The people on the boat were both looking forward to the arrival of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family, but they also felt that there was no hope. All of them were clearly afraid of death, but at the last moment, they had decided to ignite the reed marsh.
With this mentality, their voices grew quieter and quieter, their mood gradually sinking. Occasionally, some of them would even sigh.
Zhang Xiaobao stood below the boat, feeling admiration for these people. Calmly facing death and generously sacrificing their lives for justice were easy to say, but extremely difficult to do. At the very least, Hu Liang and his eight sworn brothers could not do such a thing.
They very much wanted to live and see their families, but when faced with the most important choice in life, they chose to die together. At this moment, the radiance of humanity illuminated Zhang Xiaobao's heart.
Zhang Xiaobao was keenly aware that although these people were speaking softly and sighing, it was precisely because of this state that they had chosen to act at the last moment. When a person had already lost all hope, they would stake everything on a single throw.
Just like some of the murderers in his and Wang Juan's time, murderers were usually bullied by others. Every time they were bullied, they had to endure it. When they finally realized that no matter what, they would not be able to do it, they would have to take a different path.
Thus, Zhang Xiaobao was worried that when he returned to find his family, his eight brothers would not be able to hold themselves back and act first. Although the results were good, and his family would definitely discover the situation here, the price of eight people willing to sacrifice their lives for the Great Tang was simply too great.
After some consideration, Zhang Xiaobao decided to reveal his identity and put his eight brothers at ease. However, he had to think of a good plan. Otherwise, if the people above suddenly discovered him, it would be easy for them to cry out in alarm.
If that was the case, he could only choose to take out his gun and act, thus alerting the enemy and allowing them to escape. He would not be able to grasp anything useful, and he would not even be able to see the face of the enemy's leader.
After thinking for a while, Zhang Xiaobao finally made his move. Diving back into the water, under the cover of darkness, he left the boat and ran to a place where there was no one.
He took out a small knife and began to cut the reeds. He cut them one by one and tied them all together. It didn't take too long for a mat made of reeds to appear.
Zhang Xiaobao didn't expect the green reed cushion to be very comfortable to sit on, and it was impossible for him to sell it. He just wanted to use it now.
He placed the cushion on top of the mud and climbed up. This way, he didn't have to worry about sinking into the mud.
He then took out a silk thread from his backpack. The silk thread was very strong and was a common item in the special forces. If a few strands of silk were entangled together, it could support the weight of a person. This was because the craftsmanship was not good enough. If it were him, one strand would be enough.
At the same time, the silk thread could also be used to sew up wounds. When there was an external injury, using this kind of thread would not help even if there were bacteria. It was better than directly dying from excessive bleeding.
The third function was to tie up the enemy and kill people. It could be used as a normal rope or to strangle the enemy's neck. If the neck was strangled by the silk thread, not only would it be impossible to make a sound from the mouth, but it would also not be as easy to resist as if it was strangled by a rope. The thread was too thin, and the hand of the person who was strangled would not be able to exert any strength at all.
Zhang Xiaobao wanted to use another function, and that was fishing. Catching fish in the water in the reed marsh with his bare hands required luck. He might not be able to catch it in a short time, and he couldn't wait.
Soon, Zhang Xiaobao hooked the fishing line. The hook was connected to the line. It was a needle used to sew wounds. Of course, this needle could also be used as a weapon to stab into the spinal cord of the enemy's neck. One needle could directly destroy a person's life system. The prerequisite was that the needle had to be able to pierce into the body and accurately.
He hung the earthworm that he found in the mud, tied a small bead that emitted a night light not far from the hook, threw it into the water, and began to wait patiently.
With the attraction of the fluorescent column, the fish would naturally come over. After a while, Zhang Xiaobao felt a pulling force from the line. He pulled the line fiercely, and a fish that weighed one catty was pulled out by Zhang Xiaobao. He smashed the fish's head twice, and the fish died directly.
