Chapter 60 take the risk

Perhaps it was the devout prayers to Emperor Taizu that had worked. After leaving Xiaoling, the three friends rushed to Linggu Temple that night. They had just settled in a monk's room when the person in charge came.He not only brought the number plate for passing along the way, but also informed them that the military academy who will be on duty at Xianhe Gate the next day is a member of the Rebel Army.As a result, when it was time to leave the city, it went very smoothly.The four masters and servants hired another group of donkeys outside the city, and then hurried on the road. After a day and a half of Xiaoxing and overnight trekking, they finally arrived at Danyang Wharf at noon the next day.

As a transportation hub connecting Nanjing, Jiangbei, Suzhou and Hangzhou, Danyang Wharf has always been a bustling place.Whether it is business travelers traveling from south to north, or officials who are relocating on business, or batches of grain transported north, they always gather or stay here.In the past, all kinds of boats were always moored on the river in this area, and there were a lot of cars and horses on the shore, and there were mountains of goods.But right now, when the three friends set foot on the pier, they found that, as expected in advance, due to the turbulent current situation and the unabated war, the situation has changed a lot.Looking around, the number of boats coming and going on the river has decreased significantly, and the goods that were often piled on the streets in the past because they could not be loaded in the warehouse have also disappeared.As for the officials ostentatiously passing by on the street, it goes without saying that they are no longer dressed in black gauze and round collars, but in all-colored plume warm hats, mandarin jackets and slit gowns.However, there is one thing that seems to be more crowded than before, and that is the people on the pier—standing, sitting, and wandering back and forth, all of which covered the riverside in darkness.Most of them are men, and there are also some elderly women and children. Judging from their clothes, they are of different ranks. Looking up at the river, as if waiting for something.Seeing this situation, Liu Jingting immediately frowned and said:

"No, I have to find a boat quickly. Look at this battle, it's going to be a mess, maybe I won't be able to leave today!" Yu Huai and Shen Shizhu were still looking around curiously, but after hearing what he said, they couldn't help becoming nervous.So the four masters and servants immediately quickened their pace and walked towards the shore. Contrary to the emptiness and desolation on the river, there are many boats moored along the bank, including big river boats, balance boats and small boats, floating in various places.They inquired about several of them, and they found that either the seats were already full of passengers, or they had already been booked, and none of them could be hired.Of course, there are still some that are not fully booked, but the three friends don’t want to mix with irrelevant people because of their business. It wasn't suitable, but as a result, all the way to ask, it turned out to be a succession of failures.Only then did everyone get really anxious, and were about to go to a further place to inquire, when they suddenly heard a shrill voice behind them asking:

"A few guest officers, but you want to hire a boat?" They looked back and found that it was a little boy who was talking, who looked only eight or nine years old.He was dressed in dirty clothes, his dark face was full of stains, and he wore a broken blanket hat on his head. He was staring at them with a pair of bright eyes, inquiring. The three friends looked at each other, wondering what the origin of this beggar-like little guy was.However, Yu Huai still replied casually: "Well, not bad. Do you know where there is a boat?" "Yes," the boy nodded hastily, "I guarantee the satisfaction of the guest officer!"

"Where's the—ship? Where is it?" "Give me the money, and I'll take you there!" The little boy stretched out his dirty paws. "What, give you money?" Ah Wei put down his luggage and picked it up from the side, "Hmph, I've seen that you are a little beggar, but you want to cheat money! Go, go, go! No!" The little boy blinked and retorted calmly, "I'm not a beggar, I'm a helper, and we have a boat!" "You have a boat, where is the boat?" "Give me the money, and I'll take you there!" The little guy didn't let go.The adults were a little undecided.Finally, Ah Wei took out a penny and put it in the palm of the other party: "Okay, here you are!"

