The ace special forces who dominated the Sui dynasty's late period

  Liu Ziqiu didn't hold out much hope, but still asked loudly: "Boatman, can you get to Luoyang? Can you give my brother a ride?"

  "Go away, go away! Can't you see this is an official boat?"

  At this time, a 7 or 8-year-old boy rushed to the shore and shouted loudly: "Uncle Zhang San, my father is ill, he asked me to tell you that he can't come!"

  The old captain who had just finished coiling the rope suddenly exclaimed, "What! Your father can't go? How am I going to explain this to our guests? Oh no, this is going to ruin my big deal!"

  The little boy didn't care about him and ran away with the letter, leaving the old sailor stomping his feet in anxiety, causing the boat to rock back and forth.

  Liu Ziqiu asked in surprise: "Boatman, isn't this an official boat? Where did these guests come from?"

  "Mind your own business!" The old sailor grumbled, suddenly raising his head and seeing Liu Ziqiu's clothes still wet, he couldn't help but ask, "Can you sail a boat?"

  Liu Ziqiu suddenly understood what the boy had said, and smiled: "You can hold the pole, you know how to row, you can pull the sail, you can move the oar, it's just a matter of whether or not you go to Luoyang."

  The old captain was delighted: "Great, this trip is going to Luoyang, are you willing to be a helper?"

  Liu Ziqiu furrowed his brow and hesitated before saying: "This is an official vessel, I'm afraid..."

  "Ah, that flag is just for show! It's convenient to have it on the road." The anxious captain spoke the truth, "However, the guests on board are indeed young masters and misses from official families, this is not fake."

  Watching Liu Ziqiu skillfully set sail, the captain's suspended heart finally put down. They set off early, and there were no other boats on the river at this moment, and this section of waterway was quite calm, so Zhang San didn't have to be careful, and he walked up to the bow of the boat with Liu Ziqiu: "My surname is Zhang, and my name is Old Three. You can just call me Zhang San. Brother, what should I call you?"

  Liu Ziqiu didn't reveal his real name: "My surname is Gao, they all call me Big Cow."

  "Great Brother Niu, your skills are pretty good! Where did you run off to before?"

  After the canal was opened, more and more people traveled by water, and the number of boats increased accordingly. As a result, there was a shortage of boatmen. At this time, the imperial court built dragon boats and recruited a large number of sailors, making the contradiction even sharper. Although there were many boats at the dock, there were not a few boat owners who couldn't find helpers.

  Running long distances can earn a lot of money, but it's impossible without help, so the competition among peers is quite fierce. Zhang San originally set his sights on a helper, but that person probably backed out because another family offered more money, so now Zhang San has turned his attention to Liu Ziqiu.

  Liu Ziqiu chuckled and said: "I used to sail on the sea."

  "No wonder you're so skilled!" Zhang San praised, just about to open his mouth to discuss long-term cooperation with him, when he heard a burst of silvery laughter coming from the cabin, and a 7 or 8-year-old girl holding a ball ran out of the cabin, followed by a young man's voice shouting: "Little sister, be careful!"

  Suddenly, the girl's foot slipped, and the ball fell to the deck, rolling forward with a rumbling sound. The girl failed to catch it, and hurriedly chased after it. The ball rolled extremely fast and had already fallen into the river. However, the girl was tripped by the rope at the bow of the boat, and her feet couldn't stop moving, letting out a sharp cry of "ah" as she also fell into the river!

  Liu Ziqiu shouted loudly and jumped up, his right foot hooked the rope, and his hands hugged the girl around her waist. At this time, Liu Ziqiu and the girl were already suspended outside the boat, and the rope slid out with a "whooshing" sound. Zhang San was so scared that he stood still at the bow of the boat, even forgetting to pull the rope. Of course, with his strength, it's unlikely he could have pulled two people back anyway.

