Seeing that Liu Qi was getting carried away, Lu Xun hurriedly advised: "The army strictly prohibits drinking."
Liu Qi waved his hand and said with a smile: "Generals, you have been in the Huai River for more than three years. You are exposed to the wind and sun every day, and you still can't enjoy it?"
Lu Xun frowned and said, "General, when he first arrived at the water village, he broke the rules. How will he convince the people in the future?"
Liu Qi cupped his fists towards Zhou Tai and others and said, "I have no choice but to take charge of Jiangdong this time. I just don't want Cao Cao's thieves to take advantage of the situation. As for leading the troops to fight, all the generals are enough. Why do I need to subdue everyone?"
Zhou Tai and others were somewhat hostile to Liu Qi, but when they saw him cooking in person and saying these words, they were all moved. They cupped their fists and said, "We are willing to help the general defeat Cao's thieves."
Lu Xun said: "Cao's army monitors the water stronghold day and night. Cao Xiu is good at using troops. If we take advantage of the opportunity to attack, what should we do?"
Liu Qi smiled and said: "Since Boyan has predicted it, I will help you with the patrol of the camp."
"Uh..." Lu Xun was startled and looked at Liu Qi speechless.
"It's just an exception today!" Liu Qi patted Lu Xun on the shoulder and motioned for him to patrol the camp. At this time, the soldiers had already brought the wine into the camp. Liu Qi held up the crab and laughed and said: "Continue eating crabs, and then drink."
Lu Xun left his tent alone and walked along the water village, but he was puzzled. If Liu Qi behaved like this in Jingzhou, how could he get the support of the civil and military people?
When I was feeling depressed, I heard someone calling from behind me. When I looked back, it was Ma Di, carrying two crabs and saying, "General, come and try this delicious food."
Lu Xun frowned slightly when he saw Ma Su sitting on a stone by the river. Although he felt that this was too rude, he couldn't resist the temptation of delicious food and sat down beside him.
Ma Su smiled and said: "General, don't blame me for my director's nature, this is actually a plan!"
Lu Xun was startled for a moment, and the worry in his brows instantly dissipated. He put on a smile, peeled off the crab shell, and the scent came to his nostrils. He nodded and said with a smile: "So it's a way to provoke the general. I wonder what General Liu has ingenious plan?"
Ma Su said: "Since Cao Xiu arrived in Huainan, he was appointed by Cao Cao as the commander of the navy. He is now in charge of a hundred thousand navy. He must be very satisfied and thinks that he has the power to fight against the Jiangdong navy. If a letter of war is issued at this time, What does the general think?"
Lu Xun suddenly said: "Cao Xiu must have been dissatisfied when he saw General Liu treating him with such contempt, and he would have accepted the challenge."
Ma Su nodded and said with a smile: "Although the navy of the Wei Kingdom is not as good as Jiangdong, it will be difficult to break through if they hold on to the water stronghold. The only way is to lure them out to fight, defeat them on the water, dampen their spirit, and then break it again."
"General Liu is indeed very sophisticated and capable of defeating Cao's thieves. He truly deserves his reputation." Lu Xun understood Liu Qi's intention and couldn't help but be impressed.
Ma Di smiled and said: "The general doesn't know something. Although there are many heroes in Jiangdong, the only people my lord admires are the governor and the general. He once said that the general's talent is no less than that of Zhou Lang, but he has not yet achieved his position!" "
"Oh?" Lu Xun was a little surprised. He was silent for a moment and murmured: "I haven't gotten my position yet..."
"The one who doesn't want to know about me is General Liu!"
Ma Su had already finished eating the crabs, washed his hands by the water, and took out a letter and handed it to Lu Xun: "This is a letter of war. The general sent someone to send it to Cao Xiu. Let's see how he responds before making any plans."
Lu Xun took the letter, looked at the crab in his hand, and said with emotion: "If Liu Boxi doesn't come, who can know how delicious crabs are? The one who knows me is Liu Qi!"
…
The Wei army's water stronghold in Suiling was also heavily deployed along the river, with boats and ships passing by, sails like clouds, and drums beating continuously every day. The Wei army's training was more rigorous than that in Jiangdong.
