My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

Yuchi Gong.

Li Ju was startled, but remained outwardly calm.

Yuchi Gong – a native of Mayi, skilled in using an iron whip and exceptionally brave.

In historical records, he was one of the fiercest generals under Li Shimin. He shot and killed Prince Qi, Li Yuanji, during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and his merits surpassed those of all other generals.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Yuchi Gong... a fine name, a fine craftsmanship." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the long sword and iron whip. "Brother Jingde, your weapons are not only the work of a blacksmith, but also a testament to your battlefield experience."

A glint flashed in Yuchi Gong's eyes as he sized Li Ju up and down, then clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "You have a good eye. May I ask how I should address you?"

Li Ju cupped his hands and said, "Li Ju of Longxi, courtesy name Huairun."

Yuchi Gong's tiger-like body trembled slightly.

Li Ju.

Li Ju, the Director of Water Conservancy. A young high-ranking official who took charge of the nation's grain transport at the age of eighteen.

He spent several months working as a blacksmith in Luoyang, his ears filled with this name—some said he was a favored minister who rose to power through Yuwen Shu, some said he was a son-in-law who got his position through the Wei family's connections, and some said he was just a lucky illegitimate son.

He originally thought that this was just another scion of a wealthy family who had climbed up the social ladder through family connections, arrogant, haughty, and ignorant of the hardships of life.

But seeing you today—

The young man was tall and composed, standing in the twilight like a long sword yet to be drawn. He had none of the arrogance of a high-ranking official, and one glance was enough to see through his battlefield past hidden beneath his identity as a blacksmith.

No wonder he was able to reach this position at such a young age, no wonder the Wei and Yuwen families were willing to bet on him.

This young man is truly talented; his abilities are not based on family background.

He wandered to Luoyang not to forge iron. He had no use for his martial arts skills and no outlet for his passion.

He was waiting for an opportunity, waiting for a lord worth risking his life for. But after waiting for months in Luoyang, all he got were mediocre people who were all talk and no action.

Today, it seems he has finally gotten what he's been waiting for.

"Brother Jingde's craftsmanship is superb, far surpassing that of ordinary craftsmen. It's such a pity that he's buried here." Li Ju's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached his ears. "The winter river embankment camp is in dire need of blacksmiths to repair weapons and forge military equipment, as well as instructors who understand battlefield combat and can teach soldiers how to fight."

If you have nowhere to go for the time being, you can take this voucher to find Magistrate Zhang Yi and Zhang He to earn a living. It's better than suffering at the hands of mediocre people in the marketplace.

Li Ju took out a waist token from his sleeve and handed it over.

Yuchi Gong looked at the waist token but did not accept it immediately.

He looked into Li Ju's eyes, which were calm as deep water, without any condescending charity or deliberate flattery, only a frank and peaceful expression.

He reached out and took the waist tag.

"I... I'll think about it some more," he said in a muffled voice.

Li Ju nodded, said nothing more, and bowed to take his leave.

Yuchi Gong clutched the waist token, standing in the twilight, watching Li Ju's figure gradually disappear into the distance.

Li Ju walked down the street at a leisurely pace. Chen Wu, carrying a knife and whip, followed behind and couldn't help but ask, "Your Excellency, do you know that blacksmith?"

"I don't know him," Li Ju said.

"Then how did you manage to get him to work as a blacksmith at the riverbank camp?"

Li Ju did not answer. He looked up at the sky; dusk was deepening, and the distant horizon was tinged with a gray-blue.

"A-Wu," he suddenly said.

"exist."

"That person is not simple." He paused. "His knife has seen blood."

Chen Wu paused for a moment, looked down at the knife in his arms, and then glanced back in the direction of the weapons shop. The dark-faced man was still standing at the door, his towering figure like a statue in the twilight.

"Your Excellency has a good eye," Chen Wu said gruffly. "Judging from his build, he's no ordinary man."

Li Ju didn't say anything more and continued walking forward.

As dusk settled, lanterns along the street began to light up one by one.

Dushuijian.

The charcoal fire was burning brightly in the duty room, and Du Chen had a thick stack of documents spread out in front of him, his brows furrowed in a knot.

Changsun Wuji sat at his desk, reviewing documents, occasionally glancing up at Du Chen.

"Du Shoucheng, what's wrong?" Wang Yu came over.

Du Chen pushed a document over, his tone unusually heavy: "I've been calculating the dispatch plan for the Liaodong grain transport for three days, and there are always gaps. From Luoyang to Zhuojun, there are seven transshipment warehouses along the way, and grain ships gather from various places. The timing, quantity, ship type, and allocation of laborers are all interconnected. No matter how I calculate it, there's either a blockage here or a shortage there."

Wang Yu glanced at the densely packed numbers and his head started spinning. He waved his hand and said, "Don't show it to me, I can't understand it."

Zhang Yi took a sip of tea and mumbled, "I don't understand it either."

Chen Mo turned around from the window, walked over, glanced at the gap, and pondered, "Where is the gap?"

Du Chen pointed to several marks on the map: "The river between Ji County and Liyang is narrow, and the boats are slow. If we follow the normal schedule, the next batch of boats will arrive before the previous batch has finished unloading, blocking the river and making it impossible to move forward or backward. If we stagger the timing, we won't be able to meet the receiving deadline of Zhuo County."

Changsun Wuji put down his pen, stood up, and walked to the map.

He didn't look at the numbers Du Chen had calculated, but instead looked at the river course, granary distribution, and shipping routes on the map.

Looked for a long time.

"Supervisor Du," he began, his voice steady, "have you considered the segmented relay format?"

Du Chen was taken aback: "A segmented relay?"

"From Luoyang to Zhuojun, it's over two thousand li. A single boat trip would take too long and be prone to congestion," Changsun Wuji said, his finger tracing the map. "If we divide the entire route into three sections: Luoyang to Jijun as the first section, Jijun to Liyang as the second section, and Liyang to Zhuojun as the third section, using different fleets for each section, with transshipment warehouses between sections, the first fleet can unload and return immediately, while the next fleet takes over. In this way, the first fleet can make multiple round trips, and the third fleet will not be affected by congestion in the first section, increasing overall efficiency by at least 30%."

Du Chen's eyes lit up, and he quickly started calculating on the paper.

He stopped halfway through his calculations, looked up at Changsun Wuji, and his eyes were filled with surprise.

"It's feasible. The gap can be filled perfectly."

Wang Yu leaned closer: "Really?"

Du Chen pushed the calculation paper towards him, but Wang Yu glanced at it twice, then pushed it back, muttering, "Anyway, I can't understand it. If Du Shoucheng says it's okay, then it's okay."

Zhang Yi scratched his head: "Military Advisor Changsun, your brain is just as sharp as Old Du's."

Changsun Wuji shook his head, speaking modestly: "I only came up with a method based on Supervisor Du's work. Without his accounts, my method is just a castle in the air."

Du Chen looked at him, and the scrutiny in his eyes turned into approval.

He didn't praise it, but simply nodded and said, "That's a good method."

Wang Yu patted Changsun Wuji on the shoulder and said gruffly, "Good lad! If you have any good ideas like this in the future, say so sooner rather than later!"

Zhang Yi smiled sheepishly and gave a thumbs up.

Chen Mo stood to the side, a slight smile playing on his lips, but said nothing.

Changsun Wuji returned to his desk, sat down, and continued reviewing documents.

His complexion was normal, but his heartbeat was a few beats faster than usual.

He knew that from this moment on, he had truly entered this circle.