Zhang Xiaobao took out the rice seedling symbol from his bag, firmly tied the fish with the line, cut the line, and swam towards the previous boat.
When he was about ten meters away from the boat, Xiaobao threw the fish out. The fish flew in an arc and landed in front of the boat, making splashing sounds as it hit the water.
The sound startled several people at the bow, and they suddenly stopped talking. One by one, they vigilantly looked in the direction of the sound.
Zhang Xiaobao dived into the water and swam over to fish the fish out of the water. Once again, he came to a place where no one could see and repeated the action just now.
When the fish fell into the water, under the moonlight and the reflection of the water, several people at the bow found the village of the fish.
"The fish is tired of staying in the water, so it jumped up to take a breath." Lao Wu said with a prescient look.
The others also thought so and calmed down.
Zhang Xiaobao dived over again and repeated the action just now. The splashing sound was still the same, but this time, it was closer to the bow, making the people on the bow startled again.
This happened several times, and each time it was closer than the previous time. The people at the bow began to become interested, and their eyes stared at the place where the fish might fall into the water.
"If it jumps again, maybe it will jump to the boat. Just catch it and eat it." Lao Wu said with a smile.
The others also thought it was fun. It was late at night, and the fish was not idle. They had been bored for many days, so it was interesting to see if the fish had a bad idea and jumped up.
When Xiaobao threw the fish again, they finally realized that something was wrong. The fish didn't seem to have jumped out from the water. At least, it didn't jump out from the water in front of them. It seemed to have come from somewhere else.
"Fish can fly? I heard that there are several kinds of fish in the sea that can fly out of the water, but I haven't seen any in the lake. Let's see where it came from. "Lao Wu still said heartlessly.
Hu Liang, who was relatively smart, realized that something was wrong. He whispered to the others, "Pay attention, there's a situation. Look again."
After Hu Liang's reminder, several people became alert and stared at the water suspiciously.
At this time, Zhang Xiaobao swam over again and reached out to catch the fish. The fish was still faintly floating on the water, and Hu Liang and the others' eyes instantly widened. They saw a vague shadow under the water.
If it were not for the previous few times when fish fell into the water, they would definitely cry out in surprise when they suddenly saw the shadow. However, this time, they watched attentively, wanting to know what the shadow was. At the same time, they even softened their breathing and stared without blinking.
Zhang Xiaobao dove down, and finally, his figure could not be seen on the water surface. At the same time, the fish was gone.
"What was that?" Lao Wu shivered and asked softly. The others shook their heads, indicating that they did not know, but their eyes widened even more.
Just as they were still looking at the water and paying attention to the place where the fish might have flown out, the fish appeared in front of them under the moonlight. However, it did not fall into the water, but flew towards where they were.
With a bang, the fish landed on the deck. Several people looked at each other, and no one made a sound. Their eyes swept over the fish, and then looked at the place where the fish seemed to have flown from. They found that it flew out from a place under the boat that could not be seen, and they were all very surprised.
"Let me see, you guys don't move. There's probably a problem," Hu Liang whispered, slowly moved two steps, squatted down and looked down at the fish.
At this time, he could finally see that something was tied to the fish. He was usually very smart, but the first thing he thought of was who tied something to the fish, what was the purpose, and why did they throw it on the boat?
After thinking for a while, he immediately became excited because he had already guessed a little, but he was still not sure. If it was someone from the organization on the boat, why would they spend so much effort to play with people? Then, it seemed that only the omnipotent Zhang Family and Wang Family's intelligence system could do such a thing.
Holding back the surprise and expectation in his heart, Hu Liang reached out and picked up the fish. He looked at it under the moonlight and saw a piece of iron with the word "Bao" written in the middle of it.
Seeing this word, even if he was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. Hiss! Suddenly, he used one hand to cover his mouth, and his eyes widened.
"Old Eight, how is it? What fish?" Old Five's voice came.
