Chapter 47: Outlook for the Following Years

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Coming from another dimension, Chen Xi naturally knew which industries could generate quick wealth in this era. Of course, these industries required sufficient military force to support them; otherwise, possessing such treasures would only invite calamity.

Papermaking, in an era where books were as precious as life, was equivalent to robbery. The same applied to printing, glass, and lime. These fundamental technologies were foolproof methods for seizing wealth at this time. One should not assume this era lacked money simply because the common people of the late Eastern Han were destitute.

The accumulated wealth of great aristocratic clans over hundreds of years was enough; if you could extract even one such hoard, it would be sufficient to raise a warlord. Consider how Cao Song’s single generation of accumulation provided enough wealth for Cao Cao to raise an army; the millennial accumulation of the great clans was beyond what mere money could describe.

Coupled with the scarcity of resources in this era, Chen Xi had plenty of ways to squeeze money out of these aristocratic clans. To be honest, Chen Xi was quite satisfied with these clans that emphasized benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Although there would be some scoundrels, it was undeniable that the character of many among them was truly admirable—especially regarding the virtue of integrity, which left Chen Xi in awe.

This was why Chen Xi dared to write down the method of solar salt production—which was practically equivalent to printing money—and hand it over to his soldiers, specifically delivering it to Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping. Although there were certainly some errors in the instructions, integrity in this era was etched into one's very bones, making it a completely different world from the later era where people mocked poverty but did not mock prostitution.

Chen Xi could guarantee that Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping would research the solar salt method thoroughly this time. Moreover, they would sell off their family assets and come scurrying to him in hopes of becoming subordinates to Liu Bei. Most importantly, they would continue to treat Chen Xi's technology as a shared contribution, refusing to take even a shred of unfair advantage, and would even be generous to a degree that surprised Chen Xi himself.

Chen Xi felt that aside from the rather poor quality of food, this era was truly much better than the previous era of rampant materialism. Speaking of which, even "Five-Tripod Cooking" was inferior to a simple stir-fry; the lack of spices was a real headache for him.

In short, there were countless technologies in this era that could "rob" money. Even if he couldn't research them himself, as long as he knew the general direction, he could find craftsmen to figure them out. The advantage of this era was that, compared to a scholar like himself, craftsmen could be summoned or dismissed at will. Furthermore, as soon as there was even a hint of an official appointment, massive numbers of craftsmen would flock to him, especially since the importance of craftsmen was not yet widely recognized.

To Liu Bei, Taishan Commandery might have seemed like a pit of mud, but in Chen Xi's eyes, it was a massive windfall. Even if it were a pit of mud, Chen Xi believed he could use money to level it according to his existing wealth-grabbing plans.

As for wasting money, Chen Xi felt no remorse. There were five hundred thousand people; once the money was spent, it could always be earned back. It was just a pity that Taishan Commandery was not coastal; otherwise, making money would have been even easier.

As for the fact that Taishan Commandery belonged to Yan Province, Chen Xi didn't care at all. As for being "back-to-back" with Cao Cao, he had no taboos. Cao Cao would certainly consolidate Yan Province first and would not touch Liu Bei until he had sufficient strength. After all, given the current situation, Liu Bei seemed even stronger than Cao Cao.

In other words, the fact that Liu Bei wasn't coming to settle scores with Cao Cao was already giving Cao Cao face. If Cao Cao were to target Liu Bei, it would be suicide.

Furthermore, if Chen Xi's estimates were correct, Cao Cao's strategy after obtaining Xi Zhicai would likely be to consolidate most of Yan Province, quietly swallow Sili, and cautiously give Yuan Shu an opening to counter-absorb Yuzhou. As for the Yellow Turbans in Qing Province, Cao Cao would undoubtedly watch them with envy but would be unable to touch them; to do so would mean certain death.

To be honest, the Qing Province Yellow Turbans were a massive trap. Although it was undeniable that the trap contained a "miracle tonic," almost none of the warlords of this period were qualified to consume it; they would suffer from "excessive nourishment" and be poisoned to death. Currently, the Yellow Turbans in Qing Province numbered at least two to three million; with two to three million mouths to feed, no warlord could sustain them.

Even Chen Xi's considerations for the Qing Province Yellow Turbans were postponed for two years—and that was assuming he could amass enough food and supplies within those two years. Otherwise, the plan would have to be postponed further. As for how many would starve to death in these two years, Chen Xi had no good solution; he could only leave it at that.

Although two years was a considerable amount of time, Chen Xi had to prepare for the conquest of Qing Province in advance. This was an almost predetermined strategy; for whatever reason, Qing Province had to be swept clean.

To be blunt, Chen Xi knew better than anyone that as long as he could absorb the two million able-bodied youths of Qing Province and purchase women, as long as he could survive the first year and then proceed step-by-step with steady progress without making fatal errors, the path to conquering the world would be on track.

Of course, this assumed that Yuan Shu would continue to act recklessly as he did in history. If he worked as hard as Cao Cao, given the conditions the Yuan family had set for him, he might have already established a dominant position by then.

There was no helping it; the Yuan family's foundation was too deep. The Nanyang and Ruinan Commanderies given to Yuan Shu were massive, with each commandery nearly equivalent to a province. The combined population of the two was nearly five million, and that was without counting the rest of Yuzhou. If not for Yuan Shu's clouded judgment ruining such a solid foundation, even if he wanted to declare himself king, other warlords would have found him a troublesome opponent.

Therefore, Chen Xi included Yuzhou within his scope of conquest. Of course, this was just a thought, and since he required a complete Yuzhou rather than a ruined one, he had to act early enough. This meant that while swallowing Qing Province, he would need to withdraw the defenses in southern Taishan to lure Yuan Shu into a trap.

Naturally, these were merely Chen Xi's contemplations. However, he knew very well that once Liu Bei began the conquest of Qing Province and Yuan Shu began eyeing Taishan, Cao Cao would never miss such a golden opportunity. And that would be Chen Xi's greatest chance.

Chen Xi understood Cao Cao's risk-taking nature and Xi Zhicai's peerless vision; they would never let such an opportunity pass. Therefore, even though it was so far in advance, Chen Xi would prepare. He would find time later to fill in the gaps, so that when he presented his plans in three to five years, even a strategist of Jia Xu's caliber would be left dazed. Even a fool has a thousand thoughts, and moreover, Chen Xi knew he wasn't particularly stupid.

Sitting on his horse, Chen Xi contemplated the grand strategies for the coming years, unaware of how much his actions would shock the warlords of the world. He would not investigate your deployments or your schemes; instead, he would focus solely on your temperament, using your very nature to design a layout for you. One might miss a detail in a deployment or a flaw in a scheme, but when one plans against your character and your nature, who could see through it? Or rather, even if they saw through it, who would ever suspect it?

(End of Chapter)