Chapter 297: The bright boat under the moon, the dark crossing of Luoshui
The city walls are getting dim and the full moon is getting brighter.
Huafang left Xianglu Village and continued eastward along Luoshui.
The sails were fully spread, and the flags with human figures and bird wings on the mast had been removed. From a distance, it looked like an ordinary merchant ship.
Shuang Gewei, who was not seriously injured, put on the brown linen clothes commonly worn by boatmen. They formed a team of several people and took turns rocking the oar behind to speed up the boat.
The believers on the deck were all ordered to enter the lower cabin, and the windows on all sides were closed tightly. Those who applied medicine were applied with medicine, and those who treated the wounds were treated. Even the moans were suppressed to an imperceptible range, so as not to attract other boats.
Unnecessary guesswork.
At the front of the boat, Hong Taizhu had been tortured to wake up by pricking his acupuncture points with silver needles. At this time, the restraints on his body had been removed, and only a thin iron shackle at his ankle tied him to the deck. The area where he could move was
, less than one foot in diameter.
Several believers in crimson lotus robes were kneeling by the side of the boat, with their hands behind their backs. Their wrists and ankles were tied together, making them almost unable to move. Among the believers, kneeling was an exquisite and embossed girl with messy buns and beautiful jade.
Yan Mengguo was also tied up tightly, with a bit of humiliation and unwillingness in his eyes.
A dozen or so knight-errant-looking men in regular uniforms, holding swords and daggers, lined up on both sides of Hong Taizhu, looking like they were loyal protectors. The entire painting boat, no matter from which angle it was viewed, showed that one faction had won a great victory.
, the scene of triumph after capturing the enemy!
The painting boat sailed through a large swamp. To the south, you could vaguely see the mountains, rocks, flowers and trees of Shendu Garden, but to the north, Shangyang Palace was dilapidated and no longer prosperous.
When I saw the palace wall at the corner of Ziwei City in the distance, the river gradually narrowed, and a sluice made of huge trees in front blocked the way for ships entering the city. The officers of the Capital Water Supervision and Canal Department took extradition boats one after another and began to head towards the city.
Ships of all sizes enter the city. Once on board, the goods must be inspected and the heads counted so that taxes can be levied in varying amounts depending on the ship owner's financial resources.
The difference is that on the ferry boat that was collecting taxes today, there were many bad guards with swords in their hands, who seemed to be searching for something with the boat. On the banks on both sides of the sluice, there were actually many soldiers standing with bows and arrows.
, jet-black arrowheads were aimed at the ships undergoing inspection from time to time, which made people feel guilty.
Every time a batch of ships is inspected, the sluice will open a gap large enough to allow these ships to enter the city.
At this time, another dusk drum was beating in the city. Everyone on the boat looked at the sky and after some calculation, they guessed that this was the fourth drum beat. It was not too late to enter the city at this time. If you walked faster, you would
Able to get back to the city where we want to go before the night is closed.
Two ferry boats, one on the left and one on the right, were approaching the boat for routine inspection. A trace of struggle and joy suddenly flashed across the eyes of Hong Taizhu on the deck. Fortunately, he held a barrier knife against his waist and cut him off again.
Pulled back from the fantasy: "Act according to the plan, don't play tricks!"
Hong Taizhu forced himself to nod calmly, then his face sank and he shouted at the people who were about to board the ship: "You blind dogs! Don't you even recognize me? Today, Mr. Hong was ordered by the palace envoy.
, go to Xianglu Village to intercept the Zoroastrian Saint.
The Zoroastrian demon was indeed cunning, and actually released nine identical "saints", who fled in all directions, trying to sneak into the city. Mr. Hong fulfilled his mission, caught one with his own hands, and kept it here. You must not make any mistakes.
, open the gate quickly and let everyone go!”
On the two ferry boats, the officers of the River and Drainage Department immediately stopped and looked at the bad guards beside them with hesitant expressions. The bad guards also looked at each other and turned their attention to a bad commander.
This bad handsome man was somewhat calm. Naturally, he knew that Hong Taizhu was a noble person and was a popular figure in the royal palace. But since Hong Taizhu led the tiger guards and sank in the Tongyuan Canal, according to private reports from the guards of Taiwei Palace, he
He has become a guilty person and is no longer treated by the royal palace.
See. Today, the whole city is under martial law and the city defense is tightened. This is the order personally issued by the palace envoy. However, Hong Taizhu obviously did not know about this in his words, and he is still here to show off his power. This shows his status in the heart of the palace envoy.
, has already plummeted.
When he thought of this, the bad handsome guy suddenly stiffened up and said, neither salty nor cool: "Master Hong, please calm down. We are also ordered by the palace envoy, Master Xiao, to set up defenses at the 'Eight Gates and One Water' to protect this place."
