As expected, there were a lot of pirates along the Qingzhou coast. In addition to the defeated soldiers who were dispersed, there were more Qingzhou people who were hiding from war. The aristocratic families had manors to guard and had troops available. Ordinary people had no protection, and they were unwilling to rely on the aristocratic families. They were implicated by them and simply fled to the beach and became pirates.

For them, although fishing is not as stable as farming, it is hard for a while. Yuan Tan is not a match for the King of Wu and will leave sooner or later. Qingzhou is still under the rule of the King of Wu. The villagers who fled to Yuzhou said that the King of Wu is very good to the people. Facts have proved that Shen Envoy also did a lot of things that are beneficial to the people. However, the Qingzhou family was greedy and refused to hand over the land. They colluded with Yuan Tan. This time they died, and the fool followed them.

The arrival of these people also affected the previous pirates, including many old Yellow Turban tribes. They have always been hiding here, relying on the sea to make a living, not communicating with the outside world, and know little about the outside news. Some people have fought with Gan Ning, but have a bad impression of it. They only know that Gan Ning is easy to kill, and the warship is big and fast. When they encounter him, they are either killed or injured. It is best to stay away from him. When they meet the new people, they know that Gan Ning is still the King of Wu behind him.

When Gan Ning sent someone to contact them and asked them to attack Qingzhou together and promised to allocate land after success, most of the pirates responded happily. Even if they were unwilling to listen to Gan Ning's orders, no one was so stupid that they took the initiative to provoke after seeing those tall and majestic warships.

After careful selection, Gan Ning quickly recruited more than 10,000 people. According to the habits of the Jiangdong Army, more than 3,000 elite troops were selected from them to become combat personnel, and the rest served as logistics and reserves. He selected several islands as bases, placed the families of these soldiers on it, and distributed them to several large ships, taught them to fish in the sea, set up aquatic processing workshops on the island, and processed the fish caught. In addition to meeting his own needs, he could also supply the consumption of the army.

With Bu Zhi's assistance, these things were handled in an orderly manner. Gan Ning secretly admired him and participated as much as possible. He also arranged a few clever subordinates to cooperate with Bu Zhi and learn related matters.

After the basic preparations were completed, Gan Ning led a large army to go up the Ji River and enter Le'an. He regarded the newly recruited pirates as a vanguard, covering up his eyes and following him. In Le'an's aristocratic family, the powerful men did not take it seriously when they heard that the pirates were coming, and they kept their doors and waited for county soldiers to rescue them according to their previous habits. These pirates came and went like the wind, and it was difficult to prevent them, but their attack ability was limited. As long as they defended the city or manor, the autumn harvest had ended, there was nothing in the field, and the losses would not be much.

But this time, they miscalculated. The pirates who came this time were not only young and strong, but also changed into new equipment, including warships equipped with stone throwers. The offensive power was greatly enhanced. Several small manors could not stop them at all and were quickly conquered. The pirates rushed into the manor and robbed the manor, killing men and robbing women.

After winning the first battle, the pirates were full of morale and advanced like wildfire. They all passed by were annihilated and went straight to the city of Le'an.

——

In the county seat, Linji, the prefect He Kui sat in the hall and looked at his two-year-old son He Zeng playing in the courtyard with a gloomy face.

In the past two days, the pirates have entered the country and have robbed several manors. The possibility of taking advantage of the victory to Le'an made him worried.

He went to see Sun Ce and was tired of each other. Not only did he not get the respect of Sun Ce, but he was also under house arrest by Sun Ce for a long time, which triggered the liquidation of the Chen family. Therefore, he hated Sun Ce and refused to bow to Sun Ce. He had been living at home for many years. Although Man Chong settled the land and left him more than 100 acres of land, he was not a farmer. He rented it to others for limited farming and rented it to raise a few more people. In short, he lived a tight life. If it weren't for Chen Yi, Yuan Yi and other relatives and friends who helped him, he would probably have starved to death.

Of course, this kind of life was not something he was willing to accept. Yuan Tan entered Yanzhou again, so he rushed to Changyi and was appointed as the prefect of Le'an by Yuan Tan.

He was happy for a while, but he was not happy for a long time. Yuan Tan withdrew from Yanzhou and retreated to Jizhou. Qingzhou has not given up yet. Tens of thousands of troops are still stationed near Gaotang, but the possibility of progress is not high. Le'an has become the front line and may be besieged by Shen You and Xu Kun at any time. He is now unable to sleep or eat. Despite the repeated hints from various families, he has not disbanded the county soldiers and does not intend to surrender to Shen You. He always feels that Yuan Tan should not give up Le'an easily. If he persists for a while, there may be a turning point.

He Kui was very annoyed when he received the news of the pirates' entry. These troublemakers thought that Yuan Tan had retreated and Qingzhou was theirs. They dared to take advantage of the situation to rob. It was tolerant, but who was unbearable. We must teach them a lesson to avoid fighting Shen You and Xu Kun was attacked from both sides.

"Mr. Fujun, I just received the news that the pirates have entered Le'an County." He Ke walked in and said softly.

He Kui nodded and tapped his hand gently on his knees twice. "Ji Gong, what do you think of these pirates? Is it just robbed ashore? Could it be that he was bewitched by Shen You?"

He Ke smiled bitterly. "Mr. Fu, are you worried that the pirates are bait. Shen You may have a sneak attack on Linji?"

"Do you think it's possible?"

