543: Chapter 543 Chess

After several days of intense deliberation, the faction led by Zhao Fusu and the faction led by Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng finally decided to officially part ways.

"Farewell!"

Xiang Liang cupped his hands in a salute to Zhao Fusu and the others, then took the eight thousand Jiangdong disciples and departed, their steps steady and resolute.

"Farewell!"

Zhao Fusu and the others returned the salute, watching Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng leave with solemn expressions.

Watching the group led by Xiang Liang gradually disappear from sight, Zhao Fusu felt a myriad of emotions.

He knew deeply that once Xiang Liang and his people had left, the remaining forces would be under his absolute control.

For Zhao Fusu, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

Possessing his own power in the Mauryan Empire meant he no longer needed to worry about Xiang Liang, Xiang Yu, and Fan Zeng growing too powerful within the Mauryan Empire, consolidating its strength, and then turning back to attack Great Qin.

Even if they might not invade during his lifetime, who could guarantee that no unforeseen changes would occur in the future?

Once they became the sole power on this continent, they would inevitably expand outward for development, leading to geopolitical conflicts with Great Qin.

Once Great Qin developed a presence in the region north of the subcontinent, it could contain them and possess a larger buffer zone.

Zhao Fusu did not take troops to conquer cities and seize land; instead, he planned to proceed gradually.

He was very clear that the group he needed to win over was the Dalits, who sat at the very bottom of the caste system.

This meant he had to follow the strategy of surrounding the cities from the countryside.

By developing his forces in areas where the enemy's influence was weak, he also possessed the truth.

Zhao Fusu did not feel much pressure; on the contrary, he had quite a bit of leisure.

He had previously thought about the Chu-Han Contention, and now he decided to bring out Xiangqi, just in case this parallel world lacked it.

"Zhao Xuan, Tian Feng, Han Zhao, I have invented a game of chess; shall we play a match?"

Zhao Fusu turned around and said to the three with a smile.

These three were now pivotal figures in the Huaxia Pioneer Group, and their wisdom and talent had played a crucial role in the development of the Pioneer Group.

"Oh!"

Hearing Zhao Fusu say this, the three immediately became interested, their eyes sparkling with curiosity.

They replied in unison, "Sure!"

It wasn't just the three of them; even the First Emperor Ying Zheng and the veteran general General Wang Jian were intrigued upon hearing this and were equally interested.

After all, in their minds, whatever Zhao Fusu produced was always something novel and practical, bringing them unexpected surprises every time.

General Wang Jian stroked his beard; to avoid exposing his identity, he kept on the facial disguise mask provided by Zhao Fusu.

After all, General Wang Jian was quite famous; having fought throughout his life and destroyed many states, quite a few Remnants of the Six States recognized his appearance.

If he didn't wear the biomimetic mask, in the event he encountered any Remnants of the Six States who happened to recognize General Wang Jian, it would surely expose their identities, thereby bringing unnecessary trouble to their infiltration.

"Take a look."

Zhao Fusu smiled and carefully took out the Xiangqi set, placing it before everyone.

He pointed to the board and said seriously, "This is the board; the river in the middle is the Chu River."

People at this time primarily played Go.

Go was invented in imitation of ancient landlords enclosing land.

After a match, whoever enclosed the most land was the winner.

Tian Feng looked at the different characters carved on the Xiangqi pieces; it was obvious that the way to play Xiangqi was different from Go.

"May I ask the Consul General to explain the rules of the game?"

Tian Feng said with an expectant look.

The people around also gathered, their gazes full of curiosity and anticipation.