Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 96 The Return Journey (Part 1)

Inside the Jiangzhou Daughter's Shoal, three boats, one large and two small, were ready to set sail.

The Taijia ship was filled with various celadon and white porcelain pieces, totaling more than two thousand pieces, most of which were collected in Jingdezhen and were intended to be transported to celadon shops to replenish their depleted inventory.

If all goes well, the Zheng family also ordered several thousand pieces of white porcelain from Quzhou this year, which should arrive around the end of March.

As for the Chuzhou celadon, it will probably arrive around mid-May.

The simultaneous supply of celadon, white porcelain, and green porcelain from Jingdezhen, Quzhou, and Chuzhou signifies the diversification of the sourcing sources for Zhengji Qingqi Shop in Liujiagang, which is one of Shao Shuyi's achievements in this shop.

The Taiyi boat was filled with rattan ware from Lingnan, various bamboo ware, and planks produced in Chen and Yuan provinces of Huguang.

This was Zheng Fan's private business. After transporting it back, he would resell it, and getting one or two hundred ingots would not be a problem.

The Drilling Sea Loach was also fully loaded, with the majority of its contents being more valuable copper and iron, except for a few pieces of sheet metal.

According to Mo Bei, the Shen family had a workshop in Suzhou that made castings and musical instruments. The metals were sold to the Shen family for their own workshop. In Shao Shuyi’s view, under the “related-party transaction”, the copper and iron purchased by Madam Shen would probably not make much money.

On the morning of the ninth day of the third month, the sailors had a good meal on shore, then weighed anchor and set sail on their journey home.

Liu Huipeng from Jingxing Academy boarded the ship with a servant, saying he wanted to go to Liujiagang to see the bustling maritime trade. Shao Shuyi naturally didn't stop him and chatted with him along the way, having a pleasant time.

"Shao She, isn't the Taijia ship leading the way? They've raised a black flag, what does that mean?" Liu Huipeng asked, sitting cross-legged on the foredeck, pointing with his folding fan.

"What did the Taijia ship do before this?" Shao Shuyi asked casually, fiddling with a large bronze vessel.

"Brother, I know. Chief Steward Liang first sent the boats to patrol the nearby waters before raising the flag to report the news." Yu Yuan sat down and handed a plate of dried fish to Shao Shuyi, saying.

"Yu She's observations are insightful, I admire him," Liu Huipeng said, turning his head and smiling.

Shao Shuyi put down the bronzeware, casually picked up a small dried fish and threw it into his mouth. After a moment, he explained, "When the land forces advance and pass through dangerous places, they often send advance detachments to search carefully and occupy advantageous terrain before allowing the main force to pass. The navy is actually much the same; it's always better to be cautious."

Upon hearing this, Liu Huipeng immediately cupped his hands in admiration, then sighed, "It's a shame that I, a son of a military family, couldn't have imagined this for a moment. However—"

""

Liu Huipeng pointed to the lake surface that suddenly narrowed ahead and said, "When the Taijia ship patrols, the two ships behind it can only stop and wait, which is quite troublesome."

Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "This is about making choices. Sometimes we need to travel day and night, advancing rapidly, without a moment's delay. Even when crossing dangerous places, we can't be so thorough. Otherwise, we'll create openings and risk falling into an ambush. There's no rush now. It's a good opportunity to train and prevent the bandits of Poyang Lake from taking advantage of us."

Bandits on Poyang Lake? Liu Huipeng thought about it carefully, but was somewhat at a loss.

It is undeniable that there are indeed water bandits on Fanyang Lake, but most of them are just fishermen's sons who rob at night and are not a significant force.

You're making such a big deal out of it, it's almost like you're part of the imperial navy.

Thinking of this, Liu Huipeng couldn't help but glance at Shao Shuyi again, trying to find out something.

******

On March 13th, less than four days later, the three boats that went downstream arrived near Yuxikou.

As the "flagship" hoisted its small triangular red flag, the three ships began to line up on the river.

Zheng Fan, Mo Bei, and Liu Huipeng, who were drinking and chatting, came out of the cabin together and watched with great interest.

On the wide river, the Taijia boat, which had been at the forefront, put away several oars and slowed down. Then, a series of booming drumbeats sounded, as if in response to something.

The centrally located sea bream began to turn to the left.

The bow of the ship cleaved through the waves at an angle, and like a swimming fish, it came to the left side of the Taijia ship, about a hundred paces to the north.

"Boom boom boom—" The sound of drums also rang out on the wind turbine ship.

Zheng Fan and the others looked south and saw that Taijia and Zuanfeng were almost side by side, rising and falling in the river as they moved slowly forward.

A moment later, they looked one after another towards the diagonal rear.

The Taiyi ship was turning to the right, and the oarsmen rowed with all their might. The long, narrow hull cut through the waves and soon came to the right of the Taijia ship, while the drums responded.

In this way, the three ships changed from their original long, single-line formation to moving side by side—from north to south, they are the Drill Wind Sea Loach, the Taijia Ship, and the Taiyi Ship.

Considering that they were traveling from west to east downstream, the purpose of this formation adjustment was obvious: to guard against Yuxikou, where there were many bandits.

Since Yuxikou, which connects to Chaohu Lake, is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, it is understandable that the Zuanfenghaiqiu occupies the northernmost position—this ship, with the most personnel, the strongest combat power, and being relatively tall, naturally needs to undertake the escort mission.

"He seems a bit green and not skilled enough yet, but he has the right approach. With repeated practice, he'll definitely achieve amazing results in the future." Zheng Fan said with a hearty laugh, facing the river breeze, "Little Tiger, I can rest assured about your people transporting goods from now on."

