Chapter 67: Return to Jiangxia (Please Vote)

On the Han River.

Three flagships, adorned with brocade sails, sailed toward the county of Xiling.

By now, they had left the territory of Jiangdong and entered the region of Jiangxia. Even if Sun Quan had the courage of a tiger, he would not dare pursue Su Ming any further.

The journey on the Han River would take several more days before they reached Xiling.

Su Ming, Taishi Ci, and their companions had fought for hours, and their bodies were utterly exhausted. Night had fallen, and each of them rested in their respective cabins.

Lying on his bed, Su Ming heard the familiar chime of the system in his mind.

[Congratulations, you have completed the quest: Attending the meeting alone, venturing into Jiangdong single-handedly.]

[Quest reward: The Art of Forging Refined Steel.]

As the system's voice faded, a small booklet appeared in Su Ming's hand.

Opening it, he found densely recorded instructions for forging refined steel.

The system had thoughtfully written the manual in clerical script, the predominant script of the Three Kingdoms period.

Having inherited the memories of the original host, Su Ming could understand clerical script.

However, the technical jargon and terminology within the manual proved incomprehensible. The art belonged to craftsmen, and for Su Ming, it was as foreign as another mountain range.

“To forge this refined steel, and to realize the shipbuilding techniques gained from Qi Jiguang’s martial soul, I must find a master craftsman!” Su Ming murmured.

Recalling the renowned craftsmen of the Three Kingdoms, Su Ming, a scholar well-versed in its history, searched his memory.

After some thought, he remembered two names: Ma Jun and Pu Yuan.

Both were famed artisans; Ma Jun served Wei, Pu Yuan served Shu.

Wait—a problem!

History records no exact birth years, only that Ma Jun served as an official during Cao Pi’s reign in Wei, and Pu Yuan held the post of Western Cao Yuan in Shu’s prime minister’s office.

Their appointments indicated that they appeared in the middle to late Three Kingdoms.

Wei was founded in 220, Shu in 221.

Now, it was the year 200.

That meant there were still twenty years before the founding of Wei and Shu.

Based on this timeline, Ma Jun and Pu Yuan were likely still children.

Ma Jun and Pu Yuan could not be relied upon—unless they attempted some “master craftsman cultivation plan,” which was absurd.

For the time being, Su Ming could think of no suitable candidate.

So he decided to leave the matter aside, planning to entrust it to his strategist, Xu Shu, upon his return.

After all, a strategist’s role was to resolve such thorny issues.

With that thought, Su Ming felt at ease; he would simply let Xu Shu handle it when they got back.

Jiangxia.

Xiling County.

After several days of sailing, Su Ming and his companions finally arrived at the Xiling ferry.

The sight of three Jiangdong flagships docking at Xiling astonished generals like Su Fei and Qin Qi.

Their lord was truly remarkable! He had ventured to Jiangdong and returned with three flagships!

Disembarking, Su Ming and his men entered the bustling ferry.

Today, Xiling ferry was teeming with people. Outside, crowds gathered—flags fluttered, the masses assembled as if to celebrate Su Ming’s safe return.

Su Ming: “?????”

He was bewildered.

Was he so beloved in Jiangxia?

His deeds in Jiangdong should not have spread so quickly. Even if word had reached Jiangxia, it seemed unlikely that so many commoners would come to greet him.

After all, Huang Zu had governed Jiangxia for more than ten years, while Su Ming had only just seized the region—how could the people be so devoted?

“Yuan Zhi, what’s going on?”

“Are the people truly this fond of us? What sort of spell did you cast over them?” Su Ming asked Xu Shu.

Xu Shu replied quietly, “It’s simple. I exempted the people from thirty percent of their taxes for three years. Naturally, they adore us.”

Su Ming: “?????”

Three years, thirty percent reduction?

That was tantamount to waiving an entire year’s tax!

In these war-torn times, every lord devised ways to increase taxes. Su Ming was the first to reduce them.

The people benefited and thus rallied behind Su Ming.

Now, they hoped he would hold Jiangxia securely. Only if Su Ming retained control could his promise of three years’ tax reduction remain valid.

Should another warlord take over, they would surely not honor Su Ming’s pledge.

“You’re truly reckless!”

“I intend to build ships, to forge an invincible navy.”

“We lack funds, don't we?” Zhao Que whispered to Xu Shu.

Xu Shu smiled gently and replied, “My lord, Jiangxia is wealthy, but it’s only a small commandery.”

“With such a territory, supporting thirty thousand troops is the limit. If you wish to forge an unbeatable navy, even exhausting Jiangxia’s resources would not suffice!”

“To construct an invincible navy, even with the extra thirty percent of taxes, it won’t be enough. My lord, you must find another way!”

An invincible navy?

For now, Jiangdong’s navy was unrivaled.

Jiangdong alone possessed a hundred thousand naval troops.

But Jiangdong comprised six commanderies—large and prosperous ones.

Jiangdong’s six counties versus Jingxiang’s nine—at first glance, Liu Biao’s domain seemed larger than Sun Quan’s.

Yet in truth, Jiangdong’s six counties, in land, population, and wealth, far surpassed Jingzhou’s.

Su Ming now possessed only Jiangxia. This single commandery could support thirty thousand troops—no more.

Any increase would strain Jiangxia, bordering on ruinous militarism.

“Yuan Zhi, I need money!”

“There’s nothing I can do about money. You must devise a solution!” Su Ming pleaded with Xu Shu.

Xu Shu pondered briefly before saying, “My lord, you must request funds from the Chancellor.”

“We are troops of the Great Han, the Chancellor’s soldiers. Building a navy warrants an appropriation from the court.”

After a moment, Xu Shu continued, “To ask for funds, my lord must hasten to Guandu.”

“Yuan Benchu of Jizhou is a wealthy man. Once the Chancellor triumphs at Guandu, he will inherit the wealth amassed by four generations of Yuan Benchu’s family. Many will seek a share.”

“If we make our request, our future days may be more comfortable.”

(ps: asking for votes, asking for votes, I need votes.)

(End of chapter)