The next day, Bai Jinhuan realized that something was wrong.
People would approach the three cargo ships from time to time on the dock, constantly observing them. By the afternoon, some of them started talking to the militiamen on board, asking what was on board and inquiring about the people's backgrounds.
The militiamen, having received strict orders, naturally didn't respond, but Bai Jinhuan had already realized that they were being watched!
He dared not be careless and gave the code that Luo Heng had taught him.
That night, an old fishmonger at the dock secretly boarded the boat.
This old man was a spy planted here by the Flying Feather Hall. His face was weathered and he looked no different from any other ordinary vendor at the dock.
After confirming their identities, Bai Jinhuan asked directly, "Is someone watching us?"
The old man gave a wry smile, "Sir, you can't blame others for targeting you; you're just too conspicuous."
Bai Jinhuan was stunned. "Nonsense! My men never disembarked from the ship from beginning to end, and they've always kept a low profile. How could they have attracted attention?"
The old man shook his head. "Sir, you didn't usually sail, did you?"
Bai Jinhuan frowned. "Speak plainly!"
The old man explained, "These boatmen often don't set foot on land for more than ten days at a time. Once they reach the dock, why would they stay on the boat and not seize the opportunity to have some fun?"
"..."
"All three of you, upon arriving at the dock, refused to disembark and maintained tight security from morning till night, with people patrolling the deck. Isn't that blatantly telling everyone that there's something good on board?"
"..."
Bai Jinhuan was speechless for a moment.
He never expected that his caution would attract the covetous eyes of others.
"Who's watching us now?"
"They must be from the He Family."
The old man provided the answer.
124. Rejoin the battle! Fight to the death!
What is the background of the He Family?
"They're the local bullies around Yi Province Wharf, and the nearby He Family Town belongs to them. The He Family five or six hundred henchmen, and the people who collect 'ferry fees' at the wharf are from the He Family. Most of the dockworkers work for the He Family for a living. They have some connection with all sorts of people in this area."
Bai Jinhuan frowned upon hearing this.
Yi Province may appear to have only one prefecture and five county towns, but in reality, there are many places like He Family Town, which are controlled by local powerful clans and are not subject to the jurisdiction of the government.
The He Family are the local tyrants, while we are outsiders. Our three boats docked at their pier are like a piece of fat meat placed right in front of a wolf's mouth!
Bai Jinhuan saw the old fishmonger off with a heavy heart, hoping that the regimental commander and the others would arrive soon.
Under the cover of night, at the He residence.
He Xingzhou sat on a recliner, his feet soaking in a copper basin. His newly acquired concubine squatted on the ground, her two fair hands gently massaging his feet. Steam rose from the basin, carrying a refreshing herbal fragrance.
He is the head of the He Family, and He Family Town is now the result of his hard work. He has reached the age where he should be enjoying life.
Footsteps sounded outside, and someone stopped at the door. "Sir, we've found out the origins of those three ships at the dock."
He Xingzhou opened his eyes and waved for his concubine to leave.
"Explain."
"Of the three cargo ships, two belong to the Shu Province Bamboo Charm Chamber of Commerce, and one belongs to the Jia Province Prosperous Far-reaching Chamber of Commerce."
The subordinate stood outside the door, bowing, his voice clear, "But the people on the ship are clearly not right. The crew members are all unfamiliar faces, and their accents are wrong. It's certain they aren't from those two merchant guilds."
He Xingzhou's eyes shifted. "The people on the ship have changed?"
The subordinate said, "Yes, either they were robbed along the way, or they were temporarily requisitioned."
He Xingzhou sneered, "If bandits had hijacked the ships, why would they deliberately stop at the dock waiting to be arrested? It's more likely that someone has requisitioned these three ships, and the original cargo on board has probably been replaced."
He thought for a moment, "The Bamboo Charm Chamber of Commerce's boats departed from the Shuzhong Wharf and only stopped at the West River Wharf. If the boats were requisitioned, it could only have been at the West River Wharf. These three boats must all belong to people from the West River Market!"
"People from West River Market?"
The subordinate chimed in, "Master, the Mist Hidden Temple has already announced they're at odds with the people of West River Market. Should we seize these three ships? They're drafting so deep; they must be carrying a lot of cargo!"
A glint of greed flashed in He Xingzhou's eyes.
Yi Province Wharf is only about forty li away from Yi Prefecture City, a half-day ride on horseback. The He Family was able to completely take over this 'fat piece of meat'— Yi Province Wharf—by leveraging the influence of Mist Hidden Temple, which paid a monthly fee to the Mist Hidden Temple.
The people of Mist Hidden Temple and West River Market have a blood feud. If I seize these three ships, hand over the people to Mist Hidden Temple, and keep the goods...
Two ways to cook a fish!
"Go and contact people."
He Xingzhou spoke, his decision already made, "We'll make our move first thing tomorrow morning, and call in plenty of men."
The subordinate accepted the order and left.
He Xingzhou beckoned his concubine to come in and continue serving him. He closed his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Early the next morning.
Bai Jinhuan woke up just as dawn was breaking.
He slept very lightly last night, closing his eyes for less than two hours. Because he felt uneasy, he carried a knife and patrolled the boat.
As soon as he stepped onto the bow of the ship, he noticed a number of figures in the distance on the dock.
"Wake everyone up immediately! All personnel on alert!"
Bai Jinhuan's heart tightened, and he shouted loudly.
A moment later, the dock was packed with people, at least five or six hundred, walking towards this side!
The men in front carried shields, while those behind them carried knives and spears. Half of them were servants of the He Family, and the other half were dockworkers.
Small boats also began to swarm around the three cargo ships from the river. Each boat was manned by seven or eight men armed with grappling hooks and knives and axes, who were eyeing the ships menacingly.
