Chapter 2382 2104: Strategic Shift

"Hey, isn't this the Minister of Finance?" Before Chen Xi could corner Lul Jun, he was blocked by the retreating Liu Zhang.

"Oh, Governor of Yizhou, are you well today?" Chen Xi said with a smile.

"The prosperity of the Central Plains is mesmerizing, and the military might is astonishing," Liu Zhang said with a thick-skinned face. He had already planned to wheedle something out of Chen Xi, thinking, "Liu Bei is such a tycoon, let me enjoy some of it."

"Hahaha, I heard from Lord Xuande that the Governor of Yizhou can't stay long in Ye City. Have you thought about what to take back?" Chen Xi hinted with a grin, thinking that continuing to beat around the bush was meaningless and it would be better to get straight to the point to save some time.

"I have heard it said: better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish, but I think the latter idea overestimates one's abilities. So, simply put, whatever the Minister of Finance has that is no longer needed, abandoned, just throw it to us in Yizhou. A little something new will suffice," Liu Zhang, having played the official game for many years, got the hint and instantly caught on.

"I accidentally saw Jir Cai and the Governor of Yizhou drinking together, so I thought the Governor of Yizhou must be quite interested in Jir Cai," Chen Xi diverted the topic with a grin, thinking that throwing away discarded items was wishful thinking—those are important resources belonging to the militia system.

With that, Chen Xi smiled and waved to the displeased Lul Jun. Lul Jun quickly came over, despite his fear that Chen Xi would uncover what he was doing now. But avoiding him would make it awkward, so Lul Jun gathered his courage and approached with a cheerful step, for the sake of his dreams.

"Marquis Chen, long time no see." Lul Jun bowed to Chen Xi and then to Liu Zhang. Despite his annoyance with Liu Zhang's stinginess, he couldn't reveal it to his face.

"Jir Cai, come and repeat to Marquis Chen your brilliant plan for the great maritime route, the transportation of gold, jewels, and spices," Liu Zhang said with great excitement. He suddenly realized three parts of what Chen Xi meant, understanding that he was prepared to let him take advantage.

"What great people indeed, first come, first served with a couple of ships," Liu Zhang thought. Listening to Lul Jun's endless bragging had truly excited him. He was entertaining ideas about maritime transport—gold, jewels, and spice islands that could be picked up for free. So, first, get the ships; once we have them, we can find such islands and won't need to take advantage anymore.

"Huh?" Chen Xi looked at Lul Jun puzzledly. What on earth was this great maritime route, and what were these islands of free gold, jewels, and spices, and maritime plans? Was Liu Zhang's mind not in focus? With Yizhou being such a remote place, how could they use ships?

Chen Xi suspiciously glanced at Lul Jun, thinking that maybe Lul Jun had duped Liu Zhang. Just how do you plan to use warships in Yizhou?

"Marquis Chen, the way you're looking at me puts a lot of pressure on me," Lul Jun lightly coughed a couple of times. "To the south of the Governor of Yizhou is the ocean, which they can already utilize for warships, and more importantly, the Lul Family can provide technical support, locally building ships where the Governor resides."

Lul Jun explained reasonably, knowing that coming out to trick someone without preparation was asking for trouble. As someone determined to swindle billions, Lul Jun needed to prepare thoroughly to possibly fool these smart people.

"Oh, wow, Jir Cai, you're a genius!" Chen Xi was initially stunned but then reacted, immediately reaching out to pat Lul Jun on the shoulder.

Previously, Chen Xi was always contemplating how to handle the Kushan Navy, unable to pass through the Strait of Malacca, and feared that Kushan might occupy it just as they did historically.

However, Lul Jun's words reminded Chen Xi, why should we build ships along the Western Pacific coast represented by Eastern Wu and Qingzhou? This isn't the modern era when China's coastline was restricted; this is 1,800 years ago during the Han Dynasty. If the Han needs access to the Indian Ocean, they can have it!

Under such circumstances, what's the point of building ships in the Western Pacific? Kushan may be formidable with their open-ocean military techniques, which obstruct the passage from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, cutting off the Han's path forward.

But once Lul Jun pointed out this fact, Chen Xi realized, why do we need to pass through the Strait of Malacca? Let's march from Yungui, establish port cities along the Bay of Bengal, and just bypass Malacca entirely!

For every ship constructed, throw it right into the Indian Ocean. We may not compete with you in far seas, but in near seas, Kushan, if you're daring, come at us!

This way, the entire East India region falls under the Han's military might. Although logistical issues in the West India region remain unsolved, overall, the difficulty of tackling Kushan has been halved.

Chen Xi found it hard to believe that with his shipyards along the Indian Ocean coast, he wouldn't be able to manage the logistics of the eastern Yungui line. As for logistics for the Central Asia line, they'd deal with that in the future.

