The wind howled, and the lights in the small county town gradually dimmed, but as midnight approached, torches darted through the streets, making it lively. Here at the docks, lights had already been lit on several large ships, and a small-scale commotion spread.

Zhou Pei opened a tiny crack in the window of her room and peeked outside. She saw that several generals accompanying the ship had been alerted, and squads of soldiers were going down. Although there weren't many guests staying on the big ship, the soldiers tried to avoid the residences of those distinguished guests as much as possible. After listening for a while, Zhou Pei learned that Lu Chun, the son of Marquis Wangyuan, Lu Peijiang, had gotten into an argument in a brothel and was subsequently kidnapped by bandits.

Although Jiangning was a large city, Marquis Wangyuan, Lu Peijiang, was quite powerful among the nobles. This time, the fleet was traveling north to transport birthday gifts for the Empress Dowager, and several generals accompanying the ship were capable men from the Jiangning army, but they were nothing compared to the status of a marquis. Originally, they thought the Grand Canal waterway was safe and stable, and that the sons of powerful families had guards protecting them, so there wouldn't be any major issues when they went out to play. Who knew such an accident would occur? As soon as the news arrived, everyone immediately took action and rushed toward the county town.

With such a commotion, the inside and outside of the dock, and the ships above and below, were all on high alert. Within the county town, it was estimated that the yamen's people had also begun to cooperate. Zhou Pei naturally had no fondness for the squabbles over jealousy and infatuation in brothels. After watching for a while, she heard the sound of Ning Yi and Xiao Chan being awakened and getting up next door. She tiptoed back to bed. Ning Yi knocked on the door outside, asking if she had been awakened. After a while, Xiao Chan brought a pot of tea, put it down, and softly relayed the news she had heard before leaving.

The two were actually only a few years apart in age. Xiao Chan also looked like a young girl, her face still showing signs of youth, but having just gotten up, she had hastily styled her hair like a married woman. Zhou Pei lay in bed, comparing her to herself, and quickly forgot about the young marquis.

However, the noise outside continued in waves, coming from far and near, and showed no signs of stopping for a long time, so she naturally couldn't fall asleep. Before long, the back cabin became lively as well, as someone came looking for Ning Yi. They were talking in the corridor, and the young princess pricked up her ears to listen.

"That Young Marquis Lu... hasn't been found yet..."

"The guy is skilled in martial arts. They've searched Xuyi all over, but still haven't found him. It seems like they scouted the place beforehand. If this continues, we won't be able to leave tomorrow."

"They picked their target well. If this was premeditated, could it be... for the birthday gifts?"

"Unlikely, right? On this route..."

The people talking to Ning Yi were naturally Wenren Bu'er and Qi Xinyong and others. They were all seasoned veterans. Just by looking at the other party's methods and the difficulty of the pursuit, they could tell whether it was an accident or a premeditated plan. But to conclude that the other party was after the birthday gifts was a bit of an overreaction. This waterway had always been prosperous, and the government's management was strict. They were currently docked on the Xuyi side, and the other side of this large county bordered Hongze Lake. There were some bandits on it, but it was unlikely that they would dare to touch the birthday gifts or attack someone with the status of a marquis.

However, Ning Yi and others had no responsibility for that young lord. They were discussing this matter now as a psychological preparation, a precautionary measure.

That night, the soldiers and constables of the Xuyi county yamen, along with most of the officers and soldiers on the ship, searched the county town until dawn. The next day, the fleet did not set sail. The deputy general in charge of the fleet's safety was named Chen Jingu. When the young marquis boarded the ship, his father, Lu Peijiang, had told him to take care of him. If Lu Chun had an accident here, even if he delivered the birthday gifts to Bianliang safely, he would probably be in dire straits upon his return.

The people who had returned from the city now largely knew about Lu Chun's abduction. Since the fleet wasn't leaving, they were happy to rest in Xuyi for a day, but they all strengthened their defenses. Some people said that if they had already arrived in Huai'an, there would be many more places to play.

