Chapter 9: Joining the Liu Shijun
Upstream is Yucheng, the water fort.

After bandaging his wound, Tuntian Commandant Liu Sheng took some medicine and rested, feeling drowsy in the afternoon.

It is unknown how serious the injury to his right shoulder would have progressed. He might have been tortured to death by the arrow wound before the imperial court issued the execution order.

So I just relaxed and enjoyed this drowsy and slightly dazed state, as if I was isolated from the outside world.

"Captain, the thief Dai Cao is here."

A clerk from the military farm quickly walked into the barracks to report. Liu Sheng reluctantly lay on his back on the step with the clerk's help.

Dai Cao, who was sent by Liang Guoxiang, came with a few subordinates. He first examined Liu Sheng's injuries, then waved away the garrison clerks and asked the pale-faced Liu Sheng, "Captain Liu, do you know what happened last night when the soldiers from Xiayi County set up floating boats to intercept us?"

"How should I know?"

"The county lieutenant of Xiayi died in the battle, and many of the fleeing county soldiers said that the bandits had supernatural powers. So I am very curious about how Captain Liu escaped from the bandits."

Dai Zeicao lacked respect for the captain in front of him. The cavalry captain was a noble position in the late Han Dynasty, but this was the military farming captain, whose status was the same as that of a county lieutenant, who was only in charge of the military farming affairs of a county. Above him was the military farming lieutenant general, who was in charge of the military farming affairs of a county.

Liu Sheng also felt strange after hearing this: "Most of those who fled were residents of Meng County, not deserters or rioters, and they didn't have much weapons or armor, so how could they have killed the county lieutenant?"

"This is where the hidden danger lies. The imperial court is about to conquer the rebels in Hebei. The Suiyang Canal is not open. The transportation of supplies depends on the Langdang Canal in the west and the Jishui and Weishui in the east. The safety of the Weishui canal transportation is as important as Mount Tai. How can we take it lightly?"

Dai Zecao observed the change in Liu Sheng's expression and said, "The people under the command of the commander are ignorant and can't explain what happened yesterday. Please tell me in detail so that I can report to the prime minister."

Liu Sheng briefly recalled and then began to tell the story. The focus was naturally on the elite thieves who had set up an ambush precisely at Fengshuikou at dusk and chose to snipe him to death at the first opportunity.

If it weren't for the armor, the protection of his personal soldiers, and a little bit of luck, he might have been carried back as a corpse.

According to Liu Sheng, the bandit leader is proficient in tactics and must be from a prominent background.

How many years has it been since the war between the heroes in the Central Plains ended?
After Marquis Lu Wen was defeated, Yuzhou Mu Liu Shijun went to Nanyang. In the past few years, many corrupt officials of the enemy side have been hiding among the people, waiting for the opportunity to cause chaos.

The county lieutenant of Xiayi was killed in battle by the bandits when he set up a checkpoint at night, which proved the bravery of the bandits.

Therefore, Liu Sheng was at most guilty of negligence. When faced with such an elite bandit chief, it would be the same no matter who served as the military farm commander.

In short, after Liu Sheng's words, the ambushers looked like elite soldiers in the army.

Dai Cao also believed it to some extent. It was only because of the friendship between fellow villagers that this group of bandits did not kill the soldiers who were stationed in the fields. Otherwise, they would have either died with their ships, or been captured and forced to join the bandits.

After thinking for a long time, Dai Zecao made a judgment: "This should be the troops of General Liu, the Left General. I wonder why they are going to Xuzhou."

After hearing this, Liu Sheng nodded slightly in agreement. If they were former subordinates of Marquis Wen, they would not hold back.

It was not revenge for the former master, Marquis Wen, but simply because that was how Marquis Wen's former subordinates always did things.

Only Liu Shijun's troops would not expand their influence arbitrarily when doing things.

Seeing that Liu Sheng did not refute this speculation, Dai Zeicao said, "Now it seems that the matter is serious. I will lead the soldiers of Yucheng County to go down the river to hunt down the thieves. I would like to trouble Captain Liu to submit a letter with me. If it is really the former subordinates of Envoy Liu who are causing the rebellion, we should guard against it with all our strength."

Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng, who had an injured right arm, was excited and said: "I will serve you."

The Suiyang Canal was not open, and the front-line troops relied on Xuzhou for military supplies and also relied on the Wei River.

During the decisive battle of Guandu the year before last, Chang Xi, the governor of Donghai County, led tens of thousands of people in rebellion and joined Liu Shijun. Generals Liu Dai and Wang Zhong were unable to defeat him, and it was Cao Gong who personally led his troops to force Chang Xi to surrender.

After Cao Gong won a great victory at Guandu, Chang Xi once again raised an army. Zhang Liao and Xiahou Yuan jointly led troops to attack but failed to defeat him. After besieging the city for several months, Zhang Liao entered the city, swore an oath with Chang Xi, and persuaded him to surrender.

