Chapter 44

I naturally didn’t think that a chance encounter could involve so many things. But it didn’t hinder my journey to restart at all.

With the help of the Shengchang Building, I could take a short relay boat trip along the Si River to the south, reaching Sizhou and then Xiapi, and then turn east to return to Huaizhou, looking for any merchants who could sail around the blockade on the Huai River.

However, after passing Lüliang, although still within the jurisdiction of Xuzhou, the signs of decay along the way were very obvious, a stark contrast to the prosperity and comfort I had seen before, almost like two different worlds.

But at least some order still existed within a certain range centered around towns. Although there were many refugees, thieves, and women selling their bodies,

At crowded places like ferry crossings and inns, I encountered and stopped over a dozen pickpockets or similar troublemakers, and I swiftly cut off a hand that was groping someone, which effectively deterred other potential troublemakers, making things much quieter.

Then, from the old canal in Xuzhou, I took a boat to Suchu County and stayed for two more days at a branch of the Shengchang Building.

As the local innkeeper said, "You are really lucky, there happens to be a caravan heading to Yangzhou, though it will take a longer route inland."

According to custom, in these turbulent times, travel is always done in groups. This time, because of a major client who paid a large sum to rent carriages and retainers, many travelers and itinerant merchants who heard the news gathered here, waiting to travel together.

This way, as long as it’s not a large-scale band of soldiers, ordinary bandits and robbers wouldn’t dare to easily provoke them. The remaining journey could be completed at a lower cost and with less risk.

Thus, I continued to use my identity as a doctor, and the name card from Mr. Liu Dongzhu played its role again, securing me a very good position in this temporarily formed group.

At least the travel environment improved significantly. Not only were there dedicated drivers for us, but during the day, both I and Bao Tou Dun were invited to sit in a special long carriage, said to be specially made in the south.

This carriage was several times larger than ordinary carriages, with six large wheels underneath. I even saw simple shock absorbers and steering mechanisms.

Although it looked somewhat old and peeling on the outside, the interior was quite nice.

The walls were wrapped in thick cotton, both soundproof and warm. The windows were large, openable pieces of water glass, not the traditional paper or cloth. The seats were soft leather cushions, and there were foldable lacquered wooden tables for placing items.

Under the seats were fixed pull-out compartments for storing personal items and daily necessities.

Inside the carriage, there were glass-encased lamps and a heating stove, so it wasn’t dark even at night, and tea could be boiled, making it specifically for those with some wealth.

Therefore, when I got into the long carriage, Hong Laohu III, pulling a half-old large carriage loaded with other items, was driven by a driver sent by the caravan, slowly following behind.

"This is the famous Benz," the carriage driver proudly introduced to me.

"Mao."

I was confused at the time.

"It is one of the few models that have been passed down since the Ganyuan era, said to be personally guided and named by Liang Gong."

"Today, only a few models like BMW, Porsche, and Dongfeng still exist."

Well, can I criticize this senior's malicious sense of humor? But despite the criticism, this special custom-made carriage was indeed much more comfortable, at least no longer exposed to the elements, and there was enough space to move around, avoiding the cramped space that could cause back pain.

According to my residual memory, due to wars and turmoil, this kind of precise carriage-making technology is already rare in the world. It is said that only a few places in the south or the northwest still have it, and here there are as many as six, used for different purposes. Although the exterior is not very ostentatious, the details all reflect the grand and wealthy style of a rich merchant.

And this long carriage is said to be the simplest one. Inside, including me and Bao Tou Dun, plus other passengers who got on and off along the way, there were only seven people in total.

Of course, as a doctor known for treating emergencies, I also had to take on corresponding responsibilities.

For example, using this long carriage as a venue to diagnose various sudden symptoms. Fortunately, the cases I currently handle are mostly minor, such as headaches, colds, or dietary issues.

Every day when we stopped to eat, these carriages would form several inner and outer circles, and people would fetch water, collect firewood, dig soil, and set up temporary drainage ditches. Everything looked well-organized and trained.

In the caravan, there were also dedicated vehicles for transporting food and firewood. When the special kitchen car made a large pot of fragrant meat sauce, each person would get a spoonful to spread on a pan-fried pancake, along with hot porridge for a warm and satisfying meal.

We, the guests on the carriages, could also have some additional side dishes, such as sliced and steamed cured meats.

