knife

Chapter 517 Containment
Zhang Qingyun's current work focus is not in Chang'an.

Instead, it was in the south, in the state of Chu.

Even Luo Ying was unaware of these matters.

What Li Dachui is doing in the Chu Kingdom is a top-secret matter, even within the Zhi Qiu Academy. The number of people who know about it can be counted on one hand. Most of the participants only know fragmented information, and they each do their own job. They are unable to piece together these fragmented pieces of information completely.

Compared to what was happening in the State of Chu, the situation in Chang'an seemed insignificant.

However, since Luo Ying has the ambition to revitalize Chang'an, it's worthwhile to let him gain some experience. As he himself said, jade cannot become a gem without being carved, and how can one see a rainbow without experiencing wind and rain?
If he can overcome the seriousness of the situation, or even defeat him, then Chi Qiuyuan will have gained another formidable general who can stand alone.

The situation on the Qin side has now basically settled.

Linghu Ye controlled the Central Plains, Li Dachui controlled the area outside the Great Wall, and He Zudao occupied Jiangnan.

Of the three forces, Linghu Ye is the strongest, and He Zudao is the weakest.

While Beiting may not seem as powerful as Linghu Group at present, it is superior in terms of overall strategy. Moreover, by using Li Ping's affair to tarnish Linghu Ye's reputation, coupled with Li Dachui's status as a prince, it can be said that Beiting has a guarantee of legitimacy and is on the moral high ground.

As for He Zudao, he can barely be considered a capable troublemaker.

However, the current situation between Chu and Qin is similar to the previous situation between Beiting and Yuan.

Beiting was able to take advantage of the division of Yuan State and eventually swallow up the Northern Yuan like a snake swallowing an elephant. Why can't Chu State follow Beiting's example?

These three aspects of Qin's current situation are almost irreconcilable in terms of interests.

It was precisely because of this concern that Li Dachui went to the State of Chu. If he could throw the State of Chu into chaos and make it unable to take care of itself, that would be the best outcome.

It seems that things are going very well.

He picked up his pen and drew two circles on the map, one for Ruyin County and the other for Yong'an County.

In order to coordinate with Li Dachui's actions in the State of Chu, it is necessary to move in these two directions.

Han Tan of Ruyin Commandery and He Jiong of Yong'an Commandery are not only staunch supporters of Empress Dowager Jiang Qian of Chu, but also bridgeheads for Jiang Qian's plot against Qin. If these two sides encounter great pressure, Jiang Qian will definitely provide strong support.

But Jiang Qian's power also has its limits.

If this part is strong, then the inside will be empty.

Only an empty Chu Kingdom can give Li Dachui more room to maneuver and cause changes within Chu Kingdom. Judging from the intelligence Li Dachui has recently sent back, the anti-Jiang Qian forces within Chu Kingdom are very strong. After those two old guys re-entered the game, Jiang Qian's position has actually become quite precarious.

At this moment, a strong push was needed. "Cao Hui!" Zhang Qingyun called softly.

Cao Hui, the captain of the White Tiger Brigade, stepped forward and asked, "What are your orders, Vice Dean?"

“You need to go to Shu County!” Zhang Qingyun looked up. “After we took Shu County, Yao Dali went there to reorganize the navy. In more than a year, there have been some results. This time, we need to make them take action!”

Looking at the map, Cao Hui said, "Going down the river, we could threaten Jingchu?"

Zhang Qingyun laughed: "Next, we need to get He Zudao to fight against the State of Chu. Xiangcheng and Fancheng are the best entry points. However, He Zudao's navy is currently very weak. The Chu navy is too powerful for them. If we don't get the Chu navy to leave, He Zudao won't be able to make the decision to launch an attack in Xiangcheng and Fancheng and plot to seize the Jianghan Plain!"

“Our navy is still inferior to that of the Chu navy!” Cao Hui said. “We have only built five new inland river warships. More importantly, the quality of our sailors is uneven. The personnel transferred from the navy outside the pass are still in great need of integration with the original Shu County navy!”

"Then let's hone our skills in battle!" Zhang Qingyun said calmly. "I believe that bloodshed and sacrifice will quickly teach them what true strength is! Besides, this time we are only launching a feint attack to tie down the main force of the Chu navy; we don't need them to launch a real attack to conquer cities and territories!"

"Understood!" Cao Hui said.

“However, it would be best if Yao Dali could take over Badong and Zigui while this feigned attack was underway!” Zhang Qingyun got up and paced around the room a few times, saying, “But don’t tell Yao Dali this. Let him make his own decision based on the actual situation. If you tell him, he will take it as an order. If he does it against the conditions, the chance of failure will greatly increase! That would defeat the purpose of this operation.”

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements. We’ll set off for Shu County tomorrow!” Cao Hui said. “The Chu Kingdom’s navy is now under the control of the Demonic Sect’s Flood Banner. They are very powerful. I’m sure Yao Dali will be very excited. Since that old guy joined the Protectorate, he hasn’t had a chance to make any contributions. At most, he’s just served as a transport captain. Now that he has the opportunity, I’m sure he’ll rack his brains to take over these places.”

“If we really take these places, we can confront the Chu navy in the Yiling area. We are upstream and have a natural advantage.” Zhang Qingyun laughed. “Compared to the struggle in Yong’an County, our naval attack will make the Chu people suffer more. Once we leave Yiling, we will be in Jingzhou. Haha.”

"The Vice Dean has a clever plan!"

"Easier said than done!" Zhang Qingyun said, "It's still too much to ask Yao Dali to do all this now. Once we have dozens or even hundreds of new inland river warships and seven or eight thousand or even ten thousand sailors, then we can truly compete with the State of Chu on the great rivers!"

"The newest Haihu-class warship from Xuanwu Prefecture is also going to be launched this year! It took four whole years to build this one warship!" Cao Hui said. "Once it is successfully launched and undergoes sea trials, it will be integrated with Cai Ming's original fleet. Then we'll take it to Chu and let them know what a real super warship is!"

"To be honest, I'm really looking forward to it too!" Zhang Qingyun said.

The two men were referring to the Sea Falcon-class warships secretly built at the Xuanwu Prefecture shipyard. These warships were 44 zhang long and 18 zhang wide, which translates to nearly 150 meters long and about 60 meters wide in modern units. Just getting them moving would require hundreds of people, and the entire ship could carry over a thousand combat soldiers. In addition, it was equipped with various long-range attack weapons. When Li Dachui took out the Sea Falcon-class design drawings, Cai Ming, the prefect of Xuanwu Prefecture, was completely dumbfounded.

Once such a maritime behemoth successfully completes its sea trials, and is equipped with various other main warships and auxiliary warships, it will be virtually invincible at sea.

At that time, the Chu Kingdom's proud naval force could only be considered inferior.

No wonder Zhang Qingyun and Cao Hui were so excited.

The Chu Kingdom has a very long coastline, with many suitable places to land.

(End of this chapter)