Chapter 127

The main Commander was the grandson of the Duke of Liang, and everything became reasonable.

A thousand people, a thousand faces.

The Duke of Wei was resolute and brave, especially skilled in strategy. During his marches, the camps were orderly, the people didn't suffer from the soldiers, and his reputation was excellent. His third son, Xu Wenzhu, inherited the advantages of the Duke of Wei's character, even surpassing his older brothers.

Xu Yuelong, as a grandson separated by a generation, was a bit lazy but also had a steady temperament.

The Duke of Liang was the exact opposite—extremely arrogant and irritable, a thorough military general with the ability of a famous general and the temper of a famous general.

He had done countless absurd things, such as attacking and breaking into his own city because the garrison opened the gates too late.

He raised his subordinates as private soldiers, and the promotion and demotion of officers in the army were entirely decided by him alone, completely bypassing the imperial court.

He had killed prisoners more than once, violating the taboos of the founding emperor.

If it were any other general, dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough, but the founding emperor was unusually tolerant, only demoting him and changing his title from Duke of Liang to Duke of Liang.

His grandson, Wei Lin, looked like the Duke of Liang when he was young and was particularly favored, making him even more lawless. He once went to Hechuan for training and almost caused a civil uprising.

He himself liked to kill prisoners, slaughter villages and exterminate clans to kill thieves, set fires to burn mountains, and ride horses to trample fields.

Martial artists have long lives, which can significantly extend their physical peak period. Wei Lin is only thirty-five or thirty-six; even if his realm never advances again, he will have at least seventy years of peak period ahead.

Unlike Xu Yuelong, who is of similar age and not yet married, Wei Lin has already raised more than a dozen foster sons under his command and inserted them into the army.

If it weren't for having a good grandfather, he should have been dealt with by military law long ago.

This is also why Xu Yuelong said Liang Qu wouldn't have an easy time.

On one hand, the two families have had grudges for a long time.

On the other hand, Wei Lin's personality is extremely terrible—he is vengeful, unruly, and beats or scolds subordinates who don't submit to his discipline.

Liang Qu even felt that the Emperor's decision to let Wei Lin be the main Commander while insisting on letting Xu Yuelong be the deputy might have hidden some other thoughts.

It's just that there's no evidence, and it's too vague.

Xu Yuelong's getting off the ship broke the silent atmosphere of the entire wharf, and the crowd became noisy again.

The officials and soldiers from the tower ship where Xu Yuelong was located got off the ship one after another.

The merchant ships following the River Patrol Office could finally move, spending money to hire people to unload cargo, and the entire wharf became lively.

Only Wei Lin's tower ship remained cold and quiet.

There were still many things to do today: first, the selection of the office location for the River Patrol Office, and second, a simple arrangement for the personnel.

Without Wei Lin's approval, it was impossible to make a decision based solely on Xu Yuelong's agreement.

But Wei Lin was in a troublesome mood of "don't come to provoke me," and Liang Qu felt it was not easy to deal with.

Sigh.

The Ghost Mother Sect hadn't even started to be dealt with, and such troublesome things were already happening.

Fortunately, he was just a small River Uncle responsible for executing tasks, and he wasn't without a backer.

In this day and age, it's not easy to get by anywhere.

One has a Duke grandfather, another has a Count father; just pull out any soldier, and they are all descendants of three generations of military service, with a proper and red lineage.

In the evening, Wei Lin's side seemed to realize that his feigned coldness was delaying things and finally sent an adopted son to discuss the address of the River Patrol Office.

After some discussion, everyone decided to build it on a high ground near the Jianghuai River, a location between Yixing Town and Pingyang County.

After the decision was made, the soldiers started construction.

In the coming months, the temporary working location of the River Patrol Office would be on the two tower ships, which were large enough.

Those who could serve in the River Patrol Office were all capable of swimming and didn't get seasick, and many martial arts were specifically performed with the help of water areas, which had a multiplier effect, allowing them to fight demon beasts in the water.

Xu Yuelong came to the Yang residence that evening, and there was a lot of drinking and chatting.

During this time, Liang Qu saw his Master's wife again; her originally gray hair had turned black overnight!

Sure enough, he didn't see much effect after eating the dragon tendon because he was too young, and an increase in lifespan wouldn't turn him into a toddler.

But the effect of the dragon tendon on Xu Shi was too obvious, almost returning her to the appearance of someone in her early thirties. Paired with her weather-beaten temperament, she looked even more dignified and beautiful.

I wonder how much dragon tendon it would take to achieve such an effect?

Master Yang had over five zhang; it was unlikely he used it all, but one zhang should have been used.

The dinner lasted until the fifth quarter of the Xu hour (around 9:15 PM). Liang Qu called Chishan to prepare to go back. Just as he was about to reach for the reins, Chishan actually opened its mouth to bite.

