This was a historically pivotal moment—
This was a moment of unclear thinking—
Mo Zi heard Xiao Er sternly reprimand Shi Lei.
That’s right—even that trio who seemed as solid as iron buckets had moments of superior-subordinate hierarchy.
And Young Master Xiao Er also had moments when he spoke fairly.
Well, she was wrong. She took back what she’d said about his head being unclear. Actually, the other side consisted of righteous men, while she was someone muddying the waters for profit. She’d always known that Xiao Er, as a great favorite before the Emperor, had not only family background but his own abilities. That she’d been able to gain the upper hand verbally until now was probably because he honored the principle of “only petty men and women are difficult to deal with,” disdaining to quibble with smugglers and former maids. Of course, he might also have been caught somewhat off guard, not expecting her to be quite so sharp. If they’d met in a different time and space, back when she was a soldier, they probably could have become good comrades. Just because this man was patriotic and loyal to his sovereign didn’t make him evil.
She understood this clearly in her heart, so every time after clashing head-on with him, before she could even regret or feel annoyed, she had to play the innocent rabbit, however belatedly. Continuing to meet like fire and water was fine, but the one-sided situation of her winning every time would definitely change. After all, the difference in status and power was too great—if the other side stopped being patient, the one who’d suffer would only be her.
So, since this person’s attitude had softened, she’d soften hers too.
Crack—crack—a series of alarming sounds.
Mo Zi shouted, “Not good, the ship can’t hold out much longer!”
Despite being well-trained, the young soldiers’ faces still changed color, looking quite anxiously toward Xiao Wei and the others.
Xiao Wei had been on the Yongfu before and knew it was a cargo vessel that could carry heavy loads, so he said to Mo Zi, “Take a batch over first—can half my men squeeze on?”
Before Mo Zi could answer, Chou Yu spoke first. “Young General, before you say that, could you compare the sizes of the two ships? Your ship is as big as four Yongfus—how could half the men squeeze on?”
Though Chou Yu’s tone was quite sharp, Mo Zi agreed with his point. “Young General Xiao, I understand your feelings, but Chou Yu is right—we can’t squeeze on too many people. Moreover, haste makes waste. I see you have roughly over a hundred men—how about dividing into three batches? We’ll also be more confident that way.”
From the command ship, Xiao Wei looked down at Mo Zi. Her willow-leaf brows were slightly furrowed, her eyes bright as stars, a spirited air on her face that didn’t allow people to underestimate her. From this he could see she wasn’t being as perfunctory as in the past. He immediately ordered the soldiers to stand in six columns, keeping his own guard detail for last. Rope ladders were lowered, the first seven rows descended, with Zhong An and Shi Lei leading the teams.
Though Shi Lei had just been reprimanded, he forgot it immediately. Seeing Xiao Wei intended to stay on the ship, he grew anxious. “You get on the girl’s ship first, I’ll bring up the rear.”
Hearing “the girl’s ship,” Mo Zi raised her eyebrows but said nothing, crossing her arms.
Zhong An wasn’t willing to be outdone either, insisting on staying behind. “You are the future commander of the naval garrison and cannot be lost—you should go first.”
Xiao Wei’s mind was made up and naturally wouldn’t change. “How can a command ship have no commander? You two just listen to me.”
The three of them yielded back and forth, chattering away, competing for the last position to go down with the ship.
Watching this made Chou Yu furious. He muttered to Mo Zi, “Might as well have none of them leave—just sink together. They put on airs with us, but now they’re acting like little ladies. If it were us and you told me to go down, even if I didn’t want to, I’d still go down. Got to know what time it is!”
Mo Zi smiled. She admired the three men’s spirit of “sacrificing themselves for righteousness,” but their inability to settle the matter was also a problem. Seeing the ship sink several more inches, she really had to interrupt.
“Gentlemen, rather than spending time yielding to each other, why not have people come down first? I can hurry to the riverbank, make more trips, and then no one needs to sacrifice themselves. In the worst case, if we truly can’t rescue everyone and your ship sinks, the water is only one or two li—grab some planks, grit your teeth, and you can swim to shore. I’ve already had people prepare cotton blankets, clothes, warm braziers, hot food on shore, and a physician ready for emergency treatment.”
After Mo Zi said this, Xiao Wei and the others looked toward Hongyu’s distant shore and indeed saw people coming and going, quite bustling. The soldiers couldn’t help but breathe easier, their expressions much calmer. The pushing and shoving caused by anxiety stopped, and everyone proceeded in an orderly manner.
But Shi Lei still had something to say. “Swimming one or two li in such cold weather, with favorable wind but against the current—even soaking one finger in there would freeze it off. People will die. If we could swim, why would we ask Hongyu for rescue?”
This man was naturally blunt, and this time what he said was true. Mo Zi didn’t contradict him in her heart, only saying, “If it really comes to that, the people on the ship can’t truly go down together, can they? Besides, you’re not ordinary infantry—you’re naval garrison sailors. If you don’t practice winter swimming regularly, what have you been doing?”
“What do you know? Naval garrison strength isn’t about swimming—it’s about fighting on ships and quick attacks on shore. They need to know how to fight.” This patrol of the capital brought many new recruits specifically to give them pre-battle training. The real main force remained at the water border to guard against border incidents.
Naval soldiers’ swimming endurance wasn’t important—they were for shipboard and land combat, not underwater fighting. The basic requirement for swimming was not sinking, probably not even as good as boat people. Of course, some had particularly good water skills, and compared to infantry, overall their ability in water was strong.
