On the turbulent Jialing River, a large ship sailed slowly on the river.
Six small boats were scattered on both sides of the big ship, working hard on the ship.
On the big ship, the archers had already taken out arrows from their quivers.
But who knew that at this moment, the water bandits actually raised their shields and covered their heads tightly.
And the sound of "bang bang bang" the ship was still going on.
The captain of the guard was so worried that he picked up a spear from the side and wanted to kill the water bandit.
However, the standard spear of the Royal Guards was only about two meters long, and the deck of the ship was more than a foot high from the water, so the spear could not reach it at all.
The captain of the guard had no choice but to hold on to the spear and throw it with all his strength.
Bang!
The spear pierced directly through the shield and was nailed to the shoulder of the shield-wielding bandit.
The bandit howled miserably and fell into the water.
Because of the rainfall in the past two days, the current of the Jialing River was very fast. The bandit only popped his head in the water twice, and then he was swept away without knowing where.
The sound of the ship being drilled also stopped due to this incident.
But before the captain of the guard could be happy, he saw the shields on the water bandits' boats retracted at the same time, revealing the archers hiding under the shields.
At this time, many of the guards stretched their heads to look down, and were caught off guard.
Five or six members were shot directly in the eyes, forehead and other vital parts, and died on the spot.
Three or four others were shot in the mouth, ears and other places, but luckily escaped with their lives.
All the guards were so frightened that they retracted their heads.
The captain of the guard was also frightened and broke into a cold sweat.
If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, he might have been hit too.
When the bandits saw that the guards also took out their bows and arrows, they immediately raised their shields.
The next second, the sound of ship-cutting sounded again.
And it's even more urgent than before.
"court death!"
The captain of the guard shouted coldly and took a new spear.
The next second, another water bandit fell into the water.
The Ninth Princess also heard the noise outside in the cabin. She squinted her eyes and thought for a while, then stood up and opened the cabin door.
"Your Highness, what are you doing?" Qin'er panicked and stepped out of the way to block the Ninth Princess: "The water bandits have already arrived under the boat. There may be stray arrows everywhere outside. It's too dangerous for you to go out now!"
"Look at the river outside. If the boat is scuttled, Qin'er, do you think we can survive?"
The Ninth Princess pushed Qin'er away and walked out of the cabin.
Qin'er hurriedly followed, staring to the left and right with vigilance.
The two turned the corner and saw the captain of the guard throwing a spear down.
But spears are not the main weapon of the guards, and they don't carry many.
The shot that Princess Ninth and Qin'er saw was the last shot.
After throwing, the captain of the guard looked around for other things to throw.
As a result, the item was not found, but the Ninth Princess was shocked.
"Your Highness, why are you out?"
The Ninth Princess did not answer the guard captain, but was looking around, looking for ways to deal with the water bandits.
It's just that the ninth princess's expression is much calmer than that of the guard captain.
After glancing around, the Ninth Princess suddenly pointed at the mast and said: "Captain Qin, cut down the mast!"
"Mast?"
The captain of the guard slapped his thigh suddenly: "Yes, why didn't I think of that?"
The spear couldn't reach the bandit's boat, but the mast certainly could.
The captain of the guard immediately called a few of his men and slashed at the mast with his sword.
Click!
The thick mast was cut off from the root.
Without the captain's orders, the four guards worked together to lift the mast to the edge of the deck.
The bottom of the mast is as thick as the mouth of a bowl, but the top is only about the size of a teacup.
The captain of the guard grabbed the top, signaled his men to lift the other end, and threw the mast down.
The mast hit the first pirate boat like a pendulum.
The water bandit was knocked half into the water, but the mast also stopped.
The trees used to make the mast must be strong and very heavy, but the captain of the guard just lifted the mast, aimed it at the gap between the two shields, and pounded it down hard.
Click!
The force of the mast falling, coupled with the terrifying power of the guard captain, directly smashed a hole in the water bandit's boat.
A boatload of water bandits were swept into the river.
The captain of the guard had no time to see if they were drowned. He struggled to lift the mast and move to the second boat.
The leader of the water bandits discovered the guard captain's plan and immediately ordered the second boat to leave temporarily.
The captain of the guard had no choice but to lift the mast and move to the third boat.
But when he was about to move over, the third boat also ran away.
But the second boat returned to its previous position and continued to cut the boat.
"No, this method won't work either."
The Ninth Princess frowned slightly and continued to scan the surroundings.
But this time she didn't find anything useful.
While he was in a hurry, he suddenly heard Qin'er shouting: "Your Highness, look in front of you, it seems to be the flag of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency!"
"Zhenyuan Escort Agency?"
The Ninth Princess raised her head and looked forward.
Previously, everyone's attention was attracted by the water bandits, but at some point, a large ship appeared on the river.
That ship was much larger than the one the Ninth Princess was riding on. It seemed to be pulling heavy cargo. The ship's side draft was very deep and its speed was very, very slow.
A black dart flag embroidered with "Zhenyuan" was blown by the wind.
When other merchants encountered water bandits and bandits robbed the road, they basically paid the toll obediently.
But the Zhenyuan Escort Agency is different. It never compromises with any bandits. When encountering bandits, they will directly open the way with a heavy crossbow.
If you really can't beat it, drop the goods and run away, then go back and call more people over.
When developing the market in the county town next door, he encountered a group of hundreds of bandits blocking the road and killing two guys from the Jinchuan Chamber of Commerce. After Zhang Liang got the news, he directly gathered two hundred bodyguards and launched a strong attack to capture the bandits.
The bandits' lair, and then all the bandits were hanged at the foot of the mountain.
After that time, when bandits saw the flag of the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau, they were like mice turning around and running away when they saw a cat.
Generally, escort agencies will put down their flags when it rains, but Zhenyuan Escort Agency does not.
The flag is the symbol of Zhenyuan Escort Agency!
This tradition has also been preserved by Guanzhu. As long as goods are being transported, the flag of the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau must be hung out.
The effect is also very obvious. Since the opening of the salt mine, Guan Zhuzhu has delivered goods several times and has not encountered a single water bandit.
"Qin'er, we don't have to worry now."
The Ninth Princess ran back to the cabin with her skirt and hurriedly wrote a letter on silk cloth and handed it to Qin'er: "Quickly, shoot it to the Zhenyuan Escort Bureau's boat!"
That big ship was the cargo ship led by Guan Zhuzhu. It was carrying mineral salt and was going to be sent back to Jinchuan Ferry.
Guan Zhuzhu and several bodyguards were standing on the deck, watching the battle between the water bandits and the guards. Suddenly an arrow flew from a distance and hit the deck.
"I'm just watching the fun, why are you shooting at me?"
Although the arrow was far away, Guan Zhuzhu was still shocked: "I wanted to save you, but you actually shot me with an arrow and left you alone!"