Mythical Three Kingdoms

At the moment when Zhou Yu was stabilizing the fleet, a few small dots appeared on the southern horizon, and Zhou Yu couldn’t help but frown. It was not a good time for a fleet to appear.

”General Cheng, have your men set up the defensive formation. Our fleet is not particularly suited for naval combat.” Zhou Yu frowned slightly and instructed Cheng Pu, not particularly fearful, as he was confident in his abilities in naval warfare.

”Yes!” Cheng Pu, who had followed Sunx Jian for many years and then Sonx Ce, was already impressed by Zhou Yu’s prowess and had long since submitted, so he immediately arranged for the fleet to be maneuvered into a defensive stance upon Zhou Yu’s orders.

”Oh, up ahead we’ve actually encountered fellow travelers.” Zhao Zun said with a smile as he gazed into the northern sea, ”I reckon they are also aristocratic families heading north.”

”Probably. Actually, the battle at the Northern Frontier was not only due to the hatred between the Han and the Huns, but also because some aristocratic families needed a testament.” Yuan Hui said, leaning against his boat rail with a smile, ”But whatever the reason, ceasing internal strife and uniting against external threats is greatly beneficial to the entire Central Plains.”

Zhao Zun nodded. As a prominent figure of the Xuzhou Zhao Family and now the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, he had been given the task of handling this mission. Otherwise, such a heavy responsibility wouldn’t have been entrusted to him alone, especially with just Yuan Hui’s application, potentially mobilizing a large number of ships, which no single member of the chamber could bear alone.

”At least this way, we can clearly demonstrate that we of the Han Dynasty are still united. Even though we fight fiercely among ourselves, we are like brothers when facing external threats.” Yuan Hui said with a smile, ”Let’s go, hoist the flag and go greet them, to travel together.”

”Chamber of Commerce ships?” Cheng Pu was relieved as he read the semaphore translated by his flagman, ordering the removal of the heightened defense, maintaining only regular vigilance.

However, before the two sides could close in, Yuan Hui and Zhao Zun discovered that the fleet ahead consisted of flat-bottomed boats. It was well known among merchants that it was best not to use flat-bottomed boats for sea routes, as they wobble heavily on the sea and easily capsize.

”Hoist the main flag.” Upon hearing Cheng Pu’s report, Zhou Yu nodded and ordered his sailors to put up the flags, soon raising a large ”Sun” flag and a ”Zhou” flag.

”...” Zhao Zun was unfamiliar with these flags. Although he was from Xuzhou, he hadn’t spent recent years in Yanzhou and Qingzhou, so he had no particular impression of Sun Family’s flags. Yuan Hui, however, immediately understood whose ships they were.

The merchant ships were generally slower than warships, and flatboats should have been faster, but the rough seas were making it difficult. Zhou Yu’s riverboats were difficult to keep from capsizing as it was, making faster travel challenging. Thus, after One Quarter Hour, Zhou Yu’s navy was overtaken by the Chamber of Commerce’s fleet.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Yu’s face darkened. How could warships be overtaken by merchant ships? Nevertheless, given the circumstances, Zhou Yu did nothing rash.

”Are these the Yangzhou General’s ships?” Yuan Hui called out as the two fleets were about to pass each other.

”Indeed!” replied Wen Pin, who was on the right flank of the defense.

”I am a friend of Shi Weiyan, Inspector of Jiaozhou, and upon hearing that you were heading north to confront the Huns, I brought a transport of two hundred thousand bushels of select rice, one hundred thousand pounds of meat, one hundred carts of fine wine, and twenty boxes of jewels to present to the mighty lord waging war against the Huns, not expecting to meet you here!” Yuan Hui shouted from his boat rail.

Although the sound of the waves was loud, Yuan Hui’s shout reached the ears of many sailors, surprising Wen Pin.

”Then I thank Inspector Shi for his assistance.” Always quick to react, Wen Pin immediately replied.

”No need for formalities, your ships are not suited for sea travel. You’d better plan ahead. We intend to head to Donglai to unload our cargo. Where are you headed? Liaodong or Lelang?” Yuan Hui inquired but did not explicitly ask if they would go to Donglai.

By this point, the message had reached Zhou Yu, who immediately instructed Wen Pin to respond truthfully.

”We also plan to go to Donglai for some rest before using Donglai Harbor as a springboard to head to Liaodong,” Wen Pin responded truthfully after receiving Zhou Yu’s message.

Yuan Hui and Zhao Zun exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to make of the situation.

”We have already communicated with Grand Commandant Liu. Yangzhou, Qingzhou, both are part of the Thirteen Prefectures of Great Han, sharing the same bloodline. Regarding the Hu people, our stance is entirely consistent. We will change to sea ships in Donglai to proceed to Liaodong,” Wen Pin declared loudly.

Yuan Hui and Zhao Zun exchanged glances, somewhat incredulous. After some thought, although unexpected, it seemed entirely possible. After all, everyone agreed on their stance towards foreign clans; no one could betray their own kind.

”Should we help them block the wind and waves? If they capsize, they’d all be our own people.” Yuan Hui turned his head to Zhao Zun and said.

”Of course, they’re our own people, it’s just a small effort.” Zhao Zun replied without much hesitation.

”Your boats, being flat-bottomed, are more prone to rocking with the waves. We have ropes here to tie your ships with ours, and we’ll block the waves for you on the right side,” Zhao Zun instructed his men to shout towards Wen Pin’s direction.

This shows experience. Initially, sea voyages were made with flat-bottomed boats, which easily overturned. Merchants carried cargo by binding ships together and using sea ships to block the waves. This was a method frequently used by the Tian Family’s steward, Tian Tian.

Other merchants were quite satisfied with this multi-cargo method, as sea ships were much more expensive than riverboats. Giving up previously bought riverboats for sea transport was difficult for merchants.

Later, after Tian Tian invented this method, many merchants followed suit. As they said, if one boat could carry a load, it translated to money.

Similarly, large merchants equipped their sea ships with these tools, occasionally picking up a group inexperienced in sea transport, thinking the sea and large rivers were the same thing, to help them out as an easy favor. A friend today could be a valuable contact tomorrow. Who knows the extent of good fortune an opportunity could bring?

Everyone knew that years ago, Chen Xi had tried to stop Liu Bei’s army from joining forces. If Liu Bei had been in a bad mood and had driven Chen Xi away, or worse, killed him, the world would have changed dramatically.

So, carrying out small gestures of goodwill to cultivate some good relations wasn’t a big deal. Who knows what the future would bring?

But let’s be honest, typically a feudal lord would turn away a scholar seeking to join forces with the army. Eccentrics like Liu Bei were rare, and sometimes personality determined one’s destiny.