Nine hundred craftsmen, craftsmen that could repair ships. These people were the lowest class in Jiangdong. Craftsmen were the lowest class in Jiangdong. If they were to be counted, they would not be worth more than a thousand gold. But don't forget! These craftsmen were craftsmen that could repair ships and build ships. Each of them had their own unique skills. It must be known that in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the era of technology was very backward. At that time, everyone was still fighting in the rivers. Jiangdong was already able to enter the sea. Although they were only going along the coastline, the risk was not the same. If they were not careful, the entire fleet could be destroyed. Even in modern times, navigation was still a skill. Even a thousand years later, when the Yuan Empire's territory spanned across Europe and Asia, they had countless craftsmen. They built a navy, but when they attacked the Japanese, they were completely wiped out due to the strong winds.
The reason why the Jiangdong Navy was able to move freely in the Yangtze River was because their ships were very good. They were even better than the old navy of Jingzhou. Every craftsmen in Jiangdong were strictly controlled. These people were the key to Jiangdong's domination of the waters.
Sun Ce would never allow these craftsmen to leave. Once these craftsmen went to Cao Cao or other warlords, it meant that they would lose their advantage in ships. The Lvbu's Army wanted these craftsmen. Lü Bu wanted to build warships!
In the entire Yangtze River, or even in the entire world, only Liu Biao, Jiangdong's Sun Ce, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shao could build ships.
However, only Jiangdong's Sun Ce treated craftsmen as treasures. Cao Cao's main goal was to pacify the Central Plains. He could not focus on naval warfare. This was also why during the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao was tricked by Pang Tong and used iron chains. This is a naval battle. If you tie up all the warships with iron chains, isn't this a 360-degree attack without any blind spots?
Yuan Shao also had his own navy, but he looked down on them. In his opinion, the navy was only used for transportation. They were only responsible for transporting the army to the land. The army was the one who would attack the city and seize the fort. Moreover, Yuan Shao had so many soldiers under his command that he didn't care about fake reviewers at all!
Liu Biao of Jingzhou also attached great importance to the Internet Water Army. However, the Internet Water Army was basically controlled by the Cai Family and the Zhang family, so it was very limited!
The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry of the Lvbu's Army could be considered as the kings of land battles. Anyone who encountered the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry would have a headache! Ten thousand Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry had once caused the Eighteen Warlords to be unable to move an inch at Hulao Pass. Eight hundred Formation Breaker dared to fight against ten thousand soldiers. Now, the Formation Breaker had five thousand soldiers! Although Gao Shun didn't like to boast, Gao Shun was confident that as long as it wasn't an army of a hundred thousand, he, Gao Shun, was not afraid at all! The City Guard, the Black Flag Army, and even the Danyang soldiers were under Lü Bu's command. Sun Ce's Jiangdong Army had seen these soldiers before! The power of these soldiers was even stronger than Sun Ce's elite soldiers! This was the strength of the Lvbu's Army!
The reason why Sun Ce was not afraid of Lü Bu was because of the Yangtze River's natural barrier, the power of the navy, and the construction of warships! He knew that Wancheng City and even the entire Lujiang didn't have any shipyards to build warships. There wasn't even a single craftsman. That was because after occupying Lujiang, Sun Ce took all the craftsmen and shipyards to Jiangdong. In Huaiji, there were many shipyards and craftsmen! Not only did they build warships, they also built ordinary cargo ships! These ships were the main source of water transportation.
Although Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Sun Ce of Jiangdong were at war, it had nothing to do with the merchants. You fight the war, they do the business! As long as it didn't involve military equipment, both sides tacitly agreed. After all, everyone wanted to survive. Jingzhou had salt and iron, but Jiangdong had food!
If Lü Bu had so many craftsmen, coupled with a shipyard, then the Lvbu's Army would have the ability to build ships. They would have one more enemy on the Yangtze River. This enemy was the one who defeated them outside Wancheng City's navy camp!
