"Hahaha, Gao Shiwu, hurry and catch up!"
"Li, slow down..."
"In such a grand era as this, you and I should aim high and soar to the skies like majestic swans!"
On both banks of the great river, the joyous laughter of spirited youths riding their horses echoed in the warm autumn sun and shimmering waves.
Standing at the bow of the ship cutting through the water, Yang Ge faced the golden sun, gazing toward the boundless plains at the far end, where the wide expanse of the Bian River, reflecting the dazzling autumn sunlight, nestled in the midst like a glistening ribbon of exquisite splendor and magnificence!
The vast scenery of the plains made him feel a broadness in his chest, an urge to roar into the wind.
’It seems one really must venture out into the world. Staying cooped up in such a small place every day, one’s body might not turn moldy, but the mind would certainly grow grass!’ he thought.
In the face of such a view, his heart, which had been quiet for nearly two years, began to stir restlessly once more.
"Master."
Fang Ke stepped out from the cabin, bowed slightly behind him, and said, "We’re approaching Suzhou ahead, should we dock and rest for half a day?"
Yang Ge: "We’ve finally arrived, let’s take a break and then continue. Is the duty roster arranged?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Ke couldn’t help but smile and said, "Master, the duty roster was distributed long ago. Master Qin has been especially diligent along the journey... tsk, tsk, tsk!"
Yang Ge also smiled: "Let him do his job, but you still need to be alert. These old benchwarmers aren’t so easy to handle, we can’t let them lead us astray."
Fang Ke reflexively went to salute with his hand raised halfway, then forcefully put it down and bowed slightly again saying, "Understood!"
After standing up, he suddenly pointed to the southeast and said, "Master, look over there, that’s Daze Village. It was there that Chen Sheng, the King of Chu, raised his rebellion, turning wood into soldiers, defying tyranny, and overthrew the corrupt Qin."
Yang Ge followed his pointing finger and nodding his head, said, "Princes and generals, do they really have different seeds... A thousand years later, their story still echoes on."
Fang Ke was startled and quickly glanced around, whispering, "Master, be cautious with your words!"
Yang Ge startled, then slapped his forehead with his hand, "Look at my blundering mouth..."
Seeing that he realized his mistake, Fang Ke let out a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "That saying itself is nothing serious, it originally came from the mouth of Chen Sheng, but the fear is... if someone with ulterior motives hears it, they might blow it out of proportion!"
If an ordinary person were to say such a thing, it would not matter much.
At most, they would be exiled to Lingnan...
But they were the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the emperor’s personal troops!
Could such words be spoken?
Yang Ge knew the gravity of the situation and nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, I’ll be more careful in the future."
Fang Ke smiled and said, "Master, you are too polite, this is all part of my duties."
Yang Ge waved his hand, dispiritedly saying, "I’ll take the duty watch tonight, you guys go ashore and have fun, just be careful not to cause any trouble."
Their journey included four hundred strong men. Even though they were all in plain clothes, the sight of four hundred broad-shouldered brawny men with fierce faces entering the city together was still too conspicuous.
To avoid any trouble, Yang Ge had his deputies and squad leaders come up with a duty roster, ensuring that at least half of the men stayed on the boats to guard the weapons whenever they docked to rest.
Upon hearing this, Fang Ke quickly replied, "Master, the duty roster has already been arranged, and tonight it’s Master Qin’s turn to lead the watch. You should go ashore and take a rest, rinse your mouth..."
Yang Ge lazily waved his hand: "I don’t want to go anymore; I’m too lazy to move. If you’re going ashore, bring back some local snacks from Suzhou for me to try."
Fang Ke had no choice but to agree and went to adjust the duty roster.
...
The fleet moored at the Suzhou Wharf for the night.
Fang Ke went into the city after noon and rushed back to the boat with big and small bags of food and drinks before the beating of the cleansing drum in the streets.
Yang Ge lit a soybean-sized oil lamp and, pulling Fang Ke along, had a few drinks while listening to tales of his past adventures running around with Shen Fa.
They drank until the evening without realizing how late it had become, both unaware that they had been drinking until midnight.
Even though they were just having a light drink, both had a slight buzz.
Just as their food and drinks were nearly gone, a series of urgent gong sounds suddenly came from outside the cabin.
"Are there really those who aren’t afraid of death?"
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Hearing the gong, Fang Ke instantly stood up: "Come in!"
The guard on watch outside the cabin entered, and Fang Ke asked sharply, "What’s the disturbance in the middle of the night?"
The guard replied, "Reporting to Squad Leader Fang, we have not received any reports from our comrades... Judging by the sound, it should be coming from over by the first platoon."
Well, isn’t that something!
Fang Ke, not expecting the commotion to hit so close to home, was immediately both alarmed and angry as he saluted Yang Ge: "Master, please remain seated, I’ll be right back!"
Yang Ge, with a grin, picked up a willow leaf saber from the weapon rack and tossed it to him; he then casually grabbed a thick-backed machete for himself, "Let’s go take a look together, it’s more fun when everyone joins in, right?"
Hearing this, Fang Ke, who was just fuming with rage, suddenly burst out laughing: "If they’ve bumped into us, it’s their unlucky year!"
The two of them, in agreement, made even the report-bringing guard laugh.
For bandits to sneak into an empty house is their pleasure.
But for bandits to sneak into a house full of strapping men is surely the homeowners’ delight.
The group left the cabin, rushing toward the direction of the gong sounds.
As they arrived near the two boats of the first platoon, Yang Ge saw a group of men with torches pinning down two soaking wet figures dressed in hemp on the deck.
A solid man in a short kasaya was brandishing a shiny knife, swiftly moving about and directing the others to search the boats and check the cargo...
That man, if not his former subordinate Gu Tong, who else could it be?
As Yang Ge made out the situation, Fang Ke also recognized the scene, and called out ahead, "Gu, the boss is here, come over and talk!"