The boat was stranded at Qingjiangpu, and several young people had a little experience with water, but they needed to stay on the boat to take care of others; the next day, Lin Fu and Fu Qinghe swam ashore.

  The north bank is Tinghu County, Huaian Prefecture. Historically, the Huai River has changed course many times, and there were no very accurate maps at that time. Lin Xue could only roughly estimate that Tinghu County was located between Lianyungang and Yancheng in later generations. Because the north bank of Qingjiangpu is Tinghu County, the south bank is Yancheng County, and the north of Tinghu is Xinpu County, all belonging to Huaian Prefecture.

  The reeds on the north shore are almost twenty miles deep, and in early October, the cold current arrives. Although they went into the water after sunrise, Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe got ashore with purple lips from the cold.

  Fu Qinghe was a martial artist, with strong muscles and bones, but he was already over fifty years old, and his physical strength had its limits; Lin Xie had also been consciously strengthening her physique during this period, but good physical fitness couldnt be achieved in a short time, and she was also frozen to the point of being out of breath. The two of them changed into dry clothes wrapped in oilpaper on the shore, ate some dry rations, and gradually recovered after basking in the sun and exercising their hands and feet.

  Lin Tie and Fu Qing were planning to get a small boat that could navigate through the shallow waters of the reeds, first pick everyone up from the shore and then talk.

  Along the riverbank westward for twenty or thirty li, no boats were seen moored by the shore.

  In the shallow waters, there are endless reeds and rushes. The water is too shallow for boats to sail, so big or small ships will not stop at this shore. It wasnt until we walked to Qingpu Port in Tinghu County that we saw suitable boats.

  Qingpu Port is a bustling town, with all kinds of industries gathered here. The streets are lined with stalls and shops, and the sound of horse hooves and boat horns fills the air as travelers hurry to and fro. This is an important transportation hub in the eastern part of Huaian Prefecture, where the Qingjiang River waterway meets the north-south official road. Tinghu County has set up a water and land courier office here, as well as a patrol inspectors yamen.

  Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe sat in a food stall by the ferry terminal, sitting by the window and observing the situation at the ferry terminal, discussing in a low voice: "If we buy a boat with money, Im afraid it will arouse suspicion in others..."

  In front of the ferry, there were more than a dozen soldiers belonging to Qingpu津s patrol inspector, after inquiring, the entire patrol inspector had more than 80 knife and bow men, and Qingpu津s post house also had more than 20 post soldiers. It would be okay to hire a boat with money, but it would be too difficult to buy a boat directly without arousing suspicion. Lin Mou nodded and said: "Can only wait until night..."

  Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe sat in the store drinking fruit wine, slightly sweet and astringent, far from comparable to the strong liquor of later generations. Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe drank slowly, without any intoxication at all.

  As dusk approached, four men walked into the shop, three tall and one short, wearing long shirts, but all were robust and vigorous, walking and looking around, with a big difference from ordinary people.

  Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe sat by the window, where they could see the scene at the ferry terminal. The four people who had just walked in sat down at the Eight Immortals table next door. The slightly younger dark-faced man glanced over at Lin Xies side and whispered to his companions: "You said no knives were allowed at the ferry terminal, how come theyre carrying knives?"

  The black-faced young man spoke in a low voice, but Lin Xies sharp ears could distinguish the words clearly; The black-faced young mans accomplice was a middle-aged man who seemed to be the leader. He sternly stopped the black-faced young man from speaking nonsense and vigilantly glanced at Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe.

  Lin Tie watched as a vendor selling sugar-coated chestnuts passed by the window. He hailed the vendor and was about to nonchalantly ask him to bring over a handful of chestnuts wrapped in lotus leaves, but he saw that when the middle-aged mans gaze swept across Fu Qinghes face, he hesitated and looked again for two more seconds, with an unmistakable look of doubt in his eyes.

