Chapter 118 Zhou Jiang came to surrender
Soon someone reported the police information to the state capital. Not only Liu Bei was awakened, but also Liu Feng who was sleeping in the military camp was awakened.
Liu Feng is no longer stationed in the military camp permanently, but he occasionally stays for one or two nights to increase his closeness and affection with his direct troops.
I happened to stay in the military camp this night.
After hearing the warning gongs and drums at the top of the city, the entire military camp was awakened.
Liu Feng immediately ordered Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang and others to lead the suppression and avoid any camp roar.
Fortunately, the people in Liu Feng's camp were all veterans, and they had just experienced a great victory, so they were full of confidence. Although they were frightened, they did not disrupt the military camp.
On the contrary, under the leadership of Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang, they suppressed the chaos in the surrounding military camps.
Although the situation is under control, Liu Feng is still a little scared.
It seems that the entire Xuzhou military system still needs to undergo systematic training. If a situation like this occurs today, it is in itself a manifestation of unqualified military discipline.
Especially the city gate officers should be punished and executed.
When Liu Feng arrived at the city gate, Liu Bei had also arrived.
The father and son looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking.
This city gate officer will definitely be punished severely this time.
Not to mention that there are only a hundred or so people outside the city now, even if an enemy is really coming, it cannot be a warning method like this.
"Who is under the city!?"
Liu Bei went to the top of the city and asked Fu Shiren to shout and ask at the bottom of the city.
The people below the city were also in a panic at this time. The two strong men leading the way were breaking out in a cold sweat in the late night of April when it was suddenly warm but still cold.
At this time, when he heard the shouting at the top of the city, he hurriedly stepped forward and replied: "We are people from Jiujiang. Meng Liu envoy did not give up, and set out to conquer the country. Because we were in a hurry, we missed the camp, so we wanted to stay there He stayed outside Tancheng for one night and entered the city at dawn. He deserved death for his crime. "
Jiujiang?
Liu Feng took a closer look at the ranger attire of the two strong men under the city, and immediately had a guess.
"Are they Zhou Youping and Jiang Gongyi of Jiujiang under the city?"
As Liu Feng guessed, the two leading Han men under the city are none other than Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin.
The two of them became bandits in Jiujiang. They roamed the river with two to three hundred people and robbed merchant ships. Naturally, they had no fixed place to live.
After the envoy arrived in Jiujiang, it took a lot of time to finally meet them.
When the envoy explained his identity and purpose of coming, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin couldn't believe it at all.
They once suspected that this envoy was fake and that Yuan Shu wanted to lure them ashore so that he could catch them all.
But the documents brought by the envoys were indeed printed with the seal of Xuzhou's governor, and there were also letters written by Liu Bei himself.
This is all so beautiful, so beautiful that even though Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were full of hesitation, they were still reluctant to burst the bubble.
Finally, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin discussed it and decided to ask the envoy to stay and give them some time to gather information.
The envoy didn't care, at least he stayed to rest, but it was much easier than searching for the two of them some time ago.
But Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were obsessed. During the few days and nights they sent people to find out the news, they could not close their eyes. They could only get together to drink and carefully imagine what would happen if How wonderful it would be if this were true.
It’s no wonder Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin are so cautious. They have been taught too many lessons by cruel reality.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin are from the countryside and have a small fortune. They are somewhat similar to Zhang Fei. They are both richer and more powerful than ordinary people, but they are not powerful enough.
These days, even the way for powerful officials to become officials is blocked, let alone knights like Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin.
They have also visited everywhere, hoping to recommend themselves or find a powerful nobleman who can take a fancy to their strength.
But the cruel reality is that no matter how low they lower their profile, no one still thinks highly of them.
Not to mention the governor of the state, even the county magistrate can't find someone to take refuge in.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were also desperate, so they led their trusted brothers to become Jiang thieves.
Since you can’t make contributions, then at least help your brothers to make a living, right?
They said they were river thieves, but in fact they had some bottom lines. The merchant ships only pumped water and did not harm anyone, so they did not trigger a large-scale encirclement and suppression by powerful families or local officials.
But after they became famous, there were still endless stories of people trying to trap and kill the two of them in order to make meritorious deeds.
Therefore, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin had long thought of quitting their business, and had been looking for heroes worthy of defecting.
They heard before that Sun Ce was recruiting heroes in Jiangdong, regardless of their origins, which made them very excited. However, many previous lessons made them more cautious, and they planned to send a few reliable ones first. The brothers went over to explore the bottom.
