The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

A few interesting anecdotes, mentioned briefly.

Amidst all the debates and arguments, only a few companions remained.

It must be said that most of the content of Zhenge Wuhan's casual conversation was just novel and didn't offer any substantial insights.

The memorials submitted by the scholars of Fei Lu were mostly just for show, only proving that they did have some ability to get things done, and rarely offering anything truly insightful.

While there are many well-intentioned works, seven or eight out of ten are merely mediocre—they demonstrate diligence but lack sharpness; they prove usable but not reliable.

Those strategies that Zhao Qing considered merely "passable" often won thunderous applause in Fei Lu.

This is the difference in perspective.

This is not surprising. True talents are rare, and they cannot be gathered together by a mere banquet.

"...So, the 'keel' used in the recent batches of large warships from the Yue Kingdom really is a keel?"

She looked away and asked casually.

“Not entirely.” Zhen Ge Wu Han put down his wine cup. “After all, the amount of pterosaur bones in Da Di Mountain is limited. Even if it is an important dragon tomb in ancient times with abundant treasures, it will eventually be exhausted if it is opened up for excavation.”

"Does the day we run out of space mean we'll stop building ships?"

"Therefore, the Grand Master Ziyu had already made preparations in advance, summoning the shipyard's master craftsmen and renowned smelters to gather at the foot of Dadi Mountain, where they set up workshops and stoves to specialize in the art of dragon bone, attempting to imitate its internal and external Daoist principles and investigate its celestial and physical properties."

"After the king ascended the throne, he was assisted by a skilled craftsman from Guangdong. He did not covet the form but focused on the essence. After years of imitation and replication, he finally created a dragon skeleton that was completely identical, and the laws were full, even surpassing the original remains."

“The large winged vessel that you and I are riding on today is made of a replica keel, a top-quality product made by artificial sculpting.”

Dafu Ziyu is the current boat manager of the Yue Kingdom.

True dragons who have reached the level of cultivation and grown dragon wings will have pure-blooded offspring that resemble winged dragons, without needing the transformation conditions of sealing the heavens or even the Heavenly Evolution level.

Currently, it appears that the full speed of large and small winglets can reach at least several hundred knots, and they also need to be equipped with rams to withstand extremely powerful impacts. Naturally, their requirements for keel materials are far higher than those for ordinary ships.

Zhao Qing's eyes brightened slightly as he pondered the reasoning. He then asked, "But I wonder what kind of cultivation level these ancient pterosaurs possess innately?"

"It is dominated by the elements of metal and wood."

Zhenge Wuhan recounted in detail: "The Taihao clan established themselves in ancient times, using dragons to record official positions. They ruled the world for over a hundred generations, spanning more than 60,000 years, through fifteen dynasties. Their words were heard by all the gods, and their breath was responded to by all the spirits. They could command the sun and moon, harmonize yin and yang, regulate the order of heaven and earth, and hold the universe in their hands, controlling the expansion and contraction of heaven and earth!"

"At that time, the Dao energy of heaven and earth was abundant, and the highest leader of the human world was not called 'Emperor' or 'Empress,' but 'Shen Hao' was the supreme one."

"These are all ancient stories, from a distant era, almost mythical."

"Until the time of Shennong and Yandi, the fortunes of the dynasty changed, and the Taihao clan's power gradually declined. They were no longer the rulers of the 'lower lands,' so they abolished the title of 'Shenhao,' and their clans split up. One branch became the Shaohao clan, which changed to using birds to record official titles. They divided the lands of the two central nine provinces in the southeast and southwest, establishing hundreds of states. Although they were no longer as powerful as their ancestors, they were still powerful rulers in their respective regions, and their influence extended throughout the lands."

These are eighteen vast territories, much like the land of China.

"Within the Divine Land, the regions of Dongyi and Baiyue are all within the influence of Shaohao's power and also receive the blessing of dragons and phoenixes. Therefore, the land and water of this place nurture all things, and the winged dragons of the earth mostly possess the killing and killing energy of metal and the life-giving energy of wood, with strong bones and sharp edges, and are good at riding the wind and flying."

