Chapter 9

Time flies, and five years have passed in a blink. This year is 181 AD, the third month of the fourth year of Guanghe. Today is the day Liu Yao gives his annual report. Liu Yao is now 12 years old. Perhaps due to the physical enhancements, he is already about 1.7 meters tall and has grown into a handsome young man.

In the study of Cai Yong's residence, Liu Yao was sitting there, casually flipping through the account books. Over the past few years, Liu Yao mostly lived in Cai Yong's residence. Since he frequently sent the finest Huoyun wine to Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong did not say anything and was even happy to let Liu Yao live outside. Of course, when he had free time, Liu Yao would return to the palace to pay respects to Empress Dowager Dong, whom he had deep feelings for.

"Lishi, go and call Zhang Fang," Liu Yao said to a young man in his twenties beside him.

"Yes." This person was Wang Yue's direct disciple, whose strength was only slightly inferior to Wang Yue. As for Wang Yue himself, after Liu Yao earned enough money, he sent him to train a group of elite soldiers, named the Dark Group, totaling 500 people. Each of them was an expert in assassination, and most were dispatched by Wang Yue to various places to gather intelligence. Under Zhang Fang's leadership, the chamber of commerce also trained a group of 3,000 guards. They were called guards, but in wartime, they could be elite soldiers ready for battle. This was all the strength Liu Yao had at his disposal.

"Lord, I am here!" Zhang Fang had arrived.

"Zhang Fang, you're here." Liu Yao put down the account book, rubbed his temples to relieve his fatigue. He was not good at managing accounts and felt a bit dizzy after just a short while. "Tell me about today's income and the stock of supplies."

"Yes. Lord, this year, our Huoyun Chamber of Commerce has earned 150,000 gold just from wine and exquisite chairs. Including other trades like grain and silk, the total profit is about 200,000 gold."

"So much!!" Liu Yao was surprised.

"Indeed, Lord. The exquisite chairs you created last year were loved by everyone and are now selling very well, so the profit is naturally much higher than last year."

"What about the grain reserves and the production of the repeating crossbows, saddles, and horseshoes?" Liu Yao continued to ask. The blueprints for the 10 repeating crossbows, saddles, and horseshoes were what Liu Yao had drawn in the past five years. When he drew the blueprint for the repeating crossbow, he was extremely happy because it was a powerful weapon for both infantry and cavalry. The saddles and horseshoes were even more significant, as they could quickly train powerful cavalry and reduce the mortality rate of horses. As for the remaining three draws, Liu Yao was almost on the verge of spitting blood, but that's another story.

The trade in chairs originated from Liu Yao's discomfort with kneeling. Out of boredom, he ordered the creation of a new type of chair to make himself more comfortable. However, when Zhang Fang saw the new chair, he discovered a business opportunity and turned it into a commodity. It quickly became popular throughout the Sili region, and no one felt comfortable talking to others if they didn't have a chair. Even in other provinces, the Huoyun Chamber of Commerce had a presence.

"Lord, we have already stockpiled 400,000 dan of grain. As for the horseshoes and saddles, we have enough to equip a 10,000-strong cavalry. What we lack now are horses and cavalry. However, the production of the repeating crossbows is more complicated, so we have only 3,000 so far, enough to equip the 3,000 elite soldiers."

Liu Yao frowned. "We need to continue stockpiling grain, and we must speed up the production of the other two items. As for horses, it's not the right time yet. Large-scale horse trading will attract attention."

"Yes."

"You two can go now. Let me have some peace." Liu Yao waved his hand.

"Yes." The two of them bowed and left.

Liu Yao stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the lush scenery outside, breathing in the fresh air. His fatigue lessened. "Everything is almost ready. It's time to start planning. The chaotic era is approaching." Liu Yao frowned, muttering to himself. After all, he had no absolute confidence in the success of the next plan. "I'll deal with it as it comes."

