knife

Chapter 162 I Choose the Second Option
Cai Tianyou flipped through the blueprints on the table, his surprise growing stronger.

"Father, this should be the Hailong-class, the main warship of the Chu Kingdom. This type of warship is a top secret in the Chu Kingdom. How did the detailed manufacturing blueprints fall into Li Dachui's hands?"

"It's somewhat similar to the Hailong, but there are fundamental differences. Look at their watertight compartments and firepower!" Cai Ming dragged over the blueprints and pointed them out to Cai Tianyou one by one. "This cross-section is drawn in great detail, which shows that Li Dachui has a deep understanding of warships and isn't just spouting nonsense to deceive us."

"Is Father ready to enter this game?"

“We’ve always been on this chessboard!” Cai Ming shook his head and said, “We just thought we could stay out of it. But ever since the separation of Antong and Anxi, I’ve been thinking about this question: what should we do?”

"We have a powerful navy, we don't need to beg them!" Cai Tianyou said proudly. "If things really come to a standstill, we can just leave here."

"Without a mainland as a base, drifting at sea, do I need to tell you what will happen? In the end, you'll truly become pirates," Cai Ming said. "Besides, the Chu people have also noticed. They have a truly powerful navy!"

"Could they possibly attack all the way here?"

"Why not?" Cai Ming sneered, "The Empress Dowager of Southern Chu has her sights set on the world and is plotting against Qin. The area outside the pass is a crucial link!"

"Father, the Southern Chu naval fleet, their Empress Dowager still can't control it, can she?" Cai Tianyou asked.

Cai Ming didn't speak, but just looked at Cai Tianyou. However, the cold smile on his lips made Cai Tianyou understand instantly.

It was precisely because the Chu state's naval forces were still somewhat distant from the Empress Dowager that she became even more concerned about this matter.

This matter could serve as a starting point, allowing the Empress Dowager to legitimately extend her reach into the Chu naval forces, just as she had done after the Battle of Xiangcheng, and to take control of this important Chu force.

"Linghu Ye, Xiao Changche, who should we choose?" Cai Tianyou hesitated.

“We’ll get in first, but we can postpone the choice later!” Cai Ming said. “Zhang Ruo made it very clear: whoever wins, we’ll choose! If neither of them works out, choosing Nan Chu or Bei Yuan is also a viable option.”

"In that case, will Li Dachui still give us the blueprints for this warship?"

“If this person is someone who can accomplish great things, he will give it to us!” Cai Ming said. “This shipping route will inevitably be controlled by the Chu Kingdom. With our current strength, we cannot compete with it. If we want to counterbalance the other side, we need the necessary resources. Can the Anxi Protectorate rely on Yao Dali? That guy is a big shot on the inland rivers, but he'll be useless at sea. Right now, it seems that the Anxi Protectorate has made connections with the Chu Kingdom, but politics is all about checks and balances. If one side becomes too powerful, then you can only be manipulated by others. A mature leader will never tolerate this.”

“Xiao Changche and Li Dachui are only in their early twenties!” Cai Tianyou said with a sneer.

"These two cannot be judged by ordinary standards!" Cai Ming said sternly. "Leaving aside their talent in martial arts, their scheme to seize Bao Ping State this time was far-reaching, decisive, and powerful, all of which are breathtaking. It's a pity that Linghu Ye's decades of painstaking efforts were thwarted by these two in such a short time, leaving him in a dilemma."

"Is it Li Dachui or Xiao Changche?"

“In my opinion, it’s naturally Li Dachui!” Cai Ming said. “If it were Xiao Changche, he wouldn’t have had such a difficult time all these years, to the point that he was struggling to survive under Linghu Ye.

Cai Tianyou nodded and said, "Father, I understand. We are still relatively weak. But our strength on the water is something they lack, so our first priority is to increase our strength. And that requires manpower and money. Since they have given us such an opportunity, we naturally cannot let it go. Seizing the opportunity to strengthen ourselves is the right thing to do!"

Cai Ming said with relief, "That's the right way. If you want to make your own choices in the future, you need to have the ability to do so. If you don't have the corresponding ability but still want to make your own decisions, that's a path to certain death."

Cai Tianyou picked up the blueprints on the table, admiring them greatly. A three-story ship, thirty feet long—this shipbuilding technology was something that no other place besides Southern Chu possessed. And Southern Chu kept this warship technology strictly confidential, never revealing it to outsiders. If he obtained the blueprints from Li Dachui, with Xuanwu Prefecture's current shipbuilding capabilities, with some effort, they could assemble a prototype ship. And once they had the first prototype, the rest would fall into place naturally.

“Father, if I really have to choose in the future, I don’t want to choose Southern Chu!” Cai Tianyou said. “They have a powerful navy and countless talents in this field. We, father and son, wouldn’t stand out in Southern Chu. On the contrary, it’s Li Dachui, Linghu Ye, and even Northern Yuan who truly need us!” “I will never choose the Yuan people unless absolutely necessary!” Cai Ming said calmly. “Those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts. This saying will always hold true. Even if they accept us and value us because they need us at some point, once they achieve their goal and our usefulness diminishes, or even when they find better replacements, they will abandon us without the slightest hesitation.”