When Hu Liang Fang came over to cover his mouth, he gasped for breath. He pulled the tag off the fish and cut the fish. After all, he couldn't untie the string, and he didn't want to let the tag stay on the fish. If someone came over and saw it, it would be exposed.
After a few breaths, Hu Liang calmed himself down and looked at the side of the boat that couldn't be seen. He took the fish and turned back to the few people, and said to them, "I'll tell you something. Now, shut up. No matter what I say, you are not allowed to make any noise. Otherwise … we will kill someone, or we will alert the enemy."
When they heard Hu Liang's words, they were shocked. Under the moonlight, they observed Hu Liang's expression. Seeing Hu Liang's serious expression, they nodded one after another. They stretched out their hands and covered their mouths one by one. They also took deep breaths to let themselves be in a nervous state.
Seeing that the brothers were ready, Hu Liang said, "Let me tell you a piece of good news. The people from the Zhang Family and Wang Family have found us. The fish just now had their mark on it."
As expected, the expressions of the few people tensed up, but because they were already prepared, they were still able to control themselves.
Hu Liang nodded and said, "There is another piece of news that is even more shocking, so …"
The few people covered their mouths and nodded at the same time, meaning that they understood. Just say it, we can handle it.
"The person who came was none other than Zhang ~ Xiao ~ Bao." Hu Liang dragged out the last three words.
"Ugh!" Lao Wu almost couldn't catch his breath and it was stuck in his throat. It was so painful that he covered his mouth with one hand and pinched his throat with the other. His face was red, just like when you sneezed but didn't let the air out. Instead, you held it in your mouth.
The other people's expressions were also different. They looked at Hu Liang in disbelief. Was it possible?
Hu Liang didn't continue to speak this time. Instead, he picked up the mark on the fish, put it in his palm, and spread it out for everyone to see. The people who were blocking the moonlight moved aside. When the light shone on the mark, the clear pattern of the rice seedlings and the word "treasure" in the middle appeared in front of their eyes.
The few people were stunned for a moment. After a while, Lao Wu released the hand that was covering his mouth and gasped for breath. He was surprised and tried to suppress his voice as he said, "Zhang Xiaobao came in person? He is really awesome. How did he find us? "
Lao Wu said the word "advanced" that was spread by Zhang Xiaobao. The surprise on his face didn't change.
"Indeed, when we came here, we were blindfolded. Then, we changed many times before we got on the boat. We also saw how the others looked when they got on the boat. It was so troublesome. How did Xiao Bao follow them? Most importantly, when the boat carried people here, many people jumped into the water to look for people who were following them underwater.
Today, during the day, there was indeed a person who came. I remember that his surname was Xu. Could it be that Xiao Bao followed him here? That's too awesome. It seems that Xiao Bao felt that his family's spies were always useless, so he personally took action.
I have learned something new. In the past, I always heard people say that the two of them are so awesome. Anything that they personally do, there is nothing that they can't do. Today, I finally know what it means to have a good reputation. "
Lao Wu also nodded. He was surprised and happy. No matter how Zhang Xiaobao came, he definitely came. Then, did that mean that they didn't have to set the reed marsh on fire and die?
Lao Qi also said at this time, "Xiao Bao should be in the water now, right? Don't just talk by yourself. The two of you go and look at him. The water is very cold now. Is he hungry? Is that why he asked us to find a way to get him something to eat? "
Hu Liang glanced at Lao Qi and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "How can he be hungry? He can eat the fish. If he is thirsty, there is the water in the lake. This water is fresh water, unlike the seawater in the sea, which can't be drunk. I will go and look at him. You guys stay here and don't move."
After saying that, Hu Liang glanced at the entrance of the cabin. Some of his brothers were standing guard there. They were fine for the time being, so he was relieved. He squatted down and moved to the side of the boat where the fish flew out from.