Just at this moment, Liu Bei's envoy arrived.
Compared with Liu Bei, Sun Ce is really incomparable.
Liu Bei is the upright governor of Xuzhou and is supported by Xuzhou scholars.
Sun Ce was a lieutenant under Yuan Shu, not even a general. He was forced to be trapped in Liyang in the north of the Yangtze River with his uncle and clan brothers, and could not defeat the Yangtze River.
Comparing these two, a fool will know who to defect to.
When the confidants who had been snooping for the news came back, they not only confirmed that this was really the envoy sent by Liu Bei, but also brought back big news.
Liu Bei sent troops to the north and won a great victory. In less than half a month, he completely defeated Zang Ba and captured Langya.
How Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin could bear it now, they immediately took care of themselves, dismissed the younger brothers who were unwilling to leave, took the remaining brothers, and supported the envoys all the way north, heading straight to Tancheng.
It was just that they were too excited. After the boat approached Tancheng, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin ignored the fact that it was getting late and insisted on landing at night, which caused this accident.
Hearing the questions on the top of the city, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin heard their names and hurriedly raised their heads and replied: "It's just me. Tai and Gong Yi were summoned by the envoy. They didn't dare to neglect, and they traveled day and night. , We are arriving today. I am afraid that I will be in trouble for a long time, so I rush to the city regardless of the darkness and the starry night, but I accidentally disturb the garrison and ask the Duke to punish me."
"It turned out to be the case. Zhou Youping, Jiang Gongyi ”
Liu Bei spoke at this time and directly ordered: "Open the city gate and welcome the warriors of Zhou and Jiang to enter the city."
Fu Shiren persuaded from the side: "My lord, it is still dark at this time, and it is difficult to tell who is coming. People, there are city regulations, and the city is not allowed to open before dawn."
"I am the governor of Xuzhou, and I have the right to do so."
Liu Bei replied: "The heroes are willing to come. It's a happy event. How can we follow the rules and chill the hearts of the warriors? Go to Kaicheng quickly!"
Fu Shiren did not dare to persuade anymore and went down to the city to open the door.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin outside the city also heard these words, and their hearts felt hot. They felt that they really came to Xuzhou this time.
After the city was opened, Liu Bei personally went down from the tower and led his guards out of the city.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin saw among the crowd a big man with long hands and big ears, a friendly and gentle appearance, and they expected that this man must be the Zhou Mu.
So Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin bowed down together, knelt down on the dirt road, kowtowed to Liu Bei and said: "Tai has no merit, but he was recruited by Ming Gong. I am grateful beyond words. This time I came in a hurry and disturbed the city guards, but I was forgiven by Duke Ming. I have no way to repay this kindness. I am willing to die for Duke Ming!"
"I agree with you! Die! ”
"Okay, okay!"
Liu Bei laughed loudly, took two steps forward, first helped Zhou Tai, and then helped Jiang Qin, and then held them both with one hand in each hand: "Bei is a man of poor moral character, unexpectedly The two heroes, despite their low reputation, traveled thousands of miles to help Liu Bei. Bei was overjoyed. How could he blame the two princes? "
"Ming Gong has exceeded his reputation."
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin felt warm in their hearts. They had seen so many cold faces from the nobles, and they were caught off guard by Liu Bei's closeness and kindness. They couldn't adapt to it all of a sudden.
Liu Bei looked at the warriors behind Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, and asked: "Youping, Gongyi, are these warriors fellow countrymen of yours?"
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin looked at each other, their faces a little red.
Of course these are not heroes anymore, they are all river thieves.
It is impossible for Liu Bei not to know this. Calling them warriors is obviously a favor to Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin.
"It is true as Ming Gong said, we are all villagers who were persecuted by cruel officials in the village and had no choice but to go out to find a way out. The two of us were created by Ming Gong and wanted to repay our service, so we invited these villagers We come together and we are all driven by Ming Gong.”
“Okay, okay!”
Liu Bei nodded: "These are all strong men, and they are also the thoughts of Youping and Gongyi. I should put them to good use. Let these strong men enter the city together, give them food and wine, and rest for a few days." Then he said to Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin: "In these few days, you can choose a good position for Youping and Gongyi, and then assign all these warriors to your command."
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin couldn't help but kneel again He fell to the ground, his eyes red.
