novelAbuy Chapter 101 Taishi Ci and He Chong's "Conspiracy"
Chapter 101 Taishi Ci and He Chong's "Conspiracy"
Chapter 101 Taishi Ci and He Chong's "Conspiracy"
On the rainy night when Qu'a fell, Taishi Ci and He Chong fought their way out of the encirclement and disappeared into the vast rain.
For the next month, the two traveled between the mountains and forests bordering Danyang and Kuaiji.
Taishi Ci originally intended to go directly to Liu Bei, but he felt uneasy whenever he thought of how he had refused Liu Bei's offer of service because of his elderly mother's poor health, and then went south to join Liu Yao.
In addition, having been slighted by Liu Yao before, he became even more cautious.
"Lord, where are we going now?" He Chong asked, leading two horses and following behind Taishi Ci.
Taishi Ci looked up at the direction of Wanling in the north and remained silent.
"I have a tarnished reputation, and I once refused Liu Yuzhou's offer," Taishi Ci finally spoke. "I'm afraid that if I go to Wanling, I'll be looked down upon again."
He Chong thought for a moment and said, "Even river bandits and mountain tribe leaders under Liu Yuzhou can become generals. What's a mere military rank like this?"
Taishi Ci shook his head and said nothing more.
He Chong then said, "But hiding like this isn't a solution. Why don't we join the army first, earn merit, and then reveal our identities?"
Taishi Ci pondered for a moment, then asked, "What are your thoughts?"
He Chong scratched his head and said, "I have a cousin named He Qi, who is currently the magistrate of Shan County in Kuaiji Prefecture."
He has been operating there for several years and has several thousand men under his command.
He recently quelled a rebellion by the Yue tribes; why don't we go and join him first?
Taishi Ci turned his head, his gaze landing on He Chong's face, and asked, "What kind of person is your cousin?"
"My cousin is an upright man who is strict in his military discipline and enjoys high prestige in southern Kuaiji."
He Chong paused for a moment, then continued, "He is also a capable man, but he is not well-liked by Wang Lang. Wang Lang's sons of powerful families all look down on him for coming from a local strongman background."
The He family was a prominent indigenous clan in Shanyin County, Kuaiji Prefecture. However, they lacked a tradition of classical studies and political influence at the central level of the imperial court. They were merely typical local magnates, with a status far lower than top-tier aristocratic families like the Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang families of Kuaiji, but still far stronger than those from humble backgrounds with no family connections whatsoever.
But this in-between position is the most awkward.
Wang Lang used him, but did not give him important responsibilities. He only gave him a few thousand soldiers and ordered him to suppress the Yue tribes in the southern part of Kuaiji.
"you mean----"
"Let's go find our cousin and persuade him to join Liu Yuzhou." He Chong leaned closer to Taishi Ci and told him his idea: "Military lord, think about it. Liu Yuzhou has already taken Wu Commandery, and sooner or later he will take Kuaiji."
We first persuaded our cousin to secretly side with Liu Yuzhou.
When Liu Bei sends troops to Kuaiji, assisting him in capturing Kuaiji will be a great achievement!
Taishi Ci raised an eyebrow and asked, "How confident are you?"
"Uh—" He Chong pondered for a moment before replying, "I'd say I'm about 50% sure—"
"Fifty percent is enough!" Taishi Ci gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go to Shan County, Kuaiji."
77
North of Wanling City, on the banks of the Shuiyang River.
Construction officially began on the main campus of Chongwen Academy.
Sun Qian brought in a thousand refugees to begin digging foundations, ramming earth walls, and felling timber.
Lu Yong would come to inspect the construction site every day.
But every time he came, Xu Kun and Zhuge Xuan arrived earlier than him.
I heard that the two of them often squatted on the construction site before dawn, either supervising the work or discussing the layout of the courtyard with the craftsmen.
That day, Lu Yong happened to see the two of them studying blueprints with the craftsmen.
Lu Yong stood by and watched for a while, then couldn't help but say, "The foundation of the main hall probably needs to be dug two feet deeper."
