My father is a Confucian sage, but the system forces me to be a crude warrior

Chapter 407: The wine and meat of Zhumen are stinky, and the bones are frozen to death on the road

Ganges River.

It is a grand canal that runs east to west through the territory of the Great Holy Dynasty.

It was a large river that Emperor Taizu ordered to be opened after he conquered Xiliu, in order to bring the people of Xiliu closer to the people of the Great Holy Dynasty.

Achievements in the contemporary era, benefits in the future.

This Grand Canal not only strengthened the relationship between the East and the West.

This also led to economic prosperity in both the east and west of the Great Sage Dynasty.

Caravans can be seen everywhere on this great river.

Especially at the docks of each prefecture, wealthy merchants, young masters, scholars and writers, and sailors shouting their work chants...

Having left the capital, Zeng Anmin's relief fleet had arrived in the Anhe County of Qingzhou, more than 1,500 li away from Xiliu.

At this moment, directly in front of the disaster relief fleet, a fleet of more than a dozen boats of various sizes was anchored.

"Stop the ship!!"

After receiving Zeng Anmin's order, Dongfang Sheng led three hundred Imperial Guards and, in less than a quarter of an hour, boarded a dozen small boats and headed straight for the fleet.

Zeng Anmin stood on Dongfang Sheng's back and looked up at the fleet.

Ordinary fleets, whether they are government warships or merchant ships, all have flags.

It makes it immediately clear what organization this fleet belongs to.

But what's strange about this fleet is that it has no flag.

Therefore, Dongfang Sheng began to have doubts about him.

"Stop the ship! Didn't you hear me?!"

Dongfang Sheng's voice carried a hint of coldness.

He saw that the fleet, upon hearing his voice, not only did not stop but also raised its sails, attempting to accelerate backwards, which intensified his vigilance.

Zeng Anmin, standing behind Dongfang Sheng, frowned slightly upon seeing this scene.

"The Imperial City Compass Commander Zeng Anmin is here. The fleet ahead, halt!"

Zeng Anmin's voice also rang out.

In the night, the ripples on the river carried far and wide.

However, little did they expect that these words would become the fleet's death knell, causing them to retreat at an even faster pace.

"has a problem!"

Seeing this, Zeng Anmin no longer hesitated and shouted, "Speed ​​up, chase after them! There's definitely something wrong with this fleet!"

"Yes!"

Without further hesitation, Dongfang Sheng waved to the small fleet of Imperial City Guards:

"accelerate!!"

"Yes!"

Three hundred grapes' expression turned solemn.

Then you can see them standing shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, their martial arts aura beginning to circulate.

Each person's posture was different, but in the end, the martial arts aura was infused into the ship in the same way.

After coming into contact with the martial arts aura of the grapes.

"Om!!"

The speed of the small boats suddenly increased dramatically, as if they were sailing with the current and the wind.

"Tsk."

Upon seeing this, a look of surprise flashed across Zeng Anmin's face.

Is this the true strength of the Imperial City Guard?

He truly hadn't expected that the Imperial City Guard would possess so many ingenious skills and tricks.

The ships of the Imperial City Guards were getting closer and closer to the unmarked fleet.

Upon seeing this, Dongfang Sheng was overjoyed and hurriedly gave the order:

"Prepare the iron hooks!"

The next moment, the captains of more than a dozen small boats took out ropes from their pockets, each rope having a nine-clawed iron hook attached to it.

Dongfang Sheng was about to give the order: "Cast the hook!!"

But it suddenly stopped.

His expression became extremely interesting.

Because, just as the fleet was about to enter the range of the iron hook.

The fleet's speed suddenly increased dramatically, as if it had been equipped with a motor!
"Wow!"

The fleet, like sharp arrows, broke through the calm water.

Because the speed increased so rapidly, a splashing sound could be heard coming from the water.

"Straight bitch!"

Dongfang Sheng's face turned extremely ugly:

"There are also warriors on the ships of this fleet."

"Or there might be a formation."

He looked up at Zeng Anmin: "Lord Tidu, I suggest we send someone to the neighboring prefecture to ask the prefect to send troops to reinforce us."

"Yes, let Sima Nan go."

"Let's keep chasing them."

Zeng Anmin's eyes were almost slits.

He stared at the fleet of ships that were sneaking away in a hurry.

They couldn't possibly have been unaware of the Imperial City Guard's reputation.

If someone runs so fast after hearing the name of the Imperial City Guard, then there must be something seriously wrong.

We absolutely cannot lose them.

"Keep chasing! There might be big fish on this fleet."

"Yes!"

After informing Sima Nan, Dongfang Sheng led the men to continue their pursuit of the fleet.

time flies.