  Lin Tie glanced at Fu Qinghe, who furrowed his brow and gave him a signal to go out first before talking. Lin Tie took his waist knife and followed Fu Qinghe to the elm counter at the shop entrance to settle the bill, then walked to the official road across the street.

  The four men had moved to their table by the window, which was better for observing the situation at the ferry crossing. The four men were now observing the situation in front of the ferry crossing.

  Lin Tie saw Fu Qinghe seemingly lost in thought, and asked softly: "Does Master Fu know where they came from?" The black-faced youth inadvertently revealed that they were originally carrying weapons with them, but were worried about the inspection at the ferry crossing, so they hid their weapons elsewhere. Perhaps they still had accomplices; besides, no matter how you looked at it, they didnt seem like ordinary merchants.

  "Old friends from ten years ago," Fu Qinghe said, "but they cant recognize me now."

  "Huh?" Lin Xuan thought back to the middle-aged mans gaze at Fu Qinghe, thinking that Fu Qinghe must have changed a lot in ten years. He glanced again at the men inside the shop window, their eyes fixed on the patrol officer at the ferry terminal, but it was unclear what they were up to. Seeing Fu Qinghe frowning and deep in thought, he was probably pondering the same question.

  "Never mind them, lets go take a look at the boat first," Fu Qinghe said.

  Lin tied up and followed Fu Qinghe to the ferry terminal, it was clear that Fu Qinghe was very concerned about the four people who suddenly appeared at the ferry terminal, but they first had to pick up the two women and several boys and hide them ashore, couldnt care about too many things.

  Lin Ties ID card was still with him, and he and Fu Qinghe carried their weapons with them, unafraid of being inspected.

  Although Lin Xie is a collateral descendant of the Dongyang Lin family, after passing the imperial examination as a xiucai, he was also helped by Madame Gu Yingxu to speak on his behalf and allowed him to return to the main branch. Unlike the bamboo or wooden identity plaques used by commoners from humble families, his plaque is made of copper and indicates his status as a xiucai as well as his origins from the prestigious Dongyang Shiliang County family, which also grants him the privilege of having attendants follow him and carrying personal weapons for self-defense.

  In this era, even if one wants to wield a sword and roam the world with chivalry, they need to have a good background; although the governments control over civilians carrying weapons is not as strict as sharing a kitchen knife among several families, ordinary people without special status or proof will be treated as thieves and arrested by the authorities if found carrying swords in public, and any resistance will result in being killed on the spot.

  Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe crouched on the riverbank, observing the light boats in the river, planning to make their move at night. Hearing the sound of wheels coming from afar, they stood up and saw a team of officers and soldiers escorting four prisoner carts from the northern official road.

  The officers and soldiers pushed the prisoners cart across the border, always attracting the attention of ordinary people. Travelers and merchants at the crossing immediately gathered around to watch, Lin tied them far away, only seeing a woman wearing a red jacket in the last prisoners cart, with disheveled hair, and the four men from earlier also walked out of the shop, mixed in the crowd to watch.

  Lin Xie subconsciously thought that the four men appeared here to rob a prison cart. He glanced sideways and saw Fu Qinghes expression change greatly, turned around and walked towards the official road. Lin Xie didnt ask much and followed behind Fu Qinghe.

  As they approached, the soldiers were pushing a prisoners cart into the station. Lin Xie only saw clearly the face of the red-clad young woman on the last cart. Her complexion was withered and worn out, and upon closer inspection, there were two thin scars on her delicate face. The red jacket had been cut open in several places, revealing the yellowed cotton padding inside, and a small piece of flesh was exposed on her left side, which had turned white from being blown by the early winter wind. However, the young womans hands were cuffed, making it impossible for her to cover herself.

  Judging from the situation, it seems that the escorting officers and soldiers will have to spend the night at the post house and continue on their journey tomorrow.

  The four men had already turned around and entered the shop earlier. Fu Qinghes expression was solemn, and Lin Xuan asked in a low voice: "Are you also old friends?"

