Dafeng Night Watchman

Chapter 644 - 644: Banditry

On the deck of a merchant ship on the Weishui Canal in Jianzhou.

Mu Nanzhi, wearing a cloak to keep warm, sat on a cushioned chair, holding Bai Ji in one hand and fishing with a bamboo pole in the other.

On the left, there was a table and two chairs. On the table, a small stove was burning with charcoal, cooking a pot of fish.

Xu Qiyan and Miao Youfang sat at the table, eating fish.

Bai Ji poked her head out of Mu Nanzhi's arms, her black eyes staring eagerly.

"These days, it's either fish or bacon. I can't even poop."

Miao Youfang cursed.

Xu Qiyan slapped him off the chair with a backhand slap, then waved at Bai Ji.

Bai Ji broke free from the princess's arms, ran to Xu Qiyan's feet with four short legs, and looked at him with her head held high.

Xu Qian'an picked up Bai Ji, picked up a piece of tender fish belly meat and put it on the bowl. Bai Ji buried her face in the bowl and ate it in small bites. .

"You are progressing very quickly. I estimate that after another month of training, you will be able to step into the fifth level of transformation. By then, as long as you don't commit suicide and provoke top figures, you can go anywhere in the world."

Xu Qian'an took a sip of muddy wine and felt relieved.

They went south this time to the Ten Thousand Mountains in southern Xinjiang.

There are currently only three people and a fox in the small team.

Among the members of the Tiandihui, Li Miaozhen is chivalrous and likes to do justice. It happened that the disaster was raging and people in various places were living in poverty. He always wanted to do something, so it was difficult for him to stay with Xu Qian'an.

Chu Yuanzhen is a bohemian swordsman. He is at home in the world and has no fixed place to live. What he yearns for is the freedom to do whatever he wants.

When traveling around the world, he was most happy to meet old friends, drink some wine, and settle scores. When the wine was finished and things were settled, he would set out on his journey again to pursue his swordsmanship.

Master Hengyuan and the Saintess had the same mentality. Monks were compassionate and had an obligation to save the world.

As for why Li Lingsu did not follow them to the south...

That day, when everyone woke up in the morning, the Saint had already left.

He left a letter to the members of the Tiandihui, saying that he had a breakthrough in his state of mind recently and wanted to go on the road alone to understand the true meaning of the Supreme Forgetfulness.

In fact, when he left, the members of the Tiandihui all knew that with their cultivation, they could clearly see what was happening within a few miles.

Xu Qi'an lay in the warm bed, and sang a farewell song to the Holy Son in his heart:

That night, we knew you were leaving, but we didn't say a word... When you put on your bag and took off the glory, I could only let the smile remain in my heart...

After the Holy Son left, Xu Qi'an released Dongfang Wanqing, and Chai Xing'er was still imprisoned in the pagoda, regularly fed, regularly summoned out to wash, and regularly let Miao Youfang do the hard work of cleaning the toilet.

At this time, the person in charge of the merchant ship, Manager Zhu, hurried over and said respectfully:

"Miao, the front is the Jinshui Beach, the water flow is gentle, and there are often pirates blocking the river to rob. Generally speaking, you can get through as long as you pay some silver."

Seeing Miao Youfang nod, he continued:

"If there is no accident, you don't have to do anything."

Miao Youfang said "um" arrogantly, maintaining his "master" style.

Manager Zhu bowed and retreated.

This merchant ship belongs to Jianzhou Chamber of Commerce, and it is going to Yuzhou to do business. Miao Youfang is now a guest official newly recruited by Jianzhou Chamber of Commerce, responsible for the safety of the merchant ship when it goes south.

Xu Qian'an's identity has not been exposed, he is just an ordinary follower.

After the merchant ship sailed for half an hour, the water flow began to slow down. After sailing for another quarter of an hour, the speed of the ship became extremely slow.

It can only rely on the boatman at the bottom of the cabin to row.

Thump thump thump..... Manager Zhu ran out of the cabin with a dozen warriors, holding knives and bows, with alert expressions.

Xu Qian'an looked at the left bank and saw dozens of small boats on the shore breaking through the waves, at a very fast speed.

Before, they were still docked on the shore. When the merchant ship entered this gentle river basin, more than a hundred pirates on the shore immediately jumped on the boat, paddled the oars, and approached like breaking through the waves.

