Mrs. Wu was now disheartened. From then on, she never found a chance to escape.
But seriously speaking, she was so confused that she almost gave up.
She felt that even if she ran back, she would not be able to explain clearly. If people really knew that she had lost her integrity with Yuan Xi, it would not only affect the Sun family's reputation, but also affect Sun Ce's hegemony.
Mrs. Wu felt tired. She had raised Sun Ce for so many years. Now that he had strong advisers and generals to help him, he must have achieved something. Why should he be an incompetent mother who had lost Guangling?
It would be better not to go back!
Mrs. Wu didn't know if she was deceiving herself, but now she could only convince herself that this idea was right, otherwise she would not be able to face herself.
Hua Tuo came over again, took Zhen Mi's pulse, and concluded that her body was completely recovered. Yuan Xi announced to everyone that he would pack his bags and set out on a different day.
However, compared to the last time we entered Guangling from the mouth of the Yangtze River, the return journey this time was from Hangou northward, into the Huaihe River, and then out to the sea north to Youzhou.
Unlike later generations, the Huaihe River in the late Han Dynasty had an entrance to the sea, and the coastline was completely different from that of two thousand years later.
"Records of a Pilgrimage to the Tang Dynasty to Seek Dharma" records, "There is the Dahuai River in the north of Chuzhou, which flows from the west to the east. The so-called Dahuai River crosses to the East China Sea."
In the Tang Dynasty, because it had the advantage of "connecting the rivers and seas to Tianjin, connecting merchants with merchants, traveling from Miyue to Shu, and meeting Minyi and Wu", the outlet of the Huaihe River became a port city for merchant ships from Korea and Japan.
Of course, the water system it connects to was dug out by people from different dynasties over hundreds of thousands of years.
In 486 BC, the State of Wu dug the Hangou ditch to connect shipping between the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River.
In 482 BC, Wu went north to fight for hegemony and dug the He River between Yutai and Dingtao, which connected the shipping between Sishui and Jishui, a tributary of the Huaihe River. The Huaihe River connected the economic water of the Sishui to the Yellow River, connecting the Huaihe River and the Yellow River for the first time. Yellow River.
In 361 BC, the State of Wei opened a chasm and connected it with Danshui (later called Bianshui), Suishui, Shashui and Yingshui, tributaries of the Huaihe River, forming a water transport network between the Yellow and Huaihe Rivers.
Through these waterways, the Huaihe River maintains transportation connections with the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and further with the Haihe River, Qiantang River and Pearl River basins.
In ancient times, the Huaihe River was not diverted by the Yellow River and flowed into the sea, nor did it form Hongze Lake. Instead, the lower reaches passed through Xuyi, Huaiyin, Huai'an, Lianshui, and finally flowed into the sea alone at Yunti Pass.
This later Yunti Pass was located in the Haixi territory at the junction of today's Donghai County and Guangling County. At that time, Yuan Xi did not take this waterway because Guangling City would be vigilant to guard against ships heading south, so Yuan Xi made a large circle. From the mouth of the Yangtze River to Guangling South Pier, the sneak attack was successful.
Yuan Xi's purpose of taking this waterway this time was to explore the waterway and prepare for the future layout in Guangling.
However, compared to the thousands of troops brought last time, there were much fewer people who went back this time. Excluding those who died in the battle, and another 200 elite soldiers were left for Guangling, only six to seven hundred people could go back again.
Yuan Xi finally understood the meaning of the phrase "the iron camp is strong but the flowing soldiers are soldiers". After many battles, even elite soldiers, not many can persist for more than a few years.
New soldiers died in the battle and became veterans, veterans died in the battle, and then new recruits came in. The cycle continued again and again, and gradually the faces in front of Yuan Xi became unfamiliar.
The only thing that remains unchanged is the goal that people all over the world hope for, which is to end the war as soon as possible and live in peace.
Boxes of bamboo slips were carried onto the ship. This was what Yuan Xi valued most. In the next ten, decades, or hundreds of years, whether the model of Youzhou Yixue could spread to the whole world, these are what are needed. .
Then came the local products of Jiangnan. Yuan Xi made many flashy jewelry decorations and other luxury goods for the first time.
This thing cannot be used as food or a weapon, but the nobles like it very much. The biggest use is to bribe them or take money out of their pockets.
Then came the soldiers and generals, led by Tian Yu, who walked in front of Yuan Xi in a row. As they passed by, they all bowed to Yuan Xi in return, and Yuan Xi also bowed in return.
He looked at the familiar faces among the soldiers, mixed with some unfamiliar ones. During this period, Xuzhou soldiers who performed well were also selected among the elite soldiers returning to the north.
Yuan Xi thought to himself that although some Jiangdong soldiers were afraid of fighting, there were also some capable and brave men. Like the Qi family army of later generations, the main force was composed of farmers from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and they were also invincible.
Both southerners and northerners have their strengths and weaknesses. If you want to make the most of your strengths and avoid weaknesses, and make the best use of people, the key lies in the coach.
Yuan Xi thought that after returning to Youzhou, he would sort out all the military classics he had collected, add some personal items to them, and try new military training methods with a few generals.
For thousands of years, the thinking of the art of war has been progressing. The military sentiments of the current generation are combined with the military training techniques of famous generals in later generations, including the essence of military training from Li Jing to Yue Fei, from Qi Jiguang to Yu Dayou. The soldiers trained will definitely be superior to the times. Cognitive Advantages.
The soldiers got on the boat one after another, and the only ones left were officials and family members of Yuan Xi.
Escorted by Sun Li, Chen Gui and the Chen clan, Hua Tuo and a dozen of his disciples, Guo Jia and several concubines, then Zhen Mi and Huan's mother and daughter, Cai Zhaoji and Mrs. Cai's mother and daughter, all waited in turn. Boat.
