"Zhou Buyi?" Liu Qi was surprised. "I heard that this boy has extraordinary talent since he was young. He can be called a child prodigy!"
"It turns out that the general also knows my nephew's name!" Liu Xian became more and more proud and seemed to be very satisfied with his nephew.
The reason why Liu Qi knew this name was that he was surprised by Cao Cao's actions back then.
After Jingzhou surrendered to Cao, Zhou Buzhi went to Xuchang and became as famous as Cao Chong, who was also a talented young man. Unfortunately, Cao Chong died young. Cao Cao thought that Cao Pi could not control this person, so he sent someone to kill Zhou Buzhi.
Cao Cao's move was really weird. He killed Zhou Buzhi, who had not grown up, but forcibly summoned Sima Yi, who had a wolf-like look. Is Zhou Buzhi more terrifying than Sima Yi
In this turbulent era, a person's life or death depends entirely on another person's thoughts. Especially for a tyrant like Cao Cao, he does not need a reason to kill people, it all depends on his mood.
Xu Shu asked curiously, "Even though this boy is smart, he is only fifteen or sixteen years old. How can he protect himself in a den of thieves?"
Liu Xian said confidently: "Since he can send someone to inform me, he will naturally have a way to protect himself. As long as the general pacifies the Dongting water bandits, he will be saved without a doubt."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Since the deputy driver is so confident, we should focus on defeating the enemy. If we get rid of this evil dragon, we can save the people from danger."
Xu Shu also communicated with Liu Xian along the way and knew that Liu Xian attached great importance to this nephew. He said this just to apologize for troubling Liu Qi, but in fact he was already extremely anxious.
Hearing that this boy is a rare talent who will be of great use in the future, he said: "To be on the safe side, we need to send someone to sneak into the bandit camp, contact the prisoners, and investigate the bandits' situation so that we can know ourselves and the enemy."
Liu Qi nodded and said, "That's what I was thinking. Yuan Zhi will arrange spies to investigate the bandits, and we will go to Baqiu to set up camp and gather troops to fight the bandits."
Xu Shu took the order and left. Liu Qi then ordered Liu Xian to go to Changsha in person and ask Han Xuan to provide food, fodder, and weapons, and send troops to the water fort. This was also a test for Han Xuan.
The 800-li Dongting Lake is vast and misty, but at that time there was no Yueyang, let alone Yueyang Tower.
The surrounding area is basically wasteland and swamps and shallows, with occasional fishermen's boats and vast expanses of reeds and rushes.
Once this area is developed, there will be at least tens of thousands of acres of paddy fields, which can be used to grow enough rice for 100,000 naval forces.
As they patrolled the waters in a boat, Liu Qi was also thinking in his mind that this was originally a land of fish and rice, but it was abandoned due to its remote location, which was a real pity.
An hour later, the site for the water fort was chosen, which was right at the confluence of the Xiangjiang River, in Linxiang. This place swallows up a large river and has a wide water area, so it will also become the naval base of Jingzhou.
When the navy is trained, they can set out from here, go down the river through Chibi in one day to support Jiangxia. In the southwest, they can face Wulin across the river, and go straight into Yizhou to the west. They can attack when advancing or defend when retreating.
Establishing a water fort in Linxiang also has another important function, which is to prevent the Wu army from advancing westward. Now that the Eastern Wu has occupied the southern part of Jiangxia and increased its troops in the Jiangnan area, Linxiang controls the important waterway and can ensure the safety of the four counties in southern Jing.
Back then, Liu Pan confronted Gan Ning of Eastern Wu in the area of Ai County, Changsha, which was in the eastern part of Linxiang. This area was bound to become a place of contention with Eastern Wu.
According to information from Liu Xian and several naval leaders, this Dongting pirate is the descendant of Ou Xing who caused chaos in Changsha that year. The sea-making dragon Zhou Xiong is Zhou Chao's nephew, and the two-headed dragon Lin Wen is Ou Xing's nephew.
When Sun Jian conquered Changsha, he defeated Qu Xing and annihilated all of his troops. Lin Wen happened to be out seeking help, so he escaped and hid in Dongting Lake. After the officers and soldiers dispersed, he gathered the scattered bandits and gradually formed a force.