  Good fellow Liu Ziqiu remained calm in the face of danger, his right foot secretly exerting force, the rope drew a huge arc and swung out, wrapping around the mast, instantly pulling it taut with a "creaking" sound. Borrowing this force, Liu Ziqiu and the little girl's falling momentum slowed down. Liu Ziqiu quickly freed his left hand to grab onto the side of the boat, executing a beautiful spin, and flipped himself back onto the bow of the boat.

  Look at the little girl in her arms again, scared to death, pointing at the rushing river water, and after a long time, she said: "Ball... ball..."

  Liu Ziqiu looked up and saw that the red and green ball was half-submerged in the water, floating with the waves. Suddenly it disappeared from view, and he couldn't help but laugh. He said: "Little guy, you almost lost your life, and you're still thinking about the ball. Wait here quietly, don't go anywhere, brother will help you pick up the ball."

  The little girl nodded and muttered: "Ball, ball..."

  Liu Ziqiu took a leap and plunged into the river. The water surface was splashing with waves, and Liu Ziqiu had already dived to the bottom of the water. Zhang San also came to his senses at this moment, hastily manipulating the sail to slow down the boat.

  In an instant, a "whooshing" sound was heard, and Liu Ziqiu emerged from the water with his head held high, one hand holding up the leather ball, shouting: "Catch!"

  The ball fell right in front of the little girl. The little girl saw the ball and suddenly burst out crying loudly.

  Zhang San quickly put down the rope and pulled Liu Ziqiu up, saying with a lingering fear: "If it weren't for my brother, something big would have happened this time..."

  At this time, a young man walked up to Liu Ziqiu and bowed deeply, saying: "Thank you, brave warrior, for saving my little sister."

  Just now he saw this thrilling scene in the cabin, and was so frightened that he was at his wit's end. It wasn't until now that he came to himself, but instead of looking at Little Sister, he first came to thank Liu Ziqiu, which is the demeanor and cultivation of a noble family son.

  Liu Ziqiu looked at the young man, who had a clear and elegant appearance, was dressed in bright clothes, and had two timid maids following behind him. It was obvious that he came from a wealthy family. However, the young man's behavior was polite and courteous, which also added to Liu Ziqiu's good impression of him. Smiling, he replied: "It was just a small effort, no need to mention it. Young master should go see your sister first."

  After finishing speaking, Liu Ziqiu turned around and took off his upper garment. He exerted himself to wring out the water. This was his only set of clothes; last night he had crossed the Yangtze River, and with great difficulty had dried them off. Who would have thought that now they were wet again?

  The young man looked at Liu Ziqiu's movements, his muscles were tight and strong, but on his back, there were twenty or thirty large and small scars. He thought of his agile movements just now and couldn't help but secretly admire him. He turned around and beckoned to the little girl who had been rescued, saying: "Guanyin, come quickly and thank the benefactor."

  The girl who was called Guanyin suddenly stopped crying, walked over with the leather ball in her arms, and bowed to Liu Ziqiu without saying a word. The young man saw that the ball was still dripping water, soaking Guanyin's clothes, and hurriedly tried to take it away. Guanyin only held on tightly, refusing to let go.

  Liu Ziqiu put the half-dry clothes back on his body, then turned around and smiled: "Little sister, give the ball to your brother, I'll make a better one for you when I have time."

  Guanyin stretched out her hands and handed the ball over to Liu Ziqing.

  Liu Ziqiu took the ball and said: "It's windy outside, be careful not to catch a cold, hurry up and go into the cabin."

  This time Guanyin's maid did not listen to his advice, pulled his hem and refused to move.

  Liu Ziqiu knew that this was a natural reaction of the little girl who had narrowly escaped death, suffered a shock and lacked a sense of security, and couldn't help but turn her head to look at Zhang San.

  Zhang San knew that this family was a high-ranking official in the court, and Liu Ziqiu had saved the young lady of the house. In the future, he would definitely receive heavy thanks, and he himself might also have to fawn on him. He couldn't help but say: "Big Cow brother, you go ahead, I'll be outside."

