With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Sima Yi is now wholeheartedly on Liu Xie's side, so he shows no courtesy to He Kui.

He Kui stood there blankly, torn between two options. He wished he could end his life, but he didn't have the courage to draw his sword and commit suicide.

It hurt too much; this was a pain that a civil official like him could not bear.

In addition, he cared a lot about his reputation. If he died like this, the historians would not leave him a good name. Even if he was a good official in the past, Liu Xie would not let him leave a good name.

Liu Xie looked coldly at He Kui, his patience almost exhausted. "He Kui, I still have many things to do. You either commit suicide immediately or go to apologize to the people."

He Kui glanced at the sword in Zhao Yun's hand again. The sword flashed, and a chilling aura rushed straight to his face. He Kui was so frightened that his legs trembled, and he collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly powerless.

He Kui knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject is willing to come and apologize."

"Good, to admit one's mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue."

Liu Xie nodded and instructed Sima Yi, "Zhongda, you will supervise him. You can return to report when he has finished dealing with the matter."

"Yes, sir." Sima Yi readily agreed.

Sima Yi is the most qualified to speak about the methods of emperors. He can make you live if he wants you to live, make you die if he wants you to die, and make you wish you were dead if he wants you to die.

Next, Liu Xie sent Zhang Niu and his son home, while Gan Ning began to select and train soldiers to establish a navy.

As the governor of Qingzhou, Zhang He ordered local officials at all levels to cooperate fully, especially Guan Tong, who was the prefect of Donglai. Even though he was currently recuperating from an injury, many matters would be entrusted to Guan Tong in the future.

Liu Xie had some free time for the time being, and whenever he had free time, he would go to the beach to take a walk, look around, and enjoy the sea breeze.

One night, Liu Xie got into the mood and went for a sea bath. Despite Zhao Yun's repeated attempts to dissuade him, Liu Xie still enjoyed himself immensely.

After getting ashore, Liu Xie quickly put on his clothes and felt refreshed. He said to Zhao Yun, "Zilong, why don't you try it too? It really feels great."

Zhao Yun looked around. Fortunately, he had brought only a small number of people. If word got out that the emperor had gone to the beach at night and taken off his clothes, what kind of decorum would that be? "Your Majesty, you are the current emperor, so you should try to be more careful."

Liu Xie knew he meant well, so he smiled and nodded.

After a while, Lu Xun brought a letter and handed it to Liu Xie, saying, "Your Majesty, this is from Xun You. Please take a look."

After opening the letter, Liu Xie read it carefully and was very satisfied with Xun You's current attitude towards work.

While others lurk in the shadows, secretly gathering intelligence, Xun You now does everything openly. He wrote down every single detail of what had happened to Cao Cao in the past in his letter.

First, it was said that Cao Cao sent Mao Jie and others back to their respective garrisons. Then, the two sides fought fiercely in Jingnan. Later, Zhou Yu also sent people to join the battle.

However, Zhou Yu only deployed his navy, frequently clashing with Cao Cao's navy on the Yangtze River. Xun You earnestly reminded him that Zhou Yu only dealt with Cao Cao's navy, which was originally the navy of Jingzhou.

"What is Zhou Yu's intention in only deploying the navy?" Liu Xie asked.

Lu Xun thought for a moment and quickly gave his answer: "Because Jiangdong only has the advantage of naval power. If Zhou Yu reinforces on land, Cao Cao's army numbers over 100,000, while Jiangdong has just suffered a heavy defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs, losing more than 20,000 troops. Even if Zhou Yu captures several cities in advance, the stalemate will drag on and they won't be able to sustain the war on land. But as long as Cao Cao's navy is completely defeated, Zhou Yu can easily cut off the Yangtze River, making Cao Cao wary and unable to send reinforcements to Jingnan smoothly."

Lu Xun has made rapid progress over the years, and Liu Xie nodded with satisfaction. "Although Zhou Yu lost at the Battle of Red Cliffs, he should not be underestimated. However, I am too lazy to get involved in the affairs of Jingzhou now, so let Cao Cao make his own decision."

Liu Xie stood by the sea, gazing at the surrounding area. Cao Cao thought that only Sun Quan remained in the world, so he played tricks and refused to go all out. Little did he know that Liu Xie's ambition and aspirations far exceeded Cao Cao's imagination.

Sima Yi looked at the emperor quietly, and at that moment, he sensed a hint of disdain from the emperor.

The sea has no end, and the emperor's ambition also seemed endless to Sima Yi.

Cao Cao and Sun Quan fought back and forth, believing that their conflict was the biggest issue in the world. But in Liu Xie's eyes, the world was vast, and he wanted to take advantage of his youth to expand his territory as quickly as possible and become an emperor like Emperor Wu of Han.

Sima Yi thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, even if you want Cao Cao and Sun Quan to fight each other, I feel that we cannot completely ignore everything on that side. There is something Your Majesty might consider now."

"Tell me about it." Liu Xie enjoyed the sea breeze for a while, then turned to look at Sima Yi.

