The journey took more than one day. When we arrived at Dongyang County, we entered the Huai River from the canal, turned eastward, and entered the southern entrance of Tongji Canal in less than two days.
The two dynasties before and after naturally put great efforts into this lifeline of the empire.
In the past, there would inevitably be some powerful water bandits plundering ships on this canal, which once caused considerable losses and even made the cargo ships passing by fearful. However, the imperial court could turn a blind eye to some bandits who ruled the mountain as kings.
, but any water bandits who threaten this lifeline canal are not polite.
From Luokou to Hangzhou, along the long canal line, there are canal transport yamen piers at every other section. The pier is not only convenient for the berthing of merchant ships and passenger ships, but also has official ships on standby all year round. Whenever there is a situation on the water, the sailors of the canal transport yamen will immediately
Board the ship and destroy the bandits offshore.
They were even more rude to the water bandits captured on the canal and would almost always kill them.
Therefore, the cost of plundering on this canal will be very high. Either you succeed, but if you fail, you will lose your head.
Except for the occasional strongman who actually hangs his head on his belt to get a vote, canal banditry is already very rare.
However, unless it is too urgent, most cargo ships try to avoid sailing at night. During the day, ships shuttle back and forth on the canal. At night, there are very few ships on the canal, and they often stop at the nearby dock to rest overnight and wait for the next morning.
Set off.
Because of this, the docks along the way will be very lively, with gambling houses and restaurants lined with bars and railings like clouds.
However, when sailing at night, after seeing the bustling and bustling scene when passing the dock, there is a long stretch of lonely and dark road. Fortunately, the boatmen of the two official boats go back and forth on the canal all year round and are very familiar with the conditions of the waterway, even at night.
Able to move forward accurately.
It was already late at night. It was Chen Zhitai and Geng Shao's turn to be on duty tonight. The night breeze was blowing. Standing on the bow of the ship, Chen Zhitai looked at the darkness ahead and felt a little depressed.
He hoped to get to Jiangnan as soon as possible and see the singing and dancing birds in Jiangnan, but after a few days, the road seemed to have no end, and he didn't know when he would arrive in Jiangnan.
"Old Geng, what are you thinking about?" Turning around, he saw Geng Shao sitting on the deck, leaning against the ship's plank, looking thoughtful. Chen Zhitai asked curiously: "Tell me what's on your mind. I'm well-informed.
Maybe I can enlighten you."
Geng Shao ignored him.
Chen Zhitai came closer, sat down next to Geng Shao, nudged Geng Shao with his arm, and said with a chuckle: "Did you miss women again in the dead of night?"
"Except for this, you have nothing else in your mind?" Geng Shao glanced at him and said softly: "I'm just curious about what I'm going to do in Jiangnan this time."
Chen Zhitai said in surprise: "Didn't your Excellency say that he is an official of Dali Temple? Not long after he took office, he will go to Jiangnan to inspect cases. Old Geng, are you crazy about women and have even forgotten this?"
"I see that you can't think of anything else except women." Geng Shao sneered and whispered: "Have you noticed that the guy with the fake beard is a little sneaky?"
"You mean that guy who looks like a wandering soul?" Chen Zhitai got even closer and lowered his voice: "Old Geng, do you think his beard is fake?"
Geng Shao looked at Chen Zhitai with strange eyes and said in surprise: "Don't you see it?"
Chen Xi and two officials from Ziyi Prison pretended to be Dali Temple executioners and followed the team. The six real executioners of Dali Temple knew from the beginning that the three were not from Dali Temple, and they soon discovered that the three were eunuchs.
Pretend, Pang Yu and the others didn’t know at first that the three of them were not executioners from Dali Temple. Qin Xiao didn’t say much to them. However, after getting along for the past few days, Pang Yu and Geng Shao had already discovered that Chen Xi was a eunuch pretending to be a eunuch.
Shao was surprised that Chen Zhitai was so late-minded and didn't realize that Chen Xi was an eunuch until now.
Chen Zhitai was a little embarrassed, touched his head and laughed twice: "I have some doubts, I'm not sure."