"Everyone, put on your leather armor, grab your crossbows and shields, and prepare for battle!"
Bai Jinhuan said in a deep voice that he always wore armor, so there was no need for him to wear it again.
The hundred militiamen on the three ships sprang into action, taking leather armor out of boxes and cocking all thirty-odd crossbows.
The crowd on the dock stopped on the shore, and a bearded man stepped forward, shouting at the top of his lungs towards the boat:
"Listen up, everyone on board! Someone has accused you of smuggling contraband. Everyone on board, disembark immediately, lay down your weapons, and submit to inspection!"
Bai Jinhuan stood at the bow of the boat, expressionless, ignoring the man.
As for contraband, there was definitely a lot on all three ships!
Although their reasons were made up, they weren't entirely wrong about us.
The man shouted twice more, and seeing no response from the boat, he waved his hand and gave the order:
"Superior!"
The crowd stirred, and dozens of helpers carried bamboo ladders with barbs forward to place them on the gunwale so that people on the shore could board the boat.
Seeing this, Bai Jinhuan gave the order without hesitation, "Fire the arrows!"
The First Battalion of the First Battalion he brought this time was the most elite battalion in the entire regiment, apart from Wu Shuangren's personal guard. The militiamen in the battalion were all veterans who had seen blood, and they did not hesitate at all after hearing the order.
The militiamen on the three boats, armed with crossbows, raised them, aimed them at the shore, and pulled the triggers!
The sound of the crossbow strings snapping rang out in unison as hundreds of bolts were released simultaneously, hurtling towards the charging crowd.
The incident happened suddenly and at close range. Before the helper at the front could react, he was shot through the chest, throat, and thigh by a crossbow bolt. He fell to the ground like a stalk of wheat that had been cut down, and blood stained the ground red!
Screams and cries of alarm rang out simultaneously as a volley of arrows felled more than twenty people. The crowd on the shore retreated in a panic, stunned by the barrage!
The fierce look on the bearded man's face froze instantly, and his face turned deathly pale.
He had anticipated that the people on those three ships would be troublesome, but he hadn't expected them to be this ruthless.
They actually pulled out crossbows and fired a volley of bullets at the slightest provocation?!
He dared not act on his own initiative and quickly turned around to ask He Xingzhou.
He Xingzhou, dressed in a dark red silk robe, sat in a sedan chair, surrounded by a dozen or so servants with swords.
He was shocked by the bearded man's report, "There really are contraband items?"
"Okay, okay!"
He Xingzhou was initially angry, but then his expression turned to excitement.
The fact that the people on board dared to use crossbows to kill people further proves that the ship was carrying valuable goods. If it were just ordinary cargo, why would they need to fight so desperately?
"Go tell them that if they dare to resist again and refuse to disembark and surrender, we will set the ships on fire!"
He Xingzhou gave the instructions.
Having received the order, the bearded man ran back to the front, activated his Internal Skill, and shouted loudly:
"Listen up, everyone on board! I don't care who you are, but this is Yi Province Wharf, not a place where you can run wild! I'm giving you one last chance: lay down your weapons, disembark, and surrender. Otherwise, we'll set the ship on fire, and none of you hundred or so will make it ashore alive!"
Upon hearing this, the militiamen on the ship couldn't help but stir.
Even veterans couldn't help but feel a little panicked at this moment!
They were outnumbered and trapped on the boat, like fish on a chopping board—they were at a huge disadvantage!
Bai Jinhuan's forehead was covered in sweat; he was nervous too!
He gripped the guandao tightly, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.
The three ships were piled high with supplies: food, weapons, medicine, armor... these were the foundation for the militia's expedition. If the ships were truly burned, the several thousand-strong force would be without logistics and equipment upon reaching Yi Province, and the battle would be pointless.
'Disembark, feign surrender, and then reclaim the supplies after the commander arrives with his men?'
Such a thought flashed through Bai Jinhuan's mind.
But he quickly rejected it.
The ship contained a large amount of armor and weaponry. If these items fell into enemy hands, it would inevitably come at a bloody price to take them back!
If I surrender now, I might save my life, but the price might be the lives of many more brothers in the regiment!
'The commander-in-chief trusts me and entrusted me with escorting these things; how could I let him down?'
Bai Jinhuan's eyes hardened, and he turned to the militiamen, shouting, "Brothers, the commander is on his way with his men! Getting off the boat is certain death! Hold on a little longer, and wait for the commander to arrive!"
"Yes!"
Several team leaders and squadron leaders responded.
"Since we're all in the army and get paid, why should we be afraid to risk our lives?"
"Think about how the group leader usually treats us!"
"We've never lacked food, clothing, supplies, or even rewards from the militia leader. There's no reason for us not to fight with our lives on!"
"..."
The team leaders took the initiative to encourage everyone, and what they said was all very sincere.
Most of the people here were tenant farmers in the past. They were simple and honest, and they all understood the principle of gratitude.
Hearing these words, the militiamen's eyes gradually hardened, and their morale slowly returned.
Bai Jinhuan breathed a sigh of relief and shouted down, channeling his Internal Skill, "The things on this ship are precious and cannot withstand fire! If you set the ship on fire, you will end up with nothing!"
Since the other side was already certain that there were good things on the ship, Bai Jinhuan decided to play along, hoping to take advantage of their greed and prevent them from easily setting the ship on fire.
He Xingzhou was behind him, snorted coldly upon hearing this.
He summoned his subordinates and ordered, "They're already scared; they're just bluffing. Prepare rockets. Fire seven or eight from each ship to demoralize them, lest they think we're afraid to attack!"
Moments later, the rocket was ready.
The archers drew their bows, lit their arrows, and fired at the ship.