Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Lu Zhishen and the others also offered words of advice, which finally stopped Shi Qian from blaming himself any further.

After returning to Liangshan, Drum-Bearing Flea, like Zhao Yuan and the others, naturally had to undergo a period of quarantine at Jinshatan.

Since he had been to Xucheng before, he was considered a top priority for security, so Zhao Yuan prepared a private room for him.

For the next ten days or so, Liangshan Mountain behind the pass remained peaceful, although a few people fell ill.

However, after being examined by the doctor in the mountains, it was found to be just a common minor ailment, not an epidemic.

Compared to Liangshan, the situation at Jinshatan is less optimistic.

Among the cavalrymen brought back by Lin Chong, six showed symptoms of fever, and Lin Chong himself also began to have a fever.

An ordinary soldier in the navy also developed the same symptoms.

Zhao Yuan and the others, including Shi Qian, were all unharmed.

The doctor on the mountain had already come down from the pass and treated Lin Chong and the others, confirming that they had all contracted the plague.

Zhao Yuan asked the doctor if he was confident in curing the disease.

The old doctor, who had fled famine from Hebei to Liangshan, simply sighed and left with the words, "Let fate decide."

The news quickly spread throughout Liangshan, and all the leaders looked somber.

Lin Chong's wife, Lin Niangzi, had finally overcome numerous hardships to reunite with Lin Chong, but unexpectedly, she encountered such a thing again.

Upon hearing the news, she fainted immediately.

When she woke up, Madam Lin cried and insisted on going to Lin Chong's side to take care of him.

Helpless, the crowd could only make her wear a mask and thick silk clothes, and take care of Lin Chong day and night.

Seeing that this was not a solution, Zhao Yuan thought of An Daoquan, the legendary physician from the Water Margin.

Although those infected with the plague have now been identified and are being treated individually,

But just in case,

Zhao Yuan still did not open the pass.

At this time, besides Lin Chong, there were other leaders on Jinshatan Beach.

It was still just him, Lu Zhishen, Hu Sanniang, the three Ruan brothers, and Shi Qian—seven people in total.

Zhao Yuan then recounted his plan to go to Jiankang Prefecture to request An Daoquan to come up the mountain and treat Lin Chong.

The others naturally did not object; on the contrary, they vied to go with Zhao Yuan.

“Brother, Instructor Lin has contracted the plague, sometimes unconscious and sometimes lucid. Someone still needs to stay and keep order on Liangshan.”

As soon as Zhao Yuan opened his mouth, Lu Zhishen understood his meaning.

"Brother, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Liangshan while you're gone!"

"Brother, my two older brothers are enough to handle the online army,"

Ruan Xiaoqi said, "Last time when we went to Hebei, my brother made me return to Liangshan halfway through. He can't leave me behind again this time!"

"Furthermore, the journey south to Jiankang Prefecture will mostly involve waterways, so it would be good for you to have someone skilled in swimming by your side!"

Ruan Xiaoer and Ruan Xiaowu also tried to persuade them from the side.

Seeing that Ruan Xiaoqi had made up her mind, Zhao Yuan nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Shi Qian was also somewhat tempted, but he knew the importance of considering the consequences.

Now that Zhu Gui is trapped in Xucheng, he is the only remaining leader of Liangshan's intelligence unit, and it is obviously not a good time for him to leave.

Seeing Zhao Yuan looking over, Hu Sanniang, who was still alive, spoke first: "I am now the commander of my brother's personal guards, so naturally I must stay by your side!"

"Besides, just a couple of days ago, Shishi asked me to take care of you. Since I already promised her, I can't break my promise."

During this period, Zhao Yuan and Li Shishi lived separately, one on the mountain and the other at the foot of the mountain.

Although we miss each other, being separated is a difficult thing.

If Zhao Yuan doesn't personally take the lead, how can the soldiers below be convinced?

Although Li Shishi on the mountain missed her beloved Zhao Yuan, she was too embarrassed to have private conversations with him at the pass, so she often wrote letters and threw them down from the pass.

One of the letters was not addressed to Zhao Yuan, but to Hu Sanniang.

The message was simple: they hoped that Hu Sanniang would take good care of Zhao Yuan during this time.

Seeing Hu Sanniang's resolute attitude, they then used Li Shishi as a shield.

Zhao Yuan had no choice but to agree to let her accompany him.

After everyone discussed and agreed,

Zhao Yuan then decided to head south immediately, since no one knew when Lin Chong's condition would worsen.

Besides Ruan Xiaoqi and Hu Sanniang, there were also about ten of Zhao Yuan's personal guards accompanying them.

Without bidding farewell to those at the pass, the group boarded a naval passenger ship and headed towards the south bank of the marshland...

Chapter 153 Shipjackers

Upon reaching the south bank of the marsh,

Zhao Yuan and his group first went to check out the hotel on the south bank.

Because of the outbreak in Suzuki, all the hotels on the north bank have been completely shut down.

The south bank is alright. Although there are far fewer merchants than before, you can still see people around.

Next to the hotel stood a wooden sign indicating the exchange rates for the items needed by Liangshan, as well as refined salt and white sugar.

Seeing Zhao Yuan examining the wooden plaque, the steward quickly reported,

"Chief, since the outbreak of the epidemic, the number of merchants who exchange grain and medicine has decreased by more than half. Other merchants have also decreased accordingly, but none are as powerful as those who exchange grain and medicine."