Everyone was from wealthy families. During the day, some went out to play in groups, while others, afraid to run around, stayed at the docks, ordering banquets from restaurants, or inviting opera troupes and people from brothels. The sanitation conditions at the docks were originally poor, but this side had always been used by officials. With banquets and operas, it was quite a spectacle.

In fact, Xuyi county town had already begun to implement martial law, and if they really wanted to go out, it was estimated that the danger was not great. Wenren Bu'er was worried that someone would attack the birthday gifts. At this time, the situation in the Wu Dynasty was sensitive. After the Fang La rebellion was suppressed, the party members scattered, and the situation of bandits and disturbances in various places increased instead. Wenren Bu'er, after all, worked in the Secret Investigation Department and knew more about the situation, but this section of the route was usually quite safe, and it seemed a bit like a frightened bird to say that someone would rob the birthday gifts.

The three Qi brothers, after all, had started their careers in the south, and were not clear about the situation in Huai'an. Ning Yi was also someone who believed in intelligence. After inquiring from some people familiar with the environment here, his speculation about this matter was reduced. But this morning, news about the bandits was constantly coming in. Deputy General Chen sent out several teams of soldiers, but they all returned empty-handed. Ning Yi then discussed it with Wenren Bu'er and others.

"Now, the possibility of someone targeting the birthday gifts is not high after all. It's impossible to make Deputy General Chen and them be more vigilant. There are only thieves for a thousand days, but no guards for a thousand days. But fortunately, we only care about this. I think, should we discuss and come up with a way to avoid this possibility..."

He discussed with Wenren Bu'er, Qi Xinyong, and others, and then also called Su Wenyu and Su Yanping to listen in. Everyone expressed their opinions. Someone sent a greeting card, inviting Ning Yi to meet. Ning Yi had no acquaintances here and had kept a low profile on the road. He opened the card and looked at the signature first. The card used messy cursive script, and the person who invited him out was surnamed Li. He looked closely and recognized the name. He was puzzled.

"Uh... this guy... how did he run around..."

****************

While Ning Yi was discussing with Wenren Bu'er and others, on the bank of Hongze Lake between Xuyi and Huai'an, more than a dozen knights were traveling in the hills. At this time, there were many clouds in the sky, and not far from the shore, cargo ships could be seen passing by from time to time. The knights pointed and pointed, and then stopped at a low forest. A middle-aged man among them pointed to the water and was talking.

"Among those court generals, there seem to be some who are naturally cautious. From Xuyi to Huai'an, it's less than half a day's journey. If they hadn't stopped all night, they could have arrived in Huai'an before midnight. But if that wasn't the case, we wouldn't have found such a good opportunity. Since we've captured that young marquis, the main force won't leave. After all, the Xuyi yamen's manpower is insufficient. But if there are people who care about the birthday gifts, they definitely won't let the goods stay in Xuyi. Only when they arrive in Huai'an will everything be safe. At that time, these lakesides will be our chance to attack..."

The speaker was tall and carried two sabers on his back, looking like a Green Forest martial artist, but his eyes were quite spirited and his tone steady. The other dozen or so people dismounted and walked around casually. Someone said, "This is not the best place to attack. There are two more places ahead. We'll see what the situation is like then." It seemed that they were quite familiar with the surrounding environment.

Someone occasionally sized up the saber-carrying martial artist. The leader, a burly man with a bristling beard, said, "Brother Zhu, it's not that Qin doesn't trust you, but this matter is too big. We used to make small troubles on this Hongze Lake. We've also robbed the imperial family's goods, but the birthday gifts are too hot to handle. You suddenly came and said you wanted to send such a fortune to us. I'm really still undecided. If this goes wrong, it will be a catastrophe for all the brothers on Hongze Lake."