Lao Wu, who was behind him, didn't forget to chime in. "That's right. Lao Qi, you are wrong. Fish can be eaten raw. Their training includes eating raw things. How can Xiao Bao not eat raw fish? I don't believe it. Xiao Bao is the best. Otherwise, he wouldn't have found us."
Hu Liang did not care about what Xiaobao said. He came to the side of the boat and poked his head out to look down. Xiaobao, on the other hand, was looking up. He had done everything he could. If the other party was still not calm enough, then there was nothing he could do.
Hu Liang had already told himself not to be nervous, but when he saw the face looking up at him, he still gasped in surprise. Then, he asked softly, "Are you Young Master Xiao Bao? I am Hu Liang. "
"I know who you are. I am Zhang Xiaobao. Today, I just came here with the person surnamed Xu. I heard you guys talking about setting the reed marshes on fire. I was afraid that you guys wouldn't be able to take it and would take action in advance. I gave you guys a heads-up. Don't do anything. Wait for me.
I will come back with you guys. Early tomorrow morning, I promise that we will be there. Look at the signal. There will be a hot air balloon floating in the sky. When the time comes, don't worry about the camouflage on the boat. Pretend that nothing happened. Wait for the hot air balloon to release a dazzling light. Then, you guys will jump into the water together.
Got it? "Zhang Xiaobao didn't have much time to exchange pleasantries with others. He directly explained his plan.
Hu Liang nodded repeatedly. "Got it. Young Master Xiao Bao, y-you can still swim back? Why don't we think of a way to let you rest? "
When he asked this question, he knew that it was useless. Zhang Xiaobao couldn't possibly rest. Moreover, it would be very difficult for them to find a place for Zhang Xiaobao to rest.
Sure enough, Zhang Xiaobao shook his head and said, "No need. I will leave immediately. You guys must remember that you are not allowed to set the reed marshes on fire."
After saying this, Zhang Xiaobao's head sank and disappeared from Hu Liang's sight.
Hu Liang stared at the place where Zhang Xiaobao disappeared for a while. He didn't see which direction Zhang Xiaobao had left in. He only knew that he had left, so he stood up again and returned to his brothers with a happy expression.
"Did you see that? Old Eight, did Zhang Xiaobao transform into a fish-like body?" Old Five saw Hu Liang come over and whispered to him.
"Transform what? Transform into a fish? Why don't you say he turned into a bird? Birds can fly, but fish can only swim. "Hu Liang was in a good mood so he also joked.
"Hehe, birds are fine as long as they can come over. That's great. We don't have to worry about dying now. Did he bring soldiers? Oh, he definitely didn't. If he did, they would have already surrounded this place. Why would he be so careful like now? Sigh.
I didn't expect that the person who came to save us would be Xiao Bao. He is so precious, but he personally came. Just based on his ability to come, I won't even frown if he wants me to die in the future. "
Old Five happily said and also guaranteed that he would face death with equanimity.
"If you don't believe me, you won't frown." Old Seven said.
"Why wouldn't I believe it? Because my eyes were closed the entire time. I wouldn't know when I died." Old Five retorted.
*****
Zhang Xiaobao had no time to think about how Hu Liang and the others felt. He was still swimming in the water. He had to find a boat quickly and then let the people on the boat take him back so that he could arrange for people to help him.
There were not many people fishing in the lake at night. Even if there were, they generally wanted to catch prawns. In the past, it was not bad to have someone fishing for prawns at night because they needed light to catch prawns at night.
The light from the ignition could illuminate a large area, but there were also many insects. Generally, the cold light had the best effect. However, the technology in the past was not good enough to get so many fluorescent stones.
Fluorescent stones were not very valuable now. They could not be used to light up the area, but it was absolutely no problem to use them to lure prawns. Put them in a net, then sink them into the water or put them in a basket of prawns. Put something inside that could emit a smell of oil, and the prawns would be attracted.
