I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 84 Leaving
As the lights flickered, people approached and realized that they were not warships with rammed railings, but ordinary fishing boats with thatched roofs!
The boatman in the lead was not only familiar to Liu Miao, but also to Zhou Tai: "Isn't this the boatman who transported goods on Chaohu Lake back then? How did you end up here?"

The boatman was still afraid when he saw Zhou Tai's fierce appearance from afar, but he beamed with joy when he saw Liu Miao: "Lord Liu! Can I be considered a man of my word?"

The boatman patted the object in front of him, and Liu Miao looked closely, his smile freezing: "Why is this a giant toad?"

The promised Aoki Hitsuji turned out to be a green toad!
He glared at Zhou Tai, who shrugged and said, "What are you looking at me for? Do you think I've actually seen a viper? Or have you seen what that thing looks like, my lord?"

"..."

The boatman laughed and said, "When I first saw this thing, I wasn't sure what it was, but after inquiring, I learned that Magistrate Liu was indeed in Shuxian, so I gathered everyone together to come here!"

They really are all great people.

The entire Longshu Water was illuminated, seemingly stretching endlessly to the horizon.

Although most of them were fishing boats, and some were not even boats, but rather bamboo rafts that were somewhat boat-shaped, they did come after all!
"Governor Liu is in trouble, how can we not help him?"

"Exactly! It's already winter, so we're just killing time anyway!"

"Lord Liu! Come and ride on my boat! My boat is famous for its speed!"

"..."

After confirming that it really was Liu Miao, the boatmen behind him started chatting and laughing, and the once quiet dock suddenly became lively, as if they had returned to the time when everyone was feasting together at this ferry crossing!
Liu Miao repeatedly bowed to the numerous boatmen, saying, "Thank you all! I, Liu Miao, will certainly repay you handsomely after this is done!"

"What are you saying, Lord Liu?"

"That's right, does Lord Liu think we drank for nothing last time?"

"Just tell me what you need, Lord Liu! We brothers may not have many other skills, but we're experts at sailing!"

Liu Miao said loudly, "I have invited you all here today for one request! There are still 10,000 refugees in Shuxian who are fleeing to Jiangdong. I wonder if you brave men can lend me a hand?"

So they were transporting refugees!
Now, the boatmen had even less reason to refuse.

These boatmen frequently traveled between the Huai River and the Yangtze River, and had witnessed the tragic scenes of people crossing the Huai River in the past.

Originally, these boatmen were only concerned with making money and did not empathize with the suffering of the refugees. It was only after Yuan Shu came to Huainan that they understood the plight of those people.

"Lord Liu is benevolent and righteous!"

"We are all ordinary people. Even without Lord Liu's summons, we would still lend a hand!"

"Lord Liu, we can depart at any time. Shall we board the ship?"

"..."

The boatmen started talking all at once again. Although it was chaotic, it wasn't annoying. Liu Miao sincerely bowed to the boatmen.

In the end, only the people can truly understand them!
The wind blowing from the water was no longer the bone-chilling cold, but gradually grew hot, making Liu Miao's eyes red.

"Thank you all!"

After thanking him again, Liu Miao immediately instructed Zhou Tai and others to organize the people to board the boat without further delay!

Because some of the boatmen brought cargo ships with incredibly large cabins, sometimes even able to fit hundreds of people in one ship, after a night of turmoil, they finally managed to load all 10,000 people brought by Lu Su onto the ships and set off for Jiangdong in a grand procession!

"Zhongshan! Over here!"

Liu Miao and the others stayed until the very end, and only after confirming that no servants had been left behind did they decide to leave.

Chen Yu was the first to stand on the deck of the luxurious warship and wave to Liu Miao.

"Zhongshan! Come up here quickly!"

Liu Miao originally wanted to go up, but a glance out of the corner of his eye revealed something green that flashed in the corner of his eye.

That green toad!

Liu Miao then realized that the boatman who had arrived at the beginning had not started the boat, but was staring at Liu Miao expectantly. Although he did not say anything, his invitation was obvious.

Liu Miao smiled slightly and walked towards the boatman without the slightest hesitation, stepping onto the boatman's small boat as the first rays of dawn appeared in the east.

"Huh? Huh? Why are you taking a small boat instead of a big one?!"

Seeing Liu Miao walk straight towards the small boat, Chen Yu quickly called out to Zhou Tai and Chen Wu, "Youping! Zilie! Come on! Come on!"

Zhou Tai and Chen Wu exchanged a glance and immediately followed Liu Miao's footsteps: "Governor Chen! We are guards, so naturally we must protect our lord! You can sit on that boat yourself!"

