Liu Qi was about to dismount, but Lu Su held him down and said loudly in a hoarse voice: "General, this great achievement deserves the celebration of all the troops. Su will lead the horse for the general."
Liu Qi hurriedly asked: "How to do this?"
"Other than that, it's not enough to express our gratitude!"
Lu Su was very stubborn and led Liu Qi from the camp gate to the Chinese army's tent. The Wu army cheered.
Zhao Yun had already quietly dismounted, with a smile on his lips, leaving Liu Qi to accept Wu Jun's admiration alone.
Ever since he was ordered to follow Liu Qi, although he was loyal and recognized his ability after the Battle of Nanyang, he always felt that there was a barrier in his heart.
This time we came to Jiangdong together and often practiced sword fighting and found that Liu Qi was not a playboy like those children from aristocratic families, nor was he proud because of promotions. Instead, he became more diligent and hardworking.
He would run in the camp before dawn every day, making moves that he couldn't understand. He was also very knowledgeable in swordsmanship. In just one month, he was able to launch a counterattack against himself.
After this battle, Zhao Yun was completely convinced and realized that he had always thought that Liu Qi relied on Xu Shu, Zhuge Liang and others, but he himself was mediocre, even greedy for money, lustful, and a bit vulgar.
Today we know that Liu Qi is not courageous, but also resourceful. Facing Cao Ren's tens of thousands of troops, he talks and laughs calmly and retreats calmly. How brave is this?
Lu Su wanted to thank Liu Qi and boost his morale. When he arrived at the tent, he immediately ordered his soldiers to return to the camp to defend, and sent an order to send some troops back to guard the camp.
Liu Qi said, "Cao Ren retreated in fright and was shot by Zilong. He will not dare to come back again! The governor is pursuing Cao Ren with all his strength, so there is no need to interfere."
Lu Su thought the same thing, helped Liu Qi dismount, clasped his fists again and said: "The safety of Jiangdong depends on the general alone!"
Liu Qi pointed at Zhao Yun who was following him and laughed: "If it weren't for Zilong's intimidation, how would Cao Ren be willing to retreat lightly?"
Lu Su bowed to Zhao Yun again and said, "Thank you, General Zilong!"
"How dare you!" Zhao Yun hurriedly returned the courtesy. He had never been so respected by a celebrity before, and for the first time he seemed at a loss.
Liu Qi smiled happily at the side. This move seemed dangerous, but in fact he had confidence in his heart. With Zhao Yun here, he would at least be able to save his life, so he naturally had to take a risk.
If he was the only one in the camp, he would have escaped long ago. Why would he care about the safety of Jiangdong?
If he really puts his life into action, with Sun Quan's urinary temperament, he might soon send troops to Jingzhou, and he might even call him his brother-in-law helping his son-in-law!
At this time, Lu Su relaxed and realized that his whole body was soaked with sweat. He asked Liu Qi to go back to the camp to rest while he went to wash up.
As soon as it got dark, Liu Pan came back with 500 troops. They captured the Qibao Mountain stronghold, obtained countless grain, grass and baggage, and 8,000 war horses.
Although the land south of the Yangtze River is rich, it has a huge shortcoming, that is, there are no horses. Cavalry is the scarcest strategic resource for Jingzhou and Jiangdong.
Liu Pan rushed back overnight because he was worried that Soochow would divide the horses and come to discuss with Liu Qi.
"Whoever takes the supplies belongs to who!" Liu Qi took it as a matter of course and ordered: "The war here is over. After a day of rest, you will transport this batch of supplies back to Jiangxia to avoid long nights and nightmares."
Liu Pan nodded and smiled: "In this attack on the camp, we captured an enemy general who is an old acquaintance."
He waved to the door and saw a soldier escorting a man in. His beard and hair were disheveled and he smelled of alcohol.
When the man came in, he knelt down and begged for mercy: "General Liu, it's me...for General Zhang's sake, don't kill me!"
"Mr. Xiahou?" Liu Qi was a little surprised and said displeasedly: "Mr. Xiahou is the uncle of General Yide. How can you treat me like this? Why don't you let go and watch?"
Liu Pan understood in his heart, and personally untied Xia Houmao, arranged for him to sit down, and ordered others to drink wine to calm down his shock.
