Chapter 46

……

Sun Jian left, and almost everyone knew that the jade seal was in his possession. There was nothing to be said about it, and many people began to take notice of Sun Jian, including Yuan Shao.

"Alas, what a pity, Sun Jian will die under a hail of arrows. What a waste of such a man," Chen Xi said with a lonely look on his face after leaving the camp and returning to Liu Bei's main camp.

"Zichuan, what are you talking about?" Liu Bei stared blankly at Sun Jian, puzzled by Chen Xi's certainty that Sun Jian would die, and by the fact that he would die under a hail of arrows. Even if Liu Bei was angry and wanted to deal with Sun Jian, Sun Jian was still the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, not so easy to handle. How could he just die like that?

"Hehehe, Sun Jian is doomed. Who made him speak recklessly and lay hands on the jade seal? To return to Jiangdong, he must pass through Liu Jingzhou's territory, which is guarded by a hundred thousand armored soldiers, a member of the Han royal family. If they know he has the jade seal, they will certainly intercept him," Chen Xi said with a cold laugh.

Others might not understand Liu Biao's thoughts, but Chen Xi could grasp them. Whatever death oath Sun Jian made, that's how he would die. Liu Biao, as a member of the Han royal family, adheres to Han law and would not leave his territory, but to maintain the dignity of the Han, he would certainly ensure that Sun Jian dies as he swore. If you swear that you will be shot to death with arrows for taking the jade seal, then you will be shot to death with arrows, to show the rebels that the will of heaven still exists!

"That's true, but the fierce tiger of Jiangdong is not so easy to kill, and his troops are well-equipped. Even if Liu Jingzhou acts, it might not be enough to take him down," Liu Bei shook his head, not convinced by Chen Xi's idea. He believed that Sun Jian might suffer losses, but to eliminate him was unlikely, after all, he was the commander of an army.

"Liu Jingzhou will be prepared once he knows the news. As for Sun Jian's bravery, it's not much different from that of an ordinary person compared to someone like Lü Bu, especially if they are directly ambushed. I don't think Sun Jian has any chance of survival. Even if we replace Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, and Han Dang with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, they wouldn't have much of a chance either," Chen Xi shrugged and said, "Basically, Sun Jian is already dead. We just have to wait for the news."

"Let's not talk about whether there are warriors as fierce as Lü Bu, and even if there are, they wouldn't use such means. Think about Lü Bu's character, but he still maintains the pride of a warrior," Liu Bei shook his head and said.

"Ha ha ha, we'll see soon enough. Let's hurry back to Mount Tai and leave this place of trouble," Chen Xi laughed, but did not argue. Sun Jian was doomed, no matter what. Liu Biao would never allow anyone to lay hands on the jade seal, which is why he later opposed Yuan Shu even though he could not send troops himself.

What are the Han royal relatives? They are, in simple terms, the best candidates to replace the emperor. You, who are trying to seize the jade seal, are essentially infringing on their assets, so they have ample reason to fight other warlords, and it is also fitting that they are the first to be expelled by other warlords.

Liu Bei left, and his reasons were clear. He was going to Mount Tai to take up his post. Liu Bei himself had not done anything to make people dislike him; instead, he often acted as a mediator with Kong Rong. Therefore, when Liu Bei left, Kong Rong and Tao Qian came to see him off for ten miles, and the other warlords who did not come also provided Liu Bei with sufficient supplies, enough to make a round trip to Mount Tai.

"Brother, this is the first time I've seen us have so much grain and supplies! The allied forces are treating us well!" After leaving the main camp, Zhang Fei excitedly circled around the supply convoy and finally ran to Liu Bei's side, shouting excitedly.

"Yes, in the past, our grain and supplies were always tight, but this time they have given us enough food for 20,000 men for three months. If we are frugal, it could last for half a year, and if we are all infantry, it could last for a whole year!" Liu Bei said cheerfully, clearly very pleased.

"Although cavalry consume more, cavalry are still better," Guan Yu interjected.

"I don't know if the allied forces are good or not, but I know that this amount of grain is far from enough. Three months' worth of grain is not bad, but in Mount Tai, at least in the first year, we will have to rely on external aid for food," Chen Xi said helplessly. "With 500,000 famine-stricken people and the bandits of Mount Tai, we need to both suppress the bandits and govern. Suppressing the bandits is straightforward; as long as they leave Mount Tai, any of us here can handle it. As for governing..."

Chen Xi looked helplessly at Liu Bei, "Lord Xuande, you are skilled in administration. Actually, you don't need to be skilled in administration; do you have any way to quickly make money?"

Liu Bei smiled bitterly and did not respond. Ever since Chen Xi started telling him that Mount Tai was in dire need of money, he had been very troubled. He realized that everything required money, and the cost of governing the entire Mount Tai would be astronomical.

"This is really a problem. Does Lord Xuande have any friends in business?" Chen Xi said somewhat discontentedly. To be honest, this question was a bit impolite, as business was considered a lowly profession at the time, and although it might be profitable, it had a very low social status, and many people were ashamed to speak of it.

"To speak of this, before we defeated the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou, we received help from Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping, who provided us with horses and weapons. They are horse traders from the State of Zhongshan. If Zichuan needs them, I can write to them to come and help," Liu Bei was not offended by Chen Xi's words. He came from a humble background and did not look down on commerce. Writing to them to come was not just talk; his current status would be a great honor for them.

"Since they are righteous men who have supported Lord Xuande, it is only right to entrust this matter to them. However, I'm afraid they might not be able to handle it. Lord Xuande, have someone write down what I said and send it to them. I believe they will bring the people and supplies we need," Chen Xi smiled and said. Since time was short, they should act while on the move, and it would be best to have the money and supplies in place when they arrived at Mount Tai. Although borrowing was an option, it would be better to use their own resources.

"Zichuan, can we really produce salt this way?" Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi in surprise. As a necessity, the profit from it was unimaginable.

"Just let it dry. I remember that to determine saturation, you use lotus seeds, but I forgot. They will figure it out themselves. Seven pits, each ten centimeters deep, but let's write it as three inches. They will adjust as needed..." Chen Xi frowned as he wrote, having forgotten too much.

"Then the purification process, I remember that. Write it down, this well salt, rock salt, and so on can all be used," Chen Xi muttered.

"Done. Lord Xuande, just have someone send it. The information is real, and even if there are some errors, they will figure it out with a bit of research," Chen Xi casually handed the document to Liu Bei. His mind was full of such money-making ideas, but he only knew the general idea, and they would need craftsmen to research them...

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