Chapter 3, Bandits come from the river

The passenger boats at Fenglin Ferry are divided into two types: one heads north, with the final destination being Cangzhou, while the other heads south, destined for Yunshan Prefecture. The Jing River begins in the northern Cangzhou, winding and meandering southward for nearly 400 miles.

The imperial court's taxation naturally leads to the hardships of the common people, while these affluent merchants become the primary targets of government taxation. In recent years, the court has occasionally increased taxes, causing immense suffering among merchants across the country.

The man in black seemed to sense that Chu Huan felt something was amiss. He gently nudged his companion awake and whispered a few words to one of them. Then, he carefully led another person through the narrow gap. Upon reaching the cabin door, he glanced at Chu Huan, hesitated to speak, and ultimately said nothing, leading his companion out of the cabin.

The man in black coldly laughed and said: "If you are not one of them, then you are just a grasshopper on the same rope as us. A real man must have some courage; are you really prepared to surrender and let others slaughter you?" Without saying much more, he pulled out a sharp dagger from his bosom and tossed it over. Chu Huan caught it with his hands, and the man in black hurriedly went to the back, where he was looking for the ship owner

Suddenly, some people understood; they feared that this scholar had read a certain story while studying, which was why he had suddenly become so frenzied. Some in their hearts were already thinking: "So he is just a bookworm!"

At this moment, Captain Pan had already led several boatmen to the bow of the ship, his face pale and beads of sweat forming on his forehead, and even the boatmen beside him wore expressions of terror

The man in black coldly said: "For my Great Qin, Xiao Tianwen is undoubtedly a great traitor, but for the ruler of the Western Liang, Xiao Tianwen is a loyal servant throughout his life. If it were not for the existence of Xiao Tianwen, Western Liang would have been defeated by the iron cavalry of my Great Qin over twenty years ago, so how could there be today's calamity?"

Captain Pan appeared anxious, his gaze flickering as he watched the pirate ship rapidly approaching. At this moment, it was too late to turn the ship around and flee. He stammered, "There are no weapons on board..."

This is the custom before setting sail, where ten copper coins are offered to the Water God, in order to pray for the Water God's protection for a safe journey ahead

This region of Guanshi is located in the northwest and has always been the frontline in resisting the attacks of the Western Liang Kingdom

As soon as he finished speaking, someone beside him said: "I recently heard that the people of Xiliang have killed General Feng, and have invaded our Great Qin's western territories, breaking through three states of our Great Qin, causing immense suffering to the people, with countless casualties...!" Upon saying this, he sighed and added: "With General Feng's death, who else can defend the western front against the Xiliang troops?"

The autumn wind is bleak, and the solitary boat appears quite desolate in the night.

Upon receiving the dagger, Chu Huan felt a wave of cold emanating from it, realizing that this dagger was not an ordinary one; it could cut through hair and sever strands with unparalleled sharpness

Chu Huan also leaned against the corner, while the old man seemed to be preoccupied with his thoughts, creating a moment of profound silence within the cabin

Chu Huan said: "I only possess some brute strength, and I fear I may not be of any assistance"

The Great Qin Empire established a total of sixteen administrative circuits, each overseeing several prefectures. Below the prefectures are counties, implementing a three-tier administrative system of circuits, prefectures, and counties. The prefecture where the governor's office is located is directly referred to as a government.

As the conversation reached this point, everyone felt disinterested and was reluctant to continue. Many had already tightened their clothing and leaned against the side of the boat to begin sleeping

The common people of the Great Qin seldom know the name of General Feng. Over the years, General Feng has been stationed in the western frontier, repeatedly thwarting the attacks of the Western Liang people. It is well known that as long as General Feng is in the western frontier, the Western Liang people find it difficult to advance further eastward

The scholar's face suddenly changed color, and he stood up abruptly, raising his hand to point at the man in black, his face flushed as he said: "You... you are speaking nonsense without any basis. How could a loyal subject not be valued?"

