From the wild man's crossing, going south again for more than 20 miles is Jiangning Prefecture's Gutang County.

  Lin unfastened his armor and changed into a more comfortable robe, deliberately bandaging the wound on his right arm in an exaggerated manner. The armored guards on the Dongyang ship were also reduced to ten men, with the others either taking over the sails or retreating to the lower cabins for rest. The scorpion crossbow on the stern deck had long been dismantled; some things were understood by all, and the Dongyang was indeed a privately armed vessel, but appearances still needed to be maintained.

  At dusk, Dongyang and five fast sculling boats, as well as six Wu Peng rowing boats from the Xihe River, followed by dozens of other ships fleeing along the Shiliang River to Jiangning, entered the ancient Tong County in Jiangning Prefecture.

  Compared with the chaos and disorder within Shiliang County, Jiangning Prefecture was heavily guarded. By dusk, dozens of campfires had been lit on both banks ahead.

  About one mile into the territory of Gutang County, the Shiliang River narrows to about 40 zhang. At this time, a pontoon bridge has been set up on the river surface using boats, ropes and chains to connect both banks together.

  On the empty land on both sides of the floating bridge, tents are connected, and rows of trees with mouths as thick as bowls have been cut down to build a stockade and refuse horses. Suddenly, a camp city has been built, and I don't know how many troops have arrived.

  The river was blocked by the floating bridge, and behind it were warships with high masts like a forest. On this side of the floating bridge, there were light boats and oarsmen, as well as cavalry on the shore loudly reporting that they wanted to escape from the north. All the boats near the west bank dropped anchor one after another, waiting for the front to be checked before being released.

  "Li Zhuo is indeed not simple." Cao Zi'ang sighed slightly.

  "Hmm..." Lin Xuan nodded, the border of Gutang County was indeed within the defense zone of Jiangning's garrison. Li Zhuo had only taken over as the commander of Jiangning's garrison for a little over ten days, and news of Liu An'er gathering a crowd in Hongze Pu to kill Qin Chengbo and start an uprising would have reached Jiangning at the earliest by last night or this morning, just 14 or 15 hours ago. Yet, the Jiangning garrison was already lying in wait in Gutang County, Li Zhuo's reputation was indeed well-deserved.

  Hundreds of boats fleeing to Jiangning were blocked ahead, and the western half of the Shiliang River was filled with boats, while the eastern half remained unobstructed.

  At this time, this order is most important, in order to avoid being taken advantage of by the enemy ships of Shuizhai.

  Lin Xie didn't know who was in charge of the Jiangning garrison, so he calmed down and waited for them to pass by. He had already raised the flag of Qin Chengbo's second son, Qin Shizong, thinking that it wouldn't be long before someone came to receive them.

  As expected, a dozen cavalrymen galloped in the fading sunset light, and two riders shouted: "General Qin, Commander of the Zhao Wu Garrison, and Lin, Governor of Jin Chuan, where are you? There is an order from headquarters to be transmitted, please come out quickly to meet."

  After a while, Yang Pu and Gao Zongting arrived with cavalry, accompanied by another high-ranking military officer. Lin Xie shouted loudly from the other side of the river: "Mr. Gao, General Yang, I'm here! Are Commander-in-Chief and Lord Gu in the camp?"

  "It's really you, scaring everyone half to death. It's good that you're back safely," Yang Pu said loudly, "Is Qin Er Gongzi on your boat?"

  Lin Tie had already ordered someone to bring Qin Shizong up onto the deck, and at this time he shouted loudly: "Second Master fought bravely against the enemy in Luoyang Lake, and led us to escape from danger through the upper forest. Although he was not injured, after the intense battle he caught a chill, and now has a high fever that won't subside. Are there any medical supplies available in the camp?"

  Qin Shizong was supported by someone and could barely stand up, he was grateful to Lin Xuan for speaking on his behalf, but did not expect that Lin Xuan was actually trying to shut him up.