Their fighting power was strong, but their ships were their shortcoming. The Lvbu's Army lost one ship, but Jiangdong could continuously build new ships. The relationship between the Lvbu's Army and Sun Cejun was like the relationship between Japan and the United States during World War II! The Japanese Navy was very strong. They even attacked Pearl Harbor and sent the United States' Pacific Fleet into the sea. However, Japan's shipbuilding ability could not be compared to the United States. The United States' East and West Coasts worked day and night. After half a year, a Pacific Fleet that was several times stronger than before was once again integrated into the Navy. The Japanese could only build ships that were sunk. In the end, the Japanese could only be defeated!
The biggest consequence of giving the craftsmen to the Lvbu's Army was that the Lvbu's Army's navy would no longer be limited. Although it was difficult to form a navy into an army! However, don't forget that Lü Bu had a weapon in his hands! A weapon that could send 30,000 of the Jiangdong Navy to the bottom of the river unscathed. With such a weapon and the ability to build warships, who would be a match for Lu Bu's Army on the surface of the river?
"Impossible!" Zhang Zhao did not hesitate to refuse. Even if he did not want any of the nine nobles, he would not give the craftsmen to the Lvbu's Army! Losing the nobles would only mean losing the hearts of the nobles. However, losing the craftsmen would mean losing the entire Jiangdong!
"You really can't talk about it?" Yang Hong also knew that this matter was difficult. As long as the Jiangdong Army was not a fool, they would not call out the craftsmen. However, Lü Bu had ordered Yang Hong to find the craftsmen. Otherwise, the Lvbu's Army would be trapped in Jiangbei. Even if Jingzhou Liu Biao and Jiangdong Sun Ce were to fight to the death, Lü Bu would not be able to benefit from it.
If it was a few years ago, craftsmen wouldn't be a problem. There weren't many craftsmen in Yangzhou and Yuzhou, but there were a lot of craftsmen who were skilled in shipbuilding. These people needed to earn a living, and in places near rivers, they needed ships. Naturally, there was an additional need for craftsmen. At that time, one gold could hire dozens or even hundreds of craftsmen. Now, one gold couldn't even find one! This was because most of the craftsmen had been taken back by Jiangdong Sun Ce and Jingzhou Liu Biao. They were the overlords of the river. Naturally, they did not want any latecomers to occupy their position. Therefore, the best way to control the navy was to use ships! If you don't have a warship, how can you form an army? Are you going to use a bamboo boat to fight with me?
"Absolutely impossible!" Just like how the Northern Warlords did not allow the warhorses to flow to the South, the Southern Warlords would not allow the craftsmen to flow to the North! These were the trump cards in their hands. How could they hand them over so easily?
"Then there is no other way!" Yang Hong shook his head. "What a pity. Then we can only talk to Jingzhou Liu Biao's Army and see if we can get the craftsmen."
"You don't have to threaten me! I already said that we can withdraw from Jiangxia. At that time, Jingzhou Liu Biao will not wholeheartedly help you deal with Jiangdong! You can't get the craftsmen in Jiangdong, so you want to get them in Jingzhou! You are simply daydreaming! " Zhang Zhao directly reprimanded Yang Hong. How could the Jingzhou Navy hand over the craftsmen? How could he not know that Sun Ce was a fierce tiger. The Lvbu's Army was also not to be trifled with. If the Lvbu's Army could attack Sun Ce, then why can't they attack Jingzhou? Then how did they attack Huang She? Even now, Huang She was still in the hands of the Lvbu's Army!
"Who said Liu Jingzhou is not willing! Liu Jingzhou has already sent a messenger over. He said that he wants our ballistae. Ai, there are a lot of conditions! The craftsmen is just one of them! "Yang Hong had a look of pity as he was about to leave.