He looked up at the ship approaching him. Although it was sailing against the wind and not moving very fast, the distance between the two ships was decreasing rapidly. Chu Huan could even see shadows moving on the bow of the incoming ship, suggesting that there were quite a few people on board.

The passenger ship sails south with the wind, but after traveling more than ten miles, the banks are lined with continuous high mountains. As the passenger ship moves along the river, the towering mountains on both sides resemble the fangs of a beast, seemingly ready to engulf the ship as it enters their midst

Yunshan Prefecture is under the jurisdiction of Xishan Dao, which governs eight states. Yunshan Prefecture is one of these states, and since the governor's office is located in Yunshan State, it is directly referred to as Yunshan Prefecture

The scholar, weeping, said: "Zhuge Wuhou devoted his entire life to loyalty and dedication, serving with utmost diligence until his death, which goes without saying. His son Zhuge Zhan and his grandson Zhuge Shang were also loyal and virtuous ministers, ultimately sacrificing their lives for the country across three generations... Does this not evoke deep sorrow?" At this point, he wiped his tears with his sleeve, his face filled with sadness

As soon as he spoke these words, several people in the cabin turned pale.

A shout rang out: "The ship is setting sail!" At once, the vessel began to hoist its sails, taking advantage of the favorable wind. The passenger ship quickly departed from the dock, heading south towards Yunshan Prefecture in the autumn breeze

Everyone looked at each other in confusion, feeling utterly baffled, not knowing what had gotten into this scholar. Yet they heard the scholar wailing loudly, crying out: "How could a loyal minister end up like this? With a whole family of loyalty and valor, why is there such an outcome? The ways of heaven are unjust, the ways of heaven are unjust..."

The man in black coldly laughed and said: "If what you say is true, then naturally, Xiao Tianwen of the Western Liang is also a great loyal minister. If one day Xiao Tianwen were to die at the hands of my Great Qin iron cavalry, would you also weep so bitterly?"

The news of the calamity spread, shocking the entire realm of the Great Qin Dynasty

The elderly man beside him was also asleep against the cabin wall, while the man in black, however, sat up, seemingly having heard the noise. When Chu Huan looked at him, the man in black was also looking at Chu Huan.

The man in black coldly laughed and said: "It seems you are prepared to wait for death!"

The man in black followed closely, looking at Captain Pan, and said in a deep voice: "Are there any knives on the ship? Hurry up and distribute the knives to everyone. Those who are good at swimming, quickly jump into the water; there are bandits below the ship drilling holes!"

"There must be someone attempting to hijack the ship!" The man in black spoke with a serious expression, instructing, "Er Hu, go inside and inform everyone that there are bandits trying to hijack the ship. Those with strength should grab something and prepare to fight the bandits." He then felt that relying on the group of passengers in the cabin was indeed unreliable, so he decided to seek out the shipowner to organize the crew. Remembering that Chu Huan was behind him, he turned and asked, "When you boarded the ship, you displayed some skills, so you must not be an ordinary person. Now that a great enemy is upon us, I hope we can unite and resist the strong enemy together!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people on the ship turned somewhat somber. Although the Kansai region was still quite distant from them, the news of General Kansai Feng's death had already spread widely.

Chu Huan smiled silently, yet she saw the black-clad man suddenly draw the dagger from his waist with astonishing speed, the blade aimed at her throat in the blink of an eye, while the companion of the black-clad man swiftly moved his feet and in an instant had already swept behind Chu Huan

Captain Pan pondered for a moment and finally said to the burly boatman, Xue Laoliu, "Go and take out all the knives from the gaps in the deck, gather everyone together, and we must do everything possible to save this ship!"

He picked up his package and walked out of the cabin. Upon reaching the deck, he saw the man in black and his companion whispering something. Noticing Chu Huan's emergence, the man in black smiled faintly and said, "Might you have heard something as well, sir"

Chu Huan furrowed her brows, concentrating intently to listen. The sound continued to emerge intermittently, resembling a collision noise, yet it was difficult to discern the source of the sound at that moment.

