Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

"No, I can't let Zhao Ying be in danger. He's someone I've worked so hard to win over, and I absolutely can't let him get into trouble like this. I'll send someone to tell him to be careful." Zhao Bing said to himself, and then tried to call the guards to deliver the message.

As one of the seven powerful vassal kings in the land, Zhao Ying was a younger brother whom Zhao Bing had painstakingly won over. Moreover, Zhao Ying was extremely loyal to him, so Zhao Bing naturally did not want to see him get into trouble.

“Your Highness, I will only ask you one question: Is the life of Prince Zhao Ying of Huainan more important, or is Your Highness’s ambition more important? If Your Highness thinks the life of Prince Zhao Ying of Huainan is more important, then I will not stop you. If Your Highness thinks the ambition is more important, please be patient and let me finish speaking.” Nalan Youci’s gentle voice was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Zhao Bing’s impatience.

“Mr. Nalan, it was I who lost my composure.” Upon hearing Nalan Youci’s words, Zhao Bing immediately stopped and regained his composure.

Compared to the ambition of becoming king, Zhao Ying's life was nothing. He was willing to give up his life as long as the Yan Chi King's lineage could ascend the throne.

“Your Highness, the Prince of Huainan has been hiding his true abilities all along, so he may not lose his life on his way to Guangling Road. Therefore, we can make two preparations.”

"First, if the Prince of Huainan shines in Guangling Road, then we can take advantage of the situation to advance into Guangling and firmly grasp Guangling Road. With the two territories of Huainan Road and Guangling Road, we will have a bridgehead to the Central Plains. At that time, our army can leave the southern border and march north to the Central Plains to compete for the world."

"Secondly, if the Prince of Huainan were to die in battle, the effect would actually be even better. With the Prince of Huainan dead, we could seize Huainan Province and use his death as an excuse to rally together Prince Jing'an Zhao Xun, Prince Shu Chen Zhibao, and others to raise an army against the imperial court."

"The court is currently relying on Xu Xiao, the King of Northern Liang, to resist the Northern Barbarians, and on General Gu Jiantang to guard Liaodong and contain Northern Liang. Neither of them are loyal to the court. As long as the three of us princes unite and raise an army, Tai'an City will inevitably be unable to withstand it."

"As long as we take Tai'an City, the throne will surely belong to the prince. Chen Zhibao is weak and not worth worrying about. Prince Jing'an, Zhao Xun, is just a newcomer to the throne. What can he use to compete with the prince?"

"Will Chen Zhibao and Zhao Xun join us in raising an army?" Zhao Bing asked uncertainly.

“Your Highness, it doesn’t matter whether they raise an army or not. What matters is that as long as they don’t oppose us, our Yan Chi Prince’s Mansion has accumulated enough resources over the years to defeat Tai’an City.”

"The reason why we haven't started a war all these years is because the time wasn't right and there were also geographical limitations. But now that the Northern Mang and Northern Liang are about to go to war, neither side has time to worry about anything else. Even if they don't fight for the time being, they will check and balance each other. This is a golden opportunity."

"As for Gu Jiantang, as long as the throne is promised, I believe this general is 90% certain that he will hold back and wait for the situation in the world to become clear. He has been waiting for more than ten years for the title of king of a different surname, and he has been looking forward to it for a long time."

"Therefore, the time has come. As long as the other vassal kings do not oppose us, our army can march straight into Tai'an City. I believe that the soldiers in the city will have a hard time resisting us."

After Zhao Bing sat down, Nalan Youci, with a feather fan and silk robe, began to speak eloquently, analyzing the state of the world with great clarity and insight. Zhao Bing nodded frequently, beaming with delight.

“Very well, as you say, sir. When the Japanese king ascends the throne, he will surely appoint you as the prime minister.” Zhao Bing promised Nalan Youci an official position while looking forward to the future.

----

Shipyard by the sea in Kuaiji County.

After a brief rest in Lujiang County, Shen Qing immediately returned to Kuaiji City to meet Zhao Kai and inform him of the trade agreement signed between him and the Crown Prince of Northern Mang.

Shen Qing then took out the advanced ship blueprints he had obtained in the world of One Piece and recruited craftsmen to build a shipyard on the coast of Kuaiji City to construct ocean-going vessels capable of long-distance voyages.

Near the shipyard, Shen Qing and Zhao Kai were inspecting the shipyard's progress while discussing Yuezhou's affairs in hushed tones.

"Brother Shen, I just asked, and the shipyard will be completed in the next couple of days. However, it will take at least two months to build the ships shown on the blueprints," Zhao Kai said, holding the report handed to him by the shipwright.

"Two months is too long. Can't it be faster?" Shen Qing asked, frowning.

“Brother Shen, we can’t compare to the pirate world here. In the past, we relied more on the Grand Canal, and only some ordinary merchant ships from the coast would go to Southeast Asia to do business. However, these merchant ships are simple to build and can only rely on the monsoon to sail, unlike the ships in the pirate world which have the means to sail freely, so they really can’t be fast,” Zhao Kai said with a wry smile.

Compared to the pirate world where ships are everywhere, the development of ships in the snowy region is still in its early stages. Only some daring merchants from the coast would venture to the South Seas, while most people still focus on the land.

Therefore, it was extremely difficult for Shen Qing to open a maritime trade route from Kuaiji County directly to Dongjinzhou. The main reason was the restriction imposed by seagoing vessels, and the second reason was the lack of mature maritime trade routes. Yuezhou had to develop these routes step by step on its own.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now." Shen Qing could only nod after hearing Zhao Kai's words.

However, he had already made up his mind that as long as Tesoro could get the gold and silver, he could rebuild the anchor. Then, with the help of the Black Ship's abilities, he could obtain some materials from the pirate world to accelerate shipbuilding. As for opening up sea routes, he would also find people from the pirate world to help with that.

"Brother Zhao, what is the situation in the various prefectures of Yuezhou now?" Shen Qing stopped worrying about the shipyard and instead inquired about the situation in various parts of Yuezhou.

"Brother Shen, with the help of the Dongyue Sword Pool and the Wu Family Sword Tomb, all parts of Yuezhou have been successfully reclaimed, and those scoundrels who previously bullied the locals have been eliminated. Each prefecture is currently forming new armies and implementing new policies, and the overall development of Yuezhou is going well," Zhao Kai said with a smug look on his face.

Because of the time-travel incident, Shen Qing was extremely busy, while Zhao Kai was also busy, handling various issues in Yuezhou during Shen Qing's absence. Thanks to his efforts, Yuezhou is steadily developing in a positive direction.

"By the way, how are the Baiyue barbarians on Li Ying's side? Have they caused any trouble?" After hearing that everything was fine in Yuezhou, Shen Qing turned to ask about the recent situation of Li Ying and the others.

Yuezhou borders the Baiyue barbarian tribes, and the problem of the barbarians has always been a major problem that needs to be solved. Only by dealing with the barbarian problem can Yuezhou be free from worries. Li Ying and others are Shen Qing's experimental field for solving the Baiyue barbarian problem.