Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 254 - 187 "Onboard Police Captain

Chapter 254: Chapter 187 "Onboard Police Captain

The ship’s name and number changed back to Linghai Tuo 012’s 001, towing thirteen barges, finally passing the ship lock after a day and a half wait and entering the first lake of the Grand Canal’s Jiangbei Section -- Shaobo Lake!

In the evening, Shaobo Lake was a blend of lake and sky.

The green trees on both banks faintly visible, lush and verdant, seemed like a green dragon winding around the clear lake water.

Gazing across the lake, the expanse of mist-covered waters and dotted fish sails stretched beyond sight. Suddenly looking back, cargo ships still weave in and out, witnessing the Grand Canal’s past and present prosperity.

There are many ships in the Yangtze River Binjiang section, but the river is also very wide.

Only upon entering the Grand Canal can one truly feel how dense the ships are.

As far as the eye can see, ships are everywhere.

Judging from the ship names and numbers, there are fleets and hanging ships from over a dozen provinces including Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and more.

Even after entering the wide expanse of Shaobo Lake, one must proceed cautiously, neither colliding with others’ ships nor getting hit, and always being mindful of the water depth to prevent running aground.

Over the walkie-talkie, Captain Wang’s orders were transmitted again.

"Attention all ships, attention all ships, prepare to maneuver the oars!"

"Number One received."

"Number Two received."

"Number Three received, preparing to maneuver the oars."

...

After confirming that the crews of the thirteen fully-loaded sand barges had received the message, Captain Wang bellowed, "Oars to the front!"

At Captain Wang’s command, the fleet, under the towing of Linghai Tuo 012, slowly adjusted its course.

This was not an official maritime command, but rather an order passed down through the years by inland waterway fleets, resembling the chants of boatmen.

To maneuver the oars meant to adjust the course.

Oars to the front signified the entire fleet needed to steer left, while oars to the back meant to steer right.

Bear in mind, this was a fleet composed of thirteen barges, each forty-plus meters in length, forming a long dragon easily several hundred meters in single file; maneuvering or turning in such a narrow waterway was no easy feat.

This required tug pilots to have superb operating skills, with steering and throttle both being managed by one person, colloquially known as ’singing while pulling oneself along.’

This differed from the operation of large ships, where steering and throttle in the pilothouse were carried out by the Helmsman and the Chief Officer, Second Officer, or Third Officer on duty.

It’s no exaggeration to say that even captains skilled in ocean-going ships might not be able to effectively pilot such a towing fleet, yet such fleets are precisely the backbone of inland water transportation.

The thirteen barges were loaded with over one thousand and three hundred tonnes of yellow sand, which would require over a hundred ten-ton trucks to haul away on land.

Its transportation cost is far lower than trucking, even more economical than rail.

But Han Yu never thought about learning to pilot the towing long dragon, because it’s not something that can be learned in three or four years, and there’s no time to learn now anyway.

Plans never keep up with changes.

The first two fleets rushing to transport coal had their routes "cut across" by fleets and individual hanging ships entering the Grand Canal from Lixia River.

The waterway is narrow, and water traffic rules must be observed, one cannot simply overtake whenever they wish.

Furthermore, overtaking a fleet is even more difficult and dangerous than overtaking single ships, and so the distance between them is stretched further and further.

Moreover, when queuing to pass through locks, the fleets and hanging ships have to anchor separately, scattering the accompanying hanging ships in the process.

Considering that there are seven or eight fleets and over a hundred hanging ships waiting outside the Shaobo Ship Lock, Han Yu can almost ascertain that the 518 fleet towed by Linghai Tuo 103, along with a dozen accompanying hanging ships, have been spread nearly a day and a half’s journey apart.

For Director Xu behind in the second fleet, catching up is completely impossible unless the lead fleet ahead decides to anchor and wait.

But waiting is equally unrealistic; after all, this is a fleet, including the seven hanging ships that caught up, totaling twenty ships engaged in water transportation.

Each ship has to pay so many fees annually, insure, and the shipping company has to pay salaries to over twenty crew members.

Individual hanging ship owners also have to calculate costs.

If these ships that first passed through the lock were to berth for twenty-four hours, the economic loss would pile up into the thousands.

The water bandits dared to extort and blackmail state-owned fleets not only because they were numerous and fierce but also because they knew the fleets couldn’t afford the delay in their confrontations.

On Linghai Tuo 012’s side, there were only Han Yu, Ma Jintao, Lv Xiangping — three onboard police officers — and Zhu Baogen, Liang Xiaoyu, and a few Cooperative Defense Team members.

Although Captain Wang was also a Cooperative Defense Team member, he needed to take turns piloting with Captain Fan.

Should they encounter any situation, their first priority would be to ensure navigation safety; even if they manage to anchor the thirteen barges in a safe area within the shortest time, their age would limit the help they could provide.

As the "onboard police captain" of the lead fleet, Han Yu had to bear responsibility for the safety of the entire fleet and the accompanying seven hanging ships, a pressure one can imagine.

He returned to the command cabin and once again opened the radio, calling anxiously, "Director Xu, Director Xu, this is Han Yu, please respond if you hear me! Director Xu, Director Xu, please respond!"

"Received, what’s the matter?"

"We have entered Shaobo Lake. Have you reached the ship lock yet?"

"There are too many ships ahead, can’t move fast. I just asked Captain Gu, he estimates we’ll reach Shaobo Gate around midnight."

Although the 001 had become Linghai Tuo 012.

But the ship has onboard police, guns, and even high-pressure water cannons.

Xu Sanye was not only unconcerned for the security of the lead fleet but also full of confidence in his apprentice.

He sat leisurely in Linghai Tuo 103’s "dining room" cum radio room, glanced at the Radiotelegraphist, with his legs crossed and a cigarette in his mouth, laughingly inquired, "Salted Fish, you’ve just passed the lock, were there many ships at Shaobo Gate?"