The big ship was indeed moving very fast. With the sailors' uniform shouts, everyone paddled together, riding the wind and waves and rushing straight to the other side.
Xiahou Ba and his two companions held on to the side of the boat and watched helplessly as all the fishing boats were overturned by the wind and waves. The boatmen struggled and screamed in the water, and Zhang Wei was nowhere to be found.
Before the boat reached the dock, Xiahou Mao could not wait to jump ashore, pointed at the boatman and shouted, "Go and fish out the furniture. There will be a big reward."
The boatman said in embarrassment: "It's very cold in the cold weather. It's easy to get cramps when you go into the water. The wind and waves are strong. If you are not careful, you will die."
"I'll pay you!" Xiahou Mao, thinking of the gold, shouted, "I'll give you a piece of gold if you fish it out."
"Even if you are given a boatload of gold, you have to live to spend it!" The boatman just shook his head helplessly.
Xiahou Ba asked everyone to get off the boat quickly, clasped his fists and said, "Those boatmen are really pitiful. Please go and rescue them quickly."
"I will go and save people first. As for things, I will salvage as much as I can!" The boatman turned the boat around and went to save people.
"Gold, my gold!" Xiahou Mao squatted on the shore, beating his chest and stamping his feet.
Xiahou Ba's face was gloomy and looked very ugly. It would have been fine if he couldn't take the gold away, but he had to take it and then drop it into the river, which made him even more uncomfortable.
Cao Tai smiled bitterly and said, "The credit I got wasted..."
"Sword, what about the Qinggang Sword?" Xiahou Mao suddenly jumped up and grabbed Cao Tai by the collar: "Without gold, how can we explain to the Prime Minister? Tell me!"
"How dare you!" Cao Tai was furious. He pushed Xiahou Mao away and said in a deep voice, "This plan was made by the three of us. Why are you holding on to me?"
"You came up with the idea!" Xiahou Mao's eyes were bloodshot and he roared, "You said it was foolproof. It's all your fault!"
"Blame me?" Cao Tai did not back down: "If you hadn't been hanging out at the brothel, how could this have happened?"
"You two don't have to argue anymore!" Xiahou Ba tried to stop them, but said helplessly, "Two million is by no means a small sum. The three of us simply cannot afford to redeem the Qinggang Sword. We can only... tell the Prime Minister the truth."
In the Battle of Nanyang, Cao Cao concentrated all his resources to collect the three million yuan ransom, and the Cao and Xiahou families even spent all their wealth.
This time, he pawned all his valuable belongings, including jade pendants, to buy furniture, and still owed Liu Qi two million yuan.
The IOU and the Qinggang Sword were both in Xiangyang. Now that the gold had sunk into the river, this huge sum of money was beyond the means of the three of them.
"The Prime Minister will kill me!" Xiahou Mi cried, fell on the stone, holding his head in pain.
Soon the big ship returned and rescued seven or eight boatmen, all of whom were shivering with purple lips from the cold. Everything on the boat had sunk, and only five water beds, two tables and four benches were salvaged.
Looking at the wet cargo, the three men had empty eyes. Needless to say, the table and water bed filled with gold had already sunk to the bottom of the river.
Xiahou Ba took a deep breath, calmed himself, and went to ask the boatman questions, but Zhang Wei was not there. He was afraid that he was in danger.
"Spring dreams and autumn farts are all in vain in the end!"
Seeing the three men in a daze, the boatman sighed and advised them kindly: "On the Han River, countless caravans and goods sink every year, but as long as people are alive, it is a blessing. Just think of it as spending money to ward off disasters. Some people will come back to offer sacrifices to the Dragon King to thank him for his kindness. Fortunately, the three young masters are safe. There is still a long way to go in the future, so you should be more open-minded."
"Spending money to ward off disaster?" Xiahou Ba was startled. Thinking of Zhang Wei's death in the river, he was indeed somewhat relieved. However, when he thought of the two million yuan, he smiled bitterly and said, "The lives of the three of us are not worth this much money."
