xymnovel Chapter 65 Searching
Chapter 65 Searching
Chapter 67 Searching (Bonus chapter for the Alliance Leader's tearful longing)
After sailing on the Yangtze River for a day and a night, Cheng Ji still had a sour face.
Actually, he has a pretty good temper.
Anyone who gets tricked like this would be considered to have a deep friendship if they didn't turn on him on the spot. But right now, he was only worried about his reputation, his family, and his uncertainty about the future.
On the morning of the ninth day, the river in front of us suddenly widened.
The turbid waves, carrying mud and sand, crashed against the bow of the boat wave after wave.
The people on the boat remained calm and composed.
The four members of the Gao Daqiang team were the backbone, handling all the technical tasks such as hoisting the sails and steering the ship.
Yang Liu and his men could only be said to have been on a ship, but they mostly went to fight and had no actual experience in operating a ship. They were assigned to do some low-skilled jobs, such as pulling the anchor, lowering the anchor, and looking ahead.
Kong Tie served as the de facto boatswain, responsible for providing some technical guidance, mainly to Yang Liu's group.
Li Fu was the de facto captain.
He was very familiar with the ship and had experience in commanding it more than ten times. Each time, he would make two round trips to transport grain, and the sailors were all hired by him.
Sailing at the mouth of the Yangtze River was nothing special for him, and even more so for the ship itself.
The only thing that's puzzling now is where the Zhou family's three boats are.
"We haven't even reached the sand pits yet, we definitely won't find them." Wang Huadu stood with one foot inside the hold and the other on the foredeck, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked at the distant water. He said, "They left a day and two nights earlier than us, they should be at the sand pits by now. Brother Shao, when should we make our move? Should we wait until they've loaded their cargo and are returning, or should we just charge in and wipe them out along with the pirates?"
"You actually intend to kill and rob?" Cheng Ji, who had been unwilling to speak just moments before, couldn't help but frown and ask.
"Hasn't Master Cheng also killed someone?" Wang Huadu turned his head and glanced at him, chuckling.
"How can that be the same?" Cheng Ji replied; "It's self-defense killing, and the victim was a bandit from Taihu Lake. What's wrong with that?"
"Does Lord Cheng think it's appropriate for us to kill a few people who help pirates sell stolen goods?" Wang Huadu asked rhetorically.
"We can report this to the Changqiao Navy," Cheng Ji said.
Wang Huadu scoffed and said, "If the Changqiao Navy were useful, they would have wiped out Zhou Ziliang, Sun Chuan, and other smugglers of stolen goods long ago. But they didn't. The reason is obvious."
Cheng Ji was speechless and unable to refute.
"Alright, that's enough." Shao Shuyi glanced at Cheng Ji, and seeing that he wasn't truly angry, but rather seemed somewhat confused, he relaxed. He then turned to Wang Huadu and said, "Finding someone at sea is indeed not that simple. As for when to make our move, it's quite obvious. Can you defeat the Taizhou pirates?"
"It's worth a try," Wang Huadu said, sticking out his neck.
"Is it necessary to create unnecessary trouble?" Shao Shuyi shook his head and said, "The best way is to wait until they complete the rendezvous, transfer the goods from the pirates to the canal ship, and then launch an attack."
Wang Huadu did not object.
Shao Shuyi then looked at Cheng Ji and smiled, "Master Cheng, you don't need to worry too much. Things have come to this, worrying is useless. I think you are quite suited to this boundless sea frontier. Yang Liu, Gao Daqiang and his gang look at you with fear in their eyes. Isn't it a pity to bury such a good man in a military camp where even the provisions cannot be issued?"
The elderly in the family have worked hard all their lives, yet they cannot enjoy their retirement in their old age.
The two infants below, crying for food, are eagerly awaiting their father to bring them delicious treats.
Even your wife, who has been married into the family for so many years, has never uttered a single complaint, but who wouldn't want to live a good life?
That's all I have to say. Think it over carefully.
After saying that, Shao Shuyi went off to do his work.
Cheng Ji's expression shifted slightly. After a long while, he sighed almost imperceptibly and slammed his fist on the deck.
******
On the tenth day, the sea bream adjusted its sails and sailed south with the wind.
At this moment, the speed suddenly increased.
Waves kept crashing into the sea, smashing the ship to pieces.
The cabin was damp, filled with tiny water droplets—this time it wasn't a leak, but real waves.
Shao Shuyi stood steadily on the deck, quietly feeling the power of the sea.
He knew that the waves were not big at all, and the sea was even "calm," but he still felt a bit emotional.
Sailing is truly a game for the brave.
There were countless other groups, from Wang Dayuan who sailed as far as the Mozambique Channel, to the Austronesian people who dared to travel between islands in a single canoe, to the Malays who colonized Madagascar in large numbers around the Indian Ocean, to the Vikings who chased whales in the North Sea in sailboats weighing tens of tons, to the English who ventured deep into the Atlantic Ocean in sailboats weighing tens of tons to fish for cod.
The age of the ocean has begun, and it will only intensify over the next few centuries.
"Shanghai County is just ahead," Kong Tie said softly as he walked over.
Looking at his tall, thin figure, Shao Shuyi said, "Baijianu, have you been here before?"
