A few days passed, and several temples appeared on the most vital lands of Yamatai.
To call them temples would be a misnomer; they were more akin to Buddhist monasteries. Lü Bu, after completely defeating Kunu country, led the armored soldiers of the Dragon Soaring Camp and the subjugated Wa people conscripted from the region to build them.
The temples were established within a vast park.
Nestled amidst green pines, bamboos, and cypresses, the temples gleamed with splendor. Before the main hall stood several enormous bronze censers, from which wisps of smoke curled upwards, carrying a faint, ethereal fragrance.
Ascending the steps and passing through the temple gate, one turned a spirit screen to reveal an underground palace.
Within this palace were enshrined the memorial tablets of all the Dragon Soaring Camp armored soldiers who had perished during the conquest of Yamatai. A total of seventy-one!
At this moment, Himiko, the queen of Yamatai, knelt with a retinue of Wa people before these spiritual tablets, offering incense and praying, as if guiding her subjects to repent before them.
Lü Bu and his brothers from the Dragon Soaring Camp stood aside, witnessing wave after wave of Wa people paying their respects.
This was a condition proposed by Lü Bu.
Himiko would be returned her title as queen of Yamatai, but in return, Yamatai must construct "shrines" and host grand sacrifices on the first and fifteenth days of every month to appease the spirits of the Dragon Soaring Camp warriors in heaven.
This was to be done regardless of weather, and to continue for generations to come.
Initially, Himiko refused. This was no longer merely an issue of Kunu country; it was equivalent to the complete subjugation of Yamatai to Great Wei.
Indeed, if this continued, within a century, their culture might even be assimilated by Han culture.
But…
Himiko realized that her resistance was utterly futile.
From the moment General Lü Ying and his thousand Dragon Soaring Camp armored soldiers arrived, he became the sole authority.
From that moment on, perhaps she, Himiko, could only be a queen in name.
“General Lü Ying, are you satisfied now!”
After the ceremony, Himiko approached Lü Bu. Lü Bu’s gaze was cold, and he always looked at the queen of Yamatai as a superior would to an inferior.
Always from a position of dominance.
It was as if the Han people, by virtue of their bloodline, possessed an inherent advantage over the Wa people. This was the awakening of their bloodline!
This, precisely, made Himiko deeply uncomfortable. But…
“Queen, I am doing this for your own good!” Lü Bu stated. “Could even a mere Kunu country overthrow your regime? If there is no place that instills fear in all Wa people, then in the future, there will be a second Kunu country, a third Kunu country. Surely you do not wish for your empire to change hands repeatedly?”
“You…” Himiko wished to argue her case.
But she found that there was no opportunity for argument.
The ultimate backing of truth was always might. Currently, General Lü Ying’s fist was harder. Even as queen, she dared not say much more.
“My daughter and I will remain here temporarily to help you re-establish order in Yamatai.”
Lü Bu’s words were more like a threat.
It was like threatening Himiko, that this was still not her domain to command.
“I understand. However, Lord Lu mentioned that this territory would still be managed by me.” Himiko’s tone was humble, almost begging.
“Naturally,” Lü Bu smiled faintly. He recalled receiving a letter from Lu Yu before arriving in Yamatai. It stated that political power could be ceded, but military power could not.
In other words, the military power of Yamatai must henceforth be held by him, Lü Bu, or by Lü Lingqi.
Of course, these words need not be spoken openly.
After all, in his opinion, these Wa people were too weak. There was no need to keep too many men here. Lü Bu alone was sufficient to deter all lesser powers!
The stone monument commemorating the “Two Thousand Killers” stood proudly before the city gate.
This monument struck fear into the hearts of all Wa people!
“Haha…” Lü Bu continued. “Marquis White Horse has fulfilled his promises to you. Next, it is time for us to see the sincerity of you, the queen of Yamatai.”
“Are you referring to the warships?” Himiko seemed to have divined Lü Bu’s intentions.
“Precisely!”
“This will require some time,” Himiko bit her lip.
“I will give you only five days. The Dragon Soaring Camp navy must return. To pacify such a small region has taken too long; it would be a laughing matter!”
“Five days is nowhere near enough?” Himiko’s tone was firm.
Unexpectedly, Lü Bu’s response was a cold glare. “I am not discussing this with you!”
“The queen is an intelligent woman. After five days, if I do not see fifty warships, you cannot afford the consequences.”
Hoo…
Himiko subconsciously swallowed.
She felt as if Yamatai… had already become a vassal of Great Wei. No, not a vassal, but rather… she had become Lu Yu’s puppet.
This had happened so suddenly!
It had caught her completely off guard.
Had she made a mistake by… by going to Han to seek reinforcements?
Of course, Himiko would not know if she was right or wrong, but the history of Yamatai and Great Han had fundamentally changed from this moment.
An eternal change!