After the defeat in the Battle of Ruxu, Cao Xiu realized that there was a huge gap between the Jiangdong Navy and the Northern Army, and most of the Northern Army was unfamiliar with water warfare. He followed Chen Jiao's suggestion and disbanded most of the original Navy and recruited soldiers from Huainan, Xuzhou and other places for retraining.
This time, Cao Xiu personally boarded the ship and shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. He had not stopped for three years, just to compete with the Jiangdong navy and help Cao Cao conquer the south of the Yangtze River.
On this day, when I was returning to the camp from training, I saw Xia Houmao and Wen Qin coming to the camp. He asked in confusion: "You two are not helping the prime minister in Shouchun. Why are you here in the water village?"
Xiahou Mao said: "Liu Qi has arrived at Xuyi, which may be detrimental to the navy. The Prime Minister ordered us to come to help in the battle."
"Liu Qi has arrived in Xuyi?" Cao Xiu was a little surprised, and immediately sneered: "This guy is too arrogant. He won in Nanyang by relying on the geographical advantage. Do he still want to show off on the water?"
Xia Houmao said: "The Prime Minister is worried that he will secretly join forces with Zhou Yu, so the governor should be more careful in the water village."
Cao Xiu laughed and said, "Don't worry, you two. I have already sent people to closely monitor the waters up and down the Huaihe River. Not even a stray fish wants to cross the border."
These two people were Cao Cao's close confidants, one son-in-law and one adopted son. Cao Xiu did not dare to neglect them. He ordered people to hold a banquet to welcome the wind, discuss military affairs, and at the same time sent people to inquire about the movements of the Jiangdong navy.
In the evening, the sentry ship came to report that when Liu Qi first arrived in the stronghold, he sent an order to reward the three armies, drank and had fun with the Jiangdong generals, and all the Jiangdong naval forces relaxed and rested.
Cao Xiu sneered and said: "This must be Liu Qi's attempt to win over people's hearts. However, in military matters, rewards and punishments must be clearly defined before you can convince the people. If you use benefits and inducements, how can it last long?"
Wen Qin was overjoyed and said: "When Liu Qi first arrived at the water stronghold, he must have been dissatisfied with the Jiangdong officers and soldiers, and they were so careless. Why not go to the stronghold at night, defeat the Jiangdong navy in one fell swoop, and even capture Liu Qi? Wouldn't this relieve the prime minister's confidants?"
"This is a great plan!" Cao Xiu clapped his thigh and said excitedly: "In the battle of Shouchun, Sun Quan returned in disgrace. The men and horses in Jiangdong suffered heavy losses. If we can severely damage his navy, who in the world can stop my navy?"
"Oh no, you must not, this must be Liu Qi's plan!" Xia Houmao hurriedly stopped Cao Xiu who was about to give the order, and waved his hands repeatedly.
"Oh?" Cao Xiu frowned and slowly sat down, "How can Zilin make this conclusion?"
Xia Houmao snorted coldly: "This Liu Qi has always been crafty and never puts himself in danger. This person is acting like this when he is new here. It is definitely not his style. There must be deception in it."
"Thanks to my brother-in-law for reminding me, I almost made a big mistake." Cao Xiu was secretly shocked.
Xiahou Mao said displeasedly: "The Prime Minister sent me here to serve as the general's military counselor. There are only officers and sergeants in the army. No matter how close we are, Wen Lie must not call me this, lest other generals will be dissatisfied."
Just as Cao Xiu was nodding, he saw his own soldiers walking in quickly, carrying a letter: "Liu Qi sent someone to deliver a letter."
"Huh?" Cao Xiu was a little surprised. He opened the letter and read it. He was furious. He slapped the table and yelled: "Liu Boxei has gone too far to deceive others. I will definitely compete with you."
Xia Houmao asked hurriedly: "What did Liu Qi say in his letter?"
"This is a battle plan!" Cao Xiu patted the letter and gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Qi actually laughed at me for playing tricks and overestimating his abilities. How can I tolerate this?"
"What? Liu Qi issued a letter of challenge?" Xia Houmao was a little surprised and frowned: "Is this another plan?"
Cao Xiu gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Qi despises Yu so much. If he doesn't fight, won't he be laughed at by others?"
Wen Qin clasped his fists and said: "The general has been training the navy for three years. The prime minister has high hopes. It's time to show his true strength."