Chang Xi's real name was Chang Ba. He was born in Taishan County and was a native of the northern part of Taishan County. He had always been dissatisfied with Zang Ba, the leader of the garrison in the southern part of Taishan County.

In order to distinguish him from Zang Ba, and because Chang Xi was brave in battle, the nickname gradually became his real name.

Xi is a very strong wild boar.

This year, Cao Gong officially launched a counterattack against Hebei. If Chang Xi rebels for the third time...

Don't expect Zang Ba to take the initiative to help the court quell the rebellion. It is a rare loyalty for him to stay in his jurisdiction honestly.

It was not Dai Zeicao's turn to consider such a big matter, but he had to pass on the news. There was no need to say more. He just had to classify the rebellious residents as Liu Shijun's followers. The higher-ups would then strictly guard against them and prevent this group of people from roaming around and becoming bigger.

The imperial army was gathering at the front line, so it was normal that officials from the inner regions like me could not defeat Liu Shijun's troops.

At this moment, the two ships, the Black Bear and the big one, had entered the territory of Pei State.

It was a sunny day. He stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the scenery in the distance and near, looking for a suitable place to stay.

As the boat drifted downstream, the warm breeze with a slightly fishy smell blew on his face, and he felt indescribably comfortable.

Only when I have gained a preliminary sense of security can I enjoy the scenery near and far.

However, the surrounding terrain is flat and there are no mountains. When sailing on the river, there are reeds everywhere and even trees are rare.

The sun was warm and gentle, and soon I felt sleepy.

The boat was steered into a ditch on the south bank, and after going five or six miles deep, the shipwreck stone was lowered.

Four more geese were released, and after playing in the water for a while, they went to the wetland grass on the shore to peck at the tender grass of the new spring.

The goose would bite the grass leaf with its toothed beak and tear it apart by slightly twisting its head. It would swallow it without chewing.

The four geese were a bit like lawn mowers, stretching their necks and eating as they walked. When they were a little full, they went back into the water to play.

The black bear sat in the cabin, leaning against the railing and looking at the four geese with some envy. It would be nice to have a few companions.

You can steal things, but you can’t steal the people around you.

But if you look at the wider tarpaulin cabin, it is enough to accommodate two or three more people.

This ship is still a little small, it would be best to grab a larger two-story ship in Xuzhou, or an ordinary transport ship would be fine. A ship with a lower level that can accommodate sailors rowing will do, and a dozen tireless black servants can row the ship. The space is closed and not afraid of sunlight erosion, then the power of this ship will be considerable.

The number of black warriors must also be increased. It would be best to have a black warrior who is not afraid of sunlight and can protect you. Then it would be easier to accept living people.

Although people in the world are ignorant and easy to fool, we should still be prepared for the worst.

About twenty miles to the north, due to the rising river water in spring and the accumulation of rainwater, twenty-eight boats were connected front and back, sailing along the puddles.

The Yellow River has not changed its course and has not experienced large amounts of silt deposition. Today, the entire eastern region of Pei State is full of swamps and puddles.

Even Fengpei, the hometown of a founding hero, was unable to completely suppress the floods through water control. Therefore, the registered population of the 21 counties of Pei State reached a peak of 1.25 million, and the population gradually concentrated in the western region.

During the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, Tao Qian occupied the area around Pei County for a long time and held a stalemate with Cao Cao, causing the population of Pei to be rapidly depleted.

The Xiaopei area with Pei County as its core declined rapidly after losing its commercial transportation advantages and population. Many large areas of paddy fields were submerged and turned into swamps. Today, only the area around Qiao County has a prosperous population.

This intrusive fleet attracted the attention of the natives, and both sides showed great martial spirit.

At the junction of these two counties, both are far away from the surrounding county towns, and the two sides have similar strengths and a lot in common.

As long as the other party is not from the imperial court, it will be easy to handle.

So they cooked fish soup, and the five leaders, big and small, sat together to discuss.

After Zhang Jun and Song Wu sat down, they saw that the other side indeed had three people who made decisions, and they immediately felt relaxed when their eyes made contact.

I am not afraid of the other side having many leaders, I am just afraid of having only one.

Zhang Jun and Song Wu took turns telling their experiences, which caused the three local leaders to worry.

After defeating Hebei the year before last, local anti-bandit efforts have become increasingly intensified. Now that a large army is stationed in Chenliu, it is only a matter of time before several canal basins are cleared out by regular troops.

The army had rotational deployment, and it was convenient for them to participate in suppressing bandits while deploying along the canal.

Local counties want population, and the army wants military merit and wealth. It is a win-win situation, so why not do it?
Everyone's living environment is similar, but when the overall environment changes, people will have their own opinions on whether they live a good life or not.

Most people can't bear it, but there are always some who dare to take risks.

