Chapter 48 Midnight, Sea Surface, Raft, Two Women

  （0048）

  Today's second update is delivered, and there are five more updates to come. Please continue to support us, collect and recommend more!

  It is said that some stones still have the marks of fighting against Japanese pirates decades ago. At that time, the Japanese pirates came from the sea and tried to land here, but accidentally ran into hidden reefs and got stranded. Having no choice, they had to wade ashore. Qi Jiguang, who was in charge of the defense against Japanese pirates in Laizhou Prefecture and Dengzhou Prefecture at that time, happened to be the commander of the Shandong Dengzhou Garrison. The fate of the Japanese pirates can be imagined.

  Looking back on the fight against the Japanese pirates, it's really a sad and sigh-worthy affair. In that brutal battle against the Japanese pirates, the Qi family army had not yet taken shape, relying on local Wei Suo soldiers. Qi Jiguang actually paid a huge price for this. It was also after paying such a huge price that he clearly realized the combat effectiveness of the Wei Suo soldiers was too poor and decided to recruit more troops.

  Actually, Qi Jiguang did not deeply realize that the reason why the Wei Suo soldiers' combat effectiveness was poor was because they had not stimulated their enthusiasm for fighting. They lacked motivation when fighting, and it wasn't that they were inherently unsuitable for battle. In the end, innate conditions are all roughly the same, what's lacking is postnatal stimulation. Now, with Zhang inspiring these people, their combat effectiveness isn't bad at all. Every person has a brave and fearless side, the key is how to stimulate this side out.

  In most cases, money is not the best way.

  Of course, money is also a very important factor, and a strong army must have strong logistical support.

  Unconsciously, Zhang Zhun's thoughts had completely shifted to the construction of the army, and he had completely forgotten that he came out to relax. He thought of Qi Jiguang, Yu Dayou, Li Chengliang, and many other great figures of the Ming Dynasty. As a traverser, he certainly has the qualifications to comment on them, even surpass them. However, those who are not traversers have already done very well.

  Yang Yinghua didn't interrupt his thoughts either, and the two of them sat on a rock by the sea, quietly gazing out at the ocean.

  The waves kept rolling, the tide crashed against the rocks on the shore one after another, making all sorts of cries. Some voices were very strange, like a ghost cry. Yang Yinghua was obviously a little scared at first, and her body quietly leaned towards Zhang Zhun. But soon she realized something and hurriedly moved away.

  Fifteen minutes have just passed, and the moonlight is still very bright. The gentle moonlight falls on the ground, casting a layer of silver. The vast beach, under the reflection of the moonlight, appears exceptionally white. The sea surface is grayish-white, like a dreamy illusion.

  Yang Yinghua suddenly said: "Look, a boat is coming from over there."

  Zhang Zhun followed her gaze and looked over, but indeed, a ship was coming from the surface of the sea.

  To be precise, it can't be called a boat, only a raft. The raft had no sail and no cabin, everything on it was clearly visible. However, the two soon discovered that something was off. There were no people to be seen on the raft, as if it had come drifting over. Under the moonlight, the raft seemed somewhat eerie and mysterious, making it easy for people to associate it with some kind of evil presence.

  Originally, by evening, there shouldn't be any boats on the sea surface. The fishing boats had already returned long ago, and no boat would venture out at this time. Moreover, what appeared on the sea surface was actually a sampan. Everyone knows that sampans can only navigate inland rivers and lakes; if they enter the open sea, they will definitely not be able to withstand it, and even a slight wind or wave could capsize them directly.

  But at this moment, what appeared on the surface of the sea was indeed a sampan.

  Yang Yinghua couldn't help but clench Zhang Zhun's hand tightly. It was obvious that she must have thought too much. No wonder, in the dark and windy night, a strange boat suddenly floated up on the sea surface, and there was no one to be seen on the boat, it would be weird if people didn't feel eerie. Moreover, the floating of the boat seemed somewhat abnormal, judging from its drifting situation, there should be someone on it, but no matter how hard she looked, nothing could be seen on it.

  Zhang Zhun also couldn't help but furrow his brow. He and Yang Yinghua didn't think alike, of course. He speculated that there must be people on the raft, probably encountering a storm and being capsized. As a result, the people were gone, but the raft floated back up and drifted to the waters near Qingdao.

  No matter what they thought, anyway, that strange boat was getting closer and closer under the surging waves.

  Outside the Silver Beach, there are still many reefs here, which is not suitable as a port. If the ship only stops, it must be stopped at Heilong Bay or Guzhen Bay in the west. If the ship forcibly docks here, it is likely to be crashed by the reefs on the shore, especially those submerged reefs that are the most dangerous.

  Yang Yinghua grasped Zhang Zhun's hand even tighter, her voice trembling as she said: "Yulin, isn't... a ghost?"

