Mythical Version of the Three Kingdoms: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

"Yes!" Hua Xiong said solemnly.

........................

Chen Xi sighed, "There isn't enough food."

Without borrowing grain from Tao Qian, the food supplies on Mount Tai could still last, but were not as sufficient as in the original story.

However, it can be considered acceptable, since even without borrowing grain, one can still buy grain, right?

The world isn't completely in chaos yet; you can still buy grain.

"Zichuan." Jiang Shu walked over.

"What's wrong with Mingzhi?" Chen Xi asked with a lazy smile.

"Do we have enough food?" Jiang Shu asked.

"It's enough, well, barely enough. After all, we can buy food, so running out of food is basically impossible. As for money, which eye of yours saw me spending money?" Chen Xi said with a grin.

"Are you planning to send Zijian to Chang'an to supply the emperor with provisions?" Jiang Shu asked.

Chen Xi nodded and said, "I do have this idea. After all, Lord Xuande is a member of the Han imperial family and we should support Liu Bei. Of course, the most important thing is to bring those two dangerous people to Lord Xuande's side."

Li Ru, Jia Xu!

One was the mastermind behind all of Dong Zhuo's schemes, while the other was a strategist who, throughout history, devised flawless plans, wreaked havoc in Chang'an, and ultimately destroyed Cao Cao (though he failed, he was still honorable in defeat).

Both are extremely dangerous and formidable individuals.

"In that case, I won't say anything more. I've already repaired Zijian. There's a family head in the palace who specializes in agricultural research; I plan to have Zijian tie him up and take him to Mount Tai," Jiang Shu said.

"A family head who specializes in agricultural research? Isn't it rather impolite to tie him up?" Chen Xi said.

Chen Xi knew, of course, that if someone was incompetent, Jiang Shu wouldn't have even mentioned it. Since he had the ability to study agriculture, he must have the ability to increase grain production, no matter how much. Even a small increase, when expanded to the entire Han Dynasty, would result in a terrifying number.

"There's no other way. If he's not tied up, he can't come to Mount Tai. And if he doesn't come to Mount Tai, he won't be able to receive modern knowledge. If he can't receive modern knowledge, he can't research ways to produce more grain, so he'll be useless."

"Of course we know such talent; we can never have too many."

"The aristocratic families of today, who haven't been corrupted by the Nine-Rank System, still have some ability," Jiang Shu said.

He didn't know if the aristocratic families in history were like this at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, but in the world of God Three, the aristocratic families at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty were truly capable. Those scions of aristocratic families who specialized in one area were comparable to scientists.

Of course, they are still not as capable as scientists.

Even the commanders of large armies are often hidden within aristocratic families, and in the original work, one such commander truly achieved this.

Of course, he was eventually kicked to death by Oswin.

But that was Oswin, the model for Yue Fei, the last pillar of the Kushan Empire, the man who forged the will of the empire.

It's already quite remarkable that Kou Jun was able to fight him.

"Zichuan, I want to create a spectacle!" Jiang said.

Chen Xi asked in surprise, "A spectacle? What spectacle? You should know that spectacle can ruin a country, understand that."

Jiang Shu smiled faintly and said, "Zichuan, you should have heard of the Monument to the Fallen Heroes."

"Ah! Such a spectacle! I also had ideas for setting up such a spectacle."

"Giving fallen soldiers a place for their souls to rest will motivate them to fight harder and strengthen their will!" Chen Xi said with a smile.

Jiang Shu nodded and said, "That's right. Those who fight for their country deserve a place for their souls to rest."

"But the wonder I'm referring to is a more advanced wonder, one with a blessing effect," Jiang Shu said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi's previously indifferent expression instantly turned serious. He knew Jiang Shu was a professional in this area, and he asked, "Can you do it?"

Jiang Shu nodded and said, "By gathering the will of the people in the city, we can make their will distort reality. Through engraving, as long as they do not violate that will, they can be empowered to the soldiers, thus achieving the true meaning that where there is popular support, there is fighting power."

"What exactly can be engraved?" Chen Xi asked.

"Increased defense, increased strength, increased speed, etc., but none of these are suitable because these strength, defense, and speed will keep increasing and eventually overwhelm the soldiers. Therefore, I think increasing defense is the best choice when defending a city."

Chen Xi could understand how terrifying this effect was. Attacking a city was already more difficult than defending it, and now the defenders had an extra effect compared to the attackers. How terrifying was that?

When defending a city, increased defenses allow the city to withstand attacks from almost any legion in the world. At the very least, even the Miracle Legion would not be able to capture the city in one siege while the effects of the previous attacks are still in effect.

Of course, each case needs to be analyzed individually. If the general defending the city is incompetent and the defending army is exceptionally bad, it is not impossible for a wave of attacks to take the city.

With this, Fenggao Fortress became even more impregnable.

"How do we do that? How many people do we need to allocate?" Chen Xi asked.

"No rush. There are still some technical difficulties to overcome. We need to find the Zhang family in Nanyang, the family of Zhang Heng, the one who invented the seismograph. They are the family that was first involved in the inscription."

Chen Xi decisively said, "Alright, Nanyang, right? Let Xuan Gao take the Danyang elites to Nanyang and invite their family members over. I think Lord Xuande still has that much face to give."

A member of the Han imperial family recognized by the Imperial Clan Court, one of the current warlords, has traveled across several provinces, all for your family. And your family isn't even a particularly powerful one. If you're unwilling to even make this trip at this point...

That's impressive.

What else can be said?

"We need to keep this hidden. If Yuan Shao and Cao Cao find out about this spectacle, it will become much more difficult for us to take it down!" Jiang Shu said.

"That makes sense, but we can't keep it a secret forever. However, we can take the initiative to decide when to open this door and put all the engraving talents in our hands," Chen Xi said indifferently.

"Xuan Gao, since we're going, let's also sell the salt to Jingzhou, and then bring back at least 200,000 dan of grain," Chen Xi said.

"But is Xuan Gao's military strength sufficient? Won't Yuan Shao and his men intercept them halfway?" Chen Xi asked worriedly.

"A mere 200,000 dan of grain wouldn't be enough to attract the attention of Yuan Shao, Liu Bei, or Tianmen of Jingzhou. As for Cao Cao, although he is currently poor, he has the support of the Wei family, one of the five great merchants, so he is not short of money or grain," Jiang Shu analyzed.

"I understand that, but I'm afraid the Yellow Turban rebels will come upon hearing the news and rob the 200,000 dan of grain. The loss of grain is a small matter, but the loss of manpower is a big deal," Chen Xi said.

"Then let Zijian and Xuan Gao go together, and I'll go with them too. That way, there shouldn't be any problems," Jiang Shu said after a moment's thought.