In order to avoid attracting the attention of the government, Lin Wen changed his name to his current one, intending to learn from his ancestor Lin Xiangru, giving up military career and pursuing literature, and studying the art of war diligently.
In order to strengthen their power, they also brought the surrounding fishermen and people under their jurisdiction, claiming that they "do not pay taxes or hand over grain." When officers and soldiers came to demand grain, they were protected and repelled. They were deeply loved by the people and became the leaders of the area.
After listening to everyone's introduction, Liu Qi said, "Lin Wen knows how to command the army and build ships, and he is also good at winning people's hearts. He does have some tricks. Liu Biejia has reminded us that the enemy army has been entrenched here for decades. As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. You must not underestimate the enemy."
Huang Zhongyan said: "I have also heard about the Dongting Lake bandits in Changsha. Because the lake is so vast and there are many islands, the bandits hide in it and are scattered everywhere. It is very difficult for the government to suppress them, but this threat must be eliminated."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "As the saying goes, to catch a thief, catch his leader. As long as we catch these two evil dragons, the rest of the thieves won't be a problem."
All the generals received the order and went to reorganize their troops. Huang Zhong inspected the water stronghold, while Gan Ning prepared warships and weapons and trained the navy.
A few days later, reinforcements arrived from Changsha. Changsha Commander Yang Ling led 5,000 elite soldiers and transported food, fodder and weapons from the Xiangjiang River into the water stronghold.
Liu Xianyan said: "When the governor of Han heard that the general was personally going to suppress the bandits in Dongting, he was very happy and sent Captain Yang to lead the troops to help."
Liu Qi knew that Han Xuan was also expressing his attitude, and he felt relieved. He discussed with the two men and said, "The bandits are so bold that they dared to hijack the official ship. This shows how arrogant they are. Now that our army has entered Dongting Lake, the bandits must have learned the news, but they have not taken any action so far. I don't know why."
Liu Xianyan said: "Captain Yang has fought against the bandits many times and knows them well. Do you know their strengths and weaknesses?"
Yang Lingyan said: "The main force of the bandit army is located on an island in West Dongting. There are many islands here. There are two large islands with water forts built on them, but they are heavily guarded. If you don't know them, you can't enter them. According to the news from the bandits, it is impregnable and full of traps. It is indeed a dangerous place."
Liu Qi nodded slightly and asked again: "I heard that pirates are good at building ships, which are better than our official ships. Have you ever seen one?"
Yang Ling sighed, "The enemy army does have a magical boat. The boat moves on the water like flying and is not affected by the wind direction or the sails. It is very powerful."
"Oh?" Liu Qi raised his eyebrows and immediately became interested. Just not relying on wind power is enough to change the current shipbuilding technology. He asked hurriedly, "Have you ever seen such a novel transformation?"
Yang Ling shook his head and said, "The thieves kept this strictly confidential. Even if the ship was destroyed, they would set it on fire and would never allow outsiders to find out the truth."
Liu Qi frowned slightly and said with a smile: "As long as the enemy army fights, they will definitely use this kind of ship. I wonder how long he can keep it secret."
Liu Xian frowned and said, "But the thieves are hiding deep in the lake. The islands are connected and difficult to approach. If we rashly go deep into the lake, we will be ambushed. What should we do?"
Liu Qi said with a smile: "The thieves are relying on the danger to stay out, which is tantamount to waiting for death. I have my own way to deal with them. Since Lin Wen is good at winning people's hearts, why not use this to control him?"
Liu Xian asked: "Is it to persuade the rebels to surrender and confuse them?"
"That's right!" Liu Qi nodded and said, "I think even Lin Wen himself would not want to be labeled a bandit and bring trouble to his descendants, let alone those who followed him and the common people? We can first issue a notice to recruit the bandits to surrender. Those who are willing to surrender voluntarily and sincerely repent will be forgiven. Not only will they be given land, but they will also be exempted from taxes for three years. Those who persist in their evil deeds will be killed without mercy."
"General, that's a brilliant idea!" Liu Xian's eyes lit up, and he stroked his beard and smiled, "General, you have just taken over Jingzhou and defeated Cao Cao. You are a descendant of the current royal family. Once the announcement is made, the people nearby will be happy to come and surrender."
Liu Qi clasped his fists and said, "I'll have to trouble you with the notice."
Liu Xian laughed and said, "This is my duty, why mention the word 'labor'?"