Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

"If we want to govern in the long term, we need to dig canals to connect the north and the south. While connecting transportation and allowing large amounts of goods to slowly flow south, we also need to allow a large number of people from the north to move south and develop those unclaimed lands."

"With a sufficient population, we can freely construct canals, build dikes, reclaim wasteland, and popularize medical knowledge and agricultural irrigation techniques..."

"If this continues, after several generations, Jiangdong will become as prosperous as Guanzhong and Bashu, becoming the third largest granary in the world, and perhaps even more so in the future, earning the reputation of 'When Jiangdong is bountiful, the whole world is well-fed'..."

Listening to Bai Su's detailed and detailed plan, the two people felt a sense of relief while expressing their admiration.

After all, the fact that Bai Su could formulate such a detailed plan shows that she really had a plan in mind long ago, and it wasn't just a lie to deceive them.

Mi Xiongxin lightly bit her red lips, and looked at Bai Su with her dark eyes, saying, "Your Excellency is truly a genius of our time. You can govern the world with your pen and stabilize the universe with your horse. It is a blessing for Xianyang and the world to have such a virtuous person as you. I can help you stabilize people's hearts."

"But as you know, sir, I am merely a figurehead. I am good at stabilizing the hearts of the people in the Shouchun area, but it is not enough to truly make those former Chu troops put aside their prejudices."

"We still need Xiang Yu to step forward. As a banner in the hearts of countless Chu people, it will be difficult for me to convince them on my own without her intervention."

"Especially in the Jiangdong region, the influence of the Xiang clan is unparalleled. If you wish to command Jiangdong, you'll need to get Xiang Yu to speak up..."

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.

After all, they knew Xiang Yu's arrogant personality all too well, and trying to persuade him was almost impossible.

Bai Su smiled and said, "You two don't need to worry now. I already have a plan. Since the king has agreed to this deal, I will return to the palace to report to His Majesty. He will then grant the king an official title and arrange accommodations for you and release you."

Hearing Bai Su say this, the two of them finally relaxed their tense nerves.

Mi Xiongxin nodded slightly and bowed to Bai Su: "Then I'll leave it to you, sir."

Chapter 373 The Confused Xiang Yu

Night was falling.

Up in the attic.

Xiang Yu, dressed in a white brocade robe, leaned against the window on the second floor. His long, black hair cascaded down his shoulders and fluttered in the wind, revealing a fair and pretty face with a slightly heroic air.

Her almond-shaped eyes held a complex expression as she gazed at the distant street.

The prosperity of Xianyang far surpasses that of Jiangdong.

This area is densely populated, and after years of development, both residential areas and commercial areas have undergone large-scale expansion.

Pavilions, pillars, tiled roofs, and windows are all brightly lit, revealing a scene of prosperity everywhere.

On the streets in the distance, one could still see many caravans and delegations from foreign countries coming to Xianyang to pay homage.

During this time, she even saw many merchant caravans from the Chu region, as well as scholars who came to participate in the imperial examinations.

This left Xiang Yu with mixed feelings.

After all, for so many years, she had harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Great Xia, and she had always believed that the Chu people and the Xia people were irreconcilable enemies.

But now, seeing so many Chu people actively joining the Xia camp, her long-held beliefs began to waver.

First, her childhood sweetheart, Yu Ji, left her.

The subsequent defeat on the battlefield led to the fall of the Great Chu Kingdom once again.

Now, even the Chu people, the only ones who supported her beliefs, are gradually leaving her.

For a moment, Xiang Yu felt that he had lost everything, and he was completely lost, not knowing where to go in the future.

Therefore, even though her injuries had healed and the guards outside the door couldn't stop her at all, she herself had no desire to escape.

"Da da da!"

Just then, a series of crisp footsteps came from outside the door.

The powerful footsteps were clearly not those of a woman; they seemed to belong to a man.

And there is only one man in the whole world who can come to this heavily guarded pavilion.

"Bai Su, what are you doing here? Are you here to mock me?"

