NOVPUBXun Yu seemed gentle and approachable, and very easy to contact, yet his pride was almost etched into his bones, which was justified. As the world’s top sage, he had the confidence and self-esteem to back it up.
Take Nanyang, for instance, touted as the richest place in the world. In reality, it couldn’t actually support the massive number of troops under Cao Cao’s command, but Xun Yu made it work. The reason was simple: drain the pond to catch all the fish, forget about the future, just empty Nanyang completely. It wouldn’t recover its vital energy for ten years, and that’s the essence of Cao Cao’s rapid rise.
Xun Yu’s approach was correct for the situation back then. Draining Nanyang dry, reclaiming Yanzhou through martial force, establishing military farms—all were part of the plan. From the start, Xun Yu wasn’t focusing on Nanyang itself; he was using it as a stepping stone to take over Yongzhou. no𝚟𝚙u𝚋.c𝚘m
At that time, the Zhengguo Canal had already been abandoned, along with the forty thousand hectares of fertile land that had produced fifty million stones of grain annually, solving the Qin State’s military provisions issue. The canal fell into disuse, apparently due to the ravages of war.
In any case, Xun Yu initially planned to utilize the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou to lay a solid foundation for Cao Cao, but that plan was hijacked by Chen Xi. Thus, Xun Yu, resolutely prepared to forge Cao Cao’s foundation with the Xiliang Iron Cavalry.
Fighting the Yellow Turbans didn’t require much strength; with some time, it would be more or less done. Without elaborate strategies, Xun Yu took it slow. However, conquering Sili posed an extreme challenge. First, having a strong base was essential. Out of desperation, Xun Yu schemed against Yuan Shu, and then, in his hurry to achieve results, he drained Nanyang and trained an infantry that could stand up to scrutiny in a short time.
Unfortunately, even a sage might fail to foresee everything. Xun Yu never expected the battle at Xuzhou to end in such a loss. His plans were again ruined, this time by Liu Bei. In a moment of rage, Xun Yu personally took action, as this time there really was no turning back; Cao Cao truly had nowhere to retreat to.
[Ancestors, please bless us, don’t let any mishaps occur this time.] Xun Yu silently prayed, the first time he had ever prayed to ghostly deities while undertaking a task.
While Xun Yu was seeking guidance from spirits in his dilemma, Chen Xi had already reached the Yangtze River Mouth. As for Mi Fang and Gan Lan, they had already separated from Gan Ning and were heading towards Yiizhou.
"The speed is really fast, huh? But now we’re going against the current. Xingba, are you sure we can maintain our speed?" Chen Xi remarked as he gazed at the boundless waters of the river.
"Hahaha, Strategist, just relax. My navy lads, with their mighty strokes, will definitely make it within the time previously mentioned. It’s a good thing it’s Lujiang; Chaohu Lake is where the Lul Family Shipyard is located. If it were somewhere else, our big ship really wouldn’t be easy to navigate," Gan Ning replied, not the slightest bit worried after hearing Chen Xi’s words.
"Right, Xingba, when the time comes, remember to switch to oars like these," Chen Xi instructed Zhuge Liang to bring paper and pencil to draw a paddle steamer. After all, a ship propelled by foot power is always faster than one rowed by hand.
"We’ll have the Lul family look into this, although it seems simple enough that it shouldn’t be difficult," Gan Ning said, staring at the large wheels drawn on Chen Xi’s ship, obviously puzzled but still responding affirmatively.
"Hmm, my drawing is not to scale. Remember the water mills we had? It’s the same principle, but the shape and some designs need to be altered. Tell them to try their best to make it well; otherwise, if it gets damaged..." Chen Xi started to say but then remembered that in this world, damaging it might not be so easy. Pig iron beads, well-nurtured and round enough, could also be used as bearings!
With that thought, Chen Xi became interested. It seemed that the ships actually had great potential, just needing some nurturing and a bit of modification to be quite impressive.
"It appears that as long as they aren’t subjected to refinement, the attributes that develop through nurturing won’t be destroyed. And if you dismantle and reassemble a ship, it doesn’t affect those attributes. If that’s the case, it seems ships have far more promise than weapons and equipment." After thinking of the steel beads, Chen Xi instantly made the connection to the entire ship, and then he uncovered a crucial piece of information that was normally overlooked.
"In that case, the ships under Sun Ce’s command..." The expression on Chen Xi’s face darkened, "No wonder the reports said that some of the ships under Huang Zu in Jingzhou had been in use for decades and were still not decommissioned. To a certain extent, it seemed that as long as the ship wasn’t entirely damaged, continuous use would enhance its attributes across the board, making it increasingly more efficient."
"Xingba, I have a question for you. How long would it take for a ship to be nurtured to perfection?" Chen Xi asked, his face twitching slightly with the question. This was truly a gap in his knowledge. No one in Mount Tai truly understood the navy. If it hadn’t been for this accidental thought, Chen Xi might never have noticed that buildings, city walls—all these structures could, in fact, be nurtured. It was like missing the picture for the frame.
"Who bothers nurturing ships?" Gan Ning’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably. "With this very ship, with so many of us on board every day, it would take at least a decade, maybe even more. The ship would have sunk by then!"
"I suspect the ship we’ve encountered this time has been nurtured, maybe even to perfection. You should have some information on this: all of Huang Zu’s ships in Jingzhou are old, having been used for over fifteen years," said Chen Xi, his eyes twitching.
Gan Ning suddenly felt overwhelmed. An object that had been nurtured was a completely different beast from one that hadn’t, not to mention the absolute dominance in all its attributes.
"This really isn’t good news," Gan Ning said, frowning, and then burst into laughter, "What’s there to fear? The ships that Sun Bofu captured are nothing but small boats. There were no large warships in the Yangtze River Route over a decade ago. With their puny ships, I have my own ways to shatter them!"
Chen Xi glanced at the confident Gan Ning and nodded. What could they do at this point, turn around and go back? That was a joke.
"Do we have things like small nailed boats, kerosene, sawdust?" Chen Xi asked after some thought. He felt it was better to be cautious. It wouldn’t be good if he carelessly fell into Zhou Yu’s hands and contributed to his fame.
"The supply ships are ready. Every time we set out to sea, the supplies transported by the supply ships are twice what we need for the round trip and battle in between," Gan Ning said with a proud look. After all, his ships were large and designed for towing. Unlike land transportation of rations, it wasn’t such a hassle for them. He had a habit of bringing whatever was available—after all, with the size of the ships, there was no concern about not having enough space, and he always had kerosene with him, whether it was for sailing out to sea or anything else.
"That’s good to hear," Chen Xi nodded, and then pulled Zhuge Liang over to explain the current situation to him. Zhuge Liang looked flabbergasted as he listened. One had to say that a young Zhuge Liang was still quite easy to fool.
"I’ll leave this matter to you to resolve. If you encounter Zhou Yu, and the situation is as I’ve described, remember to find us a way out. Mm, that’s your holiday assignment for this outing," Chen Xi said, patting Zhuge Liang’s shoulder.
As he spoke, Chen Xi was reminded of a joke—it sometimes happens that the problems university professors can’t solve become the students’ final project...(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