Sima Yi reminded him, "Your Majesty, many people in Jiangdong have previously written letters of surrender, expressing their loyalty to the court. To this day, Your Majesty has not yet given them a reply."

Liu Xie looked at Sima Yi and asked, "Are you saying that I can give them an answer now?"

Sima Yi nodded. "Your Majesty, if you have the time, you could reply to the letter writer. It's not that complicated; Your Majesty only needs to reply with two words." "Which two words?"

Sima Yi's lips curled up slightly. "Agreed!"

Zhao Yun was taken aback. "But the war is over, and so many days have passed. Even if His Majesty agrees, they cannot possibly break away from Sun Quan and submit to the court."

Sima Yi shook his head slightly. "They have no choice in this matter. They were the ones who took the initiative to surrender. No matter how long His Majesty considers it, they cannot easily change their stance. Otherwise, they would be considered fickle and playing tricks on the court. I'm afraid no one can bear that crime."

Sima Yi continued, “Those people wish Your Majesty would ignore this and pretend it never happened. After all, Jiangdong is still in Sun Quan’s hands, and Cao Cao doesn’t seem to have any intention of attacking Jiangdong. But Your Majesty cannot pretend this never happened.”

"Indeed, this has given me a reminder. Zhang Zhao and his people certainly don't want anyone to bring up that matter again. Heh, how can I let them have their way?"

Liu Xie thought it was a good idea and immediately returned to the camp.

After returning, although it was already very late, Liu Xie was not sleepy at all. He asked Lu Xun to help him grind the ink, and Liu Xie picked up the pen and wrote back to each of them.

It didn't take much writing; it was simply a matter of praising their pragmatism and giving them affirmative answers one by one.

To put it bluntly, didn't you want to surrender to the imperial court back then? After consideration, I have agreed!

After finishing writing, Liu Xie called Wang Kui over and instructed him, "Send it to Jiangdong as quickly as possible. Liu Biao and the others have all gone to Jiangdong now. Make sure that the letter reaches every single person."

"Here!"

Wang Kui agreed and immediately went to carry it out. After he left, Liu Xie turned around and asked Lu Xun, "Boyan, what do you think will happen when Zhang Zhao and the others receive my reply?"

Lu Xun smiled. "If they know what's good for them, they should be grateful to His Majesty, because only by submitting to the court can they follow the right path. Moreover, it was they who surrendered first, and His Majesty's acceptance of them is already a great favor. But I'm afraid many people will disappoint His Majesty. As expected, some will refuse to submit to the court, and may even confess to Sun Quan, and may even harm the messengers we sent to deliver the message."

Liu Xie sneered, "Going back on your word and playing tricks on the court, I want to see who has such audacity."

Lu Xun smiled and advised, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be angry. Even if someone does do this, we have ways to deal with it."

Next, Liu Xie stayed in Donglai for the time being, and ordered people to conduct a detailed investigation into the lives of the fishermen in the vicinity.

Just as Zhang Niu and his son said, fishermen basically catch and sell their catch on the same day. Fish and shrimp can only be kept for a maximum of one day. If they can't be sold, they can only eat them themselves.

Unlike later times, at that time, fish and shrimp could not be frozen or salted to prolong their spoilage time.

In Chinese history, salt was a very rare but very expensive commodity.

During the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods, there was no practice of sun-drying sea salt, so fishermen would not have had any extra salt to preserve fish and shrimp.

It was already September. Although the seaside was cool, the daytime temperature was still very high. Although there was no thermometer, Liu Xie estimated that it was probably above 20 degrees Celsius.

Liu Xie then instructed Zhang Niu to gather the fishermen from several nearby villages and lead them in building salt ponds by the sea.

Seawater salt production began to become widespread around the Song Dynasty and has continued into modern society. Even with today's advanced technology, many places still retain the ancient practice of salt production.

Although the salt produced by sun-drying is not very refined, it can at least alleviate the problem of salt deficiency.

Gan Ning was in charge of training the troops, and everyone else had their own things to do. Liu Xie then led these fishermen to select a relatively flat area on the coast and built some salt fields and salt ponds.

Although no one knew what the purpose of doing these things was, since it was the emperor who had spoken, and they could receive some wages every day, their enthusiasm was boosted.

Salt fields and salt ponds are essential for producing sea salt.

Salt fields naturally rely on soil, which is relatively fine and is mostly sourced locally from the seaside, where soft mud and sand are repeatedly sifted.

Salt fields are generally higher than the sea level, so the selection of a location is quite particular. Liu Xie observed the tides several times before choosing a suitable spot.

After the tide rises, seawater automatically flows into the salt pans, and then the surrounding dikes are reinforced to ensure that seawater will not flow in again when the next tide rises.

Of course, you can also choose a high place and use manpower to irrigate the salt fields with seawater, which is also possible.

Then comes the natural drying process. As the seawater entering the salt pans dries, the salt naturally crystallizes and mixes with the soil. (End of Chapter)