Chapter 5

Everyone looked at each other, all feeling bewildered, not knowing what had happened to this scholar. But then they heard the scholar wailing and shouting, “How could a loyal minister come to this? A family of loyal heroes, why should they meet such an end? Heaven is unjust, heaven is unjust...!”

Suddenly, someone understood what was going on. It seemed the scholar had read a certain story while reading and thus suddenly became so deranged. Some people thought to themselves, “He’s just a bookworm!”

A wealthy man in brocade clothing mockingly asked, “Who are you referring to when you say a family of loyal heroes? And why is heaven unjust?”

The scholar, still crying, said, “Zhuge Wu Hou was loyal throughout his life, working tirelessly until his death. This is self-evident. His son, Zhuge Zhan, and his grandson, Zhuge Shang, were also loyal ministers, and in the end, three generations died for their country... How can this not be painful!” As he spoke, he wiped his tears with his sleeve, his face full of sorrow.

Everyone in the crowd sneered inwardly, thinking this person was truly foolish. However, the black-clad man who had come to Chu Huan’s rescue sneered and said, “Ministers die for their advice, and generals die in battle. This is their duty and what is expected of them. If not, how can they be called loyal and righteous?” He then coldly snorted and said, “But the later emperor was incompetent, and the Zhuge family’s loyalty to an incompetent ruler was not worth it!”

The scholar’s face immediately changed. He suddenly stood up, pointed at the black-clad man, and said with a red face, “You... you are talking nonsense. How can a minister’s loyalty be worthless?”

The black-clad man sneered and said, “If what you say is true, then Xiao Tianwen of Western Liang is also a great loyalist. If Xiao Tianwen dies at the hands of our Great Qin cavalry, will you cry like this?”

The scholar was speechless, his face turning from white to red, looking extremely uncomfortable. After a while, he said, “Xiao Tianwen is a great villain, how... how can he be a loyalist?”

The black-clad man coldly said, “To our Great Qin, Xiao Tianwen is indeed a great villain. But to the ruler of Western Liang, Xiao Tianwen has been loyal all his life. If it weren’t for Xiao Tianwen, Western Liang would have been defeated by our Great Qin cavalry over twenty years ago. How could there be today’s troubles?”

As he finished speaking, someone nearby said, “I recently heard that the people of Western Liang killed General Feng, and then launched an attack on our Great Qin’s Guanxi region, capturing three states, causing countless deaths and destruction...” He sighed and said, “With General Feng dead, who can hold the line against the Western Liang army in Guanxi?”

The Great Qin Empire is divided into sixteen regions, each region overseeing several states, and each state overseeing several counties, implementing a three-tier administrative system of region, state, and county. The state where the governor’s office is located is directly called a prefecture.

Yunshan Prefecture belongs to the Nanshan region, which oversees eight states, and Yunshan Prefecture is one of them. Since the governor’s office is located in Yunshan State, it is directly called Yunshan Prefecture.

The Guanxi region is located in the northwest and has always been the front line against the attacks of Western Liang.

When this person spoke, the people on the boat all looked somber. Although the Guanxi region was still quite far from them, the news of General Feng’s death had already spread far and wide.

Few people in the Great Qin Empire did not know the name of General Feng. In recent years, General Feng had been stationed in Guanxi, repeatedly thwarting the attacks of the Western Liang people. Everyone knew that as long as General Feng was in Guanxi, the Western Liang people could not advance eastward.

However, not long ago, a rumor spread among the people that the pillar of the northwest, General Feng, had been killed by the Western Liang people. Not only did General Feng die, but his famous Thirteen Protectors were also killed.

The news of this disaster shocked the entire Great Qin Empire.

...

The sun had set, and the world was already dark. The mooring ropes and gangplanks had been retracted, and the boat owner, Pan, led the eleven sailors to the bow of the boat, where they solemnly bowed three times. Then he took out ten copper coins and threw them one by one into the river.

This was a tradition before setting sail, using ten copper coins to pay respects to the water god, praying for a safe and smooth journey.

The passenger boats at Fenglin Ferry were of two types: one heading north to the final destination of Cangzhou, and the other heading south to Yunshan Prefecture. The Jing River starts from Cangzhou in the north and winds southward for nearly four hundred miles.

A shout rang out: “Set sail!” The boat immediately raised its sails. It was a favorable wind, and the passenger boat quickly left the dock, heading south to Yunshan Prefecture in the autumn wind.

Because of the mention of General Feng’s death, the cabin was silent for a long time. After a while, a wealthy man sighed and said, “With General Feng dead, the Western Liang people will likely continue to press forward. The court will certainly launch a campaign against Western Liang... The government will certainly increase taxes, and we will have to pay a lot more!”

When he said this, several people in the cabin looked uncomfortable.

When the government levies taxes, the lives of ordinary people naturally become harder, and these wealthy merchants are even more heavily taxed. In recent years, the government has frequently increased taxes, causing great hardship for merchants across the country.

When the conversation reached this point, everyone lost interest and did not want to continue. Many people tightened their clothes and began to sleep against the ship’s boards.

Chu Huan also leaned against a corner, while the old man seemed to be deep in thought. The cabin was very quiet for a moment.

The boat sailed south with the wind, but after traveling for more than ten miles, the mountains on both sides began to rise continuously. The boat sailed on the river, and the high mountains on both sides were like the teeth of a beast, as if about to swallow the boat.

