to suspicious-looking water bandit boats.
"Water bandits? Where did the water bandits come from? Are they crazy? They don't shy away from the flag of Caotai?" Feng Da was shocked and angry. He also turned to call 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 all holding military crossbows that could only be used in the military, targeting suspicious ships.
Shout loudly: "Stop! If you dare to approach again, shoot immediately!!"
Front.
On the rapidly approaching ship, stood a masked Cao Gang killer, the first one with a face covering, a red ribbon tied to his right arm, and a black ribbon behind his back. Long stick.
Surprisingly, it was Zuo Rong, the top thug of Jiancheng Daocao Gang and He Xiaolou's confidant.
"Master Rong, it seems that this is the right ship. It is all carrying military crossbows." A killer said next to him.
Zuo Rong, who only showed the upper half of his face, had cold eyes and said:
“Reduce the speed of the ship and stay outside the range of the crossbow.”
……
< br>
"They have slowed down."
Feng Da noticed that the black ship in front of him had slowed down, and his heart relaxed, and he smiled:
"It seems that he saw it Our manpower here is scared.”
< br>Another Ning family guard was holding a knife and said with a smile:
“A group of water bandits who come from nowhere, aren’t you scared to death when they see the crossbows in the army? Do you really think you can play with them? What about a water battle with a boat approaching? ”
When the officials saw this, they also relaxed, thinking that the other party would retreat and leave after seeing clearly.
However, while everyone was concentrating on staring at the black ship ahead, they did not notice that the water behind the ship slowly opened.
More than twenty "water ghosts" emerged. These killers with excellent water qualities only wore shorts, their upper body was naked, and they had daggers in their mouths.
Climb onto the ship quietly, divide the troops into two groups, approach the guards standing at the back, and then suddenly burst out.
“Poof!”
"Poof!"
With a muffled groan, several corpses were dropped in the blink of an eye.
"No! Someone climbed up...ah!"
"Behind! Behind!"
The guards and soldiers who came back to their senses were shocked and hurriedly fought with The killers started fighting, but how could a group of bodyguards defeat a well-trained water ghost?
In the blink of an eye, several more died.
The soldiers were at this distance, blocked by guards, and couldn't use crossbows at all. They had to draw their swords in a hurry, but they were blocked by the terrain. There was chaos for a while, with only the shouts of killing, and from time to time there was blood like a fountain. Spilled out and splashed on the cabin windows.
"I'll go there first, and you guys will follow."
On the deck of the black ship.
Zuo Rong said lightly, and then the number one killer of the Cao Gang bowed and sank to 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, he was like a big bird, In a few breaths, he swept to the front of the ship.
In mid-air, the man drew out a long black stick with his backhand, and with a "Woo" sound, he drew his sword boldly and smashed the head of the old soldier named Xu who rushed towards him with a "bang"!
Like a smashed watermelon!
The headless body of the old pawn shook, then fell over the boat with a thud, hitting the water and making waves.
"Old Xu?!!!"
Feng Da's pupils suddenly narrowed, and he shouted at the top of his lungs. A surge of anger made him forget his fear for a moment, and he raised his knife towards the leap. Zuo Rong on the upper deck chopped off.
However, Feng Da only felt that his eyes were blurred, and the other party had disappeared. He immediately felt that someone was pulling his hair.
Before he could turn his head, he saw in confusion that his lower body rushed out of the deck and fell into the river right before his eyes.
He was stunned, and then he realized that his waist had been cut off by the opponent's stick, and only his upper body was left hanging in the air by his hair.
The severe pain hit him only after he realized it, and Feng Da let out a miserable scream.
Zuo Rong casually threw him on the deck and swept the long black stick in his hand. The remaining soldiers and guards who were still alive had no resistance and died in a few breaths.
Some were so frightened that they jumped out of the boat to survive, but their throats were slit with daggers by the "water ghosts" hiding underwater.
Below the boat, the river was dyed red.
The entire ship was in dead silence. Zuo Rong carried a long stick and stepped over the blood and corpses with his boots before reaching the cabin. He raised his hand and pushed open the cabin door.
There was a "squeak".
The cabin was empty, no one was there, only half-eaten meals were placed on the small table.
"Mrs. Ning, come out, stop hiding. Do you think you can hide it in 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. His steps were neither hasty nor slow. When he reached a certain place, he suddenly used a Stab the long stick on the ground!
“Poof!”
The long stick sank into the floor, and a low cry came from below.
"I found you."
Zuo Rong smiled ferociously, squatted down, and used his hands to remove the floor that was used as a secret door, revealing a small space below. , curled up suddenly was a well-maintained lady, holding a cardamom girl in her arms.
"Mother..."
The girl was trembling, Mrs. Ning tightly protected her daughter in her arms, raised her head and stared at him with an unusually calm expression:
"I'll go with you."
Thank you for your support of 2,000 points for a healthy and sunny day, 1,500 points for 2020...7004, and 200 points for the Kenshin Kyoto Fire.
(End of this chapter)