The next day, they waited until nightfall without seeing Yang Qin appear. Han Qian then boarded a boat with his father from the fishing town and departed Jiangzhou.
The five groups led by Zhao Wuji, Lin Jinzong, Guo Nu’er and others had already exposed their tracks. If they dispersed and went into hiding directly in Jiangzhou, it would be quite dangerous. Han Qian directly purchased two oar-canopy boats in the fishing town, tied them behind the sailing ship, and loaded the twenty-five extra men aboard to travel west together.
Unable to wait for Yang Qin, Han Qian couldn’t possibly hand Yang Qin’s wife and children over to the Jiangzhou prefectural office, much less release them directly. Naturally, he had them taken aboard the boats under escort.
“Cast off the mooring ropes!” Han Qian couldn’t delay any longer and give Ji Kun more time to prepare in Ezhou and Yuezhou. Watching the waxing moon atop the distant mountain treetops cast down a sheet of clear radiance, he gave the order for the small fleet of three boats to set sail.
Not knowing in which corner Ji Kun was hiding while watching them, Han Qian had Ji Fu adjust the angle of the sails to control the sailing ship’s speed.
As night deepened, the fleet had traveled over forty li west from Jiangzhou City. At this moment, an oar-sail boat slowly caught up from behind.
Oar-sail boats had both rows of oars and sail masts. This type of vessel that could use wind sails for long-distance travel and oars for rapid advance and retreat over short distances was far more convenient and fast than pure sailing ships, oar boats, or sculling boats. However, because the rowing positions occupied considerable space and the boat required more crew to operate, they were usually only used as warships.
Two oar-canopy boats pulled up alongside the sailing ship’s rear flanks. The Left Bureau scouts raised their shields upright.
Han Qian had Ji Fu lower the sails and directly stopped the boat in mid-river to wait for the oar-sail boat behind to catch up. Standing at the stern with his father, he said with a smile: “This Yang Qin is truly deeply suspicious, yet despite being so careful and cautious, he still let Ji Kun destroy his home base…”
Han Daoxun was still thinking that although Yang Qin and his people were guilty, it absolutely didn’t warrant slaughtering the entire settlement. He remained silent, watching the oar-sail boat slowly approach, saying nothing.
“Please, Lord Han, return Yang Qin’s wife and children!”
The oar-sail boat came forward. Besides the oarsmen, over a dozen robust men holding swords and shields crowded at the bow, as if ready to surge forward in assault at the slightest disagreement.
The leader held one sword and one shield. A scar crossed his face from his nose bridge to behind his left ear. However, this scar didn’t make the man look particularly fierce or ugly—rather, it added several touches of martial valor to his appearance.
“Yang Qin, you gathered a crowd to assassinate a court official. Instead of thinking to beg us to forgive your crimes, you run up here shouting and yelling. Do you truly think this great river belongs to your family?” Han Qian had Qing Yun and Zhao Ting’er bring Yang Qin’s children to the stern. He placed one foot on the gunwale, leaned his body forward, propped his elbow on his knee, and asked with a mocking smile: “What are you trying to do with this posture? Do you want to charge and attack? Come on! If you dare kill your way over here, this grandfather will take your surname today. If you don’t dare kill your way over, then you’re my grandson!”
Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo held shields and moved to guard in front of Han Daoxun and Han Qian. They saw Yang Qin and his people’s faces full of grief and rage, worried that battle might erupt at any moment. But hearing Han Qian shouting at Yang Qin like a street hoodlum hurling insults, they were quite speechless.
“We want to avenge the blood debt of seven hundred twelve lives from Yangtan water settlement. We won’t be burdened by two small children!” Yang Qin roared in fury, using the back of his blade to viciously strike the iron shield in his hand. The clanging sounds rang out, drowning the river waves lapping the shore.
“You fool, did you catch up to reclaim your wife and children, or to seek revenge? You didn’t even think clearly before chasing after us?” Han Qian said with a laugh. “Also, when we raided the settlement, we only killed forty-seven people—only those who deserved killing, not a single innocent person more. Never mind seven hundred twelve lives—even if you blame us for those forty-seven deaths, you’d be wronging us. We are officials, you are bandits, thieves. Officials catching bandits and thieves is a matter of course. Don’t tell me when you wielded swords and spears raiding homes and robbing people, you never had the awareness that someday you might meet your end? Don’t tell me you expect us to tie up our hands and feet and let you come hack and kill us? Or are you saying when you colluded with that dog bandit Ji Kun, you never once thought about how serious the crime of assassinating a court prefect is?”