"Like Taicang, this place has a Maritime Trade Office." Kong Tie nodded and said, "Some foreign merchants and seafarers are too lazy to go to Liujiagang, so they often dock at Ganpu or Shanghai to buy goods. There is also the Canal Transport Office and the Songjiang Army Office here. The Deputy Commander Fei Xiong also settled here and lives in the city. Shanghai actually has a lot of people, but it is also very desolate."
The area is densely populated yet desolate, which may sound contradictory, but the reason is actually quite simple: the population is concentrated in developed areas, while there is a lot of undeveloped wasteland.
In later times, most of Shanghai was now just two counties: Huating and Shanghai.
The former was developed earlier, with large clans like the Lu family settling there during the Eastern Wu and Western Jin dynasties. The latter was established much later, during the Yuan dynasty, only about fifty years ago.
This is a very "young" county, so it's perfectly normal for it to have plenty of wasteland.
"When I have money in the future, I will settle down here." Shao Shuyi pointed to the endless reeds on the bank and said with a smile, "I will work hard to turn wasteland into fertile fields, build a big house, and pass it on to my descendants. In this way, when future generations mention me, they will say that I am the ancestor who laid the foundation for my family's business."
Kong Tie's lips twitched slightly, which was enough to signal that he had smiled.
"Actually, many powerful families have their eyes on this place, such as Fei Xiong. They have money and laborers, and they can reclaim wasteland. Ordinary people should forget about it; reclaiming wasteland isn't that simple." Kong Tie glanced at Shao Shuyi and said, "If you make money, you can use your connections with the government to buy some laborers from Henan and Huainan who are heading south. Take them to Shanghai to reclaim wasteland, and that will be your foundation."
Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement.
He always felt that Kong Tie's words had a different meaning, as if they were implying something.
Born rebels? Like Liu Ling of the Western Jin Dynasty? When the world was still at peace, he was already beating his chest and lamenting why things hadn't turned out so chaotic.
Before Shao Shuyi could think further, Wang Huadu's voice rang out: "Brother Shao, how about we go to that village ahead to dock? Go ashore and buy some food and water? We've been eating dry rations these days, and our lips are all blistered."
Upon hearing this, Shao Shuyi waved his hand and asked, "Dog slave, where does your uncle live?"
"Actually, it's also by the sea, but further south. It's not that far from the sand quarry, that's for sure," Wang Huadu said. "My uncle's family is doing quite well. They have ten acres of vegetable fields. Starting in February, they plant almost every month and ship the produce by boat to both banks of the Wusong River to sell to ships coming from afar. Because of this business, they built a large house, with blue bricks and gray tiles, very impressive. I reckon that in a few years, the provincial authorities will take notice of them and issue them station or seafarer permits. That'll be the end of them."
"You're heartless! You even make fun of your own uncle." Shao Shuyi laughed and scolded, "Fine, then let's go visit your uncle."
The north wind howled, and the waves surged. The sea bream flew southeast like an arrow.
******
On the afternoon of the tenth day, guided by the villagers, the boats carefully approached the shore and moored.
At Shenshi (3-5 PM), a small boat rowed by, and a man of about fifty years old stood at the bow. His face was full of wrinkles, his skin was dark, but his eyes were bright and he had a good spirit.
Beside him was a young man who was tidying up the cabbage, turnips, bamboo shoots, cured meat and other food in the cabin while curiously looking at the "big ship".
Wang Huadu sat at the stern, not doing any work, just grinning and chewing on something, looking quite relaxed.
However, a sharp-eyed person would notice that there were two blurry footprints on his clothes that hadn't been wiped clean.
"Brother Shao, Uncle said he didn't see those three canal boats. Maybe they're not docked here. He can ask around for you." As the small boat arrived, Wang Huadu exclaimed, "Uncle also said that since we only met around the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month, those three boats must have docked. Try to find out more."
"Thank you." Shao Shuyi clasped his hands in thanks and then reached out to try to pull Wang Huadu's uncle onto the boat.
Unexpectedly, the man simply waved his hand, pointed to the vegetables and meat and several large buckets in the cabin, and told his son and Wang Huadu to quickly carry them up.
"So much food!" Yang Liu walked over, his face beaming with delight. "My mouth's so bland! Do you have any wine?"
Upon hearing this, the others gathered around, their expressions excited.
After only three days of eating dry rations, everyone was already feeling unwell. If it were thirty days, who knows what would happen?
The desire of men at sea for fresh food and water is something that is hard for ordinary people to understand.
Baskets of vegetables and meat were quickly loaded onto the boat.
The water tank was filled with fresh water, and even some firewood was added.
Wang Huadu's uncle was very decisive. After taking back the last bucket, he nodded to Shao Shuyi and instructed his son to row away.
"Did you pay?" Shao Shuyi pulled Wang Huadu up with a forceful pull.
"I gave it to him, but my uncle wouldn't accept it and even beat me up," Wang Hua said sullenly. "Sigh, I wonder if my little cousin has grown up yet; I haven't seen her at all. Actually, my aunt wanted me to stay for dinner. But I had to consider brotherly affection, so I came back."
"Can we get ashore?" Yang Liu leaned closer and asked.
Shao Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "We can go ashore in batches. Let's wait for news first. If no one has seen the Zhou family's boats, we'll go south to the sand quarry to look for them."
After saying that, he added, "We must find them no matter what. I'm determined to have those three boats."
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