Ke Yiming and his wife did not make it to the eldest daughter's wedding because they had a more important task to fulfill: to meet Shen Feng's conditions and hand over the Three Gorges Dam. To achieve this, they had to personally go and persuade the relevant parties.
When Ke Yiming met the generals at the Three Gorges, he felt a sense of melancholy. The man standing before him was now a white-haired old man. When they had first met, they were both full of vigor, but more than a decade had passed, and his acquaintance had aged so drastically.
Chen Yide smiled when Ke Yiming appeared. "It's been a long time since I've seen you, you rascal. I didn't expect you to still have a conscience and come to see me on your own initiative!"
Ke Yiming asked, "Mr. Chen, what happened to you? You weren't like this before. You were only in your forties then, strong and healthy. You should only be in your fifties now, so why is your hair completely white? I can't understand it."
"Everyone grows old one day; there's nothing to be sad about. Besides, I'm not an esper, so I don't have a long lifespan. When the oxygen concentration on Earth changed drastically before, I started aging. I probably don't have many years left to live!" Chen Yide said helplessly.
"I only realized this now, and I feel very ashamed!" Ke Yiming said with a sigh.
"Since you've come all this way, it means you have something very important to discuss. So, tell me what's happening!" Chen Yide said directly. Although his body was weak, his mind was still sharp.
For old men like him, who had seen many grand occasions, seeing a junior arrive, he could roughly guess what had happened. After all, these young people wouldn't seek out an old man for a chat if nothing was wrong.
After a moment of silence, Ke Yiming suddenly spoke. "I hope you can hand over the Three Gorges Dam to Shen Feng to manage. In exchange, he will supply food, primarily to Jinling!"
"Do you know what the Three Gorges Dam means? Do you know that if I hand over this dam, many cities in the middle reaches will perish immediately? Many small cities don't even have basic power plants, so their electricity relies on this dam on the upper Yangtze River. If this Three Gorges Dam is handed over, what will happen to the people in these cities?" Chen Yide questioned him sternly.
"Can you produce food? Is there anywhere in the world that can produce food stably for a long time? Please tell me!" Ke Yiming asked the general who had once guided him. Now that reality was laid bare, if they couldn't get food, everyone would starve. Did such a choice still need to be considered?
"No one can produce food now, but that doesn't mean it will be impossible in the future. In any case, the power system absolutely cannot be handed over. Moreover, this is a checkpoint on the upper Yangtze River. If this checkpoint is lost, Shen Feng can directly flow downstream and seize large tracts of land," General Chen said in a deep voice.
When he was stationed at the Three Gorges Dam, one of his important tasks was to guard against Yuzhou. Yuzhou was the throat of the three southwestern provinces. Whichever side controlled Yuzhou would likely pose a great threat, so it was imperative to guard against them flowing down the river.
At the end of the last century, the division of the Chuan-Yu region into a separate municipality was precisely to prevent Sichuan from becoming a separatist regime. Historically, the Shu region of Sichuan was very isolated, making it difficult to attack. Therefore, in later generations, Sichuan was continuously weakened. Hanzhong was ceded first, then many counties and cities to the south, followed by Yuzhou. Finally, it was ensured that Sichuan could not form a separatist regime.
Alas, fate is unpredictable, and the world changes too quickly. They thought such a division was foolproof, but no one expected the doomsday to descend. In the ensuing chaos, Shen Feng occupied Yuzhou and later gained control of Sichuan. He then moved south, acquiring a coastline and vast territories. Currently, the only obstacles blocking him were the Qinling Mountains to the north and the Three Gorges to the east. If the Three Gorges Dam were handed over to Shen Feng now, then Shen Feng would truly be unstoppable.
"It's alright. We still have nuclear weapons in our hands. As long as we have nuclear weapons, Shen Feng won't be too presumptuous. Besides, I don't think he has any intention of expanding. After all, outside, there are widespread famines and starvation everywhere. Why would he be willing to spend his own grain to save people?" Ke Yiming continued.
"I need to consider this matter. For now, you can rest here for a while. Is the lady beside you your wife? She seemed to have passed through the Three Gorges before, but I didn't have the chance to greet her!" General Chen suddenly fell silent for a moment, choosing to avoid the topic. He likely needed to consult with others.
Upon hearing this reply, Ke Yiming and Gu Yanxiao could only shake their heads helplessly and followed others to rest, awaiting further answers. Both of them were also contemplating how to persuade the other party to agree to their plan.
However, during lunch, they suddenly discovered an unexpected situation: their meal consisted only of two bowls of coarse rice, which seemed to be old rice. Although it had been carefully cooked, it still felt a bit gritty when eaten.
"Now I understand how to persuade him to agree to this idea! They are also short of food here, just like us. Otherwise, they wouldn't serve such coarse rice to guests, and not even a bowl of wild vegetables was served, indicating that all the wild vegetables on the surrounding mountains have been dug up!" Ke Yiming realized everything instantly after seeing their lunch.
Gu Yanxiao immediately said, "But we don't have enough food to trade either!"
Ke Yiming replied, "Although we don't have enough food for trade, someone does have enough food. Have you forgotten? Shen Feng now has the ability to produce food rapidly!"