"So, you mean you lack the essence of water?" Zhao Qing went straight to the point.

So, could it be that the Taihao clan was able to dominate the world for so long because they possessed the Wood De version of the Dream Entry Certificate? The White Emperor's certificate is with me; it should have been held by the Shang King in the past. The Red Emperor's certificate was first obtained by King Wu of Zhou, but was later stolen and fell into the hands of the Void Dao.

However, the whereabouts of the other three items remain unknown.

“Exactly.” Zhen Ge Wu Han nodded: “These types of pterosaurs are inherently afraid of the cold depths of the sea and dislike damp and murky places.”

"Using its hull as a ship, it can sail swiftly with the wind and fight in coastal waters, making it unparalleled. However, once it goes to the vast ocean and ventures into the deep sea, its power is hindered. Without protection, it is not strong enough and cannot maintain its ability to sail for a long time."

"This matter has been a headache for the shipyard's master craftsmen for many years."

"Speaking of which, the Yue navy was completely wiped out in the Battle of Fujiao in the past, which was actually closely related to the craftsmanship of imitating 'dragon bones'."

"Oh?" Zhao Qing asked in confusion. Wasn't Fujiao from Taihu Lake?
Since it wasn't a battle fought on the high seas, could the defeat be attributed to this?

"To put it simply, in the Battle of Zuili after the death of the late King Yunchang, the new type of keel had not yet been widely used. However, the master craftsman of Guangdong who made great contributions boasted that he could not only build boats but also maneuver them. King Xinzhi actually gave him an army to fight against the Wu navy, and the result was a great defeat."

"Although this man had read some military strategies, he was not an expert. How could he compare to Helü, who was well-versed in Sun Tzu and Wu Zixu? Being an amateur and eager to make military achievements, he was easily predicted by the veteran generals of Wu. Yu Huang charged into the enemy lines and was swept away by the winds of the Five Lakes."

"Not only did the Cantonese workers drown on the spot, but seven or eight out of ten of the old warships that the late king had accumulated over the years were also lost, and the navy was almost completely destroyed!"

"Although the king and Linggufu later turned the tide and even executed the rash King Helü of Wu, they also changed the balance of naval power between the two countries, sowing the seeds of a deep-seated problem for the Battle of Fujiao..."

Although Helü died, the foundation of the Wu navy remained intact; although Yue won, most of its elite warships were lost and could not be replenished in a short time.

Between the ebb and flow of power, the outcome of the battle has already shifted subtly.

“Since then,” Zhen Ge Wu Han continued, “the king took it to heart and often said: ‘Those who like to boast are always those who flatter others and claim that no one is better than themselves. They are good at observing others but bad at observing themselves.’”

"Technique is technique, and combat is combat; the two should not be confused."

"Now, when we require itinerant scholars to enter the Flying Pavilion for examination, we must first verify their academic background and examine their practical experience. This is precisely the intention. What we are examining is not only the texts themselves, but also whether they have self-awareness!"

“When Your Majesty first ascended the throne, there were many matters to attend to and you were unable to examine them thoroughly. Appointing artisans as generals was a mistake; however, you did not abandon their skills because of this, but instead promoted and developed them, which was a correct step.”

"Between a mistake and a correction, one can see the king's wisdom: not in being without fault, but in being able to correct it; not in being invincible, but in being able to continue the dynasty."

Zhao Qing seemed to be deep in thought, and then asked about another matter: "Are the musicians of Yue Kingdom, like those of the other states in the Central Plains, required to be blind?"

Zhen Ge Wu Han shook his head and said, "The rites and music of the Central Plains emphasize the teaching of music and the transformation of people's hearts. Banquets, sacrifices, court assemblies and social gatherings all use music and dance to entertain people. The bells and drums are loud and clear, the zithers and lutes are melodious and clear, and the eight tones are in harmony, so as to harmonize gods and men and establish order between the noble and the lowly."

"However, when shamans perform dances and dancers become enchanted and connected with the ancestral spirits, the performers themselves cannot also be swayed and moved by the spirits."

