novelaction Chapter 126 Raising tigers brings trouble
Chapter 126 Raising tigers brings trouble
After more than half a month of preparation, Sun Ce had prepared 10,000 troops for the expedition. In addition to the troops that the Sun family had originally provided to various clans, the Sun family's army now had 20,000 to 30,000 elite soldiers. This was why Yuan Shu's advisors strongly advised him against it. Wasn't this just raising a tiger to cause trouble for himself?
However, Yuan Shu was blinded by the Imperial Seal of the State and didn't care about anything else. Besides, it was only twenty or thirty thousand men. Yuan Shu now had an army of two or three hundred thousand and controlled Yuzhou and Yangzhou. Yuan Shu could also mobilize more than two hundred thousand troops at any time. In Yuan Shu's view, apart from Chen Er, no one else in the world could rival him!
Sun Ce launched his campaign, ostensibly to counterattack the Shanyue. The people of Jiangdong were finally excited, feeling saved. The Shanyue's harassment over the past year had truly exhausted them. However, they were unaware that Sun Ce's target was them, the Jiangdong clans—those clans that only knew how to take! In Sun Ce's eyes, they were also accomplices in the death of his father, while the Shanyue were the least hateful, for they were merely pawns.
Thus, in Sun Ce's mind, those Jiangdong clans had already been sentenced to death.
Because Chen Er provided Sun Ce with 5,000 flintlock muskets without rifling. These weapons were given to Sun Ce unconditionally by Chen Er, and in his letter to Sun Ce, he also stated that even if the two sides were to fight each other in the future, Sun Ce did not need to consider this friendship, because this friendship was given by Chen Er out of consideration for the friendship with the deceased Sun Jian.
With these weapons and the troops and provisions tricked from Yuan Shu, Sun Ce was confident that he could occupy the Jiangdong region within six months and establish effective control.
“Eight thousand elite flintlock musketeers and five thousand matchlock musketeers—this force is enough to give us an absolute advantage in Jiangdong,” Sun Ce said. “I just don’t know if Brother Quan has made any progress in his research on warships, and when our army will be able to equip itself with warships like those of the Chen family army.”
Sun Ce said to Huang Gai, "I just don't understand why you, Brother Quan, also refer to the navy as the navy."
"My lord," Huang Gai said to Sun Ce, "this second general told me that a navy is merely a means to maintain a secluded position, and only warships that venture out to sea can be called warships, and those are the true warships."
"Whatever, it's a good thing that my second brother is interested in warships. However, until he has results in his research, we can only use wooden boats for now." Since Sun Jian's passing, it was rare for Sun Ce to show such a relaxed expression.
“What you say is very true, my lord, but warships alone are not enough. The Second General said that we also need powerful cannons,” Cheng Pu interjected.
Upon hearing about the cannons, Sun Ce was also helpless. These cannons were not common items. However, many Westerners had landed along the coast in the Jiangdong region. Sun Ce believed that as long as he put his mind to it, he could find some Western firearms craftsmen who had not yet been discovered. Or, if all else failed, he could only ask some talented craftsmen among the Han people to develop the manufacture of firearms and eventually develop these cannons.
"I've heard that the reason why the Wei King's army is invincible is that the Wei King can maximize the power of firearms. The three-stage tactics we are using now, as well as the Thunderclap Cannon, were all invented by the Wei King when he suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion," said the big-mouthed Cheng Pu to the group.
"My father often told me about King Wei's talent when he was alive. King Wei's military achievements are outstanding, and he is a role model for us." Sun Ce, who was known as the Little Conqueror, also had great admiration for Chen Er. Everyone in the empire admired Chen Er, who was able to trample the Turkic royal court on horseback. Whether they were Chen Er's enemies or friends, even if they did not like Chen Er, they had to admire his abilities.
Looking at the army passing by, Sun Ce said firmly, "I believe that as long as we are willing to fight, this world will eventually have a place for us!"
"We will surely assist our lord in achieving great things!"
At the end of the year 2189 in the Yellow Emperor's reign, Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong, finally revealed his fangs and began his hegemonic career. It's just a pity that we don't know if Sun Ce in this world will also have a short life like the one in history.
However, throughout history, how many people who conquer the world truly understand their own destiny? Though they say they don't understand, in reality everyone does understand that their destiny is simply that they have no destiny, and they might die at any moment, especially someone like Sun Ce who likes to be at the forefront.
"Your humble servant greets Your Highness, the King of Wei." Zhang Zhao adopted a very humble posture. He was a traditional scholar who attached great importance to etiquette. Moreover, he had no right to be arrogant now. Chen Er was one of the three powerful princes in the empire, and he was the highest-ranking prince, a prince whose title was based on the name of an ancient kingdom.
"Lord Zhang, please rise quickly. This kneeling etiquette is not customary here. All people are equal. This coming and going is not proper, it is really not proper," Chen Er said, helping Zhang Zhao up.
Zhang Zhao stood up and exclaimed, "King Wei is truly, truly." For a moment, Zhang Zhao was at a loss for words to describe the current situation. Chen Er, being very understanding, said, "Let's not talk about these things, let's not talk about these things."
Chen Erran and Zhang Zhao sat down, and Chen Erran asked Zhang Zhao, "May I ask what brings Lord Zhang here today?"
“Your Highness, I have come here on the orders of my prefect to purchase some firearms,” Zhang Zhao said, rising to his feet.
Chen Er gestured for Zhang Zhao to sit down, then asked with a puzzled look, "Lord Zhang, if I remember correctly, Bo Ning has already sent you five thousand flintlock muskets. Isn't that enough?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao realized that Chen Er had misunderstood him, so he quickly said to Chen Er, "This humble official is foolish and did not explain clearly. Please forgive me, Your Highness, what I want to buy is not muskets, but cannons."
"Oh, I see." Upon hearing this, Chen Er realized that this was the case. Indeed, according to intelligence, the Sun family did not possess the technology to cast cannons. So, should they sell the cannons to them? Chen Er hesitated. Should he buy them or not? Zhang Zhao, watching Chen Er's rapidly changing expression, felt uneasy. What should they do?
"Lord Zhang," Chen Er finally spoke, saying to Zhang Zhao, "Given my friendship with Wentai, it is only right that I sell you some cannons. However, the production of these cannons is quite difficult, so I am not sure how many I can sell to you. How about this: you wait here in Yuyang for a day or two, and I will take stock of how many cannons I can sell to you."