The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 314 Hongze Lake

Li Baojun began his operation, heading towards Hongze Lake along the Sishui River.

As soon as the boat started moving, he immediately saw more clearly the huge gap between his soldiers and "Young Master Yue's soldiers".

His soldiers were extremely unskilled at maneuvering boats; they were all novices forced into the task, and their rowing was incredibly clumsy.

But Yue Gongzi's soldiers were like men and boats, and when they rowed, they were incredibly agile and maneuverable.

Li Bao felt even more pressure: "Zhou Dudu, since Young Master Yue's troops are so good at naval warfare, why did he still choose me to be the general?"

Yue Wenxuan smiled: "My young master said that General Li is still a beginner, which is why he is a bit rusty. But General Li has a spiritual light emanating from the top of his head, and at such a young age, he already possesses a body of extraordinary strength. He is truly a once-in-a-century naval warfare prodigy. If one day you were to open up your Ren and Du meridians, wouldn't you be soaring to the heavens? As the saying goes, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' The task of leading the navy to resist the Jin army is entrusted to you..."

Li Bao was overjoyed. Although he felt that there was something strange about the words, he was certain that Young Master Yue had high hopes for him.

When he first met Young Master Yue, the other party asked him if he wanted to command the navy. From this, it can be seen that Young Master Yue really thought highly of his performance in the navy.

Li Bao quickly bowed deeply to Yue Wenxuan: "Zhou Dudu, I'm a rough man and not good at speaking. Anyway, I'll just follow you and learn. If I do anything wrong, just scold me. I promise to learn well and make something of myself to show Young Master Yue."

As they spoke, the fleet sailed downstream, and soon a large army appeared on the shore.

It was Gong Erniangzi herself who led the army, which had already set off ahead of time to go south and deal with the powerful bandit Li Cheng.

When the navy came up from the river, the army soldiers all looked in this direction, but no one made a sound or greeted the navy, because Qi Jiguang's military regulations were very strict. If anyone was caught making a loud noise during the march, they would be tied up and beaten with forty strokes of the military rod.

Li Bao had also received training similar to that of Qi Jiguang, so his navy did not speak, but simply waved to the army on the shore.

The land and naval forces continued silently side by side.

Soon, the light boats passed through countless mountains, and the navy left the army behind...

Heading south along the Sishui River, it didn't take long before we arrived at Hongze Lake!
Hongze Lake was originally a group of shallow lakes. In the second year of Jianyan (1128), the Yellow River shifted south through the Si River and took over the lower reaches of the Huai River to enter the sea below Huaiyin. The Huai River lost its way to the sea and began to accumulate water east of Xuyi, thus expanding the original small lakes into Hongze Lake.

In other words, it only took a little over two years for Hongze Lake to transform from a small lake into a large lake.

The lake, which has grown rapidly in the past two years, has caused a huge blow to the surrounding ecology. Several villages and farmlands near the lake were flooded, and the residents along the lake became landless farmers who were displaced and turned to theft.

The fisherman who led the way said, "Zhao Qi, the Dragon King of the Lake, was originally just a farmer by Hongze Lake. After his fields were flooded, the government still wanted to collect taxes according to the amount of land he owned, so he rebelled in anger and became a small-time bandit. He wasn't very strong at first, but then the Jin bandits came and caused trouble, and there were even more refugees around. Before long, Zhao Qi had over a thousand men under his command."

After hearing the introduction, Li Bao and Yue Wenxuan couldn't help but sigh.

Li Bao said, "Since their fields have all been flooded, why is the government still collecting the full land tax? Isn't this forcing people to rebel?"

The fisherman said, "The government of the Great Song Dynasty... Ha!" At this point, he suddenly remembered something and quickly corrected himself, "I was talking about the Southern Song Dynasty, not your Northern Song Dynasty."

Yue Wenxuan: "It's alright, don't be afraid! We won't make a big deal out of this. As long as it's the truth, even if you point at our Northern Song Dynasty and curse us, I'll just listen obediently."

The fisherman was quite moved: "The Northern Song Dynasty is indeed different! I heard a few days ago that the new Northern Song officials in Siyang City are good people, and they really are. If this land had been in your hands back then, the bandits on Hongze Lake would not have appeared."

Li Bao: "..."

Yue Wenxuan said gently, "Don't worry, now that we're here, Hongze Lake will get better."

"Look ahead..." the fisherman pointed ahead, "The Sishui River flows into Hongze Lake from here. This area in front is the wetland by Hongze Lake. The bandits mainly operate in the wetlands by the lake." Li Bao looked ahead, and after just one glance, he felt terrible.

This isn't a lake at all! It's a complete maze!

Li Bao's mouth gaped open: "What...what...what the hell is going on? There are lakes that grow like this?"

Fisherman: "This place wasn't originally a lake, but just a hilly area by a lake. The Yellow River changed its course, and the area flooded, turning the hills into what they are now."

Li Bao was at his wits' end: "The bandits are hiding inside this thing, who can wipe them out?"

Fisherman: "..."

Not only was Li Bao numb, but his two hundred subordinates were also completely numb. In front of them was a crisscrossing waterway with tall aquatic plants and occasional small islands with lots of trees growing on them.

Forget about suppressing bandits here, even playing hide-and-seek would result in deaths.

Li Bao and his group instantly lost their confidence!

However, on a boat not far away, someone burst into laughter.

It's Gan Ning!
This environment is exactly what Gan Ning likes best.

Gan Ning was once a pirate on the Jinfan River. The place where he grew up is very similar to the area in front of us.

So he's as happy as if he's back home.

"Jinfan! Jinfan!"

Gan Ning let out a strange cry at the waterway in front of him.

Li Bao is feeling numb...

Yue Wenxuan used Zhou Yu's abilities to assess the current situation and said, "General Li, at this time, we should send out fast boats to circle around the waterways a few times and draw up a topographical map of this area before proceeding with the next step of the plan."

Li Bao: "Ah, I see! Thank you for your guidance, Zhou Dudu."

After saying that, he hesitated and asked, "Who should we send?"

Yue Wenxuan pointed at Gan Ning and said, "He's perfect for the job. Look how excited he is. Send some of your men with him so they can learn from him."

Li Bao readily accepted the suggestion and immediately ordered Gan Ning to go scout ahead, while his own soldiers followed to learn from him.

Gan Ning chuckled and led a dozen small boats piloted by Eastern Wu sailors forward.
-
Meanwhile, in the large patch of aquatic plants in front.

Zhao Qi, the Dragon King of the Lake, was hiding behind tall grass with a group of trusted brothers, coldly watching the fleet of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Just a few days ago, he was hanging out with the notorious bandit Li Cheng. Li Cheng went to lure the Northern Song army, and then he went to lure the Southern Song army, trying to make the two Song dynasties fight each other. He took the opportunity to steal the Northern Song army's supplies.

Zhao Qi didn't join in the fun and continued to hide in the lake. Unexpectedly, the Northern Song navy came to him.

(End of this chapter)