  "There are medicines in the camp," Gao Zongting shouted. "You quickly bring them ashore, the commander and the gentlemen want to ask about the military situation of Hong Ze Pu..."

  Lin Xie did not dare to linger, and the Dongyang boat could not dock. He first got on a small boat with Qin Shizong and then went ashore.

  Qin Shizong had 200 catties of fat meat, Gao Zongting and Yang Pu did not believe he could fight fiercely with the enemy without being injured at all. However, Fu Guo Jiangjun Qin Chengbo died in Luoyang Lake, so it was not convenient to make excessive demands on the young master of the Qin family.

  Gao Zongting, Yang Pu and another person who was the Zhao Wu Colonel of the Ti Du Fu came together. They had two purposes: one was to verify that Lin Xie and Qin Shijian were genuine, and the other was to confirm that Lin Xie and Qin Shijian were not being coerced by the enemy.

  Dongyang's fleet arrived, and along the way, they gathered more than 400 armed militiamen. Adding to this were other boats and civilians who had fled to Jiangning, making a total of around 3,000 to 4,000 people.

  The scouts on this side found that the Dongyang ship had raised the flags of Qin Shizong and Lin Fu, and they quickly reported to Li Zhuo and Jiangdong Governor Left Shangrong, Gu Wuchen and others. They immediately sent someone to summon Lin Fu and Qin Shizong to come ashore and meet, after all, they had experienced the great change in Hongze Pu and were more aware of the detailed situation of Liu An'er and other rebels.

  Lin Mou and Qin Shizong came ashore, Yang Pu saw Lin Mou's arm wrapped in a bandage and asked with concern: "Is it serious?"

  "It's nothing serious, when we were ambushed at Luyang Lake, someone quickly gave me a cuirass to wear, but my arm was exposed and got shot by an arrow, fortunately it didn't hit any vital bones," Lin Fu said, then asked Yang Pu in a low voice, "What about the situation in Dongyang and Huizhou? We've been running for our lives all along, no way to gather information."

  Lin was already aware of Liu An's rebellion as General Who Submits to Heaven while on the road, but at this time he did not know more about the situation in Dongyang.

  The situation is not optimistic, the troops stationed in Changhuai Town, Xuzhou, mutinied, and the city of Xuzhou was lost yesterday afternoon. Last night, Shiliang County also fell...

  "Ah! How could Shiliang County possibly fall?" Lin Tie was shocked.

  Yesterday morning, Lin Li returned to Shanglinli, and Lin Ting led the people of Dongyang Prefecture and 150 infantrymen to be stationed on the west bank of Shiliang. At that time, there should have been more than 700 infantrymen from Dongyang Prefecture in Shiliang County. With a combined force of over 1,200-1,300 men, including the archers and soldiers stationed in Shiliang County and Changhuai Town, defending the city, it was impossible for Liu An to capture it in just one day.

  "The specific situation has not been clarified at this time, and the letter from Dongyang Prefecture is also unclear," said Yang Pu. "Let's go back to the main camp and report to the adults first." The guards let out two horses for Lin Xuan and Qin Shizong.

  Qin Shizong couldn't ride a fast horse even if he didn't have a high fever, let alone now. However, it's three or four miles from here to the camp, and the dignitaries are eager to see him, but there is no carriage available at this time. Gao Zongting bowed to Qin Shizong and said, "I apologize to the two gentlemen..." He ordered someone to bring a rope to tie Qin Shizong to the horse's back to prevent him from falling off, and they galloped towards the camp on fast horses.

  Qin Shizong was thrown off the horse and vomited twice, but when he arrived at the camp, he became even more clear-headed. He went in and cried to Li Zhuo, Zuo Shangrong and others: "My father died so miserably, you uncles must avenge my father..."

  "Xian nephew, rest assured, General Fu Guo is the pillar of the country. We all regret the death of General Fu Guo at Hongze Pu. It must be that we will eliminate the bandits of Hongze Pu...". Wang Tian, the Eastern Jiangnan Pacification Commissioner, had a close relationship with Qin Chengbo before his death, and among the crowd, he was also the oldest. He spoke to comfort Qin Shizong.

