The Qin family's fleet set sail from Longcangpu Port in the south of Jiangning City, sailing north all night without stopping. The two sides of the ship were hung with lanterns, illuminating both banks of the Shiliang River as bright as day. When the wind was weak, besides rowing and paddling, the Qin family also hired strong young men from the migrant workers on both banks to pull the tow rope, arriving at Shanglinli by dusk the next day.

  The ferry terminal on this side has been reinforced, and all unrelated ships have been cleared from the ferry terminal or hurried to the shallow dock upstream of Shanglin Creek. Lin Xie changed into a green official robe and stood at the ferry terminal, gazing in the direction of the Qin family's fleet. As the sky turned dark, the setting sun hung on the northwest peak of Tie Mu Shan, casting a shimmering glow over the mouth of the river, with golden scales flashing.

  Apart from Lin Xie, officials such as Shen Rong, the magistrate of Dongyang, Lin Tingli, and Liang Zuoren, the magistrate of Shiliang, all wore official robes to pay their respects at the ferry terminal, planning to bid farewell to Qin Chengbo at Shanglin Ferry.

  Shen Rong arrived at Shanglin Ferry only at noon to see off Qin Chengbo, and it was also Lin Xie's first time seeing him. Shen Rong wore a crimson official robe, was less than five feet tall, had a thick waist and neck, a dark face, and neatly trimmed whiskers, with a large mole on the left corner of his eyebrow that was very eye-catching. It is said that when Shen Rong participated in the Yanjing Imperial Examination, he ranked second, but because of his unimpressive appearance, he fell into the second class during the palace examination. However, his talent and governance skills were renowned throughout the imperial court and the countryside. After arriving at Shanglin Ferry, Shen Rong asked about every detail of Qin Chengbo's departure, giving orders without neglecting anything trivial. Others would never have thought that at this moment, he was secretly watching Qin Chengbo step by step into a death trap. Shen Rong was also very enthusiastic towards Lin Xie, but Lin Xie knew to be on guard against people who wore a smiling face while devouring others.

  The Qin family's fleet arrived in a majestic manner, with the leading tower ship exuding an extraordinary aura. Its body was even larger than that of the Dongyang number, stretching over 13 or 14 zhang in length. The deck had three layers of buildings, and as it approached the dock, the cabins above the deck alone were nearly three zhang high. The double masts at the rear of the ship rose another five or six zhang from the top of the cabins. Each layer of cabins was surrounded by a half-person-high parapet, making it seem like a moving fortress as it approached the shore, with an awe-inspiring and majestic appearance.

  "Dongyang Prefect Shen Rong led the officials of Dongyang to pay respects and welcome the Auxiliary General as he passed through Dongyang, wishing the Auxiliary General a smooth journey...". Shen Rong led the officials of Dongyang to offer sacrifices at the ferry terminal, loudly chanting and singing, and also sent up a list of people to be visited and a farewell gift list onto the ship.

  After a while, a middle-aged scholar dressed as an attendant got off the boat. He bowed to the officials of Dongyang who were looking forward to the ferry and said: "My general thanks the parents of Dongyang for their kindness, but the cabin on the boat is small and it's not convenient to invite you all on board to thank you one by one. I was sent down to apologize to everyone..."

  Others cursed in their hearts: They had prepared a big gift for the farewell, but they couldn't even see half of Qin Chengbo's shadow, how could they be happy?

  "Mr. Shen, my general has invited you and Mr. Lin Tongjian to gather on the boat..." The Qin Fu staff took out a list to read, except for Shen Rong and Lin Tingli, more than ten people including Liang Zuoren and other main officials of Dongyang Prefecture and Shiliang County, as well as famous gentry were invited to go on board, but Lin's name was not among them.

  Although Lin Xuan had risen to prominence in Jiangning with the help of Gu Wu Chen's influence, he was after all just a ninth-grade scholar-official. Whether or not Qin Chengbo invited him onto his boat was perfectly reasonable. Yet, when the Qin family's attendant reported the list of names invited onto the boat, he deliberately glanced at Lin Xuan twice, his expression clearly saying: you're not qualified. Others looked at Lin Xuan with mocking gazes before turning away, some people even revealing contemptuous smiles without hiding them. Shen Rong also smiled unintentionally in the twilight, glancing back at Lin Xuan, hoping to see a dejected and humiliated look on his face.

  The staff member of the Qin Mansion, surnamed Wang, was a scholar who had been unable to pass the imperial examination and therefore had not entered officialdom. He had served as a staff member for many years and was known in Jiangning as "Second General". The Lord of Qin City trusted him greatly, and many military orders and administrative regulations issued by the Jiangning Garrison were drafted by his hand. When the city's residents clashed with the river mouth, he appeared alongside the Lord of Qin City, and Lin Xie recognized him. In Jiangning, they had to maintain a united front and would not excessively provoke Lin Xie, but outside of Jiangning, they did not consider Lin Xie to be a significant figure and even intentionally tried to stir up trouble with him.