Xiang Yu raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, glanced at the direction of the door, and said in a deep voice.

As the footsteps drew closer, sure enough, a young man dressed in a white robe walked towards them.

Under the moonlight, the handsome face of the newcomer was revealed. Sure enough, it was Bai Su, the despicable scoundrel who had stolen her beloved.

Bai Su smiled and said, "General, your bravery is unparalleled in the world, and you are the only one of your kind throughout history. Who would dare to laugh at you?"

Xiang Yu gave him a cold look, then said, "What is your purpose in coming here so suddenly?"

Bai Su pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, I would like to invite the general to attend the banquet."

Xiang Yu was taken aback, and couldn't help but hesitate, asking, "A banquet?"

Bai Su sat side by side with Xiang Yu, and without any hesitation, picked up her wine cup, poured herself a cup of wine, and took a small sip.

After clearing his throat, he immediately said, "To be precise, it is the annual tribute day. With the Great Xia unifying the world, delegations and protectors from various states will come to Xianyang to pay tribute. Heroes from all over the world gather together. I would like to invite the general to attend the banquet."

When Xiang Yu saw Bai Su holding the wine cup he had drunk from, his delicate eyebrows twitched slightly.

However, compared to these minor matters of etiquette, she cared more about what Bai Su had just said.

After hesitating for a long time, she couldn't help but ask, "Why have you sought out a defeated general like me at such a grand banquet? Could it be... that you intend to make an example of me in front of a group of envoys from small countries, thus serving as a warning to others?"

Bai Su shook his head slightly: "A bunch of petty states can be wiped out with a snap of the fingers. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

Xiang Yu gave Bai Su a strange look: "Then what do you mean?"

Bai Su put down his wine cup and said with a smile, "General Xiang, the world is vast, encompassing far more than just the six kingdoms and the nine provinces..."

Xiang Yu was also a clever man, and he immediately realized what was going on. He said, "That's right. There are other capitals outside the Central Plains. There are small foreign countries in the Western Regions, Hu people and Xiongnu people on the grasslands, and beyond the Baiyue, there are large areas of forests and malarial lands."

"There lives a group of dark-skinned, barbaric people. Why are you suddenly bringing this up? Are you perhaps thinking of expanding our territory?"

Bai Su smiled and said, "That's right. The Central Plains have now been unified again, the Donghu and Xiongnu of the grasslands have all submitted, and the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions are now under my control."

"Through years of trade, I have their national destiny firmly in my grasp. When needed, I don't need to take action; I can destroy their country in an instant simply through trade sanctions."

"Under such a trend, the Great Xia tributary alliance system with the Central Plains as its core has already taken shape."

"Next, we only need to use the banquet and tribute occasion to warn the disobedient underlings, promote capable people, and consolidate the alliance before we can launch a military campaign..."

Xiang Yu was taken aback: "You mean the Baiyue people? But that's a wild and uncivilized land. It shouldn't be worth such a large-scale war, right?"

Bai Su chuckled, then picked up a pen and began sketching on a piece of white paper.

As he drew, he explained, “General, please look. This is the location of my Central Plains. This is the Western Regions. Continuing westward along this Western Regions corridor, there is an even more vast world where other countries exist.”

Xiang Yu was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this far west region inhabited by barbarians like the Western Rong? Could there be some powerful nation here?"

Bai Su smiled mysteriously and said, "That's right, there are not only powerful countries, but also three large countries whose size is no less than that of the Central Plains."

"Firstly, there was the Mauryan Empire, a slave-owning state with a population of over 20 million. It not only had a vast territory, but also all the land in the country was suitable for agriculture and sericulture. The arable land area was more than three times that of the Central Plains in China today."

"Moreover, their local rice can be harvested three times a year..."

Upon hearing Bai Su's words, Xiang Yu's eyes widened in shock, and his lips parted involuntarily. He was speechless for a long time.