"It doesn't matter whether it is possible or not. Qingzhou is not as good as Yanzhou. Many people have had contact with the king and minister of Wu and are not unfamiliar with the new policy of Wu. They are just unwilling to give up the land in their hands, and they have persisted to this day. If Yuan Tan gave up Qingzhou, Shen You would sooner or later send troops to recover the counties and counties. Their troops alone cannot be defended. Instead of being blood-scrapped like the Yanzhou family, it is better to surrender early and at least save your life."

He Kui didn't say anything. He could understand what He Ke meant. Zhu Huan, Man Chong and others led their troops into Yanzhou. The Yanzhou family was purged and their families were destroyed. If they wanted to save their lives, they had to surrender early, and it would be too late to surrender again when the troops were at the city. The same mistake was ahead. Once the Qingzhou family got the news, they would definitely contact Shen You and make meritorious contributions. The reason why there is no movement yet is because Yuan Tan's troops are still in Gaotang, and the news is not clear, and Shen You didn't seem to have the intention to persuade him to surrender.

These martial artists think that they will be punished by God in the future.

He Kui was very sad. Unexpectedly, he had been reading books for his whole life and obeying the teachings of the saints, but now he was in such a field. When he thought of being defeated by Shen You and captured in front of Sun Ce, he felt that there was darkness in front of him and no hope.

After the aristocratic family was over, it would be the world of martial artists and common people. In an instant, he realized the pain and helplessness of the saints facing the collapse of rituals and music during the Spring and Autumn Period.

He Kui stood up. "Let's go. Since war is inevitable, let's use these pirates to train soldiers."

He Ke nodded and accompanied He Kui to change clothes and armor, but could not hide the sorrow in his eyes. So what if he defeated the pirates? He Kui was a scholar and had no experience in leading troops to fight. He might be able to repel the pirates, but he had no chance of winning against Shen You and Xu Kun. But he also knew that He Kui didn't want to leave, he had no way out.

——

He Kui led more than 10,000 troops from the county, advanced along the water and land, and rushed to Le'an.

It is reported that there are only two or three thousand pirates. He Kui is worried that once the county soldiers arrive, the pirates will flee, so he ordered Mou Zhen from the Mou family of Linji clan to lead 3,000 people to detour, cut off the pirate's retreat first, and force the pirates to fight. At that time, the attack on both sides will not only win a complete victory, but also let the county soldiers become familiar with the battle formation and prepare for defending Linji City in the future.

Mou Zhen happily received the order. The pirates robbed all the way and definitely gained a lot, and these will be left behind. Stopping these ships not only can you get the supplies in it, but you can also save some people, strengthen your strength, and be beautiful in both worlds. He Kui's willingness to hand over such a beautiful man to him is a reward for the Mou family's long-standing support.

Mou Zhen led the three thousand tribes to travel rapidly, detoured by Bochang, and took advantage of the north of Le'an to successfully penetrate the pirates who attacked Le'an. But he was not happy at all. He saw many ships, not only baggage ships with deep drafts, but also warships and tall warships.

When Mou Zhen saw these warships, he knew that it was in trouble. These warships were warships of the Jiangdong Navy. Gan Ning, the governor of the Jiangdong Navy, was a murderer who could kill without blinking. His soldiers were brave and good at fighting. They were definitely not matched by the troops he led, and the county soldiers could not match them. He ordered the retreat at the first time, but found that there was no way out to retreat. The ambushed troops rose up and surrounded him on all sides.

Mou Zhen was very tactful and did not make unnecessary resistance. He raised his hand to surrender. Not only that, he also surrendered to Gan Ning on behalf of the Linji Mou family, willing to make meritorious service and led his troops to attack He Kui. He had also heard about He Kui and knew that He Kui had offended the King of Wu. If He Kui could trade He Kui's life for the Mou family, he would never hesitate.

Gan Ning accepted his surrender, but did not accept his suggestion. What a joke, there are few meat and more wolves, kill He Kui, how can I give you the military achievements of Linji? If you want to redeem your sins, you can find a way for yourself. Linji's military achievements are mine, and no one can steal them.

When asked about He Kui's deployment, Gan Ning sneered. Where did this scholar get the courage to fight against the King of Wu? He immediately ordered Bu Zhi to stay and led 3,000 elite troops to attack, following Mou Zhen's way, and walked around He Kui's back. The pirates refused to retreat. He Kui was waiting for the news about Mou Zhen, and suddenly heard that Gan Ning's battle flag appeared behind him. He was immediately disorganized and was at a loss.

The pirates seized the opportunity and launched a fierce attack, quickly broke through He Kui's defense line and entered He Kui's formation. He Kui was panicked and didn't know how to face it. He issued a few orders, but there was no effect. The county soldiers were in chaos and were beaten to the point of being embarrassed by the pirates. Seeing that the situation was over, He Kui had to order to retreat and escape first under the protection of his personal guards led by He Ke.

With a command, the county soldiers collapsed and the pirates took advantage of the situation to advance, and were invincible.

He Kui couldn't escape far. Gan Ning had already made arrangements based on Mou Zhen's instructions, waiting for He Kui to fall into the trap and catch He Kui in the right direction.

Capturing He Kui, Gan Ning turned around to attack Le'an. Just under the gaze of Mou Zhen and others, he transported the giant stone thrower to the front of the city. Three giant stone throwers fired at the same time. With just five shots, the Le'an city gate was hit by an iron bullet, splitting and opening his arms to Gan Ning.

Mou Zhen was stunned and broke out in a cold sweat.
Chapter completed!