NOVPUBGongsun Zan could never have imagined that while he was fighting fiercely on the front lines, his nominal underling’s subordinate had already begun to wager his future on some trifling matters. It’s unknown how he would react upon learning of this.
However, even if Gongsun Zan were made aware of this matter, he could only laugh it off. Back in the Spring and Autumn Era, there were people who gambled the fate of the world over a cup of wine—what is this in comparison? Besides, he had never even considered the possibility of his own defeat, just as Yuan Shao had never contemplated the possibility of victory! n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
"That may be." After some thought, Lub Su confirmed he couldn’t determine when Gongsun Zan would switch from offense to defense, so he decided to first bring Chen Xi over to help both of them with governmental affairs. As for other matters, let them be. In any case, based on Chen Xi’s usual temperament, when the time came for such a time-wasting yet uncomplicated task, it would inevitably fall on him regardless.
Look, not one of these civil officials is easy to deal with; Lub Su was also entertaining the idea of gaining something out of nothing.
Regarding Gongsun Zan, Lub Su had specially researched him while collecting intelligence, and in the end, he could only look to the heavens in speechlessness—a true King Wuling of Zhao. Meeting someone like Yuan Shao, he might revel in momentary ferocity, but over time, uncertainties would proliferate. Moreover, as a military general not adept with civil affairs and sometimes too rigid, Lub Su had already foreseen Gongsun Zan’s downfall.
"If that’s the case, I’ll bet on General Gongsun’s defeat at Jieqiao, with the entire White Horse Righteous Followers annihilated," Chen Xi said coldly.
"How could that be possible?" Liu Ye and Lub Su exchanged glances, both revealing a hint of disbelief in their eyes.
"Nothing’s impossible," Chen Xi said, shaking his head.
After being in this world for so long, Chen Xi had summarized a general pattern: the state of affairs in this world was like playing certain games where his character controlled the pace and change of the plot. He could prevent certain events from happening and constantly push against major trends, but once certain historical events were triggered, if he didn’t intervene forcefully, history would slide toward the direction he already knew, which referred to the outcome’s known and the process’s similarity.
This feeling was a bit like playing the game "Cao Cao’s Legend." For example, Dian Wei’s destined death at the Battle of Wancheng; if he didn’t trigger the plotline of Dian Wei’s certain death, Dian Wei could actually survive. But if you only drag Dian Wei mid-way, the plot of his certain death would catch up to find Dian Wei; the major trend was that Dian Wei died. However, as long as you get Dian Wei to a certain area, this plotline would completely fail.
Now, Chen Xi had barely summarized some ways of strong interference. However, unfortunately, he didn’t have much influence in either Youzhou or Jizhou. Although he was several months late, still, everything ended up at Jieqiao. Seeing this place name, Chen Xi had already given up hope on Gongsun Zan.
"Even if General Gongsun were defeated, it’s impossible that he’d be left with no capacity to counterattack," Liu Ye quickly assessed the situation between the two sides in his mind and spoke.
"Heh, General Gongsun’s biggest trouble isn’t Yuan Benchu, but Liu Youzhou!" Chen Xi said in a somber tone.
Both men were speechless; with their insight, they naturally wouldn’t overlook this point. There had to be a loser between Gongsun Bogui and Liu Yu, and with Gongsun Bogui’s stubbornness, Liu Yu would have only one path to failure—death. Afterwards, Gongsun Zan would inevitably fall at the hands of Yuan Benchu, who leveraged Liu Yu’s influence.
"So, if we say that Gongsun Bogui losing the White Horse Righteous Followers is just a problem, then when he loses the White Horse Righteous Followers in anger and continues to be senselessly provoked by Liu Yu, there’s no helping it. My suggestion is to send Liu Yu to Chang’an. Do you have any other suggestions? By the way, I plan to have Taishi Ci go on a long-distance rescue mission for Gongsun Bogui; at the very least, we can’t truly afford to lose the White Horse Righteous Followers," Chen Xi said as he rhythmically tapped his finger joints on the table.
