NOVPUBWhile anxiously awaiting news of the situation in Jizhou from Qingzhou, the second urgent piece of intelligence finally arrived from Jizhou.
"..." Fa Zheng looked at the intelligence report, and his originally slightly anxious mood calmed down instantly, his whole demeanor returning to the composed state befitting a strategist.
"Master Jia, according to this intelligence, Gan Xingba lives up to his name as the chief commander, truly a peerless brave general of this era, his courage and grasp of battle opportunities indeed astonishing," Fa Zheng said, holding the report as he went to brief Jia Xu on the recent situation in Jizhou. Guo Fengxiao had already led troops to Licheng, bringing along Guan Yu, the newly arrived Wei Yan, the professional blade-bearing Zhou Cang, as well as Pei Yuanshao who came with them.
Jia Xu, holding his teacup with an indifferent expression, read through the intelligence and then set it aside, his composure not showing the slightest hint of being startled, maintaining his usual calm. In his view, Gan Ning’s achievements were probably what Chen Zichuan had been waiting for. After all, with Chen Xi delegating to such an extent, if Gan Ning did not deliver a satisfactory answer, Chen Xi’s mood would likely not be pleasant.
"Send a copy to Lord Xuande, and then distribute a copy to each of those people. The battle for Youzhou is essentially over, and I think Taishi Ziyi and Gan Xingba will take care of the remaining troubles in Youzhou," Jia Xu said with a sigh. "Having Chen Xi planning ahead, it’s really nice to follow along the path he has set!"
It was clear to Jia Xu that the kind of far-reaching planning Chen Xi was engaged in was not something he could sustain for long. To put it a bit excessively, even if Chen Xi did nothing else and only focused on suppressing the world’s major trends every day, the mental and physical strain would be enough to drain Chen Xi completely, meaning eventual exhaustion was inevitable, especially if he relied solely on the intelligence he possessed for deductions.
However, such a matter was not something Jia Xu felt it was his place to advise on. After all, it was obvious that Chen Xi was determined to see Liu Bei ascend to the throne, clearly not regarding his own well-being, and so long as Liu Bei did not have the full power to subdue all under heaven, Chen Xi would continue to calculate incessantly, sparing no effort in his scheming.
By now, Jia Xu had come to admit that Chen Xi was truly unparalleled in his strategic calculations. Short term may be one thing, but in the long term, Jia Xu believed that even he would be crushed to death by such pressure, the plans being too far-reaching, with outcomes that might take years to unfold and countless variables that could not be influenced in the meantime.
Jia Xu’s favorite situation was having a superior clearing the way ahead while he followed behind, taking advantage. Even if his own abilities were not inferior to those paving the path, he was quite content to glide in their wake. He never saw the appeal in being the leader; his aim was to lurk in the shadow of a character, occasionally emerging to make his presence felt, then shrinking back into retreat, desiring nothing but a peaceful life.
"Indeed, with Zichuan out in front, as long as Gongsun Bogui does not die, it would be a joke for Yuan Benchu to take him down any time soon," Fa Zheng said with a nod, expressing the shared understanding that Chen Xi’s target was now Liu Yu.
"What is he doing now? Is Lord Xuande’s old house rebuilt yet? The storied Library Pavilion is completed too, isn’t it? And didn’t he have people teaching dances at the Fragrance Pavilion? How’s that going recently?" Jia Xu asked out of curiosity, quite intrigued by Chen Xi’s latest activities.
"Lord Xuande’s old house is almost finished, and it seems we are expected to attend the inauguration. The same goes for the Library Pavilion. As for the dance teaching, that has concluded and is set to be performed at the opening of the Library Pavilion. These past few days, Zichuan should still be discussing land productivity issues with Qu Hanmo; I just don’t know whether they have reached any conclusions. After a couple more days, when the farming lull comes, Zichuan will probably start gathering medicinal herbs again," Fa Zheng counted off the various tasks Chen Xi still had to do, which all seemed quite numerous.
"I heard that Qu Hanmo’s planting methods have increased the autumn grain yield by two dou per mu under his administration, right?" Jia Xu shifted the topic to Qu Qi, since when one is idly bored, anything can serve as a topic of conversation, especially when Qu Qi’s farming techniques are such an astonishing innovation.
"Indeed, as someone who specializes in researching food crops, I think that this kind of person must not be taken away by other Feudal Lords. If the food problem is solved, many things will rebound," Fa Zheng said seriously, unable to deny Qu Qi’s capabilities, and he now also had Qu Qi’s formal identity—head of the Qu Family in Yizhou.
"Unless you kill such a person, he is bound to travel everywhere. However, killing someone like him is more troublesome than killing a noted scholar. Just wait and see—if Qu Qi really brings out his seeds that can produce three and a half stones per mu, by next year, every household will be filled with fragrance. Try making a move then. If he truly achieves what he told Zijian, an yield of four to five stones per mu, then just wait for him to join Emperor Shennong," Jia Xu said with a strange smile on his face.
"Such a person cannot be killed, he may die accidentally, but he must never die at the hands of those in power," Jia Xu added, implying that had such a person not been born in a time of chaos, but in a time of peace, he would be the sort of person that even the Emperors would pay respects to. One person vital to the lives of all people under heaven—if you kill him, even if you’re the Emperor, you’re finished!
"Four to five stones, that must be a joke, right?" Fa Zheng’s face twitched, after all, such high per mu yield indeed sounded mythical.
"Do you think Chen Zichuan would be so idle as to frequent Qu Qi’s place every day? Without at least a fifty percent chance, Chen Zichuan would definitely not visit daily. Four stones per mu! That’s enough to provide for the common people of the world," Jia Xu said, somewhat emotionally. Even if one’s official rank reached the pinnacle, where could the glory end? Staying in a temple alongside Shennong, being remembered in the annals of history, and having a never-ending supply of offerings versus year-round worship for the sacrificial animals…
While Jia Xu and others were discussing Chen Xi and Qu Qi, Chen Xi had already begun to impart the basic concept of a control experiment to Qu Qi. In addition to this, Chen Xi explained to Qu Qi the difference between experimenting alone and experimenting with a group of subordinates—having a bunch of subordinates meant that you could manage many experimental fields at the same time, conduct numerous experiments simultaneously. Something that would normally take twenty years to test could be completed in just one or two years, and then there would be plenty of time for further improvements.
After listening to Chen Xi’s advice, Qu Qi readily agreed. He quickly gathered a large number of subordinates and started a new field. With many people involved, Qu Qi did not just plant a single crop like before, but instead planted a portion of every crop.
"Oh, you have to measure every day, see how the growth is, and record it, then compare it with the control field…" With a clap of his hands, Qu Qi suddenly understood many things, "I didn’t realize Zichuan also had a deep interest in agriculture. It would be wonderful for you to join me in studying farming, and then we could sit together in the Shennong Temple!"
"Hehehehe, I’ve already found my place to sit," Chen Xi chuckled. As winter set in with favorable weather, Chen Xi realized that if he died, he would undoubtedly be worshiped as the Dragon King or a similar deity. Favorable weather, isn’t that right!
"Keep going, keep going, I feel as if I’m embarking on a different path. Who knows, I might even surpass the original standards," Qu Qi, not too concerned about Chen Xi’s words, was now listening eagerly to Chen Xi’s scientific research methods. He believed that if he continued like this, he would become a super deity; he was ready to work for fifty years! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