The companions of the man in black had evidently informed everyone in the cabin of the imminent danger. Chu Huan had already heard the noise coming from inside the cabin, and soon several people emerged from the ship's hold. Upon reaching the deck, they saw a vessel approaching in the night, and one by one, they were taken aback, exclaiming in alarm. Someone shouted loudly, "Quickly turn the ship around, bandits are coming..."

Due to the mention of General Feng's death, there was a long silence in the cabin. After a considerable time, a merchant finally sighed and said: "With General Feng's death, the people of Xiliang will likely continue to press hard, and the court will naturally have to engage in military action against Xiliang... The government will certainly increase taxes, and we will inevitably suffer significant losses again"

The man in black coldly laughed and said, "What exactly is your background?"

Everyone secretly mocked him, feeling that this person was truly foolish beyond measure. However, the man in black who came to Chu Huan's aid had already coldly laughed and said: "Civil officials die for admonition, military generals die in battle; this is the essence of loyalty and duty, a matter of course. If not, how can we speak of loyalty and righteousness?" He then snorted coldly and added: "It is merely that the later ruler is incompetent, and to be loyal to a mediocre lord, the Zhuge father and son died in vain!"

However, not long ago, rumors began to circulate among the people that General Feng, a pillar of the Great Qin in the northwest, was plotted against and harmed by the people of the Western Liang. Not only did General Feng lose his life, but even the renowned Thirteen Protectors under his command also met with their demise.

The autumn moon is chilling, and the moonlight spills over the river's surface, where the water glimmers. Between heaven and earth, there is a profound tranquility. At this moment, a boat approaches on the river, clearly visible under the moonlight

Chu Huan squinted her eyes, caught in a state between sleep and wakefulness. It was unclear how much time had passed when she suddenly heard a strange noise beside her. Opening her eyes, she found the cabin shrouded in darkness; if it were not for the two oil lamps hanging on the cabin walls, she would have seen nothing at all. With the dim light, she noticed that most of the people in the cabin were holding their own bundles, all in a daze and asleep, with even two of them snoring.

The sun has set, and the world has grown dim. The cable-drawn boat has been stowed away. Captain Pan, accompanied by the eleven sailors on board, solemnly approached the bow of the ship, bowed three times with great reverence, and then took out ten copper coins, tossing them into the river one by one.

On this boat, there are seven or eight sturdy boatmen, who are excellent swimmers and have been traveling along the river for many years. They are not without experience. When Old Xue heard Captain Pan's orders, he waved his hand and shouted: "Brothers, go get your knives and fight these bandits!"

... ...

The Qin Dynasty strictly prohibited the use of weapons by civilians, with knives being among the items that were particularly restricted. At first, Captain Pan did not dare to reveal that he possessed knives, but now, faced with great peril, he could no longer afford to be concerned about such matters

A wealthy merchant in splendid attire mockingly asked: "Whom do you refer to when you speak of the loyal and the valiant? And why is the way of heaven so unjust?"

Chu Huan sighed and said, "Although we are not friends, we will not be enemies either." His gaze shifted behind the burly man in black, and he calmly stated, "If it were me, at this moment, I would only think of ways to deal with the impending danger, rather than inquiring about others' identities."

The burly man in black furrowed his brows, as if sensing something. He turned his head and gazed at the river, his expression suddenly changing dramatically.

The companion of the man in black was also astonished and said: "The Jing River has always been calm, and there have never been any bandits..."

Chu Huan furrowed her brows, yet her face showed no fear, only淡淡道: "What does this mean?"

The scholar was suddenly at a loss for words, his complexion alternating between pale and flushed, looking extremely distressed. After a long while, he finally said: "Xiao Tianwen is indeed a great traitor, how could he... how could he be a loyal minister"

The man in black sheathed his knife, quickly walked to the edge of the ship, and looked down from the side of the ship, his expression turning even more astonished. He said in a deep voice: "This is not good, there is someone beneath the ship...!" Realizing something, he tightened his grip on the handle of the knife: "Someone is drilling a hole in the ship!"