After staying in Lingling for three days, Liu Qi rushed to Wuling. After going around in circles, he found that his territory was still in Hunan. The Governor of Jingzhou was almost the same as the Governor of Hunan Province.
When the troops arrived at Wuling border, Jin Xuan had already sent his attendant Gong Zhi to greet them, and his attitude was quite proper.
Liu Qi knew that Gong Zhi was a man who understood the general situation, so after greeting him, he asked, "Governor Jin has governed Wuling for several years. What is the current situation?"
Gong Zhi naturally understood and clasped his fists, saying, "Although Wuling is stable, there are bandits gathering in the Dongting Lake in the east and bandits roaming in the Wuling Mountains in the west. Governor Jin always feels uneasy. When the general first arrived in southern Jing, he was so powerful that all the bandits were pacified. Everyone in Wuling is grateful to the general. It is the hope of all the people that the general will take over Jingzhou!"
Liu Qi laughed loudly towards the sky. Since Jin Xuan acknowledged his identity, Wuling would be safe. After all, he was Liu Biao's eldest son and had more legitimacy than Liu Bei. Jin Xuan really had no reason to rebel.
The group traveled along the Yuan River and headed straight for Linyuan, the capital of Wuling County. As the largest river in Wuling, Liu Qi was thinking about opening up this waterway to connect the people in the mountains.
In a house in Yuannan City, a man walked in quickly and said to the people in the house: "Here he comes. Liu Qi has arrived in Linyuan."
There were four people sitting in the room, one of them had a handsome appearance, and the other three had dark complexions. One of them was tall and looked mighty, and the other two, a man and a woman, both had their hair loose and their shoulders exposed, with wolf tooth necklaces hanging around their necks.
The young man laughed and said, "Liu Qi will definitely board the ship from Youjiangkou when he returns to Jiangling from Wuling. This is truly a godsend."
The tall man said in a humming voice: "We will do our best to complete Prime Minister Cao's order, but the soldiers from Jingzhou are coming to seek revenge, so you must ensure the safety of our people."
The man smiled and said, "Don't worry, warrior Shamoke. If you succeed in killing Liu Qi this time, you will be famous all over the world. You will be the best among the Wuxi Barbarian Tribes. You will be the next Barbarian King."
A hint of joy flashed in the man's eyes, but his expression remained serious: "Humph, I just want to ensure the safety of my people."
"Of course!" The man nodded and said, "Now that Liu Biao is seriously ill and Liu Qi is dead, Liu Biao will surely die too. Jingzhou is left without a master, and Prime Minister Cao will surely send troops south. By then, Jingzhou will be taken by Prime Minister Cao, and your family will be safe. When the emperor issues an edict to confer you the title of Barbarian King, what an honor that will be!"
"Let's not talk about the Barbarian King for now!" Shamoko waved his hand. "Our tribe is in urgent need of food and cloth. Have you brought them?"
"Half of it has been delivered. Please check next door later!" The man said, "The other half will be delivered in full and rewarded when Prime Minister Cao takes Jingzhou."
Shamoko frowned slightly, and finally nodded and said, "Okay, it's a deal!"
The man was overjoyed and clasped his fists, saying, "I have heard for a long time that Shamo Ke is the most courageous and brave warrior among the Wuxi Barbarians. He is indeed efficient and decisive. You can rest here without worry. After Liu Qi leaves Linyuan, just follow my instructions."
Shamoko pointed to a person on his left hand and ordered: "Ake, go and count the property."
One barbarian followed the man out, and Shamoko instructed the other man, "Starting tomorrow, send the food and cloth here into the mountains in batches and distribute them to the tribesmen."
"Brother, is this too dangerous?" The female barbarian finally spoke up: "The consequences of killing Liu Qi still depend on the old barbarian king. Consider it carefully. Besides, Cao Cao... only gave us half of the commission. I'm afraid..."
