115 offerings

  A light skiff passes over the river, on both banks the apes' cries are incessant.

  The lush riverbanks, with luxuriant vegetation growing on the undulating hills, seemed to be shrouded in a thin layer of cloud and mist, hiding their true appearance. The peaks that rose from the clouds were like small islands floating in the vast expanse of cloudy sea, making one feel as if they were in a realm where reality and fantasy blurred.

  A small and exquisite wooden boat was drifting with the waves in the turbulent and roaring billows under the impact of the rapid river water.

  This small boat, without a single sailor or boatman in sight, glided effortlessly through the rapids, truly a wondrous sight. Meanwhile, inside the cabin as steady as land, two dignified men were raising their cups in a toast.

  "Xiao brother, it's your turn next!"

  The one who spoke was Lin Xu, who claimed to be the Lord of Huo Mountain, and the one sitting across from him, sharing a drink, was a manifestation sent by Xiao Baiyu, the god of Wushan. The two earthly gods looked like elegant young gentlemen, but Xiao Baiyu's attire and demeanor seemed more flamboyant. Even in the deep autumn season, he wore white clothes and waved a golden folding fan in the chilly wind, exuding an air of elegance that disregarded temperature.

  Upon hearing Lin Xu's words, Xiao Bo Lang revealed two rows of pearly white teeth and said with a brilliant smile:

  "Please rest assured, it's just a small matter, Xiaoye won't mess it up."

  Upon hearing this, Lin Xu also burst out laughing and raised his cup saying:

  "It would be better if you didn't know, this great deed is done, and from now on you will also have a good share of incense for hundreds of years!"

  With a "click" sound, Xiao Bai Lang closed the folding fan in his hand and patted his thigh, laughing:

  "Haha, incense and stuff, I don't really care about that. What's rare in the world is the thousand-year-old fine wine from your esteemed residence. Next time, remember to bring two jars over."

  A few days ago, Chen Liang followed Lv Meng's example of wearing white clothes to cross the river, easily killing Governor Ying Long and capturing Water Army Commander-in-Chief Sikou Ya. He took over Jiangling City without bloodshed. Although there was a small-scale change of dynasty, the people in Jiangling City did not feel much.

  The war was limited to a local area, and the daily life of the residents in the city remained unchanged. People gradually accepted Chen Liang as the new ruler after initial fear and unease. They also saw the proclamations posted by the Xing Han army on the government offices and city gates. In this proclamation, Chen Liang openly declared that the Great Qin Empire was tyrannical, and he vehemently denounced the rulers for being cruel and incompetent, unable to drive out foreign tribes, instead surrendering and flattering them, brutally suppressing internal dissent, and that his rebellion was to continue the legitimate tradition of Chinese civilization, and to fight for the descendants of the Yellow Emperor.

  Although the text is written in simple and easy-to-understand language, the reasoning expressed is quite clear and reasonable. Every word and sentence speaks to the hearts of the common people, and it quickly spread around Nanjun, earning Chen Liang a great reputation for righteousness.

  On this day, at the entrance of the Xinghan Military Governor's Mansion, where people were coming and going like a weaving loom, a young man wearing a plain linen robe and holding a folding fan reached out to grab one of the guarding soldiers, saying loudly:

  "I have a treasure that I wish to present to General Xing Han."

  Upon hearing this, the guard gave the newcomer a few sideways glances and said gruffly:

  "Is the general also someone you can see just by meeting? Get out of the way quickly!"

  Upon hearing this response, the young man calmly waved his golden folding fan and said:

  "In the future, naturally knowing that the great general's military affairs are busy, it is enough for this military officer to convey on his behalf."

  History serves as a mirror, and we can see the rise and fall of dynasties. In the early stages of any new regime, everything is clean and efficient, from top to bottom, everyone is full of vigor and motivation. However, when the dynasty reaches its final stage, this situation reverses, even if it's just routine business as usual, without a single deviation or irregularity, people who come to do business will not be able to succeed unless they grease palms up and down. Therefore, insightful people only need to observe the attitude of the most basic clerks to quickly understand whether a regime is rising or falling.

  At this time, the gate guard thought for a moment, raised his hand and took the thing from the visitor's hand, weighed it, and said:

  "Alright, you wait here."

  After finishing speaking, the guard explained the situation to several companions on duty and turned around to walk into the government office.

  Soon, Chen Liang received this unexpected gift and couldn't help but feel surprised. He ordered his attendants to open the box and take a look inside. It turned out that it was a large scroll with considerable volume. With the assistance of his subordinates, they slowly unrolled the scroll, and Chen Liang leaned forward to take a closer look. Suddenly, he was shocked. At the beginning of the scroll, the title clearly read "Da Qin Quan Yu Tu" in large characters. Below it, the entire terrain of the Da Qin Empire, including mountains, rivers, and city distributions, were meticulously drawn on the map. Although the annotations were not detailed, they were sufficient as strategic reference data.

  Over the years, Chen Liang has undergone Lin Xu's guidance and self-study, and is no longer a Wu Xia. Of course, he knows that such items with great strategic value are created by professional personnel organized by the imperial court of the Great Qin Empire, who specialize in business such as map drawing, and are drawn after many years of hard work, and are considered to be national treasures, collected in the inner palace, and cannot be easily shown to others.

  This map with special significance is not collected in the county town, even in Xianyang and Luoyang, it is also carefully stored as confidential materials in the palace library, ordinary people want to take a look at that are daydreaming.

  With a look of surprise, Chen Liang stared at the map for a long time before he came back to his senses. He immediately turned to the guard who had brought the news and asked loudly:

  "......Where is the person presenting the treasure? Hurry up and bring him to see me."

