Zhuge Liang's Journey to Dominate the World: Starting from Another World

It's worth noting that the purchase price of a single warhorse ranges from eight hundred to one thousand gold coins, so five hundred thousand warhorses would require nearly five hundred million gold coins.

This is an astronomical figure. Although the two emperors can certainly afford it, whether they are willing to part with it is another matter. The most crucial question is how to transport these warhorses out of the Yuan Dynasty.

"Elders, how about each of you provide 100,000 bolts, and I'll figure out the rest myself? What do you think?" Kongming said, waving his feather fan and feigning a worried expression.

Both men were taken aback upon hearing this, wondering why Kongming dared to take on such a large responsibility.

"Since that's the case, it would be unreasonable for my Heavenly Thunder Sect to refuse again. I think I can manage to provide 100,000 warhorses!"

After a moment's thought, Gu Zhenzi said, "After all, they still belong to the Great Yuan Dynasty. Having someone visit several ranches, purchasing in batches, and then secretly transporting the goods shouldn't be a big problem."

“I also agree to this matter on behalf of the Jade Cauldron Sect, but I cannot guarantee whether it will be successful. If you, Brother Zhuge, do have connections, you might as well help my sect obtain those 100,000 warhorses as well. As for the expenses, my sect is willing to cover them!”

Seeing that Gu Zhenzi had already agreed to 100,000 horses, Elder Qingyang, as the host of the Jade Cauldron Sect, could not afford to be laughed at, so he gritted his teeth and agreed as well.

"Elder Qingyang, it's not that I'm unwilling, but an additional 100,000 horses would double the risk. Your sect can make its own plans first. If there really is no other way, then I will consider whether to use some secret channels."

As Kongming finished speaking, he lightly waved his feather fan, his face remaining perfectly calm, but in reality, his mind was already racing with calculations.

After the three reached an agreement, Elder Gu Zhenzi and Elder Qingyang left in a hurry, as they needed to make full preparations for attacking the three states of the An clan.

……

On this day, Zhu Ganglie finally came out mysteriously, but he ignored Kongming and after finding Zhao Yun, the two hurriedly ran to the back mountain.

Kongming didn't bother with it; with Zhao Yun around, he trusted that this dead pig wouldn't cause any trouble.

Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye. With the assistance of Ji Yizhi, Li Guangling has completed most of the military preparations he needs.

At this time, news came from the Jade Cauldron Sect that they had sent several groups of elites to the Yuan Kingdom to purchase warhorses, but none of them returned. Not only did they lose tens of millions of gold coins, but the people were also detained by the cultivation sects of the Great Yuan Kingdom, and their fates were unknown.

Meanwhile, there was still no news from the Thunder God Sect, casting a shadow over the entire Jinshan County.

Now everything is almost ready, and as soon as the warhorses arrive, we can declare war on the three states of the An clan.

……

Anshi's Three Prefectures.

"Has any news come through?" An Lushan asked his trusted followers.

"Half of it is already done. The rest are being purchased in batches from various ranches. But, my lord, I still have a question: how are we going to transport 500,000 warhorses back from the Yuan Kingdom?" one of the confidants said.

"I have already made preparations for this. Send a message that all the warhorses must be gathered within three months!"

As An Lushan spoke, he walked to a map, picked up a stick, pointed at it, and said again.

“An Ming, do you still remember two years ago when I asked you to secretly open up a sea route from the Song Kingdom to my An family’s three prefectures?”

"Does the young master mean that these warhorses were transported by sea?"

“That’s right! It’s impossible for 500,000 warhorses to travel by land openly unless the Great Yuan Kingdom allows it.”

An Lushan picked up a stick, pointed to the southernmost part of the Great Yuan Kingdom, and continued, "This place is desolate and rarely noticed. We can gather all our warhorses here. There is a great river here that we can use to go to sea. By going around the Great Yuan coast, we can reach the Song Kingdom's waters. Then we can sneak into the sea route we have secretly opened up and safely deliver the warhorses to my An family's three prefectures."

"So it turns out that you had planned this all along. Once we enter the waters of the Great Song Dynasty, our operation will be considered essentially complete."

"From now on, send out a large number of ships to and from the Song Kingdom every day. If any hidden dangers are found, resolve them immediately and ensure the safety of this secret sea route."

An Lushan's eyes flashed with determination and confidence. He turned around, his gaze sweeping over his trusted confidants in the hall, and his voice was steady and powerful: "Gentlemen, our An clan has been cultivating our strength for nearly ten years, accumulating power, all for the day when we can become true regional hegemons. This operation is not only about warhorses, but also a turning point in the future destiny of our An clan's three prefectures. I demand that you all go all out and not slack off in the slightest."

"I will obey your orders, young master..."

Several trusted confidants below responded in unison.

"Anming, you will be personally responsible for the safety and scheduling of the sea route. You must ensure that every ship can travel back and forth safely, and you must not mention the warhorses to anyone."

"Yes, young master, I will certainly live up to your expectations!" An Ming bowed and accepted the order.

"Anzhi, you will be responsible for allocating resources and manpower to ensure that the warhorses receive all the necessary supplies during the transportation process. For fodder and fresh water, set up a water supply point every five thousand nautical miles. But remember, you must act secretly and not reveal our true intentions."

“Understood, young master. I will personally oversee every step to ensure everything goes perfectly,” An Zhi replied calmly.

"In addition," An Lushan changed the subject, looking at another confidant, "An Yong, you are responsible for continuing to gather intelligence within the Tang Dynasty. Although they are restrained by several other countries, we still cannot let our guard down, especially regarding intelligence on Zhuge Liang. I need to update it every three days."

An Lushan looked around and saw that everyone had already obeyed their orders and left, which made him feel a little relieved.

He knew that the success or failure of this operation was crucial to the future of the three An states.

Since he took control of the three states of An, it can be said that he has laid out an ingenious strategy in both domestic and foreign affairs.

For some reason, he always felt that if Kongming was not eliminated, he would become a major threat in the future.

……

Wolong Villa.

"Brother Zhuge, you've been waiting for a long time..."

On this day, Duanmu Qing, accompanied by two beautiful young women, finally arrived at Wolong Manor.

"Oh, my good brother, you've finally arrived!" Kongming greeted him warmly as he pulled Duanmu Qing into the manor.

"Brother, how is your quest for warhorses going?" Duanmu Qing asked after sitting down.

"To my shame, several months have passed and I haven't even seen a single horse hair! That's why I've been waiting for news from you, brother!" Kongming sighed.

"Hey, brother, don't get your hopes up too high. I'm only here to make introductions and connections. As for whether it will work out, I really can't guarantee it."

"It's alright. As long as you're willing to come with me, I'll be much bolder. Also, I offended quite a few people in the Yuan Kingdom's capital last time, so I hope you'll keep our trip a secret!" Kongming said, shaking his feather fan.

"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone about you, brother."

Duanmu Qing's eyes flickered, and then he asked, "I heard that you are a disciple of the Qinglan Sect. May I ask how you should address Zuo Ci?"

Kongming's eyes narrowed slightly, but he immediately replied, "He is indeed my master. Could it be that you, elder brother, also have a relationship with him?"