  After finishing speaking, Zhang San quickly reorganized the ropes and adjusted the sail to continue sailing, as if Liu Ziqiu was the boss, and he became a helper.

  Upon entering the cabin, the young man thanked him again: "If it weren't for your heroic rescue, my sister would probably be dead by now, and I wouldn't have the face to see my father."

  "Is it Wuji?" Liu Ziqiu suddenly thought of Jin Yong's Zhang Wuji, and was about to laugh, when he suddenly remembered the two words "Chang Sun" on the small flag at the bow of the boat. He was shocked and couldn't help but ask, "Are you Chang Sun Wuji?"

  The boy nodded slightly.

  Liu Ziqiu couldn't help but feel secretly excited. The 11 or 12-year-old boy in front of him was actually the eldest grandson of Longyuan Pavilion's 24 meritorious officials, Changsun Wuji. That was an even more formidable figure than Yuan Tiangong! Li Shimin was able to sit on the throne of the Tang Empire, and this Changsun Wuji could be said to have made the greatest contribution! He didn't expect that he was now just an 11 or 12-year-old boy. So the little girl he had just hugged was actually the famous Empress Changsun? If they took a photo together...

  Just as Liu Ziqiu was lost in thought, the one called Guanyin had changed into a clean set of clothes and walked in from the rear cabin. As children of wealthy families, they naturally wouldn't be as shabby as Liu Ziqiu, who only had one set of clothes.

  Guanyin walked to the side of Changsun Wuji, sat down quietly and didn't say a word. After all, she was from a prestigious family, at this moment, there wasn't a hint of fear on her face, recovering so quickly that even Liu Ziqiu was secretly surprised, asking: "Are you Changsun Wuguo?"

  The girl hung her head and said softly: "My name is Guanyin Bi, not Changsun Wuque."

  In the TV series, the name of Empress Longsun is indeed Wu Guo. Liu Ziqiu was suddenly uncertain again. Since ancient times, there have been many people with the same name and surname. If she wasn't Longsun Wu Guo, then this Longsun Wu Jie would not be that Longsun Wu Jie.

  Guanyin's maid looked up and asked: "Big brother, how do you write the word 'dirty'?"

  Liu Ziqiu said without hesitation: "It's just the filthy part of the filth."

  "That's the dirty thing." The girl was a little disappointed, but suddenly became happy again, clapping her hands and saying, "Isn't Wu Guan not having any dirty things, being spotless? This name is good, I also want to be called Zhang Sun Wu Guan!"

  Liu Ziqiu was shocked and inadvertently helped Empress Longsun choose a name.

  But then Chang Sun Wuji shouted: "Guanyin's maid, don't be unruly!"

  Guanyin's maid was not afraid of her elder brother, made a ghost face and said: "No, after going back I will tell father, from now on I will be called Zhangsun Wuque!"

  The boat slowly sailed into the Huanggou River, where there were many hidden reefs, requiring extra caution. Liu Ziqiu heard Zhang San's call and stood up to bid farewell, going to the bow of the boat to help. In fact, although he was the lifesaver of Guanyin, his identity was ultimately just a boatman, and in this era of strict social hierarchy, the Longsun Wuji siblings could not possibly let him stay in the cabin for long.

  After traveling for several days, they crossed the Huai River and entered the Tongji Canal. Following the Tongji Canal northwest, they would eventually arrive in Luoyang.

  Liu Ziqiu held a long pole, working hard to steer the bow and adjust the direction, when he heard a sigh from behind. Liu Ziqiu turned his head to look, but it was Zhangsun Wuji standing there, and he couldn't help but ask: "Zhangsun Gongzi, why are you feeling melancholy?"

  Nor did he know what reason, Changsun Wuji always had no guard against Liu Ziqiu, and said bluntly: "Do you know how many people died for this Tongji Canal?"