"Huh? You guys..."

At this moment, Lu Su arrived late. Chen Yu felt as if he had seen a savior, so he waved from the boat again: "Zijing, Zi..."

Lu Su seemed not to hear at all, and rushed onto the boat ahead of Zhou Tai and Chen Wu, sitting down next to Liu Miao and talking to him about something...

"Hey, you guys?"

Chen Yu was experiencing chest pain, and even his breathing became labored!
Don't these people know that on the water, it's always more comfortable and stable to sit on a big ship?
I kindly invited them to ride on the big ship, but they all ungratefully boarded the small boat. Is this how a human being behaves?
Feeling the stability of the large ship's deck, and glancing at the small boat bobbing with the waves... Chen Yu gritted his teeth and stamped his foot, finally disembarking hastily and boarding Liu Miao's small boat!
Chen Yu only realized after boarding the ship that because he had arrived too late, there were no seats left for him!

To Liu Miao's left was the boatman, to his right was Lu Su, and further to the side were Zhou Tai and Chen Wu, leaving him no chance to squeeze in!
Chen Yu glanced around, but finally fixed his gaze on Chen Wu, who looked like he was easy to bully!

"Zilie! Zhongshan and I have something to discuss. How about I sit here?"

Although Chen Wu had only been there a few days, he was known for his inability to refuse people, so Chen Yu naturally picked on this easy target.

But Chen Wu, who usually obeyed everyone, shook his head and said, "I am protecting the safety of my lord. How can I abandon my post?"

Chen Yu never expected Chen Wu to refuse, and immediately felt upset: "Zilie, what do you mean by this? You took off your armor when Youping asked you to before, so why won't you even let me sit here now?"

Chen Wu said seriously, "Giving Youping armor is my own business; but protecting our lord is a matter of the state. How can they be compared?"

Chen Yu, the epitome of seriousness, never expected to encounter someone even more extreme than himself. He was immediately distraught, looking utterly dejected, and was about to leave the cabin.

"Hahahahaha!"

Liu Miao, who rarely saw Chen Yu suffer a loss, burst into laughter: "It's just a seat, why make such a fuss?" After saying that, Liu Miao squatted down on the ground: "Here! You sit over there!"

Chen Yu would never sit in Liu Miao's seat. However, he knew that although Liu Miao looked kind, he was quite stubborn at times, so he didn't argue and just came over and squatted down next to Liu Miao with a smile.

Seeing this, the boatman, Lu Su, and the others followed suit and squatted down with Liu Miao, forming a large circle without any distinction between near and far.

The boatman squatted down next to Liu Miao again, and couldn't help but sigh, "Being with Prefect Liu is completely different from being with other nobles!"

Liu Miao didn't reply, but instead searched his body for something until he reached the back of his clothes, at which point he exclaimed with delight, "Found it!"

Liu Miao stretched out his hand, and what he held was a handful of torreya nuts!
Since there were no fresh fruits and vegetables in winter, people often ate nuts with their drinks. These torreya nuts were something Liu Miao carried with him to relieve boredom.

Liu Miao stretched out his hand, and Lu Su immediately understood, taking three torreya nuts from Liu Miao's hand. Then Chen Yu, Zhou Tai, and Chen Wu also stepped forward to take the nuts and share them.

The boatman next to him was a little embarrassed, but Liu Miao nudged him with his shoulder and said, "Take it!"

The boatman was still hesitant, but seeing that Liu Miao was exactly the same as last time, he took two torreya nuts from Liu Miao's hand and put them in his mouth to remove the shells.

Liu Miao peeled a torreya nut, popped it into his mouth, chewed it, and then asked the boatman, "You just said that I am different from other nobles. Tell me, how am I different?"

The boatman was completely relieved of his pressure: "I can't really explain it, but I'm just different from others."

"A few days ago, I crossed the Huai River to see a family of nobles. The person in the lead was clearly educated, and he was accompanied by a child. They were all different from ordinary people, and they looked quite frightening!"

At this moment, Zhou Tai joked, "Adults are one thing, but why are you afraid of even a child? You've lived this long for nothing, haven't you?"

The boatman defended himself: "That's not it! The fear I felt wasn't the same as when I was facing General Zhou, but a different kind of fear... I don't know! I just can't explain it!"

The boatman couldn't explain it clearly, but Liu Miao understood—

"Is the other person the kind of scholar who exudes wisdom at first glance, inspiring awe and even making others feel inferior?"

"Yeah!!!"

The boatman nodded repeatedly: "That's exactly what Magistrate Liu meant! The other person looks like a well-read scholar, with a strong sense of righteousness!"