In an instant, my thoughts broadened considerably, and many strategies now had a foundation for implementation. The shipyards in the Bay of Bengal greatly solved the strategic issues.

"Hahaha." Lul Jun laughed it off, not wanting to get entangled with Chen Xi, afraid of revealing his true intentions.

"This is a very important plan. I need to carefully think about how to respond. If we now transfer the technology to Southern Yizhou and preemptively build shipyards there, whether it's materials or technology investment, it cannot be completed in a short time." Chen Xi silently contemplated how to build ports and shipyards in the eastern Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.

At this moment, Lul Jun was collapsing internally, desperately wanting to say that he was just bluffing Liu Zhang, so how did Marquis Chen take it seriously?

"Forget it, if we build shipyards there now, the intention might be too obvious. We should first carry out the storage of timber, leveling of land, and road construction, and first complete the road paving and material preparation. Then, we can directly deploy manpower..." Chen Xi inexplicably stroked his chin, thinking deeply, already having a rough plan in mind.

"Marquis Chen, you mean to build a shipyard in Southern Yizhou for us, right? You are really too generous." Liu Zhang was excited upon hearing Chen Xi's self-talk, even addressing Chen Xi respectfully.

"Hmm, it's not about building a shipyard for you, but rather transferring the shipyard to Southern Yizhou. By then, the Governor of Yizhou can take advantage of the proximity." Chen Xi said with a smile. Since the port in the Bay of Bengal was already determined, as the de facto big boss in the area, Liu Zhang couldn't be bypassed. If Liu Zhang wanted it, even ten or eight ships weren't a problem.

As for whether Liu Zhang could organize people for ocean voyages or not, that wasn't Chen Xi's concern. But based on what Chen Xi understood now, the combat power of the Kushan Navy was likely sufficient to make Liu Zhang kneel one after another with each ship sent out.

"That's wonderful, wonderful, the Minister of Finance is so straightforward!" Liu Zhang laughed heartily.

"However, before that, we need to build the Sichuan and Shu highway first. As for the details, we need to discuss them carefully." At this point, Chen Xi's overall thoughts were forming, but he still needed to verify the details carefully, so he couldn't say it outright yet.

Liu Zhang and Lul Jun, seeing Chen Xi's expression, knew he possibly had urgent matters to attend to, so they didn't stay long with Chen Xi.

[Phew, dodged a bullet. Now let's visit Zilong. Visiting all these wealthy individuals should be enough to build the Dragon Bone and parts of the hull.] Lul Jun watched as the excited Chen Xi left, chatted with Liu Zhang for a bit, and then also left politely.

[The leaders of the Central Plains are indeed generous and broad-minded, far surpassing those from remote places who haven't seen much of the world. It seems I should come often in the future.] Liu Zhang thought excitedly. He didn't expect that just by probing, he could acquire a shipyard.

On the other side, Zhou Yu, along with Sun Ce and others, were preparing to sail south to witness with their own eyes the potential adversaries.

The military review in Ye City truly struck them significantly. Liu Bei's military power had indeed reached a level beyond resistance.

[With my own eyes, I will witness this world, and the dynasty that challenges our Huaxia in this era. Let me see what qualifications they have to stand proud like us!] Zhou Yu stood at the ship's bow, silently contemplating. This time, he had to reveal some cards he originally didn't intend to play, enough to confront the formidable entity that is Liu Bei. Zhou Yu had to be cautious.

Likewise, the Xiahou Brothers, accompanied by Cao Ang, Xiahou Ba, Zhang Xiu with his son, and Ma Chao with his family, returned to Chang'an simultaneously. Liu Bei's military strength was indeed terrifyingly formidable, enough to make one tremble from the heart. They indeed had no capability to resist.

But despite possessing such immense power, Liu Bei was still willing to sit down and discuss matters with Sun Ce and Cao Cao. Facing such a formidable strength, even the Xiahou Brothers would weigh the situation carefully. The goodwill of the strong is truly worth the weak pondering with their lives.

At this time, Zhen Yan of the Zhen Family was going through the plans in his hand. Their family had indeed been persuaded by Lul Jun. The advantages of maritime transport after the deployment of large ships were too obvious. Although the cost of shipbuilding was high, this cost wasn't a problem for the Zhen Family.

"Shipping plans, huh." Zhen Yan tapped the table lightly, speaking to himself with a solemn look.

If this plan were to be fully realized, it might require an investment of nearly three billion coins, but its significance could allow the Zhen Family to almost completely monopolize the Han Dynasty's coastal shipping. As for recouping the costs, based on the information their family gathered from various places, it would only take ten years.

[It seems necessary to convene the Clan Elder Council to discuss this plan thoroughly. A three-billion-coin investment is no small amount, and shipping is a new industry for the Zhen Family. More importantly, investing so much immediately upon entry is somewhat risky. Hmm, let's see if Lul's shipyard can be acquired.] Zhen Yan put down the plan, thinking silently.