NOVPUBNo matter what, Fa Zheng’s words once again steeled the resolve of everyone present. All they had been pursuing could not be defeated by the vulgar ideals of the patrician families.
"For future generations, for the common people, let us nail them to the pillar of shame!" Liu Ye stood up and bellowed.
"Nail them to the pillar of shame!" All those present rose and echoed loudly in unison. The hot blood of youth is not so easily worn away, especially when in the company of a group of like-minded friends.
"I really do want to fight those top-ranking civil officials born of millennia-old families and see how much their thousand years of heritage can surpass mine!" Jia Xu slowly opened his ebony wood fan, adorned with hollowed-out patterns, and with a chilling smile looked around and said, "Lord’s path is Wen Ru’s oath. He and all of us share the same goal!"
Chen Xi’s biggest worry was that Jia Xu would be reluctant to collide with the top aristocratic families, but he did not expect Jia Xu to express his opinion so solemnly.
Perhaps it was because everyone was staring at him that Jia Xu’s face cracked a slight smile, "I’m good at looking after myself, but I’m enjoying my time here. Leaving to find a new lord would not be easy. If I can’t enter the circle of the patrician families, I’ll never get their approval. So why should I humble myself? We might not lose!"
"Oh, Wen He, quite confident, aren’t we! We will definitely not lose to those people!" Chen Xi stood up and said seriously, "If a critical moment arises, please trust that I will provide you all with a stable rear. Qingzhou will be the starting point of Lord Xuande’s conquest!"
"Actually, I’m also quite good at military strategy," Lub Su said with a smile, "I, too, want to see what these so-called masterminds of the patrician families are capable of, to see if they can surpass me. The road ahead is fraught with hardship, let’s encourage each other!"
"The path to greatness through brambles and thorns could never be smooth!" Fa Zheng spoke with great excitement. "Leave our peers to me!" 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
The eyes of everyone present blazed with a fighting spirit. These were people proud in their own rights, and since they had spoken, they would forge ahead with all their might.
On the other hand, Li Youu was not at all concerned about the events of the day. After Hulao Pass, he understood that as long as the monarch remains unwavering, what ultimately matters is strength. With Liu Bei’s unyielding spirit, he’s sufficiently emboldened when the battle comes! Not even death is feared, so what’s wrong with fighting for his ideals? And after all, it might not end in defeat—who’s afraid of whom!
"Lord Xuande, Cao Cao’s envoys, three people, Xi Zhicai, Chen Changwen, and Sima Boda, have entered Fenggao. Among them, Xi Zhicai and Chen Changwen are among the wisest in the land, and as for Sima Boda who came with them, he is the eldest son of the Sima Family of Henei," Li Youu briefed Liu Bei on the unusual situation.
"I can understand about Chen Changwen, but Xi Zhicai is Cao Mengde’s earliest and most important strategist. His presence here..." Liu Bei pondered for a moment before speaking. As for the Sima Family, he had heard of them, but didn’t know much.
"I have already sent people to watch Xi Zhicai, but it’s not likely we’ll get any information. From the reports coming in now, that sturdy, dark man is probably Dian Wei, Cao Cao’s Personal Guard Squad Leader. Such a high-profile approach, besides probing our military intelligence, probably also serves to mask his own strategic intentions," Li Youu explained the current situation to Liu Bei with ease.
"No way to get the relevant information?" Liu Bei frowned and asked, "Have the scouts we’ve placed in Yanzhou garnered any intelligence?"
"No, most of our scouts are too low-level, and even the high-level ones currently lack the clearance to access such information," Li Youu shook his head and said.
"I suggest we continue to steal intelligence from Xi Zhicai as we have done before. It just so happens that Xi Zhicai and Ju Gongyu have already met. After all, they are considered allies and will likely exchange information. In doing so, Xi Zhicai will form a subjective speculation about us, which is also conducive to deepening my interaction with Xi Zhicai," Li Youu continued to coax Liu Bei, persuading him to act,
"..." After considering for a moment, Liu Bei agreed to Li Youu’s suggestion. After all, he was still very wary of Cao Cao and was concerned about the actual strategic intentions of the other party. Comparing all the feudal lords, the only ones Liu Bei feared at the moment were Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. Moreover, compared to Yuan Shao, who could be unpredictable at times, Cao Cao was a greater concern for Liu Bei.
Liu Bei had now calmed down and treated it as a form of lifestyle adjustment, occasionally engaging in role-playing and such, since, during other times, he would still speak as he should and boast as usual, as it seemed Li Youu wouldn’t particularly mind. In fact, Liu Bei really wanted to ask if this whole act was truly effective because he didn’t believe anyone would buy into his switching between being a sagacious and martial hero at one moment and then being lust-driven the next.
Meanwhile, Xi Zhicai and Ju Shou were engaging in idle banter that didn’t lead anywhere. Ju Shou’s talent was quite clear to Xi Zhicai; to put it one way, if used properly, it could be extremely powerful, but if squandered, it could lead to his own downfall.
Ju Shou’s talent could clarify the overarching trends of the situation and then amplify their side’s advantages. However, it would also magnify their own flaws, and this amplification was irreversible. Once Ju Shou began using his talent to clarify the course of events, the effect would manifest, and Xi Zhicai was even more aware that Ju Shou believed his talent lay in clarifying the overarching trends...
This kind of talent was a double-edged sword; used correctly, the strong become stronger, but mishandled, it provided the opponent with a chance to turn the tables!
The most painful aspect of this talent was that it was difficult to control, with its unpredictable nature causing the emergence of both advantages and vulnerabilities. What does ’unexpected’ mean? Unexpected refers to factors that can’t be controlled, and someone like Xi Zhicai would never employ an ability that might cause his downfall unless absolutely necessary.
"In that case, we can profit from this," Xi Zhicai said to Ju Shou with a sly smile.
"Exactly!" Ju Shou, stroking his beard, laughed heartily. Although he had already ascertained Liu Bei’s current situation, his naturally cautious character still required another person to probe further.
"On that note, Liu Xuande and Dong Zhongying do seem a bit alike. Could it be an issue of their upbringing?" said Xi Zhicai with a smile, seeming to take Ju Shou’s words to heart, but in reality, who knows what he was actually thinking.
"Indeed, there is quite the resemblance," Ju Shou laughed heartily. "Zhicai, you will have to meet him yourself as well, won’t you?"
"Naturally, but you know what they say, ’seeing is believing’," Xi Zhicai said with a smile, neither affirming nor denying Ju Shou’s assessment.
"Then we will count on Zhicai to enlighten us at that time," Ju Shou said, completely ignoring the mocking undertone in Xi Zhicai’s words, watching him with a placid expression.
"Sure thing, sure thing," said Xi Zhicai indifferently, though what he truly thought was anybody’s guess. However, should he get the chance, Xi Zhicai would not hesitate to take advantage of Ju Shou, as the greatest threat in the north was still Yuan Shao, who possessed Jizhou and Bingzhou and lacked neither food, horses, nor soldiers, making him seem much sturdier than Liu Bei. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