""
Everyone turned around and, seeing it was Lu Yong, quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Military Advisor!"
Lu Yong waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for such formalities.
He then explained, "Jiangdong is rainy, and a shallow foundation might not be stable enough. Let's dig down two feet, lay a layer of gravel, and then tamp down lime."
Xu Kun nodded, turned to the craftsman and said, "Do as the army division says."
Immediately afterward, Zhuge Xuan pointed to the other side of the blueprint and asked, "Army Division, should the library be located on the east or west side?"
Lu Yong looked at it carefully and replied, "The east side is near the river and is too damp, so let's put it on the west side instead."
After inspecting the Chongwen Academy construction site, Lu Yong rushed to the workshop located west of Wanling City, on the banks of the Qingge River.
This section of the Qingyi River is U-shaped, and the workshop was built right inside this U-shape.
Six months ago, this place was a barren reed marshland, but now it has been transformed into a huge cluster of workshops.
Lu Yong walked up a high slope and looked down.
Thousands of laborers are busy at the construction site, some digging foundations, some building walls, some carrying timber, and others building kilns.
The place was bustling with noise, and shouts of work echoed everywhere, creating a spectacular scene.
The workshop is planned to be very large, almost like a small town.
The following are arranged in order along the riverbank:
Paper mills, printing presses, breweries, sugar mills, ironware workshops, carpentry workshops, and so on.
Large workshops lined up along the riverbank, each covering several acres.
The workshops were connected by gravel paths, with drainage ditches dug on both sides of the paths.
In the very center, a large open space was reserved for Lu Yong's planned comprehensive armory, a place specifically for manufacturing armor and military equipment.
The kilns for the paper mill have been built; three large kilns stand side by side, each more than two people tall.
The foreman was directing the craftsmen to load limestone into the kiln when he saw Lu Yong arrive. He quickly ran over, bowed, and then sent someone to inform Shen Yi.
The foreman led Lu Yong on a tour of the construction site, and then they went to the printing workshop.
The main hall here has been completed.
The hall was divided into more than a dozen small rooms, each with ventilation openings and windows for natural light.
Further ahead of the printing workshop are the brewery, sugar mill, ironware workshop, and carpentry workshop, all of which are now about 70% complete.
"Strategist!" Shen Yi greeted him from a distance.
"Gongxu, it's been a long time!" Lu Yong said with a smile.
"My subordinates have been living and working on the construction site these days and haven't been able to visit you more often."
"How long is the estimated completion time?"
"It will be completed in another month, but it will take another month to prepare all the equipment."
Lu Yong nodded and said, "The project must be completed after the autumn harvest. We are currently consuming a huge amount of resources every day, and we need the workshop to replenish our supplies."
"Understood!" Shen Yi said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Just then, a scout from Guo Jia came to Lu Yong and Shen Yi.
"Greetings, strategist! Strategist Guo has a letter for you!" With that, he handed Guo Jia's letter over with both hands.
Lu Yong took the letter, opened it, and couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.
The letter contained only two lines of text.
First line: Huai'an, save me!
Second line: Please plead with the lord for me to send someone else to be the governor of Yuzhang. It's extremely urgent!
"Strategist, what did Strategist Guo say?" Shen Yi couldn't help but ask when he saw Lu Yong's expression.
"Our lord appointed Guo Fengxiao as the Prefect of Yuzhang, and he actually told me to plead with our lord to replace him with someone else." Lu Yong sneered, "Truly lacking in ambition."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi was taken aback for a moment, then said softly, "Strategist, didn't you do the same thing when you declined the offer from Wu Commandery?"
"???" Lu Yong turned his head and glared at Shen Yi.
Shen Yi quickly raised his hands in surrender, saying, "I was too talkative, I was too talkative!"
Nanchang City, Prefectural Governor's Office.
Guo Jia sat in the main seat, holding a formal appointment document from Wanling in his hand. He looked like a wilted eggplant, listless and vacant, his eyes vacant, muttering, "My fine wine—"
"My beautiful song————"
"My lord, how cruel you are!"
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