Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 239 The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea
In terms of merit, the Qiantang Navy sent the largest number of troops, but only cleaned up the rear, so their contribution was naturally the smallest.

Although it was not Lin Dujian's fault that he failed to join the battle in time, he would not be punished for it. How many points could he have gained?

Duck Brother represents the civilian merchant ships that bravely performed their duties, so there is no question of stealing the credit. What he wants is more practical benefits.

Since boarding the ship, Ya Ge has never acted like they have known each other for a long time and are very familiar with Yang Yuan.

But although he couldn't openly mention the matter of the boat to Yang Yuan, he would occasionally wink at Yang Yuan when no one was paying attention.

Yang Yuan felt that the situation was a bit tricky. According to his original plan, the Qiantang navy was to be responsible for encircling and destroying the foreign merchant fleet involved in smuggling.

At that time, the spoils will be dragged back and the goods will naturally be confiscated.

As for this ship, the court customarily required it to be sold and disposed of.

He is an official sent by the imperial court and has made great contributions. When the time comes, it will be easy for him to buy the ships to be disposed of at a very low price, right?
At worst, he could give more credit to Lin Dujian, and they would each get what they need.

But now, not only are there generals from the Qiantang Navy, officials from the Imperial City Administration are also here, and there is also Luo Tingxia on the Privy Council side.

Although Luo Tingxia was quite friendly towards him, he had not yet accepted him as his confidant.

There is Luo Tingxia and Leng Yuchan. If I abuse my power for personal gain in front of them, wouldn't that give them an advantage?
Suddenly, seeing Lin Rongyue's somewhat sullen look, Yang Yuan suddenly had an idea.

He immediately cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, logically speaking, we have accomplished our mission in this battle, and if we report this to the court, the court will be very satisfied.

However, now there is a great opportunity. It would be a pity if we let it go..."

Yang Yuan's opening remarks immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Yang Yuan said: "To be honest, this opportunity is thanks to Deputy Commander Liu.

If it weren't for Deputy Commander Liu's wisdom and courage, who recruited these pirates and kept the four pirate ships intact, this opportunity would not have been possible."

Liu Shangqiu said proudly: “In fact, instigating a war between pirates and foreigners is nothing great.

At that time, I had an idea and came up with a solution. I shot the chief fireman of the foreign ship with an arrow. Both of them had their own ulterior motives, so they naturally fought each other. "

"It's really not easy to pacify those unruly pirates!"

Liu Shangqiu sighed, "I tried my best to persuade them with emotion, reason, and power, and finally convinced them to accept the amnesty, ahaha..."

There was silence in the cabin for a while, and Liu Shangqiu coughed twice and said, "Uh, I don't know what good opportunity Erlang is talking about. Why don't you tell us about it so that we can discuss it."

Yang Yuan said: “Those four pirate ships were sent by Shuangyu Island to pick up the goods.

The reason why the pirates in Shuangyu are so difficult to eliminate is that they always abandon the island and flee before the navy arrives. Once the navy leaves, they come back and continue to cause trouble."

"But now these four pirate ships are in our control, and the pirates on the ships have accepted the amnesty, but the pirates on Shuangyu Island are unaware of this..."

Lin Rongyue's eyes suddenly lit up.

Yang Yuan said: "These pirates who have been recruited are eager to make meritorious deeds.

If we use these four pirate ships as our guide, hide officers and soldiers on board, and sneak into Shuangyu Island..."

Lin Rongyue said anxiously: "As soon as the ship docks, immediately control the dock and prevent the pirates from escaping by boat. As long as they hold on for a quarter of an hour, my navy will be able to arrive...

At this point, Lin Rongyue's hands began to tremble with excitement.

Liu Shangqiu was even more delighted when he heard this. It turned out that the four ships of pirates I recruited were of such great use?
Liu Shangqiu clapped his hands and said excitedly: "Great idea, let's do it. This way, we can wipe out the pirates on Shuangyu Island in one fell swoop, haha..."

Lin Rongyue's face changed: "It's a good plan, but Qingyang, you can't go. This matter should be handed over to my Qiantang Navy."

Yang Yuan also advised, "Yes, Brother Qingyang, let's leave this military matter to Lin Dujian. We still have a lot of aftermath matters to deal with here."

"Look at this little brother. He led the civilian ships to fight against the pirates and rescued Yang, but they suffered heavy losses along with their ships and cargo...right?"

