Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 315 Encountering a Bandit's Situation

"Uncle Wang, the Sickle Gang must have its own set of rules for doing things, right?"

Sheng Changquan gleaned some meaning from Wang Bo's words and couldn't help but ask, "They can't just rob any family or ship, can they?"

"From what you've said, it seems that the Sickle Gang only targets people on merchant ships and fishing boats."

"I doubt that official ships, or ships like ours, would behave this way."

Sheng Changquan grasped the key points and, after some thought, expressed his judgment.

Actually, you can't blame Sheng Changquan for being too ruthless. He only cared about the safety of his own fleet and didn't care about the lives of ordinary people.

After all, one should not concern oneself with matters outside one's official position. Sheng Changquan is merely a scholar who has not even obtained an official rank, so these matters are naturally none of his concern.

Moreover, this situation is different; he still has family members by his side, and if anything were to happen to them, it would be disastrous.

That is why Sheng Changquan chose to prioritize stability above all else, regardless of what others might do.

"Not bad!"

"Young Master Sheng is absolutely right!"

Wang Bo turned around in surprise and nodded to Sheng Changquan, seemingly astonished by his keen insight.

"Actually, it's not just the Sickle Gang!"

"The other bandits with some strength are the same!"

"They all follow the rules!"

Although it was somewhat ridiculous, Wang Bo still told Sheng Changquan and the others about the "rules" on the river, saying, "The government's boats cannot move, and neither can the boats belonging to officials' families."

"However, the latter requires paying some silver, a toll of one tael per person."

Don't think that one tael of silver is cheap. Not to mention that one tael of silver is already more than half a month's living expenses for an ordinary family, the number of bandits on the Han River, if accumulated, would amount to dozens of cartloads of silver for each of them.

At this point, Uncle Wang couldn't help but look up at Sheng Changquan and the others, and then explained, "However, please rest assured, the boat rental fee paid to our shipping company this time already includes this cost, so you don't need to spend any more money!"

Uncle Wang made his point very clearly, subtly informing Sheng Changquan and the others that there was a reason why their fees were high.

"It doesn't matter!"

Sheng Changquan shook his head slightly, not caring about the money at all.

"As long as your shipping company can guarantee our safety and escort us back to Beijing, that's fine!"

"As for this money, it's nothing more than material possessions!"

Despite his reluctance, Sheng Changquan calmly uttered these two sentences.

Beside him, He Hongwen, unaware of Sheng Changquan's personality, assumed he was speaking from the heart and nodded in agreement.

However, Minglan was different.

As Sheng Changquan's older sister, she knew her brother very well. When she heard him say such a "cool" sentence, she couldn't help but widen her eyes and look over with a slightly "horrified" gaze.

"Cough cough..."

Seeing the reactions of those around him, especially Minglan's expression, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but cough inwardly a few times.

Fortunately, the situation wasn't right, so Minglan didn't expose them. She simply sat quietly to the side, listening carefully to the conversation between Sheng Changquan and Uncle Wang.

"Yes Yes!"

"It's natural!"

After understanding Sheng Changquan's subtext, Uncle Wang quickly nodded and agreed to the matter.

Wang Bo knew that Sheng Changquan was subtly reminding him to keep his promise and protect everyone's safety.

However, their family's boat company is in this business, so how could they not guarantee the safety of their customers?

Therefore, Wang Bo expressed his opinion without hesitation.

When Wang Bo saw that Sheng Changquan and the others did not change their expressions because of the silver, he immediately understood their wealth and knew that they didn't care about the money at all.

So he continued, "Please rest assured, esteemed guests, our shipping company has already opened up this waterway long ago!"

“A few years ago, our family’s leader personally discussed with the various bandit leaders along the way and assured us that as long as we paid the toll, we would be able to return to the capital safely and smoothly!”

It is obvious that the shipping company to which Wang Bo belongs is also a formidable force.

After all, the ability to make a name for oneself in such a complex and chaotic waterway requires considerable strength.

"I see!"

After listening to Wang Bo's explanation, Sheng Changquan nodded silently.

"It seems that this is pretty much the same as the information I had gathered before, with no discrepancies."

Before setting off, Old Madam Sheng had specifically instructed Sheng Changquan to be vigilant on the journey and not to be careless. It seems that she was aware of the current situation.