"Shao She, I will definitely report to Madam when I get back. Although there are only three boats, their discipline is strict and they have the power of a thousand troops." Mo Bei is an old manager and is very familiar with business matters, but he knows nothing about fighting and combat. After watching for a long time, he couldn't figure it out. He was just impressed and a little shocked.

Liu Huipeng smiled but remained silent.

His father was a centurion in the Huangzhou Army (stationed on Xingguo Road), and having been exposed to military affairs since childhood, he was not completely ignorant of military matters. In his view, the coordination between the three ships in front of him was not yet proficient or fast enough, leaving an opportunity for the enemy to take advantage of; they needed more practice.

However, on the other hand, some of the Huangzhou naval forces haven't had proper training in a long time, so what right do they have to criticize others? This Lord Shao, at least, has that kind of spirit and determination. Given time, it's not certain who will be stronger.

After seeing the three boats moving forward side by side, Shao Shuyi withdrew his gaze, bowed to Zheng Fan and Mo Bei, and said, "Sir, Manager Mo, on the great river, besides the treacherous winds and waves, there are also treacherous people and evil spirits, so we must be careful."

"Practice diligently in peacetime so that if we encounter thieves, we won't be at a loss and die needlessly. We can also protect your goods, which is the foundation of my livelihood, and I dare not neglect it."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fan looked at Mo Bei and smiled, "What do you think?"

"I trust Shao She with confidence in handling this long-distance transport, and I'm sure Madam is as confident as well," Mo Bei said solemnly.

Shao Shuyi was secretly delighted.

It has passed the client's acceptance. If nothing unexpected happens, this "logistics outsourcing contract" can last for several years.

******

While Shao Shuyi's three boats were regrouping on the river, several fishing boats were moored among the reeds on the north bank of the Yangtze River, a few miles away.

The Liao brothers, Yong'an and Yongzhong, stared at each other for a long time, remaining silent.

An old man stood behind them, muttering incessantly, "Xiao San has been following them for a long time and is now certain that the person on the boat is Shao," "Taicang's number one archer, Shao Shuyi," someone nearby reminded them.

The old man turned around and glared at him, then looked at Liao Yong'an and said, "Brother Liao, Li Zhi's body is not cold yet, we must avenge this."

Liao Yong'an pursed his lips and did not answer immediately.

If possible, he also wanted to avenge Li Zhi in order to enhance his reputation among the fishermen of Chaohu Lake.

But how can I get revenge?

Their ancestors were fishermen for generations. While farming and fishing, they would occasionally rob and plunder. It was acceptable to try bullying the small boats on ordinary merchant ships, since they didn't have many weapons and were timid. However, these three boats together probably had more than forty people, twice as many as theirs.

They only had half the manpower of their opponents, at most a third the equipment, a smaller boat, and their training seemed inferior. It looked like a suicide mission, not a satisfying revenge.

"Brother," Liao Yongzhong tugged at his elder brother's sleeve, "they're almost gone."

Liao Yong'an snapped out of his daze, looked away, and said, "If we want to beat Shao Shuyi, we don't have enough manpower, and our boat is a bit inferior."

"It's easy to find manpower." Liao Yongzhong looked intently at his brother and said, "There are plenty of fishermen on Chaohu Lake. Where is that so-called 'Number One Archer of Taicang' going to find so many fish?"

Liao Yong'an nodded, then shook his head, and said, "Shao Shuyi is from Taicang, where maritime trade is thriving. He should be able to recruit many men from the sea, so there's no shortage of sailors."

"Why don't we be more daring and fight?" Liao Yongzhong retorted, unconvinced.

Liao Yong'an did not refute this statement because he did not want to dampen his younger brother's enthusiasm, but as the elder brother and a leader with considerable prestige in the Chaohu area, he had to consider the overall situation.

The reality is that the more prestigious and powerful "Double-Sword Zhao" and "Li Batou" are wanted by the government and are hiding in fear of showing their faces. His prestige is much lower than that of "Double-Sword Zhao," and he can only gather a few dozen people at most. When he wanted to do something, he suddenly realized that he was powerless.

"Brother!" Liao Yongzhong was getting anxious when his elder brother still didn't speak.

"Fifth Brother, you're too hasty," Liao Yong'an turned around and scolded, "If you want wealth, there are other boats on the river; just look for them carefully. If you want revenge, for whom?"

The old man, who had been listening to the brothers' conversation, hurriedly said, "Brother Liao, it's naturally for Li Zhi."

Liao Yong'an glared at him, then turned his gaze back to the river, watching the three ships gradually disappear into the distance, and said, "This isn't how you take revenge. Charging head-on into the fray will most likely result in defeat, and the casualties will only be greater."

At this point, his tone suddenly shifted: "The day before yesterday, I sent someone to scout the south bank. Many people have seen these three boats, and they've stopped at Longwan City and Wuhu along the way, indicating that they still need to go ashore. If we really want revenge, this is the perfect opportunity."

The old man's face lit up with joy, and just as he was about to say something, he saw Liao Yong'an come to the stern and start rowing, indicating that they were going to turn back.

"Brother Liao—" he said urgently.

"Li Zhi is actually the son you had with Zhang, isn't he?" Liao Yong'an sneered and said, "If Shao Shuyi had been careless and given me the opportunity, I wouldn't have minded making a move. But now, I'll only bring shame upon myself."

You'll have to figure it out yourself.

The old man remained silent for a long time, as if struck by lightning.

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