“What will it take for you to release my wife and children!” Yang Qin asked furiously.
“Speaking of this, Brother Yang, you should first see how courteously we’ve treated your wife. There hasn’t been the slightest disrespect. We’ve also taken excellent care of the young master and young miss, fattening them up white and plump, absolutely not letting them suffer the slightest grievance. If there’s any place where Han Qian has been remiss, please point it out, Brother Yang, and Han Qian will definitely improve.”
Han Qian signaled Zhao Ting’er to bring Yang Qin’s wife out, chattering on as if engaging in family conversation with Yang Qin.
“We have fourteen to fifteen hundred li of waterway still to travel to Xuzhou. Brother Yang, you can see I’m also a person inexperienced in the world’s ways, don’t know how treacherous the rivers and lakes are. I’m just afraid that before reaching Xuzhou, we might encounter water bandits and river pirates who come out to murder and rob. Our lives are cheap—we’re a dog official and a dog official’s son, our deaths wouldn’t matter. But if we implicate and harm the young master and young miss as well, that would truly be terrible. If Brother Yang could help us reach Xuzhou safely, at that time we’ll respectfully return your wife, young master, and young miss to you with both hands. Would that work?”
Han Qian’s initial plan had been to lure Yang Qin into a trap, making him and Ji Kun kill each other, thoroughly destroying Peace Palace’s deployment targeting him and his father. But Ji Kun’s ruthless decisiveness exceeded his expectations, so he could only change plans and use Yang Qin’s wife and children as leverage to force Yang Qin to cooperate with them.
Han Qian and his group’s greatest disadvantage was that even sending scouts out half a month early, they absolutely couldn’t possibly understand the intricate and complex river pirate forces between Jiang and E, much less monitor these river pirate forces’ movements. But with Yang Qin’s assistance, it would be completely different.
Ezhou, as the northern region of the ancient Yunmeng Marsh, had lake marshes and wetlands on both shores even more complex than Jiangzhou, Yuezhou, and Tanzhou. Without someone familiar with the water conditions to assist them, Han Qian would rather circle back to Poyang Lake, go ashore at Hongzhou, and take the land route crossing the Luoxiao Mountains to reach Xuzhou.
“Who are you calling a dog official?” Han Daoxun couldn’t help but protest, hearing Han Qian talking nonsense there.
“They’re the ones who said it. Just because they say so doesn’t make it true. Why take it so seriously?” Han Qian spread his hands.
Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo guarded beside Han Daoxun and Han Qian. Hearing the father and son murmuring there, they were quite speechless. However, they saw that as Han Qian argued shamelessly there, the fierce flames in the eyes of those water bandits across from them had weakened.
“How can I trust you?” Yang Qin asked, his tiger eyes glaring.
“At worst, we’ll just send your wife over to Brother Yang first,” Han Qian said very generously. “That would also save us a few meals on this end. Your wife eats quite a lot!”
“No, I’ll stay behind to look after Niu’er and Rui’er. If the Han father and son prove faithless to their word, husband, don’t think of us anymore—just remember to avenge us,” Zhou Rong said unwillingly to leave her children, calling out loudly to Yang Qin.
“If we learn that someone intends harm against Lord Han, how should we handle it? Young Master Han won’t expect the remnants of Yangtan water settlement to still charge through thorns and thistles to fight to the death, will he?” Yang Qin asked.
“I’m giving you a chance to pledge loyalty to the Third Prince, yet you’re still so full of nonsense. Do you truly think that by casually running a few errands and passing along some messages, you can offset the great crime of having your nine familial relations exterminated?” Han Qian’s face suddenly turned stern as he berated: “When I was in Jinling, I heard that Scar Flood Dragon Yang Qin was a first-rate hero on Poyang Lake. But if even now you can’t recognize the situation clearly and still want to haggle with us, then go. Your wife and children—I’ll naturally hand them over to the authorities to be dealt with according to Great Chu’s constitutional law.”
Han Qian turned hostile the moment he said he would. Yang Qin also had some difficulty adapting to his rhythm.
