Mythical Three Kingdoms

Realizing that his intelligence was insufficient to handle this matter, Gan Ning did not hesitate and immediately rode from the sea to board Zhou Yu’s warship, where Zhou Tai, Jiangh Qin, Li Yan, Dong Xi, and Sun Ce were all present at that moment.

”Ha, it’s been a long time, everyone.” Gan Ning said with a rather carefree attitude.

”I’m very curious about how you managed to create this mess and also got Marquis Wenn involved.” Zhou Yu did not intend to make things difficult for Gan Ning and gestured for Gan Ning to sit down and explain.

”It’s a very complicated matter, and if I were to explain it, it would take a long time. The core idea is that the other side is our enemy; roughly speaking, that’s about it.” Gan Ning said nonchalantly, ”As for Marquis Wenn, I’m not sure how he’s involved; it was probably just by chance.”

”Enemy, huh?” Zhou Yu nodded silently, ”How many enemies of this level are there in the world? At what level was the navy we faced previously, and what exactly is Chen Zichuan’s objective?”

Gan Ning’s mouth twitched, thankful he hadn’t intended to deceive Zhou Yu; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to answer any of these three questions satisfactorily.

”Let’s address them one by one.” Zhou Yu, noticing Gan Ning’s expression, wasn’t too concerned, as he already had some speculations. He just needed validation from Gan Ning. Of course, if Gan Ning’s answers deviated greatly from his expectations without a reasonable explanation, Zhou Yu would rather trust his own judgment.

”There are three near our Han Dynasty.” Gan Ning organized his words and said, ”The country fighting us this time is called Kushan, a rather strong nation; what we’ve encountered here is at most just a detachment of theirs.”

Sun Ce, Zhou Tai, Jiangh Qin, and others gasped, while Zhou Yu nodded silently, indicating that the situation aligned with his predictions.

”Is Chen Zichuan’s goal to expand outward starting from the Han Dynasty? I received information from the Governor of Yizhou that they encountered Kushan in their southward advance. Does that mean our Southern and Western paths for advancement are actually blocked?” Zhou Yu’s expression did not change much, but his tone was somewhat cold.

”I don’t know about the west, but for the south, it’s very likely. I stayed in Kushan for more than a year, and their national power is quite formidable.” Gan Ning shook his head, indicating that he wasn’t clear about the wave from the west, but he knew quite a lot about the southwestern Kushan.

”I see. Can you tell me, approximately when did Chen Zichuan devise this plan?” Zhou Yu asked with a faint hope in his eyes as he looked at Gan Ning.

”I’m not too sure either, but judging by what the Lord said, it might have been during the time of Hulao Pass when Marquis Chen was already preparing for that day.” Gan Ning wasn’t very certain; he could only estimate since Chen Xi often kept his plans secret.

”Hulao Pass, huh.” Zhou Yu showed a hint of helplessness and finally asked, ”During the Yuan-Liu battle, did they fail by mishap, or what happened?”

By now, Zhou Yu had basically lost hope for victory on his side; even if Cao Cao could cooperate seamlessly with them, they saw no chance of winning. This last question was for confirmation.

”I’m clear on that. Originally, the Yuan-Liu battle required another year of delay, but the Heaven-Man Dual Cauldrons erupted at that time, leaving no choice, so the goal from the start was to kill Yuan Benchu. When Marquis Chen made this decision, he was very conflicted.” Gan Ning said with a smile.

Gan Ning remembered this vividly because, essentially, it was a misstep by Chen Xi; although the strategy to kill Yuan Shao to avoid a prolonged war and depletion of strength was achieved, for Chen Xi, the loss of Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Yann Liang, Wen Chou, and others was indeed significant.

”I see.” Zhou Yu sighed and said, admitting defeat, more or less confirmed. Before the Yuan-Liu war, Chen Xi had already planned to expand outward using the Central Plains as a base, and even earlier during the time of Hulao Pass, this plan was set.

No matter which one, getting to this point basically meant they and Cao Cao had lost the power to resist, and the earlier the plan was made, the stronger Liu Bei would be that they faced, as the other side had never been on the same level as them from the beginning.

Just like the three types of strategists mentioned in the past, with the same intelligence, the strategists of Yingchuan of Hebei plan for the world, and no matter how difficult the situation, this goal does not change. The second tier aims for regional dominance, and the last tier is only for personal gain.

Among these three types of strategists, even if their wisdom is the same, the difference in vision is enough for the first to easily outmatch the latter two. Moreover, from Zhou Yu’s perspective, Chen Xi’s talent itself is quite extraordinary, and in such circumstances, the gap in vision between the two sides is still significant; there’s no chance of winning.

However, fortunately, Chen Xi’s goal is not to kill them, nor for the historically renowned heroes of the Central Plains to unite the world, but to expand outward from the world as a base. Under this premise, as long as they don’t go too far in their actions, in the next battle, they won’t be in trouble.

”Lost, huh, no wonder Chen Zichuan always looked at us so indifferently; he was just waiting for the day we understood his impact afterward.” Zhou Yu leaned against the ship’s side and sighed, ”Had I known about Kushan and such naval techniques two years ago, I might have had a fighting chance. Unfortunately, if I’m not mistaken, by the time I return, the unification of the world will have begun.”

”Get ready; if nothing unexpected happens, Kushan is the opponent designated for us by Chen Zichuan.” Zhou Yu turned his head and said to the shocked Zhou Tai and Jiangh Qin, ”Since he handed the shipbuilding technology to us and vaguely conveyed related information through other channels, we no longer have a choice.”

”You can’t defeat Kushan’s.” Gan Ning twitched his mouth a couple of times and said, ”Maybe in other countries, a million in armor is an exaggeration, but for Kushan, a million in armor is a fact, and this time, the Qiu Lique, Kasani, and Zhukashyapa we encountered in the Kushan navy are just relatively excellent mariners.”

”Not just us; at that time, we will have the Han Dynasty behind us. Whatever Kushan has, we will surely have.” Zhou Yu shook his head, speaking with a note of lament.

”The advantage of the three houses combined is something you simply can’t comprehend. When Chen Zichuan was pacifying the north, he pulled us along to make a five-year plan, and now it’s clear what he was thinking back then; it wasn’t his foolishness; it was all preparation for him to take over.” Zhou Yu said with a hint of admiration, accepting this loss with respect.