"Wait!" Zhang Zhao suddenly stopped Yang Hong. "What did you just say? Ballistae? "
"No, no. You heard wrong. I did not say anything!" This time, Yang Hong was unwilling to answer. He waved his hand. "Mr. Zhang Zhao, you can return to Jiangdong tomorrow! My Lord has already ordered General Gan Ning to return to Jiangxia. Lu Su and the captives that are willing to return with you, you can also bring them back! Don't forget to bring back our captives! Then, I will take my leave! "Yang Hong cupped his fist and was about to leave.
Zhang Zhao's first thought was that he could not let Yang Hong go. This was because Yang Hong's words were too frightening! The ballistae, the weapon that sent 30,000 Jiangdong Navy into the Yangtze River to feed the turtles. The Lvbu's Army actually wanted to negotiate with Jingzhou's Liu Biao! If only Lü Bu had the ballistae, then the Jiangdong Army would not have to worry. After all, the Lvbu's Army did not know how to build a ship. Moreover, the Lvbu's Army's navy was not a match for the Jiangdong Navy. Lü Bu's navy's deterrence ability was much stronger than its actual combat ability! Therefore, Jingzhou's Liu Biao was still a great enemy of the Jiangdong Army. The Lvbu's Army was just waiting to be dealt with in the end! However, once Jingzhou's Liu Biao sent people to negotiate with the Lvbu's Army, he mentioned that he wanted the ballistae. Although Yang Hong denied it, the more he denied it, the more likely it was. If Jingzhou's Liu Biao obtained the ballistae, Zhang Zhao did not dare to imagine what would happen. Jingzhou's shipbuilding ability was not worse than Jiangdong's. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the 18 warlords besieged Dong Zhuo, the Luoyang Rebellion, the Chang 'an Rebellion, and Yuan Shu declared himself the Emperor. Other places were at war, but only Jingzhou was truly peaceful. Even if there was war, it was in Wancheng, Jiang Xia. It did not affect places like Xiangyang or Changsha. Even Jiangdong was only truly peaceful in recent years. Moreover, there was also the problem of Shanyue in Jiangdong. If this problem was not solved, then Jiangdong would not be able to stabilize! Therefore, a large number of talents and commoners poured into Jingzhou, including those craftsmen who knew how to build ships. In addition, Jingzhou was a large shipbuilding production area. In Xiangyang and Jiang Xia, every place near the Yangtze River did not have a dock. This was the reason why Jiangdong was able to fight until now. Originally, although the Jingzhou Navy had a lot of warships, their soldiers were not as strong as the Jiangdong Navy. After all, there were too many people who knew how to train soldiers in Jiangdong. In the Jiangxia Navy, only Wen Pin, Huang Zu, Cai Mao, and Zhang Yun had a few people!
Huang Zu, Cai Mao, and Zhang Yun were all old! How could Wen Pin alone support all the generals and scholars in Jiangdong?
However, if Jingzhou obtained the ballistae, it would change the situation. Jingzhou did not lack warships or craftsmen. The Lvbu's Army only had 20 ships to send 30,000 soldiers to the bottom of the river. Jingzhou had hundreds of warships. If Liu Biao wanted to, he could build more at any time. If these ships were equipped with the ballistae, the Jiangdong Navy would not be able to survive. The Jiangdong Navy could trade with the Lvbu's Army for one to ten, but what about the Jingzhou Navy? How could Jiangdong have hundreds of thousands of navy soldiers? If they had that many navy soldiers, they would have already destroyed Liu Biao. Why would they wait until now? Even if the Jiangdong Army was outnumbered one to one, they would not be able to handle it. After all, Zhou Yu only had 30,000 soldiers to fight against the 70,000 Jingzhou Navy.
"But what good will it do for you if the Jiangdong Navy is destroyed?" Zhang Zhao was still a bit cold. If the Jiangdong Navy was destroyed, then the entire Yangtze River would be in the hands of Liu Biao. It would not benefit Lü Bu at all. Liu Biao could even block the route and trap Lü Bu in Lujiang.