"Not even an Imperial Edict from the Emperor would work; the Governor of Youzhou would not put himself in an awkward position. Even if an Angel went to Youzhou, he would feign illness and refuse to leave; Chang’an is a quagmire," Lub Su shook his head as he said.
"We did save his life, after all," Liu Ye said with a sardonic smile, completely unconcerned that the other party was also of the Imperial Clan, "Others may not be able to restrain Gongsun Bogui, but I think our Lord’s face is still something to be given. So, when the time comes, regardless of anything else, we can just forcibly send him to Chang’an. As for how much he might slander us in Chang’an! Hengheng, I don’t think it would have a greater impact than killing him."
"Alright, then it’s settled. When the time comes, Ziyang, you go to Youzhou to help settle this matter," Chen Xi glanced and said.
"Good, now sort out our administrative affairs, the bet is on," Liu Ye laughed heartily as he tossed his pen and paper to Chen Xi.
"Alright, from now on I won’t have any more business here. Chief Secretary, come over here!" Chen Xi looked around and finally noticed his own Chief Secretary.
"Yes, may I ask the Prefectural Governor, what matters need to be dealt with by your subordinate?" the Chief Secretary asked respectfully.
"Issue orders to all the county magistrates to collect all past dispute resolutions, transcribe them, and then submit them to the Magistrate Lub Zijing!" Chen Xi laughed out loud, "Goodbye, my task is done. The rest is up to you."
Lub Su and Liu Ye exchanged glances, smiling bitterly. They had worked in vain for so long; perhaps Chen Xi’s strategies were extremely slow at the start, but as time passed, there might be records of all potential disputes. They would be transferred as they came, and there was no denying that there were underlying patterns to everything!
On the other hand, Fa Zheng’s young Heart Spirit had just suffered a severe blow, and even Guo Jia almost got thrashed along. After all, who told him to drink himself half to death, with a clouded mind? Dealing with Fa Zheng, who suffered from a psychological shadow, was barely possible, but it was far from sufficient against the now clear-thinking Jia Xu.
"Wen He, you great talent!" Guo Jia secretly wiped off a bead of sweat. He resolved never to drink again when meeting newcomers. It had been years since he had faced such a perilous situation; he had nearly gotten beaten up but luckily managed to defend himself barely.
"Let’s focus on how to deal with Cao Mengde. I heard that Lyu Fengxian has led troops to join Yuan Shu. What do you think, should we weaken or support someone?" Jia Xu calmly looked at Guo Jia, who had a layer of cold sweat on the back of his head as he nearly got talked down by this drunken man in front of him.
Jia Xu’s icy gaze swept over Fa Zheng, the kid was not bad, worth cultivating!
Fa Zheng felt as if he’d been pierced through by two cold lights, his entire body freezing, and involuntarily hid behind Guo Jia. He always sensed that Jia Xu’s look was full of malice.
"Weaken Liu Jingsheng! Bolster Yuan Gonglu!" Guo Jia stood up straight, exuding an aura not inferior to Jia Xu’s. He was determined never to drink again before meeting this man; the person in front of him was definitely not a good guy.
Jia Xu glanced down at Guo Jia’s side, and Guo Jia turned around as well. Then, both nodded at each other and grabbed Fa Zheng, "Xiaoo Zhi, here’s an opportunity for you to practice. You understood what we discussed earlier, right?"
Fa Zheng nodded following the cue, and Guo Jia laughed, "Good, my excellent disciple, I’ll leave this matter to you."
"Huh?" Fa Zheng looked puzzled at Guo Jia, while Jia Xu cast a frustrated side-glance at the smug-faced Guo Jia. However, Fa Zheng, scratching his head, asked, "Since when did I become your disciple?"
This time, it was Guo Jia’s turn to look at Fa Zheng with a dismayed sideways glance. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly passes at qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