The saber-carrying man had already dismounted. After listening to the burly man, he smiled and cupped his fist, "The outside world says that Qin Weihong, the Water-Subduing Tiger, is reckless, but I think that rumor is wrong... However, Brother Qin doesn't need to be too modest. We brothers heard that Brother Qin has subdued twelve large and small water villages on Hongze Lake in the past six months, and is about to do something big, so we came to join you. At this time, the Holy Duke's rebellion is shaking the world, and the court is caught off guard and has no time to look east. It is the time for heroes to compete. But I am just saying this. We brothers also know that this shipment is hot to handle, and it is only right for Brother Qin to be cautious. Whether to take it or not is up to Brother Qin to decide. If Brother Qin is worried that we brothers are trying to drag you down because of private grievances with the court, that is also a reasonable concern."

The saber-carrying man with the surname Zhu spoke beautifully, praising Qin Weihong, and also saying that it was up to him to decide. The burly bandit with the nickname Water-Subduing Tiger stroked his beard, smiled without saying a word, and looked confident. Someone next to him asked, "What if he doesn't move at all and insists on waiting until he rescues the young lord before setting off, or arranges for the official ship from Huai'an to come and meet him in advance?"

The saber-carrying man shook his head, "If he doesn't move at all, we will naturally continue to harass them in Xuyi and make them exhaust their efforts to rescue the young lord. Even if some of them are uneasy, and the general leading the ship does not allow the ship to leave first, there will still be internal strife. As for the latter... This route has always been quite peaceful. If there is no sign of ship robbery, it would be foolish to call someone to meet him. How many armies are willing to listen to his orders? The enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. Only by turning the tables and having the birthday gifts arrive in Huai'an first is the best policy."

He paused, "But even so, they will definitely still be prepared. But fortune always lies in danger. If there is a real chance to take this shipment, it is impossible not to take the risk. I can't exaggerate. Being able to lure the attack to Hongze Lake and make them divide their forces is already the best opportunity. If this shipment can really be taken, heroes all over the world will come to join us. We brothers only hope to get a portion of the dividends, so that we can... make some preparations for the Holy Duke's comeback..."

After the saber-carrying man finished speaking, his expression was slightly dimmed. Everyone at this time thought that he was a Fang La officer who had been scattered in the Battle of Hangzhou, and did not take it to heart. After a while, the saber-carrying man rode away first. The others were still looking at the environment there. Seeing that the outsider had left, they said, "Can we really trust this guy with the surname Zhu?"

"Now, all these things are being done by their brothers. They have even kidnapped the court's young lord. They don't want to live anymore. We haven't completely torn our faces with the court. Chief, you have to think clearly about this matter."

"Although we haven't torn our faces, will the court tolerate us? Big brother, I think what the guy with the surname Zhu said is right. He came up with the idea, and whether it's right or wrong is still up to us to see. Now that this is the situation, if we really want to make our water village bigger, this is the best opportunity..."

It turned out that these people were originally water bandits on Hongze Lake. Qin Weihong, the Water-Subduing Tiger, had recently united the gangs in the Hongze Lake area, and several people came to him, saying that they had a fortune to give away, which was about the birthday gifts. Those people claimed to be Fang La's generals. After the city was broken, they wandered around the Jianghu and had nowhere to return. They were desperadoes and had no way out. Qin Weihong had not yet made a decision. Those people had already kidnapped the young lord, saying that the opportunity had already come. Whether to rob the ship or not depended on the decision here. Even if this side did not plan to attack, they would bear the responsibility for kidnapping the young lord, as they had a deep hatred for the court. These words were extremely straightforward, and everyone praised them as heroes and were quite tempted.

However, this matter was too big after all, and the group discussed it again. Someone said that the famous Liangshanpo in the Green Forest also robbed the birthday gifts at the beginning of their rebellion, which shows that if you want to do something big, you have to rob the birthday gifts. However, the birthday gifts that Liangshan robbed in the past were very small, which is not comparable to the current one. But at that time, there were not many people who robbed the birthday gifts on Liangshan. Now that they have unified Hongze Lake, they also have nearly a thousand people. Then, in the mouths of the crowd, they gradually talked about the issue of where to strike.

