Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

Xu Chu and Dian Wei, two brutes, got more and more engrossed in their conversation, completely forgetting their original intentions. Naturally, they didn’t find it odd that a tiger with inner energy existed; according to Dian Wei, its meat was particularly chewy!

Speaking of chewy meat, we can’t overlook what Gan Ning and Taishi Ci are currently up to. After they used unorthodox methods to escort Liu Yu out of Zhuo County that day, they swiftly headed south, avoiding capture by Gongsun Zan. Once they boarded the large ship, they immediately set sail without hesitation.

Gan Ning and Taishi Ci only managed to save Liu Yu. As for Liu Yu’s wife, children, and parents, they simply couldn’t do more. In their minds, as long as Liu Yu was alive, Gongsun Zan wouldn’t go mad enough to wipe out his entire family. After all, there’s a saying: ”Punishment shouldn’t extend to one’s family.”

As for how Gongsun Zan ultimately dealt with Liu Yu’s family, Gan Ning and Taishi Ci, who were already aboard the ship and far from shore, had no idea. Nor did they have the time or interest to worry about such minor matters. Their focus was now on catching a giant fish, a kun, as a gift for Chen Xi’s upcoming wedding.

However, after Liu Yu quoted classical texts to them, they abandoned this idea. The phrase ”a big fish signifies a dream of kingship” carried an ominous connotation that was entirely unsuitable as a wedding gift, especially for a marquis. It seemed more like a curse than a blessing.

Ancient people took such prophetic sayings seriously. Thus, although Gan Ning grumbled about it, he gave up on the idea of gifting a kun to Chen Xi. After that, Liu Yu was left behind in the cabin, cared for by a few clever soldiers. Gan Ning and Taishi Ci began contemplating what kind of gift they should bring to Chen Xi instead.

Heading south, they passed through Qingzhou. Gan Ning sent Liu Yu to Beihai, entrusting him to Kong Rong to be safely escorted to Mount Tai. Unbeknownst to Gan Ning and Taishi Ci, Kong Rong, adhering to the Han dynasty’s etiquette for dealing with nobles, ignored Liu Yu’s desperate pleas and directly sent him to Chang’an...

After sending Liu Yu off, Gan Ning set sail again, leading his crew at full speed toward Yizhou. This was a strategic location that Chen Xi had specifically instructed Gan Ning to secure. Not only was it a preparation for a future attack on Yangzhou, but it was also intended to facilitate trade with the local tribes in Jiaozhou!

Now, Gan Ning was on his way to find a suitable gift. Since a kun was off the table, Gan Ning decided that, as a straightforward man, he should choose something equally simple and fitting.

For many people in the Central Plains, Jiaozhou was a desolate place, unfit for habitation. But Chen Xi knew that it was an excellent place to grow crops. Even with slash-and-burn agriculture, the locals wouldn’t starve. That abundance of food formed the basis of trade.While the Central Plains might suffer from food shortages, places where rice could be grown twice a year were a different story. Chen Xi planned to engage in trade that would benefit Qingzhou greatly by exploiting this disparity—exchanging luxury items like glass beads for boatloads of grain, for example.

That region held many things considered rare treasures in the Central Plains. A bit of barter could greatly enrich Qingzhou. After all, during the Eastern Han period, Jiaozhou extended deep into what is now central Vietnam, a place where rice could be harvested three times a year. While the rice might not taste great, its yield was abundant.

In summary, Chen Xi had instructed Gan Ning from the very beginning to establish relations with the local tribal leaders in Jiaozhou. His plan was to provide them with tools to improve their farming and then trade luxury items for their surplus grain.

Those tribal chiefs, though primitive, held absolute power within their territories, ruling over thousands or even tens of thousands of people, forming tiny kingdoms of their own.

Chen Xi’s suggestion to Gan Ning was to provide these chiefs with simple tools that would bring them closer to civilization, encouraging them to grow more grain. They would then trade that grain for luxury goods—like exchanging a glass goblet for a load of ivory. Chen Xi didn’t care about the disparity as long as the tribal chiefs were willing.

Because of this, Gan Ning had already established a small, yet well-supplied, outpost on Yizhou, where food and fresh water were readily available, thanks to the local tribes.

Upon reaching Yizhou, Taishi Ci was astonished by the size and strategic location of the island. He looked at Gan Ning with newfound admiration. Truly, as the commander of the navy, with the power of life and death, Gan Ning had the vision and courage to establish a supply base here. With such a large territory, the navy would have a significant advantage in future operations against Yangzhou.

“Brother Xingba, I’m truly impressed,” Taishi Ci said with deep respect. Gan Ning’s boldness, ambition, and insight made Taishi Ci feel like he was worlds apart from him.

“Haha, no need for admiration. Let’s load up on food and water quickly. Next, we’re heading to Zhuya County!” Gan Ning laughed and said, “This place is just a transit point. There were originally a few thousand residents here, but I’ve already conquered them. Now they’re working hard to grow crops. It’s a pity, though—if we could bring in thirty thousand more people, we could grow enough food here to feed a hundred thousand people in just one year.”

“Huh?” Taishi Ci was left speechless.

“Don’t be so surprised. Rice grows really well here, and you can harvest it two or three times a year,” Gan Ning explained with a sigh. “Wait until you see Zhuya County. That place has no shortage of food. I still don’t understand why Emperor Yuan abandoned it back then.”

Chen Xi, had he been there, could have answered Gan Ning’s question: the emperor never left the capital, and matters of the empire were often governed by assumptions. Unfortunately, reality was far more complex than theoretical knowledge. A place where rice could be grown three times a year—yielding more than twice the usual amount—was more than enough to keep the starving population fed and the emperor’s throne secure.

Yet despite such fertile lands, the emperor dismissed them as nothing more than fanciful tales, ultimately abandoning Zhuya County entirely. Later on, Jiaozhou barely registered in the emperor’s mind, mostly serving as a place for exiles.

By the time the state of Eastern Wu emerged, no one bothered to visit southern Jiaozhou personally. They merely ruled it from afar, imagining it as a desolate land filled with uncivilized tribes and plagued by smoke and disease.

It wasn’t until Gan Ning first arrived in Zhuya County and traded a set of green porcelain for dozens of large pearls with a local tribal leader that he finally understood what Chen Xi meant when he said these tribal chiefs were no different from emperors.

“Let’s go! Set sail for Zhuya at full speed!” Gan Ning shouted, knowing they had little time left before Chen Xi’s wedding.