"Therefore, those who are born blind do not know the five colors, nor the dazzling world, and their minds are undisturbed and their spirits are not swayed, so they are capable of great responsibilities. If their eyes cannot see, their ears will become more acute; if they are not confused by external things, their hearts will become more calm. They can understand the subtleties of music and reach the mysterious depths of ghosts and gods."

"However, only those who are born blind can do this. Those who become blind later in life are more prone to hallucinations and bizarre visions than ordinary people, which gradually lead to madness and chaos until they become uncontrollable."

"Why is that?" Zhao Qing asked casually.

According to modern surveys and statistics, people who are born completely blind have never suffered from schizophrenia. Their brains cannot imagine terrifying images, and their resistance in this regard is indeed terrifyingly strong, allowing them to ignore a great deal of pollution.

If one has the matching cultivation method, one can undoubtedly make rapid progress.

"The eyes are the windows of the heart."

Zhenge Wuhan said, "Those who are born blind have never had their eyes opened, and their minds are naturally fixed within, not disturbed by external scenery. Those who become blind later in life have seen all the splendor of the world, but once they lose their sight, what they saw in the past becomes a demon in their hearts, surging on their minds day and night, impossible to drive away, and always coming back."

"After a long time, one's spirit will be exhausted, and hallucinations will occur repeatedly. One may see old friends holding hands or ghosts seizing one's heart. All kinds of fear will lead to madness."

"Therefore, when selecting blind musicians, the music bureaus of various states would verify the cause of their blindness. Those who were born blind could enter the university and take charge of the court music; those who were born blind, even if they had musical talent, were not allowed to participate and were all rejected."

"Of course, it's not that no one has any ulterior motives and wants to cheat their way through. After all, there are only one or two out of ten thousand people who are born blind, and those who are musically gifted are even rarer. Musicians are scarce all over the world."

“Even an ordinary musician, as long as he is a disciple of a famous family and is proficient in a few chapters of the Shao and Yi, his status is close to or even above that of a lower-ranking scholar. He receives a generous salary, is exempt from taxes, is given a house, and is also provided with a servant named ‘Zu Liao’ to help him walk and attend to his daily needs.”

"Therefore, there are often people who become blind later in life, who either pierce their own eyes or pretend to be born blind, forge musical scores, and attempt to infiltrate the Music Bureau."

"However, such tricks cannot withstand the scrutiny of experts. Most of the time, as soon as they step into the mountain gate, they hear the shamanic music lingering in the air, and before they have even finished half a song, they are already dancing and laughing wildly and crying uncontrollably."

"At the end of the performance, they all died from exhaustion."

"This is a disaster brought upon oneself, not a fault of the music. Music is for harmonizing with heaven and earth and communicating with the divine; how can it be allowed to be desecrated by the deceitful?"

“Killing these few people is indeed cruel; but if we don’t kill them, hundreds or thousands of people will follow suit. It is killing a few people to save hundreds or thousands of others.”

But I think otherwise.

She then changed the subject: "In Yue culture, shamanism is highly valued, and shamanism and music are essentially one. Musicians do not only play instruments, but also hold ox tails, perform the steps of Yu, and sing eight verses, entering a state of trance together with the dancers."

“The Yue shaman dances and drums by himself. His eyesight is good and his spirit is clear. He is more likely to communicate with heaven and earth. So there is no need to deliberately select blind people to fill the role.”

Zhao Qing nodded slightly, thinking to herself that this meant congenitally blind people would have one less job, and their situation would need to be improved.

As for being blind at birth, does that mean they are congenitally blind? The answer should be no. A fetus develops light sensitivity as early as four months of age.

She continued, "I have just read through the proposals of various scholars. Most of them are common policies for people's livelihood and governance. However, there are a few articles that focus on naval warfare and naval battles, and they analyze the offense and defense of rivers and seas and the difficulties in coastal areas. These articles are very insightful."

"Most of the scholars who travel to Yue are from civil administration backgrounds, and very few specialize in naval tactics. Yet these men have precisely grasped the essence of naval warfare. Could it be that there are already rumors in the court and predictions among the people that Yue may soon launch a military campaign on the rivers and seas to wage war against the island barbarians?"

