NOVPUBChen Xi had nothing to say about Liu Bei’s division of labor, but what he found odd was that Liu Bei seemed to be gearing up for a military campaign. The new year had just passed, and winter had not yet ended. Was Liu Bei planning to make a move before the spring plowing began?
Glancing sidelong at the group of strategists, he saw that aside from Jia Xu, who was looking demure like a submissive little wife, everyone else appeared contemplative. Chen Xi couldn’t help but frown.
"May I ask Lord Xuande if our army intends to wage war in winter?" Lub Su hesitated, his voice trembling slightly. Despite the time that had passed, Lub Su was still not resistant to the cold. And to think, his innate attribute was that of the ’Cold’ – how miserable was that?
"Yes, I have decided to completely eliminate the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou before the spring plowing starts. Continuing to delay might lead to unfavorable circumstances, and moreover, our current supply reserves are sufficient to support an army of fifty thousand throughout the winter campaign," Liu Bei said while glancing at Chen Xi. Seeing Chen Xi deep in thought, Liu Bei felt considerably relieved. As long as Chen Xi didn’t outright refuse, it meant that Mount Tai was prepared for this.
"Why the urgency, Lord Xuande?" Chen Xi said with a wry smile. He indeed had prepared a substantial amount of supplies and starting a winter campaign wouldn’t be too troublesome, but what a waste!
"Wen He," Liu Bei also offered a wry smile and called out directly.
"Intelligence from the Xuzhou front: Cao Cao’s father, Cao Song, is dead. Tao Gongzu of Xuzhou may not have received the news yet, and neither has Cao Cao. I estimate that in no more than ten days, both Cao Cao and Tao Gongzu will be aware of this matter," Jia Xu said with a bitter smile.
One could say that Jia Xu’s intelligence was the earliest to arrive among the three parties. However, even being the earliest, more than half a month had already passed since Cao Song’s death, as he happened to die in a place that was right at the junction of Yuzhou, Lub Kingdom, and Xuzhou.
Ever since Liu Bei attacked Yuzhou last year and seized Lub Kingdom, he withdrew his entire army after Yuan Shu returned, without occupying Lub Kingdom which required a large number of people for its defense. Similarly, Yuan Shu also realized that it was indefensible and did not attempt to recapture it. As a result, it became a no man’s land.
Cao Cao wouldn’t claim it, Liu Bei wouldn’t bother with it, Tao Qian couldn’t even manage his own territory, and Yuan Shu was busy relocating his administration. This led to a place with no one in charge!
Cao Song’s death there meant Tao Qian naturally had no intelligence on it, and Cao Cao only wondered why his father was taking so long to travel, not suspecting that something might have happened on the way. Only Liu Bei, who had always been concerned about the situation, discovered after detecting undercurrents within Xuzhou and conducting a special investigation, that Cao Song had been killed.
Ordinarily, Jia Xu wouldn’t have reported this, but Liu Bei happened to visit him and saw the intelligence. Feeling a sudden chill, and judging from his own perspective, Liu Bei knew that Cao Cao and Tao Qian were definitely not going to let the matter rest. Tao Qian would surely ask for his help, and Liu Bei, having received so many favors from Tao Qian in the past, could not refuse to lend a hand.
Thinking of Cao Cao’s combat power and a furious Cao Cao, who had just lost his father, Liu Bei realized that if Cao Cao were to commit fully, even Liu Bei might not be able to contain him without using nearly all his strength, and he might even get beaten by Cao Cao in the process.
Although Liu Bei had his shortcomings, he was extremely accurate in judging characters. He almost immediately concluded that Tao Qian would appoint Cao Bao as his general. As for Cao Bao, Liu Bei had just one comment: his name truly said it all!
After that, there was nothing left to say. Ruining Chen Xi’s long-planned strategy for the sake of Tao Qian – could such a thing be done? It was a joke! How precisely Chen Xi’s strategies were laid out left Liu Bei utterly speechless in astonishment!