Have they ever seen Liu Bei so close to each other, let alone Liu Bei's current status as Xuzhou Shepherd?
In the past, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were not allowed to talk to Zhou Muyan, not even to the big officials in the county.
"Ming Gong's kindness is as great as a mountain. Tai and Qin are willing to vote to death for Ming Gong!"
Liu Feng studied hard beside him. His father's method of winning people was really natural, without any trace of interpretation. Like an antelope hanging its horns, there is no trace.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were attracted by Liu Bei when they met today.
As long as promotions are arranged step by step in the future, given the characters of Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, they must be die-hard loyalists of the Liu family and his son, and they will never betray them.
“Why is this so.”
Liu Bei held the two of them up one by one: "Youping, Gongyi, follow me into the city."
Zhou Tai quickly handed over his hands and said, "Minggong, Tai and these warriors are the same." Come first, there are still a group of people guarding the ship at the ferry."
Liu Bei nodded, turned to Fu Shiren and said: "Junyi, please arrange for these strong men, give them food and wine, and let them have a good rest. Then send someone to pick them up at the ferry, so that they can come to Tancheng by the waterway at dawn and entertain them together with the strong men in front. "
Fu Shiren hurriedly responded.
Liu Bei was then satisfied and took Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin into the city.
After the group entered the city, they met Guan Yu and Zhang Fei head-on.
The two entrusted the tribe to Zhao Yun and Tian Yu, and then led their soldiers directly to the city gate, and happened to meet Liu Bei and others.
After a brief conversation, Liu Bei introduced Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei joined the team and headed to the state capital together.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin looked at each other, secretly speechless.
I didn’t expect that Liu Shijun would have such a brave man under his command, and there were two of them.
It's just that they haven't met Zhao Yun yet, otherwise they would be more than just two people.
People always compare with each other to confirm their own worth. Before seeing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, although Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin had low self-esteem and low status, they were also somewhat proud of their martial arts and bravery.
After seeing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, this little pride was shattered to pieces, and suddenly I felt like I was worthless, and I was even more grateful to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei and Liu Feng knew nothing about this. They entered the state capital all the way and ordered their servants to go to the kitchen to open fire and make some hot soup and rice, good wine and meat.
Everyone sat down in the main hall, and Liu Bei introduced Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with great interest.
Guan and Zhang were not very interested in Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, who were strong and powerful.
In fact, among the three Liu, Guan, and Zhang, Liu Bei is the one with the highest academic qualifications, but Guan Yu is the most learned, because Liu Bei likes running dogs and wearing fancy clothes, and is not keen on reading. He is just a good teacher.
Guan Yu studied diligently and could not let go of the scrolls. He often read at night in the military camp. He studied the Spring and Autumn Period and Zuo Zhuan very deeply. Jiang Biao's biography once recorded that "Yu is good at Zuo's biography. The satire and recitation are all catchy, which shows the depth of his study.
As for Zhang Fei, he was once proven to be a master of calligraphy and proficient in culture, but in the end everything was disproven.
Zhang Fei's calligraphy and painting were followed by later generations, and Zhang Fei's Li Ma Ming, written after he defeated Zhang He in Langzhong, has also been falsified by modern times and is a fake work of the Ming Dynasty.
It can be seen from history that Zhang Fei's transformation from a reckless general to a Confucian general began in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.
A series of Zhang Fei's "works" were also handed down from the Ming Dynasty.
Zhang Fei’s identity as a Confucian general was actually packaged by his fans.
Historically, in the eyes of the gentry at that time, Zhang Fei was indeed what Liu Ba thought. A real man lived his life and made friends with heroes from all over the world. How could he talk to soldiers?
Therefore, the characters of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are engraved in their bones and difficult to change.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were neither famous men nor Jiang Jiang thieves, so it was only natural that they did not fall into the eyes of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were secretly a little uneasy. Just looking at the closeness between Guan and Zhang and Liu Bei, they knew that their status was extraordinary.
But looking at the opponent's posture now, it seems that they don't like themselves very much. This makes Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, who have just arrived, how can they feel at ease.
As if sensing the uneasiness of Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, Liu Bei winked at Liu Feng and said, "Youping, Gongyi, do you know who this person is?"
Hearing this, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin looked up, only to see a smiling young man looking at them.
After the two sides met their eyes, the young man nodded at them as a greeting.
"The common people don't know."
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin shook their heads at the same time. They were also a little confused before and didn't understand how such a young man could follow Zhou Mu.
