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Yu Jin was reliable enough, and Lub Su was patient and capable. With ten thousand men firmly stationed at the border, it wasn’t going to be easy for Cao Cao to defeat them, even with Xi Zhicai, the Two Xuns, and Cheng Yu on his side. Defense often held a greater advantage over offense. As long as they could hold the front lines, once Chen Xi finished repelling the Yellow Turbans and returned, the situation would be reversed instantly.
As for the troubles Cao Cao might have as Governor of Yanzhou, let’s be realistic; provocations may occur, but in the end, it would still come down to a comparison of martial force. As for Cao Cao’s desire to seize grain in Xuzhou, with Mount Tai blocking the way—a gateway to Xuzhou—Cao Cao would have no choice but to fight if he wanted to get through. Forget about any other methods.
Chen Xi had long anticipated this, so whether Liu Bei was willing or not, he was in the same alliance as Tao Qian, Yuan Shu, and Gongsun Zan, while Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Liu Biao belonged to another.
Every time Chen Xi thought about this alliance, his face twitched with agitation. He really wanted to ask why none of his allies were reliable. After Gongsun Zan’s defeat, if Yuan Shu got his hands on the Jade Seal and proclaimed himself emperor, then Liu Bei would have no choice but to fight the world alone. But the idea of Liu Bei joining the Shao Alliance was nothing but a dream!
As for this predetermined situation, all Chen Xi could do was to quickly rely on Xuzhou to develop Qingzhou, to rise swiftly under the protection of Gongsun Zan—the strongest martial force among the Guandong Lords—and the grain production of Xuzhou. They needed to be self-sufficient before Gongsun Zan’s downfall; otherwise, get ready to wander… to wander…
Lub Su might have already sensed this, which is why he had been looking so worried lately. Liu Bei treated him well, but Lub Su truly had no faith in this ally. Gongsun Zan aside, Tao Qian was already old and his spirit exceeded his strength. As for Yuan Shu, whom Lub Su had seen, he might be considered a hero if continuously suppressed, but once he gained the upper hand, Lub Su felt that Yuan Shu was capable of screwing up big time. So, this alliance always seemed doomed to fail to Lub Su…
Another reason Lub Su was not optimistic about the alliance was because of the intelligence reports received from Yuan Shao and Cao Cao’s sides, which sent chills down his spine. They were too wise and powerful, capable of bending and stretching—a sure sign of overlord material. Then looking back at Liu Biao, who entered Jingzhou alone and secured its peace, Lub Su was speechless. Any one of these three had the potential to be an overlord.
Lub Su was in a dilemma. As much as he didn’t want to switch sides, he had grown to truly admire Liu Bei after spending so much time with him—his benevolent leadership. It was for this reason that Lub Su wracked his brain daily, trying to find a bright path through the thorns, given the weak allies and strong enemies. He was at his wits’ end.
Truth be told, Lub Su didn’t believe Chen Xi was unaware of this. Liu Ye might fall short due to his lack of foresight, and Guo Jia, being a free spirit, might know but wouldn’t tell others. But if Chen Xi didn’t know, Lub Su would be the first to disbelieve that. Anticipating problems and preparing for them had always been Chen Xi’s habit; how could he not be prepared?
The problem was, Lub Su had investigated many times and had seen no contingency plan from Chen Xi. He refused to believe there was such a gap between him and Chen Xi. If Chen Xi had prepared, but he hadn’t noticed, that was impossible. And if Chen Xi hadn’t prepared, that was completely unexpected!
"Zijing!" Chen Xi pushed the door and entered directly. Unless Liu Bei called all the civil officials, Lub Su hardly went to the Political Office these days and worked from home, as did Chen Xi—which was why he had hardly seen Lub Su recently.
"Zichuan," Lub Su got up but didn’t get up to greet him. There was no need for such formalities with Chen Xi anymore, "What brings you here?"
