Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 472: Jingzhou Navy Enters Yizhou

"The plains!"

Liu Bei looked far to the southeast at Qingzhou, the place where he started his career. He took Guan and Zhang with him to be the county magistrate, and destroyed the bandits and the Yellow Turbans, disregarding his own life, and only then did he achieve his success.

Of course I would like to go back if I have the chance. Besides, Pingyuan County is the hometown where Liu Yong grew up, so it would be nice to visit his fellow villagers.

"Let me clean up the administration of Jizhou and punish those nobles and powerful families, and then I will go to Qingzhou."

Liu Bei muttered silently in his heart.

……

The wealthy families in the counties and prefectures of Hebei were in a state of panic due to the order to move their tombs.

In various parts of Jingzhou, south of Luoyang, the water level of the Yangtze River rose sharply due to continuous heavy rains in late April, and many reefs in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River were covered by river water.

After Zhou Yu personally took his men on a boat to observe, he immediately acted decisively and led the navy upstream quickly while the rain was pouring.

Ever since he received the emperor's edict ordering him to lead the navy to Yizhou to quell the rebellion of the powerful.

They had already reorganized the troops, food supplies, and mobilized 132 scout ships, 567 small boats that could travel like flying gulls, and the main naval ships, including assault ships and fighting ships, a total of 89 ships, of which the fighting ships were the largest.

Zhou Yu did not dispatch many Chong ships, which were specially used to attack the enemy. He also removed the cowhide coverings that protected against arrows, making it more convenient for the soldiers to shoot with crossbows on the ship.

The hull of a fighting ship is larger than that of a mongolica, with parapets on the sides and a deeper draft, making it unsuitable for crossing narrow rivers. Therefore, although Zhou Yu mobilized a large number of them, they were mainly used to transport food, fodder and military equipment from Jingzhou and Jiangdong, and stationed them near Yidao County.

The reason why food, fodder and military equipment were not stored further west was that the waterway from Yidao to Zigui was steep, with fast-flowing water and many reefs. There were bluestones on the south bank that were submerged in the water in summer and exposed above the water in winter, so many ships traveling back and forth ran aground and sank here.

In the first month of the year, upon hearing about the rebellion in Shu, Zhou Yu set out from Jiangxia and went upstream to explore Baidi City. Along the way, he saw the dangerous gorge and could not help frowning.

If the Jingzhou navy went upstream during the dry season, there would be a greater risk of their ships running aground.

By that time, the navy had suffered heavy losses even before the battle, which undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to morale. When Zhou Yu returned to Jiangxia, he immediately reported the situation to the emperor.

Wait until the heavy summer rains are over and the Yangtze River water system surges, then advance as soon as the rain stops. It would be better to station the navy in Jiangling at this moment.

Liu Bei thought for a moment and agreed to Zhou Yu's suggestion, so the Jingzhou navy's entry into Shu was delayed until late April.

Seeing that the time had come, Zhou Yu immediately summoned all the generals and captains to discuss the matter.

"The army is heading to Yizhou. The current from Yiling to Baidi is turbulent and difficult to navigate, so the tower ships are unified and will not be moved. The sleds are the main force of the navy, and the chongs are the large battleships. When going upstream, no fleet is allowed to leave the team without a flag and a command. Those who violate the order will be executed without mercy!"

"There is a lot of rain in summer, but fire prevention should not be neglected. The curtains in the cabin need to be kept wet. The boats and scout boats should patrol around the ship and be careful and vigilant."

"Now, the powerful tribes and barbarians from the six counties of Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Qianwei, Yuexi, and Yizhou have started a rebellion. In this battle, the navy of Jingzhou will advance along the waterway. Any place that can be reached by boats will be the place where the navy will suppress the rebellion."

Zhou Yu spoke solemnly to the generals and captains in the camp.

He was ordered by the emperor to supervise the Yangtze River navy and serve as the prefect of Jiangxia. As long as it was related to the navy, it was under his supervision, and the same was true for this trip to Yizhou.

"Yes! We will not dare to disobey the commander-in-chief's order!"

Zhu Zhi, Liu Pan, Sun Ben, Sun He, Huang Gai and other naval generals bowed and responded in unison.

"Go and prepare. Move forward immediately the next morning without delay!"

The generals bowed again, then marched away as ordered.

