Tiger Owl

Chapter 226 Final Decision

In the evening, Gan Ning had just returned to his residence and was in his study picking up the tea that Xiao Qiao had brewed for him when Xu Wei rushed over, carrying a long box in his hand.

"What is that?" Gan Ning asked, looking at the long box.

"Husband, can you guess?"

Gan Ning's heart skipped a beat, "Could it be—"

Xu Wei placed the long box on the table and opened it; inside was indeed the monocular telescope he had been longing for.

Gan Ning was overjoyed. He picked up the binoculars and examined it closely. It was made of ebony, and the heavy solid wood shell was about a foot long. The workmanship and polishing were exquisite. The biggest advantage of this type of wood is that it is not easily deformed.

Three slots were cut at both the front and rear ends to facilitate the insertion of convex lenses. Copper strips were also clamped around the slots to prevent the lenses from falling out.

Gan Ning raised his telescope to take a closer look, and sure enough, the eaves of the house, which was a dozen feet away, were right up close, with every detail clearly visible, and the effect was about ten times greater.

Of course, the monocular telescope in Gan Ning's hands would only be considered a child's toy in later generations, but in the Three Kingdoms period, it was an earth-shattering artifact.

Xu Wei said somewhat uneasily, "Husband, I made three in total!"

"Three?"

Gan Ning asked, puzzled, "The other two lenses are of different thicknesses, so how do you calibrate the lens distance?"

“I will follow my husband’s method. I will first make a paper tube myself, determine the distance, then draw up the blueprints, give them to the craftsmen to make the outer shell, and then put it in myself.”

"very smart!"

Gan Ning sincerely praised her; Xu Wei was indeed the smartest woman he had ever met, completely comparable to some skilled craftsmen.

"Give me the other two and leave them here. You can take them from me if you want to play with them, but no outsiders can see them or touch them."

"Don't worry, husband! We know what we're doing."

Xu Wei got up and walked outside, saying, "I'll go get them right now."

As soon as Xu Wei left, Xiao Qiao took out a folded book. It was a long folded book with eight folds, which was used as official document paper and had gradually replaced scrolls.

"My lord, this was sent by the steward. He said it was from Bu Sima, but he's already gone."

"Bu Zhi?"

Gan Ning laughed. So impatient? Can't you wait until tomorrow?

Gan Ning took the commemorative document and examined it closely. The ink on the cover was not yet dry, and it read "Ping Nan Ce" (Strategy for Pacifying the South).

The entire memorial was nearly ten thousand words long, written by Bu Zhi in just one afternoon. It seemed he had a plan in mind all along. Gan Ning flipped through it but didn't see a single word that had been changed. Gan Ning immediately understood that Bu Zhi had already finished the draft and was copying it back for him.

Bu Zhi's writing is extremely insightful, with sharp thinking and clear viewpoints. He advocates taking Jiaozhou first, and then gradually governing it to ensure stability and progress.

Gan Ning became completely absorbed in the book, neglecting Xiao Qiao beside him, and he didn't even notice when Xu Wei brought him two more wooden boxes.

Seeing that her husband was engrossed in reading the memorial, Xu Wei gently tugged at Xiao Qiao, who had no choice but to reluctantly follow Xu Wei out.

Gan Ning finished reading Bu Zhi's "Ping Nan Ce" in one go, put down the memorial, and walked to the window with his hands behind his back. Bu Zhi's idea was exactly the same as his: take the Xiang River to Lingling County, then turn to the Ling Canal and the Li River to Shian County, use Shian County as the logistical base, and go south along Shian County. When it flows into the Yu River, it will reach Guangxin County, the capital of Cangwu County, which is today's Wuzhou, Zhang Jin's stronghold.

The most ingenious part is that Shian County is located within the territory of Lingling Prefecture, so no matter how much they prepare for war in Shian County, Zhang Jin has no way to interfere.