The Zoroastrian demons refused to leave the city; on both sides of the shore, there were even more camp colleagues to take care of them. We boarded the ship for inspection, a routine matter, and I hope Sir Hong will make it convenient and not embarrass the brothers."
Having said that, the bad commander boarded the boat first and walked slowly towards Hong Taizhu. Only then did the bad guards and officers of the River Drainage Department pluck up the courage to get on the deck one after another and follow the bad commander. They only waited for his order.
Next, we need to carefully check every place in the boat to make sure we don’t miss any suspicious traces.
At this time, the moon was in the east sky and the stars were shining brightly. Even though there were no lights on both sides of the sluice, the people and things on the boat were all clearly visible.
Since these people insisted on boarding the ship, they had to fight fiercely. Just trying to force their way through the sluice was quite troublesome: not only did they have to deploy special forces to control the officers operating the sluice, but they also had to deal with the recruits on both sides of the strait.
And there are an unknown number of bad guards lurking behind the sluice. This is really the last resort!
At this moment, a deep voice floated into Hong Taizhu's ears: "Master Hong, it seems that your reputation is decreasing day by day! Even a little bad guy doesn't take you seriously... Tell them to get off the boat!"
Otherwise, I will cut you and throw you into Luoshui to feed the fish."
Hong Taizhu only felt a slight pain in the back of his waist. The sword had pierced his robe and penetrated his skin shallowly.
The bearable pain made him wake up in an instant, with a furious expression on his face: "You are so impudent! Come here! First, tie up this dog who bumped into the official, and then follow me to see the palace envoy. Others ask questions
Write down where you came from one by one, and ask your superiors to come and apologize to me tomorrow!"
Hong Taizhu has been an official for many years, so he has some thunderous power. As soon as these words came out, everyone behind the bad commander suddenly became worried, and they all tried to persuade him, hoping that the bad commander would not offend Hong Taiwei to death. He will be investigated tomorrow.
It's not a big deal for an errand to be insecure, but if he's charged with a crime, he'll be jailed.
The bad guard was also shaken in his heart: Sure enough, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse! No matter how much Hong Taizhu falls out of favor, as long as he is still in Taiwei Palace, he cannot be provoked by a small role like him.
Looking next to Hong Taizhu, there was a man from the world with his sword unsheathed and his face covered with frost. He immediately tightened his buttocks and hurriedly put up a smiling face: "I, my official name is Gao Mazi, and I am Zhang Wuhou in Zeshanfang.
My subordinates were on business. Seeing that Lord Hong's ship was so magnificent, I thought it was a wealthy merchant ship, so... I have offended you so much. Please forgive me, please forgive me!"
Hong Taizhu raised his chin slightly and no longer looked at him: "Get out of here! Don't stay here to be an eyesore."
Although the words were spoken softly, the hands hidden in the sleeves of the robe were already sweating:
If Gao Mazi is really a good guy and wants to come up for inspection, the arrangement of "openly building plank roads and secretly building warehouses" will definitely be exposed on the spot. And before the two sides go to the bloody fight, he will definitely bear the brunt of these tricks.
Teach the demon to cut into eight pieces and throw them into the Luoshui River. Not even a whole corpse is left... As for the mansion he bought for more than ten years, the gold and silver hidden in it, and the dozen or so charming concubines, wouldn't he be gone in the blink of an eye?
Fall into the wrong hands?
Fortunately, Gao Mazi was still sensible. He only glanced at the "saint" and the believers tied up on the deck from a distance, then reluctantly got off the boat. Then he swung the ferry boat and surrounded the boats behind.
Just when Hong Taizhu breathed a long sigh of relief, Gao Mazi, who returned to the ferry boat, still had a burst of suspicion in his heart: when he turned his head just now, under the moonlight, he saw one of the rangers behind Hong Taizhu.
Thin, plump and handsome, I seem to have seen him somewhere in the city recently, but I can't remember...
The wooden gate slowly opened, and the pouring water pulled the boat forward steadily toward the city of Luoyang.
However, for Hong Taizhu, every moment he entered the city became extremely long. The eyes on both sides of the bank staring at the boats and the dense arrowheads were all torture in his heart. He was afraid that at some point, "shoot arrows" would be heard for no reason.
When the sound was heard, the arrows in the hands of the soldiers would pour down like a shower of locusts, shooting him and the boat of monsters into hedgehogs.
Fortunately, everything he worried about did not happen. The boat passed through the wooden lock without any danger, and was heading towards the Yellow Road, Tianjin, and Xingjin Three Bridges.
Through the wide bridge opening, you can see the sparse fishing fires on the Luoshui River in the distance, but they are cargo ships that have entered the city before. They are moored in twos and threes on both sides of the river between the Xinzhong Bridge and the pontoon bridge, waiting for the drums to sound tomorrow morning.
If you are thorough, you can find porters to transport boatloads of goods to the northern and southern cities.
Hong Taizhu had collapsed to the ground, and the pretentious momentum he had just had disappeared in an instant.