Yang Yuan glanced at Duck Brother, who suddenly had an idea and slapped him: "Yes, six of our ships were sunk, including the ships, cargo and people. It's terrible!"

Luo Tingxia looked at his hands curiously. Could it be that this Lu Ya once had six fingers? Why was there no scar on his hands?
Yang Yuan said with a sigh: "Six ships of people and cargo sank, and several ships were damaged. How can the court be so disheartened as to encourage our righteous men?
This case was originally handled jointly by the Imperial City Department and the Privy Council. Brother Qingyang, you are a rank 7th rank, and I, Yang, am a rank 7th rank junior, so naturally you are the boss. What do you think we should do to compensate Lu Ya and reward him..."

"Hey, it's just a small matter, what's the point of cleaning it up?"

Liu Shangqiu waved his hand and said to Lu Ya: "You have suffered a lot in order to help the court, right? If you have losses, the court must make up for them.

Aren't you in a hurry to go to Southeast Asia? Then I'll pick a few useful boats from the captured foreign ships to compensate for your losses."

Brother Ya was overjoyed: "Thank you, Deputy Commander Liu!"

Yang Yuan said hesitantly: "Use the spoils directly as compensation... Brother Qingyang, this matter needs to be discussed..."

"It's an emergency, what else is there to discuss?"

Liu Shangqiu said impatiently: "Is that it settled, brother-in-law?"

Lin Rongyue said awkwardly: "Uh... Qingyang's words make sense."

Liu Shangqiu said: "Okay, since no one objects, let's do it this way. Let's talk about the night attack on Shuangyu Island."

Lin Rongyue's face darkened and he said, "I have nothing to discuss with you. It has always been the responsibility of our Qiantang navy to encircle and suppress the Shuangyu pirates."

Liu Shangqiu said: “But you need those pirates to call for help, paralyze the island, and seize the dock!

I was the one who recruited those pirates, and now they only trust me!
Brother-in-law, if you don’t let me go, you won’t be able to command them. If something goes wrong and the pirates from Shuangyu escape, hehe…”

Yang Yuan gave Brother Ya a look and agreed to be his brother.

Yang Yuan chimed in, "Brother Qingyang is right. Supervisor Lin, you don't have to worry too much. Just send some capable subordinates to guard Deputy Commander Liu."

“After we enter the port, you can order Deputy Commander Liu not to go ashore and only let him command on the ship.

It will only take a moment for your army to arrive, so what's the risk?"

Liu Shangqiu nodded repeatedly and said cheerfully, "Erlang is right. Anyway, those pirates who have been recruited only recognize me now. If I don't go, this plan will be difficult to implement."

Yang Yuan said: "It will take a long time to organize the troops, set out, and arrive at Shuangyu Island. Now, while it is dark, this plan has a chance of success."

"Once it's daybreak, it will be difficult for your fleet to get close. If they get too close, they'll be discovered. If they get too far, it will be difficult to support them. Lin Dujian, you must make a decision soon."

"This……"

Lin Rongyue hesitated for a moment, and finally made up his mind and said, "Forget it, then... Qingyang, you can come with me, but you must listen to my arrangements."

Liu Shangqiu was overjoyed and said, "Don't worry, brother-in-law. I will definitely obey you."

Since they had decided to attack Shuangyu Island at night, Lin Dujian did not stay any longer and immediately left with Liu Shangqiu.

He wanted to go back to reorganize the fleet and set off for Shuangyu Island.

Liu Shangqiu also returned to the pirate ship and explained the officers and soldiers' plan to them.

The pirates were jealous of Zhang Jinyu and Yu Hailong, who would soon become officers of the imperial navy. When they heard that they would also have the opportunity to earn military merit, they were immediately overjoyed.

They were all rubbing their hands in anticipation, eager to charge towards Shuangyu Island immediately, not caring at all that it was their home base before today.

After Lin Rongyue and Liu Shangqiu left, Yang Yuan smiled and said to Leng Yuchan and Luo Tingxia, "This time, we are using pirates to attack pirates. By catching them by surprise, Lin Dujian will surely gain a lot. In this way, he will also have made a great contribution!"

Luo Tingxia said with a smile: "This brilliant plan was thought up by the deputy head of the house, but he gave it to Lin Dujian for nothing. He was willing to give it up."

Yang Yuan waved his hand and said, "To attack Shuangyu Island, we need the navy to fight hard. If I am greedy, I am afraid that I will lose soldiers and generals, and end up making things worse. People who are too greedy have no friends."

