The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 490: Creating suffering while simultaneously relieving distress

This is indeed a difficult problem. In the days when transportation relied mainly on walking, it would take several months to travel to even a county, let alone Funan, which was larger than a province in the Han Dynasty.

Since they were outsiders, it was impossible for them to roam freely and stay in Funan for a long time. Where would they find crops?

However, this was no problem for Guan Xing. He had already come up with a plan, and upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "If you can't find it, can't you just have the local people send it over?"

“I’m preparing a batch of farm tools for you to take with you. We can exchange the tools for grain seeds and teach the people of Funan how to farm. Funan doesn’t get snow, so theoretically you can farm all year round. But the local people are unwilling or don’t know how to farm. How can that be? If they don’t grow grain, who will I rob?”

Mi Fang and Fu Shiren: "..."

So that's what you were planning? Are you addicted to robbery or something?

Guan Xing ignored their astonished expressions and said to himself, "So when you two go to Funan, you not only have to teach the people how to farm, but also how to forge ironware. You also have to bring some luxury goods unique to the Han Dynasty, such as silk and porcelain, to stimulate the vanity of the Funan nobles and make them keep buying our silk with grain. Once the sales channels are opened up, it's not too much for me to pay 10,000 shi of grain for a single bolt of silk, is it?"

The two men's eyelids twitched as they listened, both stunned by Guan Xing's extravagant gesture.

A bolt of silk for ten thousand bushels of grain? You really dare to dream! Are you planning to treat the Funan people like the Huns?

Mi Fang asked weakly, "Does Funan have that much grain?"

Guan Xing spread his hands and said, "That's why I asked you to teach the people of Funan how to farm. The weather in Funan is too hot and the people are lazy, but there are still nobles, right? We can exchange grain for silk with the nobles. In order to get enough silk and other luxury goods, the nobles will definitely use whips to force the tenant farmers to farm. As long as the people farm, we will have grain, right?"

If the Maritime Silk Road had been established, not to mention the luxury goods of later generations, even the silk, Shu brocade, and ironware that the Han Dynasty already possessed could have become best-selling products worldwide, bringing back a continuous supply of grain for the Han Dynasty.

The biggest problem right now is not that the Han Dynasty has no goods to sell, but that the neighboring countries are too poor to buy them. So what can be done?

Naturally, we must first provide some support to small countries like Funan to give them a certain economic foundation, so that they will be content to serve the Han Dynasty.

The fastest way to support them is through farming. Funan has a flat terrain and a suitable climate for three harvests a year, but the people are lazy and unambitious. They have been living in a land with three harvests a year for thousands of years but have not developed. How can this be? If you don't work hard to farm, how can I lie down and do nothing?

Therefore, it is essential to motivate the people of Funan to engage in farming.

Whether it was coerced with candy or whips is irrelevant.

Mi Fang smiled wryly and said, "It's possible, but what if the nobles don't listen?"

Guan Xing laughed and said, "That's easy. You two split up, one pretending to be a Han soldier and the other a pirate. Go ashore every day to rob and plunder, forcing the Funan nobles to ask the Han for help. As long as Funan needs the Han, it will naturally be under the Han's control."

Mi Fang: “…”

Fu Shiren: "..."

Are you planning to create suffering while simultaneously trying to save others from it? That's utterly shameless!

But it seems feasible. There's no need to follow rules when dealing with barbarians; if they disobey, just slap them across the face.

Guan Xing stood up and said, "That's all I can think of for now. I'll compile it into a booklet for you to take with you later. Also, going to sea is a big deal and requires a long period of preparation. Don't be idle during this time. Go to Jiangdong and find some seniors who have sailed at sea to ask for advice. The more prepared you are beforehand, the calmer you will be when something happens. Get some rest. I'm leaving."

After saying this, he nodded to the two men and turned to leave. Looking at Guan Xing's back, Fu Shiren couldn't help but say, "It seems that the young general has found us a good job. Maybe we can become a maritime hegemon."

