Knife splashing

Chapter 213 What Happened on the River
The incident happened suddenly, so everyone stayed in Xiangyang for two more hours. Sharifei entered the city and bought a piece of detailed intelligence.

"The mountain people suddenly launched an uprising, catching the imperial court off guard..."

"Do you remember the Shangjincheng gunpowder case?"

"The troops of the Duwei Division sneaked into the mountains again to investigate, and unexpectedly found two more villages producing gunpowder. So the Yunyang Guard gathered troops and sent more than 2,000 people to Zhushan..."

"But on the day we arrived, martial arts masters and evil sorcerers set fires and caused chaos everywhere in Zhushan County..."

"The soldiers of the garrison were ordered to enter the city to pacify the rebellion, but they encountered an ambush with explosives on the way, resulting in heavy casualties. At the same time, the mountain people came out in large numbers, with more than 10,000 people..."

"Now, the Tiansheng Sect has occupied Zhushan County, killed all the officials, opened the granaries to release grain, and built fortifications."

"The imperial army sent reinforcements, but they took advantage of the mountainous terrain and ambushed us with explosives along the way, resulting in a standoff."

"In the city of Yunyang, the situation was already chaotic because the locals were dissatisfied with the arrest of the troublemakers. In addition, there were also people from the underworld who sneaked in and set fires and killed people. The entire Yunyang city is now under martial law..."

"In the southwest, Tangya Tusi City and Bozhou Tusi Yang Family have rebelled and no longer submit to the government. Although other Tusi did not join in, they expelled Han officials and burned down post stations..."

"This incident has affected the entire southwest of China."

After hearing what Sharifei said, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They knew there would be trouble, but they didn't expect it to be so serious.

Of course, these are all public news.

The specific details are still unknown.

Li Yan suddenly thought of something and frowned, "There are also natives gathering in the mountains near Yichang. Have they also fallen?"

"Not yet."

Sharifei shook his head and said, "There are already many conflicts among those chieftains, and many of them have bloody fights and grudges. How can they work together?"

"Some of them waited and watched, some took advantage of the chaos to grab food and repair the Tusi city, and some remained loyal to the court and did not come out in large numbers."

“But if the situation deteriorates, Yichang will definitely be in big trouble!”

…………

The situation was not good, so everyone stopped waiting.

After replenishing supplies at the ferry, they set off immediately.

As they traveled down the Han River, they immediately saw the effects of the war.

There were many more boats on the river, all moving in a hurry.

Some came from Yunyang, mostly passenger ships, filled with panicked civilians, clearly heading to other places to escape the war...

There are also many heading north, mostly merchant ships, transporting supplies. After all, when the war starts, all kinds of supplies will be in short supply on the front line...

Wide rivers can sometimes get blocked.

Of course, when there are more people, there will be a lot of trouble.

After leaving Xiangyang and passing Yicheng County, we continued walking for a few more hours before the river ahead was blocked again.

It was already sunset, and boats of all sizes filled the entire river. There was even thick smoke rising in the distance.

"Brother Lu, come and see what's going on?"

Li Yan noticed something was wrong and signaled immediately.

After months of training, the falcon was already very smart, so it stood by the window of the boathouse. When Lu San whistled, the falcon immediately flapped its wings and flew high into the sky.

Looking at the eagle dancing in the sky, Lu San frowned slightly and said, "There are boats overturned and on fire on the river ahead, and many people are fighting."

At this moment, the old man Zhang at the fort also entered the boathouse. Hearing this, he said in a deep voice, "Wait a moment, everyone. I will send a waiter to get the news."

After that, he shouted to the outside, "Heizi, go check out what's going on in front!"

"Yes, Master Zhang!"

A dark-skinned young boatman responded.

He took out a triangular red flag with the word "Zhang" written on it and tied it behind him. Then he picked up a long bamboo pole, took a few runs along the side of the boat, stuck the pole into the water, and used the force to flip over.

The boatman used the pole to jump between large and small boats, with the red flag flying in the air and his body as nimble as a flying swallow.

Strangely, the people on other boats didn't care at all and even deliberately left space for them to use as leverage.

"Fast Boat Zhang" explained: "I have some reputation on the Han River. The boatmen will go and get the news. I will tell them when I come back. Let's do a favor for each other."

Upon hearing this, Sharifei gave a thumbs up and said, "As expected, the north and south rivers and lakes have their own customs. Senior Zhang, your reputation is really strong!"

"I made you laugh."

Old man Zhang said politely, then said solemnly, "Everyone, if the war breaks out, the river will sooner or later be controlled by the government, and it will be even more inconvenient to travel."

"After this section of road, we will probably reach a waterway tomorrow afternoon, which will lead us to Jingmen. However, that waterway passes through the mountains, and some strange things happened a while ago, so no one dares to enter it anymore."

"Oh, what's wrong?"

Li Yan frowned slightly and asked.

“No one knows.”

Old Man Zhang sighed and shook his head, saying, "That waterway is winding and often changes its course due to flash floods. Sometimes it changes every year. Only experienced people dare to enter it."