One chasing and one escaping.

A whole day and night.

Zeng Anmin's boat was not far from the fleet.

Moreover, all three hundred grapes are elites, with almost every grape being an eighth-grade Martial Core cultivator.

The speed of the ships can be rotated.

The speed of the unnamed fleet ahead varied, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

Every time the raisins' ships were about to catch up, the fleet would suddenly increase its speed.

Fortunately, the grapes can take turns meditating and resting.

The unnamed fleet began to slow down.

"Cast the hook!!"

Seeing that he was about to catch up, Dongfang Sheng shouted hoarsely.

There was also a faint sense of pleasure.

Finally, I can say those two words!
Throughout the entire day of the chase, he almost uttered those two words several times.

As a result, the speed of the preceding convoy could often be increased dramatically...

Fortunately, the grapes were really well-mannered.

"Snapped!"

"Whoosh!"

"Snapped!"

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the iron hook of the slingshot was thrown out.

The grapes were all excited too.

All day long!

I chased after them for a whole day.

We finally caught up!

"Clap clap clap!"

The iron hook firmly jammed the last ship of the fleet.

"Board the ship!!"

Dongfang Sheng drew his sword directly from his waist, then channeled his martial arts energy, leaped up, and headed forward.

Just before landing on the water, he stretched out his toes and touched the rope, using the momentum to rise again.

After doing this twice, he was able to board the ship safely.

Seeing this, the remaining men followed suit, drawing their knives and following Dongfang Sheng toward the fleet.

"Crackling."

After boarding the ship, the raisins and the people on the other ship began a fight.

Soon, the entire fleet came to a slow stop.

……

"Lord Tidu, let me help you."

The small boat was about to dock with the other boat.

A man respectfully approached Zeng Anmin.

"Ah."

Zeng Anmin nodded slightly.

He now presents himself as a Confucian scholar to everyone.

After boarding the large ship.

Zeng Anmin's gaze then gradually swept across the large ship.

The large ship was a very well-maintained merchant vessel.

Unlike the ships used by the Great Holy Dynasty's army, these were much smaller overall, but their decorations were far more exquisite.

By this time, Tizi on the boat had subdued everyone on board.

"Start the search," Zeng Anmin said calmly to the remaining grapes.

"Yes!"

In fact, as soon as Zeng Anmin boarded the ship, those who had been subdued by Ti Zi subconsciously looked up at him.

After seeing him, everyone fell silent.

"And the leader?"

Zeng Anmin randomly asked someone.

The person in front of him was a teenager.

He was being held to the neck by a man with a knife.

"Reporting...Reporting to Your Excellency...It's ahead..."

Even though the boy tried very hard to control his emotions.

But the intermittent trembling in his voice betrayed his fear.

Seeing this, Zeng Anmin raised an eyebrow slightly: "You know fear?"

"It seems this fleet has quite a few good things on board."

A cold smile played on his lips.

The boy pursed his lips, but did not speak.

"Bring a chair over here."

Zeng Anmin casually gave an order to one of the grapes.

"Yes!"

Before long, a chair was brought over, and Zeng Anmin sat down, waiting calmly.

He believed in Dongfang Sheng.

Sure enough, it took less than an incense stick to burn to arrive.

Then they saw Dongfang Sheng escorting an old man, who was trembling, towards them.

“Tidu, this old man is in charge of this fleet.”

"Oh."

Zeng Anmin looked up and gazed at the old man.

He was dressed in fine clothes and looked to be around fifty or sixty years old.

Her figure was neither fat nor thin, just right.

Although his face showed fear, it was not miserable; there was even a faint red glow on his face.

"What is your name?"

Zeng Anmin looked at the old man's face.

"Reporting to Lord Tidu, my surname is Guan."

"What's the background of this fleet?"

"Lord Zeng, we are the fleet of Xiliu Xuanlun Manor, and we are on our way to the capital to deliver tribute wine to His Majesty."

Old Man Guan, with his arm held down by Dongfang Sheng, looked pained, but still answered Zeng Anmin's questions honestly.

“That’s the tribute ship, right?” Zeng Anmin stared coldly at the old man.

"Yes," the old man replied to Zeng Anmin with unwavering respect.

"Since it's a tribute ship, why are you running away?!" Zeng Anmin pressed on, slowly rising from his chair and walking to the old man's side. Looking down at the old man's pale face, he asked:
"Didn't we reveal the name of the Imperial City Guard to you?"

"Hmm...I did mention it..." The old man's voice trailed off.

"Since you've heard about it, why didn't you accept the inspection? Instead, you're acting guilty and trying to run away? Is there some contraband on this ship?"

Zeng Anmin stared intently at the old man.