At this moment, a figure darted into the study and grabbed Liu Yao's arm. "Brother Yao."

"Yan, it's you." Liu Yao's frown eased when he saw it was Cai Yan. Over the years, the two of them often played together, studying poetry and literature. They were like childhood sweethearts, with a very close relationship. Cai Yan was now 10 years old and had grown into a graceful young lady.

"Brother Yao, what's wrong? You're not happy, are you?" Cai Yan saw Liu Yao frowning and immediately understood, asking softly.

"Hehe, nothing." Liu Yao forced a smile.

"Hmph, Brother Yao, you're lying. Your smile is uglier than a cry." Cai Yan stomped her foot and pouted.

"Alright, alright, don't be angry. Your little mouth can hang an oil bottle." Liu Yao said with a smile.

"Pfft, you can hang an oil bottle." Cai Yan was amused by Liu Yao's joke and then said, "How about it, Brother Yao, shall I play a tune for you?"

"Sure, I haven't heard you play in a long time." Liu Yao agreed happily.

"Okay, wait a moment." She ran out of the study in a flash.

"Hehe, this girl is still so energetic." Liu Yao muttered to himself. However, Liu Yao liked Cai Yan's personality, perhaps because he still retained his thoughts from his previous life.

Soon, Cai Yan ran back into the study, carrying a guqin. The guqin in her hands was the famous Jiaowei, Cai Yong's most treasured possession. Cai Yan had learned music from Cai Yong and was now very skilled, so Cai Yong had entrusted the Jiaowei to her.

Cai Yan placed the Jiaowei and sat upright, beginning to pluck the strings. Beautiful music filled Liu Yao's ears. Although Liu Yao was not knowledgeable about music, Cai Yan's playing had a soothing effect on the soul. Liu Yao felt more comfortable, and his frown eased.

After the tune ended, Cai Yan was fully immersed, and sweat beaded on her forehead. "Brother Yao, did you like it?"

"Yes, it was beautiful." Liu Yao took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from Cai Yan's forehead. Cai Yan blushed and lowered her head, not daring to speak.

"Cough, cough." A cough came from the door.

"Ah!!" The two looked over and saw Cai Yong smiling at them.

"Cough, cough, you two have quite a good relationship, don't you?" Cai Yong teased.

"Ah, Father, what are you saying? I'm not talking to you." Cai Yan stomped her foot and pushed Cai Yong aside, running away.

Liu Yao looked at the old man with a lack of respect and said, "Teacher, is it right for you to tease your daughter like that?"

"Cough, cough, let's not talk about that." Cai Yong felt a bit embarrassed and quickly changed the subject. "Yao, are you ready?"

Hearing this, Liu Yao became serious. "I'm basically ready. I plan to propose to the Emperor tomorrow that I go out to serve as an official."

"Yao, are you really ready?" Cai Yong was a bit worried.

"I'm ready. Now is the best opportunity." Liu Yao said firmly. In three years, the Yellow Turban Rebellion would begin. If he did not go out to develop his strength now, he would not be able to achieve military merit or gather refugees during the Yellow Turban period to strengthen himself.

"Where do you plan to serve?"

"Yuzhou!" Liu Yao said without hesitation.

"What!! Do you know that Yuzhou is not only barren but also threatened by the Wuhuan outside? How can you go there?" Cai Yong was immediately alarmed.

"No, Teacher, having enemies is better. It will serve as a foundation for training my troops. In my eyes, the Wuhuan are just like chickens and dogs. They are only strong in cavalry, but I have repeating crossbows, so I have nothing to fear." Liu Yao was full of confidence. Historically, Qu Yi's elite soldiers with strong crossbows were the nemesis of light cavalry, let alone the even more powerful repeating crossbows.

"Ah, well, I can't argue with you. Yao, take care of yourself." Cai Yong sighed and left the study.

"Don't worry, Teacher." Liu Yao was moved. Cai Yong was one of the few people who truly cared about him.

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