Chapter 763: Yangzhou City

"Japanese pirates?!"

Hearing the boatman's reply, everyone looked at each other in dismay.

What kind of place was Yangzhou?

It was the hub of the Jianghuai water network, with the Grand Canal as its lifeblood, benefiting from being the "throat of grain transport and the hub of salt merchants." The Grand Canal ran through the city, and there were twenty-four wharves on both banks, busy day and night, nourishing the prosperity and elegance of the entire city.

It could be said that its reputation was great, and its defenses were very strict.

Although they had heard that Japanese pirates were rampant along the coast before coming, it was still somewhat beyond their expectations that they could penetrate so deep into a blessed land and cause such a big commotion.

"Don't rush, speak slowly."

Li Yan stopped everyone and asked in a deep voice.

The boatman took a water bowl and drank a mouthful, only then catching his breath, "Those Japanese pirates came from the Yangtze River estuary. After landing at Langshan in Nantong, they launched lightning raids on Rugao, Jingjiang, and other places, and pressed straight towards Yangzhou in three routes."

"They were very familiar with the terrain and the imperial army's defense lines, easily bypassing the encirclement and suppression, and set traps in the deep mountains. I heard they used very terrifying evil arts."

"The reinforcements of the Yangzhou Garrison Battalion Commander Hong Dai were ambushed and the entire army was wiped out. Other places sent emergency support, and to prevent the Japanese pirates from mixing into the city, they set up checkpoints on both water and land."

After hearing this, Lin Yu's face turned red with anger. He suddenly turned around and returned to the cabin, removed the hemp cloth from Lin Yaozu's mouth, and slapped him twice, roaring: "Does this matter have anything to do with you?!"

Lin Yaozu had betrayed the family, causing countless members of the Lin family to die miserably. Fatty Lin had long since lost all family affection for this person, leaving only hatred.

If this matter was also his doing, the Lin family would be facing a catastrophe.

Pfft!

Lin Yaozu spat out a mouthful of blood foam. Looking at Fatty Lin's fat face, he recalled how close the family was during the New Year when they were young, and could not help but feel sorrow from his heart. He trembled and said: "I don't know either. Since sending people to Jin Ling, I have long since lost control over there."

"Whatever they did, they wouldn't tell me."

"You!"

Lin Yu was trembling all over with anger, "Do you know that this is a crime punishable by the extermination of the entire family!"

Lin Yaozu's face turned pale, and he lowered his head, saying nothing.

"Brother Lin, don't worry." Sha Lifei pressed his shoulder and said sternly: "No matter what happens, the brothers will help you. Besides, the Lin family is also a victim. We can resolve this matter as soon as possible."

"That's right."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and said thoughtfully: "The Jianmu evildoers making such a big scene is definitely not a small matter. I think we should report this matter immediately. Not only can it attract the attention of the imperial court, but it can also clear the Lin family of suspicion."

"It's just that after this incident, the Lin family is afraid they will suffer quite a few losses."

Their original plan was to rush to Jin Ling immediately and root out the evildoers before the situation fermented, allowing the Lin family to avoid this calamity.

But in the current situation, there must be some trade-offs.

Lin Yu hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and cupped his hands: "The Daoist is right. Reporting this matter might give the Lin family a chance to catch their breath."

"It's just that we need to find someone trustworthy and act secretly. I'm afraid those evildoers will jump over the wall in desperation and harm the Lin family's old and young."

"That's natural."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and looked at Yangzhou city in the distance, "The situation here is worse than imagined. We are newcomers and cannot distinguish friend from foe, so it's better to be cautious."

"Enter the city first, and talk after gathering information."

With the plan set, the large ship continued forward.

But the waterway was congested at this time, with ships almost touching each other.

The ten-foot-high grain transport ships were the most domineering, with their hulls painted vermilion and "Smooth Sailing" red paper pasted on the cabin doors, one after another, occupying nearly half of the waterway. During this time, there were also low and wide salt ships, their sails brittle from salt frost, following beside the grain transport ships.

Seeing the two groups of people exchanging underworld jargon, they were clearly people from the Jianghuai path.

There were also many merchant ships coming and going, with "Suzhou Prefecture," "Hangzhou Prefecture," "Huizhou Prefecture," and other names written on the ship flags, and even those from northern prefectures.

