Chapter Twenty-Two: Lucky Boat

  Starting from May 11, the famous Ningjin War of the late Ming Dynasty officially began. The Later Jin army launched a fierce attack on Jinzhou, and Zhao led the troops to defend the city. This time, the Later Jin mobilized an army of 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers, while the Ming army, excluding Jinzhou, had Ma Guangzhong stationed in Qianyun, Yuan Chonghuan leading more than 30,000 soldiers stationed in Ningyuan, and nearly 50,000 people defending Shanhai Pass.

  He followed Tianjin Deputy General Qian Zhongxuan and has set off. Chen Xin remembered what he said at the time, arranging for Wang Daxi to go to Zhou Shifa's house every other day to help take care of his mother, which was also a support for the Ningjin War, and this seemed to be the only connection between Chen Xin and others with the Ningjin War.

  On the fifteenth day of May in the seventh year of Tianqi, after having lunch at home, Chen Xin and Lu Maizi put packs on their backs and came to the courtyard. Liu Minyou brought four attendants to see them off for a while, because they didn't tell Haigouzai and others that they were going out to sea, so the four attendants thought the two were just going out for a slightly longer distance.

  Chen Xin stood at the door and turned back to Liu Min, saying: "No need to see me off, spend more time teaching them to recognize some characters during this period. Don't slack off in training either, don't be soft-hearted this time."

  "Hai Dogzi said: 'Brother Chen, rest assured, we won't be lazy, we'll practice our knives and guns to kill the Tartars.'"

  Zhang Dahuai and his two brothers also chimed in, Chen Xin happily patted them on the shoulder, then went to Liu Minyou's face, shook hands with him according to the original etiquette, the two had been good friends for many years, after graduation they worked together again, their friendship didn't need to be said. Lu Chuanzong also bid farewell to everyone, and the two men left the door towards the department store, Liu Minyou stood at the door with four followers watching until the backs of the two disappeared at the end of Erdao Street.

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  The two of them arrived at the shop, and apart from Lu You, there was also a middle-aged woman sitting in Old Cai's original position. Chen Xin had met the boss's wife twice before, both times when she came to the shop to collect money, and now he respectfully went up to greet her, introducing Lu Chuanzong as his cousin. The boss's wife seemed to be in a good mood, her eyes scanning the two of them, smiling lightly: "So you're Chen Kuai's cousin, this time follow Chen Kuai and work hard, later on Master will definitely reward you."

  Lu Lu Zi hastily replied.

  The landlady continued: "Master just instructed you, after you arrive, go directly to the second room."

  Chen Xin agreed and took Lu Zizi to Erjin. Suddenly, the landlady asked from behind: "I heard that Chen Zuofang was also a Xiucai?"

  Chen Xin was startled, the boss's wife's expression seemed to have another meaning, did Zhao miss say something yesterday. What if she finds an old master to test herself, then her true form will be revealed.

  He didn't dare to boast again, and humbly said: "That was when I was in Liaodong as a junior, having been drifting about without a fixed abode for many years, I've almost forgotten it."

  The boss's wife neither approved nor disapproved, but smiled silently and gave him a meaningful glance before waving her hand to let him go.

  Chen Xin walked past the room where the silk was originally stored, and saw that the door was open, with nothing inside. This time it was Old Wang who opened the door, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, looking more ferocious than usual, seemingly also preparing to go out to sea. In the second room, there were two people standing together talking, one as dark as coal, and the other with a large scar on his face, as if a whole piece of flesh had been cut off. Hearing the door open, they looked over indifferently, seeming to look at nothing but two lifeless objects.

  Chen Xin had been in society for many years and had seen both the good and the bad, but his intuition told him that these people were definitely old pirates. Their temperament was completely different from that of ordinary hoodlums. But since Old Wang hadn't introduced them, he didn't dare to talk to them either. Lu Zi originally wasn't afraid of anything, but when he saw these pirates, he still felt a chill run down his spine.

  Lao Wang was indifferent to the two men, and Chen Xin felt a slight sense of wonder in his heart. This old man really was someone who didn't put anyone in his eyes except for Dong Jia. Lao Wang led the two men to the study again, where they faintly heard the sound of two people talking. At the door, Lao Wang said: "Dong Jia, Chen Kuai and his cousin have arrived."

  A voice came from inside Zhao Dong's house: "Let them in."