"Why worry?" Yang Hong shook his head. "If it is blocked, then it is blocked! In any case, we do not have a lot of navy soldiers. Previously, we were also blocked by the Jiangdong Navy in Wan Cheng. Do you think the Jingzhou Navy can go ashore and fight with the Lvbu's Army? Moreover, does Liu Biao dare to do so? Jiangdong can rely on natural barriers to hide on the other side of the Yangtze River, but Jingzhou is not on the other side of the Yangtze River! " Yang Hong was right. Now that the Yangtze River was blocked by the Jiangdong Army, Liu Biao was just a replacement. Moreover, Sun Cejun blocked the Yangtze River and could attack Wan Cheng at any time. On the other hand, Liu Biao would not. Not to mention that Liu Biao had no ambition, even if he had the Jingzhou Army, he would not be a match for the Lvbu's Army. Sun Ce could not do anything to Lü Bu, let alone Liu Biao.
Moreover, Jingzhou Liu Biao would not dare to attack Wan Cheng. Jiangdong Sun Ce was not afraid. If he won, he would drive Lü Bu out of Lujiang. If he lost, he would withdraw his army. With the Yangtze River as a natural barrier, the Lvbu's Army could not fly over and attack him. But Jingzhou Liu Biao was different. He still had a territory in Jiangbei. The nearest was Jiangxia. The further one was Jingling Xinye. The nearest one was Huangzhou, which was recently captured by the Lvbu's Army. How could Liu Biao dare to directly attack Lü Bu?
"Elder Yang, Mr. Yang Hong, Brother Yang, Brother Yang!" Zhang Zhao began to be shameless. Seeing that Yang Hong was about to leave, he directly grabbed Yang Hong's arm. "Brother Yang, don't go! Let's continue to talk! "
"Mr. Zhang Zhao is not willing! My lord gave me a condition of craftsmen to build ships. If you do not have craftsmen, then there is nothing to talk about! " Yang Hong was very indifferent. If he took out the ballistae, not only would Jingzhou Liu Biao panic, but Jiangdong would also be restless. After all, they had already suffered a loss from the ballistae! That was an army of 30,000 soldiers, not 30,000 pigs. Among them, there were 10,000 elites. Ten thousand years ago, Zhou Yu and the 70,000 soldiers of the Jingzhou Navy in Jiangxia were elites. Even if there were 30,000 pigs, there would still be one or two that would bite people. But the 30,000 soldiers did not even have the chance to spit out a mouthful of saliva before they were finished!
"Good discussion, good discussion!" Zhang Zhao was helpless. He didn't want to rely on Yang Hong. If he did, then all the initiative would be in Yang Hong's hands. It can be said that now Zhang Zhao could only use words to reduce the number of Yang Hong's request and not directly refuse.
"Then 100 craftsmen!" Yang Hong struck while the iron was hot. Craftsmen were the foundation of all negotiations. Lu Bu did not want to be trapped on land. What he wanted was to be a fierce tiger on land and a flood dragon in the rivers. Therefore, the matter of shipbuilding had to be brought up early. Moreover, it also needed to build a dock and so on. It would definitely take a lot of time. And now, how much time did the world give Lu Bu? Yuan Shao and Cao Cao's confrontation in Guandu was on the verge of a war. Jingzhou Liu Biao and Sun Ce were also in full swing in Jiangxia. Now was the best time to develop. If they missed it, then it would be really difficult for the Lvbu's Army to rise again!
"Okay, I can write a letter for the 900 craftsmen and let my lord arrange for it to be sent over!" Zhang Zhao no longer said that it was impossible or directly refused. This was because the bargaining chip given by the Lvbu's Army was too big. It was so big that it could overturn Jiangdong and make Sun Ce's years of hard work go to waste. Therefore, Zhang Zhao had to agree. Even if Sun Ce was unwilling, he still had to agree.
"That would be for the best! Since we have already discussed it, I will leave and report to my lord. Goodbye! " Yang Hong said as he was about to leave.
