"I'm afraid it won't be easy to cover it up." Gongsun Bu shook his head.
Niu Youdao asked, "Reason?"
Gongsun Bu said, "We investigated according to your instructions, but we couldn't find anything. You were also certain that the other party would use ships to transport the horses, so our disciples found experienced fishermen who often went out to sea to ask about it. We asked many old fishermen along the coastline, but because the Kingdom of Qi forbids the private sale of warhorses, we've never heard of any ships that specialize in transporting horses. "
Niu Youdao asked, "If there's no specialized ship, can't it be a cargo ship?"
Gongsun Bu shook his head. "We have the same question. According to the experienced old men, normal cargo ships can't carry the horses. It's not that they can't fit, but most of the horses are used to living on land, so they won't be used to floating on ships or at sea. They'll show symptoms, and it'll be a problem if they're crammed together. That's why they need to be separated and cared for by experienced horse breeders. If we want to transport them in large quantities, the interior of the cargo ship must be modified. "
"Our men checked some suspicious ships along the coastline, but didn't find any that had been modified internally. According to Daoye, I'm afraid it's not something that can be solved with a few ships. We need a large number of ships. We can't possibly build a large number of ships just for these horses, right? To build a large cargo ship that can go out to sea, we need specialized shipbuilders. It's not possible to build one in a short period of time, and the possibility of building a large number of ships is even smaller. Furthermore, we haven't found any similar ships. "
"Our men walked along the coastline and eliminated the places where ships can't dock. We've sent people to patrol the areas where ships can only dock every day. If we don't have enough manpower, we might miss something and not be able to discover it in time. But if we have a large number of ships, we should be able to discover it. So for now, we haven't found the situation that Daoye mentioned. "
"Daoye, could it be that your information is wrong?"
Niu Youdao pondered in silence. Although Shang Chaozong wanted to form a special cavalry unit, the Northern Region was huge. He would need more warhorses than Shang Chaozong. Since Shao Pingbo had the means to get his hands on them, he would not be stingy. That fellow's ambition should be at least ten thousand warhorses.
After pondering for a while, he asked, "Gongsun, I have never come into contact with the ships of the other nations. Can you help me estimate how many ships would be needed to fit ten thousand warhorses?"
While Gongsun Bu was thinking, Black Peony interrupted, "Daoye, us loose cultivators often go overseas to search for spirit herbs. We've traveled the seas many times, so we have a general idea of what ships are like."
Niu Youdao nodded and turned to look at her. "Tell me about it then."
Black Peony said, "Ten thousand warhorses … it depends on the size of the ship. If it's a small ship, it's very dangerous to travel long distances on the sea. The situation on the sea is unpredictable. If there are big waves, the small ship can easily capsize. Horses are not goods and cannot be piled up. They must be given a certain amount of space. Small ships can only carry a few, so it's not very possible to use small ships to transport so many warhorses. "
Niu Youdao nodded. "That makes sense! How many can a large ship carry? "
Black Peony said, "The largest ship I've seen should have no problem carrying two hundred warhorses at once. However, there shouldn't be many of these ships in the various nations. If we want to transport ten thousand warhorses, the most likely is a medium or large ship that can carry a hundred warhorses. There aren't many of these ships in the various nations, but they won't be few either. "
Niu Youdao looked at Gongsun Bu for confirmation. Gongsun Bu nodded and said, "Peony Younger Sister is right. It's like this. I rarely go out to sea in the past. My experience in this area might not be as good as Peony Younger Sister."
Niu Youdao hesitated and said, "In other words, we need at least a hundred of these ships."
"Yes!" Black Peony nodded and said, "At least a hundred ships. It's not easy to transport so many living creatures over such a long distance. There will be all sorts of situations, so we need to make ample preparations. Otherwise, when we reach our destination, I'm afraid there won't be many left alive. If we include the horses and the supplies we'll need along the way, there will definitely be more than a hundred. I don't think they can stop at the shore to replenish their supplies while they're transporting so many horses, right? "
Niu Youdao said doubtfully, "Is it very difficult to build a hundred of these ships? Do you think they're hiding somewhere and secretly building them? "
"Impossible!" Black Peony and Gongsun Bu practically denied it at the same time.
Niu Youdao swept his gaze over the two of them and asked, "What do you mean?"
Black Peony said, "It's as Brother Gongsun said just now. To build a ship that can go out to sea like this, it's not something an ordinary craftsman can do. It's not something the craftsmen in the inner lakes can build. There's no comparison at all. The person who can build this kind of ship must be an experienced craftsman in the coastal areas. "
"And compared to ordinary people, they are more or less afraid of the boundless ocean. Aside from those merchants who take risks to earn money, most people still focus on transportation. The coastal fishermen who make a living won't use such a large ship, nor can they afford it. Even if they can afford it, they'll need ten or twenty people just to work on such a large ship. How far would they have to go to fish? If they go far, the fish they catch will go bad when they get back. Would a fisherman need to use such a large ship as a fishing boat in the coastal waters? "
"Under the restriction of demand, there aren't many people who want this kind of ship in this chaotic world. Naturally, there aren't many craftsmen who can build such a large ship. Even if it's a hundred ships, Daoye, any country would find it difficult to build a hundred ships of this size in a year's time, even with the strength of the entire country. This kind of craftsmanship is very particular. Even if you get a bunch of cultivators to help you, it's useless. This isn't something that can be done with profound magic power. "
"Daoye, I think what Brother Gongsun said is correct. There's a high chance that the interior of the ship will be remodeled. This kind of work can be done by a carpenter. It saves time and effort, and isn't too troublesome. Building such a large ship and so many of them, spreading them out will easily cause a huge commotion. There's no need for secrecy at all. The other party probably wouldn't do this. "
Gongsun Bu nodded. "That makes sense."