  After the two entered, Chen Xin glanced around the room and saw Zhao Dong's family and another man standing. The man was wearing a black straight robe and surprisingly, he was the owner of the Qingsilver shop, holding a Japanese sword with half of it drawn out in his hand to examine. Seeing Chen Xin, he smiled slightly and bowed his hands without explanation.

  Chen Xin pretended to be shocked and stared blankly for a moment before returning the courtesy.

  Zhao Dongjia looked at Lu Chaizi with a glance and asked: "Where is this nephew from?"

  Chen Xin nodded to Lu Zizi, letting him answer for himself. Beforehand, the two had already coordinated their story several times, so there shouldn't be any issues. Lu Zizi replied: "I am from Yanggu, Shandong Province, and I am Chen Xin's cousin. A few years ago, my family was struggling to make ends meet, so I also went to Ji County. My cousin and I have always gotten along well. Some time ago, he brought back a letter saying that he was doing business in Tianjin, so I followed him here."

  Because the accent couldn't be hidden, the two of them discussed and came up with this story. Zhao Dongjia listened to it without asking any further questions, probably thinking it was unnecessary. Even if it were a fabricated lie, he wasn't afraid that these two would stir up trouble.

  He said to the two of them: "Once you reach the sea, there are many pirates. Have you brought any defensive weapons?"

  "Returning home to the east, we had never brought."

  Zhao Dongjia suddenly said: "Do you dare to kill people?"

  Neither of them expected him to ask this, and for a moment they did not respond. The owner of the Silver Inclination shop also turned his head around, looking at the two men. Chen Xin quickly regained his composure, and Zhao Dongjia no longer concealed that he was also a pirate, wanting to test whether the two were willing to be on the same page as him. Without hesitation, he said: "Tell me, sir, I have killed Tartars in Liaodong, so if I encounter pirates, I won't be afraid either."

  Lu Zhu Zi also said: "I'd rather die than submit. If someone wants to kill me, they'll have to pay with their own life."

  The two of them were in good physical condition. Chen Xin had always been well-nourished and often worked out, while Lu Zizi had been laboring for a long time and had also practiced some martial arts with Dai Zhenggang since he was young, so he had a strong and fierce aura about him. Zhao Dongjia nodded his head in satisfaction, finally putting his mind at ease. These two didn't seem like useless people. Chen Xin was not only well-behaved but also brave, maybe even more suitable than Old Cai. At this point, he even felt that Old Cai's food poisoning wasn't a bad thing after all.

  "After you two board the ship, choose a knife each; in case of need, you won't be empty-handed against the enemy."

  Zhao Dongjia said a few words and let them retreat, the two of them sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard. Several more people came to join the first two, loudly discussing something, completely ignoring everyone else. Three of them even pulled out their pipes and started smoking. Tobacco was introduced to China relatively late during the Ming dynasty, but it spread quickly. Originally, tobacco had addictive properties, and some doctors even claimed that smoking had health benefits (including the author of "Jingyue Quanshu"), which is equivalent to writing "smoking is good for your health" on cigarette boxes. As a result, many people in various regions took up smoking, including both men and women, especially in some northern areas where even young children smoked. Chen Xin saw Deng Keshan, Zhou Shifa, and others smoke several times on Second Street. He had originally been a smoker himself, but the tobacco during the Ming dynasty was not roasted tobacco, but rather sun-dried tobacco, which tasted very different. After trying it once, he never smoked again.

  Lao Wang didn't introduce Chen Xin and others to anyone else, so the two of them just sat there, until almost three o'clock. Then Zhao Dongjia and the owner of Qingyin store came out of the study, followed by seven or eight people from the inner courtyard, who all crowded around, calling out "Big Brother".

  Hei Tan walked over and said to Zhao Dong Jia: "Big brother, when are we leaving? I've already spent all my silver and being stuck on this shore is suffocating me."

  Zhao Dongjia burst out laughing and said: "We're leaving right away, can't wait for you."

  He then said to the scar-faced man and Hei Dang, "Scarface, Black Whirlwind, you two go out of the east gate, separately. Old Wan, take Chen Daode and his brother out of the north gate."

  Hei Tan said with a big smile: "Big brother, when are you leaving? Don't be late, or you won't make it today."

  Zhao Dong kicked it over with one foot, and the charcoal fell to one side with a thud. Zhao Dong cursed, "Of course I have something on my mind, if you keep urging me, cut off your own finger and bring it here."