After they expressed their feelings to each other, Song Wu said, "We collected reeds to make rafts in Sishui, but these boats are useless, so I will give them to you."

The oldest local leader named Zhang Feng looked at the other two hesitant companions and spoke carefully: "Mengze is vast, and you have no worries about your livelihood and yet you have left, let alone here. In fact, I have also heard about the deeds of Yangzhou's Liu Shijun. The Shijun rode alone into Hefei, recruited the exiled people, and appeased Chen Lan, Lei Xu and other heroes and generals. Now the officials and people are much more prosperous than other places."

After a short pause, Zhang Feng said with envy, "Last year, some villagers went south to seek refuge and brought back a message saying that Liu Shijun wanted to dredge Shaobi. Last year, Liu Shijun said that the military farms would be tax-free and would not have to pay a single grain of rice."

Shaobi is almost the largest and most famous super-large water conservancy and irrigation project between Xuzhou and Yangzhou.

After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Yuan Shu invaded the Huai River and Yangtze River regions, causing too many deaths, and Shaobi became deserted.

Farming in the Shaobi irrigation area involves almost no flooding and convenient irrigation all year round, which is what almost everyone in the world desires and is the happiest life for farmers!
A local leader also looked envious and said with concern: "But if we go down the Sishui River on a raft, we will be destitute when we reach Huainan. If we go down the Huoshui River, conflicts are inevitable."

"What you said is wrong."

Zhang Feng corrected the other party, staring at his tanned face and said with a smile: "If we gather a few more families, there will be two or three hundred of us men. How can the county soldiers stop us? We are not joining the rebels to rebel, we are going to Yangzhou to seek refuge with Liu Shijun, and we are also returning to our hometown. If we give an explanation to the counties along the way, how many of them will ask about our place of origin?"

Another local leader who had remained silent immediately spoke up: "This matter cannot be delayed. The sooner we go to Huainan, the sooner we can divide the land and cultivate it. I will go to see my uncle's family now. Besides, even if Envoy Liu treats the people of Huainan badly, he will not treat us, the fellow countrymen who have come thousands of miles to serve him badly."

Shaobi is a national-level water conservancy and irrigation project. How can ordinary people be qualified to lease the Shaobi paddy fields?
General Sun of Jiangdong does not seem like a man who can accomplish anything. If Jianghuai is to be stable in the future, he should have gone to Shaobi to take up a position early. He can live an easy life in the second half of his life, and his descendants will also have a good life.

Huainan is a good place, but the local people are indeed having trouble making a living there.

Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there has been chaos in the Central Plains. Water conservancy facilities such as rivers and ditches have not been maintained, and the state and county levels have lost their coordination, so the floods have become even more serious.

Life is already poor, so traveling together can be a good way out.

As for serving the imperial court as a resident... unless you really can't survive.

But the problem now is also very tricky. After the great victory at Guandu, the imperial court has raised its threshold. If you go there to seek refuge and become a resident, they will treat you as a refugee or remnant of the Yellow Turban Army.

Therefore, those who cannot survive have no chance to serve as garrison soldiers. Their options are either to become bandits or to join powerful officials and become their retainers and slaves.

Besides, Lord Liu of Yangzhou was from Xiang County of Pei State. If we go there, we will be the fellow villagers of Lord Liu!
Xiang County is located in the center of Pei State and is also the capital of Pei State. It is only about a hundred miles away from here, which is not far.

Courage can be spread. People from Liang State and Mengze are all going to join Lord Liu. As Lord Liu's fellow villagers, we will get better treatment if we go to Huainan.

In the evening, there was a grand bonfire in the makeshift camp.

To show their determination, many people dismantled their houses and huts, and after the piled up wood was lit, it was as bright as day.

A fugitive drummer took out his treasured waist drum and hung it in front of him, playing the drum as accompaniment.

Men and women danced barefoot around the campfire to the beat of drums, twisting their waists and waving their hands.

Children and teenagers played around the campfire and ate food that was inconvenient to carry.

Zhang Jun wiped the sweat off his face after the dance, put his hands on his hips and said to Zhang Feng and Song Wu, who were traveling with him, "People's hearts can be used!"

Song Wu panted and his face flushed, "Not only can we use the people's hearts, it is clear that Cao Cao is unpopular. If we can go to Huainan and be safe, then we can be safe. If not, we can go to Jiangdong. If we can go to Jingzhou, it will be the best strategy."

The best place to escape from the chaos is in the corners. Xuzhou is already in ruins, and the best places are Youzhou, Jiaozhou, Yizhou, Jingzhou and Jiangdong. However, some states and counties are too far away and are not practical. Huainan, which is nearby, is the best choice.

Song Wu's words made several nearby leaders laugh. It would be good enough if they could settle down in Huainan.

We all come together just to make a living. Who would travel so far?
Zhang Jun also laughed after hearing this and glanced at Song Wu's profile several times.

(End of this chapter)