Tianji Protector Qin Xiangchu, who was wearing regular clothes on the side, patted him on the shoulder in a comforting manner: "Master Hong, you have cooperated well! We, the Zoroastrian Society, keep our word and send you back. It's just that you caught the saint's 'good news' and are afraid to use it."
Not too much
After a long time, it will be spread to Wang Jin's ears. If you can't hand over the "Saint Girl" by then, wouldn't you lie about the military situation and make fun of the superior officials? I'd like to see you, why don't you pack up the gold and silver tonight, and as soon as the city gate opens tomorrow, you can
It’s better to run away quickly!”
Hong Taizhu naturally knew the dangers involved. His face was gloomy and he was gnashing his teeth in his heart, but he did not dare to get angry. He just responded submissively: "What Protector Qin said is absolutely true. Thank you for your advice."
When Tan Xiangchu saw him talking about his sexual inadequacies, he no longer pressed him and just kept admiring the moonlight and fishing fire. However, as his eyes flickered, there seemed to be deep worries, which were hidden deep inside, but he was just not aware of them.
The boat passed the wooden gate and walked two miles to the foot of the Tianjin Bridge.
Qin Xiangchu had already taken off Hong Taizhu's shackles. Looking at the several-foot-high bridge, he couldn't help but look to his side and said with a wry smile: "Little brother Yang, I've been injured for five years. I'm afraid I won't be able to send Mr. Hong to the bridge. I can't tell. How can I help you?"
I must trouble you to take action once."
Yang Zhaoxi naturally stayed on the deck.
Just as the boat left Xianglu Village and the Zoroastrian people decided on how to enter the city, Yang Chaoxi helped Tan Qing and settled Tang Juan in the lower cabin, then took off her lotus clothes and left in only her regular clothes.
Come on, I failed to protect Tang Juan Zhouquan, there are indeed a few
He blames himself and is worried that once she wakes up, he will not know how to face it; secondly, the Zoroastrian method of "secret storage" is actually quite risky, it is tantamount to a big gamble, and the bet is the lives of the people on the ship.
If I don't keep a closer eye, I will really feel uneasy.
In view of this, he had no choice but to run out in despair, pretending to be Hong Taizhu's subordinate, standing aside and watching what happened. Fortunately, Hong Taizhu did not dare to play any tricks, and with a few scoldings, he frightened away the interrogators. Otherwise,
No one knows how many lives will be lost here.
Suddenly, he was shocked when he saw Tianji Protector Qin Xiangchu clasping his fists and saluting him, and hurriedly returned the salute: "Tianji Protector is welcome! Since you are Junior Sister Tan's father, my nephew should respect him as 'uncle'. Mr. Hong, this is a simple matter.
, Just use some strength, my nephew will do it now."
While he was talking, the boat had passed through the bridge opening. Without any further hesitation, Yang Chaoxi suddenly flashed behind Hong Taizhu, his anger sank in his Dantian, and he stabilized his lower body. His left shoulder was slightly lowered, his left arm had passed under his crotch, and his right arm was supporting it.
His back.
Seeing his body shaking slightly and exerting force with his arms, Hong Taizhu felt his body lighten up. A soft force instantly spread through his legs and back, spreading throughout his body. The warmth was quite beneficial. His body flipped several times in the air.
, in just two breaths, my feet were firmly planted on the white marble deck of Tianjin Bridge.
Hong Taizhu was horrified: This young man is not old, but the method he uses is the authentic Taoist method, which uses Qi to control strength. His heart and hand are in harmony, and he can lift the weight with ease without any feeling of strenuousness. This shows that his inner breath is deep.
I'm afraid that they have already entered the palace. If Zoroastrianism has a few more young talents like this, Taiwei Palace will be unable to suppress them in the future...
Hong Taizhu stood on the bridge, struggling for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and ran towards Jishanfang not far away.
Facing a powerful and cunning person like Wang Jin, all the clever tricks he plays seem so ridiculous. Instead, it is better to tell the truth about what he has seen and experienced, and maybe there is something wrong with him.
A chance to be reused again. Besides, I still have unfinished business to be completed, so how could I escape so easily and live up to my benefactor's entrustment on his deathbed?
With a few movements of his hands, he threw Hong Taizhu onto the bridge several feet high. Tan Xiangchu's eyes also flashed a bit of brilliance, and he held his fist again: "Young young man Yang is very promising, I admire him very much! There is just a question that has been lingering in my mind.
My heart feels unhappy if I don’t vomit.”
Yang Zhaoxi didn't know what was going on, so he could only clasp his fists and reply: "Uncle Qin Shi just said it doesn't matter."
Qin Xiangchu thought for a moment and then said slowly: "Young hero Yang and my daughter have known each other for a long time, right? The young hero's Taoist name is 'Chong Lingzi'?"
This question is simple and easy to answer, but the implication is more than that.