Therefore, before setting off, Sheng Changquan had already sent Xu Changqing out to gather information and find some experts who made a living by water to consult on the matter of sailing. As a result, he was quite confident at this moment.

"However, if that's the case, then we only need to be careful of those small groups of bandits who roam around, right?"

Sheng Changquan suddenly raised an eyebrow, pondering to himself.

"Judging from the current situation, we don't need to worry about those powerful and well-informed river pirates."

"After all, they dare not act recklessly, lest they truly anger the imperial court."

"If they really anger the imperial court and attract a large army to attack, then these people won't be able to leave!"

"By then, no amount of underhanded tactics will be effective; everyone will be wiped out!"

In fact, most of those who could collect tolls on the Han River were related to noble families and powerful clans in the imperial court. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to live so freely for so long without being eliminated by the court.

After all, although our dynasty suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Liang Kingdom during the reign of Emperor Huizong, so many years have passed and our dynasty's foundation has long since recovered. In fact, it has even surpassed and far exceeded the state when Emperor Huizong ascended the throne!

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many ministers in the court shouting and clamoring to launch expeditions to reclaim lost territory.

After all, war requires provisions and troops. If the foundation of a nation is not strong, how can it wage war?

On another note, Sheng Changquan suddenly realized that their most dangerous enemies on the road ahead were not the large bandit groups with ample manpower, but rather the ragtag soldiers who knew nothing and did not even understand the rules of the tacit agreement with the imperial court.

They are the biggest enemies on this trip!

Sheng Changquan was somewhat amused and exasperated by this.

However, those small groups of bandits were all incredibly audacious.

If they really faced off, Sheng Changquan was certain that even if the current emperor's dragon boat were here, these guys would probably still be willing to come at him with knives!

After all, these people were forced into this desperate situation.

As the saying goes, those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose, and these people are exactly like that.

"Ugh!"

"It seems that the most dangerous people right now are these arrogant bandits who don't know their own limitations!"

Sheng Changquan frowned, looking like he had a headache.

"Well, I think Uncle Wang will bring this up later, right?"

Sheng Changquan suddenly looked up at Uncle Wang across from him, ready to hear what he had to say.

Sure enough, before Sheng Changquan could think it through, Uncle Wang spoke up again.

His words confirmed Sheng Changquan's conjecture and affirmed his hypothetical enemy.

"Furthermore, this old man must remind you, esteemed guests, of something!"

"Even if we've paid the toll, we still can't be careless!"

Seeing that Minglan and He Hongwen were visibly relaxed, Uncle Wang mustered his courage and said respectfully, "Because, on the Han River, besides those bandits who have formed gangs, there are also some lone heroes!"

"And these people are the most terrifying!" "Lone Rangers?"

Everyone present, except for Sheng Changquan, was shocked!

Not only Minglan didn't understand, but even He Hongwen was somewhat confused.

"Uncle Wang, are these lone wolves even stronger than the Sickle Gang?"

He Hongwen thought that it would be easier to deal with fewer people, right?

Why does it seem like Uncle Wang is more afraid of those lone wolves?

He Hongwen stared intently at Uncle Wang, his face full of confusion.

"This……"

Wang Bo swallowed hard, as if recalling some terrifying scene. He wiped the cold sweat from his face and said in a deep voice, "Young Master He, you are unaware of this!"

"These lone wolves aren't exactly rule-abiding citizens!"

With a stern face, Wang Bo explained to He Hongwen, "If they set their sights on us, let alone us, they might even dare to storm onto the emperor's dragon boat!"

"These people are truly fearless!"

Uncle Wang looked helpless.

"But we..."

He Hongwen opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Sheng Changquan reached out and interrupted He Hongwen's pointless remarks, saying in a deep voice, "Uncle Wang, what are your plans?"

"Can your men guarantee that our family will arrive in Beijing safely?"

Sheng Changquan looked into Wang Bo's eyes and pressed him for answers.

"Young Master Sheng, you can rest assured about this!"

"Our shipping company can certainly guarantee the safety of your residence!"

Without a second thought, Uncle Wang nodded in agreement.