  Zhang Zhun shook his head and said in a low voice: "I don't know."

  He believed that there must be something on the punt. From their current position, it was actually impossible to see the recessed part of the punt, but if there were people on the punt, they should be standing up. Now that no one can be seen, it can only be explained that there is no cargo on board.

  Yang Yinghe's imagination is too rich, probably because she listened to too many ghost stories when she was a kid.

  He's an atheist, so he wouldn't believe in any ghosts or monsters anyway. Besides, even if they did exist, he wouldn't care. Catching a few beautiful female demons to take back and warm his bed would be a great choice too! Marrying a virtuous wife, taking concubines for their beauty. Having Yang Yinghua as his wife, he should also have several concubines who are presentable, otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste to travel back in time?

  What?

  Monogamy?

  Don't think I'm stupid! When in Rome, do as the Romans do, got it?!

  Yang Yinghua suddenly said: "Yu Lin... I... I seem to have seen a white shadow moving above."

  Zhang Zhun did not see this and said in doubt: "Really?"

  "Why don't we go back?" Yang Yinghe said with a tense tone, pursing her lips.

  Zhang Zhun shook his head and said calmly: "There is no need."

  What's so strange about the wooden board on top, Zhang Zhun didn't take it to heart.

  Even if a ferocious shark suddenly emerged from above, he would not feel surprised.

  Suddenly, Zhang Zhun's expression changed slightly.

  "What's wrong?" Yang Yinghua asked hastily.

  "Someone," Zhang Quan said in a low voice.

  He had seen that in the center of the raft, there were vague colors and a faint human figure. However, without binoculars, he couldn't see very clearly and couldn't determine whether it was a man or a woman. But there was definitely someone on the raft.

  The waves kept surging, pushing the wooden board towards the two people again and again.

  Bang!

  Suddenly, the punt struck a reef and tilted over, unable to move for the time being.

  This time, Zhang Zhun really saw clearly that there was indeed someone on the wooden board. However, what kind of person was on the wooden board was still not very clear. After the wooden board hit the reef, the person on the wooden board did not react at all, which was also a bit strange.

  He looked around and estimated the distance between himself and the raft, about 70 to 80 meters. If it were daytime, this distance would be clear enough, but now it's nighttime, and the moonlight is not as good as sunlight.

  After the raft hit the reef, it tilted to the left and then slowly slid down, continuing to drift. It can be seen that the raft should be leaking water. The people on the raft still have no reaction, which is even more strange. Could it be that there are actually dead bodies on the raft?

  The distance is gradually shortening, less than 50 meters now. However, the water inside the raft is also increasing. The drifting speed is getting slower and slower. Based on the raft's drifting speed and sinking speed, it will definitely sink before reaching the shore.

  "Boom!"

  Zhang Zhun jumped into the sea.

  The raft appeared at this time, and it was indeed a bit strange. He had to swim over and take a closer look with his own eyes. After all, this distance was not difficult for a former Marine Corps officer. As for whether there would be any danger on the raft, Zhang Zhun was even less worried. What else could he be afraid of?

  Zhang Zhun didn't take long to swim to the side of the punt.

  He reached out and touched the punt, peeking inside, feeling increasingly strange.

  There are two people inside the boat.

  Two women.

  The two women were like kittens, curled up in the recesses of the punt, motionless, no wonder it was hard to see their appearance from the outside. The one in front wore a red underskirt, her body slightly plumper, taking up more space. The one behind wore a white long skirt, her body slender, curled up and occupying only a small corner.

  The two women looked very young, the woman in red was about twenty years old, and the woman in white might only be thirteen or fourteen years old, even younger than Yang Yinghua. Under the moonlight, both of their faces were extremely beautiful, like intricately carved white jade statues. On such a night, on such a sea, on such a small boat, suddenly seeing two beautiful women felt truly strange.

  Both women were in a coma and did not notice Zhang's arrival at all.

  Zhang Quan reached out to check the breathing of the two women and found very weak breath.

  Looking around again, there were no sailors or boatmen on the raft. Judging from what these two women were wearing, they didn't seem to be boat people either. It was really unclear how the two of them had steered the raft here. Could it be that they had drifted all the way here with the wind? If so, something must have happened to the two women, and it wasn't anything good.

  Upon closer inspection, Zhang found that there were also earthen jars containing fresh water and leftover food on the wooden board. The food was none other than large pancakes. Due to the collision with the reef, the pancakes had scattered and soaked in seawater. He picked up the jar and found that it still contained fresh water. He lifted the jar and took a sip, and the water hadn't gone bad. It seemed that the two people hadn't fainted from dehydration or lack of food; they might have simply been unable to withstand the mental strain and had passed out.

  Today's second update is delivered, and there are five more updates to come. Please continue to support us, collect and recommend our work.