Chapter 304

Chapter 304

Can’t a strategist ascend the throne? Volume 9: The Plague of Drought and Locusts, Flying to Liaodong Chapter 304: Sailing to Liaodong…

A few days ago, when Liu Biao was feeling anxious about Qiao Yan’s troops heading to Yingchuan, Yuan Shao was actually somewhat pleased upon hearing the same news.

Yuan Shu’s death meant that the price he hoped Yuan Shu would pay when he allowed Cao Cao to send troops had now been realized.

This brother, who had been trying to pin the blame on him since Yuan Ji’s death, could no longer compete with him for the leadership of the Yuan Clan in Runan, nor could he cause any unnecessary trouble with his reckless mouth.

Although Cao Cao’s occupation of Runan County brought some pressure to Yuan Shao, the news of Qiao Yan’s troops immediately turned this pressure into a spectator’s delight, watching the tigers fight.

Putting himself in their shoes, if Runan County fell into his hands, he would never willingly give it up to others.

Similarly, Qiao Yan, who never gives up until she achieves her goals, would surely have a stubborn attitude towards the ownership of Yu Province.

The conflict between these two, whether Qiao Yan or Cao Cao wins, given his understanding of their strengths, would inevitably lead to a fierce battle.

The more troops they expend on the land of Runan, the more comfortable Yuan Shao’s situation becomes, following the balance of power.

He even said to Xu You:

“If Cao Mengde wins, we can further attack the Chang’an court’s reputation and launch a counterattack from River North County. Although Cao Mengde wins, it would likely be a pyrrhic victory, allowing us to support Zhang Mengzhuo in Yanzhou to oppose him and weaken his power there.”

“If Qiao Yan wins, that’s also manageable. After Cao Mengde suffers heavy losses, he will need my support. I’ve been wanting him to send his eldest son Cao Ang to Ye City as an official for the past two years, but he always found excuses to refuse. Now, I can finally make this happen.”

Yuan Shao felt more and more that this was an excellent situation for him. Even when Shen Pei reported the effectiveness of well-digging and requested large-scale production of the tools used, Yuan Shao didn’t feel displeased by the expense but gladly approved the suggestion.

However, this good mood only lasted until Cao Cao’s next report arrived in Ye City.

The report clearly stated that reinforcements from Guanzhong and Jing Province had already reached Yingchuan. With insufficient troops, he could at most prevent these forces from breaking through his defenses at the border of Yingchuan and Runan but couldn’t launch an attack on Yingchuan.

Knowing his limits, since he couldn’t capture the entire Yu Province or get timely support from Yuan Shao, it was better to end the war quickly rather than waste his troops in a hopeless battle.

He negotiated with Qiao Yan, suggesting that due to the severe drought and locust plague in Yu Province, they should temporarily divide the territory along the Yingchuan-Runan border. Otherwise, the war would only lead to more suffering for the people of Yu Province, benefiting no one.

Fortunately, the current results were much better than he had predicted before sending troops.

Most of Yu Province, which was not under the control of the Ye City court, had now become their territory. Once they survived the disaster and restored farming, it would surely become a significant asset to the Ye City court, providing substantial tax revenue.

“Nice words, but I don’t see Yanzhou providing much tax to Ye City!” Yuan Shao cursed under his breath.

But the promise of tax revenue wasn’t the most problematic part of the report.

What he found hardest to accept was that the battle he expected to erupt ended so lightly.

Every battle causes damage. In Cao Cao’s previous report, he mentioned Xiahou Dun’s defeat, with some troops fleeing home, some captured by Qiao Yan at Linying City and Hei Lujian, resulting in over two thousand casualties.

If the skirmishes were like this, the main battle would be even more devastating.

In a time of hardship, the public unrest Yuan Shu experienced might happen again.

Even if Cao Cao and Qiao Yan wouldn’t end up like Yuan Shu, it would still cause them trouble.

Resources would continuously pour into Yu Province, a cost with no visible return compared to his well-digging expenses.

But now?

Now Cao Cao has taken Runan County, the largest territory in Yu Province, and Chen County to the north bordering Yanzhou, while Yingchuan, with its most prominent scholars, fell into Qiao Yan’s hands.

The former result is positive feedback for Cao Cao’s campaign, crucial for his reputation as the Governor of Yanzhou.

The latter is even more significant.

