jdhmnovel Chapter 309 Dragnet
Chapter 309 Dragnet
"They're all just trying to keep their jobs. As long as we don't go too far, they'll never send troops to annihilate us," the boat captain said confidently. "After all, annihilating us would take ten times more effort than what we're doing now."
"If they are not careful... they may lose their lives because of this."
The boat captain's words immediately convinced the skinny monkey.
The third brother's somewhat uneasy heart gradually calmed down at this moment.
Third Brother's gaze fell ahead, and he vaguely saw a figure: "It seems we've been discovered."
The captain sneered disdainfully. All his men had already boarded the ship. More than a hundred elite pirates were watching the entrance of the vessel.
At this moment, the ship's lights blazed on.
The boat captain instinctively shielded his eyes from the light, and at the same time, an ominous premonition spread through his mind.
His heart skipped a beat, and he looked up ahead.
On the second-floor deck, two figures stood looking down at them.
This is a very good-looking man and woman.
The boat captain had been traveling the world for so many years and had never seen anyone who looked like this before.
The moment he saw their faces, he had a bad feeling—such appearances and such demeanor, they must be... important people they couldn't afford to offend!
"It seems everyone has arrived."
On the deck, Xie Jinghan's deep voice rang out.
He appeared indifferent, and his tone was even calmer, showing no regard for the more than one hundred bandits in front of him.
The boat captain gave his third brother a wink and then prepared to jump ship and escape.
He has survived to this day thanks to his keen insight and ability to seize opportunities.
However, just as he made a move, an arrow struck his feet, freezing him in place. The fletching on the arrow trembled, demonstrating the archer's exceptional skill.
He had no doubt that if he moved even slightly, the next arrow would strike his chest.
"We are only……"
“The river bandits in Jiangnan have been rampant for a long time.” On the deck, Xie Jinghan said in a deep voice, “I have come here on His Majesty’s orders to wipe out the river bandits.”
"Take them all down." Xie Jinghan raised his hand, and Si Qing led the Imperial Guards who had been lying in ambush in the shadows to move out together.
The Imperial Guards were not good at fighting on the water, but once on the boat, they moved extremely quickly. In addition, they had a large number of men and captured all of the more than one hundred river bandits in no time.
Third Brother was shocked to see the sudden appearance of the dark mass of people—it turned out that the ship was drafting so deep not because it carried a lot of silver, but because it was carrying so many people.
The ships that had been protecting the area also closed in at this moment.
Without exception, all of these ships were filled with people.
Third Brother was as if he had lost his parents; his face was extremely pale, and his lips were trembling—he was afraid that he would lose his life here today.
In contrast, the boat captain remained remarkably calm after being arrested.
The boat captain had been teetering on the brink of death and had long anticipated this day, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon.
He never expected that what he thought was a fat sheep was actually a trap set specifically for him.
only……
The boat captain quickly figured out his way out—he must still have some value to these people, otherwise, the moment he boarded the boat, a barrage of arrows would have taken his life.
In this way, the boatman calmed down.
He even had the leisure to start observing the man and woman standing on the high place.
Upon hearing the man's self-identification, he guessed that the handsome young man before him must be the legendary Prince Jing, who was said to be a powerful figure on the border.
Beside King Jing was his wife, who was known for her beauty.
The boat captain's eyes darted around, and he said, "We only brought 180 men today; there are still 300 or 400 men in our stronghold."
"If Your Highness is willing to spare my life, I am willing to lead the way for Your Highness and capture the remaining bandits." The boat captain's voice was extremely loud. "I can even offer all the wealth I have accumulated over the years to Your Highness."
The boat captain has come to understand a principle over the years: as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.
As long as he survives, he can make a comeback.
Moreover, he had buried a considerable amount of gold and silver jewelry in his secret hideout; with this money, he could easily make his way far away.
After the boat captain finished speaking, he drew angry glares from Third Brother, Skinny Monkey, and the others.
They stared in disbelief at their captain, never expecting that he, as their leader, would so easily betray his brothers.
The boat captain neither confirmed nor denied this.
These people are just his tools. How much emotion can a person have towards a tool?
The boat captain's appearance was infuriating.
The third brother even said, "I also know where the others are. As long as I am spared, I am willing to tell Your Highness their whereabouts!"
"I do too!"
"I also know where the bandits' lair is."
In an instant, the bandits all started shouting.
Seeing this, the boat captain's face turned ashen, and he shouted, "But only I know where the treasures the bandits have plundered over the years are! It's a huge fortune!"
"It's probably even richer than the Prince's fortune!" The boatman stared intently at Xie Jinghan, convinced that Xie Jinghan wouldn't be tempted.
As expected, Xie Jinghan nodded.
"Except for these three." Xie Jinghan pointed at the boat captain, the skinny monkey, and the third brother, leaving none of the others behind.
These river bandits were all vicious and ruthless; their existence was a cancer.
Now that we have the opportunity, we should naturally remove all these malignant tumors.
As soon as Xie Jinghan spoke, Si Qing and the others did as he said.
In an instant, the deck was stained red with blood.
The boat captain, having seen many such scenes, didn't take it seriously. However, Third Brother and Skinny Monkey lacked composure. Fearing they might become one of the corpses, they immediately spoke up and told everything they knew.
Seeing this, Xie Jinghan's gaze fell on the boat captain.
The boat captain cursed Skinny Monkey and Third Brother for being greedy and treacherous, and at the same time blurted out in a panic, "I can take you there right now!"
"It's late now, they've long since gone to bed, this is the perfect time for Your Highness to make your move," the boatman said, his tone slightly obsequious.
Upon hearing this, a mocking look flashed across Xie Jinghan's handsome face.
However, in the darkness, the boat captain couldn't see clearly.
He was only thinking about saving his own life, racking his brains to figure out how to maximize his usefulness.
Wen Shuyao felt disgusted when she saw him like this.
"Your Highness, are we really going to spare his life?" Wen Shuyao frowned.
Xie Jinghan gently took her hand: "He was the one talking the whole time. I never made any promises."