Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

This question stunned Sun Ce, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, and the others who had come to greet him.

Immediately afterward, Sun Ce blurted out, asking:

"Yuan Tan, could it be you're unaware of this matter?"

"I've been adrift at sea for some time now; what would I know...?"

Gu Yong's voice paused, his expression turning solemn, and he asked in a heavy tone:

"The Yellow River really breached its banks?"

Sun Ce nodded, replying:

"Just seven days ago, the traitor Cao ordered the dikes to be breached. Now, most of Jinan State has been turned into a swamp. As for the specific commanderies and states it has spread to, we don't yet know."

"However, if my deduction is correct, it's likely already beginning to flood into Langya State."

As he finished speaking, a strange look flickered in Sun Ce's eyes.

Seven days ago... based on Gu Yong's arrival time at Dongchao Ford, even if the seagoing ship traveled day and night, Gu Yong would likely have already set sail.

'So, that would mean ten days before the Yellow River breached its banks...'

The thought flashed through Sun Ce's mind, then he dismissed it, muttering.

"Could it be that the military plan had just been delivered to Master's hands, and Master saw through Cao's treacherous scheme, anticipating that Cao would likely breach the Yellow River?"

At this thought, Sun Ce couldn't help but feel ashamed, and his admiration and respect for Li Ji grew even stronger.

Such a method of anticipating the enemy from a thousand miles away truly captivated Sun Ce.

This was the Marquis of the State, who could alter the course of the world with a mere smile and conversation.

Gu Yong also fell silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

"No wonder Zi Kun sent orders urging such haste, instructing the fleet and navy to travel day and night in shifts. The Yellow River's breach truly couldn't be delayed even a few days."

As Li Ji's former deputy in governance, Gu Yong's abilities had been forged through practical experience, and he understood the consequences of allowing the breached Yellow River to run rampant.

Immediately, Gu Yong, not bothering with pleasantries with Sun Ce, was led by Sun Ce to the location of the Yellow River breach.

After Gu Yong arrived at the breach and conducted an on-site investigation,

he discovered that the gap had now widened to between twenty-one and twenty-two zhang, and the water flow was extremely turbulent, still pouring river water out continuously.

Even though Gu Yong had been mentally prepared, he still revealed a hint of shock when he saw this scene.

In terms of flow rate, the Yangtze River surpassed the Yellow River.

But the Yellow River was a suspended river above ground, its riverbed significantly higher than the land on both sides, which caused a devastating torrent to rush out from the breach once it occurred.

Even Gu Yong, who prided himself on having seen much of the world, had never witnessed such a scene, and he couldn't help but swallow several times.

After slightly recovering his senses, Gu Yong habitually asked his colleagues for their opinions, saying:

"Bo Fu must understand this breach the most. Do you have any ideas on how to block it?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ce couldn't help but reveal a bitter expression, replying:

"I've tried more than a dozen methods, both large and small, but I feel a sense of powerlessness like trying to fill the sea with sand."

"Gong Jin also came to take a look, dragging his sick body, and similarly sighed, feeling that there was no other way but to wait for the Yellow River's dry season before sealing the breach."

After a pause, Sun Ce asked with hope:

"Yuan Tan, did Master instruct you on how to block the breach?"

Gu Yong retorted somewhat speechlessly:

"When Zi Kun anticipated the Yellow River's breach, this event had not yet occurred. The location, terrain, and size of the breach were all unknown, so how could there be a universal method?"

"And if there were a universal method, why would Zi Kun have gone to the trouble of transferring me from Shouchun to this place?"

"If there is a method from Zi Kun, then it is me, Gu Yuan Tan!"

As he said this, a faint confidence was revealed in Gu Yong's expression.

However, when Gu Yong looked back and saw the suspicion in Sun Ce's eyes, he almost couldn't maintain the composed expression on his face.

"You don't believe me? Bo Fu, have you forgotten my identity?"

"Identity?"

Sun Ce frowned, then replied, "Yuan Tan is not just a disciple of Lord Cai, but also half a fellow disciple of Master..."

Gu Yong opened his mouth, feeling a faint sense of powerlessness, not knowing how to refute.

Could it be that in Sun Ce's eyes, he, who usually pretended to be confused, had really become a confused relative?

Somewhat exasperated, Gu Yong took a deep breath, then put his hands behind his back, looked up, and said:

"Speaking of which, it's normal for Bo Fu not to know some things; Bo Fu was still young at the time."

"You should know that back then, Zi Kun re-planned and excavated the entire water network of Wu Commandery, causing Wu Commandery to have countless more fertile fields from then on."

"At that time, although Zi Kun personally oversaw the water network planning, it was me, Gu Yuan Tan, who was responsible for coordinating all aspects."

"When it comes to water management, besides Li Zi Kun, who dares to say they understand it better than I do?"

When he spoke of this matter, Gu Yong's face was proud, but his heart was sour.

Those were truly miserable days where he did nothing but work except for sleeping.

Moreover, after the initial completion of the Wu Commandery water network, Gu Yong thought he had finally made it through, but as a result, he was turned around by Li Zi Kun and thrown to Yizhou to feed mosquitoes.

And during his days in Yizhou, Gu Yong had also preliminarily created a water conservancy plan for the entire Yizhou.

When it came to water management, Gu Yong was all too familiar with it.

In terms of water management experience, there was undoubtedly no one in the entire Han Dynasty more experienced than Gu Yong.

Sun Ce immediately became excited, disregarding those minor details and directly pursuing the main point, asking:

"So, Yuan Tan, you have a method?"

"I already have a preliminary idea."

Gu Yong nodded, then said:

"We just need to find a way to sink several large ships at the breach to block the turbulent flow to a certain extent, and then it won't be difficult to slowly block the breach."

However, just as Gu Yong's voice fell,

"Inappropriate!"

Zhou Yu's voice rang out from behind, and his face still looked abnormally pale.

Sun Ce turned his head to look and hurriedly went forward to support Zhou Yu, saying with concern:

"Gong Jin, why did you come? Didn't the physician tell you to rest more and try not to be exposed to the wind?"

"It's nothing!"

Zhou Yu responded, then said, "The Yellow River breach is of great importance, and we should pool our efforts. I heard that Yuan Tan had arrived in person, so I followed all the way here."

Gu Yong also went forward to care for Zhou Yu's injuries before asking:

"Gong Jin, where do you think it's inappropriate?"

When it came to water management, Zhou Yu was indeed an outsider.

But Zhou Yu understood naval warfare and warships, replying:

"The water flow at the breach is too rapid and fast. Even if a large ship is fully loaded and travels to this place, it's simply impossible for the large ship to sink instantly to the bottom of the river at the breach."

"And even if the hull length of some seagoing ships exceeds twenty zhang, under such a turbulent flow, even the most skilled navy wouldn't be able to make the seagoing ship be horizontally wedged at the breach; that's beyond human power."

(End of chapter)