NOVPUBOnce the general direction was set, there were plenty of people to handle the details. For instance, Lub Su now helplessly gathered up the planning document. Having worked with Chen Xi for so long, he knew one thing: Chen Xi typically just devised the overall strategy, leaving the tedious task of filling in the details to others, primarily himself.
"All that’s left now is to wait for the completion of the Jingling Palace and the Library Pavilion." Chen Xi stretched lazily. The year’s work was finally done just before the end of the year, and with these tasks completed, it was time for him to get married.
"Should we submit this planning document now or wait a few more days to present it to our lord at the meeting after a ten-day period?" Lub Su looked at Chen Xi and asked. He was unsure whether Chen Xi wanted to proceed quickly or to roll things out gradually.
"Submit it now. The recent commercial prosperity has already created some chaos, and we’re short-staffed in city management, so it’s better to report it now. Ziyang, please let Yunchang know, Wen He and Yide will be handled by you, and Zijing, you can take care of Zilong, right? I’ll persuade the rest of the generals." Chen Xi thought for a moment and decided it was best to act quickly.
"No problem," the three of them nodded, all having worked together before and finding Chen Xi’s assignments reasonable.
Chen Xi felt it wouldn’t be wise to start construction without notifying the military generals. Although enforcing the plans was possible, it could lead to misunderstandings between civil and military officials. At this time, many generals still believed that having ample troops equated to strength and would see the dismissal of soldiers as a risk not worth taking.
"Gong Youu, stay behind. The rest of you should attend to your own tasks quickly. I’ll be heading to the Library Pavilion to open a back door in a while," Chen Xi waved his hand indicating that everyone else could leave, except for Sunx Qian.
The attendees, mostly ready to leave, offered a polite bow and a chuckle, each having their own administrative duties elsewhere. With the weather turning cold, none of them were keen on lingering in the Political Office.
"Zichuan, do you have any orders for me?" Sunx Qian carefully asked after everyone else had left. Without his familiar peers to joke with, dealing with Chen Xi could be quite challenging, especially without a clear understanding of his intentions.
"Gong Youu, please sit down. There’s nothing serious; I just wanted to ask if you had any insights or experiences from constructing those iconic buildings you oversaw. I’m planning to have roads built throughout Qingzhou, connecting every village! I’m wondering how many people you would need to complete this task by the end of next month, as we’ll soon have plenty of idle labor after the harvest," Chen Xi signaled Sunx Qian not to be so formal; he just wanted to gauge the current situation of infrastructure development.
"If we rush the work and do not limit the number of people, mobilizing the idle populace of Qingzhou, we can finish the main roads within a month. However, connecting to the villages would be challenging due to insufficient prepared materials and the difficulty of construction, which requires significant effort. The timeframe is also inadequate with winter approaching and the added difficulty of working with ice and snow," Sunx Qian replied.
Sunx Qian didn’t share his reflections on constructing those iconic buildings, merely commenting on road construction. It was apparent that the costly construction projects still caused him distress to this day.
"Oh, in that case, complete all the main roads for me within a month; we’ll put aside the village connections for now. Yet for the main roads, don’t just repair them westward to Chenliu; I want you to extend them to Yinping. Show Cao Mengde the difference between us and stop him from getting any disruptive ideas recently," Chen Xi frowned and said. His estimations were roughly met, thanks in part to Qingzhou’s ample population. Otherwise, it would take even longer.
"I’ve been non-stop for a year now. We don’t need to extend northward to the Bohai Sea, but be sure to reach Licheng. Direct the southern construction all the way to Xuzhou City, and for the eastern part, we can go slower and take our time," Chen Xi stated vehemently. While he didn’t take the Feudal Lords seriously, he absolutely would not allow them to cause any trouble!
Chen Xi was well aware that all that was needed was one year; just get past the year 193, complete the initial stockpiling of supplies, and when the disasters begin to unfold in the year 194, as long as Liu Bei made no mistakes, he would be in a position to compete for supremacy in the world. In this final year, Chen Xi would absolutely not allow any piece to disrupt his careful planning.
Honestly, Chen Xi had realized that the situation he controlled could no longer be contained due to the issue of strength if he wasn’t careful; originally, the year 192, according to his design, should have been a time for recuperation and development. Yet, it began with a rapid and mostly costless subjugation of the Yellow Turbans, which brought in considerable gains, followed by getting dragged by Cao Cao into a fight with Yuan Shu, a venture that also turned out to be quite lucrative!
It may seem great, but Chen Xi knew all too well that this was actually a sign of instability in the situation due to his misjudgment of the relative strengths of the parties involved!
The Yellow Turbans were not too much of a concern; after all, it included Chen Xi’s schemes. Originally, Chen Xi intended to use the Yellow Turbans to eliminate the old soldiers of Yanzhou, help Cao Cao take the position of Governor of Yanzhou, leave him an empty shell, and drain Cao Cao to near death. Meanwhile, he himself would eliminate the Yellow Turban Army from Mount Tai, absorbing their strength. This would turn Cao Cao into a tragedy with no soldiers, no provisions, chaos in his territory, and the Aristocratic Clan still causing trouble.
This was an open strategy, and just as Chen Xi had estimated, the Yellow Turbans extinguished Liu Dai, incidentally wiping out all the old soldiers of Yanzhou. Zhang Miao and Chen Gong supported Cao Cao’s ascension, then left Cao Cao with nothing but a reputation and a mess, also ruining Cao Cao’s spring plowing.
Everything was going according to Chen Xi’s script until Cao Cao dragged Liu Bei into the fray by surprise, and when Chen Xi finally looked away for a moment, he was the one getting dragged down. By the time he swam back to shore, Cao Cao had grown stronger than ever before in history, which was completely ludicrous!
Because of this, Chen Xi involuntarily became more guarded against Cao Cao, no longer maintaining the attitude that he could simply grow stronger and eventually crush Cao Cao. Now, Chen Xi’s approach toward Cao Cao had shifted to one of first checking him, then growing stronger afterward. After all, the move Xun Wenruo had made was too ruthless; indeed, those who aspired to dominate the world were not simple characters.
To check the surrounding Feudal Lords without direct engagement, since such actions were too unpredictable, Chen Xi had to openly showcase his military strength to deter these scoundrels. After all, there is merit in the saying that a nuclear weapon on its mount is far more intimidating than one that has been launched.
With this in mind, Chen Xi planned to deeply demonstrate the combat power and territorial richness of Liu Bei’s side. Holding this thought, Chen Xi intended to fill in some details. Sometimes, somewhat plausible fake intelligence, set against a backdrop of actual strength, could lead Sages to infer far too much. This was precisely what Chen Xi was doing now!
Instead of having Scouts probe around everywhere, Chen Xi felt it was better to be frank and outright deter that bunch of scoundrels!
Bit by bit, you all have been somewhat shaken by your findings, but one grand reveal at once will utterly frighten all of you! Chen Xi didn’t believe for a second that this wouldn’t buy him at least a year or half a year.
After all, when Chen Xi’s wedding was due, Feudal Lords from the Four Directions would send delegations to attend. Whether they came under the guise of attending the ceremony to spy, to try to win over Liu Bei, or to form alliances, Chen Xi was clear on one thing: as soon his wedding took place, the Feudal Lords who sent representatives to pay tribute would undoubtedly be complete. This occasion was precisely the best opportunity for Liu Bei to display his strength!
Rich territories invite covetous glances, but a strong military force is certainly enough to make others think twice. When the two combine, the resulting power is sufficient to make all the Feudal Lords weigh their options. As long as he could secure time until next year, Chen Xi was confident he could propel Liu Bei to the pinnacle! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
