A Barrel of Oil for a Princess

Zhu Yuanzhang was gripping the mouse, getting the hang of its feel under Zhu Di’s guidance, when before he could even settle into his seat, his ears started burning.

"Softly, softly, my dear..."

Empress Ma complained with displeasure, "I told you to come down and call them back to the palace, but instead of that, you started playing yourself. Hurry back to the palace with me..."

"That iron carriage is out of fuel; we need to find Chen Lin to fill it up first."

"Then what are you waiting for, go quickly!"

Empress Ma let go, and Zhu Yuanzhang hastily fled, intercepting Chen Lin, who had not walked far.

"Hold it right there. Fill up our carriage. Name your price."

For once, Chen Lin showed unusual generosity, "Consider it a gift. Have some men push the carriage into the garage."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him suspiciously, "Since when are you so kind-hearted?"

"Spit it out. What’s your angle?"

Chen Lin chuckled, "You bestow the title of princess upon little Lan, and I’ll gift you a drum of fuel as a return favor."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt he was getting the short end of the stick, "You’re paying me off with just a bit of that so-called diesel?"

Chen Lin turned to leave, "Take it or leave it..."

Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly stopped him, "Alright, alright, you rascal never take a loss, fill it up right now."

Chen Lin smiled inwardly. Trading a whole drum of fuel to settle such a massive favor—he made out like a bandit.

Shortly after, urged on by the brocade-clad guards, the battered pickup truck was pushed into the garage. Chen Lin had three vassal princes drag a barrel of fuel to the garage as well. He pulled out an electric fuel pump, plugged it in, and with a low hum—

Everyone looked on in sheer amazement. So this iron carriage needed to eat as well, and what it drank was oil!

Could humans drink this oil?

If they drank it, would their strength become as immense as that of the iron carriage?!

Before long, the pickup truck's fuel tank was full. However, at this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang directly ordered the imperial guards to load the remaining fuel barrel into the truck bed.

"Stop right there. One barrel of fuel for one princess. If you dare utter another word of nonsense, I'll renege on the deal right now. After all, I haven't issued the official decree yet."

Zhu Yuanzhang flatly cut off Chen Lin, who was about to speak.

Chen Lin rolled his eyes and flipped him off, "Utterly shameless. Get lost!"

With that, he turned away to supervise the construction of the irrigation ditch, only to find Zhu Xiongying popping out from nowhere.

"Chen Lin, quickly hide me! I don't want to go back to the palace!"

Chen Lin pressed down on Zhu Xiongying's head, "That won't do. You are the Imperial Grandson; you can't stay here indefinitely."

"I don't care, I just want to stay. The palace is so boring, and all day long I have to listen to those pedantic scholars droning on."

"Chen Lin, why don't you be my teacher? I like you best in the entire world."

Amused, Chen Lin chuckled, "Best in the entire world? What could I possibly teach you? I don't know any of those ancient classical texts."

Zhu Xiongying tilted his head up, looking eagerly at the teacher in his heart, "You can teach me anything! I just don't want to go back to the palace. Please, Chen Lin, you're my uncle-in-law!"

Chen Lin stroked his chin. Educating Zhu Xiongying actually seemed like a pretty good idea, but how could they convince Empress Ma?

"How about this? After your grandmother’s birthday banquet, you pretend to fall ill. When the imperial physicians examine you and find nothing wrong, you just insist you feel miserable. With the physicians at their wits' end, your grandmother will naturally bring you to see me. By then, I’ll find a way to let you stay."

Hearing this, Zhu Xiongying’s eyes lit up, "Deal! A promise is a promise!"

Just at that moment, Empress Ma came looking for them. After scolding Zhu Xiongying a bit and exchanging a few polite remarks with Chen Lin, she took her eldest grandson by the hand and bid farewell.

As he left, Zhu Xiongying kept looking back eagerly at Chen Lin, his little eyes filled with grievance.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s family had finally departed. Seeing them off was out of the question—the hydroelectric generator set was what demanded his attention right now.

With the pickup truck fully refueled, the family crammed into the vehicle once more, passionately discussing the match of Age of Empires they had just played.

"Handgonnes, or muskets rather—massed musketeer infantry play far too crucial a role on the battlefield," Zhu Di concluded.

Zhu Shuo, however, argued, "But musketeers have far too few hit points. Under the scatter attack of trebuchets, whole ranks drop dead at once."

Zhu Di explained, "That's different. A game is a game, and a battlefield is a battlefield."

"On a real battlefield, it's rare to see trebuchets accompanying a field army. Trebuchets can only be utilized in city sieges and defenses. Yet how many fortified cities does Northern Yuan actually possess? Therefore, the role of musketeers is pivotal."

"Besides, Northern Yuan's cavalry amounts to nothing more than standard melee cavalry and horse archers in the game. Unless they are heavy cavalry or paladins, precisely as Chen Lin said, any troop type is utterly vulnerable before massed musketeer units."

"If we furthermore coordinate our own cavalry to cover the flanks of the musketeers, whether attacking or defending, we will remain invincible."

Zhu Gang nodded, "That stands to reason. But musketeers in reality, much like in the game, are an expensive branch of troops. Without sufficient fiscal support, if the imperial court wants to mass-produce soldiers the way one does in the game, it'll be difficult."

At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang chimed in, "The foundation of everything lies in the imperial court’s treasury—essentially 'farming and mining' in the game. Without strong national power, all these proposals of yours are mere castles in the air."

"That is why Chen Lin spent the first half-hour furiously accumulating resources and establishing defenses. That is the correct development strategy for our Central Plains Empire."

"Make no move unless certain of victory; once moved, strike with the force of a thunderbolt to utterly annihilate the enemy state."

Zhu Di agreed, "Indeed. Northern Yuan's advantage lies in the mobility of their cavalry, whereas our advantage lies in abundant population and resources. As long as we maintain a solid defense, quietly accumulate resources, and build up our military strength, the moment the opportunity arrives we can launch a massive northern expedition and completely wipe out Northern Yuan."

"Of course, the harassment tactics Chen Lin mentioned can also be implemented simultaneously. Slaughtering peasants is not only satisfying, but the yields are also immense, effectively stalling the opponent's development."

"We can dispatch small, highly mobile cavalry units to sustain war through war, launching surprise raids on Northern Yuan's rear herdsmen. By employing a war of attrition, we can keep Northern Yuan in a perpetual state of bleeding..."

Under Zhu Di’s thorough analysis, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help sighing, "Who would have thought that a tiny game could mirror actual warfare logistics so closely? The future world is truly terrifying."

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Empress Ma was somewhat bewildered. Cuddling the sleeping Zhu Xiongying, she began to reflect: Could it be that by forcibly dragging the father and three sons away just now, she had made a mistake?

Were they not merely playing, but actually studying grand strategy and military doctrines?

At this moment, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again, "Regardless, this game called Age of Empires is something we must acquire. While playing, we can use the strategies and tactics displayed in the game as a reference. Comparing them with the actual conditions between Ming and Northern Yuan might yield unexpected results."

All three sons nodded frantically.

"Father Emperor is wise."

Empress Ma finally understood. So this father and three sons ultimately just wanted to play games.

Very well, extremely well. They weren't even bothering to hide their covert glances at each other anymore, were they?!

Just you wait, old man...

On the other side, under Chen Lin's direction, the impeller of the hydroelectric generator was finally lowered by pulleys into the excavated pit.

Chen Lin flipped through the installation manual, conferring with Shi Dazhuang on where the generator ought to be properly installed.

Yet, could things really be that simple?