Qian Bufei had initially underestimated the strength of Yuzhou, believing that Dian Province was significantly more powerful. Not to mention anything else, its land area alone was much larger than Yuzhou's, and its population also held a lead. However, when Qian Bufei saw the city of Yuzhou from afar, he was instantly shocked, thinking, "I have truly underestimated Yuzhou."
What appeared before Qian Bufei's eyes was an industrial powerhouse. A massive city stood on the banks of the Yangtze River. True to its reputation as a mountain city, the entire city was built against the mountains, with Shen Feng's Fengshen Palace located at the summit.
If Qian Bufei had seen this scene before the apocalypse, he would not have been overly surprised, as Yuzhou was already a vital hub on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, possessing considerable industrial and economic strength. But now, in the midst of the apocalypse, food and population were paramount. Yet, Yuzhou's population was not small at all.
The Yangtze River was teeming with fishermen. Although it was winter, the mercenaries still wore fur coats to go hunting, while women and children stayed at home.
What was most remarkable, to Qian Bufei's astonishment, was seeing children studying. While it was natural for children to attend school, the circumstances mattered. In this chaotic world, Yuzhou was still able to provide education for its children, which was truly astounding.
"Yuzhou might not be much now, but in ten years, it will undoubtedly lead its surroundings. Even in Dian Province, very few children can receive an education. Yet, Yuzhou has already achieved this. It's truly remarkable," Qian Bufei mused to himself.
It was then that Qian Bufei realized he might have been consistently underestimating Shen Feng. In the past few years, after gaining control of Yuzhou, Shen Feng had made no significant moves, as if content to merely occupy his small territory and muddle through. But now it seemed Shen Feng had been continuously developing his strength. While others were still struggling to find enough food, Yuzhou was already nurturing its children.
Children were the future; everyone knew this, but very few could actually achieve it. In this chaotic world, everyone was focused on survival, with no time for such costly endeavors. Yet, in Yuzhou, Shen Feng was ensuring that children received an education.
Next, they would enter Yuzhou's outer city, where special vehicles were sent to greet them. While riding in the car, Shen Feng began to explain to Qian Bufei, "Mr. Qian, this is the outer city. The people here are mainly mercenaries. In normal times, these people are prone to brawling. For your safety, it's best not to frequent this area often, lest you attract the attention of pickpockets. Additionally, consumption in Yuzhou uses ration coupons. I will give you some later. If you find it insufficient, you can exchange for more. And during this period, it's best not to cause trouble."
"Mr. Shen, you jest. I am not someone who likes to cause trouble. During this time, I will await Mr. Shen's reply. For now, I shall simply take in the sights of Yuzhou," Qian Bufei said earnestly.
Shen Feng then went to discuss the matter of alliance with his subordinates. Shen Feng actually had no desire to get involved in these affairs; he only wanted oil. However, oil was precisely the tool used for negotiation, so he had to carefully consider the situation in Dian Province at this time.
Qian Bufei, however, did not heed Shen Feng's warning. Instead, he spent several days in the outer city. Mercenaries in the outer city were often seen carrying firearms and swords. In these chaotic times, even women going out would carry a dagger; without any weapon, it was dangerous to venture out.
The reason he ignored Shen Feng's warning was that Qian Bufei had his own special objective. Shen Feng had private trade dealings with the Qinghong Gang in the southeast, but this matter had not been confirmed before, so everyone could only suspect it without finding concrete evidence. Qian Bufei now wanted to know if this was true.
Qian Bufei led his men into a restaurant and sat down, starting to order. "Five bowls of Xiaomian, and also, bring your restaurant's signature dishes. Don't worry about me not being able to pay."
After speaking, Qian Bufei waved a thick stack of ration coupons in his hand, indicating that he was not short of money.
The waiter quickly said, "Please wait a moment, sir. We'll serve the dishes immediately. They are absolutely delicious."
Qian Bufei found a seat by the window and then began discussing with the people beside him, "Look across the street. That's a meat shop. What's inside?"
Several of his subordinates looked at the various meats hanging in the shop and couldn't help but say, "Isn't it just a place that sells meat? What's so strange about that? On the contrary, there aren't many people buying meat, which indicates that many people in the outer city can't afford meat for now. Yuzhou isn't as good as we imagined."
Qian Bufei gently shook his head and said, "I'm not asking you to look at these things. Did you see? There is fish meat in this meat shop."
"So what if there's fish? Yuzhou is on the Yangtze River, and it's normal for there to be fish in the river." The four subordinates still couldn't grasp their boss's meaning. It was just fish, wasn't it?
But Qian Bufei said sternly, "Look closely. This fish meat is all dried fish, and it's sea fish."
"Sea fish?" Upon hearing their boss's words, the four gradually realized. Yuzhou was inland. Although it was on the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges were now blocked. Where did this sea fish come from?
A smile appeared on Qian Bufei's face, and he then said, "Now I can confirm it. Yuzhou does indeed have contact with the Qinghong Gang; at least, there are trade activities between them. Having learned this, our mission is essentially successful."
"I don't understand. If Yuzhou engages in trade with other organizations, it would make doing business with Yuzhou more difficult for us, as there would be competitors. But why do you say our mission is essentially successful?" someone beside him immediately inquired.