Those temporary companions, such as merchants and travelers, did not have such treatment, but they had their own small groups, mostly buying firewood to cook their own meals.

The numerous drivers, laborers, and servants only had dry rations and small packets of dry sauce, mixed with hot water to make a sauce soup, just to get by.

Even worse, some brought their own beans and sweet potatoes, roasting them in the ashes, eating them whether they were half-cooked or not.

However, as the core of this large caravan, a wealthy and influential merchant never showed up. It was said that he was ill and could not be exposed to the wind, and everything was handled by a large number of maids and servants.

For external contacts and arrangements, such as our positions and treatment, a young manager would convey and negotiate.

In addition, what we could see were the head of the private guards, a tall and muscular man with two spears, and a group of hired retainers.

Although I was curious, I understood the principle that not seeking death means not dying. In my long carriage, I actively avoided concerning myself with anything beyond my own affairs.

Even with the few people in the same carriage, I only had a superficial nodding acquaintance and no desire for deeper conversation.

I collected a stack of new and old literary excerpts for reading and entertainment during the journey, which could also be used to solve small problems in life.

I also accumulated various daily observations and memories, with notes and summaries that were more than half an inch thick.

During this time, although Bao Tou Dun's memory did not recover much, I discovered a new use for her: she had excellent traditional calligraphy skills.

Compared to my clumsy hard-pen writing, whether in regular script, clerical script, or cursive script, she could write fluently and neatly, almost without any hesitation.

I didn’t understand why a girl her age would learn such an old-fashioned and sophisticated skill, so I dictated, and she wrote, which became a routine.

The only somewhat disharmonious thing was the numerous people lying by the roadside, both men and women, old and young, still breathing when they were carried and pushed to the side.

There were already many suspected spies on the road, but they quickly disappeared in the face of the armed guards.

...

In the ruins of the Haishi market in Liangshan, Qingzhou, the small boat merchant Hu Jingshui, touching the bruise on his face that had not yet faded, was grinning foolishly.

He felt that after so much bad luck, his fortune had finally turned. Because these fierce Liangshan bandits decided to entrust him with the distribution of the remaining goods in the market.

Although much had been destroyed and looted, the goods left by dozens or even hundreds of large and small boat merchants, even a small portion, was a considerable sum, let alone the many valuable and rare items among them.

Such a windfall brought him immense happiness, overwhelming his fear and shock, and even the pain of his bruised face seemed to be temporarily forgotten.

After all, these were the Liangshan bandits, one of the four major bandits in the north. For others, they might be intimidating, but for small sea merchants like him, who risked their lives in the waves and engaged in semi-legal activities to barely make a profit, they were not a big deal.

Although he didn’t participate much, the various illegal and forbidden entities they dealt with were always more than enough.

Moreover, being a small sea merchant who had to work hard to find jobs, both at sea and on land, and had to please others, was completely different from being a large merchant who operated a business and distributed goods.

He already saw the dawn of becoming a wealthy man, and the setbacks and physical pain became mere passing clouds.

Sometimes, a notorious reputation is also a good promotional tool. When the time comes,

He just needed to take the proof and seal provided by Liangshan to the Fusan or Xinluo fiefs, where there would be plenty of small boat owners who could only rely on the scraps from large sea merchants, willing to bring their people and ships to work for him.

In this chaotic world overseas, there were no shortage of people willing to risk their lives for money.

Back when he was kicked out of his family business, he was from a family of large sea merchants in the south. With a rare opportunity to revive his family business right in front of him, he would never let it go.

Although the people who forcibly took him didn’t find their target, which significantly reduced his expected reward.

The last place where the person appeared—Xiaoguang County—was already in ruins. The invading soldiers from Hebei had almost killed everything that was still breathing in the city, and Liangshan, weakened by internal strife, was almost defeated.

But because he led the way, the remaining Liangshan bandits gained a lifeline in a certain sense. Those people with significant backgrounds were willing to establish a long-term relationship with Liangshan, supporting Hu Jingshui to take over the operation of the Haishi market under the name of a certain fief in Yizhou.

Therefore, Liangshan was particularly enthusiastic about the search, willing to take risks and send out their last remaining people.

He just didn’t understand why these people, clearly from the sea fiefs, were so determined to find such an unknown person.