Liang Qu slapped it on the forehead with such force that Chishan shook its head, and its eyes became clear again.

He looked at the groom on the side: "What's going on here?"

The groom bowed: "Replying to the Ninth Young Master, if I'm not mistaken, Chishan is in heat. It's already April, and the days are right. Chishan is a big stallion; smelling the scent will stimulate it, making its temper more explosive.

Ninth Young Master, you don't know, but Chishan's temper is only good in front of you. In front of us little ones, it's fierce; it almost rushed out of the stable today."

"Oh, there's such a thing?" Liang Qu raised his eyebrows.

Since he got Chishan, he had never been disobeyed. He thought it was because the Great Shun had its own methods of raising horses, but it seems it's a case of judging people by their appearance?

Could it have something to do with his Ze Ling?

Liang Qu thought about how the four beasts would often feel uneasy when he was practicing and advancing.

Perhaps he could feed Chishan a little Sturgeon King meat. Maybe after eating the water beast meat two or three times, Chishan would undergo some changes and become controllable.

Liang Qu rode Chishan back to Yixing Town.

He came to the courtyard and was feeling the changes in the water veins underneath, pondering where to dig a well, when suddenly the sound of a wooden hammer pulled his thoughts back.

Liang Qu flipped over the wall and saw Liu Quanfu in the courtyard, still riveting wood and building a stable.

"Uncle Fu, still working so late?"

Liu Quanfu, who was concentrating on his work, was startled by Liang Qu's voice. Turning back to see it was Liang Qu, he patted his chest: "Gosh, you scared me. I'm just idle with nothing to do. Little Water, you're not asleep yet? Did I disturb you?"

"Not really, I just got back." Liang Qu jumped down from the wall, "Uncle Fu, let me ask you something: can you build a boat?"

"A boat?" Liu Quanfu was stunned, "What kind of boat?"

"Did you see the tower ships today? Just like that."

Liu Quanfu was stunned and hurriedly shook his head: "How would I know how to do that? Although it's all carpenter's craft, there are many tricks to boat building. You can let me build a sampan, but anything slightly more powerful—even a covered boat—I can't do. Every trade has its master."

"It doesn't have to be that big; scale it down, build one of seven or eight meters. And it doesn't need to be able to go into the water; just have the shape, and just insert some structures inside."

"Build a boat that doesn't go into the water?"

Liu Quanfu had been a carpenter for half his life and hadn't built many boats, but he knew how outrageous this request was.

Build a boat that doesn't go into the water—to look at?

"Uncle Fu, if you can build it, I won't look for anyone else. Everywhere I go now, there are outsiders, and they can't be trusted. In the end, it has to be our own fellow villagers. I won't treat you badly, Uncle Fu. Excluding the material costs, I'll pay you a hundred taels for labor."

A hundred taels?

Liu Quanfu swallowed his saliva.

That's too much. For a small boat of seven or eight meters, as long as it has the shape, it shouldn't be too difficult, right?

He muttered for a while: "I haven't tried it, so I can't guarantee it. A-Shui, how about this: let me go back and try it first. I'll build a smaller one first, and you see if it's okay. If it is, I'll take the job; if not, forget it. I can't cheat you out of your money for nothing."

"Okay, Uncle. With your words, I'm relieved. It's too late; go back and rest early."

"Done. I'll go back after riveting this rafter."

Liu Quanfu stood the wooden strip up and inserted it into another wooden strip, fitting perfectly.

Liang Qu nodded, flipped back over the wall, followed the water vapor perception, found a water vein to dig a well on the spot, took out a shovel he bought when he returned, and started digging the pit with a grunt.

It's not easy for ordinary people to dig a well; the bottom of the well is cold, and transporting soil is not convenient. But Liang Qu had nothing else but great strength. Before long, he had dug to a position of fourteen or fifteen meters, and the mud under the soil quickly became damp, continuously seeping out muddy water.

There are generally two types of wells: one is a seepage well, which requires laying bricks while digging, and after digging, it needs to be washed for two days before it can be used.

The other is to connect to an underground river, which is to go directly into the underground river. Sometimes you can even see fish in the well.

Liang Qu naturally wouldn't dig the first type; he wanted to be able to go to the Jianghuai River at home, so he had to dig a large well that went straight to the underground river.

At the sixth quarter of the Hai hour (around 10:45 PM), at the seventeen-meter position, the bottom of the well was full of hard rock.

Liang Qu simply gave up the shovel and smashed it with his fists, crushing the gravel, and dug down another three or four meters. The sound of gurgling water finally came through the stone cracks.

Liang Qu gathered his strength, and as his blood energy circulated, he punched down. A large amount of gravel collapsed, and pieces fell into the underground river, splashing water.

The well wall was slippery. As Liang Qu suddenly exerted force, he lost his footing and fell into the river.