Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 290 Unpredictable
"Those evil creatures, led by Gray Perch and Yellow Eel, are not much different from me in terms of Taoism. Although none of them can defeat the hammer in my hand in a single fight, Xiaoli's two fists are no match for four hands. In the end, he still failed to protect the Second Master's family business. His carp soldiers were also driven out of the Water Palace and drifted to this dangerous and barren place, barely surviving with the help of incense and animal sacrifices. For so many years, Xiaoli has concealed his whereabouts and kept a low profile, only hoping that the Second Master will return to Jiuzhou one day, kill these traitors and return peace to Qiantang!"

Listening to [Red Carp Dragon] complaining about the hardships and sufferings he had experienced over the years, Qin Huai said nothing, but silently thought about the logic, unraveling the information revealed by General Li, and deducing various assumptions in his mind.

Facts have proved that the training Qin Huai received in the physics department in his early years was very beneficial. It not only enabled him to build up rigorous and self-consistent logical thinking, but also cultivated a good habit of questioning first when encountering things.

Although making groundless associations will consume a lot of brain power, it is always better to be cautious when we are involved in the complicated and confusing events in the world.

Soon, Qin Huai, with a frown on his face, stared at the two eight-petal copper hammers hanging on the waist of the Red Carp Dragon, and slowly spoke: "Since General Li has been stranded here for more than ten years, why didn't he tell Dongting and Donghai about the evil deeds of those evil beasts? Qiantang Dragon King has been away from the Water Palace for a long time. Is there no one in Donghai who can take charge?"

"The Tiger Head Hunter is wise. It's not that Xiaoli doesn't want to go. It's just that he has no generals to use. He can't go. He can't go."

[Red Carp Dragon] sighed heavily, and his scarlet dragon whiskers swayed for a while: "After those evil beasts occupied the Water Palace, they have been stealing the power of Qiantang to monitor the water element and the earth's energy. There is no way that ordinary water creatures and monsters can escape their pursuit. If I go there myself, I won't be afraid of those rotten fish and shrimps, but my family is small, and it is inevitable that my whereabouts will be revealed, and I will fall into an irretrievable situation!"

"In this dilemma, have you never thought of holding your breath and secretly informing the Grand Commander of Yangzhou? Lin'an Prefecture is only a hundred miles away from Wenyan. With your speed, shouldn't you be there in no time?"

Looking at the behavior of the Red Carp Dragon, Qin Huai really didn't believe that a living person could be suffocated to death by urine, and then he went a step further.

"Each of you has your own reasons. Although those evil beasts often eat people for fun and kidnap women for fun, I am alone and weak, and I don't have any concrete evidence. How could the human city ruin its relationship with Qiantang Water Palace because of my one-sided words?"

[Red Carp Dragon] lowered his body, and his amber pupils stared at Qin Huai's eyes tightly: "Hunter, you are also half a government official, you should know the truth of my words."

Qin Huai said nothing.

After a long while, he slowly spoke: "General Li, from what you said earlier, I think you have already learned about the decree issued by the Dragon Lord of Dongting. Now I only want to ask you one question. Young Master Yunmeng wants to transform into a dragon in Qiantang, so he must come here to make all the necessary preparations beforehand. The dragon tribes of Dongting, Qiantang, and the East China Sea are all close to each other. Where will he live then? Or, where can he stay temporarily?"

“Since the Third Young Master is coming here, he will naturally stay at Qiantangshui Mansion.”

A word of advice can awaken a person from a dream. After just a little guidance, [Red Carp Dragon] figured out the key.

"We just met by chance, and I should have said as much as I can, but General Li has been protecting the people of this area, and he has been kind for many years. Although I have other important matters to attend to, I cannot ignore the injustice I see."

Qin Huai patted the red helmet of the Red Carp Dragon and said seriously, "Let's put it this way. If the general thinks he can gain the trust of Young Master Yunmeng and ensure that those man-eating beasts will be punished, then Qin will not intervene. If you feel that my words are pale and Young Master Yunmeng is still hesitant, you can go to Fuchun Market to find me. I will kill the evil monster with thunderbolt means at the right time to uphold justice."

"Hunting officer, such a commitment, Xiaoli really admires me! I admire you!"

Hearing Qin Huai's words, the [Red Carp Dragon] immediately perked up and stood tall and straight again.

"There is another cave in Fuchunji. If the hunting officer wants to go there, he'd better remind the cook who doesn't practice martial arts to stay there less, otherwise, he might suffer from the disease of losing his soul."

"Thank you for your concern, General."

Qin Huai nodded and looked at the Red Carp Dragon, who was eager to return to the Water Palace to complain, without saying anything else.

