The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 125 The truth of the matter

Sun Ce disregarded all notions of humility and etiquette, directly accepting the paper from Man Chong. He opened it and, after less than five seconds, his expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "What!"

Huang Gai and Zhang Zhao, who were standing nearby, didn't know what had happened, so they quickly went up to ask Sun Ce. Sun Ce handed the paper to Zhang Zhao and Huang Gai with a disappointed expression. When the two of them received the information and read the words on it, they seemed to feel as if they were carrying a heavy burden, and their hands trembled as they held the paper.

"I never expected it, I never expected it, that the culprit that caused the old lord's death would be that thing." Huang Gai said dejectedly.

"What's even more despicable is that Yuan Shu, who actually instigated the Yue people to attack the entire Jiangdong region because of that item, plunging Jiangdong into a bloodbath," Zhang Zhao murmured.

Man Chong remained silent. Now was not the time for him to make his move. The later he spoke, the more advantageous it would be for him.

Everyone turned to look at Sun Ce, who then asked Man Chong, "Does Your Excellency know the contents of the letter?"

Man Chong nodded and said, "I have full authorization from His Highness Prince Wei."

"I wonder what proof you have to prove the authenticity of this message, sir?" Sun Ce probed Man Chong. Although he had basically believed the matter when he saw the words "please take care" and "imperial seal," he still did not completely trust the paper in his hand, after all, he was not sure of Chen Er's intentions.

Man Chong raised his head and said, "Isn't the matter of the Imperial Seal enough to prove the truth of this matter? If the Prefect doesn't believe it, then how does the Prefect explain those musketeers among the Yue people? I don't need to say it, the Prefect understands that with the technology of the Yue people, it is impossible to manufacture such similar weapons."

“I believe you!” Sun Ce slumped into the chair behind him, “I never imagined Yuan Shu would be this kind of person.”

“My lord, Yuan Shu is a man we cannot change. The most important thing now is how to avenge the old governor,” Man Chong said.

Sun Ce laughed and said, "This is probably what His Highness the King of Wei really wants. But what does it matter if I'm used, as long as I can avenge my father?"

Man Chong smiled and said, "His Highness Prince Wei often taught us: 'If a person doesn't even have the right to be used by others, then no matter how capable that person is, he won't achieve anything great. He's just a useless person to others.'"

"Excellent! Your Highness, the Prince of Wei, speaks with great insight and clarity."

Following this, Sun Ce had a detailed discussion with Man Chong. Man Chong also mentioned Chen Er's idea of ​​using the Imperial Seal to trick Yuan Shu out of his troops and supplies. Sun Ce was initially reluctant to accept this idea, as the Imperial Seal had cost him his life in an instant, and he was unwilling to give it away like this.

However, Man Chong's words deeply provoked Sun Ce, who realized that this was the best idea. It was amazing that the wheels of history, under Chen Er's manipulation, were slowly turning back to their original course. However, since they were from different worlds, it couldn't really be called the wheels of history anymore. Chen Er was just setting Yuan Shu up as a target, and at the same time, he wanted to limit the development speed of the Sun family's Jiangdong.

At the same time, Man Chong also told Sun Ce about some of Chen Er's plans regarding the Yue people. He said that the Yue people could be used, and since Yuan Shu could use them, they could also use them to attack Yuan Shu.

Sun Ce had always acted in this way, and so Man Chong completed his southward mission at an unexpectedly fast pace and was ready to head north to return home.

Of course, Man Chong was unaware that after he left, Sun Ce, Zhang Zhao, and others held another meeting regarding Man Chong and Chen Er's intentions, and at the same time, they developed a strong interest in the three large ships that were being observed at the river mouth.

"Ironclad ships," that's what the autonomous region's navy calls its warships, and it truly lives up to the name, as they are indeed all armored. "However, it seems they don't call themselves a navy, but rather a navy," Huang Gai said.

“Such warships would pose a great threat to our navy in the future, and Jiangdong must also possess such warships,” Sun Ce said firmly.

However, none of this was known to Man Chong. Even if he knew, it wouldn't matter, because these three warships were just experimental vessels, not fully-fledged ironclads. The next day, Man Chong received a notification from Sun Ce that Zhang Zhao would be returning to Yuyang with him to discuss some matters with Chen Er in detail.

Man Chong had no objection to Sun Ce sending his own envoy. He boarded the ironclad warship with Zhang Zhao and a dozen guards, and began his journey north. Man Chong was miserable. He had spent more than a month traveling back and forth, and only spent three days on land. He was truly born to be hardworking.

And so, Man Chong took Zhang Zhao back to Yuyang by boat after more than half a month. Unfortunately, the northwest monsoon in winter made it impossible for the boat to sail back with the wind, so it could only slowly rock back. At this time, the steam power on the ship finally played a huge role. Without it, the warship would never have been able to sail so smoothly in this season.

"Bo Ning, you've really had a hard time." After listening to Man Chong's brief account, Chen Er could tell that Man Chong had had a difficult journey. Chen Er said to Man Chong, "Tomorrow morning, I will go and see this Zhang Zhao. I want to see what else Sun Ce wants from me."

While Chen Er and Man Chong were discussing the matter, in Jianye County in the south, Sun Ce had already made preparations to send troops. Following Chen Er's advice, the day after Man Chong left, Sun Ce sent someone to Shouchun, pretending to be completely unaware of what was happening, to borrow troops and supplies from Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu was a fool and completely ignored the advice of his strategist, pretending that Sun Ce was completely unaware of what he was doing. Coupled with the temptation of the Imperial Seal, Yuan Shu generously lent Sun Ce 5,000 musketeers, 3,000 spearmen, and 50,000 dan of grain.

It has to be said that Yuan Shu was truly wealthy at this time. Although it was called a loan of troops, both parties knew it was a business transaction—a willing seller and a willing buyer. Although Yuan Shu was stingy, he valued his reputation and offered no discounts in his deal with Sun Ce. Sun Ce, after his conversation with Man Chong and his father's experience, naturally knew that what he had was a hot potato and was unwilling to hold onto it. Not only did Sun Ce not have that idea at the moment, but in his view, even if he did, what did the Imperial Seal of the State matter? As long as he had enough strength, it didn't matter whether he had it or not. Only a fool like Yuan Shu would take this seriously.