  "Mr. Wang, please stay," Lin Xie said with a smile, "I'd like to ask Mr. Wang to pass on a message to General Fu Guo: the wind and waves at Hongze Lake are treacherous, I have a boat at Shanglin Ferry, and I humbly request that General Fu Guo allow me to escort him for a while."

  The expression on Lin's face was "sincere and heartfelt", causing many people to glance at him sideways, thinking: This guy's skin is really thick, not giving an inch but still trying to stick his face in. The Qin Fu staff were also stunned, thinking: This guy has been making waves in Jiangning for no reason, but he doesn't have the same thickness of skin as me.

  Lin Xuan gazed at Shen Rong, who was about to board the ship to meet Qin Chengbo, with a slightly gloomy expression. In his heart, he sneered: As a small Confucian scholar, he had to escort him on the boat for a while. Naturally, Shen Rong, the governor of Dongyang Prefecture, couldn't just go through the motions in Shanglin. However, Shen Rong was well aware that from Shanglin Ferry to Hongze Port, there were numerous crises lurking ahead, and this single sentence would corner him into an inescapable predicament.

  Shen Rong furrowed his brow, how could he have thought that Lin Xie had the intention of fishing in troubled waters? He just thought that Lin Xie was shameless and wanted to curry favor with Qin Chengbo, so he said coldly: "If Lin Xie insists on seeing General Fu Guo, we'll help you say a few good words after we get on the boat. Whether General Fu Guo is willing to see you or not depends on your luck. Lord Gu may not know that you are so enthusiastic about showing respect to your superiors."

  Shen Rong's words were quite impolite, but Lin Fu pretended not to understand and kept his eyes on the Qin officials. He said: "Since parting ways at the river mouth, I have always admired Mr. Wang greatly, and General Fuguo's demeanor is even more impressive. Although it seems like a casual gesture, in reality, I want to personally escort General Fuguo safely through the East Yang Prefecture before I can rest assured. I think the officials of East Yang also share my sincere intentions... I hope Mr. Wang can convey Lin Fu and these people's genuine feelings to General Fuguo."

  Although others couldn't bear to listen to Lin Xie's words, they all nodded in agreement and said that they had to escort General Fu to the border of Huai'an Prefecture before they could rest assured. In their hearts, however, they scolded Lin Xie until he was covered in dog blood.

  Shen Rong didn't expect that his carefully laid plans would be disrupted by this clown, and he was also annoyed in his heart, but he couldn't say much. He could only board the ship first and hope that Qin Chengbo would scold Lin Xie again and reject his shameless request. Otherwise, he and the other officials and gentry would have to escort Qin Chengbo all the way to the border of Dongyang Prefecture, which was almost as far as Luoyang Lake in the north.

  Shen Rongming knew that the Hongze Pu family's water stronghold would make Qin Chengbo their prey, so how could he dare to easily follow Qin Chengbo into Luo Yang Lake? Shen Rong's original plan was to bid farewell to Qin Chengbo at Shanglin Ferry and then quickly return to Shiliang County to observe the situation. Once the Qin Fu ship fleet fell into Hongze Pu, the Hongze Pu fishermen would raise their flags and revolt under the instigation of the water stronghold, and Shen Rong could dispatch troops from Shiliang County to respond to the crisis. Regardless of whether Qin Chengbo could escape in the end, Shen Rong's benefits would naturally not be lessened.

  Watching Shen Rong board the ship to meet Qin Chengbo, Lin Xuan gave a cold smile and turned around with Zhou Pu to walk towards the dock where Dongyang Hao was berthed. Others looked at him with eyes full of pity and disdain.

  Lin Tie and Zhou Pu climbed up the Dongyang ship from the rope ladder, Lin Tie standing at the bow of the ship, gazing at the Qin family fleet in the sunset. In addition to the first ship with a fortress-like building, there were more than 20 large and small ships following Qin Chengbo on this trip north. Before the Qin Fu ship arrived at Shanglin Ferry, Cao Zikang and Ge Cunxin respectively led their men disguised as fishermen from Hongze Pu to drive their boats secretly to Luoyang Lake.

  Qin Chengbo did not intend to stop the boat and go ashore. On the one hand, the luxury ship must have all the luxuries and extravagance that it should have, which Wulin Ferry may not be able to provide for him. On the other hand, Qin Chengbo also wanted to quickly pass through the Hongze Lake area, without giving the waterfront piers and bandits too much time to react and gather. However, he did not know that the Hongze Lake families had long since joined forces and woven a big net waiting for him to rush in.

  Lin Xuan waited for a moment on the Dongyang boat, and then a Qin family errand boy came to tell him that Qin Chengbo had agreed to let him escort them. Lin Xuan was going to escort, so naturally all the officials from Dongyang couldn't escape. Only a few people truly knew about the crisis in Hongze County. Lin Xuan stood at the bow of the Dongyang boat and saw Shen Rong hastily running down to make arrangements. He smiled and said to Zhou Pu, "Shen Rong will probably hate me to the bone..."

