With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Establishing a navy might be too early, but Liu Xie felt that it was something that had to be done sooner or later. Since he had so many people around him that he might as well take this step sooner rather than later.

Liu Xie didn't expect to be able to make a long-distance voyage for the time being, but it could at least serve as a training exercise for his troops.

Sun Quan had a navy, so Liu Xie needed a navy to counter him; he couldn't rely solely on Cao Cao.

Liu Xie pulled Gan Ning aside and said to him, "Xingba, do whatever you want. I only have one requirement: the navy you train in the future must not be inferior to Sun Quan's."

Gan Ning hesitated for a moment, “Your Majesty, the Jiangdong navy has been established for many years and has been tested over time. Although I am skilled in naval warfare, I dare not make any boastful claims that I can be stronger than the Jiangdong navy. I am afraid that this will not be easy to achieve.”

Liu Xie laughed and patted Gan Ning on the broad shoulder. "What? No confidence?"

"You heard what Chen Deng just said. The sea is unpredictable and often has huge waves. Even the waves on the Yangtze River are not as big as the waves at sea. So the sea is more effective for training troops. If your troops can cope with the bad sea winds and waves, you will not have to fear the Jiangdong troops. When you reach the Yangtze River, it will be like walking on flat ground for you."

Gan Ning nodded and said, "This humble general will do his best and will certainly live up to His Majesty's trust."

Chen Deng was the governor of Xuzhou and it was inconvenient for him to stay long, so Liu Xie sent him back early. He then strolled along the beach for a while and inquired about the lives of the local fishermen.

Just then, a small boat pulled ashore not far away. Zhao Yun rushed over ahead of him. On the boat were two fishermen, an old man in his fifties and a young man in his teens.

The two were both dark-skinned and thin, their skin tanned from being exposed to the wind and sun at sea.

Zhao Yun led the two men to Liu Xie. The two fishermen had never seen such a large scene before. There were many soldiers standing on the shore with knives and guns, so as soon as they saw Liu Xie, the old man pulled his son to kneel on the ground.

"This humble subject pays his respects to your esteemed sir."

Zhao Yun smiled and reminded him, "It's not a noble person, it's His Majesty the Emperor."

"This humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty." The old man hurriedly corrected himself, his body trembling as he spoke.

The emperor's status was so prestigious that ordinary people like them never dreamed they would one day encounter it.

Liu Xie helped the old man up, and Zhao Yun helped the child up as well. Liu Xie greeted them with a smile, "Old man, how old are you this year? What's your name?"

“Your Majesty, my name is Zhang Niu, and I am fifty years old this year. This is my son, named Dazhuang, and he is twelve years old this year.”

The old man hunched over, bowing respectfully, not daring to look up at the emperor.

Not far away, there were several stones piled up on the shore. Liu Xie walked over and reached out to help Zhang Niu sit down first.

Zhang Niu was panicked and it took a long time to persuade him before he finally sat down.

Liu Xie then had Zhao Yun bring some dried meat and melons, which he then gave to Da Zhuang.

When the emperor travels, his subjects dare not be negligent and prepare plenty of food and wine for him along the way.

Liu Xie patiently persuaded him, "Father-in-law, don't be nervous or afraid. Let's just have a casual chat today."

Dazhuang held the food in his hand, blinked his eyes, looked at his father, and hesitated.

Zhang Niu nodded to him, and Da Zhuang finally mustered up his courage and opened his mouth to eat a piece of jerky.

"Father-in-law, how are things at home?"

Zhang Niu shook his head and sighed heavily. "Alas, it's a long story. My wife died early, and my son and I depend on each other for survival. The sea is rough, and our fishing boat is too rudimentary. We can only catch some fish and shrimp near the shore. We can't catch much in a day, just barely making ends meet."

“If it weren’t for someone extorting us, our lives would definitely be better than they are now,” Dazhuang couldn’t help but interject.

Zhang Niu glared at his son, scolding him for being so talkative.

Liu Xie hurriedly asked, "Is what Dazhuang said true? Who is extorting you?"

Zhang Niu hurriedly shook his head, "Your Majesty, the child is talking nonsense, please don't take it seriously, no one is blackmailing us."

"Oh?"

Liu Xie understood somewhat; Zhang Niu seemed to have some concerns.

Liu Xie stood up, pulled Dazhuang aside, and patiently asked, "Dazhuang, tell me, who is extorting you? Children can't lie."

Dazhuang thought for a moment, then mustered his courage and replied, "They are a gang of robbers. Every household among us fishermen has someone come to collect money from us regularly."

Dazhuang is already twelve years old and knows quite a lot.

Liu Xie's face immediately darkened. His gaze swept around and soon landed on the face of the Prefect of Donglai County.

The prefect, terrified, hurriedly ran over and knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, please forgive me, this humble official was unaware of this matter."

Liu Xie was furious and coldly shouted, "How could such a thing happen under your rule? Do you think you can shirk all responsibility by simply saying you didn't know anything?"

"Dazhuang, do you know what the leader of that group is called?" This was the key question, and Liu Xie hurriedly asked.