Niu Youdao silently nodded. He also felt that what Gongsun Bu said made sense. He understood some of these principles, but he had never come into contact with a ship on this side, so he was uncertain. Thus, he asked for more details.
Now, it seemed that his plan to transport warhorses by sea had been a bit presumptuous. He hadn't thought that there would be so many complicated circumstances. He had thought that ships would be easy to find.
After some thought, he asked, "How many ships do you think the various countries have?"
Gongsun Bu replied, "That's hard to say. Most cultivators probably wouldn't pay attention to this. However, I remember that there should be more ships like the Wei Kingdom."
Black Peony expressed her agreement. "In terms of location, a desert and an insurmountable plateau separates the seven countries into two different regions. The Song, Han, Zhao, and Yan Kingdoms are squeezed together, while the Jin, Qi, and Wei Kingdoms are in another region. Among the seven countries, the first four are relatively poor, while the last three are relatively rich. Among the last three, the Jin Kingdom is relatively poor. However, the Jin Kingdom is skilled in weaponsmithing, and its military strength is the strongest. It's also the strongest among the seven countries. Unfortunately, it can't compare to the Qi and Wei Kingdoms in terms of national strength, and has always been suppressed by the two countries. Individually, none of the countries are a match for the Jin Kingdom. "
Niu Youdao couldn't help but laugh. He knew this, so he didn't need her to tell him. However, he noticed that after this woman arrived at Verdant Mountain County and witnessed some things, she had changed quite a bit. He interrupted her with a smile. "Does this have anything to do with the Wei Kingdom's ships?"
Black Peony replied, "Of course it does. The Qi Kingdom is relatively rich because the other countries have a demand for their warhorses. Every year, they need to exchange large amounts of money and resources for warhorses. However, the Qi Kingdom doesn't dare to sell warhorses openly. Similarly, the Jin Kingdom wouldn't sell large amounts of weapons to the other countries to the point of threatening them. Only the Wei Kingdom is blessed by the heavens with its favorable geographical and climatic conditions. The crops planted there can be harvested three times a year without much care.
"Every year, large amounts of grain are sold to the other countries in exchange for money. If the Song, Han, Zhao, and Yan Kingdoms didn't receive grain supplies from the Wei Kingdom, they would have long since collapsed. As long as the Wei Kingdom cut off its grain sales to the other four countries, they would immediately collapse. Of course, the Wei Kingdom wouldn't dare to do so. Otherwise, if the other four countries had no way to survive, I'm afraid the Wei Kingdom would be the first to suffer.
"Of course, although the Wei Kingdom is rich, its citizens aren't much better off. The only ones rich are the cultivation sects that steal from behind the scenes …"
Niu Youdao blinked as he listened. Why did he feel that this woman was getting further and further away from the topic?
"Cough, cough!" Gongsun Bu couldn't bear to listen to this long-winded explanation anymore. He coughed dryly and interrupted, "Daoye, what Sister Peony means is that the Wei Kingdom often uses ships to transport grain to other countries. That's why the Wei Kingdom has more ships like this."
Niu Youdao grunted and asked, "Roughly how many?"
Gongsun Bu shook his head. "I've never paid attention to this, so I'm not sure."
Black Peony said, "The Wei Kingdom has at least a thousand ships like this. The other countries combined might not even have as many as the Wei Kingdom. However, I reckon that the Northern Province wouldn't all use ships from the Wei Kingdom. Over a hundred ships coming from the same place would be too eye-catching. "
"With this amount, it doesn't seem difficult to obtain them. If that's the case, then the possibility of modification is very high …" Niu Youdao rubbed his chin and muttered.
Black Peony said, "Daoye, speaking of which, if our warhorses want to travel by sea, we'll have to prepare the ships as soon as possible."
Niu Youdao was both angry and amused. "Prepare? How do we prepare? It's so troublesome, and we're only talking about preparing now. With our current manpower, who knows how long it'll take for the ships to be quietly prepared? What the hell are we going to prepare for? Besides, we don't even know if we can get warhorses. This is also my fault. I didn't pay attention earlier and made a last-minute decision. The difficulty is beyond my imagination. "
Black Peony asked, "Are we going by land? I'm afraid it'll be even more troublesome, and we'll have to open up more connections. "
Niu Youdao ignored her and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, he gestured to Black Peony. "Map!"
Black Peony immediately opened the map and hung it on the wall.
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