After all, the idea that agriculture is the foundation of life and that the land is as precious as life itself is deeply ingrained in the Central Plains.

During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the six states fought countless wars to seize a fertile piece of land.

Even the two former powerful states of Zhao and Xia fought a bloody battle at Changping for control of the Shangdang Commandery. Zhao lost 450,000 soldiers, while Xia ended up with a Pyrrhic victory.

Now, upon hearing that beyond the Western Regions there is another foreign country with three times the arable land of the Central Plains, and that grain can be harvested three times a year...

Regardless of what the First Emperor thought, Xiang Yu felt his heart pounding violently, and his eyes even turned slightly green.

She couldn't help but ask, "How does the national strength of this country called the Mauryan Dynasty compare to that of the Central Plains?"

Bai Su stroked his chin and said, "Although they have some fighting strength, they are far inferior to those of the Central Plains, and even far inferior to the likes of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang."

This isn't something he's making up.

In Zhengjie's eyes, the Xiongnu's fighting strength was just so-so.

However, the Yuezhi people, who had been defeated and driven westward by the Xiongnu, took less than eighteen years to march south and destroy the Mauryan Empire, establishing the Kushan Empire in the region.

Even the Yuezhi, a group of East Asian monsters, who failed in their internal struggle and were swept away, could easily destroy the Mauryan Empire.

As the master of the East Asian monster house, the Central Plains, after successively annexing the Yuezhi and the Xiongnu, naturally would not take the Mauryan Dynasty seriously.

After hearing Bai Su's words, Xiang Yu felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

Jealousy, I'm so incredibly jealous.

How could this country called the Mauryan Empire be so lucky, so favored by the heavens?

Its arable land area is several times that of the Central Plains, and it can harvest grain three times a year, which is simply enviable.

Such a good place, it's such a waste to leave it in the hands of these guys.

Bai Su smiled and continued, "Then, heading west, the second one is called the Parthian Empire. Its territory is less than a third of the Central Plains, and its population is less than half of the Central Plains. They make a living by selling slaves and engaging in commerce."

"They follow the feudal system in their country, and they are known as the King of Kings. They have hundreds of thousands of soldiers, which seems impressive, but their strength is actually quite mediocre and weak. Compared to the Donghu, the Xiongnu are not much stronger."

"And at the westernmost edge, there is a great power called Rome. They have a vast territory and a large population. They established their nation through military force and have a strong sense of the iron-blooded spirit of the Warring States period."

"General Xiang, the world is vast, and it is not limited to the Central Plains."

"General, you have traversed mountains and rivers, shaking the Five Sacred Mountains. Your valiant spirit is unparalleled throughout history. You possess such talent, yet you only have eyes for the small state of Chu. Don't you think that's a bit of a waste?"

Xiang Yu's slender, jade-like hands clenched slightly, and she remained silent for a moment.

As an ambitious general, the allure of expanding territory and achieving great deeds is irresistible to anyone, and she was no exception.

It is foreseeable that if she can conquer the places Bai Su mentioned and incorporate them into the Central Plains territory, then...

Her fame will last for eternity, becoming an insurmountable peak for future military commanders, which will be an unparalleled glory for any general.

At that time, she will not only fulfill her childhood promise to Yu Ji and become the greatest general in the world, but also become a general unparalleled in the history books of the Central Plains.

To say I had absolutely no thoughts about it would be a lie.

However, it was simply too difficult for her to let go of her long-held beliefs and prejudices against the Great Xia and defect to the enemy camp in the short term.

Bai Su smiled and said, "General, there's no need to rush to answer. You can think about it slowly. Once you've figured it out, you can come to my residence anytime. The gates of the Bai residence are always open to you."

After saying this, he put down his wine cup, cupped his hands to Xiang Yu, offered him a small cup, and then turned and left.

Xiang Yu looked out the window at Bai Su's receding figure on the street, his delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly, his expression complex.

She couldn't help but murmur, "The promise of the greatest general in the world, Yu Ji, what should I do?"