Roar--!
After putting the general's order back in his arms, the [Red Carp Dragon] transformed into a dragon, climbed onto the top of a heavy rain cloud, and flew away quickly in the dense gray fog and black clouds.
-
"Stop kneeling, stop kneeling. You guys are old enough to be my grandparents. Kneeling before a flat-headed kid like me, aren't you deliberately trying to shorten my life?!"

In the ancestral hall of Wangjiatun, hundreds of villagers knelt down in front of Cha Xiaodao.

It seemed that in their minds, there was no essential difference between the court officials who came to Wenyan and the "Dragon King" just now.

They are all people who take bribes and demand money.

It's just that the [Red Carp Dragon] will at least do things for money, while the court officials who have been in office for a year are only thinking about collecting taxes and returning the fire consumption to the public.

When Cha Xiaodao saw the village chief using a small box to place a pile of yellow copper coins and yellowed and moldy Jiaozi in front of the head of the guards, he immediately understood this.

Seeing Wang Yuan tilting his head to ask him, Cha Xiaodao waved his hand helplessly: "We are just passing by, we will leave after asking a few questions, we will not eat your food, and we will not take your money. Leave the village chief and a few elders to come forward to talk, and everyone else can disperse."

Hearing this, the villagers who were kneeling on the ground hesitated, but still did not stand up. It was not until the guard head Wang Yuan gave the order that the others dispersed with a sense of relief, leaving only the village chief and the witch kneeling on the ground respectfully.

The village chief of Wangjiatun looked to be about sixty years old, with wrinkles and bloody scars all over his face from his early years of fishing.

However, Cha Xiaodao was careful and could see clearly that although the faces of these elders were weather-beaten, they had rosy complexions. Although their clothes were covered in mud, they were actually linen clothes with fine stitching, so their lives were not actually too hard.

From this perspective, Wangjiatun’s deal with “Dragon King” was indeed a good one.

Of course, this is without considering the wishes of the children who are used as human silver.
"Tell me, everyone. Where did this 'Dragon Lord' come from? And Ren Yin and that weird Taoist priest?"

Cha Xiaodao held a cigarette in his mouth and raised his chin towards the Dragon King Temple in the distance.

The murderous White Tiger Guard was right beside him. The village chief of Wangjiatun shrank back, not daring to play it safe. He said respectfully, "Yes, Master Lingchu! This story goes back to thirty years ago, when my father was the village chief. At that time, the winds and waves in the Qiantang River were getting more and more fierce, and more and more boatmen and pedestrians drowned. There were more river ghosts, so fewer fish were caught. The Dragon Lord that was originally worshipped had not appeared for decades, and the unpredictable weather caused the harvest in the fields to be poor. It was around that time that this 'Dragon Lord' came to our Wangjiatun territory."

"It roamed around Qujiang River all day, saving many people every now and then. It also used its magical powers to stabilize the water vapor, allowing us to catch a lot more fish and shrimp and harvest a lot more from the fields. We originally thought that this big monster might have other intentions, and we were afraid that it would eat humans and cause harm, so we specially invited several powerful mountain and sea hunters to prevent any accidents. However, we didn't expect that this 'Dragon King' seemed to really not seek rewards and never did anything out of the ordinary. A few years passed like this, and just when we were used to such convenience, the Dragon King suddenly disappeared. There was no sign of him for half a year. During that time, Wangjiatun returned to its previous embarrassing situation of relying on the weather for food. Later, after waiting for him to appear again with great difficulty, my father bravely asked him what he should pay in order to continue to bless us with good weather and good harvests, and finally negotiated such a deal."

"Free is indeed the most expensive. The big carp lets these villagers have a taste of sweetness first, then suddenly disappears to induce their withdrawal reaction, and then appears again when the villagers of Wangjiatun are anxious. In this way, these villagers can't do without him no matter what."

Cha Xiaodao took a pinch of the cigarette and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this big carp was a marketing talent.

"I see. Now let's talk about that man Yin and the weird Taoist."

Qin Huai stepped over the threshold and nodded to the village chief.

Although this countryman did not know the secret of Qiantang Dragon King's loss of power, he still explained the general situation clearly, which could be considered to be consistent with the words of the Red Carp Dragon.

"The Taoist's surname is Ge. We all call him Taoist Ge. He often travels around Wenyan to sell livestock and food. I heard that he is one of the few food practitioners in Fuchun Market who is willing to go door to door."

"As for human silver, that's the special term used by Taoist Ge. He knows that common people like us don't have much money and can't afford the sacrificial offerings of thousands of taels of silver, so he proposed to exchange them for young children with extraordinary destinies. In this way, the children can go out to learn skills, and their parents and brothers can keep the capital and live a good life. At first, some parents were reluctant, but later, as they had more children, they acquiesced." The village chief himself seemed to feel that this matter might not be very fair, so he didn't say anything more, slowly lowered his head, and his face looked a little sullen.

"Have those children who were used as slaves ever returned home to visit their families?"