Therefore, if people wanted prawns at night, they would come out. However, who would go so far? There were many better places beside the reed marsh. It was not like Zhang Xiaobao's time now. The lake was almost empty, not to mention the fish and prawns inside. Right now, whether it was Poyang Lake or Dongting Lake, both were very good.
If there was a strong wind, the waves would not be worse than the sea. If it was not calm at night, even boats would not dare to go there.
Zhang Xiaobao now wanted to see how his luck was. He hoped that he could meet a fishing boat. Otherwise, he could only swim back. His body could bear it, but once he went back, he would not be able to recover for two or three days.
In the night, Zhang Xiaobao still swam towards the shore in a straight line. As for whether he could meet a boat on the way, it depended on whether the boat was good enough.
When he came here, Zhang Xiaobao swam for a long time, but if he went back in a straight line, it would definitely not take so much time. This was because Zhang Xiaobao knew that the other party took a long detour to get there. Otherwise, it would be easy to be discovered.
Therefore, Zhang Xiaobao adjusted his physical state and breathing. His speed was not the fastest, but it was not slow either. He moved forward towards the dark place in front of him.
After swimming for about half an hour, Zhang Xiaobao was about to stop. When he took out something from his backpack to eat and recover his strength, a faint flame appeared in front of him.
After seeing the flame, Zhang Xiaobao gave up the idea of eating. He estimated that it would take about a quarter of an hour to swim there, so he took a deep breath and swam towards the flame with all his strength regardless of the consumption of his physical strength.
*****
Xu Shan was in a good mood tonight. Since it was dark until now, he had already caught twenty pounds of prawns, and the smallest one was one and a half inches long.
When dawn came, he should be able to get fifty pounds of prawns. Then, he would row the boat to the shore and send it to the children in the school.
Two days ago, there were children who said that they wanted to eat braised prawns. However, the two days before and yesterday, he also needed to live, so he did not catch many prawns.
Today, he finally had some free time and could give the children a good meal. As for the other spices, they would be prepared by the people who were also responsible for providing food for the children in the school.
He could not bear all the food for all the children in the school, so he could only send food back every few days. Other times, other people would be responsible for it. Just like him, when they were busy with their daily needs, they would free up time to find food for the children.
At noon tomorrow, all the children in the school, including the two in his family, would be able to eat fragrant and fresh prawns. Every time he saw the smiles on the children's faces, he would be very happy. When he was young, he didn't do much in the morning.
Not to mention that there were people who provided all kinds of things, he could not even find anyone to teach him how to read. Children these days could be called happy.
Of course, at that time, he did not have the Zhang Family and the Wang Family, nor did he have Xiao Bao and Cuckoo who were officials in the county. It was the two of them who proposed the morning activities, and then the whole Tang Empire immediately followed suit and built schools one after another.
When the children grew up and learned, the Tang Empire would stand tall between the heavens and the earth, and the small countries around it would not be able to shake it.
Although a lot of mosquitoes were attracted by the lanterns at night, he had applied medicine on his body, so he was not afraid. Occasionally, a few would fly over, and even if they bit him, it would be fine.
Xu Shan thought to himself. The net that was put into the water did not seem to be catching the prawns, but rather hope. Thinking of this, he could not help but hum a little song that he thought was very pleasant to hear. It was a song that he had heard outside the brothel. The girls sang it well, and the scholars sang along as well.
Learned, humph, who is not learned now? His two children were also learned. During the examination, they could rank in the top ten in the school. The people in the future would definitely be learned, but the most capable ones could only be Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. They were the top civil and military scholars.
Come, all the prawns come, you are helping the children of the Tang Empire. Huh? What is that on the water in the distance? It was sinking and floating. If not for his good eyesight, he would not have noticed it.
It was coming, coming towards his boat. Fish? It did not look like it. Such a big fish swimming in the water at night?
A water monster? It should be. Oh, my god, is the water monster coming to eat people? He was a good person, and it could not eat him. If he was not a good person, he could not smoothly come out to catch prawns. Now the county was strict. If he did not have the certificate to provide things to the school, he would not be allowed to come out in the same boat at night.