Who knows, the boy shook his head. Ah Wei looked at him carefully, so he had to add another article. The little boy was still shaking his head. Ah Wei got angry: "What? Still shaking his head! How much do you want?" "According to the rules - ten words!" The boy answered very simply. "Ten Wen?" Ah Wei jumped up angrily, and snatched back the two Wen, "Who are you trying to scam, you little bastard! Get out, get out!" At this moment, Liu Jingting, who had been watching from the side, said, "Well, ten yuan is ten yuan, give it to him! But—" he squinted at the boy, "you have to find us a boat. No tricks!"

"Hey, this is natural!" The little boy suddenly became happy. He counted the money skillfully, thanked him, put it in his arms, wiped the dripping nose with his sleeve, then turned around and jumped up and down. Take the lead and walk.When the four masters and servants followed up, he turned around and said, "Hey, it's not easy to go out these days! Especially at Danyang Wharf, it's hard to find a boat! A few guests pass by next time, if there is any embarrassment , just find me 'Black Bean', I will stay here every day, and I will come to serve you when you call!"

At such a young age, he already had a quack tone. The adults were both surprised and funny when they heard this, but at the same time they were quite moved.At the end, Yu Huai asked kindly: "Well, are there so many people waiting at this pier every day?" "What?" The little boy didn't seem to understand. "I'm asking you, are there so many people on the boat every day?" Yu Huai said, pointing at the people gathered on the pier. The little boy said "Oh": "The guest officer is talking about them—they are not here to take the boat, they are here to wait for the boat to redeem people!"

"What, wait for the ship to redeem someone? Who is it to redeem?" "Redemption of the women! The women in their family were snatched by the Tartar soldiers. I heard that there are many, many of them, and they will all be loaded on a ship and transported to the far north. These people are waiting here every day. When he arrives, he goes up and recognizes the man. When he recognizes him, he brings money to beg the Tartar for mercy, so that he can redeem the woman." At first, when I heard about "waiting for a boat to redeem people", not only Yu Huai, but also the other three were puzzled.After hearing the little boy's explanation, everyone said "Ah", looking at me, I looked at you, and couldn't help being stunned.Indeed, since the Qing soldiers went south, they have been living in Nanjing with a relatively good order. Although they have heard about the wars in various places from time to time, they still don't know the details.Now they suddenly heard that the Qing army burned, killed and raped everywhere, and they wanted to ship a large number of looted women like livestock to the north. This really shocked them.So, what will be the fate of these women when they arrive in the north?Needless to say, they will definitely be sent under the banner, and will be reduced to slaves and pariahs for the conquerors to drive and ravage!Thinking of this, the three friends couldn't help clenching their teeth, feeling extremely resentful from the bottom of their hearts.

"Then, if you recognize someone, how many can be redeemed?" After a while, Yu Huai frowned and asked. "Hmph, I go to see it every day, it's very lively!" The little boy said proudly, "But not many people recognize them. Sometimes they recognize them, but the soldiers refuse to let them redeem them, and they are scolded and beaten by him." Yes, but there was one time when the Tartar soldiers promised to redeem her. The woman refused to go back with her man, saying that the man was useless and couldn’t support her, and he would starve to death when he went back. When the soldier heard this, he became furious, scolded the woman for being unrighteous, drew out his knife, and cut the woman in half with one knife, and the intestines flowed all over the floor—hey, it was scary!"