The autumn wind was bleak, and the solitary boat looked very desolate in the night.

Chu Huan squinted his eyes, half asleep, and after a while, he suddenly heard a strange noise. He opened his eyes, and the cabin was extremely dark. If it weren’t for the two oil lamps hanging on the cabin walls, nothing would be visible. In the dim light, he saw that most of the people in the cabin were hugging their bags, sleeping soundly, and two of them were even snoring.

The old man beside him was also leaning against the cabin wall, asleep. However, the black-clad man had sat up, seemingly also hearing the noise. When Chu Huan looked at him, the black-clad man was also looking at Chu Huan.

The black-clad man seemed to realize that Chu Huan felt something was wrong, and he gently woke his companion, whispering a few words to him. Then he led another person carefully through the narrow space to the cabin door, glanced at Chu Huan, and hesitated, not saying anything. He then led his companion out of the cabin.

Chu Huan frowned, focusing his hearing. The sound continued intermittently, seemingly a collision, but it was hard to determine where it was coming from.

He picked up his bag and walked out of the cabin. Outside, he saw the black-clad man and his companion whispering on the deck. Seeing Chu Huan come out, the black-clad man smiled faintly and said, “Sir, did you also hear something?”

Chu Huan smiled but did not speak. The black-clad man suddenly drew his sword from his waist, extremely fast, and the blade was instantly aimed at Chu Huan’s throat. His companion quickly moved, already behind Chu Huan.

Chu Huan frowned but showed no fear, and said calmly, “What’s the meaning of this?”

The black-clad man sneered and said, “What is your true identity?”

Chu Huan sighed and said, “We may not be friends, but we are certainly not enemies.” He looked at the black-clad man and said calmly, “If I were you, I would focus on dealing with the impending danger rather than asking about someone’s identity.”

The black-clad man frowned, seemingly sensing something. He turned his head and looked at the river, his face changing.

The cold moonlight shone on the river, and the river surface shimmered. The world was quiet, but a boat was approaching from the opposite direction, clearly visible in the moonlight.

The black-clad man sheathed his sword and quickly walked to the side of the boat, looking down. His expression became even more shocked, and he said in a low voice, “Not good, there are people under the boat...!” Realizing something, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, “Someone is trying to sink the boat!”

His companion was also shocked and said, “The Jing River has always been peaceful, and there have never been bandits...!”

“Someone must be trying to rob the boat!” The black-clad man’s expression was serious, and he ordered, “Ertiger, go inside and tell everyone that bandits are robbing the boat. Those who are strong should grab something and fight the bandits.” He then realized that the passengers in the cabin were not reliable and decided to find the boat owner to organize the crew. Thinking of Chu Huan behind him, he turned and asked, “Sir, you showed some skill when you boarded the boat. You must not be an ordinary person. With the enemy approaching, we need to work together to resist them!”

Chu Huan said, “I only have some brute strength, I’m afraid I won’t be much help!”

The black-clad man sneered and said, “If you’re not with them, then you’re on our side. A man must have some courage. Are you going to let yourself be captured and killed?” Without waiting for an answer, he took a sharp dagger from his pocket and threw it to Chu Huan, who caught it. The black-clad man then hurriedly went to find the boat owner.

Chu Huan felt a chill from the dagger, knowing it was not an ordinary one, sharp enough to cut hair. He looked at the approaching boat, which was moving against the wind, but the distance between the two boats was getting closer. Chu Huan could even see the figures on the deck of the approaching boat, seemingly many in number.

The black-clad man’s companion had already informed the people in the cabin, and Chu Huan could hear the noise inside. Several people had already come out onto the deck, seeing the approaching boat in the night, and were greatly alarmed, shouting, “Turn the boat around quickly, bandits are coming...!”

At this moment, the boat owner, Pan, had already led several crew members to the bow of the boat, his face pale and sweating. The crew members around him were also terrified.

The black-clad man followed and looked at Pan, saying in a low voice, “Do you have any weapons on the boat? Distribute them to everyone. Those who can swim should go into the water, there are bandits under the boat!”

Pan’s expression was panicked, his eyes darting around. Seeing the bandit boat approaching quickly, he knew it was too late to turn the boat around and escape. He trembled and said, “There... there are no weapons on the boat!”

The black-clad man sneered and said, “It seems you’re ready to die!”

Pan thought for a moment and finally said to the burly crew member, Xue Lao Liu, “Go and get the weapons hidden in the cabin’s crevices, gather everyone, and we must protect this boat!”

The Great Qin Empire strictly prohibited the use of weapons by civilians, and knives were especially restricted. Initially, Pan did not dare to reveal his hidden weapons, but now, with the crisis at hand, he had no choice.

There were seven or eight burly crew members on the boat, all excellent swimmers, and they were not inexperienced. Xue Lao Liu, following Pan’s orders, waved his hand and said, “Brothers, go and get the weapons, and fight these bandits!”

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PS: The new book is officially climbing the charts. If you have red tickets, please give them to the desert during the new book period. Also, remember to add the book to your collection.

The new book chart rules have changed, and clicks are very important. So, if you have time, please click more often. Although the word count is still low, many friends have the habit of keeping the book, but I still hope you can take the time to click every day. At this time, I need clicks, red tickets, and collections. Thank you all!

Also, I recommend my old book, here is the link, nearly four million words, which can pass the time:

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