  Fu Qinghe walked to a deserted place, his expression solemnly told Lin Xie: "An old friend is in trouble, Fu Mouren cannot stand by and do nothing; if Fu Mouren encounters misfortune, Miss and the children can only entrust Lin Ye." He then prepared to kneel down.

  Lin tied up his hands and held Fu Qinghe back, saying: "The matter is not yet clear, Master Fu, its too early to entrust the aftermath at this time, isnt it?"

  Fu Qinghe was at a loss for words for a moment.

  "Does Master Fu think Im a coward?" Lin Mou said, "Lets meet with old friends first."

  Fu Qinghe gratefully patted Lin Xies shoulder, and didnt say much more in gratitude. The two turned back to the food stall to look for those four men. Those four men had already left, so they asked the shopkeeper about their direction of departure. Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe chased after them all the way north.

  Both sides of the official road are endless fields, and there is a large maple forest more than two miles north. The autumn leaves are dyed with frost and red, like fire, and from a distance, it seems like a big bundle of wild fires burning vigorously in the fields, very gorgeous.

  Those four men left in this direction, they are going to hijack the prisoners van and wont be far from the ferry crossing. The maple forest is most likely their hiding place. Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe walked straight into the depths of the forest.

  As they walked in about a hundred steps, they suddenly heard footsteps behind them. Lin Xie and Fu Qinghe turned around to see sixteen or seventeen men wearing strong clothes and holding knives and swords surrounding them. The middle-aged man from the food stall stared at Fu Qinghe and said: "So its you, I thought I was wrong. You escaped with your life back then, why are you following us again today?" His hoarse voice revealed his agitated emotions.

  "For the time being, lets not talk about old times. Youve all been active in Huai for years. Even if Zikang and others were caught by the government, they should have been sent to the two capitals from Huai. Why would the prisoner cart pass through this place?" Fu Qinghe asked, "Are you planning to rob the prisoner cart here?"

  Huaian Prefecture is downstream of the Huai River and is separated from Huaiyin by a thousand miles.

  "Mind your own business," a stout man beside the middle-aged man cursed in a loud voice, "What qualifications do you have to pretend to be a good person here? If we cant save Ziang and Fourth Daughter, so what? Well all go together... brothers will accompany each other on the road to the Yellow Springs, not lonely..."

  "Youve been following the prisoners carriage all along, why didnt you rob it on the way and wait until now?" Lin Tie ignored Fu Qinghes old grudges with these people in front of him, his priority was to figure out some key issues.

  "They are the bandits who roam the Huai River, and the imperial court has been pursuing them for many years. Even a special office was set up in the various prefectures along the Huai River to capture these bandits," Fu Qinghe didnt mind the harsh words from the people in front of him, introducing them to Lin Xie, "If such an important prisoner were to be successfully rescued by his accomplices, the escorting officers would all be executed without pardon, and even their families would be implicated. If they were to make a move on the road, the escorting officers would not hesitate to kill the prisoners first. They have to wait until the officers and the prisoners cart are separated before they dare take action."

  "Who is Gao Sanhu?" The middle-aged man frowned and stared at Lin Xuan, asking Fu Qinghe, "Your apprentice?"

  "Tan Ye has a great favor on me for saving his life, and you dont have to worry that Tan Ye will reveal the matter of Liu Ma Kou."

  "Barefooted people are not afraid of wearing shoes, whats there to be afraid of?" The short and sturdy man spat on the ground, with outsiders present, he restrained his words and didnt mention driving Fu Qinghe away again.

  Fu Qinghe let out a bitter laugh and explained to Lin Xie, "Gao Sanhu is my humble name from ten years ago. If old friends didnt bring it up, I would have forgotten about it myself." He also explained to the people in front of him, "Ive lived in Jiangning for nearly ten years. If youre willing, just call me Fu Qinghe and consider Gao Sanhu to have died ten years ago..."

