October of the fourth year of the Apocalypse, Poyang Lake.

Poyang Lake was called Pengze in ancient times, it is the largest inner 6 freshwater lake in the Ming Dynasty, Li Hongyu wanted to play in Poyang Lake when he went down to the south of the Yangtze River several times, but unfortunately he failed to do so.

On this morning, on Poyang Lake, a painting boat was traveling on the lake that seemed a little deserted.

Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin sat in the cabin, drinking and enjoying the scenery on the water outside the window, although it is now the season of everything withering, but the two are still marching, after all, the time for the two to swim together is extremely precious, and I don't know when I will have time next time.

Besides, the two of them just want to enjoy the wonderful world of the two of them this time, not what the scenery of the unexpected world is.

"Childe, there's a small boat that's been with us for a long time."

Just when Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin were talking and laughing, a guard walked in and reported to Li Hongyu that for the sake of safety, the two naturally had to hide their identities, so the guards who accompanied them were called "sons".

"Oh?" Li Hongyu felt a little surprised when he heard this, it is the off-season for water shipping and fishing, so there are not many boats on the lake, if there are boats to follow, then it must be ill-intentioned.

"Call the boat boss." After a deep groan, Li Hongyu gave an order in a deep voice, the boss of the boat is a local, so he should naturally know the local situation, and maybe know the identity of the small boat that is tracking.

"Two sons, what do you command?" Soon, a man in his thirties and forties walked in and bowed to Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin.

"There's a small boat that has been with us for a long time, do you know who he is?" Li Hongyu took a sip of the wine glass, and then asked quietly.

"Hui Gongzi, I don't know if it's a little one, maybe it's passing by." The ship's boss's face suddenly changed when he heard this, and then he replied with a smile on his face.

"Passing by?"

Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin were such characters, and naturally they could see at a glance that he was lying, so the two looked at each other quietly, and then Li Hongyu commanded in a deep voice, "Find a nearby dock to stop and see if it is still following." ”

"Yes." Hearing this, the boat boss bowed to the two of them, turned around and walked out quickly.

"Xianggong, we seem to be targeted by some force?" Waiting for the boat boss to leave, Zhao Xin smiled and said to Li Hongyu that if the boat boss can be so jealous, the small boat seems to be not small.

"It doesn't matter what he came from, if he doesn't know whether he is alive or dead, we can fix them well." Li Hongyu smiled disappretently when he heard this, he and Zhao Xin were members of the imperial court, so how could they be afraid of those local forces

As the boat boss left, the boat began to turn around and head to the shore, and the boat also turned around, far behind.

The boat stopped at a place called "Little River Town", and since it was the off-season for surface transportation, there were not many boats on the pier, and they were quietly parked on the shore.

"Second brother, let me ask you something, how many forces are there on this Poyang Lake?"

Since it was already noon, Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin entered the best restaurant in the town, asked for a private room on the second floor, and after ordering the food, they quietly asked the shopkeeper who served tea and poured water for the two.

The news of the restaurant has always been the most well-informed, so Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin came to the restaurant at this time, otherwise the two of them could eat directly on the painting boat.

"Back to the two sons, there are three biggest forces in Poyang Lake, one is the Cao Gang, one is Master Chen, and the other is the water bandit Liu San." Hearing this, the shopkeeper replied with a smile on his face, this kind of thing is not difficult for him.

Cao Bang has five branches of "Etiquette, Righteousness, Benevolence, Filial Piety and Honesty", of which there are three branches along the Yunhai River, namely the Auditorium in Jining, the Yitang in Yangzhou and the Rentang in Hangzhou, the filial piety hall along the Yangtze River, and the Lian Hall along the Yellow River.

Although the Cao Gang monopolized the canal waterways, the waterways of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River were divided between the forces, including the Cao Gang.

Li Hongyu knew that the filial piety hall set up by the Cao Gang in the Yangtze River waterway was located in Wuchang Mansion, and there should be an incense hall of filial piety in such an important place as Poyang Lake.

"Who are Master Chen and Liu San?" Subsequently, Li Hongyu asked quietly, he was not very clear about the situation in Poyang Lake, and with his identity and status, there was no need to know about these trivial matters.

"Hui Gongzi, Master Chen is a gentry in Poyang Lake, with a big family and a big business, and the general shipping business of Poyang Lake is related to it."

