Within the Gong'an county office, Kongming warmly grasped the hand of a short, stout man and gave it a shake.
"Qu Jing, we parted in Jing Province before, and now we meet again."
Qu Jing looked somewhat restrained. "Mister Kongming… allow me to introduce someone. This is Wei Yi, a close attendant of Administrator Wu."
Kongming invited the two to sit upon the couch and ordered servants to bring tea.
Originally, Kongming had intended to go to Jiangling today, but the arrival of Wu Ju's envoys disrupted that plan. Wu Ju had once served under Liu Biao and had maintained a good relationship with Liu Bei. Even after Liu Biao's death, the two sides still corresponded by letter.
For him to suddenly send envoys now, Kongming immediately sensed something unusual.
As expected, Qu Jing's words confirmed his suspicion.
"…Thus Administrator Wu raised troops and drove Lai Gong away. Fearing that Lai Gong might come here and twist the truth, the Administrator sent us to explain the situation."
Kongming shook his head. "Lai Gong has not come to lodge complaints, but Marquis Sun will likely make an issue of this matter."
"This...?" Ou Jing and Wei Yi looked at each other. Their lord hadn't told them what to do if that happened.
"And if my guess is correct, Marquis Sun may even intend to execute Administrator Wu to establish his authority."
"What?" Both men instinctively refused to believe it. "Administrator Wu has no prior dealings with Marquis Sun. Why would it come to this?"
Kongming took a sip of tea and smiled faintly. "I merely speak casually. You may take it as you wish."
"In Jiaozhou, Shi Xie understands well the principle of preserving oneself wisely. Even amidst chaos, he has continued to send tribute annually to Xuchang."
The two nodded. This was common knowledge. Shi Xie's titles of General Who Pacifies Afar and Marquis of Longdu Pavilion had come from such loyalty.
"After Red Cliffs, Cao Cao cannot reach that region. Marquis Sun's prestige grows, yet he cannot advance north, so naturally he will seek to settle Jiaozhou."
"Shi Xie preserves himself. Show him force, and Jiaozhou will submit without battle. But how to display force?"
"Lai Gong and Administrator Wu are at odds. Administrator Wu humiliates the Inspector of Jiaozhou. With just cause established, eliminate Administrator Wu, and Shi Xie will submit."
Cold sweat formed on Qu Jing's brow. Wei Yi, however, was unconvinced.
"Then why would Administrator Wu not simply submit to Marquis Sun?"
Kongming replied leisurely, "Administrator Wu shares a deep bond with my lord. Naturally, we will aid him. Have you heard of Zhang Yide at Changban?"
Qu Jing and Wei Yi blinked, and inwardly lamented. The affairs of Jiaozhou were no longer about Wu Ju alone.
—
A few days later, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei returned from Jiangling. That very day, Zhang Fei mustered troops, joined with Qu Jing and Wei Yi's several dozen light cavalry, and set out for Jiaozhou.
Before departure, Kongming pulled Zhang Fei aside and spoke quietly. Zhang Fei's brows, initially furrowed, gradually relaxed, and in the end he slapped his chest and laughed.
"Don't you worry, Military Advisor. When it comes to fighting, you can count on Old Zhang!"
Kongming smiled as well. "I know well that Yide conducts campaigns with roughness on the surface but precision within. A true capable general. When you return in triumph, I shall personally host a banquet in your honor."
As the army set out, Zhang Fei spurred his horse forward, his booming voice carried by the wind.
"Have some Ling wine ready for me. Old Zhang will return victorious before long!"
Liu Bei watched in the distance for a long while before reluctantly turning back.
"Yide's journey will be without trouble," Kongming reassured him.
But we must also send someone to comfort General Lai Gong. It would be best to invite him to Gong'an for a visit."
Liu Bei nodded, then brought up another matter.
"Jiangling is desolate. I wish to relocate the Jianghuai refugees there. What do you think?"
"That is appropriate," Kongming agreed. "But it must not be done by force as Cao Cao does."
It is necessary," Zhuge Liang agreed. "But we cannot use Cao Cao's methods of forced relocation. Those people have suffered enough and have barely been settled for a year. If we force them, there will be unrest."