Scholars from Yingchuan hold positions from Grand Herald, Palace Attendant, to Chief Clerk of the Grand Marshal’s Office in the Chang’an court. If they learn that Qiao Yan hastily sent troops and still secured Yingchuan, this chain of recommendations might continue.

“Yingchuan… why Yingchuan!”

Yuan Shao knew his question was unreasonable.

The concentration of Yingchuan scholars is somewhat related to its proximity to the capital, a position near the center but not directly under the emperor, giving it a unique status.

Qiao Yan’s troops exited Huanyuan Pass, naturally taking Yingchuan first.

But Yingchuan not being captured affects not just Cao Cao but also him.

Wouldn’t scholars like Xin Pi and Xin Ping from Yingchuan’s Yangzhai have special thoughts about this?

“Wait…” Yuan Shao suddenly looked suspicious, “Why would Qiao Yan agree to Cao Cao’s proposal to divide the territory?”

Does she seem so easy to talk to?

At least from Yuan Shao’s understanding, definitely not!

But the messenger delivering the report knew nothing, only saying the report was first rushed to Yanzhou, then relayed to Ye City for timeliness, so he didn’t know the details of Yu Province.

Yuan Shao felt a headache, not thinking this unclear news arriving early was something to be happy about.

Fortunately, those reporting on Yu Province weren’t just Cao Cao’s men.

After being scolded by Yuan Shao for not causing internal chaos, the Yanzhou clans still tried to build bridges with him, hoping to use his support to overthrow Cao Cao.

With many troops sent to Yu Province, it was inevitable they had their own people.

These people might not be useful for much, but they could certainly inform Yuan Shao.

This letter, arriving a few days after Cao Cao’s report, stripped of some exaggerations, might more accurately convey what happened in Yu Province.

Rather than Cao Cao struggling to enter Yingchuan and Qiao Yan unable to counterattack Runan after an initial victory, it was more like Qiao Yan proactively sought Cao Cao to negotiate a truce. After reaching an agreement, Cao Cao escorted Qiao Yan out of Pingyu and sent Yuan Shu’s body to Yingchuan.

“This letter is full of complaints,” Xu You laughed while reading the secret letter, “If Cao Mengde could so obsequiously escort Grand Marshal Qiao ten miles from Pingyu to Yingchuan due to her immense power, he would have already been mediating with Chang’an. This year’s surprise attack on Runan wouldn’t have happened. He was more likely coerced by Qiao Yeshu.”

Seeing Yuan Shao’s slightly displeased look, Xu You quickly coughed and straightened his expression, “Not defending Cao Mengde’s actions, just thinking there’s something to exploit here.”

Yuan Shao said, “Go on.”

Xu You said, “If this truce was reached under Qiao Yeshu’s coercion, Cao Mengde’s costly campaign in Yu Province couldn’t achieve a decisive victory. The current peace is only temporary.”

“Moreover, Yingchuan only makes up one-tenth of Yu Province, at best a springboard into Yu Province. Not in Qiao Yeshu’s hands, those destined for Chang’an wouldn’t give up their plans to serve there. In her hands, it provides limited resources. But if it falls into Cao Mengde’s hands, it would truly become a major concern for you.”

“What Cao Mengde wants is the support of Yu Province’s scholars to balance Yanzhou’s power. Without Yingchuan’s elite families, the remaining Runan families, many harboring grudges due to Yuan Gonglu’s death, would make the process of winning them over far from easy. This is the most favorable situation for you.”

Yuan Shao listened to Xu You’s explanation with growing belief, feeling it made sense.

Given Cao Cao’s personality, having such a valuable piece taken from his spoils, even if it was by an old friend and Qiao Xuan’s granddaughter, wouldn’t make him swallow this loss quietly.

With the possibility of bordering conflicts, Yuan Shao had a good reason to intervene.

Moreover, the more complex Yu Province’s situation, the more Cao Cao would have to focus on it, potentially neglecting Yanzhou…

That would be his opportunity!

Thinking this, Yuan Shao returned to the good mood he had upon receiving the first news.

Perhaps the only thing still bothering him was Liu Biao, a Han imperial relative who had even dared to confront Sun Wentai during Dong Zhuo’s rule, now acting like a quail in front of Qiao Yan, even sending his generals and elite troops to Yingchuan.

What’s the difference between this and tying oneself up?

Once people are in Qiao Yan’s hands, would she return them?

