Liu Qi said in a loud voice: "Peng Cai, I knew that you were forced by Zhou Yu to retreat to Pengli with nowhere to go. Why don't you submit to me and bring honor to your family? If you help Zhou Yu to commit atrocities, you will fall into an irretrievable situation."
"Hahaha, what a great way to revive the Han and fight against the enemy!" Peng Cai laughed loudly, looking up to the sky. "We have come to this point because we were forced by the government. This is all the work of the Liu family. Do you still want me to help you stand up again so that you can bully honest people like us?"
Liu Qi sighed, "In the past, the court was corrupt because of eunuchs who abused their power and treacherous officials who usurped power. When our Han Dynasty was strong, there were also the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, the restoration of Emperor Guangwu, and the people lived in peace. As long as the people and the government work together, we can create another prosperous era. I think you are also a hero. You should know the current situation. Why are you so stubborn?"
Peng Cai sneered, "Don't use sweet words! Although you are a relative of the Han Dynasty, you have no right to be a marquis or a general. Why should I follow you? If we kill you today, we will become famous in one battle, and Prime Minister Cao will definitely reward us handsomely."
Liu Qi was helpless, this was Cao's biggest advantage, he could confer titles of nobility and appoint generals at will. Although he and Sun Quan could set up their own governments, they were only granted general titles of miscellaneous rank, let alone noble titles.
Peng Cai was also worried that Wu Jun would arrive, so he stopped talking, waved his flag, and shouted, "My men, kill Liu Qi and gain wealth and honor!"
Boom boom boom—
At this moment, suddenly there was a loud sound of drums in the distant clouds, like muffled thunder, sounding simultaneously in all directions.
Peng Cai turned his head and saw sails fluttering in the distance, covering the sky and rolling in like black clouds. He was shocked.
Liu Qi shouted, "Peng Cai, you are surrounded. It is not too late to surrender to me now."
"Hahaha, you're daydreaming!" Peng Cai laughed up to the sky. "We are all oppressed by the corrupt officials and are irreconcilable with the Liu family. I am surrounded, and so are you."
Peng Cai knew that he had been tricked, but he decided to burn his boats and shouted hysterically: "Brothers, kill Liu Qi and make a name for yourself!"
War drums were beating everywhere, and the bandits' warships were attacking from all sides. They were filled with anger at being oppressed by the government and were determined to drag the enemy down with them before they died.
Seeing that his attempt to persuade the enemy to surrender failed, Liu Qi sighed and said that the Han Dynasty during the Huan and Ling periods had lost the support of the people, otherwise so many people would not have responded to the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
If we were in the shoes of these people before us, wouldn’t they also be heroes who dare to resist
But since ancient times, the victors have been kings and the losers have been bandits, each serving their own master, and history can only be written by the victors. Their end was nothing more than a group of bandits!
While he was thinking, the two sides had already fought. Gan Ning and Su Fei each led an army, with warships arranged on the left and right. When the enemy army approached, they fired crossbows and arrows, and many people screamed and fell into the water.
Peng Cai in front had a ferocious look on his face. He ordered his men to charge straight at the ship where Liu Qi was. Holding a big knife, he was determined to die for the country and become famous in one battle!
These Pengli pirates were also quite powerful, with more than 10,000 soldiers and seven or eight warships. Some of their warships might have been captured from the Wu army. No wonder Zhou Yu was unable to do anything about them.
The bow of the ship broke through the waves, splashing water. Zhao Yun stood beside Liu Qi, bent his bow and shot three arrows in succession. Then there was a rustling sound, and the sails of the pirate ship fell down.
The bandit army's ship suddenly lost wind, and the helmsman was unable to control it, so it swayed and rushed over. The ship shook violently, and several bandits were thrown off the ship.
Relying on his skilled skills, Peng Cai held the side of the boat with one hand. When the two boats got close, he let out a loud roar, turned over and jumped up, flipping over the side of the boat and falling straight to the bow.
Behind him, a dozen followers were not willing to be left behind. Each of them was agile and jumped off the boat with swords in hand, heading straight for Liu Qi.
Zhao Yun held his spear horizontally in his hand and shouted in a deep voice: "I am Zhao Zilong from Changshan. General Liu is known for his benevolence and righteousness. Why don't you surrender quickly?"
