Chapter 616 The Rescue Team Departs
The Gao Family Village Emergency Rescue Team assembled at the Qichuan Ferry, poised for departure.
The core of the rescue team, naturally, consisted of the militia, led by Bai Yuan.
The heavy rain continued to fall. Though Bai Yuan held an umbrella, his white robe was still soaked halfway through. The umbrella was utterly useless; yet, he refused to wear a straw cape, insisting on his white robe. This was...
Despite this, no one laughed at him.
Standing atop the Qichuan Ferry's fortress wall, Bai Yuan declared loudly: "The Heavenly Lord just spoke. The Yellow River has burst its banks at Mengjin. The common people have suffered grievous casualties, many trapped on hills by the floodwaters. They have no food, no shelter. Starving and drenched by the rain, we must go and rescue them."
The militia roared in unison: "We must save them!"
Bai Yuan: "A true gentleman prioritizes righteousness above all! If I, Bai Yuan, perish in the Yellow River on this mission, I will not have a single regret. Do you share the same resolve?"
The militia shouted back, a unified chorus: "We are the common people's soldier-children, and when the common people face hardship, we must be the first to step forward!"
Bai Yuan bellowed: "Excellent! That's the spirit! Depart!"
The heavy rain was still falling. The river wind whipped fiercely, and the Yellow River surged with a swift current.
Ordinary ancient sailing ships and oar-powered boats would never dare to venture onto the Yellow River. To do so would be suicidal; they'd be fish food in moments.
But Gao Family Village's electric boats were brave enough to face the challenge.
The electric cargo boats had no sails. Their hulls were low-slung, lacking ostentatious superstructures—just flat decks, presenting a small surface area to the wind.
Furthermore, the electric boats were powered by motors. This power was far greater than any human-oared vessel could produce. Even with the Yellow River's swift current, the motors could just about maintain their intended direction.
Therefore, they stood a fighting chance.
Bai Yuan stood at the bow of the lead rescue boat. Neither the gale-force winds nor the torrential rain could shake his dignified posture. He pointed downstream and shouted loudly, "Depart!"
His family retainer whispered beside him: "Master, in this fierce wind and rain, please don't stand at the bow striking a pose. Let's go inside the cabin. If you give orders out here, the helmsman in the cabin won't even hear you."
Bai Yuan replied, "I won't look so dashing inside. What kind of gentleman fears wind and rain?"
The retainer whispered back: "A gentleman does not stand beneath a tottering wall, Master. Entering the cabin won't diminish your status as a gentleman."
Bai Yuan uttered a surprised "Oh?": "You have a point! In I go, then."
The retainer finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly feared his master would fall into the river. This generation's masters were certainly a handful.
Several boats set off downstream...
Mengjin.
The rain had stopped, and the wind had softened.
The Yellow River slowly grew calm.
More than half of Mengjin had transformed into a yellow ocean.
The waters wouldn't recede anytime soon.
Jiang Cheng led a group of his subordinates. They slid a short distance down the hillside, reaching the water's edge. Then, he pulled out a long pole and probed beneath the surface...
A moment later, he withdrew the pole. A worried expression creased his face.
It hadn't touched the bottom!
"The water is still very deep," he announced.
Seeing the pole that couldn't reach the bottom, the common people on the high slope looked grim.
Just then, a villager cried out: "Boats! Boats are coming!"
Everyone's spirits lifted. Indeed, boats appeared in the distance, and not just one, but a small fleet of about a dozen small wooden boats, each carrying five or six people.
The common people rejoiced: "It's good that boats are here! We still have some valuables on us; we can pay them to take us to safety."
Jiang Cheng, too, was initially relieved. But after scrutinizing the boats for a moment, his expression changed. "No good," he muttered, "River bandits."
His words startled the common people on the high slope.
They watched as the dozen-odd boats quickly reached a distant island, an isolated patch of land surrounded by water, and stopped. The people on board drew their knives. Far from offering rescue, they brandished their blades and shouted threats at the islanders, forcing them to hand over all their possessions.
Anyone who showed even a hint of resistance was met with a knife thrust, their body then tossed into the water.
The islanders, having first suffered a natural disaster, now faced a man-made one. Truly, they could cry out to heaven and earth, but neither would answer. They could only submissively hand over all their valuables to the river bandits.
The river bandits burst into laughter. Then, they steered their boats towards the next isolated island.
Jiang Cheng roared: "Everyone, quickly find weapons!"
Their high slope was the largest among the surrounding islands. Its summit had many trees. The common people hastily broke off branches to use as weapons. Some branches were too thick to snap, so a dozen villagers jumped onto them together, hanging from the boughs and using their combined weight to break them off.
Before long, every able-bodied man on the slope held a sturdy stick.
Jiang Cheng's ten subordinates, being merchants, each carried a saber at their waist. Now, with their sabers drawn, they appeared quite dependable.
The villagers with sticks instinctively gathered behind Jiang Cheng and his men, looking to them for leadership.
Soon, the river bandits arrived at the base of the high slope.
The fierce bandit leader, pointing his saber at the slope, laughed heartily: "Quite a few people on this slope, eh? Several hundred of you! Hand over all your valuables, and your grandpa here will spare your lives."
Jiang Cheng spat in disgust: "Robbing innocent people at a time like this? Are you even human, you scoundrel?"
The bandit leader cast a sidelong glance at Jiang Cheng: "Oh, so you're the one in charge here?"
Jiang Cheng retorted, "What if I am?"
The bandit leader eyed the sabers in Jiang Cheng's group's hands, then glanced at the villagers armed with sticks behind them. A sneer played on his lips. "Putting on such a show? Do you have a death wish?"
Jiang Cheng scoffed, "You and your mere dozen boats, with no more than fifty or sixty fighters, why don't you try attacking this high slope if you've got the guts?"
The bandit leader roared with laughter, feigning a display of bravado, as if Jiang Cheng and his group were beneath his notice. But inwardly, he calculated: "I have fewer than sixty men, and there are several hundred on this slope, ten with sabers, the rest with sticks. I might not actually be able to breach it, and even if I did, the casualties would be immense."
With that thought, he decided against an attack.
He pointed at Jiang Cheng and declared: "You listen up, punk! Your grandpa here won't attack you now. First, I'll let you starve for three or five days, then I'll come back and deal with you slowly. We'll see if you can still hold a saber steady then."
Jiang Cheng fell silent, a grim expression on his face.
The bandit leader barked, "Let's go!"
The dozen boats turned around and headed for other isolated islands. Before long, the cries of women echoed from a distant island. An entire family had been massacred, leaving only a young girl who was dragged onto a bandit boat. In broad daylight, she was defiled right there on the boat, causing onlookers to clench their fists in impotent rage.
Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth in fury. But then, remembering the bandit's earlier words, a new fear gnawed at him.
He was right. There was no food on this isolated patch of land. In a few days, their meager rations would be gone, and starvation would leave them too weak to even lift a saber. What would they do when the river bandits returned to attack the high slope then?
"Heavenly Lord, protect us!"
Jiang Cheng could only pray silently to the cotton thread Heavenly Lord amulet hanging around his neck...
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