Yuan Xi and Chen Deng Tai Shici solemnly said goodbye, and finally boarded the ship. The ship's planks were stowed, the sails were raised, and they began to slowly sail away from the dock in the biting cold wind.
Yuan Xi watched the figures on the pier getting smaller and smaller until they disappeared, thinking that the next time he would come back, it would be a few years later.
This trip to Xuzhou can be regarded as completing his original plan and opening up an extremely critical stronghold for the southward route.
This is one of the four routes southward from the Central Plains. As long as you occupy it, you can advance and retreat with confidence.
In the next few years, he will not be able to get involved in the Central Plains area, so the layout of the outer sea has become an important part of the plan.
But when he thought of this, Yuan Xi became extremely depressed. There were still too few people under his command who were proficient in such professional knowledge!
The nobles have knowledge and classics, but are not interested in technology, while the working people of the lower class want to change their own destiny, but lack knowledge. This status quo cannot be changed in a short time.
Yuan Xi deeply felt how difficult it was to find like-minded people. After all, two thousand years apart, the worldview of most people who became officials had long been stereotyped, making it even more difficult for him to change.
If Yuan Xi wants to impress them, he can only promise official salary. After all, talking about illusory things like ideals with people of this era is far less effective than actual benefits.
It is not that etiquette and loyalty cannot be used, but what makes Yuan Xi helpless is that Cao Cao can use excuses such as reviving the Han Dynasty, but he cannot use it. Now, who in the world does not know the thoughts of the Yuan family and has followed them? How many of the gentry were loyal to the Han Dynasty?
What makes Yuan Xi even more absurd is that unlike Guo Jia and Zhao Yun, who are counselors and generals who have their own ideas, women who are close to him are closer to him in terms of ideals and goals.
Zhen Mi, Cai Zhaoji, Cao Xian and others have now become his right-hand helpers. On the one hand, it is because Yuan Xi has rescued them from difficulties, and on the other hand, because as Yuan Xi's wives and concubines, their status makes them more interested in Yuan Xi's Ideas are born with a sense of identity.
A large part of the reason why ancient gentry women married early was that they married into their husband's family when they were still young. Being in the same environment as their husbands, it was easier for them to form a similar outlook on life.
Yuan Xi thought to himself that this was like using his identity to trick these noble women into paying for his ideals. Could it be that he wanted to conquer women and thus conquer the world?
While he was standing on the bow of the boat, thinking wildly, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Zhen Mi coming over.
Yuan Xi spoke out: "It's windy and cold at sea. Madam has just recovered from her illness. It's better to take a good rest first."
Zhen Mi smiled and said, "Okay, I'll stand with your husband for a while and then go back."
The two of them stood side by side, looking at the mist in the distance, the golden light shining on the sea, and the sun slowly rising from the sea.
On the river in front of the fleet, the clear Huaihe River and the blue East China Sea meet, forming a clear boundary between Jingwei and Weihe. This is the entrance of the Huaihe River to the sea.
To the north of the estuary, Haixi City is located on the seaside, and ships as big as grains of rice are constantly coming in and out of the port.
Zhen Mi raised her hand, pointed at the ships and said, "Only half of those ships belong to the Zhen family."
"Now my mother has put all her wealth on her husband. She has further given up land trade routes and used the exchanged goods to buy more ships."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi nodded and said: "Don't worry, these will not be in vain, but it is a pity to abandon all land trade routes like this."
Zhen Mi sighed: "My mother is definitely not willing to do it either. After all, the risk of sea route is only higher than that of land route."
"But after the Zhen family relied on the young master, their business in Jizhou was also suppressed. My mother decided to give up altogether, so as not to be used as a basis to blackmail the Zhen family."
Yuan Xi quite agreed. He admired the Zhang family a little. When Zhen Mi was three years old, her biological father Zhen Yi passed away. After more than ten years, the Zhang family was in charge. Without some means, the Zhen family would have collapsed.
The fleet slowly approached the Haixi Port. Now this extremely important sea port, because it is located in Guangling, already belongs to Yuan Xi.
The two of them looked at the ships coming and going, many of which had the logo of the Mi family's caravan. When Yuan Xi saw it, he couldn't help but said: "When I went to Tancheng, I heard that the Mi family gave all their belongings to Liu Bei. , Now it seems that the Mi family still has a lot of good things."
Zhen Mi covered her mouth and said with a smile: "Merchant ships are money begetting money, how can they be able to catch all the money?"
"My husband was targeting the Mi family's girl, but what he was thinking about was the Mi family's property and business routes?"
"If the Mi family had provided more dowry at that time, my husband would have married the girl from the Mi family on the spot?"
Yuan Xi sweated profusely and asked: "Am I that kind of person?"
Zhen Mi's eyes curled up like crescent moons, "The Mi family girl is very pitiful."
"My husband and I knew each other well before marriage, so I won't think that my husband is just greedy for the Zhen family's property, which would lead to misunderstanding."
"But the girl from the Mi family has only met her husband a few times. Now that her husband is so ruthless, she must be complaining about him, right?"
"Why does my husband have to do such a good thing so ruthlessly?"
Yuan Xi sighed: "But I am indeed coveting these things. I don't want to hide it from you, and I don't want to hide it from her."
Zhen Mi sighed, "Husband, you think we women don't know?"
"What kind of marriage doesn't involve a well-matched marriage?"
"Everyone has known this for a long time, but my husband doesn't understand Feng Qing and insists on talking about it. How can the girl from the Mi family get off the stage?"
"Furthermore, my husband left Tancheng without waiting for the Mi family's reply. I'm afraid it was too unethical."
(End of chapter)