"Mr. Yang Hong, don't!" "How could Zhang Zhao let Yang Hong go? Zhang Zhao agreed to the 900 craftsmen because of the ballistae. If the craftsmen were taken away by Jingzhou Liu Biao, then everything would be in vain!" Yang Hong did not know about the ballistae! “
"Ballistae? That is our army's weapon. It is a killing weapon! " Yang Hong explained to Zhang Zhao in a methodical manner, exaggerating the ballista to the heavens! Zhang Zhao did not know about this! He also knew that the ballistae were powerful and could even shoot through a ship. However, he could not exaggerate it like that! Saying that one arrow could travel a hundred li? That was not a ballistae but a missile (if Zhang Zhao knew what a missile was).
"Name your price, Mr. Yang Hong!" Zhang Zhao said to Yang Hong. His gaze was fixed on Yang Hong. It could be said that Zhang Zhao's main reason for coming here was to inquire about the ballistae. This thing was too big of a threat to Jiangdong.
"Not for sale, not for sale. This is the country's weapon. How can I sell it!" Yang Hong showed a firm expression. He was not selling. This look was very confusing. It was as if this thing was not for sale. No matter how high the price was, he would not sell it!
Not for sale? What are you talking about, Jingzhou Liu Biao? If you are not selling, why did you take it out to seduce Zhang Zhao? His expression was so firm. His face was so thick that he did not even blush when lying.
In fact, Yang Hong really did not want to sell this ballista. This ballista has only been used 3 times. The first time it almost killed Sun Ce. The second time it pierced through a wall. The third time it was even more powerful and directly killed Sun Ce's 30,000 navy. This kind of ballista should be kept in the palm of one's hand until the last moment when it is used to deal a fatal blow to the enemy. It should not be sold to the highest bidder. However, Liu Mang was the head of the house. If the young lord was determined to sell it, Yang Hong could not do anything about it.
"Mr. Yang Hong, as long as Jiangdong has it, you can ask for it!" Zhang Zhao spent a lot of money. Even if he had to take out 10,000 gold, he would still buy it. This way, Jiangdong's stability could be guaranteed. Everyone had seen the power of the ballistae. If he could obtain it, the Jiangdong Navy would be like a tiger that had grown wings. The situation in Jiangxia would change. The Jingzhou Navy would not be able to resist the Jiangdong Navy equipped with the ballistae.
After taking over Jingzhou, he would settle the grudges with the Lvbu's Army.
"10,000 gold!" Yang Hong opened his mouth. He was asking for an exorbitant price. The nine nobles were only worth 9,000 gold, but the ballistae cost 10,000 gold.
"Okay!" Zhang Zhao gritted his teeth and said. Ten thousand gold was now in Kuiji's mansion. Ten thousand gold was originally for Jiangdong to continue buying warhorses from Liaodong. It was also for provisions. Now, he had to take it out.
"Haha!" Yang Hong did not say the 10,000 gold number casually. It was a number given to him by Chen Gong. He slowly got the information from the nine nobles and found out where the taxes were going. One was for provisions and the other was for warhorses.
"Also, 2,000 shipbuilders! No, let's add it to the previous ones and make it three thousand! " Yang Hong continued to increase the price. Three thousand craftsmen and ten thousand gold in exchange for the ballista technology.
"3,000 shipbuilders!" Zhang Zhao was stunned. 3,000 shipbuilders! One must know how many shipbuilders there were in Jiangdong. Even then, there were less than 10,000 shipbuilders. Now, Zhang Zhao felt that he had fallen into a trap.
"Can it be less?" Zhang Zhao carefully asked. "It is difficult for Jiangdong to take out so much in such a short time! “
"Then forget it!" Yang Hong shook his head. He did not want to haggle with Zhang Zhao. "There is only one blueprint for the ballista. It is very complicated. If I want to draw it again, it will take at least half a month. Let's sell it to Liu Jingzhou first. When General Sun Ce has the money, we can come back!"