"Increase the exchange rate for medicinal herbs,"

Zhao Yuan thought for a moment: "This time when we go to Jiankang Prefecture to invite the divine doctor up the mountain, we will definitely need a lot of medicinal materials."

He also gave the North Shore Hotel manager a few more instructions.

Zhao Yuan and his men did not delay any longer and rode south.

Upon reaching the Lotus River, the group chartered three boats and loaded the horses onto them.

They then traveled south by boat along the He River and Si River.

They traveled like this for five or six days, and were about to enter the Yangtze River.

Because the boat was small, the boatman dared not continue.

Zhao Yuan and the others had no choice but to disembark and find another large boat to travel upstream towards Jiankang Prefecture.

That day, Zhao Yuan was on the deck admiring the spring scenery of the lake on both banks.

Hu Sanniang stood to one side with two personal guards.

Having left Shandong province, she no longer concealed her appearance.

He regained his heroic and dashing appearance.

Although Zhao Yuan's guards already knew that their new leader, who was temporarily in charge of them, was a woman, they had never seen Hu Sanniang dressed as a woman.

When everyone saw her remove her men's clothing and reveal the imposing and awe-inspiring demeanor of a female general, they were all stunned.

Even Zhao Yuan, who hadn't seen her dressed like this in a long time, was momentarily stunned.

"In two more days, we'll reach Jiankang Prefecture,"

Seeing that Zhao Yuan's face was tense the whole way, Hu Sanniang knew he was worried about Lin Chong's condition, so she tried to comfort him.

"Once we find that miracle doctor, the journey back will take about ten days, so it will only take about twenty days in total. Instructor Lin should be able to hold on."

Zhao Yuan nodded and casually said, "I also know a brother in Jiankang Prefecture named Shi Xiu, the Desperate Saburo. When I get to Jiankang, I can go and find him first."

As the two were talking, Ruan Xiaoqi came over carrying a roast chicken, a wine jar, and three wine bowls.

"Brother, I got some wine and meat from the boatman, and the brothers have some too,"

Ruan Xiaoqi dismissed her two guards and joined the others in eating and drinking.

He then put down the roast chicken and the wine jar.

The three of them sat directly on the deck, chatting and eating roast chicken while drinking.

Seeing that there was no one else nearby, Ruan Xiaoqi suddenly whispered,

"Brother, there are two groups of guests on this ship, and something seems wrong."

Because we were in a hurry to get on our journey and couldn't find a large enough ship to charter entirely,

Besides Zhao Yuan and his group, there were other guests on the ship they were on.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?" Hu Sanniang asked hurriedly.

Not yet!

Ruan Xiaoqi shook her head and said, "But when I went to buy wine and meat from the boatman just now, I saw those men with Jiangnan accents secretly peeking into the room next to our guest room."

"I remember there were four merchants in that room, weren't there?"

Zhao Yuan recalled: "I remember when we boarded the ship, their men were carrying seven or eight rather heavy wooden boxes."

"It must have been when I flaunted my wealth that I attracted the attention of thieves,"

Ruan Xiaoqi chuckled: "However, although these four people are dressed as merchants, they are carrying knives and guns. Judging from their faces, I don't think they are good people. Brother, should we get involved in this?"

"decide as things go,"

Zhao Yuan pondered for a moment: "We have no evidence at the moment, and we only have your words. What if those four merchants don't believe us, or what if they make a big fuss and make the boatman stop the boat to go to the government? If it delays our journey and endangers Instructor Lin's life, we will regret it too late."

"So we're just going to ignore it?" Ruan Xiaoqi asked.

"If those men from Jiangnan make their move before we even disembark, then since we've already run into them, we might as well lend a hand."

Zhao Yuan instructed, "If those people haven't made a move when we disembark, then go and remind those four merchants whether they should disembark to report to the authorities or continue on their way. Let them decide for themselves."

"Don't worry, brother, I understand!" Ruan Xiaoqi replied.

"Even if you're offering help, it's best to ask first."

Zhao Yuan looked at the two and added, "If it's just bandits fighting each other, then let them do what they want, as long as it doesn't delay the journey!"

……

Zhao Yuan and his companions' purpose in going to Jiankang Prefecture was to find the renowned physician An Daoquan, so they did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Unexpectedly, instead of them causing trouble for others, others came after them first.

During the day, after Ruan Xiaoqi mentioned the unusual behavior of those two groups,

That evening, there was some commotion on the passenger ship.

Those men from Jiangnan actually hijacked the ship owner and sent men to each room to threaten and force all the passengers on board to the deck.

When they entered Zhao Yuan's room,

Just as Ruan Xiaoqi was about to make a move, Zhao Yuan grabbed her and whispered instructions.

"Let's go to the deck first and check the situation."

The Liangshan group also boarded the passenger ship's deck.

The small space was crammed with about twenty passengers.

The passenger ship was surrounded by about a dozen bandits armed with knives and guns.

The four merchants in the room next to Zhao Yuan's group had already been tied up and were left in the middle of the deck.

Their seven or eight heavy wooden crates were also carried out.

The locks on the wooden crate had been broken, and the thieves had obviously already inspected the contents.

"Your Majesties, Your Lordships, all my possessions are this passenger ship. Please have mercy on me!"

The ship owner knelt before the bandit leader, pleading desperately.

"Don't worry, your boat is great, we wouldn't bear to damage it."

The bandit leader laughed heartily at the sight of that yellowish face and thin cheeks.