I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 49 Concealing One's Edge
Deep within the nest lies a water fortress.

It was called a water fortress, but it was really just a bunch of barracks built on bamboo rafts and tied together with hemp ropes and strips of cloth, forming a cluster that protected a small island in the center.

Apart from the two arrow towers on the north and south sides, which are supported by whole nanmu logs, there are only a few thatched huts on the islet that can barely be considered buildings. The rest are thatched huts built with dry grass or reeds.

Jiang Qin's face was dark, and he remained serious throughout.

Upon hearing the report from the scouts he had sent out, his brows furrowed as if in a tangled mess, unable to untangle for a long time.

The muscular man, Zhou Tai, was sitting next to him, sharpening a knife on a bluestone. Although he didn't speak, his ears were perked up, clearly showing that he was quite interested in the conversation.

"I see."

After hearing this, Jiang Qin did not issue any orders, and his scouts wisely left.

Walking straight to Zhou Tai's side, Jiang Qin looked into the distance at the vast Chaohu Lake, as if dozens of imperial warships would emerge from somewhere at any moment and surround him.

"As for it?"

The atmosphere was oppressive, and Zhou Tai finally couldn't bear it any longer, so he threw his long sword aside!
"As for it?"

"It's just a few ships of grain, is the imperial court really going to make such a fuss?"

"Mobilizing so many troops, the food they consume might even exceed what we've looted! Is the imperial court really going to go to such lengths?"

Zhou Tai's outburst of insults made Jiang Qin even more silent.

With only six cargo ships and three thousand bushels of grain, why would the imperial court mobilize so many troops to attack us?
……

"Tonight, I will take a boat trip to see it again."

Even now, Jiang Qin still suspects that the intelligence he obtained was incorrect.

Why did the imperial court make such a fuss over such a small matter?

Sun Jian's former subordinates were already famous throughout Huainan.

Zhou Angxiong Xin has also been working on this for a long time.

Although Liu Miao was not well-known in Huainan, he was still a prefect with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and he was even backed by Lu Kang, the prefect of Lujiang.

Why would a force of this size not attack Tao Qian in Xuzhou or Liu Biao in Jingzhou, but instead come towards us?

Jiang Qin didn't believe it, so he still wanted to check it out himself!

They left the water village in a small boat.

To the north is the Nanfei River.

A hundred warships, like giant beasts, lay dormant at the Shushui ferry. The bronze rhinoceros-shaped prows of the ships held up waves. Each ship had a red flag with black characters on a red background and the character "Han" in seal script on its three decks, showing the majesty of the government troops.

To the south lies the Ruxu River.

The sailors, clad in black armor with fish-scale patterns, halted and surveyed the scene. Their iron boots echoed dully as they stepped over the newly cut camphor wood. Small rhinoceros-hide shields were strapped to their left arms, and the ring-pommel swords at their waists clashed with the bronze crossbows. The over two-zhang-long halberds on their backs gleamed coldly in the setting sun, displaying the imposing presence of a powerful army!
To the west lies the Longshu River.

The river breeze stirred the bronze birds hanging from the eaves of the ship's deck. Quezhu, like a dragon guarding the river, seemed to be eyeing Chaohu Lake with predatory intent, ready to leap up and devour the bandits at any moment. In particular, the large banner with the character "Liu" on it stung Jiang Qin's eyes.

At dawn, Jiang Qin returned to the water fortress and shook his head at Zhou Tai, who looked anxious.

"They were not mistaken; there were traces of government troops in the three main rivers."

Zhou Tai's heart sank to the bottom.

"Or should we do what we always do, take a small boat and sail into the mud, so they can't find us?"

If you can't win, you can only run away!
As Jiang Qin hesitated, a warning sound suddenly came from an arrow tower on the water fortress.

"A small boat is coming from the west!"

"Look closely, is it really just one ship? There are no other warships or small boats behind it?" "No mistake! The weather is clear and the water is calm today, and there's no fog on the lake. It's definitely just one ship!"

Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai exchanged a glance, both donned armor and carried swords, and went to the ferry to wait.

The blue waves rippled, and the boats gradually approached.

It was clear from the shore that there were only two people on the boat.

One man had a handsome face, wore a feather fan and a silk turban, and had the air of a famous scholar.

One of them wore an iron helmet, obscuring his face; he was hunched over and didn't attract much attention.

The gentleman with the feather fan and silk turban is none other than Zhou Yu, Zhou Gongjin!
As the ships approached the bandit camp, Zhou Yu glanced almost imperceptibly to the side, his words carrying a hint of worry that he himself did not realize.

"Lord Liu, you are of noble birth, why would you take such a great risk?"

Indeed, the one wearing an iron helmet and obediently following behind Zhou Yu is none other than Liu Miao, the true initiator of this bandit suppression campaign!
Liu Miao chuckled and pressed the iron helmet down a few inches further.

"So I haven't revealed my identity! Now I'm your personal attendant, Zhou Gongjin, and you can order me around however you want!"

"As for taking risks... what in this world is without risks? Besides, how could I let Gongjin venture into the tiger's den alone and risk his life?"

Zhou Yu was both angry and amused, and at the same time, he was also somewhat moved.

Throughout history, Liu Miao is probably the only one who would accompany his subordinates deep into enemy territory with his noble status.
Zhou Yu wanted to say a few more words of advice to Liu Miao to be careful, but seeing that the ships were already within five steps of the dock, he was afraid that Liu Miao's identity would be overheard, so he kept quiet and dared not say more.

Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai stepped forward to greet them.

After disembarking, Zhou Yu followed proper etiquette and did not treat the other party as a bandit in the slightest.

"Zhou Gongjin of Shu County has come here to pay a visit on behalf of Liu Miao, the Prefect of Jiujiang."

Zhou Tai's mouth moved faster than his brain: "Isn't Zhou Ang the current governor of Jiujiang? When did Liu Miao become the governor of Jiujiang?"

……

Given Zhou Tai's status and position, he was clearly not qualified to be exposed to news of the Yuan brothers' fierce rivalry in the Han Dynasty's officialdom. Therefore, although he had questions, he did not harbor any ill intentions.

Zhou Yu cupped his hands in greeting: "Lord Liu is the Prefect of Jiujiang appointed by the imperial court, while Zhou Ang was merely appointed privately by Yuan Shao and does not count."

"Doesn't count?"

Zhou Tai's Xia Cai accent, which was already strange because it leaned towards Yuzhou, sounded even more noisy now with his sarcastic tone.

"But as far as I know, the current prefect of Shouchun City is Zhou Ang, not Liu Miao!"

Zhou Yu remained unperturbed: "This is a matter for the imperial court, and it will surely be resolved soon. Zhou Ang will then be transferred to another prefecture."

"Anyway, both Prefect Liu and Zhou Ang are now important officials of the court, otherwise they would not have responded to Prefect Liu's order to come to Chaohu to suppress the bandits."

The word "bandit" seemed to have enraged Zhou Tai. Just as Zhou Tai was about to lash out, Jiang Qin pulled him back from behind.

From the moment Zhou Yu landed, Jiang Qin's attention was never on this elegant young man with his refined talents, but rather on Liu Miao, who was carrying iron armor behind him.

"Who is this?"

"He's just an old soldier, one of my bodyguards."

Zhou Yu's attempt to cover up the truth did not lower Jiang Qin's guard; on the contrary, his gaze became even more scrutinizing.

"Zhou Lang said he was just an old soldier?"

"But why do I see this person as a true hero, even though he conceals his sharpness and walks with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger?"

(End of this chapter)