SFS Chapter 179 Liu Bei's Magnificent Lineup for the Northern Expedition
Chapter 179 Liu Bei's Magnificent Lineup for the Northern Expedition
The tower ships built by the Eastern Wu were over twenty zhang long and over ten zhang high, and could carry more than three thousand people.
This is the largest warship in the world today. No one except the Eastern Wu could build it, not even the Cao Wei.
It is no exaggeration to say that the shipbuilding industry of Eastern Wu was among the best in the world, and the generals of Eastern Wu were always proud of this, believing that their warships were invincible.
But Guan Xing was still not satisfied with such a large ship. He wanted to build an even larger ship, twice the length of the existing ships. What a joke!
How could they possibly build a ship over forty feet long? Do they really think the boatmen of Jiangdong are gods?
Guan Xing put his arm around Zhuge Ke's shoulder and pressed him down on the table. He sat down next to him and laughed, "How will you know if you don't try? If you fail, consider it tuition. But if you succeed, Yuan Xun, you will be the patriarch of the shipbuilding industry, the most brilliant pearl in the history of ship development. At that time, your statue will be erected in the most eye-catching place in every dock. Shipmen passing by will stop and pay their respects. Just imagine how glorious that scene will be."
"This..." Zhuge Ke was somewhat tempted.
Guan Xing continued to bluff, "The greatest advantage of mankind is that they dare to think and act. Back in Qin Shi Huang's time, who would have thought that mankind could build a ship more than 20 feet long? Any idiot would dare to say that, or they would be considered mentally ill in a heartbeat."
"But now, ships over twenty feet long have become commonplace. It's not surprising to build them; if you can't, people will laugh at you for being incompetent."
"What does this show? It shows that times are developing and humanity is progressing. As the person in charge of the shipyard, don't you think about the development of the shipyard? Do you only want to live off the legacy of your ancestors? How can you face those ancestors in the history of shipbuilding who dedicated their youth and their descendants?"
"This..." Zhuge Ke's eyes were filled with confusion, and a faint sense of guilt welled up in his heart.
He simply read from the book and copied the shipbuilding blueprints verbatim, which seemed to betray the trust of Guan Xing and Deng Zhi.
Guan Xing continued, "People hundreds of years ago could not have imagined that there were ships twenty zhang long, and people today cannot imagine that there are giant ships forty zhang long. What does this show? It shows that it is not that humans cannot do it, but that they cannot imagine it. As long as we can imagine it, we can definitely do it. So I believe you can do it, and you should believe in yourself."
"Once the giant ship is built, it will be named after you, called Yuanxun. That way, whenever someone mentions the first giant ship of the Han Dynasty, they will think of you, Zhuge Yuanxun, as its creator. What do you think?"
Zhuge Ke envisioned a beautiful scene of a shipyard statue and a giant ship named after it, and excitedly patted his chest, promising, "I'll do it, General. Don't worry, I will definitely build this giant ship for you."
Guan Xing patted his shoulder and laughed, "I knew you wouldn't let me down."
After saying that, he pointed to the three wooden boxes in the corner and said, "These are the blueprints for a giant ship that I drew by the light of an oil lamp last night. They may not be correct, but they can definitely give you some suggestions. I hope you will make good use of them."
The largest fleet in the agricultural era was Zheng He's fleet in the early Ming Dynasty. It is no exaggeration to say that Zheng He's fleet was the pioneer of the Age of Exploration.
Now that Guan Xing has the technology, the shipwrights, and the resources needed for shipbuilding, there's no reason for him to leave Zheng He's treasure ships, which he's been longing for, unused.
The treasure ship is too high-standard and technically too difficult to build; Jiangdong's current shipbuilding technology may not be able to support it.
But so what? You have to take the first step in everything. If you can't make it now, can't you make it in ten or twenty years?
Guan Xing said, "I'm not in a hurry to use it, you can take your time building it!"
Zhuge Ke looked at the wooden box in surprise and asked, "You even drew up the blueprints?"
Guan Xing smiled without saying a word, patted him on the shoulder, got up and left. Zhuge Ke quickly stood up and followed him, taking him to the ship that was already waiting in the dock.
Deng Zhi seized six warships from the gentry. Guan Xing took only four of them south, leaving the remaining two to Zhuge Ke for future use.
Guan Xing boarded the ship and gave Zhou Xun the order to depart. He then turned and waved to Zhuge Ke, saying, "Let's go back, we're leaving."
