I saw that man's purple-black face with a beard, and his eyes protruding like bull's eyes, which looked quite scary.
Especially the two bows tied to his waist and the iron caltrop bone in his hand. Such special weapons reminded Liu Qi of Wuxi Barbarian King Samoko.
Several people got on the boat and immediately knelt down to thank them. They babbled a lot, but no one understood them.
Gan Ning stepped forward and asked, "Do any of you know how to speak Mandarin?"
An older middle-aged man bowed and said, "Thank you so much, this military man, for saving us!"
Gan Ning asked: "Who are you, where are you from, and where are you going?"
The man replied: "We are Wuxi Miao people from Wuling. We go to Jiangling to sell animal skins and medicinal materials."
Gan Ning's eyes gleamed slightly and he said in a deep voice: "Since we are selling items, why is there nothing on the boat?"
The man replied: "I just passed through Kunlongtan and accidentally hit a reef. The bottom of the boat leaked. I had to throw away all the food and belongings I had obtained, and then I rowed reluctantly and waited for my benefactor to come."
Gan Ning snorted slightly and looked at the few people warily. He also knew that Kunlongtan was a small island in winter and turned into a shoal in summer. If someone unfamiliar with the situation passed by, it would be easy to crash into a boat.
Liu Qi had been quietly sizing up the people, then stepped forward and said with a smile: "Since we are Wuling people, we should help each other. However, we are going to Jiangling and we are not going along the way. I am afraid it will delay your schedule."
The man said hurriedly: "Master Jun saved my life, I am very grateful. When we wait until Jiangling, we will find a boat to cross the river. We dare not disturb you."
Liu Qi said: "It doesn't matter, the ship has to return to the south bank after passing Jiangling, and I will send you all back together. However, all the property is lost this time. If you return empty-handed, I am afraid it will disappoint the tribe."
The man sighed: "We don't dare to take the Dongting Waterway, so we have to take a detour to the Youjiang Estuary, which is half a month longer. Accidents often happen, and it is a helpless move."
Liu Qi smiled and said: "When you go back, tell your people that you don't have to worry about this matter in the future. Not only have the Dongting water thieves been eliminated, but the government will soon open the Yuanjiang waterway. Not only will you be able to enter and leave Wuling conveniently, but you will also have The caravan specially goes into the mountains to collect animal skins and medicinal materials, so you don’t need to take such risks."
"Seriously?" The man looked surprised, glanced at Samoko, and asked, "Is the government really so good?"
Liu Qi nodded and said with a smile: "The people of Wuling are also the people of Jingzhou, and they should be treated equally. The government has issued a notice. Taxes will be exempted in the mountainous areas, and water transportation will be opened. In the future, there will be government agencies in Youyang, Chenyang, and Yuanling that specialize in purchasing materials. , when you return to Wuling, you will naturally see these official documents."
The faces of the barbarians changed slightly after these words. Even Shamoko couldn't help but step forward to speak. Fortunately, he was pulled by someone behind him, and he realized what he was doing. He opened his mouth and lowered his head.
The man bowed and said, "I heard that General Liu inspected Jingnan. It seems that these policies were decided by him... That's great."
After he finished speaking, he talked about Miao language to those people. They seemed to be arguing, and then retreated to the shelter to rest.
Liu Qi returned to the cabin and asked Gan Ning, "Do you know who the Barbarian King of Wuxi is?"
Gan Ning shook his head and said: "The Barbarian King is usually elected by the elders of each clan and replaced every year or several years. Mo Jiangbo is not familiar with matters within the clan."
Liu Qi said: "That man with a strange appearance and tall stature should have some relationship with the Barbarian King. The purpose of these people's coming is unknown. You should be more careful. It is possible that they are coming prepared. Maybe this is a test by Wuxi Man, or Maybe...you have ulterior motives."
Gan Ning had traveled around the world for many years and felt that there was something strange about these people, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Now that Liu Qi was so sure, Gan Ning shook his hand and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, general, I will send someone to strengthen the security."
Liu Qi recognized Shamoko and knew that this incident seemed accidental, but in fact it was weird.
He believed that ordinary Wuxi barbarians came out to do business, but Samoko obviously didn't. Anyone who could become the king of Wuxi barbarians would never go to Jiangling in such a small fishing boat.
Since the blockade of Dongting Lake, the fleet has basically gone from the Youjiang Estuary to Jiangling. There are many large and small ships. It is too coincidental that their fishing boat appears at this time.
They specifically sought out their own ships, either to test the official attitude or to have ulterior motives.
Before figuring out the barbarian's purpose, Liu Qi decided to wait and see what happened and not to alert the enemy.
At noon, we arrived at Quelongtan. The navy knew that this area was complicated and the boats were moving slowly. As soon as they rounded a reef, they saw a merchant ship approaching quickly.
The defenders immediately beat drums to warn the ship and asked the ship to slow down and take a detour. Not only were there a lot of reefs here, but there were also undercurrents under the river. It was easy for them to collide with each other if they were not careful.
Sure enough, the boat had just come over, and suddenly it turned around in the middle of the river and hit the big boat sideways. Large splashes of water splashed, and the people on the boat screamed in surprise.
"Son Turtle, can you sail a boat?" Gan Ning was furious, pointing his knife at the other side and shouting.
But it was too late, the ship had already collided with it, and the ship turned its rudder slowly. It was too late to avoid it, so the navy had to be on alert to protect the ship.
boom--
At the same time, the ship in front had already collided with it. Although it was half lower than the warship, the force of the collision was not small. The hull shook violently and water splashed.
Liu Qi heard the noise outside and the vibration of the ship, so he went out to check the situation. Huang Zhongzheng was standing outside the cabin and helped Liu Qi to the side of the ship.
The ship had been hit so hard that the side of the ship was shattered, and a hole had been hit in the big ship. The navy was furious and was about to shoot arrows to kill these people.
"Wait a minute!" Liu Qi hurriedly stopped him: "They didn't mean to..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a dozen people suddenly emerging from the cabin, all wearing black shorts and covering their faces with black scarves, walking on the rocking board as if they were on the ground.
"Be careful, there is an assassin!" Huang Zhong's face changed slightly and he immediately warned loudly.
These people threw the hook locks in their hands onto the side of the ship, holding steel knives in their mouths, and climbed up like ants. They were all agile and skillful in their movements.
Liu Qi was puzzled. This trip to Nanjun was basically smooth except for the Hongmen Banquet in Guiyang. Where did the assassin suddenly appear?
Could it be the remnants of the Cai family?
Sun Ce was killed by an assassin because he offended the Jiangdong family. Sun Quan failed to investigate after he succeeded to the throne, and finally blamed Xu Gong's disciples.
At this time, the men in black had already begun to board the ship. Gan Ning led his troops to guard the side of the ship, stepped forward and cut off the rope with a knife. The men in black fell into the water with a plop and disappeared on the river. There was no sign of struggle. Apparently the water quality was good. .
Several other people climbed up from the side. Gan Ning took out the iron halberd with his other hand and used both hands to pounce directly on them, one by one. In the blink of an eye, three more people screamed and fell.
Crossbow arrows were fired from the side of the ship. The men in black fell like dumplings under the random arrows, but many of them had already climbed up the side of the ship and started fighting at close range.
"Master Jun, let us help too!" Suddenly, the middle-aged man emerged from the stern of the boat. While the middle-aged man was still talking, Samoko had already strode over.
"Liu Qi, you're dead!" Before the officers and soldiers could react, Shamo Kehu roared, raised the caltrop bone, jumped high, and smashed it down at Liu Qi.