Near the lake shore was a main road. While a group of water bandits were looking for a suitable place to strike on the lake shore, the saber-carrying man rode his horse all the way west, heading towards Xuyi. He met several merchants dressed as merchants in a tea shop by the roadside. He sat down and drank a cup of tea, saying, "It took me a lot of talking, but it seems that this group of people is tempted. I just don't know how things are going on the docks."

One of the people in the tea shop said, "Brother Zhu is worthy of the name Divine Strategist. Not long ago, I heard that a steward who managed the goods on the ship and the leading deputy general quarreled, saying that the birthday gifts were important, and that it would be better to go to Huai'an first now that things were strange. But the general was unwilling to leave. It seems that our deliberate suspicion in Xuyi has indeed attracted the attention of the people on the ship. Some people are afraid that something will happen to the goods, and some people care about the safety of the young lord. If this continues, there will either be internal strife or a division of forces. I'm just thinking, if they divide their forces and the Water-Subduing Tiger really gets the birthday gifts, what should we do afterwards?"

The saber-carrying man shook his head, "Let's not talk about whether they can succeed. Even if they do, this shipment is too eye-catching for them to swallow. This shipment is worth a lot of money. The court will definitely send troops to attack. The dozen or so villages on the Hongze Lake around the Grand Canal route do not have the geographical advantages of our Liangshan. They will be swept away in the blink of an eye. Instead, it will be more convenient for us to transfer the goods. Even if we can't take them away, we can sink them in the lake and tell the world that our Liangshan has made the court suffer a loss here, and this trip will not be a loss. It just so happens that the water bandits on Hongze Lake are good at naval warfare. We can also incorporate one or two of them and bring them back along the way. After several battles, the remaining ones will be elite soldiers good at fighting."

The crowd nodded, "That's a brilliant plan that kills several birds with one stone."

One of them laughed, "If Qin Weihong hadn't succeeded, he would have definitely killed or injured some of the officers and soldiers. Secondly, they broke this conspiracy and would definitely be proud. It will be easier for us to attack in the future. The only concern is that if Qin Weihong's subordinates are caught, the officers and soldiers may know that there is another group of people targeting them..."

The saber-carrying man laughed, "Then they will only know that there are some scattered Fang La remnants, making them slightly vigilant, creating a ghost of suspicion, which will make it easier for me to use my tricks."

As they were talking, a tall, handsome, fair-skinned young man with disheveled hair came over here. After a while, he also sat down here, cupped his fist at the saber-carrying man, and said, "Brother Zhu is back, how is the situation?"

The saber-carrying man told him about Qin Weihong's side: "Brother Shi, did you just kill someone?"

The young man shook his head and lowered his voice: "I just broke the legs of two officers and soldiers. I went quickly, and they didn't see my appearance." There was a hint of arrogance in his words.

"That's good. It's not appropriate to kill people at this time. Just make them panic." After the saber-carrying man finished speaking, he said again, "How is Xiao Yi doing?"

The young man with the surname Shi laughed heartily: "Xuyi only has Xiyuan that is worth mentioning. The top courtesan of that Xiyuan, Ji Lianhong, was so fascinated by Xiao Yi yesterday that she couldn't stop. If it weren't for that, with so many princes and nobles coming over yesterday, we wouldn't have been able to tell who was best to kidnap. But today I heard that a quite famous woman seems to have arrived here, also in that Xiyuan, but she didn't show her face yesterday. People say that this woman is probably the easiest to get on the ship."

"Who is it?"

"Li Shishi, one of the Four Great Courtesans of the capital," the young man laughed. "According to Xiao Yi, this woman is quite talented, intelligent and kind. He seems to be a little moved too. That woman also has some fondness for Xiao Yi. When I left, the two had already chatted for a while. Next, I don't know whether Xiao Yi is pretending or really falling in love, haha..."

Speaking of this matter, everyone laughed. Those who were here at this time were actually a group of people who came out of Liangshan. The one carrying two sabers was the Divine Strategist Zhu Wu, and the young man was Nine-Tattooed Dragon Shi Jin. The Xiao Yi they were talking about was Lu Junyi's servant "Prodigal Son" Yan Qing. Although he had always identified himself as a servant, Yan Qing was highly skilled in martial arts. His sumo skills were unmatched on Liangshan. Even the unruly "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui was not his opponent when fighting him. On Liangshan, if the Black Whirlwind went berserk, Yan Qing was the only one who could subdue him besides Song Jiang.

