xymnovel Chapter 89 Questioning
Chapter 89 Questioning
Chapter 89 Questioning
The 27th was a sunny day, and the three ships were ready to set sail.
Last night, Yu Yuan bought some dried meat, fruits, vegetables, and pickles, so that everyone could start a fire and cook.
Therefore, just as dawn was breaking, smoke rose from the ships' cooking fires, filling the air with a fragrant aroma. Plenty of meat, vegetables, and rice were cooked together, enough for the whole day's meals.
Before setting off, the waiters from the three restaurants brought over piles of dough, so hard they could almost be used as shields.
After Yu Yuan received the money, he had the sailors move it into the cabin.
He also discovered that, just as Shao Shuyi had said, the further west they went, the cheaper the grain became, and the expenses were much lower. At Shao Shuyi's instruction, he took a portion of the money he had saved to buy dried meat, fruits, and vegetables, which improved their meals and boosted the morale of the sailors.
After rinsing his mouth with salt at the bow of the boat, Shao Shuyi accepted the meat porridge handed to him by Yu Yuan and ate it while observing the situation.
The Wuhu wharf was already bustling in the early morning, with boats coming and going in and out.
The largest number of boats were fishing boats of all sizes. They loaded the fish and shrimp they caught the night before into baskets, opened them one by one, and shouted out their wares at the top of their lungs.
"Sir, would you like some fish? We caught some fresh carp last night, they're still lively and jumping around." Perhaps noticing the good quality of Shao Shuyi's clothes and the weapon hanging at his waist, a fisherman rowed over and said enthusiastically.
"How much?" Shao Shuyi asked, looking at the large carp with a faint golden hue in the fisherman's hand.
"Sir, I have five fish in this basket. I'll pay you one string of cash for each one, how about it?" the fisherman said.
"Isn't it a bit expensive?" Shao Shuyi said with a smile.
The fisherman seemed to smell the aroma of the meat porridge, and subconsciously swallowed, saying, "This fish is huge, five strings of cash is definitely not a bad deal."
As he spoke, his eyes subtly glanced around, pausing slightly when they landed on the packed cabin before casually looking away.
"Alright then." Shao Shuyi turned his head and called out, "Yu She, bring five strings of cash to buy some fish. We'll make some fish soup for that little kid at noon."
"Okay." Yu Yuan ate half of his food, then immediately put down his chopsticks and was about to get up.
"No rush," Shao Shuyi said with a smile, "Come after you finish eating."
"Yes, yes, no rush," the fisherman said with a beaming smile.
"Where is the man from?" Shao Shuyi asked again.
"From the Yuxi River estuary upstream."
"Is Yuxikou the same as the ancient Ruxukou?" Shao Shuyi asked curiously.
"The village head says so." The fisherman squatted at the bow of his boat, pulled out two more turtles from somewhere, and asked, "Sir, would you like to buy these?"
"No, thank you." Shao Shuyi waved his hand with a smile, then asked, "Can we get to Chaohu from Ruxukou?"
The fisherman's expression froze slightly, but he quickly nodded and said, "We can go to Chaohu, and we can go to Hefei."
Shao Shuyi finished the last few mouthfuls of porridge and habitually stretched out his arm.
"My lord, let me wash you." The woman emerged from the cabin and hurriedly took the clothes.
Shao Shuyi turned his head and saw that it was the woman who had begged for food yesterday, who was looking at him with a fawning expression.
Yu Yuan seemed to be a step too slow; his hand was halfway out when he slowly lowered it.
"Yes, make sure it's clean." Shao Shuyi nodded.
The woman was overjoyed, took the bowl and chopsticks, and hurriedly left.
Yu Yuan walked over, slightly surprised.
"Making someone feel useful and find their place is better than simply giving alms." After Shao Shuyi finished speaking, Yu Yuan seemed to understand but not quite, but he made sure to remember it.
It's okay if you don't understand now; you'll probably understand it all in the future after experiencing more things.
"Want to eat turtle?" Shao Shuyi asked again.
"I haven't learned how to do it yet," Yu Yuan said hastily, startled.
"Then forget it." Shao Shuyi nodded. What's the point of buying a chef who can't cook?
He then looked at the fishermen and asked, "How many fishermen are there on Chaohu Lake?"
The fisherman hummed in agreement, looking at Shao Shuyi's face and scrutinizing him closely.
"As far as I know, fishing alone isn't enough, is it?" Shao Shuyi added, "The river and lake tax takes 70% of the revenue."
"Two years ago, there was someone in charge, but now no one collects taxes on the rivers and lakes," the fisherman said. "But it's not just about fishing; some people also farm, and they can sell reeds and firewood. Some even go to Poyang Lake to buy fish fry to raise."
Shao Shuyi was taken aback and asked, "Where is the official in charge of Yuhu Lake?"
"I don't know," the fisherman replied. "We used to pay for it to the 'water spirits of Chaohu Lake.'"
"Is Chaohu Lake a powerful place?"
"Yes."
"What's your name?"
The fisherman fell silent. Seeing Yu Yuan hand over the money, he handed over the fish basket.
"Wait a moment." Yu Yuan took the basket, poured the fish out of the cabin, and then hurriedly came back to return it.
"Is it inconvenient to say?" Shao Shuyi laughed. "I bought the turtle, can I say that?"
The fisherman kept his head down, expressionless.
Shao Shuyi laughed and said, "I'll buy it for twenty strings of cash."
The fisherman raised his head, his face showing some struggle.
Shao Shuyi waited patiently.
Yu Yuan wanted to say something, but Shao Shuyi gestured for him to shut up.
"Zhao the Double-Blade Swordsman," the fisherman said with a sigh of relief.
"Zhao what?"
The fisherman shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
"Who else is a hero of Chaohu Lake?"