"This is for you. I’ll be away for a while, so you’ll take over as Governor of Mount Tai Commandery temporarily," Chen Xi said casually as he unfastened his seal ribbon and tossed it onto Lub Su’s desk.
"You’re going to campaign against the Yellow Turbans?" Lub Su frowned.
"Who else could it be but me? Among us, I’m the only one whose prestige can keep Second Brother and the rest in line." Chen Xi casually found a spot, sat cross-legged. Kneeling ceremonies can be incredibly straining; it’s often hard to stand up afterward...
"True, only your prestige can suppress Yunchang and the others." Lub Su nodded, "What are your plans for the Yellow Turbans?"
"It’s not too big of a problem, after all, Fengxiao has arranged the Tuntian points well, and there’s a lot of sand mixed in between. I reckon Fengxiao has screened all the Yellow Turbans from everywhere. With so many informants leading, the Yellow Turbans would struggle with internal conflict over food even if they didn’t want to." Chen Xi said casually. Guo Jia’s setup was purely an open strategy; if the Yellow Turbans wanted to survive, they had to loot, and looting would only lead them to internal chaos. It was that simple.
Lub Su nodded, aware of Guo Jia’s arrangements; a bunch of third-rate Tuntian soldiers were put together, including a fair number of small and large Yellow Turban Bandits, then some food was also arranged at the Tuntian points.
The purpose of this was dual: one was to use the Yellow Turbans to clear out the local ruffians, and the other was to incite internal chaos among the Yellow Turbans. In any case, once the Yellow Turbans reached the frontier Tuntian points, even if they killed off all the Tuntian farmers, it would be beneficial for Mount Tai.
"That’s true, the Yellow Turbans aren’t a big issue, but what about the others?" Lub Su raised his head to question Chen Xi, wanting Chen Xi to be clear for once instead of guessing all the time!
"You and Wen Ze need to guard against Cao Cao’s sneak attacks. Though we had a fairly good relationship in the alliance before, now, when we’re starving, everything else is just empty talk." Chen Xi didn’t think too deeply and directly assigned the task.
"Zichuan, Cao Mengde’s actions aren’t too much of a problem either. However fierce his civil officials and military generals may be, Mount Tai isn’t just any character. He wants to plunder Mount Tai to enrich himself, but I, Lub Zijing, will not let him take advantage," Lub Su said proudly. Then, his tone shifted, and he asked with a serious expression, "I don’t believe you can’t see the risk of Mount Tai toppling!"
"Toppling?" Chen Xi was momentarily stunned before he realized what Lub Su was referring to and nodded, "Are you talking about Yuan Benchu, Cao Mengde, Liu Jingsheng being stronger than Gongsun Bogui, Tao Gongzu, Yuan Gonglu?"
At Chen Xi’s words, Lub Su breathed a sigh of relief. Since Chen Xi spoke up, he must have made preparations. Then he nodded.
"No worries, don’t be concerned. Gongsun Bogui won’t lose to Yuan Benchu in the short term. As long as Youzhou and Jizhou keep fighting, we won’t have any trouble. Even if Yuan Benchu emerges victorious after three to five years, with our capability, Qingzhou will have been consolidated by then. With the power of an entire province, why should we fear Yuan Benchu?" Chen Xi shook his head and said, "To be precise, as long as there are no surprises, we don’t need to worry about any challenges on the bigger picture."
"Is that really the case?" Lub Su asked, astonished.
"A true king walks the path alone, without the need for alliances with anyone. We can crush all enemies by ourselves," Chen Xi said proudly. "The path of an overlord doesn’t require allies; it only needs enemies!" 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Lub Su smiled bitterly. Sometimes the person before him was a complete madman, and it was impossible to get any substantial answers. But luckily, although sometimes arrogant and abnormal, this person’s abilities had to be acknowledged.
[bookid=3280030,bookname="Immortal Three Kingdoms"]
