I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 41 Chaohu Water Bandits
Lu carefully carried the box deeper into the house, and Lu Kang returned at that moment.

He was accompanied by another person dressed in short clothes, who smelled of river water. His face was disheveled, and many strands of hair were scattered from his temples and forehead, making him look particularly panicked.

"Aren't you the boatman from that day? What brings you to the prefect's residence today?"

This man was the boatman who transported the grain and fodder from Shouchun.

Upon realizing that Liu Miao recognized him, the other person immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Your Excellency actually remembers me?"

The boatman wept uncontrollably: "The magistrate did not despise my humble status, treating me to delicious fresh fish and sweet wine, and gifting me beautiful silk. I should have done my best to repay him, but today I have no choice but to come to the magistrate for help again!"

Liu Miao asked Madam Lu to pour hot water for the boatman, which made the boatman even more apprehensive: "How can I allow Madam to entertain me? How can someone like me bear such an honor?"

"Drink some water, drink it slowly."

Liu Miao did not rush to ask questions, but instead told the boatman to rest and recover before waiting quietly.

"Thank you very much, Magistrate Liu!"

The boatman was no longer in a sorry state and felt even more grateful and admiring towards Liu Miao.

"I wonder if Magistrate Liu remembers that I mentioned there was still some grain that had not yet been transported to Shuxian?"

After coordination by the Lu family's accounting department, a total of 7,000 hu of grain and fodder were delivered from Shouchun this time, with 3,000 hu still not delivered.

The boatman had mentioned this matter before at the dock, so Liu Miao naturally remembered it.

"Is there something wrong with the supplies?"

"Your Excellency is wise!"

The boatman looked dejected, his self-reproach evident.

"Everyone says that bandits are rampant in Chaohu, but I think that this time it is government goods, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"We were caught off guard because Shouchun didn't send any soldiers to escort us. We never expected that the river bandits would be so audacious as to actually attack the cargo ship!"

"Lord Liu, all six of our ships have been seized by the bandits of Chaohu Lake. I have no other choice but to come and beg you for help!"

Liu Miao: "..."

Very smart!
Both sides are incredibly clever!
Something seems to have gone wrong in Shouchun; no soldiers were sent to guard the grain transport!
The boatmen were incredibly careless. They knew that bandits were rampant on Chaohu Lake, yet they were still complacent and had their boat hijacked.

Perhaps because Huainan has been peaceful for so long that even the Yellow Turban Rebellion has had little impact on it, these people have not yet realized that we have now entered a chaotic era!

Liu Miao stroked his beard: "So what brings you here to see me?"

The boatman knelt down with a thud.

"Lord Liu! I've lost my goods and my ship, and I dare not return to Shouchun! Otherwise, the Prefect of Jiujiang might make me pay dearly!"

"I beg you, Lord Liu, have pity on me and send troops to quell the bandits on Chaohu Lake! Only then can I retrieve my goods and return home safely!"

Liu Miao frowned.

Although there is no such thing as "transportation insurance" now, if goods are lost, there will definitely be someone to hold accountable.

Especially in matters between high-ranking officials and nobles, each of them is someone with connections and influence that reach the highest levels.

If Governor Chen Wen and Yuan Yi find out about this, they will surely blame the officials below them. And these officials, having been wronged, will probably want to get rid of these people as soon as possible!

So what the boatman said wasn't an exaggeration at all. If the boat and cargo couldn't be found, he would most likely really lose his family and become one of the displaced people, one of the people he had vividly described to Liu Miao about crossing the river that day.

Even so... Liu Miao still did not intend to send troops directly himself!

The situation regarding the soldiers on Wu Jing and Sun Ben's side is still far from settled.

As for the rest...

Liu Miao asked Lu Kang, "Lu Zhongyi, how many new soldiers have you recruited so far?"

"More than two thousand people."

Liu Miao then asked, "Can two thousand new recruits defeat the bandits of Chaohu Lake?"

"No." Lu Kang said firmly.

If a mere two thousand new recruits could quell the bandits of Chaohu Lake, then the old man would have taken matters into his own hands long ago, and how could he have allowed them to run rampant like this?
Upon hearing this, Liu Miao completely abandoned his idea of ​​sending troops.

"You heard it too, two thousand new recruits are not enough to quell the bandits in Chaohu Lake."

"Therefore, I cannot help you with this matter!"

Liu Miao spoke frankly, and after realizing that he was indeed incapable of winning the battle, he directly refused the boatman's offer.

He admitted that the boatmen were very pitiful.

Ultimately, however, it is they who made the mistakes.

Punishing oneself for someone else's mistakes, or even having to pay for them, is something Liu Miao truly couldn't do.

Upon hearing this, the boatman's eyes glazed over.

The only way he could think of to survive was to beg Liu Miao, pleading with him to send troops to help him retrieve his goods and ships, out of pity for him.

Now, this only way out has clearly been cut off!
Lu Kang, who was standing to the side, nodded slightly after hearing Liu Miao refuse.

He was genuinely afraid that Liu Miao might act impulsively and agree on the spot!

Seeing that Liu Miao was now clear-headed, Lu Kang advised the boatman, "Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin are not bandits that can be easily dealt with. How can you just order a campaign against them?"

"In my opinion, it would be better to..."

"Wait a minute!"

Liu Miao interrupted Lu Kang: "Lu Zhongyi, who are those bandits from Chaohu Lake?"

"Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin. What? Has Zhongshan heard of their reputation?"

Of course, I've heard of the reputation of the Twelve Tiger Generals of Jiangdong!

Liu Miao stroked his chin. If that's the case, then it seems there's no need to fight a battle.
If it really is Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, then they have all followed Sun Ce to clean up their names and infiltrate the government system.

This shows that they did not intend to remain on the river as hopeless river pirates.

Perhaps, we can seize the grain, ships, and even Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin without losing a single soldier?
Lu Kang was still rambling on and on—

"In fact, it is not difficult to defeat the Chaohu bandits head-on, but they often hide in the reeds and shallows of Chaohu Lake in small boats when they see a large force of troops arriving, making them completely untraceable."

"Defeating them is easy, but completely wiping them out and getting the goods back is extremely difficult, and..."

"I promise you, I will send troops to punish the traitors!"

"Ok?"

Lu Kang's words were suddenly interrupted by Liu Miao.

The boatman on the other side reacted quickly, his sorrow turning to joy. Fearing Liu Miao might change his mind, he knelt down again and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Thank you, Magistrate Liu! Thank you, Magistrate Liu! Magistrate Liu is benevolent and righteous! Magistrate Liu is truly benevolent and righteous!!"

Lu Kang asked in disbelief, "Zhongshan, are you really going to send troops?"

"a man of his words!"

"Didn't you say before that you weren't a gentleman?"

Liu Miao gestured to Lu Kang to remain calm.

"This matter wasn't as difficult as Lu Zhongyi had imagined!"

"If we're lucky, we might be able to get both things done at the same time!"

Two items?

Lu Kang knew that the grain and fodder stolen by the bandits of Chaohu Lake was one thing, but what was the other thing?

(End of this chapter)