Look at Han Fu, the former General Who Conquers the Liao.

When Qiao Yan borrowed Qu Yi from him, she didn’t mention returning him, and Han Fu wasn’t vigilant enough. What happened?

Qu Yi went from being a Colonel under the General Who Conquers the Liao to the current Middle General of the East, with his entire family now serving under Qiao Yan.

As for Han Fu, he was first imprisoned for abandoning his post and attempting to flee, then seemingly forgotten in Bingzhou until recently, when the need for iron ore increased, and prisoners were rounded up for labor, only then was Han Fu brought out from some forgotten corner.

Han Fu hadn’t committed any major crimes, so there was no reason to keep him imprisoned. According to Bingzhou, Han Fu longed for the Ye City court, so they sent him back.

This infuriated Yuan Shao.

Han Fu, who had books to read and weaving work to do in Bingzhou’s prison, wasn’t in terrible mental shape, but how to handle him was a real headache for the Ye City court.

A General Who Conquers the Liao, forced to step down after only two years without making any substantial contributions, if given a high position again, might cause trouble. But ignoring him raised another issue.

Han Fu was half a famous scholar…

Qiao Yan had charges against him, and without excessive punishment, it could be said she forgot about him amidst the changing times, which was somewhat understandable.

Now he was conspicuously sent to Ye City, Yuan Shao couldn’t ignore him.

Having just heard about the changes in Jing and Yu Provinces, he even thought of sending Han Fu to Liu Biao as a living example to make Liu Biao more cautious.

But before Yuan Shao could decide if this was appropriate, another message forced him to shift his focus.

The message clearly stated four words at the beginning: Xuzhou has changed.

Enough already!

Upon seeing these four words, Yuan Shao’s mind was filled with this thought.

The pressure of locust swarms, the expense of digging wells during the drought, and Qiao Yan’s gains in Yu Province were already enough to give Yuan Shao a headache, and now Xuzhou was added to the mix.

If the previous standoffs between neighboring powers made Yuan Shao feel like watching a show, that feeling was now almost gone.

Hearing about another incident in Xuzhou, his face even turned a bit green.

Fortunately, the habit formed by frequent shocking news allowed him to maintain a calm tone: “Tell me the specifics.”

Yuan Shao rubbed his temples, fearing he might hear about Liu Bei being assassinated by rioters, thinking it better to have someone tell him directly.

But considering Liu Bei’s slow approach to managing the people in Pei State, it didn’t seem likely he’d end up in such a situation, so he dismissed these random thoughts.

The messenger, observing Yuan Shao’s expression, said, “To be precise, it was Yang Province that first had an incident. Governor Sun Ce was assassinated by a coalition of Wu County’s noble families and the Shanyue.”

Yuan Shao stood up abruptly, “Is he dead?”

Under Yuan Shao’s almost expectant gaze, the messenger almost stepped back but replied softly, “No… not dead. Lu Kang’s grandnephew, studying at Leping Academy, was recently brought to Xuzhou for tactical practice and visited Yang Province, first paying respects to his granduncle in Lujiang, then going to Huating in Wu County to sweep graves, noticed unusual activities by Wu County’s noble families and informed Madam Wu.”

Madam Wu, Sun Ce’s mother, had hurried back from Changsha County on Qiao Yan’s advice to advise Sun Ce against excessive killings in the area.

Sun Ce was persuaded by his mother, but some unruly families in Yang Province clearly weren’t.

Seeing Sun Ce’s power in Yang Province grow daily, they feared Sun Ce was only paying lip service to his mother, his violent actions against Wang Sheng and others unchanged, merely biding his time for revenge, so they preemptively allied with the Shanyue.

Madam Wu, upon hearing Lu Yi’s warning, didn’t dismiss it due to his youth but immediately sent her brother Wu Jing to find Sun Ce.

Fortunately, the warning was timely, and Sun Ce wasn’t ambushed, only slightly injured.

But to catch the culprits, Sun Ce came up with a plan, publicly claiming he was nearly killed by assassins while hunting alone, hanging between life and death.

This move wasn’t unreasonable. Hearing of Sun Ce’s accident, the restless Wu County noble families became active, with the main conspirators being the most vocal.

Thus, when Sun Ce decided to punish the main culprits, no one could criticize him.

This was far from…





He completely disregarded the dignity of the noble families in Wu Commandery, leaving them no face at all. Clearly, it was…

…these people who went too far!