When Xu Shan was thinking about the good thing, he found that there was something in the water that was quickly approaching the boat. He could not help but worry. He thought over and over again that he was a good person, and that water monsters should not eat good people.
After waiting for the undulating thing to continue to approach for a while, Xu Shan finally realized that he could not wait foolishly. He had to run.
So he put away the net and the cage as fast as he could, ran to the back of the boat, and rowed the oar to run in the other direction.
Zhang Xiaobao increased his speed to the maximum. As he was getting closer, he could even see the outline of the person's face under the lantern. Just as he was feeling happy, he suddenly found that the person began to put away the things and was about to leave.
Zhang Xiaobao immediately understood why the person did that. Maybe the person did not see him clearly and thought that he was a dangerous creature. The idea of leaving was right, but if he left, what should he do? He had already used all his strength. Should he float, adjust, and then swim back?
In a hurry, Zhang Xiaobao did not care too much. He shouted toward that direction, "Wait, don't go."
"Wait? If I wait, you will catch up with me. If I don't go, do you think I will still be alive? " When Xu Shan heard the voice, the first thing that came to his mind was this, so he rowed the boat harder and shouted at Zhang Xiaobao.
"I am not a monster. Stop, give me a ride," Zhang Xiaobao saw that the other party had no intention of stopping, so he shouted again.
"How can a water monster say that he is a water monster? Give you a ride? If I give you a ride, you will kill me," Xu Shan shouted back again.
"You stop. Your water monster can speak human language? If I am a real water monster, I will let you see it. Are you stupid? The water monster will attack you in the water. I am a human. Only humans can't stay in the water all the time. I am swimming. Okay, I will tell you my identity. I am Zhang Xiaobao, Zhang Xiaobao from the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang family of San Shui County. "
Zhang Xiaobao was really helpless. It was not easy to find a boat, but the person rowing it was actually timid and stupid.
"Who knows if a water monster like you can't attack me in the water? You are Xiao Bao. Even if you are Cuckoo, I will not stop. Don't lie to me. I am very smart." Xu Shan continued to shout. His hands were not idle, and the oar was being rowed by him.
Zhang Xiaobao was about to cry. Fortunately, the speed of the boat was not as fast as his speed of swimming. This was a fishing boat, not a boat race. Otherwise, he would have no hope at all.
As he continued chasing, Zhang Xiaobao shouted, "I'm really Zhang Xiaobao! I'm here to find out who's causing trouble! If you don't stop now and delay Great Tang's matters, you'll regret it for the rest of your life! If you stop now, you'll just be cheated and eaten by the water monster. Choose between Great Tang's luck and your life!"
Hearing this shout, Xu Shan paused and hesitated. He knew that he was indeed investigating the people who were causing trouble for Tang recently. Those people even wanted to kill Xiao Bei and the other children. Maybe it was really the people from the Zhang Family and Wang Family. But why would Xiao Bao come out personally?
Choice, choice. Tang's luck and my life. If I have to choose, how should I choose? If it is true, I will regret it for the rest of my life if I delay the other party's matter. If it is false, I will lose my life.
Xu Shan began to think, and his hand movements slowed down. A matter of stopping the boat to get people out had become a matter of life and death between Tang and himself.
Zhang Xiaobao saw that he slowed down and continued, "I am right, right? Think about it carefully. Which water monster knows about the affairs of the human world? Then the water monster will become a spirit. Why would it care about eating you, right? "
"Yes, you are really not a water monster?" Xu Shan asked again.
"No, definitely not. I am a human. I am Zhang Xiaobao." Zhang Xiaobao clenched his teeth and said.
"Then why did you come out personally? Tell me, what is your sister's name? "Xu Shan continued to ask.
"Zhang Bei. If I don't come out, how can I find the enemy? My subordinates are not doing their job well." Zhang Xiaobao could only answer. Otherwise, they would not have stopped the boat.
