NOVPUBIs this rhythm trying to kill me? The shelf change was set for the afternoon, and since the signing, my book has been plagued with misfortunes. But since I said I’d update at dawn, I’ll update then.
"How about that, with just a thousand men one can capture a city, seize its highest commander-in-chief, and when the defense crumbles like a landslide, breaking through the city gates means everything to those defending. I believe Ju Gong understands this better than I do," Chen Xi said with a face full of mockery. With only five hundred men, Zhang Fei didn’t need to kill enemies; he just needed his soldiers to cause chaos. And that too when the enemy generals don’t understand warfare, soldiers don’t recognize their leaders, and the city gates have been broken, their potential for destruction was still very strong.
"Hmph, Chen Zichuan, I admit you have courage and wisdom, but you are too careless. The renowned generals of Hebei are not so easily dealt with!" Ju Shou said with a cold laugh, "Even if you can suppress Nanpi’s guards for a moment, once Jun Yi and Yuanbo lead their troops back, all of you will be completely trapped! How about a deal? I’ll let you leave if you stop Zhang Fei from wreaking havoc!" Ju Shou spoke with a hint of pain, having already seen several dark waves.
"Rest assured, rest assured, Yide won’t cause too much destruction, after all, Nanpi City is also a face of Jizhou," Chen Xi said with a light laugh, which made Ju Shou breathe a sigh of relief. If Zhang Fei continued on, the loss to Nanpi would be enormous.
"However, I doubt that the Generals Zhang Gao you were hoping for can do what you wish anymore," Chen Xi said as he opened his wooden folding fan, hiding his smirk, "The Nanpi Camp is built so conspicuously, how wonderful it is!"
As he spoke, a huge streak of blue light crossed the western sky, followed by a slight tremor of the earth. Chen Xi covered his mouth with the folding fan, his eyes glancing sidelong at Ju Shou.
"What do you say?" Chen Xi asked playfully, "But please, Ju Gong, abandon the idea of holding me captive. Unlike your confidence, Zhao Zilong is always watching here. I assure you the moment you draw your dagger to cut flesh, Zilong can split your dagger in half."
After finishing, Chen Xi sheathed his dagger, as there was Zhao Yun to guard Ju Shou; he no longer needed to take action himself.
Soon, Guan Yu arrived with his five hundred School Sabre Bearers, bringing along Zhang He, Gao Lan, and others, bowing to Chen Xi and saying, "Mission accomplished!"
"Yunchang, go stop Yide, don’t let him continue the destruction. We still need to defend Nanpi for a short while. We won’t need much time, just one day will suffice. Even if the rest of Jizhou reacts, it will be too late. The three highest commanders responsible for local defense are all here, the command system has already collapsed. I wonder if Ziyi can hurry up?" Chen Xi said calmly as he turned to look at Guan Yu.
"Chen Zichuan!" Ju Shou yelled angrily.
"Ju Gong, please put away that expression. Once a choice is made, one must bear the consequences. It has always been so since ancient times. I assume Ju Gong is not someone who dares not take responsibility," Chen Xi spoke calmly. As for Zhang He and Gao Lan, whose inner Qi had been sealed by Guan Yu and left aside for Zhao Yun to watch, Chen Xi was quite interested, as these were big fish, after all.
"Ah, these communication methods are really rubbish. By now, Ziyi probably hasn’t even received the news from our side. Although I told him to prepare, he’s probably still squatting at the Qing-Ji border. Such a waste of time," Chen Xi stretched lazily.
"Chen Zichuan, what exactly do you want to do!" Ju Shou angrily stared at Chen Xi. He had heard from Chen Xi’s words that the situation was sliding in a direction he could least accept. If Taishi Ci really made a move from Qingzhou, the Jizhou Army without its highest commanders would definitely be crushed; the fall of Bohai Commandery was almost certain, and then the entire war between Youzhou and Jizhou might be rewritten!
"What do you want to do, Ju Gongyu?" Chen Xi said with a cold laugh.
"What good does it do you if Gongsun Bogui takes Jizhou?" Ju Shou glared at Chen Xi, still furious.
"It’s better than Yuan Benchu, isn’t it? Gongsun Bogui and Lord Xuande are kindred spirits. Having such a neighbor is reassuring," Chen Xi said with a mocking expression.
Having heard this, Ju Shou finally took a deep breath; Chen Xi was also guarding against Gongsun Bogui, so with that in mind, there was room for cooperation.
"What do you want?" Ju Shou asked calmly.
"Nanpi City, I’m moving it." Chen Xi stated bluntly.
Ju Shou shuddered, so much effort he had put into that city, he began building it during Hann Fu’s tenure, and now it was finished...
"Then it’s settled," Chen Xi said with a smile as he turned around. The situation was now in his favor, and he didn’t need to negotiate with Ju Shou—whatever he said was what would be. However, asking for too much might have touched Ju Shou’s nerves and could have caused Yuan Shao’s already difficult defenses to collapse.
"Yunchang and Zilong will lead the troops to defend the four gates. Nanpi City is a bit too large; defending it with just a thousand men is indeed a bit difficult. But to hold on for just one day will be enough, Ziyi must be rushing over under a strict order. As for the other places in Bohai Commandery, without orders, they can probably only stick to guarding their defenses," Chen Xi explained with a look of helplessness, but to Zhao Yun, it was quite a mockery of Jizhou.
"Understood!" Guan Yu and Zhao Yun saluted with their fists.
The entire Jizhou Aristocratic Families watched the scene silently, none of them took action. As long as Chen Xi didn’t touch the interests of the aristocratic families, they wouldn’t care about the current situation. Especially now, it was clear that Chen Xi’s power was significant, and their ties with the Yuan Family were not deep. The stricken Yuan Family, to put it bluntly, had nothing to do with them, and they could even mock the Yuan Family afterwards.
As for the Zhang Clan, seeing the current situation, their eyes were shining with interest. Ju Gongyu’s capabilities were well-known throughout Jizhou, evident from his work on Nanpi City, but now he was being countered by Chen Xi within the city. 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝒐𝒎
Hearing previously about Chen Xi suppressing a million Yellow Turbans was shocking, but the current situation revealed even more about Chen Xi’s prowess to the Zhang Clan!
"Mi’er, let’s go home. Chen Zichuan may be a good choice after all. Rather than betting on others, I prefer Chen Zichuan," Mrs. Zhang said with a smile, patting Zhen Mi’s head. "Would Mi’er like to visit Mount Tai? How about our Zhen Family setting up a branch there?"
"Mount Tai?" Zhen Mi nodded, having heard that it was a place where emperors would perform Zen rituals.
"Grow up quickly, Mi’er," Mrs. Zhang said with a smile, patting her daughter’s head. "So young, and yet there’s already someone fond of you."
Zhen Mi shyly lowered her head, then hugged her mother, snuggling into Mrs. Zhang’s embrace, "Mother, after Chen Zichuan left, our home feels like it did when father was alive."
Mrs. Zhang remained silent. It was after this incident that she realized Zhen Yi’s choice had been the most correct. The Zhen Family had moved beyond the initial urgent stage of accumulation and now did not need anything else, only steady progress. The Zhen Family’s wealth far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine, unlike her previous approach.
Chen Xi didn’t know that upon witnessing this scene, the Zhen Family was already planning to align themselves directly with Liu Xuande. He didn’t need to wait for years for the efforts he had invested throughout Jizhou to ferment; at this very moment, the seed he had planted earlier had already begun to take root and was growing, drawing on the Zhen Family’s hatred for the Yuan Family and the Jizhou Aristocratic Families!
