NOVPUB"Xuzhou’s Tao Gongzu would be the best choice, but since Liu Xuande holds Mount Tai Commandery in Xuzhou, it means we don’t even share a border, turning the idea of borrowing grain into an empty talk," Xun Yu calmly stated. "Therefore, we can only do as Liu Xuande did, use the weak to pressure the strong. We strike here!"
Cao Cao focused on the location pointed out by Xun Yu on the map, "Yuan Gonglu is indeed a good choice, but relying on my own strength alone, I’m afraid it might not suffice!"
"If Liu Xuande could borrow the strength of Gongsun Bogui, why can’t we use the hand of Liu Jingsheng to accomplish this? You must know that Nanyang County, a place of wealth, is a part of Jingzhou, and now Liu Jingsheng has already completed his control over the internal governance of Jingzhou," Xun Yu said with a smile.
"Is that so?" Cao Cao asked in surprise and delight.
"Even if it isn’t true, Zhicai will make it true. I’ve heard that Yuan Gonglu plans to take Sunx Wentai’s eldest son as his adopted child, and given Yuan Gonglu’s sense of righteousness, a clash between Sunx Bofu’s stubbornness and Liu Jingsheng is inevitable!" Xun Yu said in a calm tone, laying out the current situation. He planned to open a route to Liu Biao, and while at it, turn Yuzhou’s Lub Kingdom into an exclave, then proceed to ’pluck the geese as they come,’ securing money, grain, and people easily.
Cao Cao stared at Faan County, the place Xun Yu pointed out, and estimated that it would take only about three thousand men to take that city. For Yuzhou, it would mean losing ninety percent of Lub Kingdom!
His gaze followed the slide of Xun Yu’s finger to the right, and Xun Yu’s ultimate goal, Xuzhou, appeared. Taking Lub Kingdom would instantly border Xuzhou, the ’big dog’. He admitted the Soldiers of Mount Tai were tough nuts to crack, but the Danyang Troops, led to waste by Cao Bao, were well-experienced. Plus, firmly aimed directly at the East Sea and Pengcheng, Tao Qian could move all he wanted, but he was still under Cao Cao’s sword!
"However, challenging both Xuzhou and Yuzhou at the same time seems a bit..." Cao Mengde pondered for a long time, almost convinced by Xun Yu’s strategy, yet he hesitated. After all, even Xuzhou, weak as it was, had troops and grain, and as for Yuan Shu, he was one of the top powers after the downfall of Dong Zhuo.
"There’s no need to worry about this. Nanyang is the richest place under heaven. Just a glimpse of covetousness from Liu Jingsheng will not be tolerated by Yuan Gonglu, even though that place is under Jingzhou," Xun Yu said with a smile. "As for Tao Gongzu, if this were ten years ago, I would never underestimate him. But now, as if the sun sets in the west, he no longer has his original sharpness, merely a man who takes whatever he can."
With these words from Xun Yu, Cao Cao was no longer worried. He indeed needed a land that produced grain; without such a place, his heart would never be at peace. Even if he could borrow grain from others, he would not feel secure. No feudal lord with aspirations for all under heaven would leave their lifeline in another’s hands.
Meanwhile, Cao Mengde was already considering targeting Yuan Gonglu, Chen Xi on the road back to Fenggao was already lamenting what to do upon his return—the gap in official positions was too large.
With approximately one million four hundred thousand Yellow Turbans, according to the system of the Han Dynasty, a hundred and forty officials were needed, and at least seven hundred petty officials. Alright, even seven hundred was far from sufficient, but according to Chen Xi’s calculations, seven hundred petty officials would be barely enough to keep Qingzhou’s agricultural affairs running, as long as no major issues arose, the basic framework of the administration was generally operational.
This is the disadvantage of not having a local aristocratic family. If there were one, all you’d have to do is drop the people within the aristocratic family’s jurisdiction, and you wouldn’t need to worry about anything else. Families like the Zhen Family, who are a great aristocratic family, could take in three hundred thousand refugees and organize everything on their own. Of course, if you dumped a million on them, even the Zhen Family would be overwhelmed.
When Chen Xi returned with his troops, he was personally welcomed by Liu Bei along with the civil and military officials who had stayed behind, giving Chen Xi plenty of face. Generally, Chen Xi didn’t feel much about this kind of thing...
However, the latest news was that Guan Yu’s wife, Lady Hu from the Hu Clan, had recently heard news of Guan Yu and rushed over from Xieliang of Hedong with her son Guan Ping. It seemed that this young man, who looked very much like Guan Yu, was somewhat intimidated by the aura of his father and did not dare to get close to Guan Yu, while Guan Yu was simply putting too much pressure on his son by being silent.
Seeing that Guan Ping had reached the level of Qi Refining to Gang, all Chen Xi could say was that his genes were really excellent. With more training, even if he couldn’t compare to Guan Yu, he would at least match Hua Xiong. What a physique, what muscles, impressive! Who says Liu Bei has no backup? Guan Ping’s high martial force alone is enough to stand against two from the Xiahou family and the Cao family.
For someone like Chen Xi, muscle, height, and fighting ability were innate. If you wanted more, aside from being reborn, there really was no other way. As for leading an army and strategizing, those skills could be nurtured later in life. Though they might not be at the level of genius, a person of above-average talent could still be taught. Chen Xi was very confident about this. Take modern universities, for example; they mass-produce middle-tier talent, but educating a genius is unreliable.
Standing about 1.8 meters tall, with robust muscles and dressed in a single layer of clothes, Guan Ping called Chen Xi, Zhang Fei, and others ’uncle,’ creating a strong sense of incongruity. Speaking of which, Guan Ping seemed to be fourteen years old, didn’t he? Going by Zhang Fei’s boastful nature, that kid should be on the battlefield by the age of sixteen...
Guan Yu, who had been on the run for fourteen years after killing a man, was now very excited to meet his son Guan Ping. Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Taishi Ci were equally thrilled, the bunch of bachelors showing immense interest in their suddenly-appeared nephew.
Back in Fenggao, returning the troops to the camp and handing over military power, Chen Xi suddenly felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders. Without saying another word, he ordered the carriage set up to head home. That was only because he couldn’t ride a horse; if he could, Chen Xi certainly wouldn’t mind galloping home.
As for the city rule against galloping, Chen Xi could assure that it had no hold over him. But, having secretly observed a few times, the chance of causing injury by galloping seemed quite unlikely. Even during the crowded festivals, probably only an idiot would actually gallop.
Before Chen Xi could get home, the carriage was stopped by Lub Su. Seeing that he was only a few steps away from home, Chen Xi ignored Lub Su completely. They say Yu the Great passed by his house three times without entering, but Chen Xi couldn’t bring himself to do that – just a few tender words and then what? Rush for what? Because he skipped those few words, eight years later he ended up with an extra son, sigh~
As for the current Governor of Mount Tai Commandery, it was Lub Su, and at the moment Chen Xi was an unemployed wanderer. If there was trouble, it should be Lub Su’s problem, not his. What was there to fear? With Guo Jia, Liu Ye, Lub Su, and Mann Chong, all four squatting in Fenggao, there was surely nothing that couldn’t be handled with such a lineup!
It was precisely because of this assurance that Chen Xi was determined to ignore whatever fuss Lub Su was making. Just cover your ears and pretend not to know, and that would do. Wait to get home to enjoy some quality time, have a bath, get some sleep, and then tomorrow morning, eat a bun, drink some porridge, and then leisurely go to the Political Office to hand over duties. That’s the proper order of things. If he listened now, he could forget about resting properly. Out of sight, out of mind – darting away was the true King’s Way! (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation vote, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