He is now the legitimate Governor of Yang Province. How dare they try to take his life in such a manner?

But in this series of feigned injuries and message deliveries, there was a slip-up—Sun Ce forgot to notify Zhou Yu in advance that he was fine.

The first news Zhou Yu received was from across the river in Wu Commandery:

“Sun Ce has been assassinated and is severely injured.”

At that time, Zhou Yu happened to be in Xuzhou discussing military deployments. Upon hearing the news, he immediately turned back toward Yang Province.

If something happened to Sun Ce, the situation in Yang Province would inevitably fall into chaos. What reason would he have to focus on the Huai River front?

He had to ensure the stability of Yang Province as quickly as possible.

Here’s the problem: in Xuzhou, it was well-known that Zhang Yang, sent by Qiao Yan to station troops in Hailing and oversee the situation in Xuzhou and Yang Province, not only knew nothing about naval warfare but also rarely involved himself in Xuzhou’s military defenses. Zhang Yi’s foothold in the region was largely due to Zhou Yu’s efforts.

In most cases, this was actually a good thing.

It meant that Qiao Yan had given sufficient autonomy to regions like Xuzhou and Yang Province, which were far from Chang’an’s control, to prevent friction between external and local forces.

But sometimes, this wasn’t a good thing—like now.

Zhou Yu hastily withdrew to prepare for possible changes in Yang Province, taking his soldiers with him and leaving the southern defenses of Xuzhou wide open to the enemy.

Despite the drought causing Zang Ba and others stationed in Langya to extort Liu Bei, the northern Governor of Xuzhou, and natural disasters diverting much of Liu Bei and Chen Deng’s attention, they would never hesitate to strike when the enemy was full of holes.

Following Chen Deng and Lu Su’s advice, Liu Bei launched an attack on southern Xuzhou.

Yuan Shao’s eyes lit up again upon hearing this.

Even if Liu Bei won this battle, given Cao Cao’s advance into Runan, Yuan Shao felt it wasn’t entirely unacceptable.

If the territories under the Chang’an court could be further reduced, it would still count as a victory.

But due to his earlier misjudgment, he signaled the messenger to continue.

As it turned out, this decision was clearly the right one.

Because the messenger’s next words were:

“They were deceived! All of them were fooled by Zhang Yi.

He was no incompetent who relied on Zhou Yu to escape his previous predicament and rise to the position of Governor of Xuzhou. Instead, he was a genius playing the fool.

The defenses along the southern bank of the Huai River, seemingly full of holes due to Zhou Yu’s withdrawal, with some areas even more vulnerable due to the river’s shallowness, had actually been secretly reorganized.

When Guan Yu and Lu Su led their troops into the region in two separate routes, they each fell into a trap.”

Yuan Shao: “…And the result?”

“Liu Bei’s army was utterly defeated. Guan Yu managed to retreat, as Zhang Yi’s soldiers couldn’t stop him, but Lu Su wasn’t so lucky—he’s now in Zhang Yi’s hands.”

The messenger added, “The situation in Wu Commandery only reached Xuzhou after this battle. Since Sun Ce was unharmed, the noble families who had a hand in the assassination were purged. Upon learning of the situation in Xuzhou, Zhou Yu immediately returned to fill the defensive gaps. As a result, Chen Deng, who had intended to rescue Lu Su, was blocked north of the Huai River.”

In other words, Sun Ce was fine, Zhang Yi was fine, and only Lu Su, serving under Liu Bei, was captured as a prisoner.

Was this a sudden change in Xuzhou? Given the twists and turns, of course it was.

But it seemed like everything was moving in a direction unfavorable to Yuan Shao!

What kind of nonsense was this!

But what Yuan Shao didn’t know at the time was that in this series of events in Yang Province and Xuzhou, there were some details he hadn’t learned—and wouldn’t for a while.

For example, Lu Yi’s trip to Wu Commandery was deliberate.

Since Hailing and Wu Commandery were close, and Zhang Yang often had ships traveling between the two shores to improve his naval skills, he heard many rumors in Wu Commandery.

But rumors alone weren’t enough to formulate a plan. With Jia Xu’s intervention, they successfully obtained more accurate information from Qiao Yan’s intelligence network.

Thus, a plan to disrupt the balance in Xuzhou was set in motion under the arrangements of Zhuge Liang and others.

