Mythical Three Kingdoms

”I’m not stupid either!” Qu Qi pointed to his own head, ”The Northern Barbarians, huh? The previous wool dispute already caused many fractures within the Northern Huns and Xianbei tribes, and adding this...” While speaking, Qu Qi picked up a tuft of cotton, his eyes flashing coldly, clearly harboring no goodwill toward the Hu People.

”Stop~” Chen Xi stopped Qu Qi mid-sentence. He suddenly realized that Qu Qi seemed to have an issue with the Hu People. Most aristocratic families tended to use the Hu People, to educate and assimilate them. Why was Qu Qi’s attitude similar to that of Gongsun Zan?

”Huff...” Qu Qi let out a long sigh, ”I’m having a bit of trouble controlling myself, ha.” A fierce smile appeared on Qu Qi’s face.

”Hey, hey, hey, don’t scare me,” Chen Xi said, looking at Qu Qi’s slightly strange expression. The current Qu Qi, unlike his normal self who was arrogant and fond of courting death, seemed completely different. What was going on?

”I’m losing some control, hehehe.” A vicious smile spread across Qu Qi’s face, ”Hehe, the Qiang and Hu People I encountered in my childhood left a profound impression on me. Hehe, if you want to exterminate the Hu People and need help, I can assist you. The Qu Family has a collection of Mohist classics; as long as it’s for wiping out the Hu, I will contribute all of it.”

Chen Xi was stunned. Qu Qi mentioning a collection of Mohist classics meant it was definitely more than just a few books—it had to be the essence of the Mohist School.

”Since I was nine, the Qu Family has been collecting Mohist classics. Do you know why I’m in Chang’an?” Qu Qi muttered to himself, ”The Eastern Pavilion claims to collect books from all over the world, but not a single Mohist classic is in there. Do you know why? Because my family took them all—every mechanical device and ingenious invention, my family seized them all.”

”I recognize the Confucian School’s achievements, but if we discuss the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the only philosophy with the innate power to challenge states is definitely Mohism,” Qu Qi said carelessly, expressing opinions that could easily be deemed as inciting rebellion, and Chen Xi just sat beside him, silently listening and very interested.

”All the major Mohist techniques have been recreated by my family. I lack the kind of temple strategy you possess, the ability to feed the world in return, and I find it difficult to act through Feudal Lords to pacify the lands beyond the Great Wall. The only way I could think of is to enrich and empower the nation, then let the people of the world step out of their borders and conquer those places. I think it’s only a matter of time,” Qu Qi sighed, reflecting on the long history of the Qu Family. An individual with exceptional wisdom and intelligence couldn’t just be developed on demand, and at least Qu Qi knew he wasn’t capable of reaching that level.

[Maybe it was indeed Mandate of Heaven that you met your end in your previous life, Qu Qi. After the Five Barbarians threw China into chaos, it took centuries for the Central Plains’ technology to barely recover to this level again. In the troubled times hundreds of years later when your family establishes a state in the Shu Land, they would definitely dig up these current archives of yours. I highly suspect that your family might actually have built those devices.]Chen Xi said with a bitter smile, acknowledging that fate seemed predefined—a tit for tat set by heaven.

”So tell me, what exactly has your family manufactured?” Chen Xi asked curiously.

”Apart from agricultural tools, the main equipment for warfare is the Qin Crossbow.” A gleam of frost passed through Qu Qi’s eyes. The initial success of the Qin State in beating Eastern Hu and Hun cavalry into a retreat was because the Qin Crossbows were as overpowering as if they were cheating.

”I...” Chen Xi didn’t know what to say. Putting history in perspective, he found himself at a loss for words. He could now guess that the Qu Family’s establishment of a state in the Shu Region might actually be using the legacy treasured by the Qu ancestors; otherwise, it wouldn’t be such a coincidence.