The Wa people would forever be inferior to the Han people!
On the other hand, Gan Ning…
Coming to Yamatai, she and her pirate brothers felt as if they were on vacation.
However, the vacation was about to end…
Five days later, they would set sail, and it would be time to return in triumph!
…
…
In Jing Province, Jiangling City, in a spacious area outside the city.
It was a pitch-black night, but countless “Kongming lanterns” were slowly rising, like fireflies in the night sky, illuminating the darkness.
This was…
Zhuge Liang gazed at the lanterns in the sky, lost in a beautiful memory.
Huang Yueying pulled him aside.
“Husband, do you still remember the ‘Kongming Lantern’ you made for me back then?”
“At that time, I had angered my wife. To please her, I made this ‘lantern,’ and it rose slowly, like countless stars. Seeing it made my wife smile, and she named it ‘Kongming Lantern.’”
Zhuge Liang recalled the scene when he and Huang Yueying were apprenticed to Master Shui Jing.
Huang Yueying was skilled in various crafts and ingenious inventions.
Was Zhuge Liang not also skilled?
In crafts and ingenious inventions, Zhuge Liang was also a master.
“Why are you showing me this, wife? I had discussed this ‘Kongming Lantern’ with you before. It can be used as a signal at night when marching, to act upon the signal. But aside from that…”
“Husband, have you forgotten the flying sphere made by Brother Jun?” Huang Yueying quickly reminded him.
As soon as these words were spoken…
Zhuge Liang, being exceptionally intelligent, understood immediately with a slight reminder.
“You mean… that sphere and this Kongming Lantern…”
“Precisely!” Huang Yueying explained. “The principle is the same, only that the flying sphere is larger, needing to support a sphere capable of carrying people. In addition, there is the combustion chamber, which is not difficult to design… Only…”
“Only what?”
“The sphere!” Huang Yueying exclaimed. “I find it difficult to imagine what kind of leather could be so airtight… and so large. Simply put, if using animal hides, it would be hard to find such large ones. But if sewn together, it would be difficult to make it completely airtight. I wonder how Brother Jun solved this problem?”
Hoo…
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang’s eyes widened. He looked at his wife, Huang Yueying, in disbelief.
In such a short time…
Having only observed it up close once below Xinye City, she could… she could articulate the principle of the flying sphere.
Although there were still some unresolved issues, there was hope.
And for him, Zhuge Liang, to defeat Lu Yu…
He would have to possess a flying sphere corps like theirs. Otherwise, once air superiority was lost, all his ambushes and schemes would be exposed to the opponent. This was too fatal.
“Wife, why don’t you try it your way first? If you encounter problems, then try to solve them. I will also help you!”
“That is what I was thinking as well,” Huang Yueying nodded. “However, I have thought of an animal. If it were its hide, perhaps it could…”
“What?” Zhuge Liang quickly asked.
Huang Yueying countered, “Husband, do you remember that in the past… the Sun family of Jiangdong once presented an elephant to Cao Cao?”
“An elephant?” Zhuge Liang was taken aback…
He had lived in Langya Commandery, Xu Province, since childhood, and later stayed in Jing Province. He had only heard of elephants, never seen one in person.
However, it was said to be very large…
And its hide was thick and tough. Its hide?
Zhuge Liang silently noted this down. There were no elephants in the Central Plains, but there was a place that had them – Jiangdong.
He had promised his elder brother, Zhuge Jin, that he would go to Jiangdong immediately to persuade… the Sun family of Jiangdong to unite with Liu Bei to resist Cao.
Now… there was one more objective.
…
…
A black-canopied boat was docked at the shore. Besides a boatman, there were two guards from the Pang family and a young master from the Pang family.
This young master was Pang Shanmin, the son of the reclusive Pang Degong, the patriarch of the prestigious Pang family in Jing Province.
On the shore, Zhuge Jun was bidding farewell to his elder sisters, Zhuge Mengxue and Zhuge Ruolan.
“Eldest Sister, Second Sister, are you really going?”
Zhuge Jun spoke first.
Eldest sister Zhuge Mengxue said, “I heard that Kongming has gone to Jiangdong, and Ziyu is also there. My second sister and your brother-in-law will go there to see them and persuade them to be wise and recognize that the situation is irreversible. The general trend is set, and the situation cannot be turned around.”
As the eldest sister finished speaking…
Second sister Zhuge Ruolan, not wanting Zhuge Jun to worry about them, also said, “Don’t worry, Jun. Your elder sister and I are not important figures. Jiangdong will not detain us… As for Kongming and Ziyu, we will try to persuade them if we can. After all, why involve our Zhuge family’s relatives in the struggle of the times? However…”
Speaking to the end, Zhuge Ruolan hesitated, “If… if Kongming and Ziyu insist on their own way, then we… we will return immediately. At that time… Jun, you might have to face your two elder brothers head-on.”