However, Gan Ning felt that the information Bu Zhi revealed in the report was very deep and extensive. He even wrote very clearly about how many sons Zhang Jin had and what the situation of each son was. This was not something that could be found out by asking around.

Gan Ning felt he needed to have a serious talk with Bu Zhi tomorrow.

The following morning, Gan Ning arrived at the official residence and said to Ma Liang, "Go and invite Inspector Bu here!"

Before long, Bu Zhi hurriedly entered the official residence, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Marquis of Chu!"

Gan Ning took the memorial and smiled, "I read Bu Sima's memorial carefully last night. It was very insightful and coincided with many of my own thoughts. However, I have a question. Many of the contents are quite profound, and I don't quite understand their source. Could it be that Xu Jing also told you about them?"

Bu Zhi smiled slightly and said, "I knew that the Marquis of Chu would have this question, so I plan to explain it to him today. In fact, most of the information here comes from Jiangdong."

"Jiangdong?"

Gan Ning was taken aback. "Jiangdong also wants to seize Jiaozhou?"

Bu Zhi calmly replied, “Jiangdong initially wanted to seize Nanhai Commandery, but later Wu Hou’s ambitions gradually grew, and he wanted to seize the entire Jiaozhou. From the beginning of Jian’an 7, I took the lead in arranging a large number of scouts to Jiaozhou to collect intelligence. We were originally going to launch a war against Nanhai Commandery last year, but Sun Ben’s invasion of the south interrupted the plan. Later, I left Jiangdong, and the Jiaozhou plan was abandoned.”

Gan Ning asked, somewhat puzzled, "Has no one taken over the various investigation materials left behind by Bu Sima?"

Bu Zhi shook his head. "All the materials are in my office. I only took my own writings with me. All kinds of intelligence materials are in the office. My subordinates were afraid of being implicated, so they set fire to my office. A lot of materials were burned, not only Jiaozhou materials, but also intelligence materials from Jiujiang County and Danyang County."

"This would be a huge loss for Jiangdong!"

Bu Zhi shook his head. "Jiangdong's real loss is not these intelligence resources, but its internal division. It has lost the vigor of the Sun Ce era, and with internal divisions, it has encountered a suspicious and ruthless lord. Jiangdong will never have another chance."

Gan Ning is not interested in Jiangdong for the time being; his mind is still on Jiaozhou.

"We can use the reserves of Linxiang County for food and supplies to attack Jiaozhou, and the fleet from Changsha County also has them, but what are your requirements for the army, Commander Bu?"

Bu Zhi thought for a moment and said, "The key to an army is quality, not quantity. I only need to bring 30,000 men, but I hope they are the troops of General Zhao Yun and General Taishi Ci."

Gan Ning readily agreed, then asked, "Are there any special supplies you need?"

"And then there are medicinal herbs and donkeys. I must prepare enough marching powder, marching patches, and poisonous insect repellent."

The three medicines Bu Zhi mentioned are essential for military operations in the southern tropical jungles. They can effectively prevent various diseases caused by high temperature and humidity, and also prevent attacks from mosquitoes and venomous snakes.

Gan Ning nodded. “The medicinal herbs are no problem. The donkeys are a great idea. We raise donkeys precisely to conquer the southern mountainous areas. Moreover, our donkeys are Sichuan donkeys, which can carry heavy loads and are very adaptable. They can handle all kinds of terrain and are easy to survive. They will be of great help to the soldiers. I will arrange for each soldier to carry a donkey, which will bring them great convenience.”

After finalizing the details of the expedition with Bu Zhi, Gan Ning immediately summoned Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci. The two were very excited to hear that they were going to launch an expedition to Jiaozhou, and they were eager to set off the next day.

Three days later, Bu Zhi was appointed by Gan Ning as Inspector General and Grand Commander of the Southern Expedition. Although these were temporary positions, having military power meant he could legitimately lead troops.

Bu Zhi led Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci's 30,000-strong army to Linxiang County, beginning their journey to Jiaozhou.

(End of this chapter)