The military officer who had been frightened away by Bai Yuan did not give up.
After retreating, he immediately began asking around. He questioned anyone he could get his hands on, eventually tracking down several merchants who regularly did business at Qichuan Ferry.
This time, he actually obtained clear information.
The so-called Bai family of Shaanxi was nothing more than a local gentry household. Bai Yuan himself was merely a militia instructor, frequently active around Qichuan Ferry.
He was absolutely not an imperial censor.
The officer's face flushed red with fury.
"So that's how it is…" he snarled. "A mere local gentry dares lecture an imperial official? Is he courting death?"
He slammed his fist down.
"Just you wait. Just wait until I get back."
The officer gathered over a hundred government soldiers and once again set off toward the refugee camp at Hengshui Town.
Meanwhile—
Xiaolangdi. Eagle Beak Mountain. Yellow Turban Fortress.
This location, chosen by Bai Yuan and Jiang Cheng as the future naval base, happened—quite coincidentally—to be a favorite hideout of water bandits.
The bandit who had attacked the high slope earlier, known as Flipping Boat Dragon, was currently inside the ruined fortress, gathered with several other bandit leaders.
These men were all active in the Xiaolangdi region. Each commanded their own small fleet, ranging from dozens to several hundred men. They operated independently, rarely cooperating.
Flipping Boat Dragon laughed and said,
"Brothers, I've called you all here today because I've got a big opportunity to share."
The other leaders snorted.
"A big opportunity?"
"We heard you've been taking advantage of the floods, robbing stranded disaster victims around Mengjin."
"That kind of business is pocket change. Why bother calling us for that?"
Flipping Boat Dragon sneered.
"Heh. You're behind the times."
"Those disaster victims? They've all been rescued by a gentry lord. He's gathered them in Hengshui Town—and he's feeding them."
"If that's not a big opportunity, then what is?"
One of the duller-looking leaders scratched his head.
"How is that a big opportunity?"
Flipping Boat Dragon shot him an irritated look.
"Are you thick? He's feeding over ten thousand refugees. How much grain do you think that takes?"
"If we seize that grain, every one of our camps will be set for food and drink for at least a year."
The room went quiet.
Then realization struck everyone at once.
Right!
To feed over ten thousand people—what terrifying reserves that must be!
If they could pull this off, it would be a fortune beyond imagination.
Flipping Boat Dragon continued,
"I won't lie. That gentry lord isn't easy to deal with. His guards have at least a dozen flintlock firearms. I clashed with him once and still can't figure out how he pulled it off."
"I can't handle him alone. That's why I invited you all."
"We attack Hengshui Town together. Kill the gentry lord. Take his grain. Then we split it evenly. Grain for ten thousand people—everyone here gets a generous share."
These were men who had lived by the blade for years.
Not one of them hesitated.
Instead, they erupted into excited shouts.
"Good!"
"Then we storm Hengshui Town!"
"Butcher him!"
"What's there to fear?"
"With this many of us, how could we lose?"
Flipping Boat Dragon gave one last warning.
"His ships are large. His firearms are powerful."
The others laughed loudly.
"Like we've never fought armed merchants before!"
"Kill him!"
"Nothing to worry about!"
And so—
The plan was happily settled.
The straight-line land distance between Yellow Turban Fortress at Eagle Beak Mountain and Hengshui Town was only sixteen li.
But the water bandits would never travel by land.
They planned to sail north from Yellow Turban Fortress, enter the Yellow River, drift downstream into the Mengjin region, and then approach Hengshui Town from the water.
Originally, Hengshui Town was not located on the riverbank.
Under normal circumstances, water bandits would never have been able to attack it.
However—
After the Yellow River burst its banks, floodwaters spread for thousands of li. Hengshui Town, once several li from the river, now sat directly beside a vast expanse of yellow water.
To the east stretched a boundless floodplain. Isolated "islands" dotted the water, and occasionally the tip of a rooftop could be seen breaking the surface.
No one knew how many more days this catastrophe would last.
As dusk fell, over ten thousand refugees lit fires and prepared their evening meal.
Suddenly, a sentry aboard one of Gao Family Village's cargo ships shouted,
"Government ships incoming!"
"Oh?" Bai Yuan set down his rice bowl and stood up.
Looking east, he immediately spotted several government warships.
The lead vessel was a medium-sized ship, without cannons, equipped only with a ship tower—clearly designed for close combat, relying on arrows and boarding actions.
The remaining ships were all small skiff-like warboats.
At the prow of the lead ship stood the same military officer Bai Yuan had humiliated earlier, surrounded by soldiers. Altogether, there were over a hundred men.
They advanced toward Hengshui Town with obvious hostility.
Bai Yuan chuckled.
"Well, looks like that fellow is back to cause trouble."
Jiang Cheng lowered his voice.
"Mr. Bai, you're still smiling? This situation is serious."
Bai Yuan waved a hand.
"Serious? Hardly."
"If he talks politely, I'll talk politely. If he causes trouble, I'll teach him a lesson."
"We're not locals anyway. Beat them up and leave—who's going to stop us?"
Dao Xuan Tianzun laughed softly through the connection.
"Heh. Well said."
Jiang Cheng nodded.
"Since Dao Xuan Tianzun agrees, then there's nothing to worry about."
The government warships drew closer, preparing to dock—
Only to find that the shoreline was completely occupied by Gao Family Village's large flat-bottomed cargo ships.
There was nowhere to dock.
The officer stamped his foot furiously.
"Move those cargo ships! Are you blind?"
The cargo ships, having received no orders from Bai Yuan, did not move an inch.
The warships circled repeatedly, unable to find a place to land.
The officer raged,
"This is rebellion! Outright rebellion!"
Just as Bai Yuan was about to signal the ships to move—
The sentry shouted again, his voice cracking.
"More ships!"
"So many ships!"
"Water bandits! It's water bandits!" another sentry yelled in panic.
"Over a hundred ships! They're coming!"
Bai Yuan looked toward the northeast and laughed softly.
Countless small boats swarmed across the yellow water like black ants.
The military officer, who had come to confront Bai Yuan, was instantly terrified. His mind went blank.
His soldiers—bullies to civilians, cowards in battle—immediately began rowing frantically, trying to flee.
But it was already too late.
The water bandits surged in from the east, sealing off the waterway completely.
At the front stood a fierce man on the prow of a ship—
Flipping Boat Dragon himself.
He threw his head back and laughed wildly, brazen and fearless.