NOVPUB"Xiaoo Zhi, what is going on with you?" Chen Xi reined in his sneer and looked at Fa Zheng as he spoke.
"Here is some intelligence for you to see, along with the situation I’ve analyzed," said Fa Zheng, his expression solemn as he handed over the documents to Chen Xi.
After briefly perusing them, Chen Xi looked up and casually passed the information to Jia Xu, "Wen He, take a look at this too. Does it mean that Chen Gongtai has made his move? That shouldn’t be the case. He’s supposed to be under Xun Wenruo’s watchful eye; it shouldn’t be so easy, could he really think Xun Wenruo is a pushover?"
"That’s the part I also find unreasonable. According to the intelligence from Yanzhou yesterday, Xun Wenruo became quite unwell with anger after learning that Cao Mengde slaughtered his way through Xuzhou. He probably got confused with rage by Cao Mengde," Fa Zheng considered, proposing a plausible possibility.
"It won’t be." Before Chen Xi could speak, Jia Xu immediately shook his head, "Xiaozhi, Xun Wenruo is not a man to let personal feelings interfere with public duties. Even if he’s dissatisfied with Cao Mengde, he would wait for Cao Mengde’s return to make his move. Now, he would carry out his responsibilities. As for being muddled by anger, that possibility is negligible. I reckon there’s also some calculation of Xun Wenruo’s involved. You still remember what happened with Yuan Gonglu, don’t you?"
"I have never underestimated Xun Wenruo. Ever since the battle in Jingzhou, I’ve remembered him well. He is certainly a most perilous man, and unlike other strategists with their clandestine schemes, it is clear he operates on a grand and righteous path that leaves one nowhere to hide!" Fa Zheng remarked with earnestness.
It was clear that Fa Zheng also held great wariness toward Xun Yu, after all, Xun Yu’s plans had easily extricated Cao Cao from a predicament before, dragging all the Feudal Lords of the Four Directions into the water, allowing Cao Cao to rise from being trapped in a single spot to becoming powerful, facing the Four Directions without the previous timidity. This style of using open strategy was indeed difficult for Fa Zheng to counter.
"This is trouble. Xun Wenruo definitely has his own plans; it’s just that we can’t figure them out," Chen Xi remarked helplessly. "Forget it, let’s not worry about it. Since Chen Gongtai has connected with Lyu Bu, there’s not much to discuss. It should be no problem to take the major part of Yanzhou by surprise, which is also a great help to us, like cutting off Cao Mengde’s retreat, for instance."
"Better safe than sorry," Jia Xu said, frowning slightly. He always felt that Xun Yu had a move up his sleeve, but after careful analysis, he couldn’t find any flaws. Without Cao Cao’s return, the current military deployments in Yanzhou would definitely not be able to hold off Lyu Bu’s Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.
"Let it be, no need to think further; having knowledge of this is enough," Chen Xi said with a wave of his hand. "I refuse to believe that Xun Wenruo can pull off anything spectacular. At worst, we’ll face the soldiers as they come and cover over the water with earth. It’s not a big deal."
"We’ll have to settle for that," Jia Xu nodded and suggested, "In light of this, I would advise leaving Yu Wenze and Taishi Ziyi behind to guard Mount Tai, in preparation for any possible emergency. The two of them, one on the offensive and one on defense, can ensure the safety of Mount Tai."
"Brother Zijing and Xiaozhi should also stay at Mount Tai, one upright and one varied. However, this means that we can only ask Xuangao to continue garrisoning Licheng," Chen Xi nodded in agreement.
"I also want to go to Xuzhou!" Fa Zheng immediately expressed his dissatisfaction. "Isn’t Zhuge Kongming also very capable? Just let him stay at Mount Tai. Let him handle the government affairs, and Brother Zijing can serve as the Mastermind."
"Don’t mess things up. Kongming follows the broad and righteous path, while you’re more suited for Ingenious Strategy. Besides, I’m somewhat wary of what Lyu Fengxian might intend towards Mount Tai," Chen Xi said with some apprehension. "Though Chen Gongtai may not excel at planning in an imminent battle, he’s very skilled at building advantages gradually over time. Against such a person, it’s difficult to gain the upper hand with sheer rectitude."
Although Fa Xiaozhi expressed various dissatisfactions, in the end, he was persuaded. After all, his father would be arriving at Mount Tai in no more than half a month. By that time, it wouldn’t be too good if he didn’t see Fa Xiaozhi.
On the other side, in Yanzhou’s Chenliu, ever since the news of Cao Cao’s massacre of the civilians in Xuzhou reached Yanzhou, Xun Yu’s entire persona had changed from the warmth of a spring breeze to the chill of winter. At least since that day, not a single laugh had been heard in the government office of Chenliu, and everyone felt a bit of intimidation when they saw the dark expression on Xun Yu’s face.
"Wen Ruo, there’s no need for this. War inevitably leads to some deaths, and besides, you see that Cao Mengde is about to meet his karma. Why bother?" Fan Qin said as he was dealing with government affairs, casually chatting with Xun Yu. Although under normal circumstances, even if Fan Qin spoke twenty sentences, Xun Yu might not respond to even one, Fan Qin just wouldn’t stop talking.
"..." Xun Yu didn’t say a word, only shooting Fan Qin a sidelong glance filled with warning.
However, Fan Qin acted as if he hadn’t seen it, "Look, Chen Gongtai is preparing to deal with Cao Mengde head-on. Shouldn’t we lend a hand too, to get rid of Cao Mengde? From what it looks like, Chen Gongtai is not being very secretive about his actions. The plan hasn’t even succeeded, and it has already leaked significantly. Moreover, the allies he’s found are worse than the next."
Xun Yu shot another authoritative glance at Fan Qin, who was working on one side and kept prattling on. Although Xun Yu was infuriated by Cao Cao’s actions to the point of near death, it all had a cause after all, and Xun Yu had specifically looked into the situation in Xuzhou. It was clear that Cao Cao had been used by others.
Because of this, even though Xun Yu was discontented with Cao Cao’s massacre, he didn’t plan to let off those who were stirring up more and more trouble. Compared to Cao Cao’s gradually restrained behavior, Xun Yu felt even more displeased with those who used Cao Cao as a pawn. In Xun Yu’s view, without that group, Cao Cao might have vented most of his fury in one big battle. Now, however, they had created this situation.
"Huber, what exactly are you trying to say?" Xun Yu asked Fan Qin after he had dealt with a pile of government affairs on his left.
"What I mean is, let’s also take a hit at Cao Mengde. Dealing with government affairs every day is really boring. Eating, sleeping, and fighting Cao Cao could be a good life, better than this kind of idle waiting for death," Fan Qin suggested nonchalantly.
Xun Yu remained silent, but his gaze severely cut Fan Qin down.
"Wen Ruo, what exactly are you thinking? Now even I’m confused by you. What exactly do you want to do with Cao Mengde?" Seeing Xun Yu’s indifferent look, Fan Qin felt helpless, slammed his head on the desk, and a muffled voice passed over.
Xun Yu ignored Fan Qin, bowing his head to attend to his own affairs. He seemed to have realized that Fan Qin’s sense of right and wrong was not very clear. For him, life was divided into either an interesting existence or a boring repetitiveness, and currently, Fan Qin was quite intrigued by the prospect of fighting Cao Cao.
However, since Fan Qin could not grasp Xun Yu’s thoughts, he could only continue probing endlessly. After all, as long as Xun Yu kept standing by Cao Cao’s side, it wouldn’t be a problem for Cao Cao to rise again, no matter what setbacks he faced. (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 visit m.qidian.com to read.)