Qian Bufei calmly replied, "It's because of the journey! Why does Shen Feng smuggle with the Qinghong Gang? Because the main routes are blocked, so they can only smuggle. But from Meizhou to Yuzhou is a thousand miles. Transporting anything is extremely difficult. Moreover, headquarters has discovered that people in the southeastern region are banding together. Under these circumstances, trade routes will inevitably be unsustainable. Dian Province can directly supply Yuzhou. Shen Feng won't fail to see this."
Hearing Qian Bufei's analysis, everyone suddenly understood. So that was it. The relationship between Yuzhou and the Qinghong Gang did exist. Previously, when Yuzhou was in trouble, the leader of the Qinghong Gang had even personally visited. However, private transactions were indeed easy to conduct, but the issue of the journey could not be ignored. Transporting supplies from Meizhou to Yuzhou consumed too much manpower and resources.
Dian Province was clearly closer to Yuzhou and had the Yangtze River shipping lanes for transporting goods. With such clear advantages, Shen Feng was bound to see it.
As a matter of fact, after Shen Feng discussed with his subordinates, he also recognized the advantage of convenient transportation. However, they felt that an alliance with the southwest was unlikely. Firstly, Dian Province was still under the jurisdiction of headquarters and could not openly cooperate with Yuzhou. Furthermore, Dian Province was mostly plateau and mountainous terrain. Given the geographical reasons, if they were to mutually protect each other like the southeast, Yuzhou would likely be at a disadvantage.
Finally, after deliberation, they reached a decision. It was simple: private trade was acceptable. As for the so-called alliance to counter the crisis, they could only agree on the surface. As for when real cooperation was needed, that would be another matter. Shen Feng thought the same way.
After staying in Yuzhou for five days, guided by Chang Haojie, Shen Xin toured the city and brought back many local specialties before leaving. As for the matter between Du Xinshi and Shen Feng, Shen Xin remained completely unaware. During this period, Shen Feng resided in Fengshen Palace.
Shen Feng calculated the time and decided it was time to give Qian Bufei his decision. He then found Qian Bufei to discuss the details of their future cooperation, preparing to commence collaboration after the New Year.
After discussing this matter, Qian Bufei needed to return. But before leaving, Qian Bufei left him with these words: "Mr. Shen Feng, be careful on Wuling Mountain."
Shen Feng was startled and quickly asked, "What do you mean? What's happening on Wuling Mountain?"
But as Shen Feng inquired about this matter, Qian Bufei mysteriously replied, "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed. And don't say I told you this."
After saying this, Qian Bufei left directly. Shen Feng, however, fell into deep thought. At this moment, Shen Feng had no idea what dangers might be hidden within Wuling Mountain. Yet, Wuling Mountain was a very important trade route for Shen Feng. If it were to be cut off by others, it would undoubtedly cause chaos in Yuzhou, as many daily necessities were obtained through this trade route.
Shen Feng did not know if there was danger on Wuling Mountain as Qian Bufei mentioned, but he would rather guard against such an occurrence than do nothing.
With this in mind, Shen Feng immediately issued an order: "Tell Qin Xiaogao and Yu Muhe to be cautious when escorting the trade route and to guard against potential dangers."
When Yu Muhe received this order, he was somewhat confused. Most of the bandits in Wuling Mountain had been eliminated before. Many bandits had chosen to leave Wuling Mountain to avoid encountering Yuzhou's merchant caravans again, as encountering them would likely mean death.
"Could it be that some strange mutated beasts are about to appear in the mountains? Or will other forces try to rob us?" Yu Muhe's mind was filled with questions. However, even with careful inquiry, he could not uncover any inside information and could only be cautious while escorting the merchant caravan.
During this time, Shen Feng had also decided on the candidate for Jiucheng, which was Li Minghua. This man had followed Shen Feng for a long time, but later, while clearing mutated beasts in the southern mountains, Li Minghua's leg was bitten by a mutated cat. This bite caused Li Minghua's left leg to be amputated. It was impossible for him to fight on the battlefield anymore, and in the rear, he could only manage tasks like agricultural cultivation.
Currently, Jiucheng was in dire need of a city lord, and specifically, a decisive one. After much thought, Shen Feng could only think of Li Minghua.
When Shen Feng found Li Minghua, Li Minghua had already fitted a prosthetic leg. If one didn't look closely, the problem wouldn't be apparent.
Shen Feng directly stated the task that needed to be assigned to Li Minghua. When Li Minghua heard that he might become the lord of Jiucheng, his eyes lit up, as if he had found an opportunity to utilize his abilities.
"City Lord, rest assured, I will defend Jiucheng for you. Give me two thousand men, and no one will be able to snatch Jiucheng away," Li Minghua said earnestly.
Shen Feng began to instruct him, "I'm not asking you to fight a war, but to carry out the task of agricultural cultivation. If refugees enter Yuzhou next year, I will send over a hundred thousand people. At that time, you will need to restore Jiucheng to its former vitality. Also, you should probably get married. Find a good woman and start a family. Your leg is already like this, so you don't need to risk your life anymore."
When Li Minghua heard that he would be responsible for agricultural cultivation in Jiucheng, he was somewhat disappointed. At this time, he was still dreaming of his former life of swords and battles. However, that life of swords and battles was clearly gone. From now on, he could only find a place to retire.