NOVPUB"That’s the situation, your Horse-Cutting Sword has a good design, but if we switch all our weapons to Horse-Cutting Swords, our army will be without combat power for more than a year. Weapon nurturing on the battlefield can be faster, and those with Inner Qi can do it quicker, but most people who don’t get enough to eat have no Inner Qi. With our current soldiers, it might take about a year and a half before they would be able to wield this sword properly," Liu Bei said helplessly. Although he appreciated the Horse-Cutting Sword, he couldn’t adopt them just to send his men to their deaths—it was just too idiotic.
"Oh, that’s not a problem. We’ll just issue our tens of thousands of Tuntian Soldiers with weapons and armor for nurturing, just like we nurture the soldiers themselves. It’s just about nurturing some additional weapons and equipment," Chen Xi replied with a look that said, ’Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’
"..." Liu Bei was completely dumbfounded. Why had he never thought of such a simple solution before? Issue weapons and equipment to the Tuntian Soldiers, then take the nurtured arms back and distribute new ones when the time comes.
"Let’s make a note of it. But if you put it that way, hasn’t Cao Mengde hit the jackpot? Yuan Shu’s army of a hundred thousand was attacked from behind by him, leaving them to flee without their helmets and armor. If Cao Cao gets hold of those, won’t Yuan Shu be finished?" It suddenly occurred to Chen Xi about the recent event that had taken place.
"That’s the situation. If Yuan Shu really lost so much armor and weapons, even with his extensive family and enterprise, he wouldn’t have it easy," Liu Bei said silently wiping the cold sweat off his forehead. If one wasn’t careful, it was indeed easy to overlook such details.
"That does sound troublesome," Chen Xi frowned and said. So that meant Cao Cao had looted quite a few high-level weapons from Yuan Shu in the previous battle. Now Cao Cao has completely moved beyond the level of a newcomer, equalling or even surpassing Liu Bei’s equipment? Indeed, fortune favors the bold! It looks like it’s time to target some wealthy elites.
"Yes, Cao Mengde is indeed a man of great ambition," said Liu Bei, recalling the time he had a casual conversation with Cao Mengde at Hulao Pass.
"Lord Xuande, could you tell me how long it takes for weapons to revert to normal after they’re no longer nurtured with Inner Qi? I need to make preparations," Chen Xi sighed. There was no point being jealous of Cao Mengde; steady progress was the game plan now.
"Generally speaking, even if weapons are no longer used by soldiers and nurtured with Inner Qi, they’ll revert to ordinary items roughly within a year. However, even if they lose their former quality, they are still somewhat improved from before. Moreover, the second nurturing will be much faster than the first. If the first nurturing took a year, they will revert to normal afterward, but the next time someone nurtures them, it will probably take about half the time," Liu Bei thought for a moment and said, "Of course, this is just referring to the level of ordinary soldiers."
"Oh, with this information, I can rest easy. For commanders, we don’t need to worry—like brother’s weapons, they are generally always by his side," Chen Xi replied with a sense of assurance. Since Liu Bei could mention a year’s time, Chen Xi understood that subsequent weapon nurturing would still be effective for soldiers, but it wouldn’t be nearly as rapid as the initial year-long nurturing.
"What do you plan to do when the time comes?" Liu Bei asked curiously. Chen Xi had previously prepared Heavy Armor and Great Shields for these city officers, and it seemed apparent now they would not be used.
"We won’t change their equipment then; they can keep wearing their previous gear," Chen Xi said with a touch of resignation. The shiny armor he had prepared to dazzle everyone now only had one fate: to be discarded. It had become completely redundant; their old Wooden Shields, which they had used for three years, could easily knock down a Great Iron Shield and were much lighter.
"However, the Great Shields you took great effort to make can be carried by them; in a year’s time, they should be about right," Liu Bei suggested with a smile. Since city officers weren’t tasked with heavy duties, they might as well be included in leveling up the equipment.
"That’s the only option," Chen Xi said reluctantly. He didn’t have a better solution for such circumstances. The active energy of this world was just too overbearing, crushing technology completely. Refined steel was weak, blast furnaces for iron smelting were weak, oxygen blowing and Baosteel—all weak! With just one nurturing, a Wooden Spear could pierce a hole in your Great Tower Shield. The technology tree has led us astray!
"What do you think about what the Zhang Clan suggested? What if we leave it to her?" Liu Bei pondered for a moment before bringing the conversation back to the question Zhang Clan had asked earlier.
"It depends on what Lord Xuande thinks." Chen Xi picked up the teapot to pour tea for both Liu Bei and himself, casually shielding his expression.
"What I think?" Liu Bei asked, puzzled, looking at Chen Xi.
"If Lord Xuande were to do it, there wouldn’t be an issue, but if the Zhen Family does it, it could be deemed inappropriate. Not to mention the situation in Jizhou, just consider that all these students have been educated with the Zhen Family’s money." Chen Xi shrugged and said, "Of course, I believe Zhang Clan hasn’t considered this aspect, and she definitely won’t mention this connection to the Zhen Family when the time comes."
Liu Bei gave the matter a bit of thought and understood what Chen Xi was wary of. He nodded and said, "In that case, I can only decline the Zhen Family’s good intentions; it would be in the best interests of both parties."
"It doesn’t necessarily need to be that way," Chen Xi shook his head, "when handling this matter, Lord Xuande naturally won’t have much time, and the most suitable person would be Lady Gan. What I mean is, if Lord Xuande is interested in Zhang Clan, then it wouldn’t be a problem to let her take care of it."
Chen Xi’s words made Liu Bei’s old face turn slightly red, and he waved his hand, saying, "How can I mix personal feelings with official matters? This is a public duty. Zichuan should think of another way. Isn’t it all right to politely decline the Zhen Family’s good intentions?"
"I am speaking truthfully. Lord Xuande, if you really have intentions towards Zhang Clan, she is actually quite a suitable match. Remarriage for her would be quite normal, and some matters could be entrusted to Zhang Clan without the need for the deep consideration necessary before," Chen Xi said helplessly, as he was not so bored as to flaunt or test Liu Bei’s thoughts.
Liu Bei did not reply, but Chen Xi’s words had indeed scratched an itch. Just like Guan Ping was interested in a distressed official’s daughter, it was natural for Liu Bei to take an interest in the dignified and elegant Zhang Clan of noble birth. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
As a woman capable of holding authority within the Zhen Family, Zhang Clan possessed not only beauty and noble status but also considerable ability. Although somewhat shortsighted, after being admonished by Chen Xi, she became calm and steady, which was very attractive to Liu Bei. Attraction aside, Liu Bei was not one to cause trouble for a family.
"Lord Xuande, if you are interested, entrusting the matter to Lady Gan and Zhang Clan should not pose any problem." Liu Bei might have been hesitant, but sometimes hesitation itself is a statement, mostly because there wasn’t a perfect solution.
After a long contemplation, Liu Bei asked a rather peculiar question, "Zichuan, do you think Zhen Mi, the young daughter of the Zhang Clan, is very beautiful?"
Chen Xi was momentarily stunned. What sort of twist was this! It didn’t seem like Liu Bei had bloodlust; it would be laughable! Mi Zhen sometimes flitted before Liu Bei dressed as a female official, but that hadn’t piqued his interest; more often than not, he looked at her the way one would a niece. Now, to show interest in a girl even younger than Mi Zhen, was Liu Bei giving in to his base desires? That was a joke, right?
Liu Bei gazed at Chen Xi for a long while and nodded, then with a hint of a smile, he said, "Zichuan, you need not concern yourself with this matter, I can handle it myself." (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
