Navigating on the canal, the time spent waiting for lock passage can be longer than the actual sailing time.
The vanguard of Han Yu's fleet had been waiting outside the Liu Laojian ship lock for a day and a half, during which six thieves who climbed aboard to steal goods were caught, and two who forced buying and selling under the guise of petty trading.
The capture process was somewhat twisted.
Initially, there were also six thieves who tried to steal by climbing aboard. One of them, seeing the situation go south, jumped into the river. Since the mooring site was very close to the shore, that guy managed to escape.
Another one had already been pinned down and handcuffed, but the assisting crew member wasn't careful enough, allowing the thief to jump into the river with handcuffs on and escape.
Han Yu and Ma Jintao led the crew ashore in pursuit, only to stir up the villagers, who not only refused to help block the path, but actively obstructed in every conceivable way.
