Three Kingdoms: I rely on system loopholes to survive

In October of the second year of Jian'an, Zhong Ping performed the coming-of-age ceremony in Jiaozhou. The weather was clear and the air was bright, with his teachers and friends by his side.

Cai Yong personally put a black cloth crown on him, and added a leather hat and a wine hat. Liu Bei, as the host, gave cloth, deerskin and other items to the guests who came to participate as a token of his gratitude.

On the second day after the coming-of-age ceremony, Zhong Ping led a thousand Baibi soldiers on a diplomatic mission to Jingzhou.

"Bo Heng, Yuan Shu was defeated at Kuangting and has now retreated to Fengqiu."

Liu Qi handed the silk book to Zhong Ping, who was squatting on the bow feeding fish, and sighed in a low voice: "Yuan Shu was the most powerful prince in Yangzhou, and he was also one of the most powerful princes in the world. He was defeated so quickly... Is Cao Cao really that powerful? In the past, some people laughed at him for being lucky enough to welcome the emperor, but now it seems that is not necessarily the case."

Zhong Ping clapped his hands, stood up and moved closer, taking a quick glance. He was not surprised at all. After all, in this life, Guo Tu was Yuan Shu's adviser. Just think about it, Yuan Shu's short-sightedness and stupidity coupled with Guo Tu's slander and infighting... the fact that he could persist until now was already impressive enough.

"Cao Cao is already powerful. If he takes over Yangzhou..." Liu Qi frowned and hesitated for a while before asking, "Don't trust all rumors. After all, the Yuan brothers are of the same blood. Yuan Shao will not sit idly by, right?"

"There will definitely be a fight between these two. Looking at the current situation, I'm afraid that a war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shu is inevitable, and Yuan Shao will have to send troops to Yanzhou."

Zhong Ping pursed his lips. He could not determine the outcome of the war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao in this life. Although the Yuan brothers were equally good at making plans, after all, Yuan Shao was expanding his territory steadily this time, and there was no instigation by Guo Tu. Cao Cao also fought to support the war, with a large number of soldiers and sufficient food, and achieved great results. There were too many variables, which was why he only told Liu Bei half of the plan when he offered it.

After hearing this, Liu Qi stopped asking questions, but became more curious about Zhong Ping. A few days ago, an envoy from Yanzhou went to Jiaozhou to send Zhong Ping off during his coming-of-age ceremony. He then learned that the uncle and nephew of the Xun family and Cao Cao were all related to Zhong Ping.

He heard that Xun You, Cao Cao and the former governor of Xuzhou Tao Qian were all uncles of Zhong Ping, plus his own father who had passed away... Zhong had so many relatives in law? Why didn't he know about this before?
"See what I do?"

Zhong Ping felt a little strange. He stroked the pearl on his waist that Guan Yu brought from the South China Sea, and secretly calculated when he could reach Changsha County to meet the genius doctor Zhang Zhongjing and the sharpshooter Huang Zhong who were traveling in the county.

Liu Qi fluently changed the subject: "We have seen more and more refugees along the way. I wonder how many of them are Yellow Turbans. Alas, who could have thought that the Yellow Turban Rebellion would last so long. I wonder when the chaos will end?"

The river was flowing slowly, smoke rose from the boats, and a strange voice suddenly sounded from beside Liu Qi, scaring Zhu Feng so much that he immediately drew his sword.

"People don't have enough food to eat. If we don't start a chaos, are we going to die?"

Wang San took out the "Wang's Hard Cake" from the cloth bag on his waist, picked out the softest and whitest piece and brought it to Zhong Ping, grinning at Zhu Feng: "We are one family, put away your knife, put away your knife."

Zhu Feng and Liu Qi were both shocked, they had not noticed that there was such a person among them. After looking at each other, they felt a little scared. If this person was an assassin, he might be able to take someone's life in an instant.

Zhong Ping silently ate a piece of the cake, and was stiff for a moment, then began to secrete saliva while holding the cake in his mouth, and asked calmly: "Is there fish soup for lunch? I want to soak the cake in it."