Shamoke smiled and said, "Don't worry, sister. We haven't taken any action yet. The fact that they can send half of the food is enough to show their sincerity. As for the revenge of the Jingzhou army, I have already asked about it. When Cao's army goes south, who can stop it without Liu Qi? As long as the tribes of Wuxi can get through this difficult time, they can flee to the mountains and forests and avoid contact with the soldiers. As long as they hide in Wuxi, they can't do anything to us."
The woman was Shazali, the younger sister of Shamoko. She frowned slightly and asked, "Is Liu Qi really that easy to kill?"
Shamoke smiled and said, "I'm on the boat, so don't worry, sister. He's just a playboy, and the generals around him are no match for me. Just stay in the water to provide support. If Liu Qi goes into the water, I'll leave it to you."
Shazali raised her chin slightly: "As long as we are in the water, no one can be my opponent. If Liu Qi dares to go into the water, he will be dead."
…
Liu Qi met with Jin Xuan and other officials in Wuling to discuss dredging the Yuan River waterway, which would be used for grain transport and connect to Changsha trade routes. Once the Nanyue caravans were restored, Wuling would also benefit greatly.
Everyone strongly supported Liu Qi's plan, especially his focus on business, which made everyone very happy.
Almost all the people here are officials from the state, and every family has some businesses run by clan members. Due to the existence of Dongting pirates, business is bleak.
As a representative of the aristocracy, Liu Biao valued culture over military affairs and looked down upon profit-seeking merchants. All the big families in the county were ashamed of doing business for profit and operated in secret.
This move of Liu Qi was undoubtedly very popular. It not only won the support of the gentry, but also the praise of businessmen.
Sure enough, after Gong Zhi posted the notice and prepared to raise funds, countless people responded immediately.
Dredging the waterway to connect to Dongting Lake and having soldiers to protect it would undoubtedly be a good thing for those merchants who were often robbed by robbers, so they naturally fully supported it.
Jin Xuan personally sent Liu Qi to Youjiangkou and ensured that all efforts would be made to dredge the waterway of the Yuanjiang River and connect it with the Dongting Water Fort. Even if there was a war in Wuling, the navy would be able to provide timely rescue.
The fleet set out, and Jiangling was on the other side. The two-hour water journey ended successfully, and there was laughter and joy on the boat.
When Liu Biao's governance of Jingzhou was at its peak, merchants traveling back and forth across the country every day, especially those from Jiaozhi and Nanyue, came here one after another, making Zhao Fan's brother's business legend.
Zhao Xiang shipped silk, ceramics and tea from the Central Plains overseas, not only to make money, but also to export Chinese civilization.
Merchants from Nanyue, Sindhu and other places had already tasted the sweetness, but their business was interrupted due to the unfortunate death of Zhao Xiang. Now that Liu Qi has intervened in an official capacity, caravans will surely continue to enter the Central Plains in large numbers.
"General, there is a fishing boat ahead. Do you want to rescue it?" While they were chatting, the soldier who was driving the boat came to report.
When Liu Qi came to the bow, he saw a fishing boat in front of him, tossing and turning in the wind and waves. One side of the boat was broken and leaking.
Liu Qi said: "Even ordinary people should not stand by and watch others die. What's more, we, the official ships, should set an example. Otherwise, won't it make the people feel disappointed?"
Gan Ning nodded and said, "General, you are right. The danger on the water is even greater than on land. This fishing boat is about to sink and is in the middle of the river. If we don't rescue it, the people on board will surely die."
Liu Qi issued an order, and immediately ordered the soldiers to sail closer to the small boat. When they got closer, they saw that the four people on the boat all had dark faces and were dressed very differently from the people in the Central Plains.
Gan Ning frowned and said, "This is the Wuxi barbarian. I have seen him in Ba County. He often travels across the Yangtze River."
Liu Qi looked at several people and found that the tall man in front was the most eye-catching with a ferocious appearance. When he saw the weapon on him, he couldn't help but feel something in his heart.