Chapter 592: The Dock

Outside Nanjing's Sanshan Gate, Cui Yongda, dressed in a short outfit, sat in a streetside tea shop, his gaze casually observing the pedestrians in the street.

From where Cui Yongda sat, he could see the Sanshan Gate opposite; before the gate, traffic was heavy with carts and horses, and boats continuously passed in and out of the West Water Pass's arched gateway. This city gate was built on a grand scale, with three barbicans, serving as both a land gate and a water pass, itself resembling an enormous fortress.

The Sanshan Gate Water Dock outside the city gate was Nanjing's most important passenger dock. The Inner Qinhuai River entered the city through the East Water Pass, flowed to the West Water Pass at Sanshan Gate, and from there was renamed the Outer Qinhuai. After exiting the pass, it flowed north along the City Wall until merging into the Great River, serving both as a protective moat and facilitating water transport.

Because of the waterway convenience of the Outer Qinhuai, the Sanshan Gate Water Dock became the dock closest to the city proper. Passenger boats coming from upstream on the Great River almost all disembarked here, and some goods like tea, bamboo, and timber were also unloaded here. Furthermore, some small boats could transfer goods into the city through the West Water Gate, making this area the place with the highest passenger and cargo traffic, the transportation hub of all Nanjing.

Second Locust sat opposite him, sizing up the boats entering and leaving the West Water Pass. "So this is Nanjing City. Truly a fine place, no wonder Eight Bandit wants to come."

Cui Yongda withdrew his gaze and scanned the street again. "You managed to reach Nanjing, but Eight Bandit probably can't. In that regard, he doesn't compare to you."

Second Locust chuckled. "If Eight Bandit were to come to Nanjing, it wouldn't be the way I came."

"Do you want to follow Lord Pang to Nanjing, or follow Eight Bandit to Nanjing?"

Second Locust's smile vanished. "Cui Yongda, are you trying to get something on the master? Naturally, it's following Lord Pang to Nanjing."

Cui Yongda's expression remained utterly unchanged, his eyes still surveying the street. "We're all comrades; what would I do with something on you? I was just thinking, you followed Eight Bandit for many years, and now you follow Lord Pang. What exactly is the difference between the two sides?"

"The Western Camp wouldn't handle assignments like this." Second Locust curled his lip, shifting his gaze away from Cui Yongda's face. "First investigating salt smugglers, then not killing them when found, rushing desperately to Nanjing to catch a messenger, and now saying we need to catch a woman and a small child, and take them alive. When has the Western Camp ever been this fussy? A single sword stroke is the cleanest."

Cui Yongda paused a moment before saying, "Not everyone is a mortal enemy. Clean is clean, but future assignments become harder to handle."

"What use is there in keeping them alive?"

"People always have their uses. The order token from Anqing Camp Headquarters came through. The contact person was identified as Yu Huai. The boatman hired in Anqing is named Wang Yu. The woman to be caught is called Sun Hong'er, her son is Liu Haosheng, childhood name Liu Bao'er. His father is Liu Shensi. He likes playing White Pigeon Ticket and Mahjong Cards, likes women with flat chignons..."

"What the hell is a flat chignon? I don't even know what that is. I don't bother remembering useless things. No one who came today recognizes that woman, so how are you going to catch her?" Second Locust said coldly. "If you want her alive, then why bring swords and lances?"

Cui Yongda smiled faintly. "That woman doesn't know I won't kill her."

"So will you kill her or not?"

"I'm here to carry out an assignment, not to kill people."

"Lord Yuan strictly ordered that the person must be caught. But no one here has ever seen Yu Huai, and no one has seen that woman. Even if she passed right in front of you, you couldn't catch her." Second Locust gave a cold sneer. "It's all wasted effort. I say, with that man surnamed Liu, if we'd just killed him earlier with one stroke, this woman and child would be useless, and we wouldn't need to expend this much effort."

Cui Yongda did not respond. Just as Second Locust was about to continue, a man dressed like a laborer rushed into the tea shop and said in a low voice to Cui Yongda, "Team Leader Spit, someone saw the boat of Anqing boatman Wang Yu docking."

Cui Yongda immediately looked up. "Where?"

"Just received word. The cudgel gang leader sent men to the dock to search."

"Are you certain it's the one Yu Huai hired?"

"It's the one Yu Huai hired. The person who saw it is from Zongyang, a fellow townsman of Wang Yu. He recognized his boat flag."

