Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

fleet?

Going to sea?

When these two phrases were put together, Jiang Gan instantly felt a little nervous. He couldn't help but think of the incident when Liu Bei blocked the gap in the Yellow River and took away the army led by Sun Ce.

In addition, Youzhou Jinmen Port had been maintained for so many years, so naturally the information was leaked out gradually.

Almost all the princes of the time knew that the Han army had the ability to sail. In order to guard against the Han army's surprise attack from the sea, Cao Cao had to spend a lot of money, food and energy to build beacon towers on many important coasts.

However, upon suddenly hearing such crucial information, Jiang Gan, feeling guilty, did not dare to continue asking questions, for fear of arousing Li Ji's suspicion.

The main route from Shouchun to Wujun is by water.

According to the arrangements made in advance, Sun Ce had already prepared large ships and led three thousand navy troops to guard along the way.

With the continuous dredging of rivers and construction of ditches in Jingyang Province, the water network in Jingyang Province became more and more developed. There were even many boats of ordinary people traveling back and forth on the way to Wujun.

Whether it's transporting goods, fishing, or carrying passengers...

Even though it is winter, there is still a lively feeling.

Standing on the deck in a cloak, Li Ji watched the scene silently, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

"What is the Prime Minister looking at?" Jiang Gan asked curiously.

"Ziyi, do you know Jiang Qin?" Li Ji asked back.

"General Jiang Gongyi is a naval commander that the king relies on. I have heard of his great name for a long time, but have never had the chance to meet him," Jiang Gan replied.

"The bustle of the river at this moment reminds me of what happened ten years ago..."

Li Ji spoke with a bit of reminiscence, as if he was chatting with Jiang Gan as if he were a close confidant.

"Back then, Jiang Gongyi could not survive due to the bad times, so he had to take many young and strong fellow villagers to become river bandits in the winter and go downstream to Wujun to plunder in order to feed his family."

"At that time, Jiang Gongyi also targeted me while I was patrolling in Wujun. He attacked me at night and I captured him on the spot. Finally, my lord took him in because he still had some courage..."

After a pause, Li Ji turned his head to look at Sun Ce who was protecting him, gestured with his hand, and said.

"Speaking of which, Bofu was only twelve years old at the time, and he also participated in that battle. He even charged into the front and cut off several heads. He also often shouted that he would defeat Zilong sooner or later. In the blink of an eye, even Bofu has grown up to this age, and he is even listed as one of the Five Tiger Generals together with Zilong."

Sun Ce, whose eyes and demeanor showed his heroic and magnanimous character, couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when he heard these words.

"I was rebellious back then, and often said things that were beyond my control. I am grateful to my teacher for not giving up on me and for teaching me with all his heart, which has enabled me to be where I am today."

Li Ji raised his hand and gently stroked the few strands of long beard under his chin, and said.

"I am almost old, and the future of the Han Dynasty still depends on Bo Fu..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Gan subconsciously raised his head to look at Li Ji's face, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth to comfort Li Ji were paused.

Although Li Ji is nearly 30 years old now, he does not look old at all. Instead, he is a handsome man. Standing next to Zhou Yu behind him, except that his temperament is slightly more mature than Zhou Yu, his appearance is even more beautiful than Zhou Yu.

Even though Jiang Gan was known for his good looks, he pales in comparison to Li Ji.

Jiang Gan was envious and flattered him.

"The Prime Minister is in the prime of his life, why talk about old age?" Li Ji shook his head, took two steps forward to the edge, looked at the ships on the river from afar, and said slowly.

"Everyone will eventually grow old, but I only wish that the Han people will not grow old."

"and……"

Li Ji raised his hand and pointed to the river surface and said.

"I have witnessed the changes on the river for ten years. Today, no one has to be robbed by river bandits because they cannot get enough food. This means that I know these ten years have not been wasted."

At this moment, Jiang Gan stared at Li Ji's back and couldn't help feeling a strong throbbing. It was a complex feeling mixed with admiration, conviction, shame, respect, shock and other emotions.

Jiang Gan once thought that Li Ji, who was not even thirty years old, had no virtue or ability to hold the position of prime minister, and that it was just a temporary blessing. Moreover, Liu Bei's actions were full of hypocrisy.

But this time, hearing Li Ji's heartfelt words, Jiang Gan suddenly felt ashamed of himself.

Compared with Li Ji, he is like a sparrow compared to a swan, and a firefly compared to the bright moon.

Jiang Gan even hesitated for a moment. Should I really betray such a man of integrity?
However, Jiang Gan almost instantly suppressed his momentary hesitation, realizing that he had no way out.

Not to mention that the old and young in his family are still in Wei State, even if Jiang Gan really wanted to surrender to Liu Bei, Cao Cao would definitely take the initiative to expose Jiang Gan's identity. At that time, he would be stripped of his official position and imprisoned at the very least, or even lose his life at the worst.

The ship sailed downstream and arrived at the port of Wujun in less than two days.

As soon as they arrived at the port, Jiang Gan saw the terrifyingly huge ship from afar almost immediately.

"What kind of giant is that?"

Even though Jiang Gan was originally from Jiujiang and was familiar with ships, he still felt dizzy when he saw that huge ship.

Li Ji, who was also looking at the ship from afar, answered.

"That ship is the latest state-level sea vessel, named Yangzhou, and will be the main ship of this fleet."

This large ship will also be a guarantee for Li Bao's voyage, helping him to ride the wind and waves.

Li Ji ignored Jiang Gan's reaction, and all this was intentionally done for Jiang Gan to see.

After getting off the boat, Li Bao had been waiting for a long time. Li Bao's skin had become much darker and his body had become noticeably stronger, making him look more like a real man.

Immediately afterwards, Li Bao welcomed Li Ji into the government office in the port and reported to Li Ji in detail all the preparations for the voyage.

Li Ji had long been aware of this, but Jiang Gan, who was following Li Ji, was startled when he heard it.

This fleet, which is about to set sail for an unknown destination, consists of 200 ships of various sizes, with a total of more than 20,000 personnel. The food and fodder they carry alone is enough to support an army of 100,000 for a year.

These figures were undoubtedly a luxury that Cao Cao could not even imagine at that time, and Jiang Gan almost subconsciously thought that he was bragging.

However, when Jiang Gan went with Li Ji to inspect and saw with his own eyes the cargo holds of grain ships filled with grain, his face was numb.

Rich... too rich...

This made Jiang Gan feel as if he had seen the heroic spirit of the Han Dynasty when it was at its most powerful, and he casually gave away the food and fodder needed for a year for an army of 100,000.

Even until the fleet completed a grand sailing ceremony under the auspices of Li Ji and slowly sailed south, Jiang Gan still felt as if he were in a dream. (End of this chapter)