To minimize the impact on Xuzhou’s manpower and allow most civilians to continue their canal-digging work, they decided to use Sun Ce’s assassination as the starting point of the plan. By having Zhou Yu return to Yang Province, they first exposed their weaknesses to the enemy north of the Huai River.

As for what would happen if Zhou Yu didn’t leave?

“Fortunately, we didn’t have to persuade Zhou Yu, saying that only by withdrawing could the internal purge in Yang Province proceed more smoothly. It saved us some trouble.” After several days of busy work, Lu Lingju couldn’t help but yawn.

Lu Su, who had been knocked off his horse by her and tied up tightly, sighed inwardly as he watched these young people discuss matters with such seriousness.

Although he felt a bit disillusioned when he first realized that the ambush wasn’t led by Zhang Yi but by these kids, and thought that the northerners had been too careless, otherwise they wouldn’t have suffered such a defeat.

But the more he listened to their conversations, the more he felt that these youngsters were far from simple.

They were undoubtedly the pillars under Qiao Yan’s command.

Only occasionally could he see a bit of childishness in their behavior, like Lu Lingju treating Lu Su as her first real battle trophy, guarding him with great seriousness, or the topic they were discussing now.

Lu Su wasn’t entirely sure what they were planning to do next, but he could vaguely tell that they were about to undertake a very important mission, one that required a bit of luck, and those with bad luck would be left behind.

The criterion for judging luck was whether the location they were responsible for defending had encountered enemies from the north of Xuzhou.

There were three gaps in the defenses along the Huai River, corresponding to three trap locations.

In theory, all three could have been attacked, but this time only two routes came from the north.

So naturally, the one that wasn’t attacked was the unlucky one.

“Isn’t it a bit arbitrary to decide luck this way?” Pang Tong, sulking in a corner, asked.

Their specific team combinations were:

– Tai Shici, Guo Huai, and Sima Yi.


– Lu Lingju, Gan Ning, and Zhuge Liang.


– Zhang Yang, Zhang Yi, and Pang Tong.

Unsurprisingly, among Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, and Sima Yi, Pang Tong was the only one who didn’t encounter any enemies.

“We’re just looking out for your safety,” Lu Lingju, the big sister of the academy and the strongest among the students on this trip, patted Pang Tong’s shoulder in a leadership-like manner to comfort him.

“Think about it. Even though we have sturdy ships, compasses to guide the ships, and the navigation chariot sent by the Marquis, sea voyages still come with risks. In such a situation, not letting you participate is actually for your own good.”

“You can even continue to assist in the Xuzhou campaign,” Sima Yi chimed in.

If it weren’t for the selection criteria, Sima Yi would have wanted to take on this responsibility before coming to Xuzhou. But now, they had to follow the rules.

Zhuge Liang added, “Pang Tong, thanks to the past few days, you’ve gained some experience working with Governor Zhang and General Zhang.”

Pang Tong couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Zhuge Liang, do you call not encountering any enemies during a stakeout ‘gaining experience’?”

Well, if you really thought about it, maybe there was some truth to that.

After realizing they had drawn the short straw, Zhang Yang suggested they not waste their time and instead use fire to attract a swarm of locusts and burn them, which could be considered as eliminating some enemies.

The only consolation was that Zhang Yi and Zhang Yang were easy to get along with and didn’t think his youth meant he was inexperienced. In fact, due to Qiao Yan’s high praise of him as a “young phoenix,” they had high expectations for him.

Once Zhou Yu returned, he would have another smart ally.

Facing the north-south conflict in Xuzhou would likely be less stressful.

As Pang Tong spoke, he glanced at Lu Su and wasn’t surprised to see a look of confusion on his face.

It was no wonder Lu Su was confused.

The fact that students from Leping Academy were involved in the Xuzhou campaign was understandable.

But in Lu Lingju’s earlier attempt to persuade him to accept reality, she had mentioned something that shouldn’t have been brought up at this time—sea voyage.

Crossing the Huai River or the Yangtze River couldn’t be called a sea voyage. Their target could only be the open sea!

But the question was, where were they planning to go?

Lu Su’s mind was filled with questions.

Pang Tong decided not to dwell on his own situation and instead asked Lu Lingju, “Aren’t you going to enlighten your captive?”

Lu Lingju shook her head. “You’re wrong. From now on, he’s your captive. Since he was caught by us, his luck might not be great. What if he brings bad luck and causes a storm on our ship? To be safe, it’s better to leave him here.”

