Chapter 20: Lu Chuan's Distress

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Miss Mi ultimately failed to resist the temptation of underfloor heating and agreed to let Lu Chuan send a professional team to the Mi family for an inspection.

When the steward in charge of the caravan’s affairs returned from a tour of Lu County, he was relieved to see that Miss Mi was still at the inn. However, the moment he stepped outside, he discovered more than twenty people waiting there. All of them were unfamiliar faces, and he immediately grew tense.

Fortunately, Miss Mi came out in time and explained that these twenty-odd people were a professional team sent by Lu Chuan to install underfloor heating at the Mi residence.

Questions sprang into the steward’s mind. Lord Lu? Installing underfloor heating? How had the young lady managed to contact Lord Lu?

It was only after Miss Mi explained everything that the steward finally understood. Then cold sweat broke out all over him.

As a steward, he had led caravans across the length and breadth of the land and witnessed countless affairs.

In this era, not every county magistrate was as easygoing as Lu Chuan. If their young lady had happened to approach a magistrate with ulterior motives, she might well have been walking straight into a tiger’s den, never to return.

And as for the power of the Mi family?

They were merely a merchant household. If they encountered a county magistrate backed by powerful patrons or an influential aristocratic clan, they would have no way of opposing him.

Fortunately, Lu Chuan was not that kind of man.

Even so, the steward did not dare remain in Lu County any longer. That very day, he led the caravan on its way back to the Mi family.

The main reason was that he had encountered many old friends in Lu County. After exchanging information with them, he had gained an entirely new understanding of the place. He now knew that Lu County possessed an exceptionally favorable commercial atmosphere. Lu Chuan was not only tolerant toward merchants, but had also introduced numerous policies encouraging trade.

Therefore, the steward needed to report the situation to Mi Zhu and urge the Mi family to establish a presence in Lu County as soon as possible. Once Lu County continued to develop and expand, the Mi family would be able to profit from its growth as well.

In addition, Miss Mi had met Lu Chuan herself and presumably gained a certain understanding of him. She could provide Mi Zhu with even more useful information.

Not long after Lu Chuan returned to the prefectural residence, a young man entered to deliver a report.

“My lord, the Mi family’s caravan has already left the city. I have planted one of our men among the underfloor-heating installation team. He can report on the Mi family’s situation at any time.”

Lu Chuan nodded. “Well done. The Mi family’s wealth is astonishing. If we can secure their investment, building the outer city will no longer be difficult. By the way, Lu Jin, how is the intelligence department coming along?”

Lu Jin replied, “I have recruited some people, and they are currently undergoing training. We can now completely control the intelligence within the county seat and its surrounding area. If my lord wishes to investigate matters farther afield, however, we will need more time.”

“Very well. There is no need to rush this matter. But lately, pay close attention to the movements surrounding the Eighteen Lords’ Campaign against Dong Zhuo. Report any news to me immediately.”

“Yes!”

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Lu Jin bowed to Lu Chuan and slowly withdrew.

Lu Chuan had been in this world for five years, but he had not spent all that time burying himself in development. During those years, he had recruited a number of talented people. None of them were mighty figures whose names had been recorded in history, but under Lu Chuan’s guidance, they had already acquired considerable abilities. Lu Jin was one of them.

Aside from Lu Jin, there were four others, each responsible for different duties under Lu Chuan.

Lu Jin, for instance, was taciturn and discreet, with an exceptionally low profile. Yet he was conscientious and not lacking in ruthlessness, so Lu Chuan had entrusted him with the task of establishing the intelligence department.

Lu Jin had not disappointed him. That very night, he returned with news of the Eighteen Lords’ Campaign against Dong Zhuo.

Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and the others had already formed an alliance at Suanzao. They were jointly discussing plans to campaign against Dong Zhuo. It probably would not be long before a great battle erupted between the eighteen lords and Dong Zhuo.

Lu Chuan put the news aside and began considering how Lu County should develop from this point onward.

The Eighteen Lords’ Campaign against Dong Zhuo was a crucial turning point. It signified that the prestige of the Han dynasty had suffered a severe blow and faced a grave challenge. Once the eighteen lords dispersed like a toppled tree scattering monkeys, the realm would enter an era of contending warlords.

Although the true age of warlord supremacy would not begin for another year or two, the course of history was difficult to defy. Lu Chuan had to seriously consider how Lu County could preserve itself amid the coming chaos.

Because of the system’s existence, Lu Chuan could not casually pledge allegiance to any one warlord, nor could he freely interfere in their struggles. Otherwise, if he altered the original course of history, the small amount of life he possessed would not be enough to pay the price.

Yet if he refused to participate or support any faction, how could he preserve himself by relying on nothing more than a small county?

For that matter, Lu County lay near Chenliu, Cao Cao’s homeland. Would Cao Cao truly stand by and watch a county as enormous as Lu County continue to exist?

Certainly not!

Thus, how to deal with Cao Cao became the first truly serious problem.

Especially as Cao Cao’s strength continued to grow, Lu Chuan would likely find it difficult to make Cao Cao take him seriously on the strength of a single county alone, no matter how capable he was.

Lu Chuan took out a map and studied it carefully, but he still could not find any way to avoid Cao Cao’s covetous gaze. In the end, he could only toss the map aside.

If there was truly no way to hide, then he would have to find a way to strengthen himself.

With Lu Chuan’s abilities, even with only a single county under his control, he could still accomplish something substantial.

Taking Cao Cao’s historical development as a reference, if Lu Chuan could organize an elite army of more than twenty thousand men within two years, then even Cao Cao would have to think twice before moving against him.

After that, as history continued to unfold, the forces under Lu Chuan’s command would steadily increase, and Lu County would continue to expand. That should be enough to withstand Cao Cao’s designs against him.

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In any case, so long as Lu Chuan did not participate in the struggle for supremacy over the realm and merely maintained neutrality through overwhelming strength, he would not affect the course of history.

At least, he would not affect it to any significant degree.

After thinking it over again and again, this was the only course available to him.

Lu Chuan let out a sigh. “As expected, being too outstanding is a troublesome thing in itself.”

…

The Mi Family.

“Big brother, everything I said is true. Lu Chuan is truly capable, and Lu County is remarkably tolerant of merchants—indeed, it even encourages them. Merchants from every corner of the realm are gathering in Lu County. This is a rare opportunity!”

Miss Mi earnestly urged Mi Zhu, hoping that he would go to Lu County ahead of time and establish a commercial foothold there.

Mi Zhu was tempted as well. It was not only because of what Miss Mi had said. After the steward returned, he had also described Lu County’s circumstances in detail, making Mi Zhu realize that it was an extraordinarily unusual place.

At least in this present age, there was no other county in the realm that could match Lu County.

However, investing in the construction of Lu County’s outer city involved too many complications, and the required investment was enormous. Mi Zhu could not make an immediate decision; he needed to visit Lu County personally and inspect it for himself.

The realm was on the verge of descending into chaos. To invest rashly in Lu County at such a time carried far too much risk.

If the county were caught up in the turmoil of war, how could a small place like Lu County possibly withstand it?

Therefore, he had to meet Lu Chuan in person and see what sort of man he truly was.

Before that, however, it was still necessary to establish an early presence in Lu County.

For now, they would open several shops there and observe the situation patiently for a while.

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