Start with a red name

"It's right not to reveal our next move."

"I have dealt with this scout cavalry, which should keep the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry at 'Turbulent Cave' quiet for a while."

"For the time being, they shouldn't dare to continue provoking us until new orders are given and a larger force of cavalry arrives."

"You can take a good rest."

After doing everything he needed to do as quickly as possible, Geng Xuan didn't linger any longer. He gave Song Mingzhu and the others a few brief instructions and then left with Ruan Ruizhe.

As for the reasons, he didn't need to say them; Song Mingzhu and the others had already filled in the blanks themselves.

Of course, they should contact the ships that would pick them up.

Ruan Ruizhe, standing right next to Geng Xuan, remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was filled with anxiety.

He couldn't help but wonder if his commander had already secretly made many moves in Xuanqinghai.

But why haven't I, the "Xuanqinghai expert," received even a single word about it?

In fact, before today, the group leader had never spoken to him about anything related to this topic.

Such speculation made Ruan Ruizhe doubt his own worth.

Even after Geng Xuan took his leave from Song Mingzhu and the others and headed straight for Xuanqinghai, Ruan Ruizhe was still troubled by this thought.

"Tell me about the situation in Xuanqinghai in detail now."

Just then, a voice entered his ears.

"Huh?" Ruan Ruizhe turned his head blankly and looked at Geng Xuan, somewhat surprised and confused.

After a while, he finally spoke and asked:
"That's too broad. Could you be more specific? What aspect would you like to know more about?"

"Boats... I want to get the most boats in the shortest amount of time. Do you have any good suggestions?" Geng Xuan asked.

Looking at the vast, chilling expanse of water ahead, Ruan Ruizhe finally realized something. He abruptly turned to look at Geng Xuan, asking in shock:

"You...you're not expecting me to get you a ship that can transport 30,000 to 40,000 people without any preparations yet, are you?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Ruan Ruizhe opened his mouth for a long time, finally letting out a bitter laugh:
"Commander, aren't you overestimating me?"

Geng Xuan reassured him:
“You’re overcomplicating things… Let me rephrase the question.”

"Where is the nearest bandit stronghold? How many boats? How many men?"

"There are many large merchant guilds that travel between Xuanyou and Xuanyou provinces, and this section is basically all by water, right?"

What is the nearest shipping route? Are there any places along the way where ships can stop, rest, and resupply? Are there any spontaneously formed trade route nodes like 'Dicui Beach'?

If so, those places must have a large number of ships docked there, right?

The Xuan and You states are densely populated and are also the most active areas for commercial activities. They are concentrated on the south side of the Xuan and You states, in an area of ​​more than a thousand miles near the north bank of the Hanghe River.

The Xuanqing Sea, which stretches over 1,500 miles from north to south, divides the area into two sections.

If we choose land route instead of waterway, we will not only take a much longer route, but also travel thousands of miles more.

More importantly, the further north you go, the less fertile the ground becomes for commerce, and the higher the chances of encountering bandits.

Therefore, from any perspective, taking the waterway is the optimal choice for this route.

It is precisely the existence of these waterways that provided fertile ground for the survival of these "blood-sucking leeches"—water bandits.

"...Moreover, I have also heard that every year many sand people venture deep into the Xuanqing Sea to search for and capture Xuanqing Sea sand sculptors, which has formed a rather stable operating rule."

Where are the ships they used?

Although the large-scale activity of sand people venturing into the Xuanqinghai Sea to capture young sand eagles has a clear seasonality.

It is only active for three or four months each year.

But boats are not like other objects; even if they are not in use, they can only be placed on the water, not brought ashore and left there.

Therefore, Geng Xuan was quite certain that it wouldn't be difficult to acquire ships capable of transporting 30,000 to 40,000 people at once in this seemingly vast and empty Xuanqing Sea, which consisted of nothing but water.

After Geng Xuan explained it more carefully, Ruan Ruizhe finally understood.

The questions raised by Geng Xuan were all too familiar to the seasoned bandits who had been operating in the Xuanqing Sea for decades.

Although I still have so much to say.

But he kept all his thoughts to himself and instead looked carefully at the banks to the left and right.

After gaining a more accurate understanding of their current positions, he immediately replied:

“About 30 li south and east of here, there is a small island called Meicun Island.”

There are more than 100 households living on it, with a population of about 600 to 700.

On the surface, they made a living by fishing, and regularly delivered some of their catch to the nearest Xuanyou Iron Cavalry outpost in order to gain official recognition and protection.

But secretly, it was a den for many river bandits to sell stolen goods.

Furthermore, because they also have connections with some settlements on land, they can purchase supplies from there.

After giving a brief introduction to the situation of "Meicun Island," Ruan Ruizhe then said:

"For these reasons, Meicun Island has a number of boats all year round. Not counting the small fishing boats that can only carry a dozen or so people, there are also several large boats that can carry more than a hundred people."

Then, Ruan Ruizhe introduced a few more places.

The islands, some thirty or forty miles away and others seventy or eighty miles away, were either inhabited by islanders who were half fishermen and half bandits, or simply the secret hideouts of some bandit gang.