Liu Bei explained the confusion at this time: "This man is my eldest son, with a single name and a seal. It seems that he is also destined to be the same as you. I can hear the names of Youping and Gongyi, and travel thousands of miles. Pi, it’s thanks to this son’s recommendation.”
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were shocked and hurriedly looked at Liu Feng, only to see Liu Feng smiling and nodding, and said proactively: “I heard someone say, Jiujiang. There are two brave gentlemen named Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin. They are good at water and understand hydrology, and they are excellent navy generals. "
"Therefore, Feng strongly recommended these two gentlemen to his father. However, the state envoy never returned. He was still talking about this matter with my father a few days ago. He was about to send more people south, but he did not expect that the two gentlemen had already arrived in Tancheng."
Both Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were frightened and looked ashamed.
Liu Bei took advantage of the situation and asked: "Youping and Gongyi, I see that the two monarchs are brave enough to fight. I would like to invite them to join the army. I wonder if you two are willing?"
Zhou Taihe Jiang Qin immediately left the table and bowed down: "Since the two of us have followed Ming Gong, we should regard Ming Gong as the leader and listen to Ming Gong's arrangements."
"Okay, okay!"
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Liu Bei was overjoyed, thought for a while, and said: "To be honest with you two, Guangling is my prefecture and county in Xuzhou, but I don't obey the orders of the prefecture. Bei Tian is appointed as the prefecture pastor, so he can't let it go. This year and next, Guangling must be surrendered. "
"Guangling is located in Huainan, with dense water networks, numerous rivers, and large lakes. It is difficult to mobilize the army without the cooperation of boats."
Liu Bei continued: "So be prepared. The idea of building a navy has always been due to the lack of talents. Now that Youping and Gongyi have arrived, they can assist Zijing in establishing a navy."
When Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin heard this, they were immediately overjoyed. .
This is an early creation. Even if there is another chief officer above, the two of them will definitely be able to share a lot of credit and become senior officials of the navy.
The navy in this era was actually quite important. Whether there were ships in the entire Huaisi area was completely different.
The maneuvering speed can even be three to five times different, and the logistics are even more different.
So Liu Feng urged Liu Bei to recruit Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin. These two men were powerful naval generals in history. Together with Guan Yu, Pan Zhang, and Xu Sheng, there were already many in Liu Bei's military system. A navy general who has already taken shape and will take shape in the future.
"Youping and Gongyi, you two can also select and select the heroes brought by you."
Liu Bei said seriously: "But I want to remind you first that the Xuzhou Army has been fighting for several days. The military discipline has been rectified since then. If the warriors are willing to join the army, they will be treated generously, but if they cannot bear the hardship of military discipline, they can also be sent home with money."
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin agreed generously, feeling that the treatment given by Liu Bei was already excellent, and they were extremely satisfied. What the Jiang thieves they brought with them wanted most was to have the opportunity to become regular soldiers in the state army. Now Liu Bei has given him such an opportunity. Anyone who dares to violate military law will naturally be severely punished.
Liu Bei was also very happy when he saw that the two men were serious about their orders, and continued: "You two have just come here, so it is not easy to promote them rashly. For the time being, you will be ranked as Qu Junjun. When the naval army is built, you can reward your merits." "What do you think?"
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin could hardly restrain their joy, they felt that their new master was truly a magnanimous master.
On the way here, Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin discussed it many times, and both felt that it would be enough to have a village leader.
Anyway, if you have courage and dare to fight, you will be able to accumulate merit and advance sooner or later.
But they didn't expect Liu Bei to directly give them a promotion, to the rank of Qu Junjun, and even promised them a reward of Army Sima.
Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin couldn't help but wish they could go into battle immediately to kill the enemy so that Duke Ming could see their loyalty and bravery and repay Liu Bei's kindness in appreciating his knowledge.
Later, after Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin had eaten, Liu Bei personally sent them to their accommodation before leaving.
Although Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin were extremely excited, they were indeed exhausted physically. They chatted a few words about Corporal Liu Bei Lixian and did not look down upon them because of their family background, which made both of them feel that this time was the right time. .
It is ridiculous that I thought the state envoys were a scam set by Yuan Shu and wanted to trap and kill them.
Now that I think about it, it's really ridiculous.
The two of them were also a little scared. Fortunately, they didn't kill the state envoys and officials with a single knife at that time, otherwise they would have no choice but to continue to be river thieves in the future.
(End of this chapter)