Zhou Tai then realized what was happening and angrily rebuked the boatman: "Are you saying I'm illiterate?"

"Hahahahaha!"

The entire cabin erupted in laughter. Liu Miao stopped Zhou Tai, who was about to punch the boatman, saying, "He's right! You're still a long way from developing that kind of imposing manner just by reading books!"

Zhou Tai was rather frustrated: "These past few days I've read 'The Art of War', 'The Art of War', 'Wu Zi', 'Six Secret Teachings', 'Wei Liao Zi', 'Sima Fa'... I should be considered half a scholar, right?"

Hahaha, that's still a long way off!
Zhou Tai retorted, "If it were an adult, I would naturally believe it! But I don't believe the boatman that there was a child with the same imposing manner!"

The boatman tried his best to defend himself: "It's true!"

"That family looks like they're important people, not like us common folk... Oh, right! Their surname is also very special, it's a compound surname, I think it's called, called..."

The boatman pondered for a moment, and finally remembered the surname—

"That's right! That family's surname is Zhuge! That's right! Compound surnames are rare, there's no mistake!"

Zhuge?

Liu Miao suddenly looked up at the boatman and then inexplicably started laughing.

Zhou Tai still didn't believe it and continued arguing with the boatman: "What Zhuge Wang Ge! I just don't believe any kid can read so many books..."

……

The cabin, which was originally a bit oppressive, didn't feel dull at all during Zhou Tai and the boatman's argument. Liu Miao ate his torreya nuts and listened to their argument with amusement until the boat rocked violently a few times, which brought the argument to an abrupt halt.

"These huge waves must have already passed through Longshu Water and reached Chaohu Lake!"

Just as the boatman was speaking, the wooden planks on the top of the cabin were suddenly lifted, and a sailor's head, along with the light from outside, rushed into the cabin, shouting, "Something's wrong! North! There's a ship to the north!"

Is there a boat?

Liu Miao and Lu Su exchanged a glance, then immediately stepped out of the cabin and looked north.

There really was a boat!

Although the number is small, judging from their design, they are clearly warships used for combat!

On the lead ship, in addition to the large flag with the character "Yuan" flying, another large flag with the character "Ji" on a red background and black characters was also particularly eye-catching!

The ships had obviously spotted the massive fleet and immediately rushed toward Liu Miao.

When Yuan's warships approached, Liu Miao looked closely and realized that it was indeed Ji Ling, whom he had met once in Shouchun!

"General Ji! Are you so reluctant to part with me that you have to come and see me off in person?"

On Yuan Jun's ship, Ji Ling squinted and, recognizing Liu Miao, called out in a strong voice, "Last time, Prefect Liu came in such a hurry that he didn't even get to see the Rear General! Now that we've met here by chance, why don't we go back together to see the Rear General? You know, the Rear General has always been thinking of Prefect Liu and wants to meet you, this great hero!"

Liu Miao waved his hand: "No need for that! General Hou has appointed me as the Governor of Yangzhou, and I am currently on my way to Jiangdong to quell Zhou Xin and his men, so I will not be meeting with General Hou for the time being!"

"General Ji, when you return, just tell General Hou that I, Liu Miao, am a member of the Yuan family in life and in death! With me in Jiangdong, he can rest assured! I will definitely govern Jiangdong well for him!"

Ji Ling snorted coldly, and seeing that Liu Miao refused to surrender, immediately ordered a pursuit!

Fortunately, Liu Miao was traveling in a small boat. If he had been hit by Ji Ling's ship or entered the range of the enemy's crossbows, he would have been doomed. However, if it was just a contest of speed, he would undoubtedly be far ahead in a body of water like Chaohu Lake!
Zhou Tai, having previously been a bandit on the Chaohu Lake, possessed extensive knowledge of its hydrology, which instantly distanced him from Ji Ling, leaving Ji Ling only able to grit her teeth and see Liu Miao's retreating figure: "Liu Miao! What a Liu Miao!"

Ji Ling raised his bow and arrow, aimed at Liu Miao, then released the bow and arrow, which roared and chased after him!

Unfortunately, even the weather was uncooperative. There was a headwind, and the arrow flew for a while before falling into the waters of Chaohu Lake and sinking quietly, as if it had never been shot at all.

"Liu Miao...you actually relocated so many people from Huainan to Jiangdong, and even emptied the Lujiang treasury! If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have hesitated in Shouchun last time, and should have shot you dead directly!"

Seeing that he couldn't catch up with Liu Miao, Ji Ling reluctantly put down his bow and arrows: "Return to Shouchun! Go see the General of the Rear! We need to discuss how to deal with Liu Miao more thoroughly!"

(End of this chapter)