Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

The boatman opened his mouth, wanting to say a few more words of advice.

But remembering Madam Ruan's instructions to prioritize the wishes of the three noblemen, he swallowed back all those words.

"Yes, Master Han."

The captain nodded and stepped back to the stern to continue steering the ship, instructing the sailors to keep the ship steady while muttering to himself.

"Whether you're a dragon crossing the river or a worm, don't let my boat sink here... I'm counting on this money to go back and get my youngest son married."

A nearby sailor overheard this and whispered, "Boss, are we really not going to go around in circles?"

"What's with the detour?!"

The boat captain glared at him, annoyed. "The guy upstairs said he wouldn't go around, so you dare to go around?!"

The sailor immediately shut up.

These days, the wind and waves on the river aren't scary; what's scary is the people sitting on the boat whom you can't afford to offend.

Qin Han leaned against the ship's side, his gaze fixed on the outlines of several large ships in the distance.

Giant Kun Gang, Yun Yuzhen.

The leader of the three major gangs on the Yangtze River waterway.

This information went through his mind.

His original plan was simple: go to Yangzhou to pick up his mother, then head north to the capital to deal with Ao Bai, and finally go to Shandong to handle the Golden Snake Camp.

The reason for choosing the waterway was simply because it was faster; I didn't want to encounter any unforeseen complications on the mainland.

However, the fact that certain forces have come to challenge us indicates that it is time for this Yangtze River waterway to change hands.

Since breaking through to the Grandmaster level in Tianshan, Qin Han has reached the level of the Five Great Masters of the Central Plains. In the past, he had to calculate, plan, and leverage other people's strengths to achieve many things.

The four prefectures of Shu are the foundation, and the current priority is stability.

The Ming Cult's Five Elements Flags can be considered the pinnacle of infantry strength, but the Ming Cult's naval power is almost zero.

There's only one thing missing: water power.

The Yangtze River is the lifeblood of the world.

Whoever controls the Yangtze River waterway has an additional invisible transportation line, even just one more line is beneficial.

Soldiers, provisions, intelligence, and goods can all be transported by water.

Even in critical moments, a fleet of ships can do things more efficiently than a cavalry unit.

The Giant Kun Gang is just the right fit.

They had over a thousand people, dozens of boats of various sizes, extensive experience in naval warfare, and connections and channels for smuggling salt.

This kind of force, which would be considered lowly bandits in the martial arts world, is a weapon in Qin Han's hands.

It doesn't matter if the knife is dirty or not, just wash it. The most important thing is that it works well.

Qin Han quickly came up with an idea after a moment's thought.

"Tianbao".

"Big brother?"

Dong Tianbao's complexion was a little better than before, but it was still bluish. Seasickness was truly incurable; it had been driving him crazy for the past three days.

He himself was also helpless. A master of the highest level, who was not afraid of fighting and could even laugh with a knife to his throat, was now questioning his existence while sitting on a boat.

If this gets back to the military camp, his soldiers will laugh him to death.

Upon hearing Qin Han call him, Dong Tianbao immediately perked up.

"Big brother!"

He had just shouted when his throat moved again, and he quickly grabbed the wooden pillar next to him.

"Wait, wait a minute..."

He tilted his head and gagged twice, but nothing came out, and his face still showed some annoyance.

"Does this wrecked ship have a grudge against me?"

Zhang Junbao, standing to the side, couldn't help but smile.

"Tianbao, why don't you go back to your cabin and lie down?"

"What are you lying down for?"

Dong Tianbao glared at him. "Do you think I, Dong Tianbao, would be brought down by a single boat?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boat rocked slightly.

Dong Tianbao immediately reached out to support himself against the wall.

Zhang Junbao didn't say anything, but simply turned his face to the side.

Dong Tianbao retorted angrily, "What are you laughing at?"

I didn't laugh.

"I saw your shoulders move!"

"It's the river breeze blowing..."

Dong Tianbao's eyes widened, and he almost drew his sword, but what the hell was that, the river wind was blowing!

Qin Han found it amusing to see his dejected yet stubborn appearance, but he didn't show it on his face, wanting to save face for the other person.

"Anyway, we'll be in Yangzhou in a couple of days. Why don't you let your older brother see how well you've been practicing the Six Arts of Frost?"

Dong Tianbao was stunned for a moment.

"Brother, what's wrong with you...?"

Qin Han gestured with his chin toward the large ships in front of him.

"The Giant Kun Gang's ship is just ahead."

Dong Tianbao looked up.

Now that they were closer, the boats were no longer just blurry outlines.

The first boat was wide, and many people stood at the bow, holding hooks and long knives. Their posture made it seem like they were written all over their faces: "I am a river bandit."

"The Giant Kun Gang? The pirate gang the boat captain was talking about earlier?"

"right."

Qin Han nodded. "This waterborne force is quite good."

He paused for a moment, then said, "We just took the wrong turn."

Upon hearing this, Dong Tianbao felt much better, as he knew his older brother all too well.

What does it mean to "take the wrong path"?

To put it bluntly, the eldest brother has his eye on this power and wants to take them under his wing.

Dong Tianbao immediately perked up.

He was feeling restless and uncomfortable on the ship these past few days, spending all his time either vomiting or lying down, and he had nowhere to practice his sword skills.

"Big brother!"

Dong Tianbao wiped his mouth, his voice becoming a few decibels deeper.

"Don't worry, brother, I'm good at this. First, break their spirits, then make them kneel down and listen to the rules."

Zhang Junbao glanced at him.

"What are you good at? Recruiting people or killing them?"

"Cut them down first, then subdue them before taking them in."

Dong Tianbao answered smoothly, "Isn't this what Big Brother always says: 'Courtesy first, then force'?"

Zhang Junbao glanced at him: "You started with courtesy and then resorted to force, but you've probably destroyed the word 'courtesy' with one blow."

Dong Tianbao choked, realizing that Zhang Junbao had changed; this brat now liked to argue with him all the time.

He reached out and pressed the long sword at his waist, then with a push of his thumb, the blade emerged half an inch from its sheath.

"Why be so particular about dealing with river bandits? If you try to reason with them, they'll resort to force. Only when you've convinced them with force will they listen to your reasoning."

Qin Han nodded.

That statement is not wrong.

Dong Tianbao immediately became smug.

"See, Junbao? Big brother said I was right."

Zhang Junbao deliberately sighed and made a sarcastic remark.

"I just hope you don't vomit on your knife later."

Dong Tianbao's smug expression froze instantly, and he looked embarrassed. His seasickness was a sore point for him.

"Zhang Junbao, I've put up with you for far too long!"

"I'm telling the truth."

"The truth is the most annoying thing."

"Then don't listen."

"...."

Qin Han listened to the two bickering but didn't stop them.

Perhaps it was because his intervention changed their fates that Dong Tianbao enjoyed training his troops and would occasionally seek out Qin Qiong, the Five Wanderers, and others for sparring.

Zhang Junbao, on the other hand, liked to seek out Xu Xingzhi, Li Jing, and others for their studies. He enjoyed reading all kinds of books and could absorb them all.

He truly embodies the saying, "There is a golden house in books."

The two have completely different personalities now, but it's not so bad to have two noisy people around.