"No! Absolutely not!" The old man looked up at Zeng Anmin, his voice urgent as he explained.
"There are many river pirates on the Ganges... We are also afraid that they are deliberately using the name of the Imperial City Guard... In addition, the Imperial City Guard only flexes its muscles in the capital... It enforces the law in the capital and has never done so elsewhere, so..."

"So this old man suspected something was amiss and dared not stop..."

At this point, tears streamed down the old man's face as he looked sadly at Zeng Anmin and said:

"Lord Tidu, the west is currently experiencing a severe drought, making it impossible to grow high-quality grapes, which means we cannot produce new wine."

"But our Xuanlun Manor also bears the heavy responsibility of sending tribute wine to the imperial court..."

At this point, the old man's voice became hoarse:

"This tribute wine is all that our manor has managed to gather in Xiliu, using all its resources."

"It's barely enough to meet the demand for tribute wine this year."

"If anything changes, our Xuanlun Manor cannot afford the Emperor's wrath..."

……

Zeng Anmin became somewhat silent.

The old man, dressed in fine clothes, was crying like a child.

But Zeng Anmin could tell from what he said that it wasn't a lie.

……

Seeing Zeng Anmin remain silent, the old man felt even more bitter. He sighed deeply and said:

"Because of the severe drought in Xiliu, no new wine can be produced in Xiliu, which has led to a continuous increase in the price of Xiliu wine."

"Now there are even rumors that our Xiliu wine is more valuable than gold."

"On our journey from Xiliu, our fleet has been ambushed by pirates at least seven times. If it weren't for our young master being a high-ranking martial artist, we would probably be in grave danger."

"Even so, when we left home, there were nearly a thousand guards protecting the ship, but now there are less than three hundred left..."

"In order to avoid the river pirates, the old man suggested to the young master that they take down the flags on the ship..."

"Unexpectedly, we actually encountered a government inspection..."

……

Zeng Anmin nodded slowly upon hearing these words:
"I already know the reason behind what you said."

"But you know, your side of the story won't work."

"So we still need to investigate."

"Understand?"

“That’s only right.” The old man nodded quickly after hearing Zeng Anmin’s words: “Since they are not river pirates, we are naturally willing to accept the inspection.”

"Ah."

Zeng Anmin slowly stood up.

He looked at the boatmen whose necks were held to knives by the boatmen.

The boatmen were all dressed in rags.

Some of the people had long bandages wrapped around their bodies, clearly indicating that they were injured.

Seeing this, Zeng Anmin could naturally imagine what they had gone through on their journey from Xiliu by boat.

"Crackling..."

After a search by the Imperial City Guards.

More than a dozen large ships were filled with fine wine from the west.

Indeed, they were all tribute wines.

"Back in Tidu, we checked, and it's all tribute wine. The old man was right."

Dongfang Sheng's face showed an embarrassed expression.

It was he who reported the problematic fleet to Zeng Namin.

Unexpectedly, after chasing it all this way for so long, it turned out to be a misunderstanding.

Instead, it delayed their disaster relief efforts.

Zeng Anmin glanced at him indifferently.

He naturally knew what Dongfang Sheng was thinking at that moment.

However, his mind was not on Dongfang Sheng at the moment.

Instead, they were staring at the boatmen in their tattered clothes.

"While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone."

Zeng Anmin inexplicably thought of this sentence.

The imperial relatives and nobles in the capital of the Great Sage Dynasty were still waiting for the Xiliu Tribute Wine, which carried the lives of hundreds, or even tens of thousands, of disaster victims.

Do they care about these lives?

Certainly not.

They only care about whether the Xiliu wine tastes good or not.

"Where is your young master?"

Zeng Anbian looked at the old man and asked.

"It's on the ship just ahead."

"Ah."

Zeng Anmin led Dongfang Sheng towards the ship ahead.

As soon as we entered that ship.

Zeng Anmin frowned.

He smelled a strange, pleasant fragrance.

"What does it smell like?"

He paused for a moment, slightly taken aback.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, our young master has been obsessed with the art of alchemy since childhood, and he should be taking the elixir at this moment."

The old man answered Zeng Anmin respectfully.

"Oh."

Zeng Anmin nodded and walked into the cabin.

At a glance, I spotted a young man in fine clothes.

At this moment, the young man in brocade robes was holding a golden pill in his hand.

He was taken aback when he saw Zeng Anmin come in.

He then quickly stood up and bowed to Zeng Anmin:
“Guan Qingliu of Xuanlun Manor has met Little Zeng Tidu.”

"Your pills smell quite good."

Zeng Anmin's gaze fell on the golden pill in his palm.

A half-smile appeared on his face.

(End of this chapter)