Zhen Ge Wu Han smiled faintly: "There are indeed clues."

"This matter was not a secret message from the court or the public, but rather because Doctor Yeyong privately lectured and secretly cultivated some internal information."

Zhao Qing expressed his understanding. As the Grand Master in charge of foreign affairs and border matters in Yue, Ye Yong could certainly intervene in the recruitment of talented individuals from outside the region, actively discovering promising talents and providing them with guidance and support.

It should be noted that both Situ Wenzhong and Sikong Fanli were recommended by this veteran official of two dynasties to enter officialdom, transitioning from Chu scholars to Yue officials.

He was known for his ability to recognize and appoint talented people. His disciples often gathered in groups of dozens to discuss politics and military strategy, and a group of promising young talents would emerge every few months.

In reality, it's not a matter of fairness or unfairness; it's simply about expanding existing advantages.

If scholars from abroad come to submit their papers, and their background is clean and their talent is decent, Ye Yong will kindly provide them with a forward-looking paper topic so that they can give it a try, which can be regarded as a way to inspire them.

It must be said that these arguments all touch upon areas where modern navies are powerless.

Examples include fortified villages and small military towns built thousands of feet deep on the seabed, underwater diving infantry stationed on a permanent basis, large-scale domestication of sea beasts and fish to serve as scouts, and merfolk as squad leaders and strange rays as mounts.

As we all know, building a city on the seabed is no less difficult than building a base on the moon, and the ocean depths in the main world are beyond imagination.

However, it is certain that the Yue Kingdom's operations beneath the surface of the East China Sea were not accomplished overnight. There were at least fifty or sixty fortified strongholds at a depth of thousands of feet, enough to garrison more than 100,000 troops.

Of course, how to complete such a high-end project is beyond the comprehension and planning of a few low-level cultivators.

Their main task was to deploy sailors and use the miniature terrain to test and evaluate the various tactics employed around these fortifications, drawing some inferences.

Another article compares the advantages and disadvantages of arranging various types of oak and elm equipment on water surfaces, and contrasts the differences in effectiveness under different conditions.

Zhao Qing noticed a situation that she was not very familiar with.

That's the depth of the ocean, which has an incredibly profound impact on the underwater ecosystem, suddenly rendering much of her previous common sense invalid:

How can the ocean depth of a normal Earth, which is only 5,000 feet, be directly applied to the tens or hundreds of thousands of feet deep here?
The shallow and deep sea areas are actually divided by a line of 10,000 fathoms!

Yes, around 10,000 feet.

Not to mention ordinary people, even giant squid, abyssal shrimp, worms, and mussels, which are best at deep diving, will be firmly blocked at the top by the absurd water pressure.

Just as a normal tree can never grow to a hundred feet tall, the negative pressure of water supply and cavitation blockage make it impossible for the top to survive due to lack of water; under the water pressure at a depth of ten thousand feet, various ion channel proteins are disordered and collapsed, and ordinary flesh and blood bodies have no means to withstand it, only alien species can reproduce and thrive.

Basically, in the sea below 5,000 feet, it is difficult to find any fish, insects, or shrimp; only occasionally are carcasses falling down.

In order to investigate this dark area, in addition to specially made heavy armor protection and the generations of Shenxie people, manipulating corpses and monstrous corpses to dive is also one of the essential methods of the coastal navy.

In reality, it's a school of thought similar to corpse refining and corpse control, but it mostly uses aquatic creatures and fish demons as puppets and doesn't involve killing humans. Therefore, it's not considered an evil art among the various states, but rather it's incorporated into the regular naval forces.

As for Bu Tianheng and Liedichong, their tactics of sending armored soldiers to lie in ambush within sea rocks and water creeks, inside the bellies of dragons and sea monsters, and hidden under the shells of giant turtles, waiting for an opportunity to strike, were also frequently seen.