This was another event that the four masters and servants did not expect.That woman's denial of her husband is indeed abominable and abominable, but it is not refreshing to end up in such a tragic death.So the three friends stopped talking, followed the little boy, passed by the pier, and walked to a thatched hut by the river. It seems that the little boy is already familiar with the road, and he just pushed the door and entered without asking.Turning around, he found that the guests were still standing at the door, so he waved and said, "Come in, come in!" The three friends hesitated for a moment, then entered the room one by one through the narrow door, and found that it was empty, only a table, a chair, and a few simple pots and pans.Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged man with a bare head.Seeing the guests coming, he put down the flagon in his hand, squinted his eyes and raised his head. "Well, a boat?" he asked without getting up. "Oh, yes, these guest officials couldn't hire a boat, so I brought them to you, Dad." The little boy replied respectfully. "Several people?" "Four!" "From where?" "From...from..." the little boy stammered and looked back at the guest.Yu Huai then replied, "Jiangning Mansion." "Where are you going?" "Gusu." "Can you turn off the defense? Take a look!" Because they had something to do, the three friends paid close attention to the situation in the room after entering the door, and found that the man looked big, and they were already a little puzzled, but after hearing his tone of speech like an interrogation, they felt that something was wrong.Now that the other party actually proposed to check the customs defense, everyone suddenly felt stunned, and instinctively moved back, only temporarily realizing something was wrong, and then stopped again.After hesitating for a while, Yu Huai had no choice but to take a step forward, arched his hands and asked: "This father, I am very polite, I don't know how to call him?" During the time of talking just now, the man kept his head slightly lowered, not looking directly at them.At this moment, he raised his head, opened his eyes and looked at Yu Huai for a while, then suddenly took out a straw hat with feathers from under the table, put it on his head, and said: "I am not some kind of father, I am the supervisor of this pier !" After a pause, he probably noticed that the guests were stunned, so he knocked on the table and said, "Aren't you going to take a military boat? How can I sit for you if you don't check the customs?" If it is said that the four masters and servants were just caught off guard and a little nervous when the other party proposed to inspect customs defenses just now, then the four masters and servants couldn't help being surprised by his tone now that he was planning to arrange some kind of "military ship" for the guests .Because with the mission they are currently carrying, when they meet the Qing soldiers, they are really afraid that they will not be able to hide in time. How can they dare to throw themselves into the tiger's mouth and sit on some "warship"?So all of a sudden, he was stunned and didn't know how to deal with it. Then, it was the guy's turn to be surprised: "What? You don't know? Didn't Heidou tell you?" He turned around and called, "Heitou! Heidou!" But no one agreed. The black beans have slipped away. The man scolded, so he had to explain himself: "Hey, it's better to take a military boat! It's convenient and worry-free. There are soldiers guarding you along the way. It's not your turn to interrogate you, and the thieves will not dare to rob you! Even if you spend a few more It's worth the money!" "But..." Yu Huai managed to get out a sentence, he wanted to decline and said that he still planned to take the private boat.But when he came into contact with the suspicious eyes of the other party, he couldn't help shrinking back. At this time, Liu Jingting suddenly said: "Okay, since the old man said that there are so many benefits, then I will take the military boat!" After expressing his agreement so readily, he asked with a smile: "So the soldier's boat is also willing to go!" It's the first time that Xiao Lao knows about the common people!" The supervisor made a gesture: "Of course I wouldn't do such a thing in my spare time! But this military ship is different from others. It was originally ordered to guard the canal to escort civilian ships to and fro. Anyway, it's on the way, so I'll do it along the way." Take the business—hey, don’t talk nonsense! Can it be guarded? Take it out if you have it!” "Oh!" Yu Huai, who was in a daze, suddenly came to his senses, and quickly took out the number plate from his side, and handed it over, "The next four are buying goods for the soldiers on the Crane Gate, because they came out in a hurry, and they didn't have time to do it. It has to be guarded, there is a number plate issued by the soldiers here, please check it with the old master!" The supervisor took it, looked at it for a while, and said with a slight sneer: "This number plate is too poorly made, and it's probably fake! However, I don't have time to find someone to check it out right now. Forget it, take the money! Go up!" Go to Gusu, no more, no less, three taels of silver per person, a total of twelve taels!" The four masters and servants were coaxed and frightened by him, and they had already been frightened. Although they knew it was extortion, how dare they argue with him?Served immediately.After receiving the money, the supervisor wrote them a ship list and said: "There are those two warships on the pier. You can find out when you go out and ask. This ship will sail once a day when the time comes. , all the boats at the pier have set sail together, there is still an hour. Well, you go and take care of yourself!"