The ship slowly left the port and sailed into the ocean. Guan Xing looked at the calm sea and said, "Old Zhou, how about I give you 10,000 men this time, with Ji Jie as the vice admiral to assist you in training the navy?"
Guan Xing trusts Zhou Xun, but trust does not mean letting him run rampant and allowing him to dominate. Necessary checks and balances must still be in place.
Moreover, Zhou Xun did need an assistant in addition to supervision. Ji Jie was originally the county magistrate of Wushang County. He was a general promoted by Guan Xing and was very loyal to Guan Xing. Guan Xing was very at ease having him assist Zhou Xun in training the navy.
Zhou Xun understood this principle and nodded, saying, "No problem, I will definitely cooperate well with Vice Admiral Ji."
Guan Xing said nothing more, but looked at the sea and fell into deep thought. He had already resigned from his position as governor of Kuaiji to Guan Yu and recommended Xie Chong as the new governor.
The reason for doing this is simple: Xie Chong is acting as the prefect in the name of the prefectural assistant, which is somewhat illegitimate. It may be fine in the short term, but it is likely to cause problems in the long term. Only by being legitimate can things be accomplished!
He had to focus on dealing with Wu Jun's counterattack and had no energy to deal with political affairs. Rather than occupying the position without doing anything, he should step down and let Xie Chong do his job with peace of mind.
Thinking this, Guan Xing looked up into the distance. The sea ahead looked calm, but you never know how turbulent the undercurrents are when you're on a boat.
Just like the upcoming great battle, whether they, father and son, will repel the Wei-Wu allied forces and completely secure Jiangdong, or suffer a defeat at Maicheng like they did in Jingzhou, Guan Xing could not guarantee.
……
Speed is of the essence in war; time is the lifeline.
After withdrawing his troops from Yiling, Liu Bei dared not delay. He ordered Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang to lead the main army to Hanzhong first, while he himself returned to Chengdu alone to make arrangements to ensure that no internal turmoil would occur during the Northern Expedition.
After finishing his work, he rushed to Hanzhong to join the main army. It's a pity that Liu Bei is already fifty-nine years old this year. Such back-and-forth travel is a bit too risky.
After all, there were no airplanes or high-speed trains in that era, and the terrain of Sichuan and Chongqing was not suitable for riding horses or traveling by car. Many places required walking. For Liu Bei to lead an expedition at such an age, there is no other word to describe it except that he was reckless.
Having finally arrived at Nanzheng, the capital of Hanzhong Commandery, Liu Bei did not have time to rest, but instead summoned his generals for a meeting.
The main hall of the prefect's mansion was packed with civil and military officials.
Currently standing in the hall are Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Wei Yan; three of the Five Tiger Generals have arrived.
As for the remaining two, Guan Yu was in Jiangdong, while Huang Zhong was old and seriously ill, so he was left in Chengdu to recuperate and protect the heir Liu Shan.
Ma Chao was not trusted by Liu Bei, and Liu Bei was afraid that he would cause trouble in the rear, so he took him with him.
It's safer to keep this kid by my side than to leave him in the rear, but the truth must be kept to myself. What I'll say to the outside world is that I trust Ma Chao and hope that he can defeat the Wei army and achieve new merits.
Besides Ma Chao, there was also the strategist Zhuge Liang, the chief administrator of Yizhou Huang Quan, the general's assistant Ma Liang, the chief libationer Chen Ji, and Pang Tong's younger brother, the chief administrator of Jingzhou Pang Lin.
There are also the second generation of young generals led by Guan Ping, namely Guan Ping and Zhang Bao, Huo Yi and Sha Moke, Xi Zhen, Xi Hong and Fan Zhou, Feng Xi and Zhang Nan, Chen Shi and Wu Ban, Fu Kuang and Zhao Rong, Liao Chun and Fu Tong, Ma Dai and Wang Ping, Gao Xiang and Yang Qun, as well as Liu Feng who was summoned from the west city to attend the meeting.
It is no exaggeration to say that this group of people was the essence of Shu Han. With this group around, Liu Bei's hope of restoring the Han Dynasty remained. If this group were gone, Liu Bei would only be able to stay in Bashu and wait to die.
Looking at these veteran generals who had followed him for many years, Liu Bei felt a surge of pride and asked, "Strategist, has there been any news from Guanzhong?"
Zhuge Liang replied, "Yes, Cao Cao has appointed Zhang He as the commander-in-chief, Cao Zhen as the deputy commander-in-chief, and Sima Yi as the strategist, leading an army of 50,000 to Chang'an. It is clear that they are here to guard against us."