Da Zhuang shook his head. "Those people looked fierce and menacing. I haven't seen the leader, and I don't know his name."

Liu Xie looked at the governor of Donglai County again, "I will only give you one day. You must give me an answer by tomorrow."

The governor of Donglai Commandery was named Guan Tong. Liu Xie's trip was so rushed that he didn't even have time to exchange a few words with him.

Guan Tong hurriedly nodded in agreement. Seeing that he was still standing there, Liu Xie urged, "What are you still standing here for? Go and investigate right away."

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll go investigate right away."

Guan Tong, ignoring the cold sweat dripping from his forehead, hurriedly led his men away.

Liu Xie nodded encouragingly to Da Zhuang, "You did very well. If there's anything else you know, you can tell me, and I will take care of it for you."

Seeing that his son had spoken, Zhang Niu sighed helplessly. Zhao Yun then asked him, "Father-in-law, His Majesty has stood up for you. Isn't that a good thing? What are you still worried about?"

Zhang Niu sighed and replied, "After you leave, those thieves will definitely come looking for revenge. What will we do if you just leave?"

Zhao Yun smiled and comforted him, "Old man, you're overthinking it. His Majesty is kind-hearted and acts in the best interests of the people. Now that His Majesty has encountered this matter, he will certainly not let those thieves off lightly. I guarantee that no one will dare to cause you any more trouble in the future."

"Really?" Zhang Niu looked at Zhao Yun with some doubt.

"It's true, absolutely true." Zhao Yun persuaded him again and again, finally convincing the old man.

Then Zhao Yun came to Liu Xie's side and told him about the old man's worries.

After hearing this, Liu Xie sighed and said, "Zilong, you can't blame your father-in-law. Even if I am the emperor, I can't completely gain the trust of the people. In your opinion, whether it's me or other officials, they come here more like they're just sightseeing. They come and go in a hurry. No matter how nice we talk, we'll just pack up and leave. If things aren't handled well, it's the people who will suffer."

"Your Majesty is right. In fact, this situation is quite common in various places."

Liu Xie thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he ordered those around him, "Come here, bring paper and pen."

"Your Majesty, what is this?" Zhao Yun was taken aback, and Zhang Niu also looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Zhang Niu thought to himself: Why would the emperor need paper and pen when he's just chatting idly by the sea?
But since Liu Xie had given the order, someone quickly brought paper and pen.

Liu Xie laid the scroll of paper on a slightly flat stone, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote earnestly: "A gang of bandits has appeared near Penglai in Donglai County. They are extorting money from local fishermen for no reason and causing havoc in the area. I am determined to eliminate this vicious gang of bandits. If this matter is not handled properly, I will not return to the capital."

Liu Xie also wrote the date on it and signed his name at the end.

Then, Liu Xie instructed Zhao Yun: "Zilong, from this day forward, issue an order to all regions that officials of all ranks must no longer make verbal promises. Whatever they want to resolve, they must sign a written agreement. I will then send special personnel to supervise and conduct regular inspections, implementing an accountability system. Anyone who fails to fulfill their promises will be severely punished!"

Liu Xie handed the newly written document to Zhao Yun, saying, "I will begin implementing this today. You will supervise this process. If these bandits are not dealt with properly, I will not return to Xuchang."

Zhao Yun understood. He nodded vigorously. Although no one required the emperor to write a document, this precisely demonstrated that the emperor was setting an example for officials throughout the country.

If officials in various regions can do this in the future, many things will surely be resolved, and empty promises will be greatly eliminated.

Zhao Yun handed the document written by Liu Xie to the old man, saying, "Old man, have you seen this? This is a document drawn up by His Majesty. He won't leave until this matter is resolved. You can rest assured now, right?"

The old man nodded excitedly. As the night deepened, Liu Xie led his men back to the camp, and Zhang Niu and his son accepted the invitation.

Zhang Niu hadn't forgotten the fish he caught. Liu Xie smiled and had Zhao Yun give him some money. "Old man, I'll buy these fish. Come back with me, and we'll have stewed fish together tonight. Also, there are some things I need to ask you about."

Back at the camp, Liu Xie ordered a campfire to be lit. He did not stay at the local governor's mansion, but stayed with his soldiers.

Having frequently led troops into battle, Liu Xie had grown accustomed to being with his soldiers. The world was vast, and the soldiers chatted and laughed freely.

Although there are no glitz and glamour or beautiful women here, there is the unique boldness and enthusiasm of a military camp.

The fish that the old man caught was naturally not enough to eat, so Liu Xie had someone buy some more. He not only made several large pots of stewed fish, but also personally skewered some and made some grilled fish.

The number of soldiers who came with him this time was about five thousand, including the Jinfan Battalion that Gan Ning had previously led.

During the meal, Zhao Yunduan brought a large bowl of fragrant fish soup. He originally intended to serve it to Liu Xie, but Liu Xie pointed to Zhang Niu and said, "Zilong, give it to my father-in-law and his son first. I'm not in a hurry; I'll eat later." (End of Chapter)