The so-called "sea reef" is an artificial reef cast from huge rocks and lead and tin, half-buried in the mud and sand of the near sea, covered with seaweed and barnacles for camouflage, with cabins and passageways inside, capable of housing dozens of soldiers, equipped with crossbows that corrode in the shadows, and disposable weapons to attack enemy ships when they are unprepared.

The "water vessel" is even more exquisite, shaped like an inverted bell. It is filled with fresh air and drained of its seawater. It is suspended in the middle of the sea, neither above the water surface nor below the seabed, similar to a permanently stationed submarine.

There are also a large number of modified alien fish that serve as mobile oxygen depots. Special tubes can be inserted to extract life-sustaining substances from the air sacs inside their bodies to supply soldiers who have not yet reached the stage of fetal breathing.

It was called "breath bladder rations" by contemporaries, and was mentioned alongside "Yu Yu rations" as an indispensable logistical support for troops stationed in the deep sea.

Water-repelling beads and water-avoiding talismans are ubiquitous. The Dragon Palace is teeming with water-repelling beads, which can be obtained through plunder or by demanding tribute.

Such methods are no longer covered by ordinary naval warfare tactics, but have become a unique "underwater military science".

On land, nations vied for supremacy, with tens of thousands of chariots and millions of infantry, each displaying its might with swords and horses; but at sea, it was a different story. The capsizing of a single ship could destroy the sharpest of a hundred battle-hardened soldiers; the danger of a single reef could withstand the might of ten thousand men.

Zhao Qing listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "These methods sound extremely complicated, but I wonder if any country in the East China Sea has ever truly defeated its enemies by using such underwater troop deployment techniques?"

Zhen Ge Wu Han said, "There was a precedent before the conflict between Wu and Yue. In the past, Duke Xi of Qi led his army to attack Ji. The people of Ji fled to the sea and hid their troops in the water. The Qi ships passed by without knowing it. When they were halfway across the sea, the hidden armor suddenly went into action, and torches burst out from the water. The Qi army was routed..."

"In this battle, Ji defeated Qi's 50,000 troops with only 3,000 remaining soldiers. He relied on nothing more than 12 water-damaged mounds and a hundred or so corpses."

Although Duke Xi was defeated, Qi was strong and Ji was weak, and it was not something that could be easily defeated in one battle.

Afterwards, Duke Xiang attacked Ji again, and the Marquis of Ji fled his country, and the state was destroyed.

"This is the earliest recorded instance of an underwater ambush."

"Therefore, the countries around the sea began to value underwater military strategy and competed to imitate it, sending craftsmen to dive and build fortifications, dig reefs into caves, and cast iron into cities. There was even a simpler method of directly attacking the underwater palace and modifying it."

The only sea god of the East Sea has always been Yu Guo. Gun and Yu also held extremely high positions. As for the Dragon King and his shrimp soldiers and crab generals, they are really nothing special. Most of them are dragons and black dragons, and their bloodlines are not noble.

"By the time of the late King Yunchang, there were more than a hundred sea islands in Yue, stretching from Gouzhang in the north to Oujiang in the south, scattered across the sea for three thousand li. Although the Wu people had strong ships and powerful cannons, they had given up the idea of ​​invading by sea."

"However, such works are extremely costly: the cost of one reef is equivalent to the tax of a thousand households in the middle; the cost of one soldier is twice that of ten soldiers in the land army; moreover, the cost of annual maintenance due to erosion by the sea tides and disturbances by sea monsters is also considerable."

“In his later years, the late king gradually stopped building new fortifications and stopped repairing old ones.”

"After the king ascended the throne, although he was determined to revitalize the country, the national treasury was tight, so he could only strengthen the most critical areas."

She concluded, "Ultimately, underwater submarines are often only suitable for surprise attacks and harassment; the real victory or defeat still depends on surface warfare."

……

The ship left the royal city and sailed into the northern part of Kuaiji City.

All that could be seen was a vast, desolate land, sparsely populated, with only sentry posts and a network of waterways and roads.

