Captain Leader rowed his boat to join the fleet, moving alongside two large ships and cutting through the spray.
Cha Qing, Fan Zixuan, Yan Qingshan, Yan Chongwen... a group of officials from the Fishing Tax Office looked around bewildered.
The large ships, over fifty feet long, were arranged criss-cross, with gangplanks connecting them. Beneath the planks, fishing boats filled the gaps, creating a bustling scene of a thousand sails and criss-crossing oars, the entire fleet stretching out over two miles!
They were like a group of ants that had lost their way, flustered by the sight of a giant, dangerous water snake.
From the masthead, the lookout who occupied the crow's nest saw other approaching ships and raised red and green flags, flashing them alternately three times.
The robust boatmen pushed their craft forward with long poles, nudging the small boat gently toward the side of the ship.