Cai Tianyou nodded and said, "Yes, the Yuan people valued cavalry but looked down on the navy. They also had good harbors, but unfortunately, they were abandoned in their hands. One day, they will regret not having a strong navy."

Zhang Ruo threw out the bait, and Cai Ming demonstrated his strength. Both sides were quite satisfied with each other, so they sat down together and began to discuss the details of the question.

Zhang Ruo smiled and said, "Prefect Cai, you need to designate a large area near the dock for us to build a large warehouse. In the future, the transactions will be conducted in Baoping Prefecture, but the goods will be picked up at the Xuanwu Prefecture dock warehouse! We will station the corresponding trading personnel here to conduct the transactions. At the same time, an armed force will be stationed in the storage area for relevant security. The number of people will not be too large, no more than five hundred. I hope Prefect Cai can understand this."

“That’s easy to say. I’d like to know what my benefits are?” Cai Ming said with a smile.

“Vice Protector-General Li has given you two options to choose from!” Zhang Ruo said: “First, you can only collect taxes. All taxes will be collected at a rate of one-tenth, and you have the right to collect taxes on any goods that come ashore. The second option is that you will not collect taxes, but will participate in profit sharing as a business partner, and we can discuss the profit sharing ratio separately.”

“I choose the second option. I don’t ask for much, just a 50/50 split!” Cai Ming said. “I think this ratio is appropriate.”

“To be honest, Governor Cai, we also hope you will choose the second option, because it demonstrates our sincerity in cooperating and facilitates further cooperation in the future!” Zhang Ruo said, “Therefore, I agree to your profit-sharing ratio!”

"Can you make the decision? I'm sorry, Scholar Zhang, I didn't mean to look down on you!" Cai Ming said, cupping his hands in greeting.

Zhang Ru waved his hand and said, "Prefect Cai, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. Before we came here, Deputy Protector Li made it clear to me that if you choose the second option, we can only offer a 50/50 split at most!"

Zhang Ruo was very frank, but Cai Ming felt a little uncomfortable, as if Li Dachui had guessed his reaction perfectly.

“This time, I have come with an expert who can survey the terrain. Once the two sides reach an agreement, they can start working immediately!” Zhang Ruo smiled and said, “The garrison commander of the Anxi Protectorate in the storage area is my bodyguard Yuan Rong, whom you met a couple of days ago.”

"The Anxi Protectorate seems quite confident, having arranged everything perfectly!" Cai Ming said.

"This is a matter where cooperation benefits both sides, while division results in mutual loss. With Governor Cai's abilities, he will naturally choose the best path!" Zhang Ruo said, "Governor Cai, to be honest, the first batch of goods in Southern Chu has probably already started loading onto ships. We need to act even faster, otherwise, if the goods arrive and there is nowhere to store them, the people of Southern Chu will inevitably underestimate our strength and efficiency beyond the Great Wall!"

“These are all minor matters!” Cai Ming said. “Next, we can talk about the warships. Vice Protector-General Li gave me a cross-sectional drawing, and to be honest, it makes me very eager to get my hands on it. People like us, when we see a good ship, it’s like seeing a beautiful woman; we can never resist. But I also understand that Vice Protector-General Li must have other conditions for giving us the complete manufacturing drawings. Scholar, please speak frankly!”

“The governor is a brilliant man!” Zhang Ruo said, “It’s like this, not long ago, the Anxi Protectorate just took over Baoping Prefecture. The protector is very dissatisfied with the navy of Baoping Prefecture, and is also extremely dissatisfied with their shipbuilding technology. Therefore, the deputy protector hopes to cooperate deeply with the governor on this matter, so that we can send people to your shipyard to learn the technology, and select some good sailors to follow your navy to learn navigation skills. Maybe one day, we will also build our own long-distance voyage fleet!”

Cai Ming burst into laughter: "Deputy Protector Li actually said such a thing to my face. He is being frank, but it still makes me feel that Deputy Protector Li might use me and then abandon me in the future!"

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket. It's always good to make some arrangements in advance, just in case! I also think that rather than doing it secretly, it's better to be clear with you, Governor, so that you won't have any doubts!"

"If building a deep-sea navy were that easy, then I, Cai, wouldn't have been stuck in this place for so many years, and I wouldn't be getting bullied by those pirates! Tell the Protector-General to send people over without hesitation. I won't hold back; they can learn whatever they want! However, Scholar Zhang, I also have a condition."

"Speaking!"

"I cannot show favoritism. If one day Commander Linghu also sends someone to discuss such cooperation with me, I will agree as well."

Zhang Ruo smiled and said, "Of course. However, Governor Cai, the trading prices of bulk commodities outside the pass will inevitably be controlled by Baoping Prefecture. If you also cooperate with Linghu Ye, I suggest you don't ask for any dividends, but only collect taxes, because Commander Linghu is definitely going to lose a lot of money!"

(End of this chapter)