Xia Houmao thanked him repeatedly. When he saw the wine being served, he immediately moved his hands wildly: "I won't drink it anymore, and I won't drink it again!"
Liu Qi asked in confusion: "If the young master didn't go to Xiangyang to redeem his sword, how could he be in the Huainan army again?"
Xia Houmao immediately beat his chest and stamped his feet, and cursed the Qibao Mountain defenders. He originally thought that by redeeming the Qingzhi Sword and offering the Lianlian Plan, he would be reused by Cao Cao, but unexpectedly he was assigned to guard the food and grass in Xishan Village.
He had nothing to do in the camp, listening to military training on the water all day long. He was very depressed, so he drank alone. Unexpectedly, when he woke up, he became a prisoner. When Cao Jun escaped, no one came to wake him up.
Liu Qi said with emotion: "Fortunately, the young master was captured by our Jingzhou army. Everyone knows you. If you met the Wu army, I'm afraid your head would be somewhere else."
Xia Houmao shivered, stopped his sorrow, and hurriedly clasped his fists to Liu Pan: "Thank you, general, for not killing."
Liu Pan crossed his arms and sneered coldly: "Who said I won't kill you?"
Xia Houmao stepped forward and begged Liu Qi for mercy: "General Liu, for the sake of our past friendship, how about letting me go this time?"
Liu Qi shook his head and sighed: "Oh, I've always been soft-hearted. Even if I kill you, I won't be able to explain to my third uncle..."
"That's right!" Xia Houmao nodded repeatedly, "General, you are so kind, and you will be rewarded generously in the future."
"But if I let you go like this, how can I explain it to the soldiers who are fighting in blood?"
Liu Qi frowned slightly and said thoughtfully: "How about this? According to the old rules, you go back to Jingzhou first and let Prime Minister Cao redeem the person. How about that?"
"No, no, no, this won't work!" Xia Houmao waved his hands repeatedly, wrung his fingers and laughed dryly: "I just don't want the Prime Minister and the others to know... about being captured, so I beg the general to show mercy!"
"This is going to be difficult!" Liu Qi frowned, "If you ask me to let him go for free, wouldn't it be a violation of the rules?"
Xia Houmao begged for mercy with tears in his eyes: "General Liu, I have just redeemed the Qingzhi Sword, and I am so proud. If I become a prisoner again, I will be ridiculed by everyone in Xuchang, and I will not be able to hold my head up for the rest of my life!"
Liu Pan shouted sharply: "Xia Houmao, don't push yourself too far! If you don't know what's good for you, I will kill you now."
"No!" Xiahou Mao knelt on the ground with a thud, walked forward with his knees, and grabbed Liu Qi's trousers: "General Wanwang bypasses me this time. I am willing to be a cow or a horse in the next life, or weave a ring with a grass ring in my mouth!"
"You are living well now, what about the afterlife?" Liu Qi helped Xia Houmao up and said helplessly: "The fact that you came to redeem the sword shows that you are a man of faith, so you can redeem yourself by yourself, okay?"
Xiahou Mao said in astonishment: "What does this mean?"
Liu Qi said: "I can let you go, but you must write another note and hand over the ransom as soon as possible."
"Absolutely!" Xia Houmao nodded repeatedly, his chest thumping loudly: "I, Xia Houmao, keep my promise, and it is difficult for a horse to catch up."
Liu Qi raised his eyebrows and stretched out a finger: "The ransom is one million!"
"Ah?" Xia Houmao took two steps back in shock, his eyes widened: "You want this... so much?"
"What? Isn't the eldest son of the famous general Xiahou Dun and the son-in-law of Prime Minister Cao not worth his worth?"
Liu Qi glared at Xia Houmao, and suddenly smiled again: "There is also hush money included in this. The young master doesn't want to be captured, so your father and the prime minister know about it, right?"
"I..." Xia Houmao looked painful, "But I don't have that much money?"
"I can give you another half-year deadline!" Liu Qi waved his hand generously and said with a friendly smile: "As long as you sign the letter, I will immediately send someone to send you to Qibao Mountain overnight, and you can return to Fei with the defeated army tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll write!" Xia Houmao gritted his teeth, rolled up his sleeves and shouted solemnly: "Bring paper and pen!"