Gu Yanxiao understood. Her husband's idea was simple: to continue to pressure Shen Feng to hand over more food in exchange for the Three Gorges Dam, as only food could move the other party.
Thus, during their conversation that evening, Ke Yiming said, "Mr. Chen, based on my observations today, I've discovered a fatal problem within your army: a shortage of food. Solving this is very simple. Just do as I say, and everyone can eat their fill!"
"I didn't expect you to discover it. It seems this matter cannot be hidden from you. I know what you want to say, but I cannot make this decision right now!" General Chen understood Ke Yiming's intentions and did not give a clear response.
Ke Yiming asked, "Are there many people opposing this matter, which is why you cannot make this decision?"
"It's not that people are opposing it. After all, many of the soldiers under my command only get a bowl of thin porridge for their daily meal. These people are eager to surrender to Shen Feng and receive a life where they don't have to worry about food and clothing," General Chen gave a negative answer, indicating that his subordinates did not oppose the matter.
"Then why haven't you agreed to this? After all, if you agree, I can explain the situation to Shen Feng, and he can accept you. He can also provide you with food. However, you might have to change your station and have his confidantes guard the Three Gorges, while you will be stationed in other cities. This way, everyone will have a happy ending, won't it be good?" Ke Yiming couldn't understand what this old man was thinking.
"This is also the thought of many ordinary soldiers. Many of them are tired of fighting and want to find a stable place to live out their remaining years. But I have more worries. I am worried about the future of China! If Shen Feng obtains the Three Gorges Dam, he might become the master of China in the future. Do you understand this? I have observed Shen Feng for a long time. He is a very benevolent ruler. He doesn't engage in extravagant construction or indulge in luxury for his desires. Instead, he constantly shows consideration for his subordinates," General Chen asked.
"Even so, what's wrong with that? Since he has the ability, let him manage the future of China. I am even hoping that he can benefit the world!" Ke Yiming still didn't understand. If he was worried about Shen Feng controlling the fate of all of China in the future, then what was there to worry about? He was benevolent after all.
"You don't understand. Shen Feng is too benevolent. Therefore, in my eyes, he can carve out a territory, but he cannot decide the fate of the entire nation, the fate of a people. Because he is too benevolent, he will turn a blind eye to various wrongdoings of his subordinates. Even if something is exposed, it will often be handled superficially. If such a person becomes the supreme ruler, people's future will have no hope!" General Chen said in a deep voice.
"Then I can't understand your words. Because looking at the entire world, the only regions where people can live a stable life are those under Shen Feng's jurisdiction. If you think he cannot even do that well, then who else can?" Ke Yiming did not agree with this idea.
General Chen thought for a moment and found that what was said was indeed correct. This was because advantages were always comparative. If one judged based on feelings alone, it would be impossible to determine who was right or wrong. However, if two people were compared, the pros and cons could be quickly ascertained.
Shen Feng indeed had more benevolence than ruthlessness. When it came to implementing certain policies, he was unable to execute them decisively and often considered the feelings of the majority. For instance, when troops needed to be dispatched, he even had to create momentum in newspapers and gain the consent of the majority before proceeding. If he were a truly ruthless ruler, he could bypass these people and implement his plans directly. However, compared to people in other regions, he appeared very strong, which was like picking the tallest among the short.
"In my opinion, He Qiuan of the Northeast can shoulder this important responsibility! He has received guidance from the Marshal since childhood and handles all matters with ease. Moreover, although he is young, he already manages the vast lands of the three northeastern provinces. After entering Shanhaiguan, he also controls a small part of the North China Plain. I believe he also has the hope of vying for supremacy!" Chen Yide suddenly said.
"Unfortunately, the Northeast is too far from the Three Gorges Dam here, and you cannot defect to him. Let's think about the solution at hand. This is the only way forward! Make a decision quickly!" Ke Yiming urged.
"Now that you have made the decision for me, what else do I need to do? Go and contact Shen Feng and let him come to accept the Three Gorges Dam. However, I have one request: that he allocate 100,000 tons of grain to save the people in the cities of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. This should not be too much to ask, right?" Chen Yide finally made the difficult decision. In fact, he had understood from the beginning that he had no room to change the situation.
Ke Yiming said, "I need to contact Shen Feng about this matter, and let him make the decision!"
Afterward, Ke Yiming informed Shen Feng of the situation. Shen Feng replied, "Demanding 100,000 tons of grain is simply wishful thinking. Where do we have so much grain? At most, it's 10,000 tons. If you don't want it, then forget it! Anyway, in a few months, there won't be many people alive at the Three Gorges Dam. I'll take over then, won't that be enough? As for the grain needed by your Jinling, it can be transported via railway without any problem!"
Ke Yiming relayed Shen Feng's exact words to Chen Yide. The old man's eyes dimmed, and he could only nod in agreement.
After both sides had reached an agreement, Shunfeng flew from Yuzhou to the Three Gorges. Subsequently, a batch of troops would arrive to replace the guards at the Three Gorges, and the other troops and their families would be relocated to reside in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.