"As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood!" Cao Tai patted Xiahou Ba on the shoulder and said, "God has destined that you and I should not have this achievement. The three of us will shoulder this responsibility together."
Xiahou Ba took a deep breath and thanked the boatman. Seeing that the tables and chairs had been soaked in water and were broken, and would be useless to take them back, he gave them to them and only kept five water beds.
Looking back at the crowd, the same people who had come here, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. It was just as the old man said, this trip to Xiangyang was just like a dream, and it was all in vain.
Just as he was telling everyone to pack up and get going, Xiahou Mao came over with red eyes and said, "I have a plan that can save you from the prime minister's punishment."
Xiahou Ba was a little unconvinced: "Brother, can you hide this from the Prime Minister?"
Xiahou Mao snorted and said slowly, "Zhang Wei is dead, the gold sank into the river, there is no evidence, and only the three of us know about the Qingguang Sword being pledged. Let's just say... let's say that someone was in danger on the river, and the Qingguang Sword accidentally sank into the river..."
"Bah! You're courting death!" Xiahou Ba interrupted him before he could finish his words, saying in a deep voice: "The three of us were eager to make achievements and made a big mistake. If we report the truth, the Prime Minister may be able to let us off. If we lie to him again, it will be an even greater crime, and ten heads will not be enough to chop off!"
Xiahou Mao was not convinced and said, "As long as the three of us don't tell anyone, who would know about this?"
Cao Tai sneered at the side and said, "Liu Qi loves money like his life. Do you think he won't come to collect the debt? If one day he takes out the Qinggang Sword, how will you explain it to the Prime Minister?"
"This..." Xiahou Mao was startled, then angrily said: "If the Prime Minister blames you, you will also be blamed."
Xiahou Ba frowned and said, "The Prime Minister may not kill someone for a sword. I am only worried that I owe Liu Qi a huge sum of money. If I cannot repay it, the three of us will be laughed at by the world. Breaking our promises is not what a real man does!"
Cao Tai sneered, "Some people bought private houses and concubines in Xiangyang, which was considered a gain. The two of us lost everything and had to bear the infamy. We are really unlucky."
Xiahou Mao was furious and said, "Cao Ziming, it was you who came up with this bad idea, and now you are slandering me again?"
"No need to argue anymore!" Xiahou Ba said, "The three of us will take responsibility for this matter. As long as you sincerely admit your guilt, we will not only consider the face of our fathers, but also the relationship between us as fellow tribesmen. In the future, you will make up for your crime and make meritorious contributions."
Xiahou Mao looked at the water beds and suddenly his eyes lit up. He clapped his hands and shouted, "I have a way to make money. I will definitely pay off this debt."
Cao Tai curled his lips and said, "You only know how to spend money, how can you know how to make money?"
"Hmph, we'll see!" Xiahou Mao suddenly regained his spirits and said proudly, "If I pay back the debt, what will you do?"
Cao Tai had always looked down on Xiahou Mao for his cowardice and frivolity, and sneered, "This money was originally borrowed by the three of us together. If you pay it back, I will owe you a favor, and I am willing to be at your disposal from now on."
"If you can't pay it back, I'll be responsible for it!" Xiahou Mao patted his chest and extended his pinky finger to Cao Tai: "Let's make a pinky promise!"
"Child's trick!" Cao Tai said disdainfully: "A gentleman's word is as good as gold, and Zhongquan can be my witness."
Xiahou Ba felt extremely depressed and waved his hands helplessly: "Okay, let's go!"
The followers carried the water beds on their backs and rushed to Fancheng. Their horses were left in the inn and someone was taking care of them.
Xiahou Mao touched the water bed and murmured, "The Prime Minister has sex with several women every day. I hope these beds can satisfy him."
Cao Tai asked, "What did you say?"
"Nothing!" Xiahou Mao said hurriedly, "I said the Prime Minister works hard day and night, fortunately there is this water bed to relieve fatigue."
Cao Tai wrote to Xiahou Mao: "You are better off talking about state affairs."