He spoke eloquently and logically.

Of course, Ruan Ruizhe couldn't possibly know everything about the Xuanqing Sea, and within a radius of a hundred miles, there couldn't possibly be only the places he pointed out.

Geng Xuan even believed that those he had actually pointed out were actually a minority.

On the contrary, those who weren't pointed out by him were the real big shots.

But that's enough for Geng Xuan's needs.

However, after hearing Ruan Ruizhe's introduction, Geng Xuan was not entirely satisfied.

Because the places he described each had far too few large ships capable of carrying over a hundred people.

To gather enough ships to transport 30,000 to 40,000 people and a large amount of supplies at once, it was necessary to travel to multiple locations.

It takes too much time.

It doesn't meet his needs at this moment.

Then Geng Xuan asked, "Are there any large ships that are concentrated in one area? Even if they are far apart, it doesn't matter."

Understanding Geng Xuan's needs, Ruan Ruizhe said, "Then we need to go further south."

Overall, the further south you go in the Xuanqing Sea, the more ships there are between the Xuanyou and Xuanqing states, and both merchants and bandits become more active.

The further north you go, the calmer it becomes, and the more secret hideouts islanders, fishermen, and bandits use to hide, or the more secretive floating outposts established by other forces of unknown origin.

Relatively speaking, it is more "peaceful".

Although beneath this "calm" there are still many undercurrents.

However, this grand vision also means that to meet Geng Xuan's needs, we need to look further south to the waters.

but--

After thinking carefully for a while, Ruan Ruizhe slowly said:

"Commander, it's unrealistic for you to expect to acquire hundreds of large ships capable of carrying over a hundred people from just one place... In the current Xuanqing Sea, the only place I know that can meet your needs is this place."

"Where?" Geng Xuan asked hurriedly.

“Huangwei Island,” Ruan Ruizhe said.

Geng Xuan was stunned for a moment before he realized that this was the sand island that Ruan Ruizhe had discovered, where a large number of Xuanyou Iron Cavalry were stationed, and which had a huge newly built dock and a large number of ships were moored!
"Not to mention ships that can carry a hundred people, there are many huge multi-story ships that can carry more than a thousand people and have enough space to run horses on the deck."

"Besides this, I can't think of any other place that can meet your needs."

Geng Xuan rolled his eyes. Although he was very confident in his abilities, he was being asked to go to Huangwei Island all by himself...

He looked at Ruan Ruizhe to make sure that the guy wasn't making fun of him.

Then, somewhat annoyed, he said, "Besides that?...There must be an optimal solution, right?"

Ruan Ruizhe immediately said:

"As far as I know, there is a sea route more than 400 miles south of here, with several sand islands along the way, where a large number of merchant ships dock all year round."

If we could get all of them, and then squeeze in a little more, we should be able to meet half of our needs.

Geng Xuan remained silent.

If that's the case, then it's better to choose the one closest to you.

Not only is it farther away, but it also can't solve the problem in one go. Geng Xuan suddenly felt that this "Meicun Island" didn't seem so bad.

Although there weren't many ships, the distance was close enough.

Even if it takes several trips, it's still more reliable than getting a boat from hundreds of miles away.

Moreover, due to the limitations of Ruan Ruizhe's own perspective, he only pointed out this one point.

However, Geng Xuan believes that after taking over "Meicun Island", the map of the surrounding waters will be illuminated over a larger area and become clearer.

After thinking for a while, Geng Xuan had a sudden inspiration and asked a question from another angle.

"Approximately how many pirates are there in Xuanqinghai?"

Ruan Ruizhe paused for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"Commander, although I've been in this industry for a long time and know a lot of people, I really can't answer the question you asked."

Geng Xuan said, "It doesn't need to be very specific, a rough estimate will do... Let me rephrase the question, are there more than a thousand people?"

Ruan Ruizhe quickly nodded and said, "It's definitely more than that number, it could very well exceed ten thousand... but it shouldn't exceed twenty thousand."

As he spoke, Ruan Ruizhe added:

“I’m talking about those who make a living from this. If we include those who are half fishermen and half bandits like those on Meicun Island, then the number would be more than 20,000.”

Geng Xuan nodded. If the criteria were relaxed a little, all the groups living on the sand islands would have some degree of banditry.

Similarly, the sand people settlements widely distributed throughout the Xuanyou and You states were all law-abiding "production units".

But if a lone group were to pass by, they would absolutely not mind taking a bite out of them.

Those who do this will absolutely not feel any moral pressure.

On the contrary, they would feel like they had made a small fortune and earned some extra money.

"What if we include all these people?... Approximately how many people live within the Xuanqing Sea?"

"I haven't paid much attention to it, but if I were to make a rough estimate..."

...Well, I overheard a high-ranking member of a caravan mention it briefly in casual conversation many years ago.

It was a caravan that sold cloth and everyday ironware.

According to him, there are hundreds of thousands of people in Xuanqinghai who have food and clothing. As long as you can control their money, it will be enough to support many caravans.

I think this is quite credible.

"Several hundred thousand?" Geng Xuan nodded slightly.