She solemnly instructed Pang Tong, “Make sure to keep an eye on this hostage. If necessary, you can release or kill him. If you can turn him to our side, that’s even better. Just make sure two things don’t happen—him pretending to surrender or him defecting to Jiangdong.”

“Got it. I’m not Dong Zhuo,” Pang Tong replied readily.

But as soon as he turned around, he saw that Jia Xu, their teacher, had appeared behind them at some point.

It was unclear whether Jia Xu had heard their earlier conversation, but he definitely heard Pang Tong’s last remark.

On his shrewd face, there was no unusual expression, just a slight raise of his eyebrows.

Pang Tong: “…”

Was it too late to say he didn’t mean to imply anything about Jia Xu?

But then he heard Jia Xu say, “Pang Tong, this old man won’t be joining the sea voyage. I’ll stay here and teach you how to make the enemy fall into a trap. Submit a practical report in two months.”

After failing to appeal, Pang Tong decided to channel his frustration into motivation against the enemy.

And into nagging at Lu Su, the hostage.

“Are you really not considering switching sides?” Pang Tong asked somewhat helplessly.

Lu Su countered, “What is dark, and what is light?”

Pang Tong, no longer the timid mouse in front of Jia Xu, replied confidently, “Dark is when you’re led by the nose by others, brought to a high position but unable to fundamentally change the situation. Light is when you always see one step ahead of events, and because of that, you can make the most appropriate decisions.”

“You mean the sea voyage?” Lu Su asked.

Pang Tong replied, “Don’t try to fish for information from me. This isn’t something you should know right now.”

Who would have thought that after the sudden changes in Yu Province and the rapid succession of events in Xuzhou, Gongsun Du in Liaodong would be their next target?

It was during this conversation between Lu Su and Pang Tong that Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Lu Lingju, and Guo Huai, accompanied by Gan Ning and Tai Shici, boarded the flagship of their fleet.

The very ship that had locked onto Gongsun Du’s location to prevent them from deviating from their course—a large tower ship.

Even though they had walked around this ship countless times, almost checking every nail on board, when it came time to face the sea voyage, Lu Lingju still took a deep breath and clenched her fists to calm herself.

Suddenly, she heard Gan Ning ask, “Did we forget to bring something?”

Lu Lingju instinctively looked at Gan Ning.

This guy had initially been reluctant, feeling like he’d been tricked onto this ship. But now, no matter how unwilling he was, he had to accept reality. Besides, a cross-sea mission to Liaodong was a highly challenging task, and for someone like Gan Ning, who loved grandeur, it was also a great opportunity.

The ship they were on had transformed from a river vessel to a sea-going ship—what a contrast, and what an honor!

Especially since it was a fleet of over twenty ships!

“We shouldn’t have forgotten anything, right? Our luggage was sent to the ship days ago,” Lu Lingju replied.

For this sea-crossing campaign, every student who had participated in the assignment had a thick stack of documents, including a list of essentials for the voyage.

With the combined wisdom of these top students and Jia Xu’s oversight, how could they have forgotten anything?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

But as the ship sailed out of the dock, everyone on deck heard hurried footsteps.

Lu Lingju leaned over the railing to look and saw a dusty young man running toward them. Seeing that they had noticed him, he shouted, “Hey! Did you forget about me?”

Lu Yi was furious with his companions.

Just because he had gone to the other side of the river to deliver a message to Sun Ce, they had forgotten about him!

What kind of betrayal was this?

Gan Ning, watching Lu Yi being helped onto the ship, couldn’t help but laugh. “I knew I felt like we were missing something. Turns out we forgot a person.”

As one of the masterminds who had tricked Gan Ning onto the ship, it would have been too ridiculous if Lu Yi had been left behind.

Ah, the unreliability of youth…

It seemed he still needed to remind them.

Gan Ning whistled and strolled to the bow of the ship.

As he turned, he saw the young ones following him.

“Did I offend you?”

Lu Lingju replied, “Who’s looking for trouble with you? We’re here to enjoy the view from the bow!”

Indeed, who would want to miss such a sight?

As the ship sailed from the dock into the Yangtze River and then into the sea, the eastern sun bathed the sea ahead in golden light, making the ship seem to flow into a sea of shimmering gold.

This was the beginning of their journey!