But what made people's scalps tingle even more were those exquisite small black-awning boats. The boatwomen wore bamboo hats and rowed with oars, the sound of the oars "ya-yi-ya-yi" passing between the large ships, like small fish swimming everywhere.

They were actually doing business on the river!

There were boatmen delivering supplies, and even boatmen selling breakfast. Yangzhou steamed buns were placed on wooden trays, and there were small stoves. When the steamer was lifted, the heat was wrapped in the overflowing aroma of meat.

After a lot of effort, the large ship finally docked at the Dongguan Wharf.

The gangplank was placed on the bluestone embankment. Before everyone stepped on it, they heard the sounds of water, people, and work chants mixed together.

The stone steps of the wharf were layered, stretching from the riverbank to the street surface. Each stone step had shallow marks worn by the towropes of the grain transport ships, shining with a warm luster.

The porters were bare-chested, carrying sacks of grain on their shoulders, shouting "Hey-yo" chants, moving step by step toward the shore. The vermilion seal of the "Grain Transport General Warehouse" on the sacks was somewhat blurred by sweat and water mist.

Beside the wharf stood a bluestone stele with the four characters "Dongguan Water Gate" carved on it. The corners of the stele were covered with moss, and it was unknown how many years it had experienced.

Of course, everyone was not in a hurry to get off the ship.

After all, the Twelve Yuan Chen were not ordinary people. Not to mention the terrifyingly sized Wu Ba and the extraordinary-looking Long Yaner, even the others had unusual temperaments and were very eye-catching in the crowd.

Therefore, everyone unanimously agreed to stay on the ship and not go to the inns in the city. Anyway, the Lin family's large ship was well-equipped and had everything, and even cooking was no problem.

Only Li Yan and Sha Lifei, after some disguise, walked onto the wharf with Fatty Lin.

On the wharf, it was already bustling.

But after turning into a street, the noise came rushing toward them.

The street was about ten feet wide, only enough for two carriages to pass side by side. People were moving, and the bluestone road was polished bright by being stepped on. Shops lined both sides of the street, colorful flags were displayed, and plaques hung on the storefronts. The characters on the wooden plaques were either vigorous or delicate, each with its own style.

Li Yan's hearing was extraordinary, and the sounds on the street involuntarily drilled into his ears.

On the left was a silk shop with a sign that read "Wu's Cloud Brocade." The shopkeeper was a Suzhou man, speaking in a soft dialect to introduce to the guests: "This piece of 'Rosy Posture and Moon Charm' is newly woven in Jiangnan. It has golden thread light when illuminated at night, and the wives of Yangzhou salt merchants all love to use it..."

On the right was a tea shop with dozens of tin cans placed behind the counter, with handwritten tea names like "West Lake Dragon Well," "Wuyi Rock Tea," and "Liu'an Melon Seed" on red paper pasted on the cans.

Seeming to notice Li Yan's gaze, the clerk setting up the tea stall at the entrance smiled and said: "Guest, come in and taste our tea? We Yangzhou people drink tea and pay attention to 'morning tea and evening wine.' Come for a pot of tea in the morning, paired with sesame cakes and steamed buns, and you can sit for half an hour..."

Li Yan waved his hand, and the clerk did not force it and immediately greeted other guests.

Not only shops, but there were also many small stalls on both sides of the street.

There were those selling "Linqing handkerchiefs," with orchids embroidered on the handkerchiefs in the bamboo baskets, and the stitches were fine...

There were pedicurists carrying poles, with a small stool on one end and a copper basin on the other, and red paper pasted on the stool saying "Yangzhou Pedicure"...

There was also a storyteller who set up a small stage in front of the teahouse. With a slap of the gavel, he told the story of "Wu Song Fighting the Tiger" from "Water Margin." The surroundings were surrounded by listeners, with children standing on tiptoe and old people shaking palm-leaf fans, and the laughter and cheers were endless.

Such prosperity was rare even for Li Yan, who had traveled north and south.

Sha Lifei was even more wide-eyed and praised repeatedly.

"This is Dongguan Street."

Fatty Lin introduced in a low voice: "Yangzhou is a place where people live by the water. The canal runs through the city, and two water gates, 'Dongguan' and 'Nanguan,' are set up. They open at the hour of Chen and close at the hour of Shen every day. Grain transport ships, salt ships, and merchant ships coming and going must pass through the water gates to enter the city, day and night without stopping."

While speaking, the three of them had already crossed the street and walked onto the stone steps by the canal. ===== CHAPTER 764 =====