She really didn’t understand—she’d thought that era’s naval soldiers should be like modern navies, where swimming a thousand meters in winter water was nothing. No wonder Shi Lei got seasick! So-called water generals were just fierce fighters who floundered in water.
Seeing her so straightforward and even humble, Shi Lei was stunned instead. Wasn’t this girl one who most liked to talk back?
“Stop arguing.” Xiao Wei ordered the first batch of soldiers down the rope ladders, simultaneously issuing military orders for Zhong An to lead this group and Shi Lei to lead the second batch.
Military orders were like mountains. Now no one could disobey.
However, what Xiao Wei hadn’t expected was that while Zhong An got on the Yongfu, Mo Zi and Fei Xia boarded his naval garrison ship.
“What are you doing here?” After asking, he suddenly smiled.
Long ago it had been established that Xiao Er’s smile was absolutely terrifying. An unsmiling general who carried the nation and people on his shoulders suddenly smiling at you! Let me tell you, that feeling wasn’t being favored, but rather triggering a heart attack. Because she was just a commoner, moreover a rather shady market commoner. This point she understood very clearly about herself. So she retreated a step, almost taking a stance of hiding behind Fei Xia’s large body. At the same time, she thought that the last-minute decision to bring Fei Xia and leave Chou Yu was very correct.
“General, let’s talk nicely.” Stop smiling.
Xiao Wei had no idea about her mental activity and kept smiling. “Brother Mo has boarded my ship, so you must follow my orders. Aren’t you afraid I’ll make you jump in the water?”
Mo Zi grinned as if it were perfectly natural. “If the General really orders it, I’ll really jump. Whose ship it is, you should listen to them—otherwise wouldn’t it be chaos?” Just like a head chef is king of the kitchen, and a captain is king of the ship. This principle that ordinary people might not experience and therefore couldn’t understand, she understood very clearly.
That Xiao Er had challenged her authority as leader several times on the Yongfu was also the most direct reason she couldn’t swallow her anger. On vast waters, with dangers lurking everywhere, the fear was not knowing who to listen to. If she wasn’t firm enough, she’d implicate those on the ship with her. Call her ignorant of her place, call her arrogant and domineering—she had to show the strongest posture to challengers on her own ship, one ship, one life, contending with heaven itself.
Like now—Young Master Xiao Er was supreme on his ship, and she had no objection whatsoever, happy to follow commands.
Xiao Er was different. Born into wealth and privilege, successful in youth, accustomed to receiving attention in any setting, he’d been repeatedly struck down by Mo Zi and thought he’d figured out her arrogant personality, yet her sudden sincere compliance made him suspicious.
“General, though I’ll follow everything on your ship, may I say a few words?” Only the ship’s master made decisions, but anyone could offer suggestions. Mo Zi stepped forward again.
Xiao Wei found this version of her very hard to grasp and subconsciously went along with her. “What words—you’ve been drinking?” Smelling alcohol, his thick brows immediately furrowed.
Mo Zi covered her mouth with the back of her hand and laughed dryly twice. “The General has a keen nose. Just drank a couple mouthfuls—in such cold weather, to ward off the chill and warm the body.” She had Fei Xia bring up a large jar of aged liquor, having already emptied what was on the Yongfu. “I came also to bring this to the General and the soldier brothers…”
Shi Lei, who’d been watching for a long while, snorted coldly. “How can you drink while on duty? Moreover, just one jar—how do you divide it among so many people?”
“First give to those whose swimming is poor, then those who are older with insufficient stamina. Whatever’s left, a sip is a sip. Before the Yongfu arrives, also make some preparations for going in the water. The water temperature is very low—to avoid cramps and numbness from sudden freezing, stretch your tendons.” Replacing Xiao Er in contradicting was hard-headed Stone throwing stones. However, Mo Zi wasn’t afraid of stones—since she’d come to rescue people, she had to be sincere. As Chou Yu said, you had to know what time it was.
“…” Facing this sincerity, Shi Lei couldn’t throw stones anymore either.
Xiao Wei had two personal guards take the liquor down. “What other suggestions does Brother Mo have?”
Mo Zi indeed had more to say. “I suggest dismantling everything that can be removed from the cabin, railings, and planks, to prepare for going in the water. Also, have the soldiers ready to remove their cotton clothing at any moment to avoid being too heavy in the water to exert strength. Best to divide people into groups of four or five, with group leaders temporarily assuming command responsibility to prevent individual soldiers from getting separated, enabling mutual assistance, and minimizing casualties. An incentive system could be adopted—any group whose members all reach shore safely gets credited with merit once.”
Hearing this, Shi Lei forgot to blink.
Xiao Wei’s eyes narrowed, his gaze sharpening, but he immediately issued orders to the various vice-generals. “Do as Manager Mo says.”
For a moment, on the precarious ship, morale soared, everyone dismantling the ship with blazing enthusiasm.
Shi Lei said quietly to Xiao Wei, “This girl—even if I, Old Shi, don’t want to admit it, she does have some cleverness. If she weren’t female, I’d think she’d been a soldier.”
Xiao Wei gazed at that slender figure helping to dismantle door panels, not saying a word.
After the Yongfu carried away the second batch of soldiers, Mo Zi still remained on the ship doing her utmost. Her winter swimming training hadn’t stopped since age ten. Even when she couldn’t freely go to rivers and waterways to work up a sweat, year-round she regularly took cold baths. After such tempering, the results had been well verified at Jingyu Rapids. She feared cold weather but not cold water.
This time, the Yongfu had only been gone a short while when the command ship’s belly finally drank its fill and began listing severely, the deck starting to fracture.
The ship accelerated its sinking!