Even though Liu Bei’s intelligence was far inferior to that of Jia Xu and others, he clearly understood the nature of strategizing with the broader picture in mind, much like a game of chess: one false move, and every subsequent step follows in error, with regret being of no avail!
To abandon the current situation for the sake of Tao Qian would be absolutely indefensible, but to not aid Tao Qian was something Liu Bei’s conscience simply couldn’t bear. After all the food he had taken from Tao Qian, who had helped him through his most difficult times, to kick them aside now that he could fend for himself—this was something Liu Bei couldn’t bring himself to do.
After much consideration, Liu Bei consulted Chen Xi’s list of strategic material reserves and carefully checked it against the inventory. Finally, he determined that if he acted swiftly, he should be able to resolve the situation with Qingzhou before the onset of spring and then immediately proceed to Xuzhou to rescue Tao Qian without stopping.
"So it has happened after all," Chen Xi lamented as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "This matter is indeed troublesome. However, Lord Xuande can cease his conquest of Qingzhou for now. Cao Mengde won’t wait till spring to make his move; he will dispatch his troops the moment he hears the news."
"Are you saying Cao Mengde will deploy his troops without any reservations?" Liu Bei asked in astonishment, "How is that possible? It’s winter. He doesn’t have enough supplies to arm his soldiers. Even for the sake of avenging his father, he has to consider the welfare of his soldiers; without supplies, they won’t have any combat power."
"How should I put it? Lord Xuande, just wait for ten or so days and you will see the outcome. There’s no need to rush the conquest of Qingzhou at this moment. If necessary, one could simply issue a final ultimatum, then with thirty thousand cavalry comb through Qingzhou entirely, relocating the Eastern Yellow Turbans to the west and settling the Tuntian Soldiers to the east for land reclamation," Chen Xi tried to explain, though he found it somewhat difficult to justify to Liu Bei.
When Chen Xi spoke of flattening Qingzhou, a killing intent was clearly noticeable. They had been planning for Qingzhou for too long. In an urgent situation, they could yield results within a month at all costs. Although this would result in significant casualties and poorer public attitude than if the situation were handled more gently, it would certainly be swift. But such drastic methods of aggression, relocation, and splitting were not to be used by Chen Xi unless absolutely necessary.
"Ten or so days? Alright, we’ll wait another ten or so days. If Cao Mengde sends troops to Xuzhou, we’ll put the Qingzhou matter on hold and proceed with the conquest after the business in Xuzhou is settled," Liu Bei pondered before speaking, "Wen He, please pay close attention to the situations in Xuzhou and Yanzhou in the coming days. Report back immediately if there’s any unusual activity."
"As you command," Jia Xu stood up and bowed in acknowledgment.
"Lord Xuande, is there any news on the person who killed Cao Song, or any rumors regarding who might have instigated it or be involved?" Chen Xi stood up and inquired.
"Wen He," Liu Bei turned and called out to Jia Xu.
"According to reports from our Mount Tai informants, Zhang Kai, who killed Cao Song, is currently heading south, and he hasn’t faced any hindrance along the way. This indicates that the deed was indeed orchestrated by an insider in Xuzhou, most likely aimed at the city itself," Jia Xu touched on the matter without going into detail, but the implications were abundantly clear.
"Using someone else’s hand to do the deed, and killing two birds with one stone," Guo Jia sneered, "I wouldn’t have thought that Xuzhou would harbor such a mastermind."
"Chen Yuanlong?" Liu Ye frowned and recalled the tip-off they had received earlier from Chen Deng, unable to help but speak out.
"It’s likely not him. He couldn’t clear himself of involvement either way. No matter who wins or loses this battle, Tao Gongzu will lose his grip on power," Fa Zheng said with a scornful expression, "Whoever takes over will need to rely heavily on the Xuzhou Chen Family, which is a far cry from the current situation of Tao Gongzu regarding them with suspicion." (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