"All I know is that there's also a Li the Patoo."
"Are we still paying them?"
"We're not paying anymore, we can't find them," the fisherman said. "There are rumors on Chaohu Lake that Zhao the Double-Knife and Li the Headhunter robbed and killed people on the river. They were reported to the authorities, and the Left Commander of Hefei led his troops to demand their surrender, so the two went into hiding."
After saying that, the fisherman seemed to remember something and looked somewhat frightened: "Don't ask anymore, I don't know either if you ask me again."
"
Shao Shuyi was somewhat surprised, then smiled gently and said, "Yu She, buy the turtle and give him an extra five strings of cash."
After saying that, he nodded to the fisherman and went back to the cabin.
Chaohu Lake is a mighty place! Zhao the Double-Blade Master! It sounds like something out of a martial arts novel, but it's actually true.
Shao Shuyi is now increasingly certain that the true historical background of Shi Nai'an's "Water Margin" must be the late Yuan Dynasty, only it is falsely attributed to the Song Dynasty.
The so-called "Double-Knife Zhao" is actually a "gangster boss" who engages in murder and robbery. He is currently wanted by the police and has gone into hiding.
But then again, didn't Shao also run his own "gang" in private? We're all in the same boat.
Yu Yuan brought back the turtle and said, "He's gone."
Shao Shuyi chuckled mischievously, "He probably regrets it now."
Zheng Fan, Mo Bei, Kong Tie, Wu Heizi, and others who were resting in the cabin all looked over upon hearing this.
Shao Shuyi then briefly recounted what had just happened.
"The Luzhou Garrison is a Mongol-Han military command, and it seems they are willing to do some serious work," Zheng Fan said.
"Sir, are these Mongol soldiers from the Ten Thousand Households Bureau or Han soldiers?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"Neither."
"Where is that from?"
Do you know anything about the Tangut people of Western Xia?
"Of course I know."
"These are the Tanguts registered in the Mongol army, their scout Machi. The garrison at Hefei consisted entirely of Xia people, now called 'Tanguts,' and classified as a Semu (a sub-ethnic group)."
Shao Shuyi said "Oh," and only then did he realize that the ancestors of the Yuan army in Luzhou Road were all Western Xia people.
"And who is that Commander Zuo?" he asked again.
"I don't know," Zheng Fan replied, then said irritably, "Why are you asking around about this? What, you want to do business in Luzhou? There are too many bandits there, do you really think you can survive?"
"There are quite a few bandits in Taihu Lake too." Shao Shuyi laughed. "At least the Luzhou Army wiped out the bandits and forced their leader to flee. The Changqiao Navy is far inferior. I heard that the Taihu Lake bandits were scattered and then regrouped, and committed several more crimes."
Unable to argue with him, Zheng Fan said, "Let's set sail quickly. There are bandits in Chaohu Lake and Yuxi River (Ruxu River), so be careful. Don't stop along the way, just go straight through."
"Lord Zheng, Shao She," Mo Bei cupped his hands in greeting and said, "If we could travel together with others, the more people we have, the better."
"Manager Mo is mature and prudent, and his words are very good. Let's do it this way," Zheng Fan praised.
After saying that, he got up and went to the bow of the boat to get some fresh air. Before leaving the cabin, he looked at the turtle he had bought and said, "I'll stew it for lunch. Leave the skirt meat for me, and you can do whatever you want with the rest."
"My lord, I don't know how to do it," Shao Shuyi said helplessly.
Yu Yuan also looked distressed.
"My lord, I can do it." A woman's timid voice rang out from the corner.
Shao Shuyi turned his head and saw the woman he had rescued yesterday, carrying her child on her back, kneeling on the ground wiping the deck.
After eating a few bowls of porridge, the child gradually recovered. At this point, he buried his head in his mother's neck and occasionally stole a glance at the crowd.
Shao Shuyi made a face at him.
The child was startled and quickly turned his head away.
Shao Shuyi laughed and said, "Then you can do it. We'll cook the carp too."
"Yes, yes," the woman replied repeatedly, her face full of flattery.
"There's no need for that," Shao Shuyi said. "None of us would act like a turtle, but you can; that's your skill."
The woman gave a soft "hmm" and began wiping the deck even more diligently.
The child on her back quietly turned around and looked at Shao Shuyi.
As Shao Shuyi passed by, he gently patted his big head and laughed as he left the cabin.
"Dong dong dong————" A drumbeat sounded.
Accompanied by the sound of drums, a red triangular flag rose from the mast of the Drilling Sea Loach, fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.
Standing at the bow of the Taijia ship, Liang Tai immediately ordered, "Raise anchor and set sail!"
The boatmen responded in unison and slowly began to row.
Zeng Yi stood on the boat with a cold and arrogant expression, but he was quick and steady at the helm.
Clearly, he was a seafarer by trade, and he was not only good at fighting, but also knew a little about tasks such as anchoring, steering, rowing, and hoisting sails.
After leaving the dock, the Taijia boat will cruise in the deep water.
Not long after, the Taiyi ship rowed over.
The last of the sea breams to leave port was the small blue flag, which was raised on the gun barrel.
The Taijia and Taiyi ships understood each other and adjusted their course on the river, following behind the Drilling Wind Loach, one on the left and one on the right.
The three boats, arranged in a triangular formation, sailed upstream along the river.
"Is this the result of your recent training?" Zheng Fan asked, looking at the two canal boats following behind.
"We still need to think about it some more," Shao Shuyi said. "If we encounter river bandits in the future, having a strategy to fight against those who have no strategy will always give us a better chance of winning."
First, establish the rules and learn the simplest routines. Once you're proficient, you can combine simple routines into complex ones, and that's what makes you a fighting force.
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