Seeing that Li Hongyu was interested in the matter of Poyang Lake, the shopkeeper immediately came to his senses, and said with some excitement, "Liu San is the biggest water bandit in Poyang Lake, and the imperial court has not been able to exterminate it for several years, and Master Chen is a feud, and the ancestors of the two have fought several times in order to compete for the shipping business of Poyang Lake, and I heard that many people died that year. ”

"I see!" Li Hongyu frowned slightly when he heard this, and it seemed that the people in the small boat following them should be Liu San's subordinates.

Obviously, the water bandits in the waters of Poyang Lake must have a territory of influence, and the small boat followed the painting boat for a morning, during which it passed through a lot of waters, so it must be not small, and it is Liu San's subordinates.

"Who is this Liu San, who can have such great ability to become the biggest water bandit in Poyang Lake?" After pondering for a while, Li Hongyu asked pretending to be puzzled, wanting to find out the details of this Liu San.

"Childe, I don't know the specific situation, but I heard that Liu San's grandfather was originally a fisherman, and then somehow became a water bandit, and when Liu San arrived, his strength expanded dramatically, and gradually became the largest force in Poyang Lake."

Hearing this, the shopkeeper replied with a smile on his face, "Although this Liu San is a water bandit, he only robbed the past merchants and local rich people, and he has a good reputation for not committing any crimes against the people." ”

Li Hongyu's brows couldn't help frowning, it seemed that Liu San's people regarded him and Zhao Xin as the children of wealthy businessmen, so they kept following him, but because the two of them came out with a lot of guards this time, the other party was more afraid and didn't dare to start.

But this is not a good sign, if Liu San's power in Poyang Lake is very large, then the other party will definitely not give up, and will definitely gather people before starting.

"Xianggong, it seems that this Liu San is still a righteous bandit." After the shopkeeper left, Zhao Xin said to Li Hongyu with a smile.

"Righteous bandits are bandits after all, I didn't expect that the local yamen couldn't even do this little thing, and they actually made such a big stream of bandits on Poyang Lake."

Li Hongyu couldn't help but smile bitterly and shook his head when he heard this, I'm afraid that the people in the local yamen are busy scavenging the people's fat and ointment on weekdays, otherwise how can there be such a serious danger in Poyang Lake.

"There are several prefectures and counties around Poyang Lake, and it is a thankless task to suppress bandits, so naturally no one is willing to contribute, but they can use the reputation of bandits to collect taxes from the people."

Zhao Xin has been in the court for so long, so he naturally knows the thoughts of the local yamen officials, so he said helplessly, "Maybe there are officials and bandits who collude to seek money together." ”

"Looks like we're leaving Poyang Lake." Li Hongyu frowned slightly when he heard this, and then said to Zhao Xin a little depressed, he didn't want to see Zhao Xin have an accident, so he came out to play safety first this time, so he decided to avoid Liu San and his gang.

In the final analysis, Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin came out to play this time, and they didn't want to get involved in local affairs, so it was better to have more than one thing.

"Hmm!" Zhao Xin saw that Li Hongyu was a little unwilling, so she smiled, she didn't want the two of them to be disturbed by those trivial things.

Therefore, Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin stayed in Xiaohe Town for one night, and the next day they set off from No. 6 Road to Yueyang, preparing to visit Yueyang Tower and Dongting Lake, and by the way, spend the New Year there, and return to Xiangyang Mansion in the next year, when the two should also return to Beijing.

Not long after leaving Xiaohe Town, when Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin were talking and laughing in the carriage, the carriage suddenly stopped.

"Childe, there's someone blocking the way ahead!" Immediately, the voice of a guard was heard outside the carriage.

"It seems that Liu San's people are not ready to let go of our two 'fat sheep'!"

Li Hongyu couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this, and said to Zhao Xin a little helplessly, there is no doubt that the people who blocked the road were the water bandits who followed him yesterday, but he didn't expect them to chase after 6.

"Xianggong, we are out to play, don't care about local affairs, since they want money, then let's break the fortune and eliminate the disaster and give them money."

Zhao Xinjiao said to Li Hongyu in a voice, her eyes were concerned, in fact, she was not worried about Li Hongyu's accident, so she didn't want Li Hongyu to have a conflict with Liu San's gang, after all, the water bandits were outlaws.

"Good!" Li Hongyu knew that Zhao Xin cared about him, so he agreed with a smile, and then opened the curtain of the carriage and looked out, only to see three big men standing in the middle of the road, led by a strong man in his twenties, who had no intention of giving way.