"Should we gather the soldiers to explain the benefits and have them spread the word?" Liu Bei racked his brain for a solution.
Kongming, however, had already formed a plan and stepped forward.
"In that case, I have a strategy."
—
Recently, Ma Su felt his workload had become much lighter. Sand table simulations yielded no results, the lord had assigned no new tasks, and even Lady Huang Yueying had largely withdrawn from the papermaking workshop to study "Mathematics."
Which meant… did the Hudu River papermaking workshop now fall under his control?
"Mister Mi, good morning!" Ma Su hurriedly bowed.
Mi Zhu's troubled expression had lightened somewhat. He beckoned him closer.
"Young Chang, the Military Advisor has a new assignment. It may suit no one but you."
No one but me!
Ma Su's heart burned with excitement as he straightened his back.
"Please instruct me!"
A quarter hour later, Ma Su stood beside the massive millstone and pestle outside the workshop, holding a stack of papers.
Massive indeed. Even having seen them before, he still marveled at Lady Huang's ingenuity.
The stone mill and pestle were five times larger than ordinary farm tools. They could not be driven by manpower, yet Lady Huang and several blacksmiths had, in just a few days, connected them to a rotating wheel using strange iron components and wooden shafts.
When the wheel turned, it drove both the mill and pestle. The cost of processing grain here was only twenty percent of the usual price, so farmers lined up at all hours. At one point, people even paid others to queue for them, until Ma Su punished them with three days of labor pounding pulp.
Today, the entrance was quickly crowded with commoners.
"What's written on that notice, young master?"
"Read it for us, we can't recognize the characters!"
"Yeah, is Lady Huang raising the price?"
Ma Su struck a small bronze gong once, and silence fell. He spoke without ceremony.
"Lord Liu of Jing intends to rebuild Jiangling! There is wasteland there. You will be exempt from this year's taxes, and if you are willing to work, you can even build your own house!"
"Don't doubt it. Do you not trust Lord Liu?"
"Take one notice each, spread the word when you return. With this notice, if you register to go to Jiangling, you will receive two flatbreads!"
Two flatbreads!
The crowd erupted.
In mere moments, nearly a thousand notices were snatched up. Among the fifty thousand Jianghuai refugees, some had already settled, but far more were still barely surviving under makeshift shelter.
Find them, send them to Jiangling, and one could claim those two flatbreads.
Even if divided, one each would still be worth it.
—
Late June.
"There are too many damned bugs in Jiaozhou!"
Zhang Fei cursed as he smashed a palm-sized insect with his spear shaft. Watching its fluids splatter onto the spearhead, he felt a wave of disgust.
He had been waiting here for five days. Following Kongming's instructions, he had sent Qu Jing ahead to inform Wu Ju, while Wei Yi acted as guide to find suitable ground for encampment.
Now, Zhang Fei regretted it. He should have kept the more talkative Qu Jing instead.
After exchanging messages, Wu Ju's attitude reassured him. Wu Ju still valued old ties and did not care much who governed Jiaozhou.
What Wu Ju truly cared about was one thing.
Did Sun Quan really intend to use his head to intimidate Shi Xie?
Thus, when Bu Zhi arrived claiming the title of Inspector of Jiaozhou, Wu Ju scoffed. Yet whenever Bu Zhi invited him to a banquet, Wu Ju attended, and his words were filled with mockery.
After repeated probing, Bu Zhi finally lost patience and settled on his plan.
Invite Wu Ju to Guangxin, surround the residence with troops, and have several thousand tribal warriors sail downstream from upriver.
But things did not unfold as Bu Zhi expected.
When the final confrontation came at the banquet, Wu Ju showed no panic, only scorn.
"Heh, Marquis Sun is truly impatient, sending you to take my head?"
Before Bu Zhi could process this, a sharp whistling sound tore through the air, and the stone floor before him exploded.
When the dust settled, a pitch-black long spear stood embedded firmly in the ground.
The sounds of battle at the main gate surged, and a thunderous voice exploded behind him.
"You're the one trying to harm my elder brother's brother?"
Bu Zhi's heart pounded. He turned and could not help widening his eyes.
What a towering, bear-like warrior.