Chapter 156: The Harbor and the Famous General

"Your Highness, I have inquired; Chen Shou lives right there on the coast ahead."

Yunhai County.

This was a coastal county town in the southeast of Yan Commandery.

Upon arriving here, Zhao Xu had the Yunhai County Magistrate, Song Cang, accompany him on the inspection.

Mo Yu had come along with Zhao Xu this time, and he had met Chen Shou before.

Moreover, Mo Di and Chen Shou had some friendship; with him present, it would be easier to communicate.

Zhao Xu looked toward the east, where the sea and sky met in the distance; he could even feel the sea breeze and smell the saltiness of the seawater in the air.

The group continued walking east for two or three li.

A golden beach appeared before everyone.

By the edge of the beach were a few thatched huts, two women were slaughtering fish, and three young children—two boys and one girl—were playing on the sand.

Upon discovering the group, the children immediately hid behind the women.

The women, meanwhile, warily sized up Zhao Xu and the others.

"Your Highness, this subordinate will go and return shortly," Mo Yu said.

Having said this, he dismounted and walked toward the thatched huts; the women seemed to recognize Mo Yu, their expressions gradually relaxing, and they pointed toward the seaside and said something.

Before long, Mo Yu returned and said, "Your Highness, Chen Shou and his son have gone out to sea to fish and will not return until evening."

Song Cang glanced at the sun overhead and said, "Your Highness, it is only noon; why not return to the county town to rest and come back later?"

Zhao Xu shook his head. "No matter, this Prince wishes to take a look here."

Yunhai County in Yan Commandery was situated on the edge of the Bohai Bay in modern-day Tianjin, the coastline shaped like a semicircle.

The spot Chen Shou had chosen had vast, flat terrain, and the seawater near the shore was very deep.

At a glance, it was suitable for a deep-water port; comparing it to the modern map in his mind, he roughly guessed where this was.

It seemed to be exactly Dagu Fort, where the British army landed during the Opium War, the location of the modern Tianjin Port.

"This Chen Shou is quite interesting." It was precisely because he had realized this that he decided to stay and look around,

to confirm it.

If this were the case, it would save him from having to find a location suitable for a port; this was it.

After all, not every coastline could serve as a port.

One of the important conditions was having a large area of deep water along the shore.

Throughout the afternoon, Zhao Xu walked around the coastline and roughly matched it up.

This filled him with joy.

At dusk, the setting sun dyed the sea surface red, and a black dot appeared on the crimson water.

The black dot grew closer and closer, gradually revealing its true appearance.

It was a small boat.

"They have returned." Mo Yu hurried toward the beach.

Yan Wang had waited here all afternoon, and he knew Chen Shou's temper.

He was worried that Yan Wang would return empty-handed, and also that Chen Shou might offend Yan Wang.

Zhao Xu did not follow, to avoid being too abrupt.

One must maintain basic respect for talented people.

Moreover, it was not easy to find someone in Yanzhou who could build Giant Ships.

Although he was clear on the design, the specific implementation still required someone like Chen Shou who had practical experience.

"Your Highness, we should return." Mo Yu returned after being gone for a while.

He had been rebuffed; Chen Shou had been quite happy to see him.

But when he mentioned working for Yan Wang, his expression changed, and he told them to leave.

"This Chen Shou is truly stubborn." Song Cang frowned. "If it really doesn't work, we should just tie him up and take him."

Zhao Xu was actually prepared for this; after all, Mo Yu had told him enough.

He had only wanted to try; if it really didn't work, he would have to look for someone else.

So he handed the blueprints in his hand to Mo Yu. "Go again, show him this, and tell him that this Prince bets he doesn't have the skill to build such a Giant Ship."

"Your Highness is using a provocation tactic, but I fear it still won't work; my father tried the same thing back then." Mo Yu shook his head.

"Just go," Zhao Xu said with a smile.

One way to deal with these highly skilled craftsmen was to strike at their inflated confidence.

This was also the reason he had shown Chen Shou the blueprints.

Mo Yu had no choice but to go.

Arriving at the seaside, he looked at the short, thin old man sorting fishing nets in the water—this person was Chen Shou—and said, "His Highness, Yan Wang, asked me to show you this and only asks if you have the skill to build this thing?"

Chen Shou was very impatient.

He felt disgust toward the current Imperial Court, and he turned his head, intending to angrily rebuke Mo Yu.

But his gaze was suddenly drawn to the ship structure on the blueprints.

The fishing net slipped from his hands, and he hurriedly took the blueprints and began flipping through them.

"Who drew this?" Chen Shou's tone trembled slightly.

Mo Yu looked surprised; he had never seen such a shocked expression on Chen Shou's face.

In the past, he had always looked as if he had lost all hope in life.

Feeling that the moment had arrived, he rolled his eyes and immediately took back the blueprints.

Chen Shou's hand hung in the air, and he said urgently, "You..."

"This was drawn by Yan Wang. Since you are unwilling to serve Yan Wang, Chen Shou, these blueprints are destined to have no connection with you." Mo Yu estimated he was provoking Chen Shou, then turned and left.

Chen Shou felt as if his heart were burning like fire at this moment.

He had never seen such a warship structure; from a rough glance just now, he understood that this was absolutely a vessel suitable for long-distance voyages.

Moreover, the description regarding the Artillery surprised him even more.

If this kind of ship could be equipped with such a Weapon, it would absolutely be an ocean overlord like a shark on the sea.

In this life, he had originally lost all interest in living.

But now, he suddenly had a strong desire, which was to build this ship.

In this way, his life would have no more regrets.

"Rumor has it that Yan Wang is different from the masses; today I have finally witnessed it." Chen Shou suddenly burst into laughter. "Forget it, I shall cast aside this old face of mine; take me to see Yan Wang."

Mo Yu had not yet walked far, and upon hearing this, he was overjoyed and laughed: "His Highness is truly formidable. No matter how my father tried to persuade you, it was useless, yet a few drawings were enough to bring you out of retirement."

"These are not just a few drawings; the things that can be built from these drawings are not simple, and from these drawings, one can see the grand ambitions of Yan Wang." Chen Shou followed behind Mo Yu with his hands behind his back.

Arriving on the shore, he saw the officials of Yunhai County surrounding a youth in magnificent clothing, so he stepped forward and bowed, "Commoner Chen Shou pays his respects to His Highness, Yan Wang."

"Rise." Zhao Xu was delighted in his heart.

He had only tried it as a test, never expecting that it would actually succeed.

It seems this tactic is very effective against people like Chen Shou.

For these figures who stand at the peak of technology to suddenly see something entirely new, it would be strange if they could hold back their temperament.

Chen Shou raised his head, a trace of doubt on his face, which had been tanned dark by the sea breeze, "From where did Your Highness obtain these blueprints?"

"I drew them myself. If you wish, Chen Shou, I can draw even more complex ship blueprints," Zhao Xu said slowly.

Chen Shou was stunned; Yan Wang did not seem to be lying.

He immediately felt a deep sense of shock, his inner pride shattered by this sentence.

"Your Highness is highly talented; this old man feels ashamed of his own inferiority." Chen Shou sighed. "Based solely on this Giant Ship drawing of Yours, I am convinced, and from now on, I am willing to serve Your Highness."

Yan Wang's reputation had long since reached his ears, and in his heart, he did approve of Yan Wang.

But even so, that was not enough to give him sufficient interest to come out of retirement.

But after seeing this Giant Ship drawing, he was captivated.