"Who are you, and why are you blocking the way?" One of the guards stepped forward and asked with a grim expression.

"The little ones are short of money, and they want to borrow two money from the son and the lady to spend the money." The sturdy man said loudly when he heard this, looking like he was grinning.

"What a bold man, you dare to block the road and rob in broad daylight, aren't you afraid that we will arrest you and send you to the official?" The guard sneered and shouted in a deep voice.

"I'm afraid, of course the little ones are afraid, so the little ones are prepared this time." The stout man smiled slightly, put his finger in his mouth and whistled loudly.

Immediately, the figures in the woods on both sides of the road flashed, and dozens of men carrying knives rushed out of Hulala, and surrounded Li Hongyu and his party violently.

There were twenty or thirty guards following Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin this time, and when they saw this, they immediately drew their waist knives and protected the carriage in the middle, putting on a posture of facing the battle.

"How? This time the little one is qualified to borrow money, right? The stout man clasped his hands on his chest and looked triumphantly at the guard, who now had the upper hand.

The guard sneered when he heard this, and there was a look of contempt in his eyes, as if he didn't pay attention to the bandits surrounding him.

Don't look at the number of those water bandits is nearly twice as many as the guards, but if they really fight, they are not the opponents of the guards who have experienced the tempering of the Liaodong battlefield.

"Ask them how much it costs?" Li Hongyu didn't want to cause trouble here, so he whispered to one of the guards standing next to the carriage.

"Tell me, how much do you want?" The guard then stepped forward, looked at the stout man with a blank face, and asked.

"Not much, just 10,000 taels of silver!" Hearing this, the corner of the strong man's mouth suddenly showed a victorious smile, knowing that Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin had softened, and then stretched out his right hand and shook his index finger and said.

"Ten thousand taels!" The guards were stunned for a moment when they heard this, but they didn't expect the strong man to open his mouth and ask for so much money at once.

"The two sons have noble statuses, and this 10,000 taels of silver is really nothing compared to them." Seeing the guard's surprise, the sturdy man explained with a smile, "Otherwise, the little ones will have to invite the two sons back as guests." ”

"Humph!" The guard sneered when he heard this, looked at the sturdy man with a proud face and asked, "Then it depends on whether you have the ability to do this!" ”

"Lady, they actually knocked the bamboo pole on our heads, do you say it is lucky or unlucky?" In the carriage, Li Hongyu heard that the other party asked for 10,000 taels of silver with one mouth, so he couldn't help laughing and asked Zhao Xin.

I'm afraid that the sturdy man would never have imagined that the two rich children he robbed today would be the scholars of the imperial court, which is also an unprecedented move, which is a great luck.

But then again, it is precisely because Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin are officials of the imperial court that it is impossible to give him so much money, if it is a thousand taels, it can be considered, so it is a huge misfortune that he will not receive silver, and he has hit such a hard iron plate.

Zhao Xin's face showed a helpless look, he didn't expect the strong man's appetite to be so big, this is not the category of breaking wealth and avoiding disasters, but the face of the two of them and the court.

"Don't hurt their lives!"

Li Hongyu knew that since the sturdy man had brought him here to ambush, he would definitely not give up, so no matter how much he negotiated, it would be in vain, so he muttered for a while and then whispered to the guards outside the carriage, since this is the case, it is better to start fighting directly.

"Brothers, don't hurt their lives." Then, a loud voice came from outside the carriage.

Hearing this, the guards around the carriage immediately rushed towards the surrounding bandits, which made the strong man taken aback, but he didn't expect these people to start fighting without saying a word, which was really unexpected, you must know that the other party will try to avoid conflicts and avoid disasters.

In fact, the money asked for by the sturdy man was not a lie, Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin were targeted by the bandits as soon as they came to Poyang Lake, knowing that the two of them were generous, coupled with the many guards accompanying them, at first glance, they were the kind of sons and brothers who were not short of money at home, so although 10,000 taels was much, it was nothing to the two of them.

The sturdy man and the others guessed correctly, Li Hongyu and Zhao Xin are indeed not short of money, and their homes can open one of the best businesses in the Ming Dynasty.

However, the sturdy man would not have thought that the two of them were not only the children of a rich family, but also officials of the imperial court, so how could they be blackmailed by him like this?

(End of chapter)

。 All come to read m.