Chapter 25: Can He Really Foretell the Future?

Mi Zhu, unwilling to miss this investment opportunity, spoke with Lu Shui for a long time before finally deciding to add an investment of 200 million cash. However, the Mi family could not produce 200 million copper coins on such short notice, so they opted to settle the amount with equivalent building materials.

Lu Shui found this plan excellent, as constructing the outer city required vast quantities of materials; even if the Mi family could provide the full amount in cash, he would have had to spend it on supplies anyway. Since that was the case, why not simply accept building materials in lieu of cash?

After consulting with Mi Zhu, Lu Shui approached Lu Chuan to inform him of the additional investment and to ask if all merchants could be allowed to follow this model. Lu Chuan naturally had no objections. While copper coins were useful, the actual construction relied on materials and labor. Since the labor issue was already settled, accepting materials directly was a perfectly viable solution, provided there was a reasonable limit to how much material could be accepted.

Furthermore, Lu Chuan introduced a new concept to Lu Shui: "pre-subscription." Since building an outer city was a long-term project rather than a one-time endeavor, gathering too much cash or material at once was counterproductive. It was better to have funds and supplies delivered in accordance with the construction schedule. For those merchants who could not provide large amounts of capital or materials immediately but still wished to increase their investment, they could "pre-subscribe"—signing a contract to deliver a specific amount of cash or materials at a predetermined time, which would then be counted as valid investment. This approach significantly reduced the risk of stockpiling excess materials and eased the pressure on the investors.

Once the policies for material-based payments and pre-subscriptions were announced, the merchants, already invested from the first round, displayed immense enthusiasm. In just three days, they secured nearly one billion in new investments, including Mi Zhu’s contribution and the merchants' pre-subscriptions. In short, Lu Chuan would not need to worry about funding for a long time, allowing him to focus his energy on the blueprints.

With the investments secured, the labor force steady, and materials arriving continuously, the construction of the outer city walls accelerated. In just one month, the foundation of the walls was completed. Considering that the world would soon descend into chaos following the campaign of the eighteen lords against Dong Zhuo, marking the beginning of an era of warlord contention, Lu Chuan opted for a strategy of building sturdier and taller walls. According to his design, the walls would be no less than four zhang in height and width. A height of four zhang, equivalent to over thirteen meters, was certainly sufficient. As for the four-zhang width, Lu Chuan had his reasons.

This design not only made the walls more solid but also facilitated defense. Imagine the despair of enemies who, after struggling with great difficulty to scale the wall, were immediately met by a unit of well-equipped cavalry charging at them across the ramparts.

However, there was one problem: the shortage of stone. While using stone for the foundation was ideal for ensuring stability, using it for the entire structure would be too wasteful; no amount of investment would suffice. Consequently, Lu Chuan paused the wall construction to focus on the city's internal pipe networks and other facilities.

To address the stone shortage, Lu Chuan summoned Lu Tu, the person in charge of the outer city construction. Though his name sounded plain, Lu Tu’s abilities were not to be underestimated. During his training, Lu Chuan had discovered Lu Tu’s keen interest in urban development and began to focus on cultivating his expertise in infrastructure. Lu Tu had been the lead official for the construction of Lu County, making him highly experienced in building an outer city.

Lu Chuan’s purpose for summoning him was simple: to experiment with brick-making. Brick-making did not require advanced technology; any simple earthen kiln could produce them. However, since Lu Chuan did not know the technical specifics, he could only provide the general direction and leave it to Lu Tu to experiment. The goal was to have it perfected before full-scale wall construction resumed. Once ready, they would use bricks for the main structure and cover the exterior with large bluestone, which would undoubtedly be superior to walls filled with packed earth.

Upon hearing that earth could be fired into hard bricks, Lu Tu was immediately intrigued and found a spot to begin his research. With Lu Chuan’s guidance on the general direction, Lu Tu only needed to iterate and adjust, and it wouldn't be long before he succeeded. Even if the bricks were not perfectly hardened, they would certainly be sufficient for the current era. If the hardness proved adequate, Lu Chuan could even use them to build houses, which would be far sturdier and warmer than wooden ones. Having entrusted this task to Lu Tu, Lu Chuan turned his attention back to designing the northern outer city plans.

...

Hulao Pass.

The eighteen lords had gathered there to crusade against Dong Zhuo. Despite encountering the formidable warrior Lu Bu, the combined efforts of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei forced him to flee in defeat, allowing the lords to press their advantage and achieve a great victory. To escape the pressure, Dong Zhuo forced millions of Luoyang’s residents to relocate to Chang'an, burning Luoyang to the ground and leaving countless dead in his wake.

When Cao Cao and Yuan Shao received the news, they hurried their armies toward Luoyang, but it was already too late. Seeing the ruins of the city, Cao Cao was consumed by uncontrollable rage. Ignoring Yuan Shao’s advice, he insisted on pursuing Dong Zhuo, only to fall into an ambush. He suffered heavy losses and nearly lost his life. Looking at his remaining, battered troops, Cao Cao felt a profound sense of helplessness. Why was restoring the Han Dynasty so difficult? If Yuan Shao and the others had pursued Dong Zhuo as he had, they surely could have defeated him and rescued the Emperor in one stroke. Yet, Yuan Shao and the others...

Cao Cao let out a sigh, his voice filled with frustration. Xiahou Dun, standing nearby with an equally dejected expression, suddenly spoke up.

"Mengde, do you remember the magistrate of Lu County?"

"You mean... Lu Chuan?"

"Yes! That’s him! Do you remember what he said back then?"

"What did he say?"

Cao Cao frowned, immediately recalling the embarrassment of being escorted out by Lu Chuan. But as he thought more carefully, his expression changed.

"That Lu Chuan said that our crusade against Dong Zhuo would end in defeat and heavy losses!"

"Exactly! I remember him saying that too. I was so angry I wanted to cut that insolent official down on the spot, but now..."

Xiahou Dun could not continue. They had indeed been defeated and suffered heavy losses. If Cao Hong had not voluntarily given his own horse to Cao Cao, he might have been killed...

Cao Cao’s brow furrowed even deeper.

"Yuanrang, do you think that Lu Chuan truly possesses the ability to foresee the future?"