  In this grand tent, like a great hall, sat the high-ranking officials: Li Zhuo, Minister of War and Defender of Jiangning; Zuo Shangrong, Commander-in-Chief of Jiangdong; Wang Tian, Pacification Commissioner of Jiangdong; Wang Xueshan, Prefect of Jiangning; Jia Pengyu, Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangdong; Gu Wuchen, Deputy Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangdong; as well as the main generals of the Jiangning Defender's Yamen and the Jiangdong Commander-in-Chief's Yamen, all seated in order of precedence.

  Lin Xian also saw Zuo Shangrong and Wang Tian for the first time.

  Although this is the camp of the Jiangning garrison, all the big heads are gathered here. However, with a new imperial edict from the court, Liu An'er's rebellion was handed over to the three departments of Jiangdong for disposal. Li Zhuo has the highest rank, but his and Wang Xueshan's current responsibility is to guard the ground of Jiangning Prefecture and prevent any disturbances.

  Lin Jin entered the account and gave Li Zhuo and others a courtesy after passing, no one cared about his injured arm. Li Zhuo stared at his eyes and asked: "You two have fought against Hong Zepu's giant thief, you should know some of Hong Zepu's details. Now Dongyang Prefecture and Huizhou Prefecture are in chaos, and the intelligence is limited. You will tell us about the ambush at Luo Yang Lake and the withdrawal from Luo Yang Lake in detail, so as to analyze the enemy situation..."

  Lin Xie concealed his passive confrontation with the water bandits at Luoyang Lake and Hongze Pu, as well as the details of his adventures there. He told Li Zhuo, Zuo Shangrong, and other military leaders about the various details after being ambushed at Luoyang Lake. Of course, he also didn't mention that he had discovered all sorts of unusual situations on the way to Shanglin and reported these things to Gu Wuduan in a letter.

  When the Louyang Lake was attacked, Qin Shizong was hiding in the cabin most of the time and didn't know the details of the attack. Many questions were unclear to him. Others didn't bother him either, only asking Lin Xie for detailed inquiries.

  Lin Xie patiently answered Li Zhuo, Zuo Shangrong and others' inquiries, after detailing the situation, he left the main tent; there was no place for him, a small ninth-grade Confucian official, to stand in the main tent.

  The sky had darkened, and the campfires around were burning brightly, illuminating the surroundings as if it were daytime. Lin Xie didn't know whether the fleet had passed through the blockade of the floating bridge or not. He wanted to find Yang Pu to send him out of the military camp, and then go ashore to tell Cao Zi'ang and the others; he, a small Confucian scholar, dared not wander around in the military camp.

  At this time, Gao Zongting rushed out of the big account and said to him: "Mr. Lin, can you please stay in the military camp for a while? After all, you know the most about Hongze Pu's situation. What if the gentlemen want to ask something again and can't find you, it's troublesome. If you want to have dinner, I'll arrange someone to take care of you..."

  "I'm not hungry, I'll go take a look at the fleet first. If anything happens, just call me and I'll be right back," Lin Fu said. Gu Wu Chen was still in the military camp, so he couldn't rush to the south bank immediately. He agreed with Gao Zong Ting that he would temporarily stay in the military camp for now, and then asked, "There are also over 400 militia from Shanglinli who followed me to Jiangning to take refuge, all of whom have armor and weapons. I didn't dare mention this earlier in the big tent, but now that I think about it, not mentioning it would be a bit troublesome."

  "Being innocent is enough, I'll accompany you on this trip..." said Gao Zongting, who was Li Zhuo's most trusted aide and had gained prestige in the Jiangning garrison in just over a month.

  At this time, Yang Pu heard the conversation between Lin Xie and Gao Zongting from next door, walked out of the tent; Gao Zongting said: "The militia also needs to report to the Procuratorate when they arrive in Jiangning. There are procuratorial cavalry on the shore, let Yang Dianwei accompany you over."

