Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 836 Done
Puheluo listened to Xie Niangzi's words and gave a bitter smile, but he soon had no time to care about his emotions, because two large ships appeared in his field of vision.

"They're here again."

Puheluo nervously said to Xie Yuyan, "We'd better hurry back to the cabin."

Xie Yuyan did not move, but simply gazed quietly at the sea.

"Lord Pu, you haven't gotten used to it yet?" Xie Yuyan asked.

Puhara swallowed hard. The owner's fleet had been traveling back and forth on this sea. When they encountered other ships, they would board them for inspection. Sometimes they would take away some cargo, and sometimes they would cause a scene on the ship. Yesterday, they even injured several boatmen.

Fortunately, they left after only a short stay each time and did not thoroughly search the cabin; otherwise, they might have discovered Lady Xie and him hiding in the cabin.

Puheluo said, "Madam, to be honest, although the sea has been turbulent, I'm still not used to being tested under other people's noses."

As he spoke, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Are you in the same boat? Why don't we leave and hand these over to the Liang Dynasty? Even if... something happens to the Liang Dynasty, you can change your identity and go to a new place to continue doing business. I believe that with your intelligence, you can regain a caravan in a year or two."

Xie Yuyan smiled slightly: "I'm not used to it."

Pu Heluo thought he had persuaded the lady, but Xie Yuyan continued, "This hiding and concealing is really unpleasant. I've had enough of this stifling life. What do you think, Lord Pu?"

Puhara stood there stunned, as if everything was not as he had imagined: "You mean?"

"I won't hide this time."

Puheluo's legs felt weak. He knew this day would come, but he didn't expect it to come so soon, which was why Lady Xie had said those things to him today.

"Aren't we being a bit too hasty to take action now?"

Xie Yuyan laughed and said, "After so many days of coming and going, going in so many circles, even if the sea is huge, I'm tired of seeing it."

“But,” Puhara pointed north, “we’re quite close to that fleet.”

The fleet he was referring to was the ship that transported soldiers ashore. Several managers under the owner led their men to meet with the Duke of Wei, while the fleet waited nearby to pick them up at any time.

If they really target these two ships patrolling the sea, that fleet will definitely appear, and then their few ships will be no match for them.
“Really… it’s not going to work.” Puheluo realized that Xie Yuyan was not joking and panicked.

Xie Yuyan said, "I have men on every ship now. As long as your men obey my orders, we will succeed."

Pukhara's lips trembled. He was already on this ship and had no other choice: "My men may not be able to do anything. If they can't... I hope you won't be disappointed, Madam."

Xie Yuyan said, "They are better than you think."

Puheluo couldn't understand how Lady Xie seemed to know his boatmen better than he did.

But he didn't have time to ask, because the sound of drums had already started from the bow of the boat.

Puhara immediately looked out to sea and saw his fleet begin to change direction, the ships turning left and right like outstretched wings, flanking the two patrolling ships of the eastern owner.

Before the two ships could react, their escape route had been cut off.

The next moment, the catapults on the merchant ship began to throw stones over the barricade under the control of the shipwrights.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

The stones fell into the sea and onto the ships.

The two ships belonging to the owner, which were patrolling the sea, obviously did not expect to be attacked suddenly. They had been oppressing merchant ships for a long time, and those merchant ships never dared to resist, so they relaxed their vigilance when they approached the merchant ships.

When they were surrounded, they were laughing and talking on the ship. They had been at sea for days and were looking for some fun after boarding the merchant ship. When the merchant ship changed direction, they even thought they were going to escape.

Only when they realized the merchant ship was after them did they change color and shout as they took out their crossbows to attack.

But it was too late.

Stones struck the hull, fell onto the deck, and some hit the men directly.

Moreover, the rest of the merchant ships were rapidly approaching them.

When the Seventh Manager came out of the cabin, he was also shocked by the situation. He had a habit of drinking in the afternoon and was taking a nap before the incident. He was awakened by his subordinates’ shouts, and then the whole ship began to shake violently. He immediately got up and ran out to see what was going on, only to be greeted by a volley of crossbow bolts.

"It's a crossbow!" the Seventh Manager shouted as he dodged. "This isn't a merchant ship; it's the imperial navy."

These words made the people on the ship even more panicked.

"Turn the rudder! Don't get trapped! Quickly... send a signal to get the fleet to come to our rescue."

The seventh shopkeeper quickly gave the instructions.

With a "whoosh," another crossbow bolt hurtled towards them. The Seventh Shopkeeper ducked to dodge, but his henchmen were not so lucky. They were immediately hit and spat out a mouthful of blood.

When Guo Xiong saw that the Seventh Manager's boat was preparing to escape, he immediately shouted, "Quick... go that way! We can't let them get away! We must deal with them today!"

Upon hearing this, the boatmen responded enthusiastically, their faces filled with excitement, showing no sign of cowardice or fear. Even the people of Puhara were the same, diligently carrying out their tasks.

They've been suppressing their feelings for too long.

Every time they were oppressed by these beasts, they had to endure it bitterly. No matter what the master did, they dared not resist or struggle in the slightest.

Each compromise only emboldened them to become even more unscrupulous. They bear too many wounds inflicted by these beasts.

Countless times, they had thought about fighting to the death.

However, their superiors forbade it.

Are a group of people cowards who bow down to a few? No!
Today, Shangguan said he'd "take down" these beasts!
They'll show those beasts what they're made of, let them see that the boss can control everything on the sea.
……

Puhara watched in astonishment as their merchant ships systematically attacked the besieged vessel.

The boatmen on the boat all had eager expressions on their faces, wishing they could join in.

Before anyone knew it, Abbess Jingyuan was also standing next to Lady Xie.

It was the first time Puhara had seen a smile on the nun's face.

What's going on here?
Everything seemed to have changed; the women, boatmen, and monks were no longer people he knew.

Both ships suffered heavy losses, and one of them was already pinned down by a merchant ship, which then forced boarding and close-quarters combat.

Upon hearing the screams and seeing the people on the boat not far away falling into the water, the Seventh Manager's eyes burned with even more ferocity, but he dared not go back to help, because the people on his boat alone could not deal with the imperial navy.

"Hurry up, hurry up," the seventh shopkeeper urged, "Blow the conch shell and call for reinforcements."

(End of this chapter)