  At the sound, the guards rushed out in a flurry, and after a while, he came back with a sad face to report to Chen Liang:

  "Reporting to General, the person at the gate is gone."

  Chen Liang's face was gloomy and silent for a long time, until the subordinates present began to feel uneasy. He finally let out a long sigh and said:

  "Alas, it seems that others are tired of our slow treatment of noble guests! This time I won't pursue the matter, but you all remember, if anyone comes to surrender to me again, don't block them, treat them with the utmost respect. If some blind dog dares to tarnish my reputation outside, I'll twist his head off and use it as a chamber pot!"

  Almost at the same time, in a wine shop inside Jiangling City, Lin Xu was continuing to drink with Xiang Jun, Xiao Bo Lang. After drinking a cup of turbid wine, Lin Xu slapped the table and laughed:

  "Xiaoshan Jun has had a hard time this time, come on, let's have another drink."

  Upon hearing this, Xiao Baiyu burst out laughing and patted the table, saying:

  "I understand what you mean, don't worry, Xing Hanjun's affairs are my affairs."

  "It's just as well, I won't say more, come, let's drink up this cup."

  This national map, drawn by the imperial court of the Great Qin Empire a hundred years ago, was one of the spoils brought back by Lin Xu's incarnation who was dispatched to Guanzhong from Xianyang under the hooves of the Tiele people.

  Why did Xie Baiyuan from Wushan come forward to give it to Chen Liang, which involves related interest exchanges and can only be understood but not expressed.

  From Jiangling, against the Yangtze River and into Shu territory, halfway through, you must pass through Wushan, which spans the river from north to south. Without the support of Wushan Jun Xiao Bolang, any military action against the current would be extremely risky, which is exactly what Lin Xu did not want to see. So, Lin Xu agreed to help Xiao Bolang and Chen Liang's Xinghan Army establish a relationship, also in order to let him share some merits, until the new dynasty was established, Xiao Bolang would undoubtedly get a good deal as well, so he would have more motivation to provide necessary assistance and support for Chen Liang's Xinghan Army.

  Chen Liang, still worried, instructed the clerks to carefully collect the maps presented by the mysterious figure and soon put down this annoying matter. He then took a few attendants to the dungeon behind the government office. Some important prisoners were detained here, and Chen Liang felt at ease only when they were placed under his own eyes.

  He stepped down the stairs, sniffing the thick musty smell and chilly wind that seemed to seep into his bones, Chen Liang reluctantly pinched his nose and came to a cell door, speaking through the bars:

  "Situ Ya, have you made up your mind to die for the Great Qin court? Loyal ministers and righteous scholars, indeed a good reputation!"

  Upon hearing this, despite being handcuffed and shackled, making it difficult to move, Situ Ya suddenly jumped up like he had been electrocuted, loudly cursing:

  "What a good reputation, my whole family was thrown to the Huns by that damn emperor. I hope that bastard dynasty dies out soon! You are the loyal minister and righteous scholar, your whole family is loyal ministers and righteous scholars."

  Chen Liang was scolded until his face turned red, but instead of getting angry, he burst out laughing loudly. At this moment, the gaze looking at Situ Ya also had a few more appreciative meanings.

  In fact, Chen Liang is the kind of man who likes to gather with a group of people, scold and drink heavily, eat meat in big chunks, and has a heroic and unrestrained personality. Si Tu Ya's smooth-talking and foul-mouthed tone is undoubtedly very much to Chen Liang's taste.

  It is often said that it is easy to get a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general. Compared with ordinary soldiers who are recruited in large numbers after posting recruitment notices, a general with good military skills is extremely rare. After all, no matter how many military books one reads, it does not necessarily mean that they can fight well. Zhao Kuo, who was known for his empty boasts about military tactics, is a classic example of this. Especially when it comes to professional and technical standards, the navy, which relies on ships for combat, is far superior to the land army. In a battle between the two armies, whether or not one has an excellent naval general is often more important than the number of troops, and can be a matter of life and death.

  If a naval battle were simply a matter of having more men and ships, and relying solely on brute force to win, then the great hero Cao Cao would not have been defeated by the younger Zhou Yu in the Battle of Red Cliffs, his morale crushed by a single fire, and his ambition to unify the country extinguished.

  After laughing loudly, Chen Liang signaled for the guards to open the prison door and stepped into the cell, saying in a deep voice:

  "How about it? Follow me and you'll have all the wealth and glory you want. Just nod your head, and I'll make you the Grand Commander of the Water Army right now."

  At the sound, Situ Ya hesitated again, and after a moment, he continued to speak.

  "Surrender is okay, but I also have a condition."

  "Oh, what's the requirement? You might as well say it and let me hear it!"

  Facing Chen Liang's very sincere gesture, Situ Ya seemed to have a bit of an attitude, and slowly said while thinking:

  "If I were to join the great general's command without having achieved anything, I'm afraid that suddenly holding a high position would invite criticism. The Grand Admiral is not a position that can be held by just anyone who has committed a crime, so I was thinking of asking the great general to give me an opportunity to achieve merit and redeem my guilt."

  Chen Liang listened to Si Tu Ya's words and felt like he was in a misty mountain. He said impatiently:

  "Alright, don't beat around the bush either, just say what you want to say."

  After careful consideration of the temporary plan, Situ Ya weighed the necessary conditions and said:

  "Well, I'll be straightforward then. I'd like to request from the General twenty warships, two thousand elite naval soldiers, and that able person who pretended to be an imperial envoy to deceive me. With just a few days of effort, I am willing to present the Wuchang naval barracks to the General's headquarters."