Chapter 33: The River Bandits Take the Bait

Not long after the fleet led by Qin Song set sail, the informants planted by the water bandit Wang Long at the port relayed the news immediately. The speed at which these informants traveled was far faster than Qin Song’s fleet, and the information reached Wang Long that very evening.

If one were to sail north from Yuezhou Port along the great river, one would encounter a vast stretch of plains after a day’s journey. As the river currents slowed through this region, they left behind extensive swamplands. This was the hideout for the majority of the water bandits in Jiangnan Prefecture, and Wang Long and his gang were naturally among them.

Stretching out from these swamplands was an endless expanse of reeds, growing several meters high. A closer look would reveal a lone figure maneuvering a peculiar small boat through narrow paths carved into the reeds. Hidden within these reeds were small huts where other bandits kept constant watch. This scout made his way out of the reeds and eventually reached the shore, which bordered a vast, primeval forest. Deep within this forest lay a village, constructed entirely from locally sourced wood and reeds.

This was the lair of the most notorious bandit in Jiangnan Prefecture, the man known as "Dragon of the Waves," Wang Long. Throughout the village, fierce-looking bandits wandered, bare-chested and often barefoot. In the largest hut at the center of the village, a shrill, harrowing scream rang out, followed by a tattered young woman bolting from the room. She was immediately surrounded by bandits, who leered at her with malicious intent.

"Please, I beg you, spare me! My father has so much wealth..." Judging by the remnants of her clothing, she had evidently been a daughter of a wealthy family.

"We’ll take the money!" one bandit sneered. "And I’ll take you!"

As the girl knelt and begged, a tall figure emerged from the hut, his bare torso covered in various scars. It was Wang Long himself.

"Running away?" With a grimace, Wang Long strode over and slapped the girl to the ground. He then grabbed her by the hair and, amidst her screams, dragged her back into the hut. Soon after, the girl’s heart-wrenching wails echoed from within, accompanied by Wang Long’s brutal laughter.

After a long while, a satisfied Wang Long emerged, and the other bandits, who had been waiting outside, scrambled to rush into the hut. Nearby, in the cultivated fields, a dozen women in rags continued their work with wooden, soulless expressions, their ears filled with the girl’s desperate cries.

"Boss! Boss!" the informant panted as he reached Wang Long. "The Qin family’s ships have set sail, and the young master of the Qin family is on board!"

"Excellent!" Wang Long’s eyes lit up. "I just finished off the old man, and the brat delivers himself right to my doorstep! Not only will we seize the Qin family’s cargo, but we’ll also kidnap the young master. A noble Qin heir must be worth at least a hundred thousand taels of silver!" The surrounding bandits erupted in raucous cheers.

"Any unusual movements from the Great Xia navy?"

"Yesterday, Admiral Chu Haiyuan of the Yuezhou Navy led a detachment south for a routine patrol. The rest of the fleet is still in port; our brothers are keeping a close watch!"

"Good!" Wang Long bellowed with a grin. "Brothers, a big deal is coming! Once we capture the Qin merchant ships and kidnap their young master, we’ll get both the goods and a massive ransom! And here is more good news: it won't be long before we no longer have to fear the Great Xia navy. We will soon be granted amnesty by the imperial court and all be on the government payroll!" The bandits cheered wildly at this prospect.

*Jiang Yue, oh Jiang Yue,* Wang Long thought, *if you had only agreed to marry me, you would be a general’s wife by now, living in luxury. It’s a pity you didn't cherish the opportunity I gave you.* He felt a pang of regret for having killed her; he had desired her for a long time. In his mind, the severely wounded Jiang Yue had long since sunk to the bottom of the river to feed the fish.

"Eat and drink your fill, brothers! We strike tonight!" Wang Long shouted. "Tell the others: this Qin fleet is my prize!"

With his orders given, Wang Long led hundreds of bandits, taking advantage of the rising tide to steer dozens of small boats out of the reeds. Several larger vessels and various smaller craft remained hidden within the swamp. Once his forces were positioned, he dispatched more scouts disguised as fishermen to track the Qin fleet’s location.

Meanwhile, Qin Song had been slowing his pace as much as possible to wait for the naval detachment, which was disguised as a merchant fleet, to loop back north. Despite his caution, by the next morning, his three merchant ships had entered the heart of the bandit-infested waters.

The river was soon filled with small fishing boats. The men on board—the bandits in disguise—had no interest in fishing; their eyes were locked onto the Qin merchant ships. Standing at the bow, Qin Song felt a surge of anxiety.

Finally, that afternoon, a small fishing boat bearing a specific signal flag entered his field of vision. Qin Song’s spirits lifted. This was a plan he had devised: using colored signal flags to communicate distance between his fleet and the naval ships. By nightfall, the reinforcement fleet led by Chu Haiyuan was only an hour’s journey away.

Late that night, the three Qin ships were brightly lit. Qin Song sat in his cabin, unable to sleep.

"You should get some rest; I’ll keep watch," said Jiang Yue, who sat at a nearby table. They had spent the previous night in the same room without sleep, and Qin Song had only managed a short nap in Hu Shangdong’s cabin earlier that day.

"How can I sleep? I feel like hundreds of eyes are watching us from both banks," Qin Song replied.

He was right. Not far away, hidden in the reeds, Wang Long and his hundreds of men were watching the ships. "Boss, shall we move?" a subordinate asked, his eyes gleaming with greed.

"Not yet," Wang Long replied. "The Qin family is prepared and well-guarded. Wait until we deal with their merchant ships before we go after the others!"

As dawn approached, a thick fog rolled over the river, obliterating all visibility. This sudden change broke all plans but accelerated the coming battle.

"Young Master, it’s foggy!" Hu Shangdong, who hadn't slept all night, rushed into the cabin with a panicked expression. Qin Song, who had finally drifted off, was jolted awake, as was Jiang Yue, who instinctively grabbed her weapon.

"Signal the fleet to stop! Have the lead and tail ships close in on us—tie all three together!" Qin Song ordered, his heart sinking. "Uncle Hu, tell the guards to prepare. The bandits won't let this chance pass."

Wang Long, seeing the fog as a gift from heaven, led his hundreds of bandits in dozens of boats toward the center of the river. The only problem was that the fog was so dense that the bandits lost their targets, forced to navigate by the sounds of the ships.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

A series of gong strikes suddenly rang out in the fog, giving the bandits a direction. "Men, follow me!" Wang Long roared, standing at the prow of his boat with a large blade in hand.

On the merchant ship, Qin Song knew that the gong would draw the bandits like wild dogs, but he had no choice.

"Brother Qin!" Zhang Pengyuan, who had been hiding in the cabin, emerged onto the deck, looking shocked by the dense fog.

"Brother Zhang," Qin Song said, "remember the plan: no matter what happens, you and your men must not show yourselves until Wang Long appears. If you reveal your hand too early, our plan will be ruined. We must capture Wang Long alive!"

"Understood, be careful!" Zhang Pengyuan said, retreating back into the cabin to ready his men.

"Young Master, a ship is approaching!" Just as Zhang left, a merchant ship broke through the fog, followed soon by the other. The three ships were quickly lashed together. Hu Shangdong and his dozens of guards took their positions on deck, surrounding Qin Song and Jiang Yue.

The river fell into a deathly silence, the tension in the thick, suffocating fog becoming almost unbearable.