The Great Ming in the Box

Chapter 399: Xing Honglang of Yongji Returns

The bandit army besieging the ancient ferry dock was led by Gaojia Village’s old acquaintance, Bu Zhan Ni.

However, it wasn’t Bu Zhan Ni himself, but rather the captain of his fifth squad, Old Zhang Fei. After Bu Zhan Ni led his followers into Shanxi with Wang Jiayin, his eight squads still operated independently as before, rarely gathering together.

This fifth squad traveled south along the eastern bank of the Yellow River until they reached Puzhou. Seeing Puzhou City was large with high walls, they dared not attack it. They skirted the city and came upon a dock that looked easy to capture.

Old Zhang Fei gave the order, and they began the siege of the ancient ferry dock at the Yellow River.

Old Zhang Fei lived up to his name—somewhat old, nearly fifty, with dark skin and a thick beard, appearing quite rough and rugged. That was why he had named himself Old Zhang Fei.

The bandit army under his command numbered neither few nor many—three thousand.

This was a massive force for such a small dock.

The merchants, fishermen, and farmers inside the dock quickly grabbed weapons, resisting desperately.

Interestingly, the dock had the highest concentration of merchants. Since merchants traveled widely, they often carried light armaments; each could muster a group of attendants or hired guards, much like Xing Honglang had her forty-two salt smugglers.

These men were highly combative, seasoned from constant clashes with various bandits, far surpassing ordinary farmers in skill.Thus, despite their much smaller numbers, they held off Old Zhang Fei for a very, very long time.

This angered Old Zhang Fei, driving him into a frenzy! He ordered his men to redouble their assault.

Inside the dock stood a middle-aged man dressed in merchant clothing, slightly plump with a deeply worried expression. His name was Iron Bird Flies, a nickname, not his real name.

For he wasn’t a legitimate merchant; he was a salt smuggler.

Salt smugglers had long thrived in Puzhou, Shanxi, as it was a major inland salt-producing region. An ancient text, Zi Bu Yu: Puzhou Salt Smugglers, recounted stories of these smugglers.

Of course, it never mentioned Xing Honglang of Yongji, as she was fabricated by a eunuch.

Iron Bird Flies had twenty enforcers; two were already dead, six injured, leaving only twelve on their feet, desperately shooting arrows at the bandits from behind the fence.

But Iron Bird Flies knew they couldn’t hold out.

The bandit army was too numerous—a full three thousand. Even excluding the elderly and weak, women and children, over a thousand were combat-ready. Yet this tiny dock had only several hundred defenders; defeat was inevitable.

Behind them lay the surging Yellow River. The dock had small fishing boats at its edge, but when the bandits came, people scrambled to sail them away, leaving those behind no escape route.

Fighting with their backs against the river, they could only fight for their lives.

Iron Bird Flies roared at his men: “Kill! Kill! Fight like hell! Even if we die, take more of them down with us!”

His twelve men shot frenzied volleys at the bandits, but the bandits closed in relentlessly.

Just then, a wounded man lying at Iron Bird Flies’ feet gasped weakly: “Leader… leader… look at the river…”

Iron Bird Flies replied: “Bandits are about to overrun the dock! No time!”

The man summoned all his strength: “Look… upon the river…”

Iron Bird Flies finally sensed something amiss. He quickly turned, glancing at the river.

Far to the north on the water, a boat approached. It remained distant, yet its silhouette was visible from such a distance, signaling its enormous size.

Squinting, he saw it had a tall cabin, resembling an official navy warship.

“The officials’ navy?” Iron Bird Flies exclaimed joyfully: “They’ve come for bandit suppression!”

But the moment those words left his mouth, something felt profoundly wrong.

If the imperial fleet were to come, it ought to come from the southeast. How could it possibly arrive from the north?

No, no—the direction isn’t the point. After all, I’m a salt smuggler, a villain the authorities want to catch and behead. What joy is there in that?

Bandits ahead and officials behind—either way, I’m a dead man now.

Meanwhile, Xing Honglang on the prow was also surveying the ancient ferry dock. She differed from Iron Bird Flies; not only could she see with her eyes, but she also had a telescope.

Pulling out a single-barreled telescope from her shirt, she took one glance at the ancient ferry dock and went pale: “Dammit! Bandits are attacking the ancient ferry dock!”

Her subordinate Old Zhu moved closer. “Damn those bandits, causing trouble at our home turf! The ancient ferry dock is where we made our first fortunes.”

Xing Honglang nodded. “Exactly! I’ll be damned—I saw an old familiar face there, too—always messing with our deals!”

Old Zhu: “Messing with us? Ah! Iron Bird Flies!”

Xing Honglang chuckled darkly. “The very same dummy. That jerk kept playing games to undercut me, costing me many a profit.”

Old Zhu burst out laughing. “So what now? Just watch him get slaughtered by the bandits?”

Xing Honglang gave him a sharp knock on the head. “Shut it! Am I, Xing Honglang of Yongji, really that kind? Though that crew often screws us over, we’re still folks from the same trade and hometown—surviving off the same common trade. How can we stand idle when comrades face danger? Besides, the dock is full of old friends too!”

Old Zhu: “Then we fight?”

“Fight!”

Xing Honglang turned to the Bai Family Fortress water troops. “Brothers of Bai Family Fortress, prepare for war. The ancient ferry dock must be saved.”

The crew instantly roared in excitement. “Hurrah!”

“Artillerymen, move it!”

“Thought I wouldn’t get to fire cannons on this trial voyage. Never imagined the chance’d come so quick.”

“Practicing on targets ain’t half as fun as shooting at real people.”

“Whoa, man—d’you hear yourself? That’s grim.”

The Bai Family Fortress water troops bantered relentlessly as they poured into the ship’s hold to ready the cannons.

These soldiers had trained for a long time and could load, aim, and fire with ease—but practice was still worlds apart from combat. The moment they learned they’d be fighting bandits, they were thrown into disarray, blundering in every way.

“Mother of mercy—calm down, calm down!” roared the captain, a veteran and close aide of Bai Yuan himself. “Don’t load both sides simultaneously—dummies! Load one side first! Only the eastern cannons can fire right now—load those!”

Realizing their mistake, the artillerymen scrambled to the east side. The ship tilted under their weight, terrifying them into rushing back to the other side to balance it out.

Twenty probationary water troops from Heyang County huddled trembling, unsure where to hide.

The captain sneered at their cowardice. “Stop your piss-poor trembling! Where are your harp-quivers? Draw them! Bolt them! Be ready to shoot!”

Meanwhile, Xing Honglang’s forty-two salt smugglers stood rigid, hands gripping waist knives, eyes coldly trained ashore. They were ready to leap overboard and cut down enemies at any moment.