In the Three Kingdoms period, the opening scene features the killing of Huang Gai, shocking Zhou Yu!

"Good! That's bold! If you pay for it yourself, then I won't force you. But I can't give you nothing, so I'll provide the manpower."

"Starting tomorrow, any skilled craftsman, experienced physician, or capable soldier you fancy—whether they're in the Prime Minister's residence, various military camps, or local prefectures—just go and request their services! I'll grant you free passage!"

"Furthermore, once this academy is built, I will grant you a special privilege to the students you teach..."

"As long as you, Zhao Yu, pass the assessment, and just come and say hello to me, you can directly enter the Prime Minister's office, the prefecture, or the military!"

"Thank you, father-in-law."

This privilege is enormous.

The father-in-law and son-in-law looked at each other and laughed heartily, then raised their wine glasses and clinked them together heavily once more.

By the time the night's drinking ended, it was almost dawn.

Slightly tipsy, Zhao Yu bid farewell to Cao Cao and stepped out of the high threshold of the prefectural capital.

A cool night breeze blew by, dispelling the lingering smell of alcohol on Zhao Yu.

In the dead of night in Nanzheng, all was quiet.

Without the glaring light pollution of later urban environments, looking up, the night sky was filled with countless stars, dazzlingly bright.

Zhao Yu stopped in his tracks.

Looking up at this ancient starry sky that belongs to the late Han Dynasty.

Only he himself knows best.

Just now in the inner hall, whether he talked to Cao Cao about "appointing people based solely on their talents" or described his grand plan of "medical surveying," it was all just a pretext he used to go with the flow.

He spent countless fortunes and withstood pressure from powerful families to build an unprecedented academy in the deep mountains of Hanzhong... His ultimate goal, from beginning to end, was only one.

That is—firearms!

He had already figured out the formula for gunpowder, but so what?

Without craftsmen who understand precise arithmetic and the mechanical relationship between barrel wall thickness and instantaneous chamber pressure, there are no machine tools capable of producing perfectly standardized parts.

To think you could forge a cannon capable of blasting down city walls with a single shot and completely changing the course of warfare in the age of cold weapons? That's just wishful thinking!

He had to, and could only, rely on himself to cultivate a first generation of "military industry experts" who truly understood physics and materials from scratch!

"It'll be soon..."

He will personally shatter this old era.

Putting aside his lofty ambitions, Zhao Yu let out a long sigh and turned his gaze to the bottom of the steps.

Upon seeing this, he was completely stunned.

At the bottom of the steps, a familiar carriage was parked.

Sun Shangxiang was leaning against the carriage shaft, lost in thought.

Beside him, bathed in the moonlight, stood a graceful figure.

Zhao Yu rubbed his eyes hard, thinking that he was seeing things because of the alcohol.

Take two steps down the stairs,

"Huh? Jie'er? What brings you here?"

Logically speaking, Cao Jie should be peacefully guarding his home in Ye City.

Seeing Zhao Yu's silly look, Cao Jie deliberately put on a stern face.

"What's wrong? Judging from your expression, you don't want to see me? You only want Shangxiang to keep you company? Fine, then I'll leave?"

After saying that, Cao Jie turned around and made a move to step onto the carriage.

"No, no, no!"

Zhao Yu panicked, forgetting all about ceremony, and rushed forward, grabbing Cao Jie's hand.

"It's settled then, now that you're on my turf, you're not leaving!"

"Red Sleeves!"

To prevent any unforeseen complications, Zhao Yu waved to the carriage.

"You drive home first, leave the rest of the space to me. Don't worry about us, we can walk back."

With a quick wit, Hongxiu flicked her whip, and the carriage clattered towards the end of the long street.

Shamelessly, he grabbed one in each hand.

"Let's go home."

On the bluestone pavement of the long street, Sun Shangxiang and Cao Jie approached each other with perfect understanding.

The two of them each took one of Zhao Yu's arms, sandwiching him between them.

Two people chattered away, talking about what they had seen and heard, criticizing the man in the middle for being "unromantic," and occasionally Zhao Yu would say things they couldn't understand—like the common people should be in charge and the powerful families should be destroyed.

The story didn't end; it just unfolded in a different way.

[The End]