"Then you are really Xiao Bao. Then tell me again. Five plus six plus three plus two plus seven, what is it? Let me tell you, Xiao Bao is very good at calculating. He will definitely be able to calculate it."
Xu Shan thought hard and thought of a profound mathematical problem. At least the water monster should not be able to solve it.
"It is twenty-three." Zhang Xiaobao was so angry that he almost sank down.
"Is it twenty-three? Why am I twenty-two? "Xu Shan did not understand it himself just now.
"It is twenty-three, really. Look, five plus six is eleven, three is fourteen, and two is sixteen. Sixteen plus seven is twenty-three, right?"
"Yes, that's right. Then you are Xiao Bao. Haha, Xiao Bao can actually meet me at night? God, you're too good to me. Xiaobao, I believe you. Tell me, have you made any progress on the matter you're investigating? "
"Yes, I found their place and am rushing back. I will call someone to deal with them together."
"Then you've really worked hard. Xiao Bao, let me tell you, the two children in my family admire you the most. Really, I also admire you. I don't think much of others."
"Thank you, I will work harder in the future."
"Xiao Bao, where are they? Can your people rush over? "
"Yes, they are in a reed marsh. There is a reed marsh. I remember the place."
"Xiao Bao, you are so good. How did you find them?"
"Can you stop the boat and let me go up? I will tell you while resting. You are exhausting me. "
*****
The boat began to move towards the shore. Zhang Xiaobao had changed into his original clothes and was now wearing a cloth that gave off an unknown smell. He was holding a chipped bowl in his hand and inside it was boiling hot ginger water.
"Lil 'Bao, I really didn't expect it to be you at first. I'm sorry. If I had known, I would have gone to pick you up. I wouldn't have let you swim over. If you blame me, I'll accept it. I'm a person …"
Zhang Xiaobao drank the water while Xu Shan was apologizing to Zhang Xiaobao while he was rowing the boat.
Zhang Xiaobao listened to Xu Shan helplessly. He had already said many times that he did not blame him, but he still apologized. After a few words, he changed the topic.
Zhang Xiaobao did not say that he did not need to apologize. He was exhausted just now. Not only did he have to swim, but he also had to shout. If it was a normal person, he would have drowned.
Now that he had time to rest, Zhang Xiaobao began to think about how to deal with the situation there. The reed marsh was a good place to hide. Not only was it hidden, but the reed marsh in the lake was also very large.
Even if he specially arranged for people to investigate, they would not be able to find it under normal circumstances. Moreover, the lake was not very strict. It was not that his family did not do their best, but the terrain of the entire Jiangzhou was too complicated.
Not only was there a lake, but it was also surrounded by mountains, especially Mount Lu. It should be the focus of his family's investigation. If the enemy was hiding in Mount Lu, it would be very difficult to find them. Who would guess that the enemy was right under their nose?
Now that they had found the location, did it mean that the enemy was there? What if the enemy had a hiding place elsewhere? Once this place was cleaned up, the people elsewhere would notice and move away.
It seemed that they had to take action, but the area affected had to be small. It was best not to let others notice. They also could not send out too many hot air balloons in the sky. They had to pretend that they were just passing by.
There was also a fleet that was not in the lake. There were only a few armed ships at Dongting Lake. They were probably targeted by the enemy, so they could not be mobilized.
As such, the only way was to send people over and take action on the water and underwater at the same time to not give the enemy a chance to escape. As for the ships used … a fishing boat like Xu Shan's would be good.
Zhang Xiaobao had a plan in mind. He interrupted Xu Shan, who was still apologizing, and asked, "Xu Shan, let me ask you something. How many fishing boats do you know?"
"Ah? Xiao Bao, there are many. Look at how big the lake is. There are many people who live by the lake. It's just that the inspection is very strict recently. Ordinary boats can't come out easily. If they want to come out, they are not allowed to come out alone. They have to listen to the arrangements of your people and temporarily form a team with other boats.
