After saying this, the jade talisman shattered. Then, after turning around a few times, the person disappeared into the vast forest.
Soon, the message transformed into a streak of light, traversing mountains and rivers at incredible speed. Eventually, it even crossed the Yangtze River, arriving at an inconspicuous hillside in a remote, desolate land thousands of miles away.
Faintly, one could see that it appeared to be a palace, from which came waves of ancient and melodious singing. It seemed to be a folk song from the state of Chu during the Warring States period.
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Chapter Six: Hehe, what a coincidence!
Da da da
Accompanied by a brisk, clear sound of hooves, hundreds of cavalrymen appeared one after another. These hundreds were all clad in armor and wore helmets. From a distance, they presented a formidable sight.
“Excellent, the terrain here is excellent. It's situated on high ground. The surrounding area is also flat, making it easy to get water. It's not easy to be ambushed. Let's set up camp here for today.” After surveying the surrounding terrain, Lin Yang gave the order.
Over the past few days, although Lin Yang hasn't learned any extraordinary military strategies, he has gained a lot of knowledge about basic marching techniques.
For example, when setting up camp, safety is paramount; ideally, it should be easily defensible and difficult to attack. Secondly, it should be close to a water source, as water is often more important than food for a large army. Furthermore, the surrounding terrain must be assessed…
All sorts of knowledge, some of which are not taught in military books, but are very important.
In ancient times, this knowledge was monopolized by military families. This is why when military families went to war, they often brought a large number of their own sons.
"map."
Soon, following Lin Yang's command, a rather abstract and rough map, resembling a primary school student's doodle, appeared before Lin Yang.
There were no contour lines or many markings, only some simple lines. With Guo Jia's explanation, Lin Yang finally understood the meaning of these lines.
"Oh, you mean we're between these two lines now. But this map is so rudimentary," Lin Yang said, pointing to the two thin lines of different lengths on the map, as if suddenly realizing something.
"This map records the entire Yangzhou area, and overall, it's already considered the most exquisite. Any more detailed would only be a magical map used by the imperial court."
"Furthermore, maps are important state secrets. The fact that we have such a map is already a testament to the Duke's status. Otherwise, it would only be cruder." Guo Jia said, somewhat puzzled, looking at Lin Yang who had suddenly realized something.
My lord is sometimes very shrewd, often able to see through the essence of things and hit the nail on the head. But at other times, he is like a fool, knowing nothing and often asking some very naive questions.
It's hard to say whether to call him clever or naive. However, Lin Yang did one thing very well: he dared to delegate authority. Therefore, all things considered, Guo Jia was quite satisfied with this somewhat unreliable lord.
"This is near the fortress of Hefei. Beyond here lies Lujiang. Then we can take a boat to Jiangdong. It's such a short distance; it should only take about half a month to cross the river and reach Jiangdong," Guo Jia explained.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang took out his finger and started gesturing on the map.
"Hmm, that's true. Judging from the map, it should take another five or six days to reach Lujiang County. After that, crossing the river from there will be the shortest distance by water."
That's right, on the map it's only about the width of a finger. About half a month should be enough.
"Fengxiao, what do you think of the terrain here?" Lin Yang suddenly asked.
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia knew that his lord must have come up with another sudden idea. After thinking about it carefully, he replied, "Overall, the terrain here is quite good. We can build a fortress and defend it. With just a single elite force and a capable general, we can directly resist tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of troops."
Then, Guo Jia gave Lin Yang a meaningful look. Was this lord's action unintentional or deliberate? If it was unintentional, that was fine, but if it was deliberate, then it was chilling to think about.
Indeed, Zhang Liao, one of the Five Tiger Generals in history, once defeated Sun Quan here, leaving him utterly helpless. His 100,000-strong army was completely routed. It can be said that after securing this position, Jiangdong never experienced another period of chaos.
Of course, if we occupy Jiangdong and then attack Xuzhou and Qingzhou by water, that would also work. In that case, we would need a professional navy, not just a regular navy.
The navy is far more difficult to build than the regular navy. It's not just about the cost; every aspect is much more challenging. But no matter how difficult, Lin Yang is determined to develop the navy.
Otherwise, no matter how well Lin Yang develops in Jiangdong, even if he successfully unifies Jiangdong during the future warlord era, the imperial court only needs to send a good general and a strong army to guard the area, which can delay Lin Yang for a very long time.
"Hmm, the current map is far too crude. Once the fiefdom has developed somewhat, we must train a group of map-making talents," Lin Yang said suddenly, glancing at Guo Jia who seemed lost in thought.
"By the way, we'll be arriving at the Lu family soon. Fengxiao, you should prepare some gifts. Send your visiting cards in advance; we can't be impolite," Lin Yang changed the subject.
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia frowned and said, "My lord, it seems that something has happened to the Lu family. Recently, they have been recruiting wandering knights and Taoists, and calling on many heroes. If we go there now, things may change."
"When did this happen?" Lin Yang asked.
"Two months ago, to be precise, fifty-seven days ago," Guo Jia said solemnly.
"Heh, two months ago, didn't we just pass through the fork in the road and decide to take the land route? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?" Lin Yang said with a sneer.
Sometimes coincidences happen in this world. But more often than not, coincidences are simply man-made. You should know that the extremely pervasive black aura of calamity above your head is now almost impossible to suppress.
If the situation cannot be suppressed, it will be time to face calamity. At that time, one may have no choice but to flee directly to the Land of Reincarnation to escape everything.
However, while this guarantees safety, what about people's hearts? If people run away when faced with difficulties, who will want to work with you?
"Then can we bypass it? That is, skip visiting the Lu family and go directly to Jiangdong?" Lin Yang asked.
"I'm afraid that won't work. The vast majority of the ships traveling between Lujiang and Jiangdong are controlled by the Lu family. The rest are all small boats. It's not safe, and it takes much longer. Plus, with our numbers, we might not all be able to reach Jiangdong within three months," Guo Jia said, shaking his head.
"Furthermore, the enemies the Lu family is dealing with are also on the high seas. At that time, all the nearby waters will no longer be safe."
This matter is clearly strange. It seems someone doesn't want Lin Yang to cross the river, but who is it? Considering the historical failures in expanding into Jiangdong, this is worth pondering.
Things are getting more and more interesting. Looking at the dark, ominous aura above his head, Lin Yang smiled and said, "In that case, let's go to the Lu family first."
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Chapter Seven: The Lu Family of Wu County
The Lu family, also known as the Lu family of Wu Commandery, is based in Wu Commandery, one of the six commanderies of Jiangdong. Now, their influence has successfully expanded from Jiangdong to the Central Plains.
Although their influence is currently limited to Lujiang County, compared to the remaining Gu and Yu families, they are already quite ambitious.
Within the family, they have essentially monopolized the Jiangdong-Lujiang shipping route. Relying on this lucrative route, the family's strength has steadily increased over the years.
In just over a thousand years, it has grown from a small family in Wu County to a prominent family that ranks among the top in the entire Jiangdong region.