Mi Fang said, "Let's find the four major families of Wu County first. Their fleets have been to sea and know the situation and precautions at sea. I don't want to die on the road before I even reach Funan."

Humans are naturally curious. They have both fear and a desire to explore the unknown. Mi Fang and Fu Shiren were no exception. They were both afraid and excited about going to sea, and their feelings were extremely complicated.

Unlike the other two, who were filled with anxiety, Guan Xing had a clear goal for this voyage: to bring back Champa rice on his first voyage.

With a clear goal in mind, Guan Xing was about to return to his tent to organize the precautions for going to sea, and at the same time write letters to Lü Dai and Shi Xie to inquire about the situation in Funan. Unexpectedly, before he even reached the tent, he saw Liu Bei sitting alone on a tree stump in the garden, waving at him as he approached.

That damned Yu Jin not only demolished the general's mansion, but also cut down the trees in the garden. The sycamore tree that Liu Bei had been standing under for decades is now just a stump.

Guan Xing walked up to Liu Bei and bowed, saying, "Uncle, why are you sitting here?"

Liu Bei asked him to sit beside him, and instead of answering, asked, "Has the matter been explained clearly?"

Guan Xing nodded emphatically and said, "They know what to do, so this voyage shouldn't disappoint you."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly and said, "Whether they are disappointed or not doesn't matter. Having this job means I have fulfilled my duty to you, Aunt Mi (Lady Mi). It would be best if they could come back after going to sea, but if they can't, that's their fate."

In this era, going on long journeys, especially to places you've never even heard of, is tantamount to risking your life. Back then, Zhang Qian was sent on a mission to the Western Regions and there was no news of him for more than ten years. The entire court thought he had died abroad.

If this was the case on land, it would be even more so at sea. Liu Bei really didn't have much hope that Mi Fang could return.

Thinking of this, Liu Bei sighed and said, "Your Uncle Mi is good in every way except that he is too cowardly and easily swayed. He believes whatever others say and never knows how to refuse. Without someone to protect him, he is likely to suffer a great loss. I must have been out of my mind to let him be the governor of Nan Commandery knowing his character. It is my fault that your father was defeated at Maicheng."

Guan Xing: "..."

How am I supposed to respond to that?

Liu Bei didn't expect him to accept the answer, and said to himself, "Fortunately, you are here. And it's fortunate that after the horse-riding accident, your father sent you back to Chengdu and handed you over to the strategist. Otherwise, if you had followed Mi Fang, your life would probably have been ruined."

Guan Xing: "..."

What do you mean? All my strengths are learned from Zhuge Liang, and all my weaknesses are learned from Mi Fang?

Uncle, you can't be so hypocritical.

Liu Bei unconsciously patted Guan Xing on the shoulder and said, "Let's talk business. The matter of Mi Fang and Fu Shiren is resolved. Next, we need to deal with Pan Jun. I can be lenient with the Jingzhou gentry led by Huang Chengyan, but not with Pan Jun. This man must be severely punished. Do you know why?"

Guan Xing replied, "I know. Huang Chengyan was a commoner. When the Wu army crossed the river in civilian clothes, he did not hold any official position, nor did he explicitly defect to the Wu army. He simply turned a blind eye and remained neutral. Since he chose to pretend to be blind when the Wu army launched a sneak attack, we can also choose to pretend to be blind now and turn a blind eye to Huang Chengyan's defection."

“But Pan Jun is different. At that time, he was the Chief Administrator of Jingzhou, the second-in-command after my father. However, when the Wu army crossed the river in disguise, he failed to fulfill his duties as the second-in-command and turned a blind eye to Mi Fang’s surrender of the city. This is a typical betrayal.”

"Pan Jun is drawing your salary but is undermining you at a crucial moment. How can such a person not be severely punished?"