After all, this new city has only been built for a few years. The population is far from being fully registered, the neighborhoods are sparse, the markets are few and far between, and the foundations and boundary markers are scattered. All that can be seen is the grand scale of the city walls, but not the dense bustle of the city.

Occasionally, laborers would push their carts past, leaving deep ruts and kicking up a trail of yellow earth.

After traveling for another half an hour, they exited through the Five Clouds Gate and passed through the Jinwu. A detachment of warships guarded the area, their banners obscuring the sun, and their ships lined up in rows. Upon seeing the large winged vessel arrive, they all sounded their horns three times and lined up to pay their respects.

The scenery outside the boat gradually opens up. The river widens, and the water color changes from clear blue to a vast expanse of mist, with distant mountains hidden among the waves.

The reeds rustled near the shore, and white gulls occasionally skimmed past the side of the boat.

The independent town of Meiren Palace on the eastern outskirts is already in sight. With its beautiful flowers, lush trees, and fragrant fields, the town exudes a refined and secluded atmosphere.

In terms of appearance, it can be said that it is superior to the royal city palace.

One of the slight disadvantages is that to the south of this small town, a row of workshops are under construction, with smoke and flames rising and furnaces blazing into the sky, turning the clouds in the sky reddish-brown. It is unknown what they are forging, but the rhythmic clanging of hammering makes the ground vibrate.

"...It should be something like farming tools, right?"

Zhen Ge Wu Han was not entirely sure, guessing: "Plows, hoes, mattocks, shovels, sickles, rakes, and hoes, etc., are convenient to transport to the nearby Fu Zhong Da Tang to meet the needs of land reclamation. The real military equipment and weapons, the divine weapons, are mainly produced in the more distant 'Lian Tang'."

At that very moment, the atmosphere at Fei Lu underwent a subtle change.

But there sat the image of Goujian, sitting upright beside the platform, his face showing some weariness, yet revealing utmost sincerity.

He looked around and said slowly, "Today, as we board the ship, I have read through each and every one of your proposals. You have all come from afar, each with your wisdom and sincerity, and I am deeply gratified."

“However,” Goujian paused, “I must be frank with you all. Although I have read all your works, I have only been able to study them thoroughly, scrutinize them repeatedly, and confirm that I can truly grasp their strengths and weaknesses and distinguish their merits and demerits. I have already annotated them in detail and put them at the forefront.”

"It is not that I am negligent, but rather that my mental strength is limited. I am not a polymath, nor am I well-versed in all walks of life. I dare not judge your merits or demerits based on my superficial knowledge. Although I have some feelings and may have words of praise or criticism, I cannot rashly draw conclusions. I fear that my own shallow views may bury good strategies, and that I may not be able to fully appreciate their subtlety or deeply understand their meaning!"

"Therefore, the remaining memorials are all entrusted to Grand Tutor Ku Cheng for my review and evaluation. Grand Tutor Ku Cheng is known for his keen insight and fair judgment, and will surely not overlook any virtuous person."

"If I were to pretend to know what I do not know, or to pretend to be discerning when I am not discerning, it would be the greatest disrespect to you all. I only hope that you will understand!"

A murmur of agreement immediately arose from inside the flying pavilion.

Some sighed, "Wang Shangqian has made a bold move; he is truly a wise ruler." Others whispered among themselves, while still others breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions varied.

After speaking, Goujian slightly bowed to the side.

Then a figure floated down from the noble chamber and landed beside the lecture platform of the Flying Pavilion. His appearance was exactly the same as Ku Cheng's, with a slightly furrowed face, deep frown lines between his brows, a solemn expression, and eyes as sharp as lightning. All the wise men rose and bowed, and "Ku Cheng" returned the bow to each of them.

"Your Majesty has entrusted me with the matter of evaluation, and I dare not fail to do my utmost with utmost sincerity."

He spoke in a deep voice, calmly accepting this important task.

However, within the noble's quarters, Zhao Qing saw it clearly:

Although the appearance and aura of "Ku Cheng" in the flying hut had been completely changed, even those who knew him well would find it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake, in her insight, its essence was still the projection of Goujian, only the appearance had changed.

...(End of this chapter)