"The man walked silently. He appeared behind me several times and I didn't notice it at all." Geng Shao said, "Every time I see this man, I feel a little nervous, just like when I was at Baihu Camp.
, every time I see Deputy Commander Liu...!" Thinking that Chen Zhitai didn't know who Deputy Commander Liu was, he could only say: "Anyway, that eunuch's martial arts must be very high, and his skills are probably still among those of adults.
Go up. I heard someone say before that there is a feared yamen in Kyoto called the Ziyi Prison. There are a bunch of eunuchs in the Ziyi Prison with many masters. I wonder if this person is also a member of the Ziyi Prison?"
Chen Zhitai stroked his thick beard and said, "Old Geng, my lord is going to Jiangnan for patrol, what are the eunuchs doing with you?"
"That's the problem." Geng Shao frowned and said, "If your Excellency is just patrolling, why would the people from the Ziyi Prison follow you? And they are also experts from the Ziyi Prison. I see that the eunuch is not very polite to you, and you are not very polite to him either.
If they are separated, the relationship between the two seems not to be good. In this case...!" After a moment of silence, Chen Zhitai looked at Geng Shao. Seeing that he had not spoken for a long time, he couldn't help but ask: "Old Geng, do you have anything?
Let’s just say, you should fart after holding it in for a long time...!”
Before he finished speaking, Geng Shao suddenly raised his hand and covered his mouth. Chen Zhitai was startled. He didn't know what Geng Shao wanted, but Geng Shao had already said in a deep voice: "Stop talking." He stood up suddenly and said,
Looking ahead, the night wind blew and the water surface swayed slightly.
"What's wrong?" Chen Zhitai looked confused. Seeing Geng Shao's solemn expression, he followed Chen Zhitai's gaze and looked forward. He couldn't see anything but darkness in front of him.
"Did you hear the sound?" Geng Shao asked: "It seems... it seems like the sound of fighting?"
Chen Zhitai was startled. Before he could speak, he heard a voice coming from behind him: "Your ears are very sensitive. Yes, there is someone fighting in front of you."
Geng Shao and Chen Zhitai were both startled and turned around, only to see Chen Xi appearing behind them like a ghost.
Geng Shao saw Chen Xi's eyes as sharp as a falcon staring at him, and his heart shuddered. At this moment, he heard the sound of footsteps. He looked up and saw Qin Xiao and Gu Baiyi walking over quickly.
"Sir!" The two men hurriedly raised their hands to meet him. Geng Shao pointed towards the front of the ship: "There was a sound of fighting in front, it seems not far away."
"It's indeed not far." Qin Xiao nodded. He had not fallen asleep and was talking to Gu Baiyi late at night. Before Geng Shao heard the sound, he had faintly heard the sound coming from the front and rushed out immediately, but Chen Xi
Apparently he noticed it faster than Qin Xiao.
Only then did Geng Shao see that Qin Xiao was actually holding a knife in his hand. The scabbard was different from an ordinary knife and was completely black.
Chen Xi's eyes also fell on Qin Xiao's sword, and he was a little surprised: "Golden Crow Sword?"
"Do you know him?" Qin Xiao glanced at Chen Xi.
This sword was given to him by a saint when he was in Kyoto. The saint not only gave him cloth and gold, but also gave Qin Xiao a sword and gave him the qualification to wear it.
When Qin Xiao saw this sword for the first time, he felt that it was very special. He thought that it was given by a saint, and it was not easy to show off with the sword. After all, in the deep waters of Kyoto, sometimes it is necessary to keep a low profile.
He had always kept this knife in his house. He took it out when he went to Jiangnan. He kept it in his luggage and did not wear it. However, when he heard the sound of fighting on the canal, something was wrong, so he took the knife in his hand.
.
Although he is only in the fourth level, he has been taught by the blood demon ancestor. With a knife in his hand, his strength is not as simple as that of the fourth level. With the knife in his hand, Master Xiao Qin will feel at ease.
Chen Xi didn't say much, just looked forward.