Zhou Yu looked at the backs of the people and nodded gently. Then he turned his gaze to Guan Ping and Wen Pin and said with a smile, "Tanzhi and Zhongye, are you planning to march with me tomorrow?"

Guan Ping, who was on trial for the post of Nanjun prefect, and Duwei Wen Pin looked at each other and smiled, then said in unison: "The Dujiang is in charge of the Yangtze River navy and is also the chief commander of the Jingzhou expedition. How dare we two disobey him?"

Liu Bei still trusted Zhou Yu very much. He had previously appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the navy in order to capture Yizhou and Jiangdong. Later, Cao Mengde and Liu Jiyu surrendered without a fight, but he still did not change the appointment. He still made Zhou Yu the commander-in-chief of the Yangtze River navy, but he was also responsible for surveying the water system in Jingzhou and reclaiming wasteland.

Using the water system as a network to spread to the surrounding areas, the common people of Qian would be allowed to settle along the rivers, and the clans exiled to the four counties of southern Jing would also be supervised.

In addition, he issued an imperial edict appointing him as the commander-in-chief of Jingzhou, which made the Zhou family of Lujiang overjoyed. If this continued without any accidents, the Zhou family would become the leading family in Yangzhou.

But something unexpected happened. When the order to move Huiling was issued, all the nobles in the world were terrified. They had taken root in the local area for so long, but now they were going to be uprooted by the emperor.

Although the head of the Zhou clan also tried his best to persuade Zhou Yu to write a letter to discuss the matter with the emperor, he wanted Zhou Gongjin to dissuade him.

However, Zhou Yu had been in the military camp for these years. Not only was he busy and had less contact with his clan, he also became extremely decisive. He rejected the advice of the Lujiang Zhou family and even used this incident to persuade the Zhou family not to resist.

Otherwise, he would have taken part of the Zhou clan and severed ties with Lujiang, and the story of the Xiaozhi fruit would have survived.

When the Zhou clan leader received the letter, he could not help but sigh and said, "Gong Jin has grown up and his heart is no longer with the clan!"

Then he closed the door and didn't even dare to fart.

The people's morale in the Huainan region was such that when there was a war, the common people would dare to use their hoes as weapons.

Just as Yuan Shu lost the support of the people here, Liu family won the support of the people here.

The story was spread through ballads sung by the students in the agricultural school, saying that the Yuan family of Runan occupied Huainan and imposed heavy taxes and levies with a bandit mentality, causing the people to live in misery.

If there are more thieves like Yuan who rise up again, they will surely bring disaster again.

Many people unconsciously compared the current life with the time when Yuan Shu occupied Huainan, and they were all furious and gritting their teeth.

If there are more such bastards, we must follow the Han army and kill them all.

In this way, when the imperial court ordered the land to be measured in Huainan, no noble family dared to rise up in resistance, otherwise the servants would attack the manor from within.

"Governor, in order to quell the rebellion in the counties of Yizhou, can we let the soldiers of Nanjun serve as the vanguard of the Jingzhou navy and defeat the enemy first?" Guan Ping asked with a bow.

"Why is Tanzhi so anxious?"

Zhou Yu asked with a puzzled smile.

"I heard that after the General of Chariots and Cavalry divided his troops, they were blocked by the barbarians of Shu County and their food supply was harassed by the barbarians. So I wanted to put on my robe and armor and enter Shu as soon as possible. When the navy of Ba County reaches Qianwei, I will march west to Maoniu County to help the General of Chariots and Cavalry defeat the enemy."

Guan Ping bowed and explained.

Zhang Yide is his uncle, and now he is stuck in the attack on the barbarians in Yizhou. He should go and help. As a junior, he cannot just ignore it.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yu shook his head immediately after hearing this, and said with a smile: "I don't agree to this matter. Zhongye can go, but you can't."

"I have worked with the General of Chariots and Cavalry for some time, and I know his character well. If you go there, he will be pleased, but he will be unable to sleep at night."

"It would be better to let Zhongye go. He is also a friend of the General of Chariots and Cavalry."

Zhou Yu smiled and offered a compromise.

Otherwise, given Zhang Fei's personality, he would definitely be unhappy if he had to ask Guan Ping for help to attack a mere group of barbarians.

As Guan Ping was Guan Yu's son, if he ignored his uncle, he would definitely be punished by Guan Yu.

In this case, it would be better to let Zhou Gongjin be the bad guy.

(End of this chapter)