Luo Tingxia's eyes flickered, and he said with a smile: "The deputy headmaster is right. Little Luo has learned his lesson."

Yang Yuan said, "I would like to thank you, Luo Zhike. If you hadn't been the first to come to our rescue, I'm afraid that Leng Zuoya and I would have died at the hands of the barbarians!"

Leng Yuchan curled her lips secretly, "If you have the guts, keep shouting 'Leng Ya Ya'! You will bully me when no one is around."

Luo Tingxia said hurriedly: "No, no, this is all the master's brilliant plan, I am just following orders."

Yang Yuan said: "I will naturally remember the care and concern of the Feizhangfang. But I cannot refuse the kindness of Luo Zhike.

Luo Zhike saved my life. I will report your great contribution to my superiors and ask for credit for Luo Zhike. "

Luo Tingxia was holding the Shakuhachi and was so happy that she didn't know what to do.

This kid learned all his martial arts from the inner court, and was taught by the inner court master. Mu En, the imperial envoy, only received some guidance from the inner court master, and was considered one of his outer sect brothers, while he was the successor.

But when it comes to character, knowledge, personality and temper, Luo Tingxia is actually much more immature than other young people of the same age. He really has too little experience.

He blushed at Yang Yuan's praises, and just giggled, saying repeatedly: "Deputy Manager, you are too polite. This... is my duty."

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "What is yours is yours. I am not a despicable person who would take credit for my subordinates' achievements!"

Yang Yuan turned to Leng Yuchan again and said sincerely, "Leng Zuoya is a woman. She is in charge of internal affairs in the Privy Council and does not need to go out on external affairs. But this time she accompanied me through life and death and has made great contributions."

Yang Yuan would tease her and bully her from time to time, but would also be very gentle at times, and would be hot and cold at times, which often made Leng Yuchan at a loss.

Now that he was suddenly so serious, Leng Yuchan didn't know how to react.

Yang Yuan said: "As far as I know, if I hadn't been suddenly transferred to the Privy Council, Leng Zuoya, you should have been promoted to the deputy director of the Yuzifang.

This time when I return, I will definitely recommend you for a reward. I believe that with your qualifications and this great achievement, you will be able to get what you want."

Got what you wanted?
If I get what I want, where will you go?
Will there be two deputy managers?
For a moment, Leng Yuchan was worried about gains and losses. After a moment's pause, she said, "Thank you for the praise, Deputy Headmaster. The barbarians' thieves are really unexpected.

If it weren't for your quick response, Deputy Manager, we would have been wiped out and would not have been able to complete the mission.

Yuchan... was originally a little dissatisfied with the deputy headmaster, but now, she is convinced!"

"Well, alright, alright, since the three of us are working in the same government office, there's no need to flatter each other."

Yang Yuan laughed and turned to Lu Ya, saying seriously: "My dear little brother, uh, what is your name?"

Brother Ya bowed and said, "I am Lu Ya."

Yang Yuan said: "Oh, little brother Lu Ya, then, let's talk about Lu Zhuangshi again.

Just now, Uncle Liu has already talked about the compensation for Lu Zhuangshi. I wonder if you two agree with Uncle Liu's arrangement?"

Leng Yuchan and Luo Tingxia couldn't help but look at each other after hearing this.

Yang Yuan said kindly, "I have always listened to all sides and never made arbitrary decisions, so I want to hear your opinions. If you object, I will go and talk to Uncle Liu."

Leng Yuchan said hesitantly, "Since Deputy Commander Liu has already made the decision, there's no need for us in the Speed ​​Control Room to make any extra trouble, right? It's not like we're paying for it."

Luo Tingxia said: "That's right, it's their Imperial City Division's decision anyway, and we don't want to disappoint the heroes!"

"it is good!"

Yang Yuan slammed the table and said, "I have always been a person who follows the will of the people. Since you two think it is okay, then I will do as you wish."

"Brother Lu Ya, please follow our fleet back to Yanpu Port. Once you arrive at the port, you can replace the ships you lost with the foreign merchant ships!"

Brother Ya suppressed his excitement and said, "Okay!"

Yang Yuan said: "However, the ship can be exchanged with you, and you can also take part of the goods on the foreign ship as compensation, but you still have to hand over part of it..."

Yang Yuan's expression became serious: "Although the court provides compensation for those who died in battle, but...

If it weren't for the soldiers' sacrifice, the three of us wouldn't be able to sit here peacefully and have the chance to be promoted."

