It was already the twelfth lunar month.
The weather grew colder by the day.
Linjiang Prefecture.
Overnight, the north wind swept in, bringing a sudden fall of frost and snow.
By morning, everything within sight, heaven and earth alike, lay wrapped in silver-white.
South Water Gate.
Even in the depths of winter, the docks still seethed with voices, the clamor rising to the clouds.
Laborers shouldered heavy sacks and shouted work chants, huffing and puffing as they carried goods back and forth.
Wealthy merchants wore thick fur coats and held hand warmers, surrounded by servants as they watched the laborers work, stamping their feet now and then and occasionally barking a reprimand.
On the city walls, the patrolling soldiers had changed into thicker clothes, with padded or leather armor over them. Each gripped a saber or spear, sharp eyes sweeping their surroundings.
At Hong Yuan's command, Tao Gongwang, Qian Shanzhi, and the others naturally dared not disobey. They soon began integrating the Jintang Battalion and the Canal Gang.
A full three to four hundred aging, feeble men and loafers were expelled from the Jintang Battalion, and elite fighters from the Canal Gang were brought in to replace them.
How much this newly formed "Sea-Guard Army" had improved in fighting strength could not be judged immediately, but after Tao Gongwang and the others put it through a thorough overhaul, military discipline tightened considerably.
Mist wreathed the Yudai River.
Passenger boats, cargo vessels, and ferries of all sizes crowded together, swarming in amid crisscrossing sails.
There were wealthy merchants from every corner of the land, as well as many martial wanderers wearing sabers and swords. Most, however, were common folk rushing about the docks to earn their living.
More than twenty grain barges also lay moored in designated waters under the direction