  "A pair of halberds, three tigers, in those days the army had many capable men, you also know that its a shame to tarnish this name!" A man with half his left ear missing stood up and scornfully jeered at Fu Qinghe.

  Lin Xian thought that Fu Qinghe had indeed caused a lot of trouble back then. Everyone in front of him was an old acquaintance, and not one of them had a good expression on their face. He bowed to the crowd and said: "Dongyang Tan Zhong has seen all of you gentlemen..." Since he wasnt afraid of being recognized, Fu Qinghe helped cover up his true identity, also not wanting him to get too deeply involved. So he went along with Fu Qinghes intention and reported a fake name.

  Fu Qinghe sincerely said to the middle-aged man who was in charge: "Cheng Zu, dont mention past events; if you want to save Zi Ang and Si Yaotou, I can do my best to help. If you really want to rescue them, you cant drive us away."

  The "Fourth Girl" in the mouth of Lins sturdy Han man and "Fourth Young Lady" in Fu Qinghes mouth should be the red-cloaked young woman in that prison cart. He heard Fu Qinghe call the middle-aged man in front of him "Cheng Zu", and suddenly remembered who he was, Qin Chengzu, a notorious horse thief and bandit, with wanted posters even posted in Dongyang Prefecture, and unexpectedly, this middle-aged man with some Confucian elegance was actually the famous leader of the horse thieves.

  Qin Chengzu hesitated for a moment, then explained to Fu Qinghe: "After the establishment of the Anti-Thief Department in Huaiyang Prefecture, each prefecture allocated silver to set up an anti-thief camp, specializing in eliminating our horse thieves. Its getting harder and harder for us to operate in Huaiyang. Chen Hansan surrendered to the government this year, and we didnt get the news in time while operating in Jiangling. After entering autumn, we were bitten by Chen Hansans three anti-thief camps in Jiangling, and less than 50 brothers broke out of over 200 brothers. We cant stay in Huaiyang, so we went downstream. Ziang and Fourth Daughter led two brothers to explore news in Xinpucheng, but they were surrounded by the anti-thief camp led by Chen Hansan and couldnt escape... Chen Hansan sent his trusted men to take them to Jiangning to claim credit." When mentioning Chen Hansans name, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth with hatred, as if he wanted to swallow him alive.

  "What about the others?" Fu Qinghe asked, as nearly fifty people had broken out after autumn, but now there were only sixteen in front of him.

  "The brothers with all their limbs intact are right in front of you. The three blacks and Wu Qi are guarding outside the forest." said the middle-aged man with a gloomy expression.

  "Youre just eighteen, and you want to rob the official courier station?" Fu Qinghes eyebrows furrowed as he asked, "You also know that the team of officials and soldiers escorting the prisoner cart are all elite troops under Chen Hans command. There are more than 80 knife-wielding guards at the Qingpu津 inspection office nearby, and there are also over 30 station guards at the courier station. Do you really think you can rob it?"

  "Theres no other way, only by entering the station will Zihong and the others be locked up in separate rooms... After leaving Qingputang, this group of officials and soldiers will take the waterway, taking an official boat to Jiangning, and the opportunity to make a move is even slimmer." The middle-aged man said, from his tone, it can be heard that he still wants to discuss with Fu Qinghe about the plan to rescue people.

  The water at the mouth of Qingjiang River is very shallow and not suitable for large ships to pass through. From Qingpu Port, going upstream, the navigation conditions are much better, as long as you avoid the shallow waters, medium-sized boats with a capacity of 300-500 stones can pass through quickly. From Huaian Prefecture, passing through Fanliang Lake and crossing Hongze River, you can enter Dongyang Prefecture, and then follow the river to reach Jiangning Prefecture. When the officials and soldiers boarded the official ship with the prisoners cart, wanting to rescue the person without a single hair being harmed, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven. But for these people who rushed into the post house to rescue someone, what difference is there from sending them to their deaths?

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  P.S: Collect and red tickets are welcome