"I suggest that we allocate a portion of the wealth to reward meritorious men, and give each family of the dead soldiers another sum of money. What do you two think?"

Leng Yuchan and Luo Tingxia's expressions also became serious, and they nodded at the same time: "I agree!"

"Okay, then let Leng Zuoya and Luo Zhike take charge of this matter, okay?"

Leng Yuchan sniffed and thought, in this way, we are your accomplices, and no one can hold any evidence against you, right?
For a moment, she couldn't tell what kind of person Yang Yuan was.

He is obviously not a rule-abiding official, but he is a warm-hearted official and people will not find him annoying.

Luo Zhixia didn't think too much about it, she was just deeply moved.

He came from a poor family, so naturally he had special respect for a boss who was so considerate of his subordinates.

……

Lin Rongyue was eager to make a contribution, and if this plan was to succeed, he had to make the best use of the time before dawn.

So when he finished his reorganization, the warships that were chasing the four fleeing merchant ships also returned triumphantly.

Lin Rongyue immediately ordered that the four captured foreign ships be handed over to Yang Yuan for custody. They then took the four pirate ships from Shuangyu as the lead, and the entire fleet lined up in a row and headed towards Shuangyu Island overnight.

Yang Yuan also cleaned up the battlefield and used intact ships to tow the damaged ships, slowly heading towards Yanpu Port.

Along the way, Kuntai, Gai Huochang, Kao Huochang and others had already been pointing and looking for, and had selected the foreign ships they planned to replace.

……

There was heavy fog in the early morning.

The fleet returning to Yanpu Port was led by Captain Gai's ship "Shabai".

Captain Gai often sails and is very familiar with the Yanpu Wharf. In such heavy fog, he was asked to take the lead and the fleet dared to continue moving forward.

At this time, Xiapu Port seemed much quieter than its usual bustling state.

At the port terminal, there are usually more ships leaving in the morning and more ships arriving in the evening.

At that time, due to heavy fog, for safety reasons, the merchant ships and fishing boats at the dock postponed their departure time.

There were almost no ships entering the port at this time, so the entire dock was exceptionally quiet.

Yang Yuan's huge fleet stopped when it approached the dock.

The fog was too thick and they dared not enter the harbor rashly.

If a ship comes out in a hurry to leave the port, the visibility is so low, and both sides are large ships, it will be difficult to avoid them. By the time you can see the other side clearly, it will be too late to avoid them.

When the "Shabai" arrived at the dock, it first launched a small boat.

The boat was rowed by "Kao", who was about to be promoted to fire captain, and first sent Yang Yuan, Leng Yuchan, Luo Zhixia and others to the dock.

As for large ships, they can anchor outside the dock first and wait for the sun to come out and the fog to gradually dissipate before entering the port.

Kuntai stood at the bow, waving a large fan, and Hojo Daisho stood beside him, leaning on a wooden oar.

Yang Yuan, Leng Yuchan and Luo Tingxia stood in the middle of the boat.

The boat was sailing on the waterway, and the boats moored nearby were shrouded in fog, appearing hazy.

As the boat passed by, it stirred up fog that enveloped the hull, and the people on the boat seemed to be walking in the clouds.

This scene was a wonder that Leng Yuchan and Luo Tingxia, two people in the palace, had never seen before, and they couldn't help but marvel at it.

In high spirits, Luo Tingxia even raised the Shakuhachi and started playing a tune.

Yang Yuan didn't know the name of the song, but he felt it made people feel ethereal and peaceful. They were in the fog and felt like they were in a fairyland.

"We're approaching the shore, be careful!"

The rower "Kao", relying on his familiarity with the Yanpu Wharf, began to adjust the bow of the boat and slowly approached the invisible shore.

On the shore, Wu Da, who was selling pancakes, was walking on the dock with two full baskets of pancakes on his shoulder.

This was ordered from him by a merchant ship that left port today.

Hearing the sound of the flute coming from the water, Wu Da stopped and looked at the water with squinted eyes.

As he watched, his eyes became as big as bells.

There was a hazy fog on the water surface. In the dimness, he could see a group of seven or eight people walking on the water towards him.

Among the seven or eight people, one held a fan, one leaned on a crutch, one carried a sword, one played the flute, and there was a woman with misty hair and cloud-like braids...

Wu Da screamed excitedly like a crowing rooster: "Eight...Eight...Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea~"

(End of this chapter)