"Just last month, some debris floated out of the river mouth. It was all burnt body parts and corpses. Some people said that there was a demon in the mountain, setting off ghost fire to harm people."

"I was skeptical at first, but because I was in a hurry to deliver a batch of goods to Jingzhou, I took the risk of entering this waterway."

"There was an old hand traveling with us. I watched helplessly as phosphorous fire rose from the river and burned their boat to ashes."

"I have a friend who said he saw a dead body in the water and was so scared that he lost his soul that day. After returning home, he never dared to get on the boat again..."

"Oh?"

Li Yan seemed to have thought of something, and quickly took out the booklet given by Gu Hanzi from his arms and asked, "After passing that waterway, is there a town called Zhujiabao?"

"Fast Boat Zhang" nodded and said, "That's right. Jingzhou has been a place of many battles since ancient times. In addition, the waterways are complicated. Throughout the dynasties, military forts were built in dangerous places, which later became villages."

"Young Master Li has never been there, how can you know?"

"The City God Temple is over there, and there is a mission..."

As he was speaking, the deck suddenly shook.

The person who had been trying to get the news had returned. He quickly entered the boathouse and said with a fist: "Reporting to Master Zhang, it's the Paijiao people who are fighting among themselves!"

"Which row is it?"

"'Wei Lao Ba' and 'Black Fish Head'."

"Huh, it turns out to be these two again."

When Old Man Zhang heard this, his expression immediately turned ugly.

Seeing the inquiring eyes of Li Yan and others, Old Man Zhang sighed and said, "You all came from the northern rivers and lakes, and you have some connections with the Cao Gang. When facing the Paijiao, you have to be on guard. I will tell you everything I know."

"The Cao Gang originated from the canal transportation and had close ties with the imperial court, but this Pai Sect originated from the folk underworld."

"There is a custom of rafting in western Hunan. They cut wood from the mountains to exchange for rice, tie the wood into large rafts, and float them in the river. Then they sell the wood in the Dongting Lake basin."

"These people live on the raft all year round, and some even live on the raft, grow vegetables, and raise children. The children are very good at swimming since they were young, and in order to avoid being bullied, they gradually form gangs."

“At that time, it was called the Pai Gang.”

"But if you work on the water, you're bound to run into some weird things. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a mage named Chen Silong. Seeing the hardships and difficulties of the workers, he made a vow to manage the Dongting waterway, remove the rocks, and kill the water monsters..."

"From then on, the Paijiao lineage gradually took shape."

"The original teachings of Paijiao were to hate evil, to help those in need, to base one's beliefs on the law, and to live up to one's teachings, but these teachings have gradually changed over the years."

"The Pai Sect does not have a leader, but is managed by Pai Leaders. These Pai Leaders come from all corners of the country, and some even abandon their lineages. Although they all worship the Pai Gulu Patriarch, their techniques differ from each other."

"These leaders are richer than the other. They have long looked down upon traditional rafting and have organized fleets for transportation. Some are even very domineering and control the river. Other fleets have to pay tribute before they can pass..." Li Yan said coldly, "They are quite courageous!"

"Have no idea."

Old man Zhang smiled bitterly and said, "These leaders all know magic, and many of them even keep water ghosts. If they secretly cause trouble for you, no one will be able to find evidence."

"The waterways in Yunyang and Jingzhou are controlled by two leaders of the Paijiao, Wei Lao Ba and Hei Yu Tou."

"'Wei Lao Ba' learned the Hua Guang method, and 'Hei Yu Tou' came from the Xiangxi witch religion. Both of them are brave and aggressive, and they have had many conflicts."

"There is a tributary of the Han River ahead, called Manshui, which leads directly to Baokang County. Not far away is Shennongjia. We can buy medicinal herbs and timber and transport them to various places by water, which is quite profitable."

"The two groups have been fighting for several years over this river, and several times the fighting got so bad that the elders of the Pai Sect had to mediate."

"It seems that it has started again..."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and shook his head, "Now that the war has begun, they are so reckless and blocking the river. Aren't they afraid of punishment from the court?"

Old man Zhang showed a hint of sarcasm and sneered, "How could they have been able to run rampant in the Han River for several years without the support of the court officials behind them?"

"There are many victims who go to the government to file complaints, and the government will pretend to handle the case impartially, arresting a few anti-religious people to take the blame."

"But afterwards, the victims will be retaliated against. At the very least, their boats will be sunk, and they will lose their capital. At the worst, they will lose their lives without any clear explanation."

"Over time, everyone just had to swallow their anger."

After hearing this, everyone had no choice but to continue waiting.

This wait lasted a whole night.

They were stuck in the river, unable to move forward, and a large number of boats were coming from behind, with no end in sight. They became more and more annoyed.

Just then, things took a turn for the better.

Eagles were flying in the sky. When Lu San saw them, he immediately said, "A team has arrived downstream. They are from the imperial court!"

