Jiang Jin put down the telescope. "Let's go over there. Maybe we can offer some help."
She never expected to be so lucky to come across such a situation.
Dao Hu was in a terrible state. They had finally repaired two boats and set off excitedly.
However, they had only traveled halfway when they noticed that the boat behind hadn't kept up.
He looked back and was shocked to find that the boat behind seemed to be much lower!
Taking a closer look, he realized that the boat was slowly sinking!
He was so scared that he almost had a heart - attack. He quickly ordered the boat to turn around. Regardless of anything else, they had to rescue the people first.
Ever since the dock in Xianglu County was attacked and all the naval captives were rescued, all the helmsmen and rowers on their boats were from Qu Zhao. They were all inexperienced. Turning the boat around was quite a challenge for them.
There was no other way. Wu Qin was pressing them hard. The weather was getting colder. If they didn't transport the salt soon, they would have to wait until next year.
So they couldn't fully check whether the boats were really in good condition or whether the crew could handle the sea transportation. They just had to set off directly.
After a lot of fumbling, they finally managed to turn the boat around and headed back to rescue the people.
Qu Rong on the sinking boat was on the verge of tears. When the boat started to take in water, he asked the boat - builder. The boat - builder said it was not a big problem and they could just plug the cracks with cloth.
However, the cracks kept getting bigger, and the water was coming in faster and faster.
The boat - builder remained calm. "Don't be nervous. It's just a small problem. The crack has just gotten a little bigger. I'll just nail a few planks on it to patch it up."
Then, just as he finished patching one side, water started seeping in from the other side.
The boat - builder was extremely busy, hammering here and blocking there. He even worked up a sweat in the cold winter.
He was still quite calm and assured Qu Rong, "Commander, don't worry. These are all small problems. The Han slaves taught me how to handle emergencies before. There are sayings for it."
Qu Rong looked at the water in the bottom cabin that had already reached the boat - builder's feet and gritted his teeth. "What did they teach you?"
The boat - builder wiped the sweat off his forehead. "They said, 'Don't be anxious when something happens. Stay calm and look for a way out. Let the boat sink if it wants to. The bright moon still shines on the stars.'"
Qu Rong: "..." What nonsense was this?
As they were talking, the water had reached the boat - builder's ankles.
Qu Rong was extremely anxious. "What should we do? Think of a way quickly!"
The boat - builder shivered but still followed the teachings of Xin San and the others. "Don't be anxious. The Han slaves said that if the boat sinks, don't worry too much. It will stop sinking after it reaches a certain level."
Qu Rong: "..." Why did he think this was so absurd?
The boat was sinking even faster. The sea water soon reached the boat - builder's calves.
He shivered from the cold and accidentally blew a snot - bubble. He quickly sucked it back.
Maybe it was because he sucked the snot - bubble, but he felt even colder.
Looking at the sea water constantly rising and almost reaching his knees, he suddenly regained his senses.
"Commander, the boat is going to sink. The Han slaves might have been lying to us. Let's escape." He had to admit that the Han slaves might have been fooling them from Qu Zhao.
Qu Rong: "… You useless fool!"
He ran to the deck and started shouting for help.
Unfortunately, the sea wind was howling, the waves were towering, and they had spent a lot of time "repairing" the boat. By now, they were quite far from the boat in front, and the people on the other boat couldn't hear his calls at all.
"Quickly, lower the spare small boat." Qu Rong ordered.
The Qu Zhao soldiers on their first sea voyage were very panicked. In their haste, they let the rope out too quickly. The spare small boat crashed into the sea with a bang, splashing up a lot of sea water.
A wave came, and the small boat somersaulted in the waves and was washed away!
The small boat was washed away!
Qu Rong propped one hand on the parapet, leaned forward, and stretched out his other hand. "Boat, come back. Come back quickly!"
He was almost mad with anger. This was the only spare small boat on their ship!
It was a life - saving boat!
He looked back at the people who had lowered the boat, his eyes fierce. "What's wrong with you guys?"
The people mumbled and didn't dare to speak. They were just too anxious and made a mistake in their hurry.
Qu Rong took a deep breath and shouted an order, "Shout quickly, all of you. Call the boat in front to come back and rescue us!"
Fortunately, before they shouted many times, the boat in front finally noticed the problem and slowly turned around.
Qu Rong was so touched that he was about to cry. When he saw Dao Hu's boat getting closer, it was like seeing his relatives. "General, you've finally come back. Wuwu, this boat is going to sink."
Dao Hu didn't know what to say. Just as he was about to order the boat to get closer, he heard an exclamation. "No good, there's a fleet coming over there."
Dao Hu was startled and quickly looked over. Sure enough, he saw a vast fleet approaching them.
There were both cargo ships and military ships in the fleet. He couldn't tell who they were, and he had a very bad feeling in his heart.
"Quick, get the archers ready!" he shouted.
Qu Rong was anxious. "General, get the boat closer first and let us get on. This boat won't last long!"
The veins on Dao Hu's forehead were throbbing. Looking at the still - distant fleet, he gritted his teeth. "Get the boat closer first."
However, whether it was because they were too nervous or the helmsman was really not familiar with the operation, the boat was actually getting farther away from the sinking boat.
Qu Rong and the soldiers on the sinking boat were all holding grappling hooks, looking forward eagerly. Then, seeing the boat getting farther and farther away, they were all stunned.
"General, general, don't leave us behind. Wuwu, general..."
Dao Hu felt like going crazy. He shouted angrily, "What's wrong with you guys? I told you to get the boat closer!"
The helmsman was sweating profusely. He clearly wanted to get closer, but he didn't know why the boat wouldn't listen!
After a lot of fumbling, the boat still couldn't get close to the sinking boat, and the fleet was getting closer and closer.
Dao Hu had no choice but to order, "Alright, get the archers ready. Eliminate the enemy first!"
Jiang Jin stood on the deck, looking at Dao Hu and the others who were on high alert.
Then she looked at the sinking boat where the sea water had reached the second level.
Almost all the Qu Zhao soldiers and rowers on the boat had crowded onto the third level. They were densely packed, and it looked like they would be easy to attack.
"Do you need any help?" she asked.
Dao Hu looked at the Jinyang Army soldiers holding dragon - feather crossbows, and his whole body was covered in goosebumps. "You, you, are you the Jinyang Army?"
Jiang Jin nodded honestly. "Yes. What are you transporting?"
Dao Hu resisted the urge to take a step back. "We... we won't interfere with each other. Otherwise, Qu Zhao won't let you go."
Jiang Jin raised her eyebrows slightly. "You have no common sense. We're on the sea, not dealing with well water or river water. It's sea water."
She sized up his boat and said curiously, "It's as if I'll let you off."
"Now I'll give you two choices. Either jump into the sea or jump into the sea." The weather was too cold. It was easy for the blood on the boat to freeze, and it would be really hard to clean.
Dao Hu felt extremely humiliated. "Don't push us too far!"
"Don't think we're afraid of you. If you have the guts, just attack." Qu Rong also roared.
He was in a hurry. As they were talking, the sea water had reached the third level, which was the top level of their boat.
The sea water reached his ankles and then his calves. A gust of sea wind blew, and he felt so cold that his whole body went numb and ached faintly.
