Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 494 The Armies of Chu and Shu
Seeing that Chu Jiangshen seemed quite interested, Lu Zheng took out some books he had compiled in the past.

These books cover a great deal of knowledge, including some academic ideas that are ahead of their time.

Lu Zheng knew that changing the world was not something that could be done by one person alone; it required the efforts of many like-minded people.

Therefore, he shared some of the books from his previous life with many people.

As for why I don't share everything, the reason is simple: some books are not suitable to be shared now.

Just like the classic poems compiled before, wouldn't they suddenly become banned books all over the world?

Lu Zheng handed the thick book to Chu Jiangshen, "This contains medical and agricultural books, arithmetic and natural philosophy, etc. If Jiangshen is interested, he can take his time to read it..."

"Good good."

Chu Jiangshen was curious about how the contents of these books differed from the books he had read before, but since it wasn't convenient to browse through them at the moment, he simply put them away.

Just then, a subordinate came to report.

When Chu Jiang summoned the man in, he noticed that the man looked unwell, as if something had happened.

"grown ups……"

The visitor bowed respectfully and then sent a telepathic message.

Upon hearing the news from his subordinate, Chu Jiangshen immediately became restless.

He quickly stood up, then turned to Lu Zheng and the others, apologizing, "I'm truly sorry for the poor hospitality. I have some urgent business to attend to..."

Chu Jiangshen paused for a moment, then said, "Why don't you gentlemen stay in my cave for a while?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng said, "It's really not good to bother you any longer. Jiang Shen, please go ahead and attend to your business. We'll leisurely cruise along the river..."

Chu Jiangshen's eyes flickered slightly. "Are you all planning to go to the Shu Kingdom?"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I do want to go and take a look. I plan to enter Sichuan from Jiangzhou."

"I see," Chu Jiangshen said. "Then you'd better not travel by water. I just received news that the Chu River upstream of Jiangzhou has suddenly swelled. I don't know if it's due to the rainy season and water level changes, or if the Shu Kingdom is making some moves... I have to go and check it out."

This matter concerns the Chu River, and the God of Chu River dares not be careless.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng said, "Is that so? I have some knowledge of astronomy and geography. Why don't we go together and see what's going on? It's on our way anyway."

Seeing how tense Chu Jiang was, there must have been an abnormal change in the water level of Chu Jiang.

Chu Jiang thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's go together."

Chu Jiangshen hurried out of the cave with Lu Zheng and the other two.

Upon reaching the middle of the river, the God of Chu River used his divine powers to surround everyone with flowing water.

Immediately, a spatial tremor occurred, and the group transformed into a golden ray of light and vanished in an instant.

The God of Chujiang spared no effort in expending his divine power, and in no time he led his people more than a thousand miles to the border with the Shu Kingdom.

Lu Zheng and his companions felt a flash of light before their eyes, and then a great river appeared.

Lu Zheng stared intently at the river and noticed that the water was churning and slightly murky, quite different from the river water in the area he had just been to.

Chu Jiangshen arrived at the riverbank, looking at the great river with a somewhat solemn expression. "The water has really risen; it's much higher than it usually is at this time..."

Qingwan stood aside and looked around, then looked across the river and asked curiously, "Is that the Shu Kingdom on the other side?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Jiangshen said, "No, we still need to travel a while further down the river. The waters bordering the two countries are not under my jurisdiction..."

The Shu Kingdom did not worship gods like the Chu Kingdom, so the great rivers in its territory had no gods.

The Shu Kingdom naturally wouldn't allow the Chu Kingdom's river god to set foot in the waters bordering the two kingdoms. Therefore, that area of ​​water was not under the control of any god, but it was garrisoned by the navies of both kingdoms.

Chu Jiangshen carefully examined the river and said, "This water level is not what it should be in the normal season. If it's not the Shu army causing trouble, then there must have been a flood in some parts of Shu, causing the river to rise..."

Chu Jiangshen actually hoped it was the latter; if it were the former, wouldn't that mean a major battle was about to take place?

Chu Jiangshen's expression was somewhat unpleasant. "We need to have the people in Shu investigate before we can find out what's going on."

Chu Jiangshen then turned and headed upstream again. "Let's go, let's take a look ahead. There's a city thirty miles upstream, where our Great Chu's navy is stationed. However, unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach; you can only observe from a distance..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng felt a surge of curiosity and followed behind with Qing Wan and the other person.

Before long, they finally arrived at the actual border between the two countries.

Across the river lies the territory of the Shu Kingdom.

Ahead, as far as the eye can see, a city is built along the water.

You can vaguely see large flags waving on the top of the wall.

Outside the city, along the riverbank, were rows of enormous warships, resembling steel behemoths.

On the warship, there were still many armored soldiers moving around.

Lu Zheng's eyes flashed with light as he observed the aura using his aura-gazing technique.

They discovered that the area of ​​water seemed to be shrouded in a large formation, and the Chu navy's momentum was unpredictable, making it difficult to discern the situation.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng's eyes turned and he looked towards a spot on the opposite bank of the river.

A dozen miles away, a magnificent aura soared into the sky, making no attempt to conceal it.

Chu Jiangshen followed Lu Zheng's gaze and said in a low voice, "That's where Wang Meng's Shu army is located."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng couldn't help but recall the ghostly army he had seen outside Ghost State City.

In comparison, this Shu army exuded an even stronger aura.

Moreover, this is only the momentum gathered from the military base; if the entire army were to mobilize, it could likely shake the entire region.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "They seem quite extraordinary. How many people are there?"

Chu Jiangshen said, "It is said that there are 100,000 armored soldiers, but we can't be sure of the truth... After all, Wang Meng can command an army of 500,000. Who knows if he has any hidden soldiers?"

The Chu state had also sought out masters of divination to spy on the Shu army, but the Shu army certainly had its own experts.

The imposing aura that others project to you is probably just what they want you to see.

Of course, one side's army was hiding its strength and not showing its power, while the other side's army was full of momentum, which shows the difference between the two sides.

Chu Jiang said quietly, "The most important thing is that the navy hasn't been able to find out whether Wang Meng is here or not."

Lu Zheng turned his head upon hearing this and said, "You don't even know where the other side's general is?"

“Yes…” Chu Jiangshen couldn’t help but say, “There are many garrisons stationed in the border area between Chu and Shu, and Wang Meng can command three armies, none of which are in the same prefecture or county.”

“The commander’s position is unknown. Who knows what Wang Meng is doing or what he’s planning?” Chu Jiangshen said. “We have to be careful. However, as the commander of Chu Jiang, I can’t interfere in military affairs. But if the two armies go to war, I will be under the command of the Great Chu Navy…”

In terms of divine rank, his position as the God of Chujiang is indeed not low, but once war breaks out in Jiangzhou, he, as a local deity, is also subject to military orders.

Lu Zheng thought that Chu Jiangshen's worries were not unfounded, but rather a genuine fear of what the Shu army might do.

(End of this chapter)