I am only allowed to come out alone because I am delivering things to the school. I can guarantee that. Your people can rest assured. Xiao Bao, what happened before … "
After Xu Shan answered a few words, he began to apologize again.
"Then do you know who can be trusted? We need to use your fishing boats to send people to the place. Otherwise, if armed ships and a large number of hot air balloons appear, the enemy hiding elsewhere may notice and escape. "
Zhang Xiaobao did not wait for Xu Shan to finish apologizing and asked again.
Xu Shan's hand movements slowed down. He looked up at the sky and rolled his eyes. He seemed to be thinking about who he knew as a fisherman and who he didn't.
After thinking for a while, he nodded and said, "There are many differences. Anyway, if they are not reliable, don't look for them. I know a lot of people. How many people do you want to send? I will call a boat for you. Just say that you need their help to catch a school of big fish. Whether they believe it or not, just let them come out first. "
"No. If it is a school of fish, if you don't follow them in the lake, no one will believe that you can find it. You can change the reason. Say … say that the Zhang Family and the Wang Family want to eat a certain kind of fish. That kind of fish is rare in the lake. You can ask them to catch that kind of fish.
As for my people, each ship can hold ten people. If we squeeze together, we can squeeze thirteen people without being discovered. You can get sixty ships. I estimate that it should be enough for seven hundred people. "
Zhang Xiaobao came up with a new excuse and said the number of boats he needed.
"Okay, sixty boats. Your people need to find a place first. After we come out, we will pick you up there. Don't let the bad guys find you."
Xu Shan agreed without hesitation. It seemed that he was quite popular among the fishermen. He was able to find sixty boats just like that.
Zhang Xiaobao naturally agreed. He discussed with Xu Shan where to get on the boats. Then he talked with Xu Shan about the situation of his family, especially about his children.
It was not that Zhang Xiaobao wanted to chat. He did not want to hear Xu Shan continue to apologize. He had to change the topic. Otherwise, his ears would ring.
With the boats, Zhang Xiaobao returned quickly. In short sprints, the speed of a fishing boat was not as fast as his swimming speed. But for long distances, he could not maintain the same speed.
When it was three quarters to one in the morning, Zhang Xiaobao stood on the shore and found a family with a horse. Xu Shan knew them. He knocked on the door and asked Xu Shan to be his guarantor. At the same time, he left money as a deposit. Zhang Xiaobao rode his horse to Wang Juan's courtyard.
He did not dare to borrow a horse from the local government. Once his identity was exposed, there would be people in the local government. It was estimated that from the county magistrate to the registrar, no one was a good person. They were all frightened by the tricks of the other party. For example, the appearance of the shadow of the immortal and other deceptive things.
In addition, smoking made people hallucinate. A little psychological suggestion could achieve a good effect. Ignorance, this was ignorance.
But it had nothing to do with knowledge. Not to mention the people now, even the officials of that time were still fooled. Zhang Xiaobao also used this method to deceive people. He played it better than the other party. The other party probably played a long distance, but he played a short distance. It was like magic.
After this time, when he was done, no one in the local government would be safe, including the family surnamed Xu. It was fine to take drugs, and it was fine to be deceived, but the crime of going against the Tang Empire could not be avoided, no matter what the reason was.
Zhang Xiaobao made up his mind and sped up.
Xu Shan did not rest and went to find people he knew. He told them one by one that they would set off the boat tomorrow morning. He said that the mission was given by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
Those who were found by him readily agreed. No one refused. They were not only giving him face, but also willing to help Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan improve their diet.
If Xu Shan did not use the name of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, but the name of the local government, saying that the county magistrate wanted to eat whatever fish, the result would definitely not be like this. Those who were found by him would definitely blame him for finding them.
Even if they had to go fishing in the end, they would curse in their hearts. They could not treat the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan the same way.
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