“Second Sisters, you don’t need to worry so much…” Zhuge Jun appeared very open-minded. “A scholar dies for his confidant. I am like this, and my two elder brothers are also like this. There is no need to force anything. However…”
“However, what?”
Zhuge Mengxue and Zhuge Ruolan asked in unison.
Zhuge Jun shook his head. “I wish I could go to Jiangdong with my two sisters to visit Big Brother and Second Brother… That way, our family would be reunited!”
As he spoke, Zhuge Jun lowered his head, appearing somewhat dejected.
“There will be such a day.”
Zhuge Mengxue’s tone was resolute…
Zhuge Jun shook his head again. “Yes, perhaps… that day will come after my two elder brothers and I have decided who is victorious.”
Although he did not want to, the times dictated it. Zhuge Jun also wanted to prove himself to his two elder brothers.
The Zhuge clan of Langya had no mediocre individuals!
…
…
Jiangdong, Wu Commandery.
A letter from Jing Province was unrolled in the government office.
Zhang Zhao read the contents of the letter.
——“Recently, I have received imperial commands to punish the wicked, and my banners have pointed south, and Liu Cong has surrendered obediently.”
——“Now, I command a navy of eighty thousand troops, and next autumn, we will hunt in Wu with the Sun clan of Jiangdong. I hope the general prepares early.”
The content was very brief, only two sentences.
But somehow, the words exuded an extraordinary presence, possessing the grandeur of clashing armies and the spirit of conquering the world.
Simply put…
It was Cao Cao informing the Sun family of Jiangdong.
——“Recently, I have been fighting everywhere according to the emperor’s orders, winning every battle wherever my troops point. A few days ago, Liu Cong recognized the situation and firmly decided to surrender to me. I presume your Sun family already knows.”
The above were still Cao Cao’s more polite words.
However, the following words caused everyone in the Wu Commandery government office to break out in a cold sweat and feel uneasy.
——“I will bring eighty thousand troops to visit the land of Eastern Wu, and by the way, I will hunt with the generals of the Sun clan of Jiangdong!”
These words were spoken casually.
In reality, this was a threat, a blatant threat.
The subtext was, after a year, when eighty thousand troops march south, you choose: live on your knees, or die standing!
Heh heh…
Heh heh…
Upon the arrival of this letter, the entire assembly erupted in shock.
Discussions and murmurs filled the room without end.
“Ahem…”
Sun Quan coughed and asked first, “Third Brother, what do you plan to do?”
“Me?” Sun Yi scratched his head. His temperament was more like his eldest brother, Sun Ce. He was a master of warfare, but when it came to strategizing, it was not his forte. “How would I know?”
Sun Yi shook his head. “However, does Cao Cao really have eighty thousand troops?”
When it came to eighty thousand troops, Sun Yi became somewhat timid. Their Jiangdong only had less than a hundred thousand soldiers. If the opponent had eighty thousand, the disparity in strength would be quite significant.
“This, I do not know!” Sun Quan frowned.
Sun Yi said, “Now Lu Boyan is training the Shan Yue soldiers. If he were here, it would be good… He would surely know more about Cao’s army.”
As these words were spoken, Sun Quan added, “Not necessarily. Regarding the Shan Yue, Lu Boyan understands them, but when it comes to the situation in Jing Province, perhaps Zhou Gongjin is more knowledgeable?”
This…
Sun Yi did not refute Sun Quan. Sun Quan, as his elder brother, deserved at least basic courtesy. Moreover… Zhou Gongjin did possess some talent.
From his past victory over Huang Zu’s Huang family navy, some clues could be discerned.
“My Lord, Zhongmou…” Zhang Zhao spoke. “I heard that Zhuge Kongming of Jiangling City, Jing Province, has arrived. My Lord and Zhongmou might as well talk with him first. Zhuge Kongming has fought many battles against Cao’s army, and I surmise he knows more about Cao’s situation!”
Zhang Zhao saying this was actually a sign of his fear.
How could he not know the combat strength of Cao’s army?
There were a multitude of civil and military officials. Eighty thousand armored soldiers were not to be trifled with. And the most terrifying was undoubtedly Lu Ziyu!
As long as he was around, who in all of Jiangdong could sleep soundly?
It was possible that with a single “attack the enemy’s heart” strategy, Jiangdong could be destroyed without them even knowing how.
“Where is Zhuge Kongming residing now?”
An armored soldier reported, “I heard that he was directly led by his elder brother, Zhuge Jin, towards Poyang Lake.”
Poyang Lake?
Sun Yi was taken aback. Sun Quan narrowed his eyes meaningfully.
One should know that Poyang Lake… was where Zhou Yu trained his troops?
Why did Zhuge Liang not visit the Lord of Jiangdong first?
Instead, he went to visit Zhou Yu. What was the reason for this?
…
…