Cui Yongda immediately stood and walked out of the tea shop. The men at a nearby table also rose and followed, and the group hurried toward the dock.

The Canal Gang member who came to report led the way ahead. This man was the contact assigned by the Canal Gang. Recently, the covert sentry battalion had many missions along the river, including several manhunts, requiring the use of Canal Gang manpower to gather information at the docks.

But along the entire Great River, Nanjing was where the Canal Gang's power was weakest, because there were too many high officials here. Besides the Inner and Outer Garrison Commanders, there was also the River Patrol Admiral. With Nanjing right under their watch, the Anqing Tribute Grain Gang could only operate discreetly and could not fully control the docks.

Cui Yongda and his men hurried toward the dock. The Sanshan Gate Water Dock was right beside the city gate. Their choosing to dock here most likely meant they intended to enter the city through Sanshan Gate and would pass from this direction. But other possibilities couldn't be ruled out; after all, they had just fled Anqing, and their route might well differ from the usual.

Once they left the dock area, tracking the target would become extremely difficult. If they entered Zhou Biao's residence, they would certainly not show themselves easily again. Capturing her then would require expending far more resources, and the covert sentry battalion couldn't leave so many men stationed in Nanjing—the mission would be a failure.

Since this was a passenger and cargo dock, there were quite a few women coming and going. Passengers disembarking from boats came from all walks of life, and the dock itself also had laborers' family dependents, merchant family dependents, female workers, and so on. Based on that scant information, confirming the target was very difficult.

Under normal arrangements by the covert sentry battalion, the team would have to include someone who had seen the target, so they could make a precise move. But this mission was rushed. When the covert sentry battalion received the order, the target had likely already departed from Anqing. So they dispatched fast horses from Jiangnan, racing to Nanjing. Cui Yongda and his men had received the order token in Wuhu and rushed over in haste to support. Not a single person here recognized the target; the only clue was that boat from Anqing.

Cui Yongda was fully focused, walking quickly while keeping an eye on the women passing by, especially those with children.

The road ahead suddenly opened up, but the street was covered with ducks. In the crush, there was no room to avoid them, and they constantly bumped into the men's feet. The group had to slow down. Many people coming from the opposite direction were also crossing through the flock, making the street even more chaotic. (Note: The West Water Gate duck originated at Sanshan Gate. In the Ming dynasty, most ducks from other regions landed at Sanshan Gate Dock, entered the various duck shops at the dock, and were then distributed throughout Nanjing.)

At that moment, a Canal Gang member ahead pushed aside passersby, crossing through the duck flock amid their curses, and hurried over. He urgently told the contact, "The cudgel gang leader just found out, the people on that boat just came ashore. It's confirmed a woman and child were seen, along with several men."

Cui Yongda's eyes watched the crowd ahead. The street was teeming with people. The target was very likely right here, yet he had absolutely no clue.

He quickly asked the newly arrived Canal Gang member, "What clothes were the woman and child wearing?"

The Canal Gang member froze. "Didn't say."

"Were the men carrying swords or blades?"

"Didn't say."

Cui Yongda asked rapidly, "What about the boatman?"

"Not on the boat. The cudgel gang leader said he's gone to catch the boat hand."

"Tell him to bring the boat hand here immediately!"

The Canal Gang member hurried off. The duck flock was nearly past now, and quite a crowd had piled up behind. Cui Yongda's eyes darted among the oncoming crowd. The road was full of pedestrians, countless faces passing before him. The crowd was a jumble, people of varying heights, many faces obscured, making careful discernment utterly impossible.

The crowd was about to pass through following the duck flock, and those two targets were very likely among them.

Cui Yongda suddenly turned around and aimed a fierce kick at a duck at the tail end of the flock.

Quack—a miserable cry. Amid flying duck feathers, the duck was sent hurtling straight into a bamboo ware shop at the side, quacking and flapping on the ground without stopping.

The old man herding the ducks came over to make a scene. Cui Yongda winked at one of the covert sentries, who immediately stepped forward first, grabbed the old man, and said angrily, "It shat on my foot! Pay for my shoes."

The duck-herding old man also grabbed the covert sentry, demanding he pay for the duck instead. The two grappled with each other, quarreling in the middle of the street. Everyone nearby stopped to watch the excitement, and the street was blocked solid.