A blueprint for half a month? If Jing Province's Liu Biao gets his hands on the ballista first, there will be a lot of changes in half a month. Once Liu Biao loads the ballista on his warship, it will become a nightmare for Sun Ce's Army. Even if Jiangdong gets his hands on the ballista, Zhou Yu's 30,000 navy will be lost. Jiangdong could not afford to pay this price.
"Fine!" Zhang Zhao finally knew that he was being slaughtered like a pig. But there was no other way. Who told them to lose the war? Who told the 30,000 pigs to be sent to the Yangtze River? Now, Zhang Zhao hated Jiang Qin and Lu Su to death. Why didn't the two of them stay in Wancheng Citadel? Why did they have to come out and fight the enemy on the Yangtze River? All of them were sent to the bottom of the river to be fed to the turtles! Zhang Zhao was so angry that he became muddle-headed. One must know that they had 30,000 soldiers while the enemy only had 7,000 soldiers. The decisive battle on the river was Jiang Qin's provocation. Jiang Qin had never seen a ballista before. He did not think that such a thing could change the outcome of a battle.
"However, Brother Yang Hong, I have a request. That is, the first blueprint must be given to Jiangdong. Even if you have other blueprints, you must give them to Jingzhou after a month."
"This is not easy! They are giving you money in one go. If you do not sell it to them, it will not be good! "Yang Hong was in a difficult position.
"Plus 500 craftsmen. I only ask that Brother Yang Hong keep your promise and not give the blueprint to Liu Biao. After a month, you can do whatever you want!" Zhang Zhao wanted to make the ballistae within a month. After that, the situation in Jiangxia would be settled. Even if Jingzhou was obtained, as long as the Jiangdong Army defended Red Cliff, Liu Biao would have no choice but to retreat.
"It is still not possible!"
"Plus 100!"
"How can this be! You must know that our Lvbu's Army is honest! "
"Two hundred!"
"Three hundred!"
"I will give you a total of 4,000! If Brother Yang Hong continues like this, then Zhao will be helpless! "
"Good! Since Brother Zhang Zhao has said so, if I do not give you face, then I will look down on Brother Zhang Zhao! Four thousand, four thousand it is! I, Yang Hong, will risk being scolded by the lord to help Brother Zhang Zhao delay for a month! " Yang Hong gnashed his teeth as if he was making a big sacrifice. But in fact, he was laughing in his heart. Isn't it just a month? I promised you that I will not give you the blueprint, but you did not stop me from not giving you the real thing! I will just give Liu Biao a ballista and it will be fine! There will be an extra 1,000 craftsmen.
Both sides reached an agreement and were naturally happy. Zhang Zhao was happy because although he had to sacrifice a lot, with the ballistae, he could take over Jiang Xia. Using the whole of Jiang Xia was a small price compared to this. Even if he gave out 4,000 craftsmen, the Lü Bu Navy would not develop as fast as him. It must be known that Sun Cejun would not give 4,000 craftsmen to the advanced craftsmen. They were only good at repairing ships.
Now that Zhang Zhao had the ballistae, it could be said that the threat of the Lü Bu Navy to the Jiangdong Navy had disappeared. With the hundreds of warships in Jiangdong, who could be his opponent in the Yangtze River? When the time comes, he could directly block the Lvbu's Army on the Yangtze River and block Liu Biao's Navy at Red Cliff before dealing with the Lü Bu Navy.
Yang Hong was also happy! Originally, Chen Gong and Lü Bu gave a minimum of 2,000 craftsmen and the families of the Danyang soldiers. Only with 2,000 craftsmen could they develop the Navy and the families of the Danyang soldiers be at ease. But now! 4,000 craftsmen was double the amount and 19,000 gold. This was comparable to a year of Lujiang's taxes. How could he not be happy?
The two of them complemented each other at the banquet. You call me brother and I call you elder brother! They were happy and harmonious. Who would know that a few hours ago, the two of them were arguing with each other. The Lords behind them were furious and tens of thousands of soldiers were killed or injured. There were only eternal benefits between the Lords and no eternal enemies!
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