"Jiang Wei?"
Kongming prided himself on having a good memory, yet no matter how he searched his mind, he could not recall ever encountering this name.
"Perhaps this Jiang Wei is a native of Yi Province and only later came to know you," Liu Bei comforted him. "There is no need to dwell on it. After all, I have yet to meet Meng Da myself."
Kongming stroked the short beard on his chin. After witnessing these two rounds of discourse from the light screen, his mindset had begun to change. Restoring the Han could not rely solely on the valor or quick wit of a single man. Even if they did not reach the fate described by the light screen, recruiting capable people and nurturing the younger generation would bring nothing but benefit.
"My lord, we must hasten our efforts to secure Yi Province, and…" Kongming paused before adding, "Jiaozhou may also be worth striving for."
"That is only proper. I shall write to Xianhe shortly," Liu Bei agreed.
He could not expect Shi Xie to help him resist Cao Cao or Sun Quan, yet the scenes shown by the descendants stirred something in his heart. So enlightening the people could also be such a great achievement. Although there seemed to be a temple honoring the Marquis of Wu and others of Shu Han, who would ever complain about having more people worship them?
Jian Yong had been sent to Jiaozhou last month and had not yet returned. It would be best to send an urgent letter explaining the situation.
Moreover, the light screen had commented on Sun Quan, stating that if Eastern Wu could develop something called a navy, it could sail along the coast, going south to Japan or north to Indonesia as a fallback.
Liu Bei would rather die than flee overseas, yet if he had a port, perhaps he could study that so-called aircraft carrier.
He himself certainly could not manage it, but they had Kongming.
As for striving for Jiaozhou, it was also because Eastern Wu intended to take it. This was something everyone already understood.
Only Huang Zhong wore a strange expression, while Guan Yu's face grew even redder. Both had noticed the light screen's remark that Vietnam was later lost by the Ming.
Zhao Zilong stood to the side with eyes closed in thought. Among the earlier images, there had been scenes of cavalry. Their formations were loose, the soldiers lacking presence. Though their armor was complete and the horses well-fed, something felt off.
"Development, development, still development," Liu Bei sighed. "I thought our foundation had begun to take shape, yet now the urgency only grows stronger."
"If my lord has such intent, why not join General Zilong in studying agricultural tools?" Kongming said with a smile, organizing the sketches he had made.
"Very well."
Liu Bei showed no resistance and began assigning tasks:
"Yide, starting tomorrow, sweep away the bandits in the surrounding hills so the people may hunt and farm in peace."
"Training the troops shall be entrusted to Yunzhang. The security around Gong'an County will be under General Hansheng."
In just a few sentences, the tasks were distributed.
At that moment, a prompt appeared on the light screen.
[Next video update in one month.]
Seeing that the broadcast had ended, Liu Bei once again fell into indecision.
What should he send this time?
Last time, in haste, he had only sent a jade pendant. This time, knowing the timing in advance, he had prepared several items, intending to select carefully. Yet he had not expected the descendant's second video to be so substantial. Now it seemed that a single gift would not be enough.
"Why not send them all together?" Liu Bei said with some reluctance.
Poor as they were, offerings could not be lacking.
…
Wen Mang wiped his sweat again, surprised at the efficiency of his fans. His video had only been posted for a day, yet he had already received another gift.
Carefully cutting the tape with a utility knife, he revealed a wooden box inside.
It was about the size of a computer case, with copper fittings at the corners and painted with simple, ancient designs.
At first glance, Wen Mang had only one thought.
It did not fit at all.
This kind of box belonged in a historical drama, placed in a scholar's study or bedroom to hold important books or items. In his room, it felt completely out of place.
He lifted it to gauge the weight. It was not heavy, but something inside shifted.
"There is something in it?"
There was no lock. Upon opening it, the scent of incense greeted him. Silk lined the bottom, and on top lay several gleaming yellow objects.
"Replica gold coins!"
Wen Mang cheered, tossing the lid aside and scooping the contents onto the table.
Having reviewed Han Dynasty knowledge for his videos, he recognized them at a glance.
Horse-hoof gold and gold Wuzhu coins. No wonder the box had some weight.
Both were valuable items from the Han Dynasty. With the current popularity of cultural tourism, many merchants produced replicas, though Wen Mang had never bought them before.
To think a fan had sent them.
A thought immediately formed in his mind.
Perhaps for the next video, he should go on location.
Without delay, he set to work. A horse-hoof gold ingot and five gold Wuzhu coins were arranged on silk as he photographed them. After taking a series of pictures, he selected the best ones, arranged them into a four-image grid, and posted it online.
In Gong'an County, after the light screen had ended, those waiting in the side hall were beginning to feel hungry. Just then, as Kongming had expected, the screen reappeared.
[Lightscreen]
[The souvenirs from my friends have arrived. I really like them. Everyone has been so enthusiastic that I feel embarrassed, so I will delay the next video a few days. When it is released, you will be able to see the scenery of Chengdu.
Images 1–3: photos of horse-hoof gold and gold Wuzhu coins. Image 4: high-speed rail ticket from Luocheng to Chengdu.]
[Server Chat Log]
[Iron Mode: Damn, horse-hoof gold and gold Wuzhu? Please adopt me!
Banner Up: Definitely fake. A single horse-hoof gold weighs half a jin. At four hundred per gram, that is a hundred thousand per piece. Still, the replica looks nice.
Standing Still: Gold Wuzhu looks so good, drooling…
NoStepBack: The high-speed rail to Chengdu is too slow. Might as well fly.
Unshaken Tree: If you have time, go see the panda Huahua. Super cute!]
Liu Bei watched Wen Mang's post with a satisfied smile, though he did not quite understand what "delay a few days" meant.
Still, it was enough that the descendant liked the gift.
However, upon reading the comments, Liu Bei grew puzzled.
"Is not horse-hoof gold one jin? Have I misremembered after so long?"
"One jin indeed," Kongming replied, recalling the regulations from Emperor Wu's time. "Perhaps measurements have changed over the generations. It is likely that our one jin equals half of theirs."
Kongming paid closer attention to the descendant's figures.
Four hundred per gram, one piece worth one hundred thousand. That meant one horse-hoof gold was 250 grams, or half a jin. Then one jin would be 500 grams. Why not one thousand grams? It was puzzling, but worth noting.
"The descendant travels to Chengdu by something called high-speed rail?" Guan Yu stroked his beard. "Then the final image must be proof for boarding it."
As they spoke, the image of the ticket enlarged.
Guan Yu nearly tore out his beard in shock.
"From Luoyang to Chengdu in just over six hours. What speed is this!"
Though he did not understand how "hours" compared to the traditional timekeeping, it clearly did not exceed a day. Even one day would be astonishing.
Zhang Fei scoffed.
"Second Brother, what are you so surprised about? Look at the comment below. They still think it is slow and say it is better to fly. The descendants can fly now! I wonder what kind of wings they have. If I were there, I would want eagle wings. That would be something!"