Cui Yongda walked into the crowded throng, his gaze shifting rapidly. The crowd was blocked in the street, many stopping to watch the spectacle, but still quite a few people squeezed through from both sides of the street. Ducks kept getting kicked, and the street was filled with a cacophony of quacking. Amid the quarreling and the duck sounds, Cui Yongda was fully focused in the crowded street. Everywhere were targets needing observation, his eyes moving with lightning speed. Though it was still the cold early spring, beads of sweat had already appeared on Cui Yongda's forehead.

Suddenly, among the crowd at the inner side of the street, a high-coiled chignon flashed past. Cui Yongda's eyes had already been turning away, but immediately darted back. He saw that chignon flash through the crowd again, moving toward the city gate.

Cui Yongda took two steps in that direction, keeping his eyes fixed on the direction of that chignon. Second Locust, beside him with no target in sight, saw this and followed Cui Yongda's gaze. "What are you looking at?"

"This woman has been away from Nanjing for a long time. Today she's going to see her man. Wouldn't she put her hair up in the style her man likes best?"

Second Locust stared blankly at Cui Yongda. "Why?"

"You don't understand women." Cui Yongda finished calmly and walked in the direction of that chignon.

That chignon still flickered in and out of view among the crowd. It was a loose-temple flat chignon pulled back from the forehead, its shape tall and puffed, swaying rhythmically with her steps.

Cui Yongda waved his hand, leading several subordinates past the two quarreling men, through the ducks scurrying chaotically on the ground, and pushed aside the crowd of onlookers. The back of the owner of that chignon appeared before his eyes. She wore a blue garment, and beside her was a child, looking around curiously.

Cui Yongda first observed the vicinity. Two steps ahead was a man wearing a green robe, looking like a young master, accompanied by a household servant carrying a bundle. Beside them were two men who looked like Da Hang types. There were no other suspicious targets around.

Those people were crossing through the duck flock. In the noisy environment, they hadn't noticed the people following behind. Even the two Da Hang men seemed not to have expected danger in Nanjing.

Cui Yongda drew a short musket from his waist and loaded it as he walked right there in the street, his movements extremely practiced. Occasionally, someone on the street side noticed, but not recognizing the short musket, they merely looked on curiously and then let it be.

By the time he passed the duck flock, Cui Yongda had finished loading. Click—the striking hammer was cocked. Cui Yongda first glanced back at his subordinates behind him.

After receiving the signal that preparations were complete, Cui Yongda turned his head back and, facing the figure ahead, called out calmly, "Liu Bao'er."

The child's head swiveled around at once; the man ahead and the woman with the flat chignon both froze in place at the same moment.

Time seemed to pause for an instant. The two Da Hang men beside them turned around, their right hands moving to draw their weapons.

Several underlings had already rushed up to them, each seizing control of their arms and holding short blades before them. The two Da Hang men immediately dropped their swords and dared not move.

Wharf was a place where all sorts of people mingled and brawls were frequent; everyone around was highly alert and scattered outward to avoid trouble.

At that moment, the flat-chignon woman turned her head, her face full of terror. Only now did Cui Yongda confirm she was the target. He first grabbed hold of the child, the short musket held casually in his hand. Cui Yongda let out a breath, looked at her, and said evenly, "Our shopkeeper says you still owe him a debt and need to go back to settle it."

The woman's lips trembled; she could not speak. Her legs went weak and she was about to collapse.

Cui Yongda took the opportunity to seize the woman's arm. Just then, the young gentleman ahead suddenly walked over, reaching out toward Cui Yongda. "In broad daylight, you—"

Suddenly, a bang exploded. A plume of white smoke burst forth, and the young gentleman let out a miserable cry as he fell in response.

Shrieks filled the street; everyone watching fled for their lives.

The fire lance had gone off almost right beside Cui Yongda's ear. His ears were now roaring; dizzy, he staggered on the spot and nearly could not keep his feet, but his hand still clutched the flat-chignon woman's clothing tightly. After steadying himself, he finally stood firm. He immediately turned his head, snatched the fire lance from Second Locust's hand in one motion, then glared at Second Locust with fury.

Second Locust glared back at him coldly. "Only said the woman and the brat were wanted alive. Didn't say anything about anyone else."

Cui Yongda glared at Second Locust for a moment. Only after a moment did his panting subside. He turned to the others and said, "Take them away."