Cha Xiaodao suddenly asked this question.

The village chief glanced at Qin Huai, who was as majestic as a tiger, and stammered a few words with a lack of confidence: "No, never. Taoist Ge said that they have all entered the palace, become Taoist soldiers, and are sold to the emperor's family. They can no longer escape from the palace."

"knife."

Qin Huai shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't need to ask any more questions.

Combining the reality he saw with the statements of both parties, Qin Huai had some vague guesses, but without solid evidence, he could not jump to conclusion.

Fish, turtles, dragons and snakes that once belonged to the Qiantang Water Palace, such as the [Red Carp Dragon], especially the carp dragon that has jumped over the Dragon Gate and has a dragon body, not only possesses the ability to control the clouds and rain, but can also use the special [General's Order] to control the power of an area.

No matter from which angle you look at it, this [Red Carp Dragon] is no different from the wild [Earth God] and [Water Official] that comb the earth's energy and water veins.

Do not!
They are not wild yet, but rather reserve [Water Officials] that have passed dual certification from the Water Palace and the Dynasty!
In the hundred years since the Qiantang Dragon King lost his throne, wasn't it this group of reserve [Water Officials] trained by the Water Palace who took on the original responsibility of sorting out the earth's energy and water veins?
It's just that there are unpredictable circumstances
No one expected that the former Water Palace generals would turn against each other, bringing such disaster to the people living in the Qiantang River Basin.

"It's getting late. Can the village chief find an empty room for us to rest for the night?"

Cha Xiaodao understood what he meant and changed the subject, no longer trying to expose the scars of the Wangjiatun elder.

"Of course, of course. All the superiors, please follow me."

Seeing that Qin Huai and others finally stopped making things difficult for him, the village chief hurriedly led the way with his crutches.

"Old Qin, what did the big carp say?"

Hearing Daozi's question, Qin Huai soaked his feet in a wooden tub filled with hot water and threw over a clean white towel.

"When there is no tiger in the mountains, the monkey becomes the king. The Qiantang Dragon King has not returned to Kyushu for a hundred years. The sailors under his command rebelled and seized power. The big carp was expelled from the water palace and ended up here."

Seeing Qin Huai telling the whole story in just a few words, Cha Xiaodao pondered for a while and guessed, "This lazy carp turned out to be a loyal minister?"

"That may not be the case. After all, it's just his one-sided statement. If you want to know the truth, you probably have to go to Fuchun Market."

Qin Huai took off his sword case and hunting bow, exposed his chest, and wiped it carefully with a wet towel.

"This Box"

The head of the guards stretched out his rough big hands and wanted to hang the bronze sword box on the earthen bed on the wall.

"Don't move, Captain."

Qin Huai opened his mouth to stop him. Although his voice was soft, it carried a sense of majesty that made people unconsciously want to obey.

"The treasure is spiritual, has a bad temper, and can easily hurt others, so don't touch it."

"Please don't blame me, Hunter. I was rude."

Feeling the pricking sensation at his fingertips, the head of the guard nodded slightly and retracted his hand.

Qin Huai watched the four people wash up, then he tiptoed to take the bronze sword case and placed it on the kang. He blew out the candle, put the sword case behind his head, and fell into a deep sleep.
-
The bottom of the Qiantang River, where countless silts are deposited, is a fresh water area with lush aquatic plants.

[Red Carp Dragon] rushed back into the water plants that were several people high, and its strong and powerful carp tail created high-frequency waves in the river.

"The King is back! The King is back!"

Hundreds and thousands of red carps, each as long as a person and half as tall as a person, emerged from the green water plants and swarmed to the side of the scarlet dragon that was more than ten feet long, welcoming the king home.

"Boys, prepare your weapons, put on your armor, and follow me to the battle!"

[Red Carp Dragon] opens its mouth and stirs the water waves.

"Your Majesty is so anxious, but what happened to the sacrifice today?"

A golden carp that was about seven or eight meters long came close to the Red Carp Dragon and spoke in human language.

"I was unlucky today. I met the Di Yi hunting officer from Lin'an Prefecture. But he was quite polite and the situation was acceptable."

[Red Carp Dragon] waved his majestic dragon whiskers: "He didn't cause me any trouble, so I won't go and cause trouble for him."

"Then the king is gathering the carp soldiers, what do you want?"

"The Third Young Master will be coming to Qiantang soon. Those gray perch and yellow loach are too much of a bully. I will definitely give them a good lesson this time!"

"My men, follow me back to the palace to welcome the young master!"

The amber dragon pupils as big as millstones ignited with golden flames, the majestic dragon head spoke in a domineering manner, the river waves rolled, thunder rumbled, and a hundred-meter-long scarlet dragon body emerged from the water, bringing out three thousand magical red carp sailors.

(End of this chapter)