"There are a few small fish cubes. I told the boatman to put the 'crushed' in the soup. I'll bring it to you right away."

Wang San volunteered. He seemed to be always worried that Zhongping would not have enough food, so he would give Zhongping a big pancake every time they met. Zhongping did not expect that Wang San remembered that he liked to eat fish soup with coriander, and he was moved. Later, he learned that Wang San had pulled up all the coriander that had grown in his yard and brought it with him so that he could drink his favorite soup along the way...

o (╥﹏╥) o
So far, they have not encountered even a single pirate on the way. The days on the boat are too boring. No matter how beautiful the river scenery is, it cannot withstand being seen day after day. Moreover, the humidity is too heavy. The feet are always cold at night. If the journey was not too long and could not afford to be delayed, Zhong Ping and his party would like to stop the boat and go ashore in every county they pass through to have a good rest.

"We're almost in Changsha. Why don't we try a land route? The Xiang River originates from the Yunmeng Lake. It's October now, and the winds are strong and the waves are rough. It's better to take the land route."

Liu Qi's face turned pale and he squatted on the bow like Zhong Ping. After sitting on the boat for ten days in a row, he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Be patient, we will reach Nanjun in five days." Zhong Ping was in high spirits and comforted Liu Qi, "It's rare that the wind is favorable these days, maybe it will take less than five days."

Just like getting drunk after staying up late for too long, Zhong Ping had so much free time on the boat during these few days that he started reading the various books rewarded by the system.

He was so absorbed in reading "Strange and Ingenious Techniques of Ancient China" that he did not even plan to stay in Changsha. He just wanted to finish reading the book in one go on the boat, and then return to Jiaozhou after dealing with the affairs of Jingzhou to try out the animal-raising methods in the book.

Although Liu Qi complained, in his heart he still wanted to go back quickly. He was afraid that after sailing for many days, the others would get tired. Now that he saw that Zhong Ping was more active than himself, he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself for judging others by his own standards.

Bo Heng is a kind man... No wonder he can achieve such success.

He thought about this and calmly changed the subject, "The wind has been strong these days, so the boatmen have caught less fish and rice. I feel guilty thinking that Boheng has to work hard for me but can only eat dry biscuits to survive. If I were to travel around the counties, I could also show my hospitality as a host."

Zhong Ping's eyes lit up when he heard this: "I heard that fishermen have a secret method that they don't pass on. They use a sheep bladder, rub it until it's soft, blow it up and dry it in the shade, put more than a hundred fireflies inside it, and then tie the opening tightly so that it can emit a green glow. Tie it in the middle of the fishing net and sink the net into the water. Then fish of all sizes from far and near will rush to the light. When you pull in the net at this time, you will definitely return with a full load. How do you think this method works?"

Liu Qi had never fished before, so he was not familiar with this matter. Instead, Zhu Feng answered, "When I was young and studying, I did hear that fish like light. There is a reason behind this method, so it is feasible, but it is not suitable for large rivers. Jiangling has many streams, springs, and rotten grass. If you want to use this method, why not go to Nanjun and try it?"

As Zhu Feng spoke, he took two steps closer to Liu Qi, his eyes moving left and right from time to time, trying to confirm whether the elusive Wang San was there.

Ever since Wang San showed up once, Zhu Feng became deeply aware of his shortcomings as a retainer. How could he be so careless as to let someone get close to him without him noticing?

He was much more nervous during this period than before, and he almost wanted to stick to Liu Qi to ensure Liu Qi's safety.

Zhong Ping understood clearly, and he skillfully patted his left hand side. After confirming where Wang San was, he smiled and pulled him to the ship's hold: "I'll go find the boat owner to see if there is a closer waterway."

This was intentional to leave some space for Liu Qi and Zhu Feng to be alone. Both of them took note of Zhong Ping's thoughtfulness and stood at the bow to discuss something in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)