After hearing this, Sharifei was immediately amused. "It's not the right time for these people to cause trouble. If they block the river and delay important military matters, the officials behind them will be in trouble."

Sure enough, the imperial navy came to dredge the river.

In less than half an hour, the congested area ahead began to be cleared, and ships of all sizes set sail again.

"Look!"

When we arrived at the previously crowded place, the boatman suddenly pointed to both sides.

Upon hearing this, Li Yan and others looked through the window.

On the river surface along the coast, there were densely packed wooden rafts and charred ship hulls floating, all of which were being pulled toward the shore by soldiers using iron hooks.

On the river bank, wooden stakes were driven into the mud, with many people hanging on them. They were all shirtless and their backs were covered with bloodstains.

When everyone saw it, they didn't know what was going on.

"Hahaha, you deserve it!"

Sharifei suddenly looked gloating.

However, Li Yan on the side frowned slightly, as if he was thinking about something, with no smile on his face.

"Brother Yan, what's wrong?"

Sharifei realized something was wrong and asked quickly.

Li Yan stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes. "At the ferry crossing of Yunyang City, the Pai Cult suddenly went crazy and started to cause trouble for the Cao Gang, causing quite a bit of chaos."

“And here, they started fighting among themselves, also blocking the river.”

"Why didn't they fight earlier or later? Why did they choose to cause trouble when the people of Jingchu and the chieftains were in turmoil? Who knows... was it intentional?"

Sharifei was shocked, "There's something wrong with these two people!"

Li Yan nodded and said, "After all, the Tiansheng Sect has some reputation in the martial arts world and has many friends. Maybe they have some secret dealings."

Sharifei took a deep breath when he heard this. "The Paijiao sect dominates western Hunan and controls many waterways in the south. They are very powerful. If they rebel against us privately, we will be in big trouble."

"I hope I'm wrong..."

Li Yan hesitated for a moment, but still stood up and asked Old Man Zhang to come over, "Senior, if I want to take a letter to Yunyang Prefecture, can you do it?"

"Easy to say!"

"Clipper Zhang" smiled and said, "We travel between places, so we naturally have ways to communicate. I just saw a few guys delivering goods to Yunyang."

"Just ask them to help deliver the letter. Where do you want to send it to?"

"Duwei Si."

Clipper Zhang was stunned for a moment, then his face turned serious, "We need to find someone we can trust. I'll go check it out right now."

After saying that, he walked onto the deck and looked around.

Li Yan took out paper and pen, wrote down what had happened, and put it back into the bamboo tube.

Sharifei was a little confused, "Brother Yan, don't you always look down on people in the government? Why are you helping them?"

Li Yan sealed the bamboo tube with wax slowly and said, "The sea nations are competing for supremacy, and China is changing its land system to a people-oriented system. This is a matter of great justice, and we should do as much as we can."

"Ok?"

Sharifei was a little confused and didn't understand how these things could be connected, but he still nodded and said, "I don't understand. I'll listen to you."

Wang Daoxuan, who was standing aside, seemed to be thinking about something...

Just then, Old Man Zhang came in quickly, "Young Master Li, I found a reliable old friend!"

"Thank you for your help. I'll give it to Captain Huang of the Yunyang Commandery." Li Yan handed over the bamboo tube.

"Fast Boat Zhang" took it seriously, personally jumped onto the opposite boat with a bamboo pole, and pulled a man on the bow to mutter.

The captain nodded solemnly and carefully put away the bamboo tube.

Li Yan also walked out of the boathouse and stood on the deck. When he saw the old man looking at him, he raised his hands and clasped his fists with a serious expression.

The old man was stunned and clasped his fists solemnly.

The two boats passed each other, the Han River was rolling, and the green mountains on both sides were charming.

On the bow of another ship in the distance, an old man in Confucian robes saw this beautiful scenery and could not help chanting: "The Chu Pass meets the Three Xiangs, and the Jingmen Pass connects the Nine Rivers. The river flows beyond the sky and earth, and the mountains are in the void... What a beautiful land!"

…………

Another day of sailing passed. Near dusk, "Clipper Zhang" ordered the boatmen to deviate from the course and come to a tributary.

The river is narrow here and they are the only ones sailing there.

In the distance, there are rolling mountains, and the river meanders right into the mountains.

Everyone has walked out on the deck to watch.

"Fast Boat Zhang" said solemnly, "Young Master Li, this is the river. As long as we pass through the eighteen bends in the mountains, we will reach Zhujiabao."

"There are many dangerous shoals and reefs in the mountain roads and rivers. These are not a problem for me, but the mountain fog is thick. Even if you sail in the daytime, you can't see far away, let alone at night, not to mention those dirty things."

"It's getting dark, why don't we stop at the shore to rest for the night and set out again tomorrow morning?"

"Just listen to what the seniors say..."

Li Yan just said one sentence, then frowned slightly and looked into the distance.

I saw a few riders galloping over from the river bank, shouting angrily from a distance: "Where did you come from, you idiot? Get out of here!"

(End of this chapter)