According to Ruan Ruizhe, in the southern part of Xuanqinghai, merchants, bandits, and even the "official" forces under Dong Guan's command are all more active.

Conversely, this is not a "livable" place.

The northern part of the Xuanqing Sea, although it also has undercurrents, is on the surface much calmer than the south.

More people live together.

The density is naturally higher.

Therefore, even if we narrow our focus to a range of 100 miles, places like "Meicun Island" would still be quite numerous.

Moreover, Geng Xuan also realized that even without enough ships, it would be impossible to transport everyone away at once.

This doesn't seem to be a big hindrance.

All he needs to do is pick up the Black Wind Gang from the land, find a nearby sand island where they can temporarily settle down, and completely cut off the threat of the Xuan You Iron Cavalry.

If this can be accomplished before a larger force of Xuanyou Iron Cavalry arrives, then the mission will be a great success.

Turn passivity into initiative.

At that time, it wouldn't be him who was anxious and impatient, but Dong Guan.

After figuring all this out, Geng Xuan said to Ruan Ruizhe, "We're going to 'Meicun Island'... Do you know its exact location?"

Ruan Ruizhe nodded quickly and said, "Understood."

"Then lead the way for me."

After listening to Geng Xuan's explanation and looking at the vast expanse of water before him, Ruan Ruizhe thought for a moment before suggesting:

"...I remember that every cavalry outpost built along the coast had a dock and one or two small fishing boats."

Shall we go find a ship? ... Ah..."

As they were talking, Ruan Ruizhe suddenly felt a tightness around the back of his neck, and then his feet left the ground as Geng Xuan lifted him up.

He only managed a gasp before grabbing Geng Xuan and striding towards the water ahead.

"Why go through all that trouble?"

"Swim...swim across?!"

Ruan Ruizhe was dumbfounded.

He boasted that his swimming skills were among the best in the bandit community.

However, unless absolutely necessary, they would never "swim" in Xuanqinghai.

For river bandits, boats were as essential as horses were for sand bandits—a standard necessity.

He was about to say something when, in the next moment, Ruan Ruizhe, who had been completely submerged in the water, had to shut his mouth tightly after being forced to swallow several mouthfuls of water.

He was immediately shocked to discover that the waters around him, which had previously appeared calm and peaceful, suddenly became incredibly resistant.

This is certainly not because the water area has changed.

Instead, he was accelerating, accelerating like crazy.

In just a short while, he was being carried along in the water at a speed that exceeded his own peak speed.

And his body's acceleration showed no signs of stopping.

The speed is getting faster and faster.

The pressure in the surrounding waters is increasing.

Ruan Ruizhe even felt that his facial features and skin had undergone extremely severe distortion and deformation during the high-speed "water-breaking" process.

At this moment, he had no mind to think about anything else.

He could only close his eyes tightly and use his unique skills to control his breathing, trying to extend the time he could hold his breath as much as possible.

Otherwise, he was very worried that he, as a "Xuanqinghai expert," would drown on his first voyage with his team leader.

Gradually, Ruan Ruizhe could no longer feel the passage of time. Or rather, as his vital energy dwindled and a sense of suffocation crept into his heart, his accurate perception of time became completely blurred, and he felt as if each day was an eternity.

Just as he felt he could no longer hold on, he had to open his mouth to breathe and then drowned in the water.

"Wow--"

The sound of water breaking rang out.

His head suddenly popped out from underwater. He no longer cared about anything else, and just opened his mouth, greedily gasping for air.

When he finally felt he had recovered, he realized that Geng Xuan had carried him onto a small sand island.

Standing on a five- or six-meter-high reef overlooking the water, you can see four other small sand islands in the distance, along with the sand island below you.

And even more reefs, only large enough for a few people to stand on.

It forms a small chain of islands in the shape of a crescent moon in the surrounding waters.

Just as Ruan Ruizhe was looking around, Geng Xuan asked, "Have we gone the wrong way?... Where is 'Meicun Island' located?"

Ruan Ruizhe hurriedly said, "The direction is right, Commander, you're on the right track. We've already covered more than half the distance."

A dozen or so miles further on is 'Meicun Island'.

As he spoke, he looked around and finally locked onto a direction south-southeast, pointing to a small black dot on the water in the distance, and said, "Just keep going that way."

Geng Xuan squinted and looked, his pupils changing. The tiny black dot rapidly grew larger in his field of vision, and the scenery within it became clearer.

Then, with a puzzled look, he asked:

"I saw... but why didn't I see any human trace?"

Ruan Ruizhe looked suspiciously at the sand island in the distance, which could only be seen as a tiny black dot, and thought to himself, "At such a distance, it's normal not to see any human traces, right?"
Although he thought this in his heart, he still explained it aloud:
The sand people of "Meicun Island" all live in the southern part of the island.

...Most of the sand islands in the northern part of the Xuanqing Sea are like this.

If so, it's perfectly normal that we can't see them here.

Geng Xuan nodded, then brought up Ruan Ruizhe again, saying, "Let's go take a look."

Soon, the two transformed into two "swordfish," cutting through layers of water like arrows, rapidly approaching "Plum Village Island." (End of Chapter)