This is a small boat with two pointed ends. It is less than ten feet long and only three feet wide. It has a bamboo door and a round roof. It has two oars and one paddle. It is light and fast.

"Why are there so many pirates here?!"

Manager Zhu was dumbfounded and his face turned pale.

Miao Youfang looked at him: "It wasn't before?"

Manager Zhu calmed down, his face still ugly, and smiled bitterly:

"I have traveled this waterway several times. In the past, there were only 20 to 30 pirates in total, but now there are probably more than a hundred. This, this appetite is big......"

Xu Qian'an suddenly asked: "What are these boats called."

"This is a gunboat, known for its agility, and is a common boat used by pirates."

Manager Zhu was in a very bad mood and patiently explained:

"In the calm water, In the river basin, merchant ships are not as fast as these small boats. The guns in their hands are used to pierce the bottom of our boats. Guns are not their only means, there is also kerosene to burn the boats. "

While speaking, the gunboats were less than three feet away from the merchant ship. Manager Zhu walked to the side of the ship, took a breath, and bowed his hands and said loudly:

"Heroes, I am Zhu Wen. All people in the world are brothers. It is not easy to make a living. Zhu has prepared fifty taels of silver for you brothers. I hope you can help me."

Fifty taels of silver is a considerable amount of toll.

During his tenure as a night watchman in the capital, Xu Qian'an did not eat or drink, and his salary was only fifty taels a year.

"Fifty taels, are you sending beggars away?"

A sneer came from a gunboat.

Manager Zhu and others looked in the direction of the sound. It was a man in black clothes and a cloak, with a knife on his waist, standing steadily at the bow.

He was probably in his early thirties, with rough and dark skin and sharp and unruly eyes.

Manager Zhu didn't know him. In his impression, the leader of this gang of pirates was a martial artist named "Ye Yuanyang". He was at the Qi training stage and was quite abiding by the rules. He gave the money to the pirates.

"You are not Ye Yuanyang. Where is he..."

Just as he was about to open his mouth to follow the voice, the man in the cloak had already jumped up and slammed hard on the bow of the merchant ship.

Boom!

The bow of the entire ship sank suddenly, causing everyone on the ship to sway and almost fall.

The man in black glanced at Miao Youfang, the only one who stood still, and several martial artists who were guarding the ship with bows and swords on their backs, and snorted:

"There are still a few martial artists."

"Ye Yuanyang? Are you talking about that ungrateful guy? I have already chopped off his head and sunk it into the river, but I am still righteous and took good care of his wife for him. "

Manager Zhu said in a deep voice:

"How much silver do you want, just tell me directly."

The man in black raised his palm and spread his five fingers: "This number."

Five hundred taels.....Manager Zhu said in a deep voice:

"Don't joke with me, sir."

The net profit of the entire ship's cargo is less than five hundred taels.

The man in black smiled and said:

"We not only want money, but also women. We have so many brothers under us, and we can't live without women.

"I will give you a compromise. One woman is worth ten taels, and a good-looking one is worth twenty taels."

As he said, he looked at Mu Nanzhi beside Xu Qian'an and said with disdain:

"For this kind of stuff, five taels of silver is not more, it's just enough for the brothers to have fun for a few days."

Mu Nanzhi sneered.

"When you come out to make a living in the underworld, don't do anything too extreme..."

Manager Zhu, who wanted to persuade him kindly, suddenly choked up, because at this time, the man in black deliberately faced the sun, and there was a faint divine light on his skin.

Sixth rank, bronze skin and iron bones!

Met a tough guy...Manager Zhu's face changed slightly, and he couldn't help looking at Miao Youfang.

Generally speaking, when encountering a master of this level, you can only admit defeat.

Manager Zhu couldn't estimate Miao Youfang's level, so he could only give him the decision. Manager Zhu believed that Miao Youfang would weigh the pros and cons.

"Don't be fussy, my patience is limited!"

The man in black walked to the table, grabbed the wine pot and took a sip, and blew a whistle.

After a few knocks, more than a dozen iron hooks were wrapped around the side of the boat, and the pirates climbed up along the rope.

The pirates who climbed without ropes pointed their long guns at the bottom of the boat or opened the kerosene jars, waiting for the black-clothed man's order to drill the boat and burn it.

They are pirates, not businessmen, who will bargain with you?

After the pirates got on the boat, the black-clothed man ordered:

"Search for property inside and bring out all the women."

