After Being Abducted by the General

chapter 166

As a mentor, Ouyang Ting's request for help from his disciple, Yuan Li, was enough to show that the situation in Xuzhou was already at a critical level.

The letter stated that Xuzhou had been experiencing continuous rainfall since July, and during the summer floods, many cities were submerged, leading to numerous casualties and displaced civilians.

Ouyang Ting had sent requests for help to the court and surrounding provinces, but received no response. If it hadn't reached a life-and-death situation, Ouyang Ting would never have sought help from his disciple.

After reading the letter, Yuan Li made a decision – he would personally go to Xuzhou.

Ouyang Ting was his mentor, and when a mentor sought help, it was only natural for the disciple to do everything in their power to assist. Moreover, Xuzhou was located to the north of Yangzhou, historically a contested strategic location. Any mishap there would be unacceptable. By going in person, Yuan Li could also be flexible in handling the situation, and perhaps even take the opportunity to secure control of Xuzhou and make it part of his territory.

He informed his subordinates of his decision, and Liu Jixin and the others didn't object. They only asked, "My lord, who do you plan to take with you to Xuzhou?"

Yuan Li pondered for a moment and said, "I plan to go by water. Who among you does not get seasick?"

The several men looked at each other.

In the end, among the advisors, only Guo Mao and Zhou Gongdan stepped forward.

Zhou Gongdan's hometown was in Jingzhou, with numerous waterways, so he had experience with boats. Guo Mao had traveled to all thirteen provinces during his study abroad and was familiar with boats as well.

As for the military commanders, Yuan Li initially wanted to bring Jia Qing, Wu Kai, and Wang Er, but Wang Er had escaped on a boat before and suffered from severe seasickness, nearly losing his life. So Yuan Li left him in Jizhou to guard its safety and only took Jia Qing and Wu Kai.

Xuzhou was in dire straits, and Yuan Li didn't want to delay any further. He planned to leave for the Bohai Sea immediately, bringing the navy and their warships south.

He didn't even ask Chu Hechao if he wanted to go or not. He simply instructed the servants to prepare their belongings.

When Chu Hechao returned that evening, Yuan Li told him directly, "Check if there is anything you haven't packed. We will depart early tomorrow morning. First, we will go to the Bohai Sea to see how Gu Yue and Kong Ran's navy is doing and check the progress of our shipbuilding. Then, we will take a boat from the Bohai Sea to Xuzhou."

Chu Hechao raised an eyebrow as he looked at his luggage. "When did I agree to go with you?"

Yuan Li was even more surprised and turned to look at him. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"..." Chu Hechao said, "I'll go."

Early the next morning, they set off for the Bohai Sea with their guards.

After a major disaster, a major epidemic was sure to follow. To guard against any outbreaks in Xuzhou, Yuan Li had brought along a contingent of medical professionals.

Carriages of food and medicinal materials had been sent to the Bohai Sea in advance. The advantage of having such a vast territory became evident at this time. Yuan Li only needed to requisition food from nearby counties along the Bohai Sea, saving a lot of manpower for food transportation.

When they arrived at the military base by the Bohai Sea, they saw the navy loading the food and medicinal materials onto the ships.

The sea was vast and cloudless. Waves rolled, and the salty sea breeze brushed against their faces.