However, from the moment he agreed to escort Han Daoxun to his post in Xuzhou in exchange for his wife and children’s safety, he had already lost the initiative. At this point, he could only stand at the bow with a gloomy expression, saying nothing. He absolutely couldn’t just pat his behind and leave.
“I won’t force anyone into difficulty. As long as you genuinely assist my father and me to smoothly proceed to Xuzhou to assume office, I won’t let you die in vain. But wanting to accomplish something, it’s impossible without some sacrifice and bloodshed,” Han Qian said, keeping his face stern. “When it truly comes to needing to use blades and weapons to break through obstacles before we can continue to Xuzhou, I’ll go ashore and act together with you. Furthermore, I’ll immediately send someone back to Jinling to help you request a special pardon from the Third Prince. By the time we reach Xuzhou, this pardon should also arrive in your hands. You won’t need to worry about Ji Kun still being able to mobilize provincial and county forces to hunt and kill you.”
Hearing Han Qian say this, Yang Qin’s expression eased slightly. He looked toward Han Daoxun: “Lord Han, is every word Young Master Han says true, without half a point of deception toward Yang Qin?”
Han Daoxun’s gaze was also quite sharp. At this moment, he also noticed that Yang Qin’s subordinates paid the most attention to Han Qian’s last statement.
Yangtan water settlement had already been slaughtered completely by Zhong Yanhu. These people had already become rootless duckweed. At the same time, they had committed the crime of assassinating a court official, warranting extermination of their entire clan. Other river pirates and lake bandits wouldn’t be willing to take them in and draw special attention from the authorities.
This also meant that if they didn’t receive a pardon, unless they fled to the Liang or Jin territories, it would truly be difficult for them to find a place to settle within Great Chu’s borders.
“Jiangzhou has issued a maritime arrest warrant saying you plotted to assassinate me. But as long as you truly escort me to assume office in Xuzhou, can the case against you still stand?” Han Daoxun asked in return.
“Yangtan water settlement was slaughtered. Please, Lord Han, uphold justice,” Yang Qin said.
“Don’t push your luck. Are you going to demand we also capture Zhong Yanhu and hand him over for you to personally kill to vent your hatred?” Han Qian cut off Yang Qin’s words, saying with displeasure.
…
…
Yang Qin agreed to use his wife and children as hostages, following along the entire way to assist in scouting bandit intelligence. He left the easily exposed oar-sail boat to Han Qian and his group, then led his men ashore to disperse.
With an extra oar-sail boat, Han Qian abandoned the two oar-canopy boats that slowed their speed, having Lin Jinzong, Guo Nu’er, Ji Xiyao and others move to the oar-sail boat. The two sailing ships together escorted his father to continue the water route toward Xuzhou.
Afterward, Han Qian took Zhao Wuji, Tian Cheng, and Gao Shao—the three of them left the boats and went ashore, taking the land route to monitor Yang Qin and his group’s every move.
Even though Yang Qin was concerned about his wife and children being in their control, Han Qian couldn’t be certain that after losing everything, those under Yang Qin’s command still remained utterly loyal to him without any other thoughts, or without harboring the slightest resentment toward their side.
Riverine intelligence circulated freely. Perhaps it was because Zhong Yanhu’s suppression of Yangtan water settlement was too brutal, greatly intimidating the river pirates and water bandits of the Jiang and E regions from acting rashly. Or perhaps Ji Kun’s methods of turning his hand to make clouds and flipping his hand to make rain had chilled the hearts of various bandits. Along the six hundred li waterway from Jiangzhou to Yuezhou, aside from two groups of foreign water bandits, the powerful water bandits of the Jiang and E regions didn’t act rashly.
Although it was unknown what methods Ji Kun used to recruit them, these two groups of foreign water bandits had no footing in the Jiang and E regions. No local powers were willing to cooperate with them either. With so many people eating, drinking, and defecating, they remained highly conspicuous targets.
Even if these water bandits hid in boats, warships used for water battles, no matter how disguised, still had enormous differences from ordinary fishing boats and merchant vessels. Combined with the fact that they always lingered around the same few places without leaving, local powers would have to be blind not to see through the flaws.
With Yang Qin’s assistance, Han Qian naturally locked onto the whereabouts of these two groups of river pirates with ease.