He pointed at Mu Nanzhi and said, "Take this woman with you, but it's not worth the money, just a bonus."

The tone was relaxed, but not relaxed, and his right hand was always on the hilt of the knife.

Immediately, two pirates walked towards Mu Nanzhi, holding knives and making ferocious gestures.

Suddenly, there were two bangs, and the pirates were blown away by a huge force as soon as they approached Mu Nanzhi, vomiting blood and falling to the ground.

Xu Qi'an reached out his hand and grabbed the man's neck as the man in black changed his expression drastically:

"Let them go down."

"Go down, go down, all of them go down......"

The man in black was terrified. He was in the same mood as Manager Zhu just now - he had met a tough guy.

The bandits were in a commotion. They never expected that the man who killed the previous leader with one move would be as weak as a quail in front of this ordinary man.

Just a follower is so powerful. The strength of the hero Miao is more terrifying than I thought... Manager Zhu was secretly shocked.

Along the way, Xu Qi'an regarded himself as Miao Youfang's follower.

The bandits who swarmed in swarmed away again.

"Sir, please spare me. We can talk about it. Today, I didn't recognize the master."

The man in black pleaded sincerely.

He believed that unless the other party did not want the entire ship's cargo, they would not fight to the death with him.

Sometimes, pirates like them are not afraid of masters at all, because many masters will choose to compromise for reasons such as casualties and cargo.

There is no need to sacrifice one's life for something that can be done with silver.

Xu Qian'an did not kill him as expected, and asked:

"Where are you from?"

"Yuzhou!"

After a series of questions and answers, Xu Qian'an knew that the man in black was called Sun Tai, a native of Yuzhou, a wanderer in the rivers and lakes, and was wanted by the Yuzhou government for committing crimes.

This made him lose the possibility of creating a gang in a certain place, because the court's wanted order was shared among all continents.

Sun Tai began to wander around the world. Although he was happy to take revenge and had no shortage of silver, he was still a lone wolf.

As winter came this year, cold disasters were everywhere, and the order between the continents was vaguely broken. No one would care about him as a wanted criminal anymore.

Sun Tai began to gather refugees and other wanderers, and he ruled the water here. Now he has hundreds of bandits under his command, which is a pretty good force.

According to the development of the situation, if it continues like this, similar bandits and bandits will become the righteous army to overthrow the court, or the "lords" who rule one side, and become part of the avalanche......Xu Qiyan sighed lightly.

"Do you want to live?" Xu Qiyan asked.

Sun Tai nodded immediately.

Xu Qiyan pointed at Miao Youfang: "Kill him, you can live, I won't interfere."

Then he said to Miao Youfang:

"This is your first trial. In two quarters of an hour, come to see me with his head. If you fail, the friendship between you and me will end."

With two clangs, Xu Qiyan kicked Sun Tai and Miao Youfang out of the merchant ship, and the two fell towards the shore.

He then asked Manager Zhu to drop anchor and stay where he was, watching the battle side by side with Mu Nanzhi.

Manager Zhu was shocked. He didn't expect that this follower was the real boss.

Seeing his serious expression, Mu Nanzhi asked:

"Are you worried about Miao Youfang?"

"I'm thinking, if I were Duke Wei, how would I deal with these warriors who violated the law with force?" Xu Qian'an whispered.

Dafeng's enemies are not only the rebels in Yunzhou, but also these people in the underworld who took advantage of the situation to cause chaos, and the refugees who robbed wherever they went to fill their stomachs.

........

In the study room of the palace.

The decadent Wang Shoufu held a hand-warming stove, pointed his finger at the table, and asked:

"Erlang, this is a memorial sent from various places. Since the beginning of winter, banditry has been serious in various places. The scattered people in the underworld took advantage of the situation, gathered refugees, and robbed houses. There are internal and external troubles.

"Today, His Majesty asked the gentlemen in the palace, how to solve it? What do you think? "

Xu Erlang knew that Wang Shoufu was testing him.

Similar tests had happened from time to time in the past few months.

Wang Shoufu took a sip of tea and said slowly:

"You are too inexperienced to win the support of the Wang Party. I don't know when my body will recover, or it may not recover.

"It's a pity to hand over the team I have run for so many years."

Xu Xinnian frowned and said nothing.

"Don't worry, just give me a reply within three days." Wang Shoufu waved his hand tiredly:

"You can go now."