  Gu Wu Chen concurrently led the Bing Bei Dao and Jian Jun Dao. Within the Pressing Chashi, it can be said that he was on an equal footing with Jia Peng Yu. Lin Bian then bowed to Gao Zong's court and walked away with Yang Pu towards the riverbank.

  "Judging from the situation, Jiangning has also received news early on. As for how to quell the rebellion, have you made a decision?" Lin Xuan asked Yang Pu.

  The news of the death of General Ruo Yanghu in battle had arrived yesterday afternoon. Li Zhuo had spoken lightly and acted rashly, wanting to send the Jiangning water camp to advance deeply into enemy territory without clarifying the situation, even before the various departments had discussed and decided on a course of action. He had also ordered the mobilization of 10 battalions of infantry and 2 battalions of naval troops from the Jiangning garrison to assemble here, and sent another 10 battalions of infantry to intimidate the refugees on the north bank of Chao Tian Tang... The various departments all felt that they should be cautious before the enemy situation was clear, and that the suppression of the rebellion in Hongze Pu should be overseen by the Provincial Military Command, with each prefecture and county responsible for their own area. Yang Pu informed Lin Fu of the situation on this side.

  Lin tied his eyebrows and he was still unclear about Gu Wu Chen's attitude, so he couldn't casually evaluate him in front of Yang Pu.

  Li Zhuo's judgment was undoubtedly correct, making it unnecessary for the Jiangning Water Camp warships to rush in and immediately suppress the Hongze Pu water bandits. The key was to intimidate the refugees on both sides of the Shiliang River from taking any rash action, and to pin down the main force of the Hongze Pu water camp, allowing the surrounding counties to respond calmly. In this way, the impact and scale of the Hongze Pu incident could be limited to a certain extent and handled calmly, even if Liu An'er's troops captured Xuzhou City and Shiliang City, it would still be much better than the war disaster sweeping across Jianghuai.

  However, without the consent of various departments, Li Zhuo did not have the power to deploy the Jiangning garrison troops outside the borders of Jiangning Prefecture for battle. The fact that Li Zhuo was able to quickly subdue the refugees on the north bank of Chao Tian Dang was already the limit of what he could do.

  After careful consideration, Lin Xie thought that Gu Wu Chen's judgment on the matter was standing in opposition to Li Zhuo's. Whether Li Zhuo could mobilize troops from Jiangning Prefecture to quell the rebellion within the borders of Jiangdong depended most importantly on the opinion of the Surveillance Commissioner and the Military Director.

  "The enemy situation is unclear, if the Jiangning Water Camp is lost, the Hongze Pu Water Garrison ships can directly enter Chao Tian Tang, and the disaster will be even more severe... Li Zhuo has been a bit reckless..." Lin Xie said with a heavy heart.

  In fact, the main river that Hong Ze Pu directly enters into Chao Tian Dang is Shi Liang River. The widest part of Shi Liang River is no more than 100 steps and the narrowest part is only over 30 zhangs. Even if the water camp is completely lost, it would not be difficult to block the river with infantry troops. However, delaying for two days on this side will allow the refugees gathered under General Liu An Er's flag in Shun Tian to number tens of thousands.

  Lin Xiang walked south along the Shiliang River in Henan and saw that the refugees on both banks had a tendency to move north.

  For the refugees, they have been starving for several months and their resentment has also accumulated for several months. In order to have a mouthful of food, as long as someone takes the lead and drums up support, it is not difficult to take up hoes and sickles and follow suit in rebelling, killing the rich and helping the poor. What's more, Liu An'er's robbery and murder of General Qin Chengbo at Luoyang Lake, and his capture of Xuzhou and Shiliang, also had a huge impact on the refugees.

  ***************

  PS: The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday has passed, and I didn't even take a leave of absence. Brothers, please give me some red votes to encourage me!