Chen Zhitai glanced at Chen Xiyi
Eyes, I thought to myself that this bitch didn't even respond to the adults' words. He was so arrogant. If there was a chance, he needed to punish this damn eunuch. However, when he thought that this person was a master of the purple eunuch, his thoughts immediately arose.
put out.
"In recent years, it has been rare to hear of water bandits on the canal." Gu Baiyi put one hand behind his back and looked ahead: "Could someone be hijacking the ship?"
"Speed up the boat." Qin Xiao ordered.
The official ship broke through the water and accelerated forward, and the sound of fighting in front became clearer and clearer. Suddenly, a fire lit up, not far ahead. Qin Xiao's eyesight was so clear that he vaguely saw a ship parked in front of him.
In the middle of the canal, figures on the boat flashed, still fighting.
"Someone set fire to the boat." Qin Xiao said in a deep voice.
"It's not a cargo ship." Gu Baiyi could see clearly.
The few people around understood what Gu Baiyi meant. If it was really a robbery by water bandits, they could only choose a cargo ship to rob the goods on board. Since it was not a cargo ship in front of them, there would be almost no water bandits risking beheading to rob.
After all, murder is not the purpose of water bandits. The main purpose is to make money. There is no cargo on the ship, so ordinary water bandits will not attack.
Feixing and Fat Fish were still sleeping soundly, but a movement on the boat woke them up and they hurried to the bow.
The fire on the opposite ship was getting bigger and bigger, and the fire was extremely fierce due to the wind. Under the fire, two groups of people were fighting hard. One of them was all dressed in black. They were outnumbered by the crowd, and only a few people were struggling to resist.
Two or three people, dressed as ordinary people, were already in danger under the siege of the men in black.
The official boat approached quickly, which obviously alerted the group of men in black. Someone shouted loudly: "The officers and soldiers are coming."
Official ships are very different from ordinary ships. People who have been on the water for a long time can identify official ships at a glance.
The fire was raging, and the official ship was coming. The group of men in black couldn't figure out how many soldiers were on the official ship. Someone blew a loud whistle, and the men in black immediately jumped from the ship into the water, and quickly dived in to watch them.
The movements are obviously very water-based.
Qin Xiao had been prepared for a long time. He was still some distance away from the boat. Qin Xiao had already jumped onto the side of the boat, kicked off his feet, and floated out like an eagle, landing on the bow of the boat.
Two men in black happened to rush out of the cabin, dragging a woman with a messy bun. They met Qin Xiao head-on. He saw Qin Xiao holding a knife in his hand and staring at him coldly. A man in black also did not
After hesitating, he rushed forward, slashed Qin Xiao with his knife, and struck out fiercely, clearly intending to take Qin Xiao's life.
"choke!"
The Golden Crow Sword was unsheathed. Under the firelight, the whole body of the Golden Crow Sword was black and glowing with an icy cold light. The man's sword was still a finger away from Qin Xiao's head. Qin Xiao waved his arm and the sword light passed by, and he had already cut off the man's sword neatly.
human throat.
The other person was startled and dragged the woman back to the cabin, but Qin Xiao was already following him like a shadow. He was behind the person in an instant, punched out and hit the person hard on the back of the head. The person didn't even grunt.
Straight forward and fell down.
At this time, Geng Shao and Fat Fish had already jumped over from the official ship, holding knives in their hands. They saw only seven or eight corpses lying on the deck. In addition to the man in black who was killed by Qin Xiao, there were two other corpses in black.
The remains of human corpses and ordinary clothes were obviously those of the people on the ship.
When the official ship approached, almost all the men in black jumped from the ship into the water. After entering the water, they disappeared. Qin Xiao killed one person and knocked out another. When the unconscious man in black fell, the woman fell down.
In front of the cabin, the woman's clothes were messy, her hair was disheveled, and her face was pale. In the firelight, Qin Xiao saw that this woman was already in her early thirties. She did not have the slenderness of a girl, but the plumpness of a mature woman. Her face was seven points tall.
Zise's face was pale, as if she had been frightened out of her soul.