  He finished speaking and swept a cold gaze around, causing the pirates to immediately quiet down. The black charcoal didn't dare say another word. Da Ba presented an ugly smile, nodding his head and bowing: "Since big brother has something going on, it's no problem to leave later. At worst, we can set off tomorrow."

  Zhao Dongjia waved his hand, and a group of people walked out of the side door in a line. After exiting, the two groups split up and went their separate ways. Chen Xin followed Old Wang north to the Beimen area, passing through the Beihe Gate (Tianjin North Gate) to exit the city. The number of soldiers at the gate was noticeably more than usual, but they were only strictly checking those entering the city, paying no attention to those leaving. The few people continued north until they reached the Wei River.

  The Wei River converges with three rivers, the river surface is wide and spacious, and the banks are also lined with various shops. Along the southern bank of the river, many flat-bottomed boats and sea-going ships are moored in a continuous line, mostly with double masts. Many porters on the shore are carrying heavy grain sacks to transport onto the ships. There are also many soldiers around. Chen Xīn asks Lúzi: "Are these grain supplies going straight to Shanhai Pass?"

  Lu Chuanzong nodded: "It should be, I heard that the army at Shanhaiguan is gathering in large numbers, and food will definitely be needed in large quantities. If we take the Jixian Canal and enter the Gu River, at most we can reach Zunhua nearby, but we still need to take the land route, and that section of waterway is against the current, and we have to rely on trackers. Sea transportation only needs to hoist sails and borrow wind, follow the coastline northward, and Dage says that when it's smooth sailing, we can reach Laolongtou in one or two days."

  He had walked the Grand Canal many times, so he was quite familiar with it. Old Wang said to the two of them, "Recently there have been a lot of naval ships in the Bohai Sea, after you get on the boat it's best to stay hidden in the hold, once you pass Dengzhou you'll be fine."

  Chen Xin bowed his hands to Old Wang and said: "Thank you, Brother Wang, for your guidance."

  Old Wang nodded and stopped talking. He led the two of them along the riverbank, where there were fewer boats than before, until they finally stopped in front of a sea-going vessel. Old Wang pointed and said, "This is it."

  Chen Xin raised his eyes and saw a magnificent three-masted junk ship in front of him, about 10 zhang (31 meters) long, with a high stern cabin at the back, two long rudders extending from under the cabin, three tall masts standing upright, each topped with a crow's nest that could hold two people. On one side was hung a small foot boat (a tender), and a gangway board was suspended on the ship's body but not yet lowered. The deck had rows of woven bamboo protective boards on both sides.

  No porters were seen around, the goods should have been loaded long ago. At this time, Hei Tan and Ba Lian also arrived with their men. Seeing the three of them, Hei Tan shouted loudly: "You've arrived but haven't paid yet, waiting for people to send you off isn't right."

  Lao Wang ignored him and led the way onto the plank, which was quite long. As people walked on it, it swayed slightly, but Lao Wang didn't mind at all and walked across as if he were walking on flat ground. Lu Lu Zi had been working on the canal for a long time and was also used to it, so he crossed over in just a few steps. Chen Xin, however, couldn't do it and had to hold his hands out to the sides and walk unsteadily across the narrow plank. In the middle, he almost lost his balance and was about to fall into the water, but he made an effort and managed to jump across safely. Behind him, he heard the laughter of several black-faced workers. Chen Xin didn't get angry, but instead turned around and bowed to them with a smile, saying "Excuse me, excuse me".

  As he turned around, he carefully examined the deck of the ship. The deck was about 25-26 feet wide and covered with ropes. A hard sail with bamboo ribs was folded at the bottom of the mast. There were several warehouse doors on both sides leading to the lower level. On both sides of the deck, there were three cannon-like objects, each covered with oilcloth. Each side had three gun ports open. At the bow of the ship, a pair of carabiner bars was set up, and a thick iron chain was wrapped around it. A broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted sailor sat on the carabiner bar, staring blankly to the north. Several dark-skinned sailors were sleeping on the deck, scattered in all directions. When they saw Old Wang coming up, they all greeted him. The person sitting on the carabiner bar heard the noise, turned his head to look back for a moment, and then turned it back again.

  Lao Wang saw them and smiled slightly, asking: "Where is Er Dang Jia?"

  "It's about bloody time you've arrived, this boat has been stuck for four or five days, it's enough to make one's hair stand on end." A loud voice came from the cabin door, and a grey-haired head popped up.