"Prodigal Son" Yan Qing was highly skilled in martial arts, and his personality was cheerful and harmonious. He had a good relationship with everyone on Liangshan. In addition to martial arts, he was proficient in things like playing the flute and singing, coupled with his handsome appearance, he was always the favorite object of women when he went to brothels. Yesterday, Yan Qing was the first to go out to find out information, and he conquered the top card in Xiyuan. Afterwards, he became acquainted with several princes and nobles who came from the ship. In Zhu Wu's design, if someone as skilled in martial arts as Yan Qing went to the ship to lie dormant, that would be better than any internal agent.

Everyone also knew that he was quite reliable and would not mess things up. After joking around, they talked about other things: "Brother Lin and them must have returned to Liangshan by now..."

"The Jiangning incident shocked the world. Brother Lin and them were greatly in the limelight. We have to hurry up here too."

"After I go back, I want to go to Duling Hill to see. I heard that the people of Zhujiazhuang are very skilled in martial arts... Should we also think about how to take that down?"

"How do you know we want to trouble Duling Hill..."

"This time the military advisor's plan is very big. We have even taken Zengtou City. We can't leave Duling Hill behind..."

"Brother Song used to... seem to want to be recruited..."

"This is one time and that is another. That Xi Junyu took the lead that day and said we should seize this opportunity, and Brother Song was a little unhappy, but in the end he probably agreed. What do you say, Brother Zhu?"

"...It is indeed one time and that is another." Zhu Wu said in a low voice, and then said, "But... Brother Song still wants to be recruited in his heart. But Brother Song also knows that the more trouble we make now, the better our lives will be if we can be recruited in the future."

"Don't talk about this shitty thing. I don't know if Brother Lin and them were injured in Jiangning this time. What was the specific battle situation? I heard that there are some very skilled martial artists under Fang La, and I don't know which ones were rescued..."

"I heard that the family of the merchant surnamed Su was slaughtered..."

"Of course they have to be killed. Xi Junyu, Brother Xi, although his martial arts are not high, he is still very powerful. He is determined to take revenge, and who can stop him..."

This time, the original target of the group was not fully determined, and they only recently targeted this birthday gifts. They don't have a fixed base here after all. Although they can send their situation back by carrier pigeon, it is difficult for them to receive any information from the other side. The news about Lin Chong and others is also obtained from the market channels, so it is naturally quite vague, but the battle of Jiangning, the heroes of Liangshan did shock the world, there is no doubt about it.

As for the detailed news of Bao Xu and others being seriously injured, they do not know it yet.

****************

Regarding the participation of the Liangshan people behind the scenes, Ning Yi, who had just experienced the massacre and left Jiangning, could not have imagined it. Even the "possibility that someone might be targeting the birthday gifts" was not something he could be sure of in his heart. After discussing it with Wenren Bu'er and others, he just made a discussion and reverse push as a precaution, and considered what kind of methods he would think of if he were the one who was plotting.

He only regarded such discussions as a means and way to train Su Wenyu and Su Yanping. The little princess next door attached some importance to it, lying on the bulkhead and listening intermittently for a long time, using her brain and thinking of many ways, wishing she could tell Ning Yi as soon as possible. But Ning Yi and others quickly finished talking about the matter, and not long after, news of the quarrel between the steward of the Prince Consort's mansion and Deputy General Chen came out. At this time, Ning Yi was already in the room continuing to write some things he wanted to give to Qin Si Yuan.

By the evening, a young man named Zhuo Yunfeng came to Ning Yi, showing a serious face as if he wanted to conduct a stern negotiation...

****************

Six thousand words, the number of words updated this month is more than eighty thousand, but it seems that I can't catch up with twenty-five chapters, what a headache... Let's continue to challenge next month...(To be continued.) Vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)
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