However, in addition to this sentence, Uncle Wang added: "But your people must also obey our orders and must not act recklessly when the enemy arrives, so as to avoid causing other damage!"

"It might even compromise our protective measures and let the enemy in!"

Uncle Wang's tone carried a hint of warning, and was unusually serious.

Judging from Wang Bo's tone, everyone present could guess that he had probably encountered many similar situations in the past, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted this way.

"Uncle Wang, don't worry!"

"We will certainly remember that!"

Hearing Uncle Wang's assurance, Sheng Changquan breathed a slight sigh of relief, his words filled with a sense of ease.

However, upon hearing Wang Bo's warning, Sheng Changquan immediately stated, "In a little while, I will instruct the people in the mansion to follow orders!"

"At that time, these people will absolutely not come out without orders from you, Uncle Wang!"

Sheng Changquan knew that if there really was a bandit attack, the third floor would be the safest place. As long as the enemy had not completely captured the ship, the people on the third floor would be safe.

"So, very good!"

Wang Bo glanced at Sheng Changquan with some suspicion, thinking that if it really came to that, the other party probably wouldn't be able to do it.

However, since it wasn't that time yet, Uncle Wang couldn't say much. He could only hope that Sheng Changquan, a man he couldn't fathom, would keep his word and seriously restrain that group of people.

……

After Wang Bo and Sheng Changquan finished speaking, the three of them lost all interest in admiring the beautiful scenery on the river. After seeing Wang Bo off, they immediately went back to discuss it with their respective grandmothers.

However, since Old Madam He's purpose in going to Youyang was to use Old Madam Sheng's help to safely reach the capital, she directly handed over all of the He family's manpower to He Hongwen, asking him to go and discuss the matter with Old Madam Sheng.

Meanwhile, when Old Madam Sheng heard what Sheng Changquan said about the situation and his own plans, she smiled and took the opportunity to hand over the management of the servants and guards on the road to Sheng Changquan, letting him make his own decisions.

In other words, all the matters concerning the journey from Youyang back to Bianliang fell into the hands of Sheng Changquan.

Even the He family's manpower was under Sheng Changquan's control.

After all, He Hongwen was not familiar with these matters.

That night.

"Changqing, go and call Brother Hongwen over here!"

Sheng Changquan sat at a table and gave instructions to Xu Changqing, who looked like a large piece of charcoal.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Changqing didn't know what was going on, but in the past few years, as he traveled with Sheng Changquan, he had become increasingly tanned!

If it weren't for the fact that the Xu family has a well-established lineage and that Old Master Xu has a family genealogy as proof, Sheng Changquan would almost have suspected that this guy had African ancestry.

Of course, at this time, the black people were not called Africans, but were called Western Sea Slaves, meaning slaves captured from the western sea.

Sheng Changquan didn't know if these Western Sea slaves were like the African blacks in his previous life, whose dark skin was due to geographical reasons, but the only thing he was certain of was this.

That is, these guys are really ruthless!

It was so dark that it was almost impossible to see anything!

"Thump! Thump! Thump..."

A series of footsteps sounded, and Xu Changqing quickly invited He Hongwen over.

Because of the presence of river bandits, the Sheng and He families moved to the same pleasure boat. Therefore, one of the two large boats was used to carry household items and goods, while the other was used to house people.

In this way, the two families can often get together, which is quite convenient.

"Thump! Thump! Thump..."

"Step! Step! Step..."

Soon, with the sound of footsteps, one heavy and one light, coming from behind, Sheng Changquan knew that He Hongwen had arrived.

"Seventh brother, is there something you need from me?"

Upon seeing Sheng Changquan, He Hongwen immediately asked, "Could it be that someone in the He family has disobeyed your authority and caused some trouble?"

"Hehe, that's not true, Brother Hongwen, you're overthinking it!"

Sheng Changquan stood up and explained to He Hongwen, "Actually, the reason I asked Brother Hongwen to come here this time is because I have something important to discuss!"

"Ok?"

"What's the matter?"

Hearing that it wasn't the He family who caused the trouble, He Hongwen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Brother Hongwen, I wanted to ask..."

"not good!"

"There are enemies!"

"quick!"

"..."

Before Sheng Changquan could finish speaking, a tense warning sound suddenly rang out from outside.

(End of this chapter)