”Okay, I’ll try my best. First off, I don’t believe that only dead Hu People are good Hu People. My goal is assimilation. Of course, we still need highly lethal weapons. A fight is inevitable. With over ten thousand Qin crossbows pitted against conventional cavalry, even heavy cavalry is simply crushed. It’s a deadly weapon that can penetrate armor within three hundred steps...” Chen Xi replied with a wry smile, realizing that these long-established noble families really should not be underestimated.

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”My family is fully leaning towards Lord Xuande, and all our resources will be opened up to you,” Qu Qi said solemnly, his previous visit to inform Chen Xi also had this reason.

”We only want the Mohist classic books and the craftsmen from your family who are experts in this field. As for the rest, your family just needs to do what it’s supposed to do,” Chen Xi nodded, giving Qu Qi a rather generous condition.

”Ha ha ha, you think too little of my family. We have the Jingchu ore distribution maps handed down from the Xiangli Clan, with iron ore, copper mines, and stone mines all included,” Qu Qi said proudly.

The Qu Family was not short on money because they had a copper mine in their possession. In this era, privately minting coins was not a problem as long as the copper content of the coins was right and the weight was up to standard—the state would rather you mint more! The coin-minting technique of this period, up until the Prosperous Tang, was such that copper worth ten million coins could only be used to make seven million coins!

”Your family has such a thing?” Chen Xi asked curiously.

”Every millennia-old family has the secret to falling and rising again. Apart from family teachings, there is also the Treasure Basin, a rapid way to accumulate family wealth!” Qu Qi said earnestly, indicating that handing over such a thing meant the Qu Family was fully backing Liu Bei. If they still lost after all this, then it would mean the end of the Qu Family.

Honestly, the older generation of the Qu Family didn’t want to hand over this thing either, but on the one hand, Qu Qi had made up his mind, and on the other, the Qu Family had already occupied a small copper mine that was enough to cover the Qu Family’s expenses for hundreds of years. Other mines were not so easy to take. There were several iron mines that the Qu Family reckoned they could not mine unless they could establish their own country—doing so would cause too much commotion and brought too many benefits.

”The heritage of a millennia-old family. Okay, I believe you,” Chen Xi said helplessly. Just look at the Yang Family now. Historically, Yang Biao suffered a lot under Cao Cao, Yang Xiu was killed by Cao Cao, and the whole Yang Family could only tremble with fear. They had none of the demeanor befitting a family that held the position of Four Generations Three Dukes. Yet later, during the Northern Zhou, they still regained their status as a top-tier family.

”I have one request. When we campaign to the north against the Northern Barbarians, take me with you, and if possible, save General Gongsun. He has a temperament I admire. The only good Northern Barbarians are the dead ones!” The chill between Qu Qi’s eyes made even Chen Xi feel a coldness.

”Good, deal. I want all of your family’s technology and craftsmen!” Chen Xi said, finding Qu Qi’s request not too excessive.

As Chen Xi left Qu Qi’s residence, he couldn’t help but shake his head. Qu Qi seemed to harbor a strong hostility towards the Northern Barbarians, and moreover, Qu Qi’s goal of enriching the people was actually to exterminate the Northern Barbarians right from the start, a notion with which Chen Xi couldn’t agree.

[Maybe there’s some unspeakable secret, or perhaps something left a very deep impression in his childhood, probably the same principle as when the Martial Emperor, as a child, saw the beacon fires of Sweet Spring and harbored a deep-rooted hatred. I’ll ask about it after we’ve cleared out the lands beyond the Great Wall.] Chen Xi thought helplessly.

But on reflection, if the Chanyu Military Minister knew that his action of setting fire to Sweet Spring Palace, and thoroughly ingraining the memory of the Huns into the young Liu Che who was summering there, would lead to Liu Che dealing with the Huns from the moment he came to power, fighting them relentlessly and eventually thrusting the Huns into the abyss of history, he would probably die of fury. This might also be considered a version of ”do not belittle the young and poor”... (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to come to Qidian ) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)