  "He just thought you were careless, and although he's annoyed now, it shouldn't be a big deal." Zhou Pu said with a smile.

  Qin Chengbo didn't linger for long at Shanglin Ferry, and the Qin family's fleet set sail again in the dense, impenetrable dusk. The dense wind lanterns hanging on both sides of the fleet illuminated the Shiliang River as bright as day. Dongyang number also set sail and turned into Shiliang River to follow northward.

  Shen Rong, Lin Tingli and other Dongyang officials were flustered, but they couldn't reveal that they had never intended to escort them out of the border in the first place. Although there were eight fast sculling boats in Shanglinli Village, they hadn't made preparations for a night voyage, and the lanterns they hung up were blown out by the wind, with only over ten wind lamps, two per boat, which was far from enough; there were also not enough sailors and oarsmen, so they temporarily hired over a hundred people at the dock.

  Shen Rong knew that the knife and bowmen of Shiliang County were useless, so he didn't let them board the ship. In addition to bringing 300 Dongyang Prefecture cavalry soldiers with him, he also had Lin Zonghai lead 300 water battle-experienced Xianglin Township militiamen to follow along. Shen Rong hoped to use military force to intimidate and deter the Hongze Pu Water Garrison's forces until Qin's ship fleet and escort troops departed before taking action. Shen Rong and other main officials, such as Lin Tingli and Liang Zuoren, naturally continued to bid farewell to Qin Chengbo on the Lou Ship. Although there were fewer officials from Dongyang, they used two ships, while the 300 Dongyang Prefecture cavalry soldiers used four ships, leaving only two ships that couldn't accommodate the 300 Xianglin Township militiamen. Lin Zonghai asked Lin Mengde to come over and negotiate with Lin Fu, asking for the help of the Dongyang ship in transporting 180 militiamen from three teams. Lin Fu naturally didn't dare refuse and also asked Lin Mengde to stay on the Dongyang ship to help restrain the militiamen.

  The entire fleet was stretched out for a long distance, with the Lou family's ship and the Qin family's ship in the front, followed by eight fast sculling ships from the local garrison. The Dongyang ship was at the rear, but within the Shiliang River, only the Lou family's ship and the Dongyang ship were particularly large and majestic. Lin Xie and Lin Meng stood on the top of the stern cabin of the Dongyang ship, where they could see the bright lights shining from the second floor cabin of the Lou family's ship in the distance. The Qin family's privately kept song and dance girls were singing and dancing inside. Most people had no idea that a killer was lurking in the night wind.

  The wind was strong, and the fleet arrived at the mouth of Luoyang Lake before midnight. The fleet was very long, and the distance between the north and south of Luoyang Lake was not great, less than two miles of waterway. Qin Chengbo's luxury ship had already arrived at the northern entrance of Luoyang Lake, while Dongyang No. was still outside the southern entrance.

  Out of Luoyang Lake, they left the territory of Dongyang Prefecture. Shen Rong and the officials from Dongyang Prefecture also found it inconvenient to see them off any further. The Lou Chuan temporarily stopped at Beikouzi to let Shen Rong and other officials change ships. The Dongyang number naturally dropped anchor and rested at the south entrance of Luoyang Lake, waiting for Shen Rong and others to lead the way back.

  Lin Mengde knew that the situation was critical, but he didn't understand why Qin Chengyu's passing through was the key to triggering the crisis. He wondered why only four wind lamps were lit on the main mast of the Dongyang ship from top to bottom when there were enough wind lamps on board. At this time, it seemed like a fast horse was approaching from the riverbank, but under the starless and moonless sky, only vague shadows could be seen. The militiamen on the ship also drew out their weapons, hearing several long and short whistling sounds coming from afar. Then they heard Zhou Pu say that it was one of their own people. After a moment, seven or eight people swam over to climb up the rope onto the ship. Zhou Pu brought a man who had just boarded the ship, still wet from his clothes, onto the aft cabin deck. Lin Mengde found this man familiar, and only heard him say: "The rear route has been blocked, with over ten flat-bottomed boats filled with dry grass... they may use fireboats to block the river..."

  Lin Mengde was just about to ask what had happened when he saw a fire suddenly burning in the northwest direction. That side is the Qingyanggang direction, and to prevent the flood of Zezhou water camp, Dongyang Prefecture set up a beacon tower there. All officials and soldiers of Dongyang knew that the beacon tower at Qingyanggang was on fire, and they all shouted loudly: "The lake bandits are rioting!"

  Lin Mengde found it strange that Hong Zepu's lake bandits would make trouble in the dead of night, why didn't they sneak past the Qingyanggang sentry tower? Just as he was hesitating, he saw that the dark night in front of Luo Yang Lake suddenly lit up like a starry sky with countless lanterns, and it was unknown how many boats were hidden under the cover of darkness on Luo Yang Lake. Then he saw these numerous bandit boats quickly rowing towards this side, and the lanterns of the Qin family's fleet were the most flourishing, so the bandit boats naturally concentrated their attack on the Qin family's fleet.