"Go to hell!" Peng Cai's eyes were red. He didn't listen to Zhao Yun at all and rushed forward with a knife.
Seeing that this man was stubborn and unyielding, Zhao Yun's eyes became stern. He took a step forward and trembled his bright silver spear violently, like a spirit snake emerging from a cave.
Peng Cai saw countless gun shadows appearing in front of him in an instant, and he couldn't tell the real from the fake. He was immediately shocked. Before he could react, he shook his wrist and the big knife flew out. He subconsciously shouted: "Under the gun..."
Before he could finish his words, the bright silver spear had already pierced his chest. Peng Cai's eyes widened as he looked at the white-robed general in front of him in disbelief, spitting blood from his mouth and slowly falling down.
Liu Qi's hand was on the hilt of the sword, but before he could make a move, all the pirates who boarded the ship were killed. Although these pirates had some skills, they were far inferior to Zhao Yun and the Bai Li soldiers.
When the bandits on the ship saw Peng Cai being killed in a face-to-face encounter, they were horrified and hurriedly shouted to the sailors to turn the rudder, but it was too late. The two large ships collided with each other and shook violently.
Zhao Yun was also fast. He led the Bai Li soldiers to counterattack the enemy ships, killing them while persuading them to surrender. In a blink of an eye, the largest tower ship was under control.
Gan Ning and Su Fei also commanded the navy to pursue and intercept the enemy. Although the enemy troops were large in number, their equipment was not as sophisticated as that of the Jingzhou army. In addition, the power of the crossbows made it impossible for them to break through the defense line.
Liu Qi ordered his men to cut off Peng Cai's head and hang it on the mast, and asked the navy to shout and persuade them to surrender. These bandits are good at swimming, and with training they can become a powerful navy. If they are handed over to Gan Ning to discipline them, they will definitely be subdued.
At this time, the outer Wu army had also arrived. The overlapping warships rushed forward and arrows rained down. Wherever they passed, ships were smashed, and bandits fell into the water, causing countless casualties.
This Eastern Wu navy was transferred from Chaisang. They had hated the Pengli pirates for a long time. In addition, the pirates pretended to be Wu soldiers to kill Liu Qi in order to frame him. So they would show no mercy and kill anyone they saw.
The bandits on the periphery were killed without any chance to fight back. With warships approaching from all sides, they wanted to escape but couldn't, so they all squeezed inside.
The Jingzhou navy was surrounded in the core, with Peng Cai's head hung at the highest point. When the news spread, the morale of the bandits plummeted and they panicked. When they heard the calls for surrender, they boarded the ships and begged for mercy.
Gan Ning stood on the ship with a sword in hand, his bright red cloak fluttering in the wind. He ordered the navy to make way for a gap in the middle, and the pirate ships rushed in like a school of fish.
Su Fei shouted in the fleet to persuade the bandits to surrender, asking them to lay down their weapons and board the warships. The navy then boarded the enemy ships and took control of them one by one.
The Jingzhou soldiers who had just been fighting to the death now became their saviors. After the thieves got on the boat, they all knelt on the ground to express their gratitude.
When the Eastern Wu navy approached, there were already hundreds of large and small ships parked in the center of the water, so densely packed together that it looked like an isolated island.
When the first general got close, he saw that the bandits were still trying to squeeze in, so he clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for your help, General Liu. I am Xu Sheng from Chaisang. Please hand over the bandits and we will deal with them together."
"Hahaha, General Xu is wrong!" Gan Ning pointed his sword in a circle and laughed, "As long as they enter this circle, they will be mine."
Xu Sheng frowned and said, "These thieves have been gathering in Poyang for more than ten years and have committed many evil deeds. Why should the general protect them?"
Gan Ning said in a clear voice: "The sage said: Everyone makes mistakes, but it is the greatest virtue to be able to correct them! Since they are willing to surrender, we should give them a chance to reform. Why should we kill them all?"
Xu Sheng said in a deep voice: "A thief is a thief after all. A dog will always eat shit. If you let it go, it will do evil again. How can you raise a tiger to cause trouble?"
"Let you go..." Gan Ning was furious. He leaned on his knife and raised his eyebrows and said, "You bastard, are you teaching me how to do things?"